~1F tm AlbumMaster 'Helping You *Master Your Album Library' From Unicorn Software Limited Created By: Charles P. Schell IV Copyright (C) 1987-94 Unicorn Software Limited All Rights Reserved AlbumMaster is a Trademark of Unicorn Software Limited Unicorn Software Limited P. O. Box 911 Wabash, IN 46992 CIS #70272,3317 AlbumMaster Manual Page i Unicorn Software Limited is a 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 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442-9427 or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536 LICENSE AGREEMENT ----------------- AlbumMaster is a commerical software program being distributed under a concept known as "Shareware" and is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation. Feel free to share it with your friends, but AlbumMaster must be distributed in unmodified, complete form, including this Reference Guide and License Agreement. Also, AlbumMaster may not be distributed in conjunction with any other product. The essence of "user-supported" software is to provide personal computer users with quality software without high prices, and yet to provide incentive for programmers to continue to develop new products. If you find this program useful and find that you are using AlbumMaster and continue to use AlbumMaster after a reasonable trial period, you must make a registration payment of $29.95 to Unicorn Software Limited, P.O. Box 911 Wabash, IN 46992-0911. Or you can use your MC, Visa, AmEx, or Discover by calling the PsL at 800-242-4775 or 713-524-6394 or by FAX to 713-524-6398. These numbers are for ordering only! For information about dealer pricing, site licensing, shipping of product, returns, latest version number or technical support call 219-563-HOME or write to Unicorn Software Ltd. directly. The $29.95 registration fee will license one copy for use on any one computer at any one time. You must treat this software just like a book. An example is that this software may be used by any number of people and may be freely moved from one computer location to another, so long as there is no possibility of it being used at one location while it's being used at another. Just as a book cannot be read by two different persons at the same time. The AlbumMaster cataloging program is protected by United States Copyright Law and International Treaty provisions. All rights are reserved. Non-registered users of AlbumMaster are licensed only to use the program on a trial basis for the sole purpose of determining whether or not it meets their requirements. All other use requires registration. Commercial users of AlbumMaster must register and pay for their copies of AlbumMaster within 30 days of first use or their license is withdrawn. Site-License arrangements may be made by contacting Unicorn Software Limited. You are encouraged to pass a copy of AlbumMaster along to your friends for evaluation. Please encourage them to register their copy if they find it useful. AlbumMaster Manual Page ii All Registered Users receive the latest version; Printed and bound manual; FREE phone, mail, and BBS technical support; discounts & free offers from several computer services mail notification of all major upgrades & new programs; FREE Upgrades for the price of postage and handling; and another one of Unicorn's Shareware programs to try. WARRANTY -------- Unicorn Software Limited makes no warranty of any kind, express or implied, including without limitation, any warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. Unicorn Software Limited shall not be liable for any damages, whether direct, indirect, special or consequential arising from a failure of this program to operate in the manner desired by the user. Unicorn Software Limited shall not be liable for any damage to data or property which may be caused directly or indirectly by use of the program. IN NO EVENT WILL UNICORN SOFTWARE LIMITED BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS OR OTHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY. The License Agreement and Warranty shall be construed, interpreted and governed by the laws of the state of Indiana. AlbumMaster Manual Page iii Contents Introduction............................................................ 1 Features................................................................ 1 Upgrading From Previous Versions........................................ 2 Getting Started......................................................... 3 Sample Data............................................................. 4 File Menu............................................................... 4 Select Option......................................................... 4 Print Option.......................................................... 5 Printer SetUp Option.................................................. 5 BackUp Option......................................................... 6 Restore Option........................................................ 6 Shell To DOS Option................................................... 6 Exit Option........................................................... 7 Albums Menu............................................................. 7 AlbumMaster Editing Window............................................ 7 Input Fields.......................................................... 8 Side A and Side B..................................................... 8 Continuation Lines....................................................11 Pick Menu...............................................................11 Utilities Menu..........................................................12 Indexing Option.......................................................12 Crunch Option.........................................................12 Colours SetUp Option..................................................12 User Fields Option................................................... 