The Registration System User's Manual Kimberly Fee Sam Howell Chris Rusanowski Colin Smith The Registration System User's Manual Designed By Kimberly Fee Sam Howell Chris Rusanowski Colin Smith 1994 Field Session Project Released to Public Domain June 1994 Table of Contents Section # Name Page # Chapter 1. Introduction 1.1 Introduction to Microsoft Access . . . . . . . . . . .1 1.2 Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 1.3 Recommendations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 1.4 Installing Microsoft Access. . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 1.5 Introduction to the Registration System. . . . . . . .3 1.6 1994 Neural Information Processing Systems Conference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 1.6.1 Example Conference Application . . . . . . .4 1.6.2 Example Conference Name Badges . . . . . . .5 1.7 Installing the Registration System . . . . . . . . . .6 Chapter 2. The Registration System 2.1 Starting the Registration System . . . . . . . . . . .7 2.2 The Registration Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 2.2.1 Add Registrant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 2.2.2 Edit Registrant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 2.2.3 Printing Registrant Information. . . . . . 15 Chapter 3. Analysis 3.1 Analysis Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 3.2 Printing the Pre-Registrants Report. . . . . . . . . 18 3.3 Event Summaries Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 3.3.1 Admission Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 3.3.2 Tutorial Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 3.3.3 Workshop Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 3.3.4 Option Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 3.4 Accounts Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 3.4.1 Individual Accounts Summary. . . . . . . . 21 3.4.2 Accounts Summary by Date . . . . . . . . . 22 3.4.3 Accounts Summary by Balance. . . . . . . . 22 3.4.4 Accounts Summary by Affiliation. . . . . . 23 3.5 Print Account Information to File. . . . . . . . . . 24 Chapter 4. Modifying the System 4.1 Modifying the System Main Screen . . . . . . . . . . 25 4.2 Modifying the Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 4.2.1 Changing Text Values . . . . . . . . . . . 27 4.2.2 Replacing Graphics Images. . . . . . . . . 27 4.2.3 Cycling Through Data Items . . . . . . . . 28 4.2.4 Adding and Deleting Codes. . . . . . . . . 29 4.3 Example Data Fields for NIPS Conference. . . . . . . 30 4.3.1 Conference ID Data . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 4.3.2 Admission Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 4.3.3 Tutorial ID Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 4.3.4 Workshop ID Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 4.3.5 Optional ID Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 4.4 Clearing the Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Appendix A: Example Reports Appendix B: Programmer's Manual Table of Figures Figure # Name Page # Figure 1 1994 NIPS Conference Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Figure 2 1994 NIPS Conference Name Badge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Figure 3 Conference Registration Icon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Figure 4 Registration System Main Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Figure 5 Registration Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Figure 6 Add New Registrant Form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Figure 7 Data Field Pop-Up Menus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Figure 8 Registration Receipt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Figure 9 Edit Registration Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Figure 10 A Printing Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Figure 11 Printing Dialog Boxes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Figure 12 Analysis Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Figure 13 Event Summaries Print Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Figure 14 Account Information Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Figure 15 Modify Conference Data Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Figure 16 Insert Object Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Figure 17 Conference ID Data Form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Figure 18 Admission Data Form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Figure 19 Tutorial ID Data Form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Figure 20 Workshop ID Data Form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Figure 21 Optional ID Data Form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Chapter 1. Introduction 1.1 Introduction to Microsoft Access Microsoft Access is a program designed to create relational databases in a Windows environment. It uses a series of objects to incorporate graphics and text into one database management system. An individual database is designed using tables and forms. Once created, the database can be manipulated through queries to produce any reports the user requests. Microsoft Access was chosen for the Registration System for several reasons. First, Microsoft Access runs under Windows and is capable of using any printers defined in Windows. Therefore, it is able to use a color printer and print professional name badges. Second, Microsoft Access has many pre- defined paper sizes, including some standard name badge formats. Third, Microsoft Access is able to import many different types of graphics through its Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) support. This allows the system to look professional and give it a tremendous amount of design flexibility. Fourth, Microsoft Access is a large commercial database system that is widely available. It has many capabilities not matched by smaller databases. Most database programs investigated were not capable of handling multiple- key searches and linking graphics to data fields. 