
                  MagBase Program Manual

MagBase  is  a  database  program  designed  to  let  you 
maintain  information  from  magazines,  periodicals, and 
other  reference  materials.  Up to 10,000 entries can be 
maintained.

The  Entry  Screen  format  is flexible enough to let you 
enter  information in a variety of ways.  The sort & find 
features,  especially  when  key phrases and comments are 
carefully  thought  out,  provide  a  powerful  means  of 
associatively  indexing the entries by any means you wish 
for fast, selective, and powerful information retrieval 

                     Program Features

WordHide  can  be  executed on any IBM or compatible with 
at least  256k RAM  and  DOS 2.0  or greater.

A  context-sensitive  help  screen is always available by 
pressing the F1 function key.

Use  of  a  color  or  monochrome screen is automatically 
detected and the proper adjustments made.

User  input  boxes are word processor capable, with arrow 
cursoring, insert/overtype/delete functions, etc.


                      The Main Menu


The Main Menu is the central focus of the program.


From  here,  you  can  choose to see entries currently on 
file, add an entry, or quit the program.


To  choose  one of the above options, use the spacebar or 
arrow  keys  to  highlight the option and press the ENTER 
key.


                       See Entries

Choosing  this  option allows you to examine your entries 
currently  on  file.   You  are  first  asked whether you 
would like to see all the entries, or certain entries.

If  you select "All Entries", you are asked to select how 
you  wish  the list sorted.  Highlight one of the options 
and press the ENTER key.

If  you  select "Certain Entries", you are asked to enter 
from  one  to  nine  parameters for the program to search 
and  find  by.  Let's look at this feature in more detail 
below--

                   See Certain Entries

Highlighting  and  choosing  this  option  opens  a large 
entry  box  in  which you may enter up to nine parameters 
for  the  program  to  use to find matching entries.  For 
example,  you  can  ask  to  find all 1985 Topps Standard 
Issue  cards featuring pitchers, or any 1987 cards in any 
Update Set that mention the Yankees!

Used  thoughtfully,  this feature can search as generally 
or  as  specifically as you desire, in any combination of 
parameters  you  wish  to  use,  and  provide  an instant 
listing  to  view  or  print.  As you can see, the search 
possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

                  Displaying the Results

Whether  you choose "All" or "Certain" entries, your data 
file  is  sorted  and/or  entries found very quickly. The 
program  then  displays the first of a list (or sub-list) 
of your sorted (or found) entries.

At this point you have several options:  You may
F2  - Printout one or all of the listed entries,
F4  - Modify any field in the currently displayed entry,
F8  - Delete the currently displayed entry, or
Esc - Return to the Main Menu.

Simply press the appropriate key.

                     Adding an Entry


This  entry  screen  was  designed to facilitate entry in 
various  ways.   Whether  you  make  entries as a set, or 
individual  cards,  or  any  other method or combination, 
you  should  be  able  to  make  your  entries  here in a 
practical manner.

If  you  wish  to abort an entry, simply press the Escape 
key at any time...

Let's  look  at  each  field  of the entry screen in more 
detail below--


Publication:

     Enter   the   name  of  the  publication,  magazine, 
     journal,  periodical,  etc., here.  Do NOT enter the 
     name  of  the  article  here.   That  entry  follows 
     below.


Volume & Number:

     If  the  publication  has  a  volume  and/or  number 
     designation,  you  can enter it in these two fields, 
     if you wish.


Month & Year:

     If  the  publication  has  a  month,  season,  etc., 
     and/or  year  designation, you can enter it in these 
     two fields, if you wish. 


Article:

     Enter  the name of the composition, article, column, 
     essay, prose, etc., here.  


Author:

     In   order   to   properly   utilize   the   sorting 
     capabilities  of  BookBase,  you should always enter 
     the author's name in a LastName, FirstName format.
     
     For instance:  Clarke, Arthur C.
               or   Smith, Joe  &  Brown, John


Page(s):

     Here  you  can  enter  the  page  location using any 
     method   you   wish--   You  can  simply  enter  the 
     beginning  page  number, or a range of pages, or the 
     total number of pages, etc.


Key Phrases:

     If  used  wisely,  this  is  the most powerful field 
     entry  you  can  make.  Here you may enter key words 
     or  phrases that can be later used to associate this 
     entry  with  any other entries that also include the 
     same  key  word or phrase.  This allows you to user-
     define  as  many associative indexing systems as you 
     wish,  and  later create a sub-lists based solely on 
     your indexing preferences.
     
     For  example,  suppose  it's  important to you to be 
     able  to find and display lists of reference sources 
     according  to  their subject matter, such as "Math". 
     If  this  is  the  case, make sure to enter the type 
     subject  matter  in  the  Key  Phrase  field of each 
     entry,  including "Math" for math articles. Then, at 
     any  later  time,  you  can  create  a sub-list, for 
     example,  of  all  math  related entries by choosing 
     (from  the  Main Menu) "See Items", "Certain Items", 
     and  then type "Math" (by the way, you don't have to 
     enter  the  entire word or phrase) in the Key Phrase 
     field,  along  with  any  other  parameters in other 
     fields  that  you wish to define the search by.  The 
     program  will  then search, find, and present a sub-
     list  of  all  entries  that have the word "Math" in 
     their Key Phrase field!


Comments:

     This  field  reflects  my  awareness as a programmer 
     that  it's impossible to design an entry screen that 
     will   satisfy   everybody.    Here  you  may  enter 
     anything  that you think should be entered and isn't 
     provided for elsewhere.
     
     As  an additional benefit, this field is included in 
     the  "Certain  Items"  options, so you can find this 
     entry  by  telling the program to search all comment 
     fields for a certain phrase, word, or partial word.




                     Quit the Program


You  will  be  asked  to  confirm.  If you press "y", the 
program  will  exit.   If you press "n", the program will 
return to the Main Menu.






               End of BallBase Help Screen