13 Categories Option.................................................... 13 SpellCheck SetUp Option.............................................. 13 Auto Number Option................................................... 13 Renumber Option...................................................... 14 Import Option........................................................ 14 About Menu............................................................. 14 Help Menu.............................................................. 15 Appendix Label Specifications..........................................Appendix A FLEXIBAK Plus & Spell Checkers................................Appendix B Categories....................................................Appendix C Tips, Tricks & Misc...........................................Appendix D Q & A.........................................................Appendix E Technical Assistance & Latest Versions........................Appendix F Unicorn Software Support Conferences & Distribution BBSs......Appendix F AlbumMaster Manual Page 1 Introduction ------------ This on disk manual is intended to get you up and running with AlbumMaster as quickly as possible. It documents every feature of the program, but it has been abbreviated for brevity. It is assumed that you are already familiar with DOS and DOS programs. The printed manual that you will receive when you register is more in depth and provides a greater scope of operations of the program. Windows Users: -------------- This version of AlbumMaster will run under Windows, but please be aware that there is also AlbumMaster for Windows available. AlbumMaster for Windows should be available from the same source as this DOS version, or you can contact Unicorn Software to locate a source. Mouse Users: ------------ You must activate the mouse prior to the start of the program. The Left Button serves as the return/enter key, The Right Button is the [ESC] key. Selections: ----------- The MOUSE is the primary input device used for this documentation. Selections can be made by double-clicking on the desired item. There are 2 other methods of making selections: by pressing your [TAB] key to highlight the desired selection, and then pressing your [ENTER] key to select that item, or by pressing the [ALT] key and the letter key which is highlighted in that menu option's name (these highlighted letters are considered Hot Keys). Features: --------- The Album is quickly passing into history, making it more crucial for you to keep track of your collection as it increases in value. AlbumMaster offers users the maximum in flexibility and capability. It does what other cataloging systems only dream of! Easy to use, menu driven and installs automatically. User sets screen colours, default data drive, printer codes (for Laser or Dot Matrix) and the user names data file. Standard entries for Title and Artist (30 characters each), Album Number, Category, UNLIMITED Tunes AND 3 AlbumMaster Manual Page 2 User Defined fields for each Album. The 3 User Defined Fields of 30,29 and 5 characters each. The names the User assigns to these fields are used on all screens and in print outs. So one user can track producers or catalog numbers, another can track purchase price, location and date of recording. The choice of obtaining Print Outs for all data or a Criteria. Selections for specific: Artist, Title, Album Number or Range of Numbers, Category, any of the User Defined Fields, an individual song , or a KomboZ of up to 4 of the data fields (with And/Or option). Print Outs available: An abbreviated listing, full catalog, 3X5 and Rolodex cards (2 Sizes), front labels, custom print out. All outputs can be viewed on screen, written to an ASCII file or sent to the printer. Tune List option that prints out Tune, Album Title & Number and Artist for every Album in the data file (or Criteria). Custom List option that allows the User to pick and choose items for a print out. Pick option that searches for specific Albums by Title, Artist, Album Number, Category, User Defined Field, or combination Will also Pick for a single tune and gives on screen pointer when found. Auto numbering feature automatically proceeds to next number. Close Nuf' feature that allows partial 'wildcard' style entries to be used for making selections. Choice of indexing by: Title, Album Number, Artist, the 3 User Defined Fields, or Category. Upgrading from Previous Versions -------------------------------- If you are already using a previous version of AlbumMaster, *DO NOT* install this new version over the old one. Please consult the file UPGRADE.DOC for instructions on upgrading from previous versions. AlbumMaster Manual Page 3 Getting Started --------------- The installation program will place the following program files in a sub-directory on your hard disk drive: ALBMSTR.CAT ALBMSTR.EXE ALBMSTR.CFG ALBMSTR.DBT MANUAL.COM SAMPLE.DAT SAMPLE.DBT SAMPLE.NDX HELP.PLS HELP.DBT UNICORN.FNT It will also place the following documents there: PACKING.LST UPGRADE.DOC VND&SYS.DOC To start the program, switch to that sub-directory and type ALBMSTR, then press [ENTER]. The first time you start the program, you will be presented with a Windows-like file box. This allows you to select a AlbumMaster data file for use. All AlbumMaster data files have the extension DAT, and will be displayed in the box on the left. If you have chosen to store your data files in a separate sub-directory, click on the PATH button to bring up an input window. The current sub-directory will be displayed, and you can change it by [BACKSPACE]ing over the current listing and then typing in the sub-directory that you want. When you have done this, click on the OKAY button. The program comes with a SAMPLE.DAT file