1.2 Requirements Copy of Microsoft Access version 1.0 or later Windows version 3.0 or later MS-DOS version 3.1 or later 15 MB of free hard disk space A Printer capable of handling the card-stock for name badges 1.3 Recommendations All the above requirements A 486 computer with 8 MB of RAM and 20 MB of free hard disk space Laser-quality, fast, color printer (Laser-quality = 300 dpi minimum) 1.4 Installing Microsoft Access 1. Insert Disk 1 of Microsoft Access into drive A: or appropriate drive 2. Start Windows (usually done by typing WIN at the DOS prompt) 3. Select the FILE menu and highlight RUN in Windows Program Manager 4. Type A:SETUP (replace A: with the appropriate drive) 5. Follow the on-screen prompts, choosing complete installation 1.5 Introduction to the Registration System The Registration System is a relational database management system designed to reduce the workload of conference registration and badge printing. It was created using Microsoft Access, AutoCAD version 12, and Windows Paintbrush. The Registration System is divided into three main areas: Registration Database, Analysis, and Modifying the System. The Registration Database allows a user to add or edit a conference attendee's record, print receipts, and print color name badges. The Analysis section produces reports about the Registration Database and outputs them to a printer or file for accounting purposes. Modifying the System allows the user to configure the Registration System to match the conference needs. 1.6 1994 Neural Information Processing Systems Conference This program was designed for the 1994 Neural Information Processing Systems Conference. Information concerning this conference is included to allow the user to compare their conference to this conference. This should make modifying the system to match a particular conference easier. The application and an example name badge are also included. Use the information provided as an example in tailoring the system to match other conferences. The 1994 NIPS Conference in Denver, Colorado, is the 8th annual meeting of the premier aspects of neural processing and computation. NIPS brings together neuroscientists, computer scientists, cognitive scientists, engineers, physicists, mathematicians, and statisticians with interest in natural and artificial neural systems. The single-track conference includes invited talks, oral, and poster presentations of stringently referred papers. A full day of state-of-the-art tutorial presentations precedes three days of regular sessions. Two days of focused workshops follow at a world-class ski resort. 1.6.1 Example Conference Application The figure above shows the 1994 NIPS conference application. There are only two major sections that need to be filled out. The top half is the personal information about the registrant. The last name, first name, and affiliation are necessary for the name badges, while the other information is for book-keeping only. The bottom half of the application shows the types of registration and their cost. The registrant should check the box next to any part of the conference he or she desires to attend. 1.6.2 Example Conference Name Badges Figure 2 shows the example name badge printed by the Registration System. The logo in the upper left corner is the NIPS symbol drawn using AutoCAD version 12 and imported as a graphics file. The upper right corner is the symbol linked to the admission code. The bottom left corner will contain a picture, if the bearer has registered for the workshop. Finally the lower right corner will contain a picture based on the tutorial codes. All the text and icons on the badge can be easily changed to suit the needs of any conference using this basic format and a similar registration application. The name badge printed above was designed to fit 2¬" by 3«" card-stock. 1.7 Installing the Registration System 1. Install Microsoft Access as described in section 1.4 2. Insert the Registration System Disk in A: or appropriate drive 3. Copy the file REGIST.ZIP to the hard disk by typing COPYA:REGIST.ZIP C:\ACCESS (putting the appropriate drive where A: is) 4. Un-archive the file by typing PKUNZIP C:\ACCESS\REGIST.ZIP C:\ACCESS. and then delete the .ZIP file by typing DEL C:\ACCESS\REGIST.ZIP. 5. Load Windows and open the Microsoft Access Window, then choose New from the File menu 6. Press and then Type CONFERENCE REGISTRATION and press TAB 7. Type C:\ACCESS\REGIST.MDB and press The Conference Registration System is now included in the Microsoft Access Window and can be started by double-clicking on the icon in Figure 3. The documentation is in the C:\ACCESS directory as Wordperfect 6.0 files with the extension .DOC. Chapter 2. The Registration System 2.1 Starting the Registration System Start Windows and open the Microsoft Access Window by selecting it from the Windows menu. Double-click on the Conference Registration Icon shown in Figure 3. This will automatically bring up the first screen of the program shown below. A user-friendly menu system is used to display the Registration System, allowing even novices to use the system quickly and efficiently. All menu choices can be made by pointing and clicking buttons on the menu screen with the mouse. There are three buttons on the main menu: Registration, Analysis, and Exit. The Registration button takes the user to the Registration Database. The Analysis button brings up a menu which allows the user to generate many different reports. The Exit button will exit the program, returning the user to Windows. Pressing ALT-F4 will also exit the program, only it may be pressed at any time. 2.2 The Registration Database The Registration button allows the user to enter new registrants, edit information about an existing registrant, and print name badges and receipts. Click on the Registration button and the menu in Figure 5 will appear on the screen. There are now Add Registrant, Edit Registrant, Print, and Close buttons on this menu. The Add Registrant button allows the user to enter new registrants, while the Edit Registrant button allows the user to edit people already entered. Print jumps directly to the Printing menu where the user can choose to print receipts and name badges by name, date, any registrants that have not been printed already, or all existing registrants. The Close button will take the user back to the Main menu. 2.2.1 Add Registrant The Add Registrant button brings up the menu shown in Figure 6. This screen allows the user to enter new registrants, and print name badges and/or receipts. All information pertaining to a registrant's conference application is entered here. This includes the following data: last name, first name, middle