Copyright: Reels 6.0 Copyright ® 1992-4 by 4Space


CONTENTS
Reels Help Contents

Introduction

Credits

Shareware Registration

What's New In This Version

Commands

Main Menu Commands

View Window Menu Commands

J-Card Window Menu Commands

Procedures

Printing Lists

Printing J-Cards

Editing Shows

Working In The Main Window


Introduction

Description

For tape collectors everywhere, Reels provides a complete collection management and analysis system.  It assists you in keeping track of your tapes and all their songs.  Extensive searching capabilities allow you to locate that hard-to-find tape in your collection.  Statistics on nearly every characteristic make trend tracking a breeze.  Reels also includes full printer support, allowing you to to print (or file) your tapelist or create analog or DAT J-Cards.

System Requirements

Reels requires Microsoft Windows 3.1, a 386 or better CPU, a hard drive, and at least 2 MB of RAM.  Printing requires a printer properly configured for Windows.

Installation

Copy reels.exe, reels.wri, reels.hlp and sample.rls (included in the ZIP fileor on your distribution disk) to whatever directory you want.  The reels.ini file should be copied to your windows directory.  The BWCC.DLL file should be copied to your WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.

Command Line Usage

REELS [path[filename]]
If the file you to open resides in the same directory as reels.exe then no [path] is required.  Files can be added to any Program Manager Group, enabling you to start REELS with the file pre-loaded (see your Windows documentation for directions on adding files to Groups.  Note that the ability to open a file from a Group requires you to associate REELS's files with the executable file from File Manager).


Credits

Reels was written entirely with Borland's Pascal with Objects 7.0 and the Resource Workshop.  Reels is Copyright © 1992-4 by 4Space.  All rights reserved.

This application has developed (sometimes in mysterious ways!) through the suggestions and comments from many people too numerous to name here.  But, special mention goes to:
- The Grateful Dead (for playing so many shows this application had to created just to keep track!)
- Participants in the GD conferences on the WELL and AOL
- Registered users of prior versions (you guys and gals gave me the impetus to improve Reels)
- Chances, for providing rest breaks and always fetching the tennis ball.


Shareware Registration

Shareware Policy

This version of this program is Shareware.  This means that you may try out Reels for 30 days to see if it suits your needs.  If, at the end of this trial period, you do not wish to keep using Reels, you must delete all copies that you have.  To continue use of Reels after 30 days, you must register a copy.  The registration fee is U.S. $25.00.  To register, use the file "order.txt" found in the distribution ZIP file.

4Space specifically disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to, any implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose.  In no event will 4Space incur any liability for damages, including but not limited to,loss of profit, data, or use of the software, or special, incidental, or consequential damages, even if 4Space has been specifically advised of the possibility of such damages.  This license shall be construed, interpreted, and governed by the laws of the State of South Carolina and any action hereunder shall be brought only in South Carolina.  If any provision is found void, invalid, or unenforceable it will not affect the validity of the balance of this License and Limited Warranty which shall remain valid and enforceable according to it's terms.

How to Register

Use the included ORDER.TXT file or send U.S. $25.00  with disk size to:
Fred Schatzki
Rt 1 Box 41
Hampton, SC 29924

What You Get

The latest version of Reels on disk, free technical support, and discounts on upgrades and future 4Space products.


WHATS NEW
What's New In This Version

Gazintas

Gazinta support has been added for all songs.

Enhanced Help Access

Many dialogs and menus have enhanced access to the Help system, facilitating problem solving.

Right Mouse Button Support

Clicking the right mouse button in many windows pops up a menu with many common commands.

User Preferences

J-Card type is now selected through the Options menu.

Improved Printing Features

All print features have enhanced page layout functions.

J-Cards and tapelists are now just a mouse click away.  Up to three j-cards can now be printed at once, on a single sheet of paper.  j-cards now have two different types of headers.

Dat J-Cards have a new 'double set' feature, allowing printing of 2 sets on the same j-card.

Enhanced Search Features

Many search functions now provide a default list of criteria obtained from the current file.

Auto-Type Data Entry

As you type in artists, venues, cities, or songs, Reels automatically finds the closest existing match and finishes the typing for you.

Other Goodies

J-Cards are now available from just about anywhere.
This file has been re-written :-).