already prepared for you (see below). If you want to create your own specific files, click on the CREATE button, enter the name of the data file you want to create, and click on the OK button. The program will create the file and then enter the menuing system. Once you have selected the data file to use, you will be taken to the main program screen. From now on, when you start the program it will take you directly to this screen. AlbumMaster Manual Page 4 Sample Data: ------------ There is a sample data file that will appear in the file box. The data contains various entries, and is designed to provide you with examples. To take a look at these samples, click on the file SAMPLE.DAT from the file box. The sample data makes use of the User defined fields in different ways (Time, Catalog #, Cost, etc.). You might get some ideas from looking at them. MAIN PROGRAM SCREEN ------------------- Across the top of the MAIN Program Screen are the basic program options that are available to you (File, Albums, Picks, Utilities, About). In the upper right corner is the version number. A box in the lower right corner displays information about your current selection (File in use, Album's in file, Picks in effect (Y/N), Autonumbering (Y/N), and a reminder that [F3]=Notepad). The status box can be turned off/on from the Colour SetUp screen. The bottom line of the screen displays brief information regarding the current selection. ----------------------- FILE OPTION (Main Menu) ----------------------- Selecting the "File" option brings down a window, and offers you the choice of Select, Print, Printer SetUp, BakUp, Restore, Shell To DOS, or Exit. SELECT: ------- This option will bring up the data file selection window, where you can select from the various data files that you have created. The available files are displayed in the box on the left, and you can double-click on the one that you want to work with. If you have placed your data files in a different sub-directory, click on the PATH button, and type in the chosen sub-directory. If you want to create a new data file, click on the CREATE button, type in the name of the data file, and click on the OKAY button. You can also delete data files by selecting the desired file (double-click on the file name), and then clicking on the DELETE button. You can also AlbumMaster Manual Page 5 exit the Select window by clicking on the CANCEL button. PRINT: ------ This option will bring up a window with the various printing options: List, Catalog, 3X5 Cards, Rolodex, Labels, Kustom, and Tune List. LIST provides the Album Number, Category Title & Artist. CATALOG provides all information. 3X5 CARDS gives you all information printed on 3X5 cards. ROLODEX gives you all information except the Tunes on pin fed rotary index cards. LABELS gives you Album Number, Artist & Title. (See Appendix A for label specifications) KUSTOM allows you to build your own print out. Simply choose the the items you wish to include in you print out. The program will track the number of characters you have left and beep if you go over 120. Select OK to start the print or Cancel to abort. After you make your first Kustom listing the program will save the layout you used, so you can use it again. TUNE LIST will list all Tunes, Album Number, selection #, side fields and Artist. Unless you have very few Albums you will need a Hard Drive or High Density Drive to use this feature. You will be prompted for the desired Order of the file. CATS & BOXES produces a count of all categories and active boxes, as well as a percentage of the total entries. If you select File for output, you need to enter the destination (A,B,C or D) and the filename (up to 8 characters) for the file. NOTE: All files created are "pure" ASCII, and can be handled by most word processors. PRINTER SETUP: -------------- This allows you to customize the printer codes used by the program. You will be asked for the printer type (Dot Matrix or Laser) and then for the codes the printer uses. These codes can be found in your printer manual. AlbumMaster comes pre-configured for Epson FX100 (Dot Matrix) and HP Laserjet 3 (Laser) printers. Dot Matrix Printers: You will need to know the code for 10 cpi (Pica), 12 CPI (Elite), Enlarged, Condensed (17CPI), Bold On, Bold Off and Double High/Wide. If your printer cannot handle double high/wide DON'T PANIC, just leave it blank; the program will use Enlarged for that entry. You do not have to enter the ESC part of the code, the program will add that AlbumMaster Manual Page 6 automatically. You can enter the letter ESC code or the number it does not matter: ie ESC code 119 can be entered as "119" or "w". (Do not enter any "spaces"!) Laser Printers: You will need to know the codes for Font Symbol, 12CPI Pitch, 10 CPI Pitch, Condensed (16.66 pitch), Highlights and Normal Style, Fixed Spacing, 60 & 45 Lines Per Page, Portrait & Landscape modes, Clear Laser, and Left Margin. The settings already in the program are for Roman8 and a left margin of 8. You can adjust these to whatever you desire. Remember, you do not have to enter the ESC part of the code, the program does that for you. ie Your manual calls for an ESC&k2S, you enter &k2S. BAKUP: ------ This option allows you to make a backup of your data. It will also tell you the size of the file (approx) that you are backing up. Prior to using this option, you need to decide if you are going to create Mulitple backups or a Single. Single BackUp: Probably the easiest, all you need do is format a disk and then label it (with the DOS LABEL command) ALBMSTR. Mulitple BackUp: Probably the safest, you need to decide how many times a week and on what days you are going to backup. Next, format the appropriate number of disks and label them (using the DOS LABEL command) with the days of the week you are going to use them, ie