name, professional affiliation, street address with internal mail code, city, state, zip code, country, e- mail address, telephone number, admission, tutorials, workshops, optional code, and payment. The cursor will initially be placed on the Last Name box on a new form. The user may switch between boxes by hitting TAB to move forward and SHIFT-TAB to move backwards. Alternately, the user can select a box by clicking on it with the mouse. Any text in the field will be highlighted when selected, or a blinking cursor will appear. Once selected the user types new information in the field, which will replace any previous text contained in that field. The user can select the box again to edit the current information without replacing it. This will bring up a blinking cursor within the field showing the edit position. The conference activities fields are entered as codes, but the user is not required to memorize any of these codes to use the system. There is a pop-up menu that displays the activities the registrant can sign up for at the conference for each field. These pop up screens can be brought up by clicking on the small arrow on the right side of each box, or by pressing ALT and . These are shown in Figure 7. Once the user enters all the application data and the amount paid for the conference, the program will automatically calculate the balance due. If there is an overpayment, the program will indicate that the registrant is due a refund by putting parentheses around the balance due, as in ($10.00). There is also a small Badge Printed box that will indicate if a badge has been printed for the registrant. If there is an X in the box, a badge has already been printed. Similarly there is a Receipt Printed box to indicate if a receipt has been printed. The date all the information was entered will automatically appear in the Date box. This date is based on the computer's internal date and will reflect an error in the computer's settings. In addition, there are three buttons on this screen: Close, Print Badge, and Print Receipt. The Close button will bring the user back to the Registration menu. The Print Badge button will print a badge for the registrant on the screen. This badge resembles the one in Figure 1. The Print Receipt button will print an individual receipt similar to the one shown in Figure 8. These will automatically mark the Receipt Printed and Badge Printed boxes. When all the data has been entered for a registrant and the receipt and/or name badge is printed, the user may proceed to the next screen by pressing until a blank form appears. If the user does not print a badge or receipt when entering the data they may also print the name badges and receipts by going back to the Registration menu and selecting the Printing button after all registrants have been entered.. 2.2.2 Edit Registrant The Edit Registrant button will bring up the screen shown in Figure 9. It is similar to the screen for adding a registrant. This is designed so the information about a specific registrant may be changed if it is incorrect. Use the search function on this screen to find a specific registrant quickly then edit that registrant's information only. Clicking on the letters that start at A and go to Z brings the first registrant's record that has a last name beginning with that letter to the screen. The user may also cycle through the names by clicking on the arrows located in the bottom left corner of screen until the correct registrant is found. The left arrow moves to the previous registrant, and the right arrow moves to the next registrant. In-between the arrows is a number that shows the current registrant's record number. The left-most arrow with a line attached brings up the first record, and the right-most arrow with a line attached brings up the last record. The user also has the option of typing in the registrant's last name in the Last Name to Find box, which will automatically bring up the first registrant in the database with that last name. If there are many people with the same last name the user may also type in the registrant's first name in the First Name to Find box. The first matching registrant's information will appear. If there are two people with identical names the user may cycle through them with the bottom arrow buttons as above and compare personal information to locate the correct registrant. (NOTE: The user must click on the ALL button to be able to search backwards when typing in the names. Example: The user first searches for someone named "Smith" and then would like to search for someone named "Fee". The ALL button must be selected before typing "Fee" to reset the database.) 2.2.3 Printing Registrant Information The Print button brings up a menu with the Print Receipts and the Print Badges buttons shown in Figure 10. The first menu option is to print receipts or name badges for all the people in the database. This is done by selecting the Print All button. Second, the Print Unprinted button will print only the registrants that have not previously been printed. The third option is to print a receipt or name badge for a particular person. This may be done by selecting the Print by Name button. Finally, the user may print by the date a registrant was entered using the Print by Date button. Printing requires the user to choose one of these options and then select the Print button. The Print by Name and Print by Date options will bring up the small dialog boxes shown in Figure 11. The user types in information in any of the fields displayed in the dialog box and then presses . The dialog box disappears, but when the Print button is selected it will only print the registrants that match the information previously typed in the dialog boxes. The Print by Name option will print all registrants that have the same name entered in the dialog box, and the Print by Date option will print all registrants entered between the specified dates. Chapter 3. Analysis 3.1 Analysis Menu The Analysis button from the main menu displays the menu screen shown in Figure 12. This menu gives the user several choices: Print Pre- Registrants Report, Event Summaries, Accounts Information, Print Account Information to File, and Close. Close will take the user back to the main menu. Examples of all reports generated for the 1994 NIPS Conference are included in Appendix A. 3.2 Printing the Pre-Registrants Report The Print Pre-Registrant Report button prints a report of every existing registrant in the database. The report consists of the name and professional affiliation of registrants, sorted alphabetically by last name. The report prints a header that includes the date of the report. 