Main Menu Commands

Use these commands from the main window menu to enter, edit. search, and display shows, lists, and j-cards.

File

Edit

Search

Stats

Options

Help

See Also

Right Mouse Button Support


Main Window File Commands

New

Create a new file.

Open

Open an existing file.  If the current file has changed you will be prompted to save it.

Save

Save the current file.

Save As

Save the current file under a new name.

View

Use to preview Simple or Complex lists or J-Cards prior to printing.

Exit

Exit Reels.

See Also

Main Menu Commands

Right Mouse Button Support


Right Mouse Button Support

Many commonly used menu commands are available through the right mouse button.  To access these commands click the right mouse button in the respective window.  Windows having right mouse support are:

1	Main Window

2	View Windows

3	All Search Dialogs

4	J-Card Windows

Available commands depend upon window and current application settings.


Main Window Edit Commands

New (Ins)

Create a new show.  Note that for a show to be added to the list there MUST be a number in one of the 3 date fields.

If you enter a date and artist that already exists no changes to the list will be made (use the Edit command to change a particular show's data.

Edit (F9)

Edit the data fields of the selected show.

Delete (Del)

Delete the selected show.

Display (F5)

Display the selected show.  Once displayed, the show can be edited or a j-card can be printed.

Change Song

Changes an every occurence of an existing song title to a new title.  This function is tapelist-wide and CASE SENSITIVE.

Notes on Data Entry

Enter data as you wish but remember that it must be consistent for search functions to work properly.  All dates should be input as XX XX XX to insure proper operation (i.e. include leading zeros).  Any and all fields (except for date) can be left blank.  If no data is entered for date the show will NOT be added to the list.  Note that you can enter any one of the 3 date fields and the show WILL be added to the list.

See Also

Enhancing List Consistency

Entering Show Data

Main Menu Commands

Right Mouse Button Support


Enhancing List Consistency

The most important factor in list consistency is insuring that all like information is indeed identical.  The most common cause of inconsistency, manifested in different "spellings" of the same song or venue, can be minimized with the new features in Reels.  Auto-typing insures that all titles will be identical, and proper use of gazintas will ensure you don't end up with a list that has "Scarlet" and Scarlet >" as two different songs.

Another common cause is trailing blank spaces after song titles.  This can be corrected by using the Change Song feature on the main Edit menu.  Type in the offending song (including the trailing space) in the first field, and then add it correctly to the second.  Note that these fields are CASE SENSITIVE, meaning that they first search for the song EXACTLY as input, then modify all occurrences to the second EXACTLY as input.

See Also

Entering Show Data


Entering Show Data

While show data can be entered in any manner, consistency is recommended to insure accurate operation of search and statistical functions.  It is strongly recommended that all dates be entered as "XX XX XX" (i.e include leading zeros) so date ordering will work properly.

Reels supports "auto-typing", a feature that minimizes the time to input commonly used song titles.  As you enter a title, Reels searches for the closest matching existing song and automatically completes the field.  Once a "new" song has been input, it is added to the auto-type list.

Gazintas can be added to songs using the list box immediately adjacent to song edit fields.  Gazinta strings are changed through the Options|Preferences menu on the main window.

Only the first 10 songs in sets 1 and 2 are initially displayed, songs 11 through 20 are accessed through the "More Set..." buttons.  All of set 3 is accessed through the "Set 3" button.

See Also

Enhancing List Consistency

Main Menu Edit Commands

Options Commands


Options Commands

View by Artist

Restricts the listing in the main window to the prompted artist.  Type ALL for all artists.

Sort by Date

Sorts shows by date then artist as opposed to artist then date.  A handy tool for seeing if different artists played on the same date or just viewing your list chronologically.

•	NOTE:  This setting overrides any "View by Artist" selection and disables editing.

Preferences

Choose between analog or DAT j-cards.  Change gazinta strings that are displayed on j-cards and tapelists.

Personal Data

Enter personal data to be included on simple and complex lists such as name, address, phone, and email.

Save Changes on Exit

Save changes to window size, location, and current artist to the INI file.

See Also

Main Menu Commands


Search Commands

The options on this menu allow you to search for nearly any aspect of your tape collection.  If a search is succesful a list box will be displayed identifying shows meeting the search criteria.  Double click on any entry to display that show.  Special searching functions are listed below:

Set Searching:

Finds all shows with at least one song in the selected set.