MONDAY, TUESDAY, etc. The program will only use 1 disk to back up. This back up system will only work until you have about 500 Albums in the file (to a 720K diskette). After that, I recommend FlexiBak Plus as a back up utility (see Appendix B) RESTORE: -------- This option allows you to Restore previously backed up files. Prior to restoring the program will let you know the back up disk about to be restored and the date and time when it was backed up. SHELL TO DOS: ------------- This option allows you to exit temporarily to DOS and then return to the program. Once in DOS you will have about 256K RAM free, when you are ready to return to the program enter the command EXIT to return to AlbumMaster. AlbumMaster Manual Page 7 EXIT: ----- This option allows you to quit the program. You can also enter the commadn [ALT]+X to exit the program, when you are on the menu. ------------------------- ALBUMS OPTION (Main Menu) ------------------------- This brings up the Album's window, where all of the real work on your collection takes place. This is where you add, delete, and modify the items in your data file. Upon entering this window, a listing of your Albums will be presented to you in the lower portion of the window. This area is a scrollable window, and only a few selections will appear in the window at one time. You can scroll through the listing by clicking on the Up/Down arrows located on the right side of the window, or by pressing your Up/Down cursor keys. [Home] will take you to the top of the file, [End] to the bottom. At the top of this window are selections for Add, Delete, Find!, Again and Exit. Click on Add to add additional Albums to your data file. Click on Delete to delete Albums to your data file. Click on Find! to search for specific text in a Album title. Click on Exit to exit the Albums window and go back to the Main window. The Find! option: This will bring up another window that will allow you to enter information regarding the Album you want to find. This option will only search for text in the Title, Artist, or Album Number fields. If you need to search for specific items in the other fields, you can do that by using the "Picks" menu option. To preform an additional search on the same Find!, use the Again feature. If you want to EDIT an existing listing, simply select (highlight) the item that you want to edit and then press [ENTER]. Or, simply double-click on the item. This will take you to the editing window. In this window, you will find input fields for the following: The AlbumMaster Editing Window: ------------------------------- This is where you add new data, or edit existing data. The upper portion contains information fields for the Album, and the lower portion contains the "Tunes" box, which contains information regarding the tunes on that Album. AlbumMaster Manual Page 8 At the right are buttons for OK, Next, Prev, and Cancel. Use the OK button to confirm your entries, the Next button to move to the next Album in the list, the Prev button to move to the previous Album in the list, and the Cancel button to quit the editing window. Input Fields: ------------- Album Number: This is alphanumeric (letters and/or numbers). Some of the programs options will only work if this is a number (Renumber, Pick Range, and Auto Number). Notice that you can use the same "number" for more than 1 Album, as in the case of a 2-Album set. Title: The title of the Album. For multiple Album sets you may wish to add Disk 1, Disk 2, Disk 3 etc. to the title. Category: Pressing the [F2] key will bring up a menu of Categories that are available to select from. To Add/Update this list, use the Categories option from the Utilities menu. If you enter a Category not previously used by the system, the program will ask you if you want it added to your Category list. Artist: The primary Artist on the Album. If the Album is a compilation, enter Various and then enter the individual artist information along with the Tunes. User #1: This field can be used for anything that you desire. For example, use it to track Producer, Serial Number, Location. You can modify the name of this field by selecting the User Fields option from the Utilities menu. User#2: As with the User #1 field, this you can modify the name of this field, and also use it for whatever you like. User3: Same as User #1 and User#2. U Box #1: Select the desired button/X Box. . U Box #2: Select the desired button/X Box. Side A and Side B: ------------------ You can scroll through the Side information, by using the mouse, arrow keys or [PgUp]/[PgDn] keys. If there is more information than can be displayed at one time there will be "drag" bars on the right side of the Side box. AlbumMaster Manual Page 9 There are two ways to enter and edit the Side information for the Album: select the appropriate button, or go to that section on the screen and press [Enter]/click the mouse. Once you do this the Side selected will enlarge so that you can enter/edit the information there. Simply enter one selection on each line. If a song title is too long for one line, use the next line as a Continuation Line (see below). Also, you have a myriad of command to help you when editing the Side. There is a special Help screen that will display these. Moving Around [CTRL] <Ä or [CTRL] [A] Move left one word [CTRL] Ä> or [CTRL] [F] Move right one word [CTRL] [Home] Beginning of the Entry [CTRL] [End] End of the Entry [PgUp] Next edit window up [PgDn] Next edit window down Editing Commands [CTRL] [Y] or [F3] Delete current line* [CTRL] [T] Delete word right* [CTRL] [B] Reformat text of Entry* [F4] Insert blank line* BlokZ Commands [F2] Start/End BlokZ* [F7] Write BlokZ* File Commands [F8] Read File* [F9] Write Entry To File Finishing Touches [ALT] [W] Saves Entry* [ESC] Aborts Entry* AlbumMaster Manual Page 10 Toggles [F5] Toggles