3.3 Event Summaries Menu The Event Summaries button brings up the Event Summaries Print menu shown in Figure 13. Each of the buttons on this screen produces a report based on the number of registrants sorted by registration codes. Clicking on a button sends the report directly to the printer. Close takes the user back to the Analysis menu. 3.3.1 Admission Summary The Admission Summary button generates a report to that details how many people are involved with each type of admission and the total income that should be received for admission costs. The report is broken down into the possible admission types as defined in the day codes. 3.3.2 Tutorial Summary The Tutorial Summary button produces a report describing the number of people registered for each type of tutorial code. The report includes how much money should have been received from those registrants. This report also lists how many people have not registered for tutorials. 3.3.3 Workshop Summary The Workshop Summary button generates a report that details how many people are involved with workshops and the total income that should be received for workshop registration. The report is broken down into the possible workshop registration types as defined in the workshop codes. 3.3.4 Option Summary The Option Summary button produces a report describing the number of people registered for each type of optional code. The report includes how much money should have been received from those registrants. This report also lists how many people have not registered for tutorials. 3.4 Accounts Information The Account Information menu is brought up by clicking on the Account Information button on the Analysis menu. This screen is shown in Figure 14. All buttons except Close bring up sub-menus that are described below. The Close button takes the user back to the Analysis menu. The other buttons are: Individual Accounts Summary, Accounts Summary by Date, Accounts Summary by Balance, and Accounts Summary by Affiliation. 3.4.1 Individual Accounts Summary The user may choose to print all registrants or a specific registrant. All the registrants are printed by simply pressing . A name must be selected in the text box before pressing for a specific registrant. The arrow on the right side of the box will bring up a list of all the names in the database. Select the name by typing it in the text box, or clicking on a name from the list. Pressing sends the report to the printer. Alternately, the user can click on the Close button to exit this sub-menu without printing any summaries. The Individual Accounts Summary report lists the registrant's name and affiliation on the first line. On the second line, there is a subtotal, showing the total amount due, an amount paid, and the balance. The balance is enclosed in parenthesis if the registrant is owed a refund. 3.4.2 Accounts Summary by Date The Accounts Summary by Date report is defined by a menu that asks the user for a start date and an end date. This menu contains text boxes that the user simply types a date into and presses . The date is usually entered as a month/day/year, but Microsoft Access will interpret many date formats automatically. The user then clicks the Print button to send the report to the printer. The Close button will take the user back to the Account Information menu. The Accounts Summary by Date report prints the first date within the specified range as a header and then the registrants entered on that date as sub-headings. Each person is listed with the amount paid and the balance for the conference. The total paid and total balance for each day is listed at the bottom of each day. The next date in the database is then printed, separated by a line from the previous date. 3.4.3 Accounts Summary by Balance The Accounts Summary by Balance button brings up a menu with three options. The options are: Balances Owed, Paid in Full, and Refunds. The user chooses one of these options and then clicks the Print button. The Balances Owed option prints a report showing all registrants that have not paid for the conference registration. The Paid in Full option prints only the registrants that have paid all registration fees. The Refunds option will print all registrants that overpaid for the conference. 3.4.4 Accounts Summary by Affiliation The user can print all the registrants in the database by affiliation, or only print one affiliation's members. All the registrants are printed by pressing in the text box that appears. The summary will print all registrants in the database sorted alphabetically by affiliation. If the user types an affiliation in the text box and then presses , the system will print only the registrants associated with that professional affiliation. An arrow on the right side of the text box will bring up a list of all the affiliations in the database and the user may select one of these by highlighting it. The user may click on Close to return to the Account Information menu. This report prints the professional affiliation as the section heading and then lists the people associated with that affiliation as interior headings. The registrants are listed in alphabetical order within each section. Under each person, the subtotal, amount paid, and the balance are listed on one line. Each section then lists the total balance for the professional affiliation. 