Song Searching:

•	Single:  finds the selected song.  This feature is case insensitive and allows partial string searching.

•	Multiple:  leave BLANK fields for less than three songs.

Find:

A quick and dirty way to locate and display a show.  The entered date MUST be in the following format:  XX/XX/XX (i.e. use the forward slash and include leading zeros).

Multi-Search

Leave BLANK any fields you do not wish to include.

See Also

Main Menu Commands


Statistical Commands

Go!

Computes file statistics.  All list boxes in the resulting dialog are "search" list boxes, meaning that double clicking on any item will bring up a search dialog with all found shows.  You can then display these shows by double clicking on them.

Narrow

Restricts analysis to a single year or range of years and/or a single artist.  Type "all" in the artist box to include all artists.

See Also

Main Menu Commands

Narrowing Statistical Information


Narrowing Statistical Information

Statistical information can be narrowed to reflect a single artist and/or a single year or range of years.  Select the Narrow... command from either the main window Stats menu or the button on the Stats dialog.

Year Range

Enter the years to which you wish to restrict statistcal analysis.  Years should be entered as two digits, i.e. "87" or "65".  If you wish to examine a single year, simply use the same number for both first and last year.

Artist

Enter the artist for which you wish to restrict analysis.  You must enter the artist's name EXACTLY as it appears in the list.  Analysis is restricted by default to artists displayed in the main window.  Type "all" to analyze all artists.

See Also

Statistical Commands


Help Commands

Contents

Loads this help file.

About

Displays program copyright information.

See Also

Main Menu Commands


View Window Menu Commands

The menus on view windows allow you to change text fonts and sizes, change printer and page defaults, and print the contents of the display.

Simple List Window

Complex List Window

See Also

Printing Lists


Simple List Menu Commands

These menu commands allow you to view and print simple tapelists.

File

Print

Print the contents of the display window.

Print Setup

Configure the printer.

Save to File

Save the contents of the display in ASCII format, suitable for viewing or editing with any text editor.

Exit

Close the display window.

Options

Fonts

Change font style, type, or size.

Page Layout

Change page layout.

Single Artist

Restrict display to a single artist.  Type "all" for all artists.

Show Comment

Display any previously entered comment underneath the show to which it belongs.

Show Time

Display any previously entered timing information for all shows.

Save Changes on Exit

Save all options to the INI file.

See Also

Complex List Menu Commands

Right Mouse Button Support

Printing Lists


Complex List Menu Commands

These menu commands allow you to view and print complex tapelists.  Several menu commands are grayed because they don't apply to complex lists.

File

Print

Print the contents of the display window.

Print Setup

Configure the printer.

Save to File

Save the contents of the display in ASCII format, suitable for viewing or editing with any text editor.

Exit

Close the display window.

Options

Fonts

Change font style, type, or size.

Page Layout

Change page layout.  Greyed items are unavailable.

Save Changes on Exit

Save all options to the INI file.

See Also

Right Mouse Button Support

Simple List Menu Commands

Printing Lists


Printing Lists

•	Select the type of list from the main window menu (Simple or Complex, accessed via File|View|Simple or File|View|Complex.  You can also use the "hot-keys" ALT+S or ALT+C, or the right mouse button from the main window).

•	Make any modifications to page layout, font, style, etc.

•	Use the File|Print menu command to print the list.

See Also

Complex List Menu Commands

Simple List Menu Commands

Right Mouse Button Support

View Window Menu Commands


JCARD WINDOW MENU COMMANDS
J-Card Window Menu Commands

The menus on j-card windows allow you to change text fonts and sizes, change printer defaults, and print the contents of the display.

Analog J-Card

DAT J-Card

See Also

Main Menu Commands

View Window Menu Commands

Right Mouse Button Support


ANALOG JCARD COMMANDS
Analog J-Card Commands

File

Print

Print the contents of the display window.

Print Setup

Configure the printer.

Exit

Close the display window.

Options

Close on Print

Closes the J-Card window once printing is complete.

Comment

Change the default comment for printing purposes.

Font

Change font style, type, and size.

JCard Layout

Change j-card layout.

Save Changes on Exit

Save all options to the INI file.

