MusicFile Version 1.0 Please E-Mail any questions, comments, suggestions to gmarkl@ixl.net Introduction: MusicFile is a database file for use with Microsoft Access version 2.0 or higher. It will allow you to keep track of all your listening material - compact discs, cassette tapes, vinyl records, etc. Once you enter all of the information, you can search and browse through your collection; locate items and songs with ease; print reports about your collection; and effortlessly create custom tape sides or playlists with the TapeMaker feature. MusicFile is ShareWare. This demo version is limited to 20 records. I have kept 10 of my own items in the demo to allow you to see the power of MusicFile right away. Try adding some of your own collection. Play around with it; check out the reports; if you like it, a registered copy can be purchased for $20 postpaid (U.S. funds only). Click the "Registration Info" button on the Main Menu. Just fill out the form "On-Line" and print it. Send the form and $20 to: George Markell, 38 Davelin Road, Wayland, MA, 01778, U.S.A. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, etc., please send E-Mail to gmarkl@ixl.net 1 - Installation To enter MusicFile, do the following: a) Open Microsoft Access b) Select "File" c) Select "Open Database" d) Find the mufle10a.mdb file in the Open Database Box e) Click the "OK" button and MusicFile will load To create an icon that will load MusicFile from the Program Manager, do the following: a) Go to the Program Manager b) Select the Group you want the icon to appear in c) Select "File", "New", "Program Item", and click the OK button d) In the description box, enter "MusicFile v1.0" e) In the command line box, you must enter the following: - path of Microsoft Access\msaccess.exe "space" path of MusicFile\mufle10a.mdb - for example: c:\access\msaccess.exe c:\music\mufle10a.mdb f) Choose whatever icon you desire and click the OK button g) Double click the icon and Access will load, followed by MusicFile 2 - Using MusicFile MusicFile is a simple database to use. Most of it is just pointing and clicking, however, each menu item has an underlined letter. In lieu of the mouse, you can use the Alt + the underlined letter. This section will tell you about the main forms/options and the best way to use them. When you first enter MusicFile, you will be at the Main Menu. Here you have several choices. MusicFile Maintenance Many of the fields on the Item Entry Form are list boxes. This makes data entry easy by allowing you to select from a list instead of typing out the entire field entry. To create or update that list, you must go to the Maintenance Menu and choose the list you want to update. To add a new entry, just press the Add button and enter the new item to the list. To delete an entry, use the record selector and go to the entry you want to delete; press the delete button and confirm your deletion. Note: Make sure not to delete entries that are still being used by an existing item in your collection, because this will cause inaccurate data in reports and catalog displays. To edit an existing entry, just use the mouse to place the cursor in whichever entry you want and make the necessary changes. The following is a list of fields that use list boxes and their maximum number of characters available: Artist Name (75), Artist Sort Name (10), Music Type (15), Format (15), Label (30), Rating Description (10) Hints/Comments: Use the sort name to indicate how you want the artist to be sorted alphabetically. Example: For The Beatles, I would use BEATLES as the sort name -- this way it sorts on Beatles instead of The; for Eric Clapton, use CLAPTON; I think you understand. The sort name is capitalized automatically. For the self-defined ratings, use the highest number to set the highest rating. Example: If you had Good, Fair, Poor -- make sure that you use the highest number for Good, etc. Also, think about the rating system you want to use before you enter your collection; it's a lot easier to do it from the beginning than to go back and change everything you already have entered. (You can always enter the ratings and other optional information later; see section below.) Enter or Update Items in MusicFile This will bring you to the MusicFile Entry Form. This form is where you enter all of the information about your collection and its contents. When you first enter this form, you will be at a blank entry ready for a new item to be entered. If you want to update or change an existing item, use the list box at the bottom of the page. The only fields that you MUST enter are the Title and Artist fields. Everything else is optional. If you try to save an entry or close the form without filling in these two fields, you will get an error. If this happens, press the escape key once or twice. The following is a list of fields with the maximumnumber of characters available (see Music File Maintenance for fields that use a list box): Title (75), Release Year (75), Stereo/Mono (3), Studio/Live (3), Musicians (64,000), Comments (64,000), Song Name (50), Song Comments (45) Hints/Comments: If you have a big list for the list boxes, you can use hotkeys -- when you tab into the field, enter the first letter of what you are going to enter and the closest match will come up in the field. Example: If the artist was Cream, type a C in the artist box and the first match will come up; type Cr and Cream will most likely come up, unless there is another artist beginning with the same letters. Fool around with it and you'll get the picture. If you need to update one of the list boxes while entering an item, you can go to the Maintenance Menu by using the button in the Options group. Lastly, take your time entering your collection. If you rush, you will probably make mistakes. View Contents of MusicFile This area is fairly self-explanatory. You can browse through your collection by pointing and clicking. The TapeMaker feature allows you to create tapes or playlists based on the songs you have entered. Just select the song you want to add to the tape and press the Copy Song to TapeMaker button and the song will be added. Press Go to TapeMaker to check the total time, which is shown in a box at the top of the TapeMaker form. Closing the TapeMaker form will bring you back to the form where the song was located. Search for Song and Search for Item Using this form, you can easily locate any item(s) or song(s) in your collection based on the search criteria you enter. You can enter as little or as much as you want in the 6 fields and MusicFile will bring up any matches. [Tip: Enter the minimum amount of information to find what you're looking for]. Press the Reset button to start over. You can toggle the results to your preferred view with the toggle button. You can only do one search at a time; there is no multi-layered searching. You can print your results with the Print button. Print MusicFile Reports There are three main reports you can print which are fairly self-defining -- these open in print preview mode so you can browse them before you print them. Exit to Access Closes MusicFile and returns to Access. Exit to Windows Closes MusicFile and returns to Windows. Lastly, have fun and enjoy using MusicFile! Disclaimer The author has tested this file to the best of his abilities. However, there is no guarantee of any kind regarding the use and viability of MusicFile on your specific computer. Use it at your own risk. Microsoft Access is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.