3.5 Print Account Information to File The Print Account Information to File button creates two files in the C:\ACCESS directory of the hard disk. One file is an ASCII file containing a summary about each registrant's information in the database. This file is called EXPACCNT.DAT. The second file is an Excel Spreadsheet file. This contains the same information as the ASCII file, but in a format readable by Microsoft Excel. This file is called EXPACCNT.XLS. Both files are created for accounting purposes and contain costs and amounts paid for each registrant. Chapter 4. Modifying the System 4.1 Modifying the System Main Screen This section is designed to modify the conference information so the system can be used by many different conferences. Any changes made to the database are permanent and can only be undone by changing the data back to its original state or re-installing the Registration System. The best safety suggestion is that you do not work with the original file (REGIST.MDB) but a copy on your hard drive. A good way to save the original file is to copy it to disk by typing COPY C:\ACCESS\REGIST.MDB A: at the DOS prompt after inserting a blank, formatted diskette into the A: drive. Modifying the System is started by choosing Modify from the Options menu located at the top left corner of the main menu screen. This menu can be activated by clicking on it with the mouse or pressing ALT-O. Highlight the Modify option and press , then the Modify Conference Data screen shown in Figure 15 will appear. This screen contains six buttons. The Conference ID Data button lets the user change information specific to that particular conference. The Admission Data button changes the types of admission available. The Tutorial ID Data button allows the user to modify the tutorial codes available, including how many are available. The Workshop ID Data button modifies the workshop codes available. The Optional ID button changes the optional codes available. Each button takes the user to a screen where all relevant data can be changed including the attached icons. Close takes the user back to the Main menu for the Registration System. 4.2 Modifying the Data 4.2.1 Changing Text Values To change text values, select the field to change by clicking on the box. The text in the box will be highlighted or a blinking cursor will appear if there is no text in the box. Once highlighted, type new text and the old text will automatically be replaced. The existing text may be edited by selecting the box again, which will produce a blinking cursor in the box. The text may be edited by moving the cursor and typing new text and deleting old text. This works in any edit form within the Registration System that contains a text box. 4.2.2 Replacing Graphics Images Microsoft Access can import pictures in a .PCX, .MSP, and .BMP format. Pictures should be designed previously using a program that can save in one of the formats mentioned above. Windows Paintbrush can save in either format, but the .PCX format is likely to take less disk space. To create the graphics file, run Paintbrush from the Application Window before running the Registration System. Import or draw a graphic in Paintbrush. Once created, save the picture by choosing Save from the File menu. Change the format to .PCX by using a small box in the left corner of the save screen and then type a name for the file. Then quit Paintbrush and run the Registration System and go into the Modification System. The picture file can then be inserted into a graphics box by selecting the desired box to change and pressing the DELETE key. Then choose Insert Object from the Edit menu. A dialog box will appear showing a list of objects as shown in Figure 16. Choose the File button from this box and type in the name of the graphics file. Microsoft Access will automatically insert this picture into the graphics box and return the user to the edit screen. 4.2.3 Cycling Through Data Items The user may cycle through different records and choose which ones to edit by using the small arrows located in the lower left corner of the edit form. The left arrow moves to the previous record and the right arrow moves to the next record. In-between the arrows is a number that shows the current record number. The left-most arrow with a line attached brings up the first record, and the right-most arrow with a line attached brings up the last record. Once the user has found the record to be changed, it can be edited as described in sections 4.2.1,2, and 4. 4.2.4 Adding and Deleting Codes Each record that is brought up in the edit screen is sorted by a code. Microsoft Access uses these codes to calculate its internal structure. The text boxes are used by the user interface so the user does not need to deal with the internal codes. The user has complete control over the text boxes and internal codes and may define as many of these codes as desired to match each conference's particular registration application. Once a new code has been added or an old one deleted, Microsoft Access will automatically adjust the user interface to reflect the changes. A new code may be added by cycling through the records (section 4.2.3) to a blank edit form and typing new information. The new code should be any integer number not including zero, because Microsoft Access uses zero to mark the end of a the records. The new text may be any text desired and the pictures any graphics file. Once the data has been entered the user may continue to add new codes or close the edit form and the Registration System will be updated automatically. Old codes can be deleted by cycling through the records (section 4.2.3) until the desired record is found. Then delete the entire record by selecting the Delete button. 4.3 Example Data Fields for NIPS Conference 4.3.1 Conference ID Data The Conference ID Data is changed through a series of boxes that appear once the Change Conference ID Data button has been selected. These are shown in Figure 17 below. The Organization, Acronym, Conference Name, and Year are all text boxes and may be changed by following the steps outlined in section 4.2.1. The Conference Logo is a graphics box and can be changed by following the steps outlined in section 4.2.2 The Close button takes the user back to the Modify Conference Data screen. 4.3.2 Admission Data The Admission Data is changed through a form very similar to the Conference Data form. It is pictured in Figure 18. Day code, Description of Code, and Day Cost are all text boxes. Section 4.2.4 outlines how to modify these codes and section 4.2.1 describes how to change the text values. There are currently five day codes not including zero which is used as the end record in Microsoft Access. Section 4.2.3 describes how to cycle through the existing day codes. The current day codes are: 1 = Early, 2 = Late, 3 = Early Full-Time Student, 4 = Late Full-Time Student, 5 = One-Day Registration, and 6 = No Admission. Each has a different cost and the One-Day Registration also has a different picture. For a similar conference, the only information that might change would be the cost of each registration package. Change the cost by cycling through the records and entering each new cost. The new totals will be calculated automatically. 