Word Wrap [F6] Toggles Scrolling [F10] Run Spell Check * Not Valid In FindMe! Or Erase Modes. {When Scrolling is on SCR will appear on the lower right of the screen. When WordWrap is active WRP will appear} The Read and Write File commands will let you enter up to 40 characters for the location and filename you want to read or write. ie A:\PRIVATE\ALBUMS.TXT. The file MUST be in ASCII format, but can include the extended ASCII graphics symbols. When you use BlokZ, you first start the BlokZ by hitting the [F2] key, then move the cursor to the end of the BlokZ you wish to mark. The highlighted text is what the BlokZ contains. It will only work on the text currently displayed on the screen. When you are at the end of the BlokZ hit the [F2] key again to end. You will then be prompted for disposition of the BlokZ. You can Copy, Move, Delete or Write the BlokZ. The Copy command will leave your original text in place and then allow you to copy the BlokZ elsewhere by hitting the [F7] key when you have the cursor positioned where you want it. The Move command works just like the copy command, except the original BlokZ is deleted from the old location prior to you selecting the new location for the BlokZ. Delete simply erases the entire BlokZ. Write lets you enter a filename and then writes the BlokZ to it. You can enter up to 40 characters for the location and filename you want to write. ie A:\PRIVATE\ALBUMS.TXT. The original BlokZ location is left untouched. See below, for more information on SpellCheck. AlbumMaster Manual Page 11 Continuation Lines: Sometimes one line is not enough! So use Continuation Lines! All you need to do is move to the next line and start the line with a SPACE (this way the program will know that this line goes with the one above). If you have an individual Artist to enter with a Tune, use a Continuation Line but start the entry with a "*". (see examples in the SAMPLE.DAT file). The limit of lines per side is 5000. ------------------------ PICKS OPTION (Main Menu) ------------------------ This menu will bring up a window of buttons for picking Albums. Think of this as a way of filtering your data file for only the information you want. These Picks remain in place for Print-Outs too. Once you put a Pick in place, it will remain active for the rest of the current session UNLESS you select the Cancel button from this menu. When Picks are set, the status box on the main window will display "Yes" for the "Picks In Effect" listing. Once you have selected the item you want to Pick for you will be prompted for what criteria you want. When you have entered your choice, you can select either "Equal To" or "Not Equal To" for your search (available on all Pick items except "Range"). You can select more than one item to Pick from, and additional Pick selections will offer you a "Combiner" option (see example below). Once you have made your choices click on the OK button to confirm. For example, let's say that you want to work with all Albums that are in the "Rock" category, *and* are by "Bruce Springsteen". Click on the Category button from the Picks menu, then select Rock from the categories listing, then click on the "Equal To" button, which will process your 1st selection. When you select another Picks category you will be offered a "Combiner" option of "AND" or "OR". This option allows you to search for Pick#1 *AND* Pick#2, or you can search for Pick#2 *OR* Pick#2 (in this example we'll use the AND option). After you select your choice of Combiner options, you'll be returned to the Picks listing, where you can choose your next Pick selection. For your next selection, you click on the Artist button and enter "Bruce Springsteen". To finalize your Picks, just click on the OK button, which will return you to the Main menu screen. AlbumMaster Manual Page 12 A more complex example would be Category A *or* Category B *and* User Code D *and* Title A. (You would get all Categories A or B with the Code D and the title beginning with A.) After finalizing all of your Picks criteria, click on the OK button and AlbumMaster will process the information and return you to the Main menu. Now, when you click on the Album menu option, AlbumMaster will only display those items which meet all of your Picks selections. (If you had selected the Combiner option "Or" in the above example you would have gotten all records for Category Rock *or* any done by Bruce Springsteen - even those not in the Rock category) ---------------------------- UTILITIES OPTION (Main Menu) ----------------------------- INDEX: ------ This allows you to place the file in an option that suits your needs, you can also combine several of the options together. So you could put the file in order by Title, with a sub order by Artist, with a sub order by Category. CRUNCH FILE: ------------ This compresses the blank spaces out of the data file, sequences the data file for optimal speed, rewrites all the indexes and cross checks all of the numbering information. This can take awhile if your file is especially big. COLOUR SETUP: ------------- This will let you change the colours used for text and input windows within AlbumMaster. When you select this option, you will be presented with a listing of the various items that you can configure. Here is a listing of the color codes available: Colour Letter Colour Letter -------------- -------------- Black N Red R Blue B Magenta RB Green G Brown GR AlbumMaster Manual Page 13 Cyan BG White W {To Obtain Light Version Of A Colour Prefix With An "*"} There are two complete sets of predefined colours for the system. To obtain either enter LITE or DARK for the Main Screen Colour and then press the OK button. Using one of these and then altering the colours to suit is usually easier than trying to define them all yourself. You choose the colours for: Background (The