See Also

Printing J-Cards

DAT J-Card Menu Commands

Right Mouse Button Support


PRINTING JCARDS
Printing J-Cards

•	Select a show for printing.  Shows may be selected by:

1	Highlighting a show in the main window and then using the File|View|J-Card command.  You can also use the ALT+R "hot-key" once a show is selected.

2	Highlighting a show in the main window and then clicking the right mouse button and selecting J-Card.

3	Clicking the J-Card button in any displayed show.

4	Highlighting a show in any search dialog and then clicking the right mouse button and selecting J-Card.

•	Make any changes to font style, comment, etc.

•	Use the File|Print command to print the list.

You will be prompted as to which sets should be printed.  Default sets are those with at least one song.

See Also

Analog J-Cards

DAT J-Cards

Double Set Printing

Right Mouse Button Support

Main Menu Commands

J-Card Window Menu Commands

Selecting J-Card Type


DAT JCARD COMMANDS
DAT J-Card Commands

File

Print

Print the contents of the display window.

Print Setup

Configure the printer.

Exit

Exit the display window.

Options

Close on Print

Close the j-card window once printing is complete.

Comment

Change the default comment for printing purposes.

Font

Change font style, type, and size.

JCard Layout

Changes j-card layout.  Some items may be disabled for DAT j-cards.

Save Changes on Exit

Save all options to the INI file.

See Also

Printing J-Cards

Analog J-Card Menu Commands

Right Mouse Button Support


Double Set Printing

Double set printing is available ONLY for DAT j-cards.  To enable this feature, check the "Print as One" box when prompted for sets to print.

Note that ONLY 2 sets can be printed "as one".

See Also

Printing J-Cards

J-Card Window Commands


Working In The Main Window

The main window displays a listing of all shows in the file.  It is a sort of "home base" in Reels;  all other functions and procedures are accessed from its menus.

The display can be altered to show a single artist or display your list in absolute chronological order (instead of chronological by alphabetical order).

See Also

Main Menu Commands

Right Mouse Button Support

Printing J-Cards

Printing Lists

Editing Shows


Picking Sets

Choose which sets to print.  Default sets include those that have at least one song.

Print As One

This option (available only for DAT j-cards) allows printing of up to two sets on a single j-card.  It is enabled only when exactly 2 sets have been chosen for printing.

See Also

Printing J-Cards

Double Set Printing


analog

The standard audio recording medium utilizing the Compact Cassette.


Auto-typing

Automatic completion of data entry fields.


Complex

A complex list layout is similar to a simple list but also includes a complete song listing for each show.


DAT

Digital Audio Tape; a recording medium that offers superior sound fidelity and eliminates tape hiss.


double set

A means of printing 2 sets on the same j-card.


Gazinta

Gazintas are indicators of song segues.  The name comes from the phrase "goes in to" as in "Scarlet goes in to Fire".


Gazintas

Gazintas are indicators of song segues.  The name comes from the phrase "goes in to" as in "Scarlet goes in to Fire".


header

The top portion of a j-card identifying artist, date, location, and source.


headers

The top portion of a j-card identifying artist, date, location, and source.


j-card windows

J-Card windows display the selected show's j-card prior to printing.


J-Card

Tape box liners displaying critical tape information such as artist, date, venue, and song list.


J-Cards

Tape box liners displaying critical tape information such as artist, date, venue, and songlist.


main window

The primary window used by Reels.  This window displays a listing of all tapes in the collection.


partial string searching

A searching method allowing only part of a song title to be typed.  For example, is you want to find a song entitled "My Lullaby", you need only type "my lull"


Selecting J-Card Type

Use the Options|Preferences command from the main window menu to select j-card type.


Shareware

A method of software distribution allowing potential customers to "try before you buy".  Shareware software usually allows a brief trial period before the user is either obligated to register or discontinue use.  Shareware is NOT public domain software.


Simple

A simple list layout is similar to:  Band   01/01/01 1,2   Arena, Yourtown, YS      SBD       A+      180


tapelist

A listing by of all the tapes in a collection.  Tapelists provide a handy way to distribute collection information to others for trading or archival purposes.


tapelists

A listing (usually on paper) of all tapes in a collection.  Tapelists provide a handy way to distribute collection information to others for trading or archival purposes.


View windows

View Windows display a tapelist in either simple or complex form prior to printing.