4.3.3 Tutorial ID Data The tutorials are designed to show whether the registrant has signed up for a tutorial or not. The only choices currently available are 1 = Regular Tutorial, 2 = Student Tutorial, and 3 = No Tutorial. These are designed exactly the same as the Admission Data and more may be added if necessary. The basic form is pictured in Figure 19. Edit the current tutorial codes by following the same procedure outlined in section 4.2. 4.3.4 Workshop ID Data The workshops are designed to show whether the registrant has signed up for a workshop or not. The basic form is pictured in Figure 20. Again, edit the current workshop codes by using the procedures outlined in section 4.2. Currently there are five options available: 1 = Vail Post-meeting Workshop, Early, 2 = Vail Student Post-meeting Workshop, Early, 3 = Vail Post-meeting Workshop, Late, 4 = Vail Student Post-meeting Workshop, Late, and 5 = No Vail Post-meeting Workshop. 4.3.5 Optional ID Data The Optional ID Data field is an extra field that may be used to include extra application data. It is currently being used to represent discount Vail Lift Tickets. The conference registrants may purchase lift tickets through the conference for use after the post-meeting workshop. The form is pictured below. The codes may be edited as described in section 4.2. The existing codes are: 1 = Two-Day Vail Ticket, 2 = Three-Day Vail Ticket, 3 = Four-Day Ticket Vail Ticket, and 4 = No Vail ticket, . 4.4 Clearing the Database There is an option to clear the whole database. The New Database option is located under the Options menu on the top left corner of the main menu. This option deletes all records in the database. Deleting the database should only be done under certain circumstances: starting a new conference, deleting all registrants quickly, and restarting the existing database. A new conference will require different data and the existing registrants often do not conform to the new forms. Clearing the database will alleviate this problem. New Database is also the quickest way to remove the registrants if the database needs to be restarted. Example: The New Database option will be used by the user to remove the test cases that were entered to test the database. Appendix A: Example Reports Pre-Registration List Admission Code Summary Tutorial Code Summary Workshop Code Summary Optional Code Summary Individual Accounts Summary Accounts Summary by Date Accounts Summary by Affiliation Accounts Summaries by Balance: Balances Owed, Paid in Full, and Refunds These example reports are included only in hard-copy Manual. Additional copies of all the reports may be printed from inside the Registration System. Appendix B: Programmer's Manual Introduction This introduction is designed to show a programmer how our database interacts with itself. This will allow a programmer see the overall design and understand how simple changes will tend to affect it. However, to make any major changes outside of the provided forms will require at least minimal knowledge of Microsoft Access. There are two approaches to learning Microsoft Access, the hard way and the easy way. The easiest way to learn Access is to skim the user's manual and then to examine the sample databases, thereby getting familiar with Microsoft Access's features and seeing them implemented correctly. Also by skimming the User's Guide, the programmer gains familiarity with the book and can easily reference appropriate information. (It is highly suggested that the programmer skim the whole User's Guide and not just sections that the programmer feels relevant.) After examining the sample database completely, the programmer should have a good understanding of Microsoft Access. For mastery, it is suggested that the User's and Programmer's Guides be read thoroughly. There are a few areas that the programmer should pay particular attention to, these are: 1. Dynasets.(A dynaset is a table of data achieved after a filter or other action performed to one or more parent tables.) 2. Structured Query Language (SQL) statements, where conditions and filters. 3. Queries. (Read and re-read.) 4. Interlinks. Although the idea of a dynaset seems simple, the implementation of a dynaset and the handling of changing data can be complicated. If the programmer thinks in a hierarchical manor, many problems will be avoided. Hierarchical means the programmer should create separate tables to contain similar information and the combine and filter or sort them for a specific need. This means by the time the information is entered into a report it may have from a table through many different queries until only the relevant information is sent to the final report. Many reports will require filtering down into a small subset of records, which can only be achieved through the use of SQL statements, where conditions and filters. Since reports are often the only output for databases, it will greatly enhance the programmers ability to produce if he/she is conversant with the processes to create subsets. There are two types of queries in Microsoft Access, select and action. Select queries in Microsoft Access serve many of the same purposes as the SQL statements, where conditions and filters, except at a higher level. Action queries perform functions on dynasets. Both types of queries are important to developing a sound database and therefore warrant the extra attention of the programmer. The last technical area of special interest is the interlinks. There is no area of the User's Guide that specifically looks just at this topic. After examining the sample database and reading the section on creating applications through the use of macros, this should not be a major problem. The examples in the User's Guide and in the sample database cover such wide range of possibilities, it is unlikely that the programmer need look any further for solutions. NOTE: Since the badges report cannot be configured at design time for a specific printer, it is suggested that a programmer be present to enter the Access Database window and then adjust the print setup of the badges. Also some work may have to be done with the margins to make the badges print in the desired locations on the page. Conference Database Breakdown of Internal Objects (An object is any access construction