main background for the screen), Editing Screen (Messages and other text displayed on screen during editing), Help Line (at the bottom of the screen), Hot Key Accent, (The colours of the input blocks), and Menus (The menus used through out the program). Also on this screen you can choose an ASCII character for WallPaper, Turn On/Off the Status Box and set date formats. (I=Italian, B=British, A=American, G=German or F=French) USER FIELDS: ------------ This allows you to change/enter your titles for the user named fields. You can also change the titles for the two tune fields and the button/X box sections. Button/X BOXES: You have two choice for the appearance/use of these sections. You can make them buttons (where only one choice of the five items is allowed) or X boxes (where you can have five sepearte yes/no items). To make the selections X Boxes enter an X in the field after the title, for buttons enter a B. See Appendix D for uses of the boxes. CATEGORIES: ----------- Allows you to add, change, and delete Categories from your Category list used throughout the program. See Appendix D for more information on how to best use the Category option. NOTE: If you are adding an Album and you enter a Category that does not exist, you will be given the option of adding it at that time. SPELLCHECK SETUP: ----------------- This allows you to enter the name of the spell checker you wish to use with the program. If you have the spell checker's location in your path AlbumMaster Manual Page 14 statement, all you need to enter is the command to start it. The Spell checker MUST be capable of accepting a command line input (ie SPELL.EXE FILENAME) to be used with AlbumMaster. The program can handle TSR spell checkers without entering anything here. Our recommended choice for spell checker is SpellPlus, since it easy to use and inexpensive. See Appendix B for details. AUTO NUMBERING: --------------- If this is on the Album Number will automatically be placed in the appropriate field when adding new Albums. If you change the number (ie you deleted a Album with a lower number), the number first inserted will be saved for the next add. Once selected the NEXT number the computer has in memory will be displayed, if this is incorrect or you want to change it, you may do so at this time. RENUMBER: --------- This should be used immediately after indexing (if it is desired). It will number your Albums from 1 to whatever based on the order the file is in when it is run. For example the file is in Title order, it will number them based on that alphabetized list. You can not use this option if your file is in Album Number order, however. IMPORT: ------- This allows you to Import data files created with AlbumMaster for DOS (versions after 7.00) and AlbumMaster for Windows. The records will be imported to the file currently in use. Some users find it easy to have one master file and a separate file to make entries with and use this to merge the two. If there are Categories in the Imported file which are not in you Category data file, you have the option to change these (not only in the Category list but for each Album as well). For example you used R for Rock in the imported file but you want to use R&R from now on, you have the opportunity to change the Category for all Albums with R and in the Category list as well. AlbumMaster Manual Page 15 ----------------------- HELP OPTION (Main Menu) ----------------------- ABOUT: ------ About Option: Displays legal and version information about the program, as well as displaying the name of the registered owner (or UNREGISTERED COPY). HELP: ----- Allows access to the Help system from the Main Menu. Enjoy! Charles P. Schell IV, Author AlbumMaster Manual Appendix A Label Specifications -------------------- The following sizes apply to the labels & cards used in this program: PenFed Labels & Cards: Standard Labels: 15/16" X 3" labels {4010} 3X5 Cards: 3" X 5" Cards {4166} Rolodex Cards: 2 1/6" X 4" {4168} Sheet Labels & Cards Labels: 3-wide, 1" X 2 5/8" label sheets {5160} 3X5 Cards: sheet {5388} Rolodex Cards: 2 1/6" X 4" sheet {5385} Sources For Blank Labels: ------------------------- These labels are available from many sources, I can recommend one very good one: The Computer Label Company. They have the best prices and fastest service 1-800-332-4223, or write 727 Eugene Road Palm Springs, CA 92264. The numbers in the {}s are the corresponding Avery product numbers. AlbumMaster Manual Appendix B FLEXIBAK Plus ------------- Backing up your data files is important! If you do not have a backup program, I heartily recommend FLEXIBAK Plus by fellow ASP author Adrian Mardlin. Even if you have a back up program, take a look at FLEXIBAK. It is fast and easy. In the author's words: "FLEXIBAK Plus, is a flexible, easy-to-use system with a logical, simple and unique approach to hard disk backups. With FLEXIBAK Plus...the concept of full backups and incremental backups is removed. Instead, you only take a full backup once. All subsequent backups are placed on the same backup disks, giving long- term speed increases, simpler file restoration and improved backup management capability." Check with your favorite BBS or disk vendor for the latest version or you can contact Nildram Software directly. FLEXIBAK costs $59 (plus $ S&H) to register, and is worth every penny. FLEXIBAK Plus Distributor (USA & Canada): ----------------------------------------- Shareable Software International, Inc. PO Box 59102 Schaumburg,IL 60159 USA Tel: (708) 397 1221 Fax: (708) 397 0381 CIS: 76226,2652 SpellPlus: SpellPlus, written by fellow ASP author Douglas Campbell is an excellent spelling, grammar and style checker. It handles AlbumMaster files excellently, and will be a welcome addition to your software library. It can be ordered when you register the program (see order form) or by contacting: Timpanogos Software 758 E. 100 N. Orem, Utah 84057-4910 ShareSpell & AlbumMaster: From the author of ShareSpell (Robert Bequette): "ShareSpell is a "stand-alone" spelling checker. With it you can check the spelling of text files that you have written. It is completely AlbumMaster Manual Appendix B interactive. It will display the text of the file as it goes through the file, checking for spelling errors. At each word that it thinks is misspelled, you'll be given the option of replacing the word from a list of suggested correct spellings, manually correcting it, adding it to the dictionary, marking it for later correction, or ignoring it throughout the rest of the document. Currently ShareSpell has a 112,000+ word dictionary, and you have the option of adding words..." In order for this option to work, you must have ShareSpell installed on your system, and located in the same sub directory with AlbumMaster or listed in your PATH statement (see the ShareSpell documentation for PATH statement instructions). The program costs $20 to register (at the time of this writing) and is available through most disk vendors and BBSs. If you have any questions or comments Robert Bequette can be reached through the U.S. Mail at: Acropolis Software P.O. Box 5037 Fair Oaks, CA 95628 Or electronically on CompuServe 75146,3471 Other Spell Checkers: You may choose to use a TSR spelling checker program for your collection. AlbumMaster works with all major TSR programs. I am still looking for, but have yet to find, a Shareware spell checker that is a TSR. In the meantime the Borland product Turbo Lightening will have to fill the gap. Another good product that works well is the American Heritage Dictionary, from the Writing Tools Group (1-800-523-3520). AlbumMaster Manual Appendix C Categories: ----------- Since the category field works "progressively" for Picks, you can use a numbering system similar to the Dewey Decimal System to make them more useful. Since the system listed below was developed by David Moon of San Rafael, CA, I call this the Moon Decimal System in his honor. Although it will not work for everyone, it is detailed enough for most. Remember that the Category system is based in alphanumerics not numbers, so if you were using the Moon system, wanted all North American, Bluegrass Music, you would want to specify a Category of "12 " not "120". This way the system would look for 120 through 129. Another example would be if you used "RS" for Rock, Slow and "RSD" for Rock, Slow Dance-- asking for "RS" would give you both Categories of music. The Moon Decimal System: ------------------------ 100 - North American Popular Music 102 - Popular Singers with Orchestral Accompaniment (Sinatra, Streisand, etc.) 105 - Bluegrass 106 - Blues 109 - Broadway Musical 110 - Country and Western 115 - Easy Listening 120 - Movie Soundtrack 125 - Popular Folk Music 130 - Reggae 140 - Rock and Roll 141 - 1950's Rock 142 - 1960's Rock 143 - 1970's Rock 144 - 1980's Rock 145 - 1990's Rock 150 - Spirituals, Gospel Music 160 - Soul 200 - Jazz 210 - Cool Era (recorded in the 1940's) 220 - Early Jazz (recorded in the 1920's) 230 - Miscellaneous Collections, History of Jazz 240 - Swing Era (recorded in the 1930's) 250 - Jazz of the 1950's 260 - Jazz of the 1960's 270 - Jazz of the 1970's 280 - Jazz of the 1980's 290 - Jazz of the 1990's 350 - International Popular Music 352 - Central and South America AlbumMaster Manual Appendix C 354 - Brazil 355 - English-speaking Caribbean countries 356 - Haiti and French-speaking islands 357 - Mexico and Central America 358 - Spanish-speaking Caribbean countries 359 - South America 360 - Europe 361 - British Isles 362 - Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland 363 - France and Belgium 364 - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Holland 365 - Italy 366 - Northeast Europe (Poland, Czechoslovakia, Latvia, etc.) 367 - Southeast Europe (Hungary, Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania, etc.) 368 - Soviet Union 369 - Spain and Portugal 370 - Middle East 371 - Israel 372 - Middle Eastern countries (Syria, Jordan, Lebanon,Iraq, Saudia Arabia, Iran, etc.) 373 - North African countries (Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco,Libya, Algeria, Sudan) 374 - Turkey 380 - Central and South Africa 381 - Black African cultures 382 - Europeans in Africa 390 - Orient 391 - China, Tibet 392 - India, Pakistan, Bangla Desh 393 - Indonesia, Java, Bali, Malaya 394 - Japan 395 - Korea 396 - Philippines 397 - Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, Laos,Cambodia) 398 - Australia and New Zealand 399 - Pacific Islands 400 - Ethnic Folk Music 402 - United States 403 - Black traditional songs, blues, spirituals,gospel music 404 - Cowboy and western songs 405 - Folk dances, square dances, fiddle tunes 406 - Labor songs, prison songs 407 - Native American music 408 - Traditional folk songs and mountain ballads 410 - Canada 415 - Central and South America 416 - Bahamas, Jamaica, Trinidad and other English-speaking Caribbean countries AlbumMaster Manual Appendix C 417 - Brazil 418 - Central America 419 - Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and other Spanish- speaking Caribbean countries 420 - Haiti and French-speaking islands 421 - Mexico 422 - Native Americans in Central and South America 423 - South America 424 - Surinam and Dutch-colonial islands 430 - Black African countries 436 - Europeans in Africa 438 - Madagascar 440 - Europe 441 - British Isles 442 - Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland 443 - General European collections and surveys 444 - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Holland 445 - France and Belgium 446 - Italy 447 - Northeast Europe (Poland, Czechoslovakia, Latvia) 448 - Southeast Europe (Hungary, Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania) 