including tables, forms, reports, queries and macros.) Tables All of the raw data is located in the tables. The registration table contains information obtained from the registration form and small amounts of information used in maintaining the conference database. The ID tables are look up tables used to link data with the registration table. Registration Table The Registration table is mainly used to hold all the data from the registration form. Admission ID The Admission ID table holds all the codes, text, costs and image involved with each type of admission (one day, general, late, early, student). Conference ID The Conference ID table is very similar to the Admission ID table except it holds all the same information as it pertains to the conference as a whole (Conference name, logo, year). Tutorial#1 ID As with the Previous tables this one hold all the necessary information regarding the tutorials (codes, images, prices, text). Workshop#1 ID Again this table contains all the codes images, prices and text for the workshops. Optional ID And lastly this one contains the information for the optional field. We are using it for the vail lift tickets. Queries Used to link tables, filter information and sort data. Many of the queries are for filtering for user defined information, the rest are used to provide the appropriate information to a report for printing. Accounts Sorts the financial base query by affiliation, for use by the dialog summary by affiliation form. All Links all of the initial tables into a single dynaset. Badge equal no Filters the badges query for records that have unprinted badges. Badges Filters and sorts the all query for data pertinent to the badges. Between Dates Account Filters records by date entered using the values obtained from the dialog summary by date form. Between Dates Badges Filters records by date entered using the values obtained from the badge date dialog form. Between Dates Receipt Filters records by date entered using the values obtained from the receipt date dialog form. Financial Base Filters the all query for all of the pertinent accounting information used by the accounting queries. Individual Accounts Filters the financial base query and sorts by name. Make Temp Table of Account Info An action query that creates a temporary table that is exported to ASCII and microsoft excel files. Process #1 Filters the all query and is used by the registration form to add registrants to the database. Process #2 Filters the all query and is used by the registration 1 form to edit a registrant's record. Receipt equal no Filters the all query for records that have unprinted receipts. Sorted Admission ID Sorts the admission id table by ascending code. Sorted Conference ID Sorts the conference id table and creates new fields of data based on the conference id table. Sorted Tutorial#1 ID Sorts the tutorial#1 id table by ascending code. Sorted Workshop#1 ID Sorts the workshop#1 id table by ascending code. Sorted Optional ID Sorts the optional id table by ascending code. Summary Accounts <0 Filters financial base query for registrants with negative balances. Summary Accounts =0 Filters financial base query for registrants with zero balances. Summary Accounts >0 Filters financial base query for registrants with positive balances. Summary Admission Filters, sorts, and sums the data from the sorted admission query and the registration table. Summary Tutorial Filters, sorts, and sums the data from the sorted tutorial query and the registration table. Summary Workshop Filters, sorts, and sums the data from the sorted workshop query and the registration table. Summary Optional Filters, sorts, and sums the data from the sorted optional query and the registration table. Forms Switchboards and Menus Switchboards and menus control the flow between forms. Accounts Information Switchboard The Accounts Information Switchboard uses the Accounts Info Switchboard buttons macro to take to the forms in the accounts screens. It is just a high level menu. The buttons take you to the next level down as you work your way to a report to print. Analysis Switchboard Again this Switchboard is connected to the macro with the same name except for it is Analysis Switchboard buttons. It takes the user the Analysis reports. Change Conference Data Switchboard This is the switchboard that takes the user to the different forms to edit and modify the conference data and setup. Supposed to only be used to setup the database for a specific conference. Main Switchboard This Switchboard is the main one after the title screen. It eventually leads to all the other screens/forms. Print Badges Menu This is a lower level switchboard basicly. It uses buttons to allow the user to decide which badges to print. The user can print all the badges, the unprinted badges, The badges of a specific person or the badges for registrants entered between specified dates. Print Receipts Menu This menu/switchboard is identical to the previous menu except it prints the receipts of the registrants. Print Menu Switchboard This Switchboard has three buttons. One opens the Print badges menu, the second opens the Print receipts menu, and the last one closes the current Switchboard. Registration Switchboard This switchboard leads to the edit and add registrant forms. Summary Switchboard This switchboard allows the user to choose which summary they wish to print. The can choose to print all the pre-registrants, a specific registrant, all registrants entered between specified dates, or the registrants that belong to the same affiliation. Dialog Forms Dialog forms are used as pop up screens to prompt user for necessary information. Badge Date Dialog This dialog prompts the user to enter a start date and end date. Then it prints all the badges for registrants that were entered between those dates. Badge Name Dialog This dialog prompts the user for the name of a registrant and then prints the appropriate badge. Dialog Account Balances This dialog uses buttons to allow the user to print a report of all registrants who have negative, positive or zero balances. Dialog Individual Accounts This dialog prompts the user for a specific registrants name and then prints a summary report on the status of their account. It will also print out a similar report for all registrants. Dialog Summary by Affiliation This prompts the user for an affiliation then prints a summary of all registrants for that affiliation, or for all registrants. Dialog Summary by Date This Dialog prompts the user for a start date and end date then prints out a summary of accounts for all those registered between the dates. Receipt Date Dialog This is identical the badge date dialog except it prints a receipt for the registrants. Receipt Name Dialog This is identical to the badge name dialog except it prints the receipt for the specified registrant. Other Forms Change Admission ID Data Form used to edit the admission codes and data associated with the codes. Change Conference ID Data Form used to edit the conference code and associated data. Change Tutorial#1 ID Data Form used to edit the tutorial codes and data associated with the codes. Change Workshop#1 ID Data Form used to edit the workshop codes and data associated with the codes. Change Optional ID Data Form used to edit the optional codes and data associated with the codes. Registration Form used to add a registrant to the conference database. Registration 1 Form used to find and edit a registrant in the conference database. Title Screen As obvious as it sounds, it is the title screen. Reports Templates for outputing registration data to printer. Contains the appropriate fields and layout for a given report. Pre-registrants Prints alphabetically by name all of the pre-registrants and their professional affiliation. Receipt Confirmation of data and billing of registrants. Badges The template that the database uses when printing a badge. Summary Accounts Lists individual accounts information. Summary Accounts by Affiliation Lists individual accounts information grouped by professional affiliation. Summary Accounts by Date Lists individual accounts information grouped by date entered. Summary Admission Prints statistical information about admission codes. Summary Tutorial Prints statistical information about tutorial codes. Summary Workshop Prints statistical information about workshop codes. Summary Optional Prints statistical information about optional codes. Macros Buttons Macros Button macros contain the commands required to perform the desired action. Alpha Filter buttons Contains the appropriate commands to filter the database according to the letter pushed on the edit registrant form. Accounts Info Switchboard buttons Contains the appropriate commands to perform the actions when one of the Accounts Information Switchboard buttons is pressed. Change Conference Data Switchboard buttons This one contains the commands for the change conference data switchboard buttons. Main Switchboard buttons This one contains the commands for the main switchboard buttons. Analysis Switchboard buttons As usual this contains the actions for the analysis switchboard buttons. Print Badge buttons This macro contains the commands to the buttons on the print badge switchboard. Print Receipt buttons This macro contains the commands to the buttons on the print receipt switchboard. Print Switchboard buttons This one contains the commands to the buttons on the print switchboard the choose between the print receipt and print badges forms. Registration Print Buttons This one contains the commands for the buttons on the add registrant form to print either a badge or receipt. Registration 1 Print buttons This one contains the commands for the buttons on the edit registrant forms. Registration Switchboard buttons This one contains the commands for the buttons on the registration switchboard which opens either the add registrant or edit registrant forms or close. Summary of Account Balances buttons This macro contains the commands that opens the form or report to print one of the account reports or the dialog forms. These include all pre-registrants, all registrants entered between specified dates, a specific registrants or the registrants that belong to a specified affiliation. Summary Switchboard buttons This contains the commands for the buttons on the summary switchboard. Menu Macros Menu macros create custom menu bars that mimic the action of the buttons. Each menu simply has one command. It adds a menu bar to a form. The only difference is which form it adds it to and what commands are in it. The command is the same and the options in the menu bar are the same as the button. You just tell it to us a macro group like summary switchboard buttons and it adds all these commands for the buttons to the menu. This allows the user to use keys instead of a mouse. Accounts Info Switchboard menu Change Conference Data Switchboard menu Analysis Switchboard menu Main Switchboard menu Print Badge menu Print Receipt menu Print Switchboard menu Registration 1 Print menu Registration Switchboard menu Summary Switchboard menu Title Screen menu Dialog Macros Dialog macros use the user entered data to complete the function of the form. Dialog Accounts Affiliation This dialog macro prompts the use for an affiliation then filters all registrants with that affiliation into a dynaset. This dynaset is then print using the summary by affiliation report. The use can also choose all affiliations Individual Accounts Dialog This dialog is similar to the previous but pulls an individual record and uses the account summary report. It also has an all option. Print Badge Dialog This prompts the user for the information in both badge name dialog and badge date dialog. It will filter for an individual name or for registrants entered between the entered dates and print the dynaset of badges using the small badge report. It will, when finished, change the field that indicates that the badge was printed. Print Receipt Dialog This macro group is similar the Print Badge Dialog except it is called from the receipt date dialog and receipt name dialog forms and prints using the receipt form. Dialog Date Summary This dialog filters the records using the dialog summary by date form start date and end date. It then uses the accounts by date report to print. Other Macros Find First Name Goes to the first name field and finds the first matching record. Find Last Name Goes to the last name field and finds the first matching record. Account Info to File Creates temporary table of accounting information and prints it to ASCII and microsoft excel files. AutoExec Performs opening sequences. Close Closes the currently opened object. Title Screen macro Close macro used by the custom menu but not attached to any button.