449 - Spain and Portugal 452 - Russia, Ukraine, Siberia 454 - Southern provinces of the USSR 460 - Middle East 462 - Israel and general Hebrew and Yiddish music 464 - Turkey 466 - Middle Eastern countries (Syria, Jordan, Lebanon,Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen) 468 - North African countries (Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco,Libya, Algeria, Sudan) 470 - Orient 471 - China, Tibet 472 - General collections and surveys 473 - India, Pakistan, Bangla Desh 474 - Indonesia, Malaya, Java, Bali 475 - Japan 476 - Korea 477 - Philippines 478 - Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, Laos,Cambodia) 490 - Australia and New Zealand 492 - Pacific Islands (Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia,Hawaii, Easter Island) 500 - Keyboard Music 510 - Piano Solo 512 - Allegro 513 - Andante 514 - Bagatelle AlbumMaster Manual Appendix C 515 - Ballade 516 - Caprice 517 - Dance 518 - Etude 519 - Fantasy 520 - Fantasy & Fugue 521 - Fugue 522 - Minuet 523 - Nocturne 524 - Polonaise 525 - Prelude 526 - Prelude & Fugue 527 - Rhapsody 528 - Rondo 529 - Scherzo 530 - Sonata 531 - Sonatina 532 - Suite 533 - Variation 534 - Waltz 540 - Piano Duet 542 - Dance 543 - Sonata 544 - Variation 545 - Waltz 550 - Three Pianos 555 - Four Pianos 560 - Organ 562 - Canon 563 - Chorale Prelude 564 - Concerto 565 - Fantasy 566 - Fantasy & Fugue 567 - Fugue 568 - Partita 569 - Passacaglia 570 - Pastorale 571 - Prelude 572 - Prelude & Fugue 573 - Sonata 574 - Toccata 575 - Toccata & Fugue 576 - Trio Sonata 580 - Harpsichord Solo 581 - Fantasy & Fugue 582 - Fugue 583 - Partita 584 - Prelude 585 - Prelude & Fugue AlbumMaster Manual Appendix C 586 - Toccata 587 - Sonata 588 - Variation 590 - Harpsichord Duet 595 - Clavichord 597 - Virginal 600 - Chamber Music 602 - String Ensembles (with keyboard accompaniment) 604 - Cello Solo 605 - Double Bass Solo 606 - Viola Solo 607 - Violin Solo 610 - Clarinet Trio 611 - Piano Trio 612 - String Trio 615 - Piano Quartet 616 - String Quartet 619 - Clarinet Quintet 620 - Piano Quintet 621 - String Quintet 622 - String Sextet 623 - Flute with Strings 630 - Woodwind Ensembles (with keyboard accompaniment) 631 - Bassoon Solo 632 - Clarinet Solo 633 - English Horn Solo 634 - Flute or Piccolo Solo 635 - Oboe Solo 636 - Recorder Solo 630 - Woodwind Ensembles (with keyboard accompaniment) 637 - Saxophone Solo 638 - Woodwind Quintet 639 - Mixed Brass/Woodwind Ensembles 650 - Brass Ensembles (with keyboard or percussion acc.) 651 - Baritone Solo 652 - Horn Solo 653 - Trombone Solo 654 - Trumpet Solo 655 - Tuba Solo 656 - Brass Quartet 657 - Brass Quintet 680 - Percussion Ensembles (with keyboard accompaniment) 690 - Other Solo Instruments 691 - Flute 692 - Guitar 693 - Harp 694 - Lute 695 - Mandolin 696 - Musical Glasses AlbumMaster Manual Appendix C 700 - Orchestral Music 702 - Symphonic Works 704 - Ballet Music 705 - Concert Overture 706 - Concerto Grosso 707 - Concerto for Orchestra 708 - Dance 709 - Divertimento 710 - Fantasia 711 - Incidental Music 712 - March 713 - Military March 714 - Minuet 715 - Orchestral Fugue 716 - Program Music 718 - Rhapsody 719 - Rondo 720 - Scherzo 721 - Serenade 722 - Sinfonietta 723 - Suite 724 - Suite with Descriptive Title 725 - Symphonic Poem 726 - Symphony 727 - Tone Poem 728 - Variation 729 - Waltz 740 - Orchestral Excerpts and Transcriptions 741 - Excerpts from Dramatic Vocal Works 742 - Opera Overture or Prelude 743 - Opera Excerpts (Non-Vocal) 744 - Sacred Songs Arranged for Orchestra 745 - Sinfonias from Vocal Works 746 - Transcriptions for Orchestra of Vocal Works 750 - Concertos for One or More Solo Instruments with Orchestra 751 - Bassoon or Saxophone 752 - Cello 753 - Clarinet 754 - Double Bass 755 - Flute 756 - Guitar or Lute 757 - Harp 758 - Harpsichord 759 - Horn 760 - Oboe or English Horn 761 - Organ 762 - Other Brass Instruments 763 - Percussion 764 - Piano AlbumMaster Manual Appendix C 765 - Trumpet 766 - Violin 767 - Viola 768 - Other Solo Instruments 769 - Double, Triple Concerti 780 - Wind Instruments and Percussion 781 - Small Wind Ensemble 782 - Solo Instrument, Voice and Band, Wind Ensemble Accompaniment 783 - Symphonic or Concert Band 784 - Wind Ensemble (Standard Instrumentation) 785 - Wind Ensemble with Strings 786 - Brass Band 787 - Brass Fanfares 788 - Brass and Percussion Fanfares 789 - Drum and Bugle Corp 790 - Marches 791 - Marching Band (Corp) 792 - Marching Band (Traditional) 793 - Percussion Features 800 - Vocal Music 802 - Solo Voice 804 - Art Song for Voice and Piano 805 - Other Solo Voice with Keyboard Acc. 806 - Folksong for Voice and Piano 807 - Solo Voice with Misc. Accompaniment (Guitar, etc.) 808 - Voice with Chamber Ensemble 809 - Voice with Orchestra 810 - Vocal Duets, Quartets, etc. 812 - Voices with Chamber Ensemble 813 - Voices with Orchestra 814 - Voices with Other Instruments 815 - Voices with Piano 820 - Sacred Songs and Vocal Works 822 - Anthem 823 - Hymn 824 - Psalm 825 - Motet 830 - Large Vocal Works 831 - Mass or Requiem 832 - Magnificat, Salve Regina 833 - Passion, Stabat Mater, Crucifixus 834 - Sacred Cantata 835 - Secular Cantata 836 - Sacred Oratorio 837 - Secular Oratorio 838 - Te Deum 850 - Opera 851 - Opera Excerpts AlbumMaster Manual Appendix C 852 - Operetta 853 - Operetta Excerpts 860 - Dramatic Readings with Music 870 - Madrigals and Part Songs 880 - Secular Choral Music 890 - Religious Liturgy 891 - Christian Chant 892 - Eastern Christian Liturgy 893 - Eastern Religions (Moslem, Buddhist, Hindu) 894 - Hebrew or Jewish Liturgy 900 - Electronic and Experimental Music 950 - Dramatic and Spoken Works 951 - Dramatic Readings with Music 952 - Dramatic Readings and Plays 954 - Historical speeches, broadcasts 956 - Language instruction 958 - Poetry and prose If you have any questi