VideoBASE v1.0 for Windows    Online Help System

INTRODUCTION

VideoBASE v1.0 is a powerful, easy to use database management system which is used to catalog video tapes. If you're sick of  having piles of nameless videos laying around, then VideoBASE is for you! An unlimited number of databases may be created, and with a maximum of 2500 entries per database, you'll be set for quite some time to come. Reporting features let you print movie lists in minutes. No serious video collector should be without VideoBASE.

PACKING LIST

VideoBASE comes with a Setup program to install the program to your hard drive. If you'd like a list of all the product files, please review README.TXT.

SHAREWARE INFO

VideoBASE v1.0 is NOT free, it is not public domain. This product is Shareware which means that you may use it for a limited trial period of 30 days. If you continue to use VideoBASE past this trial period, you MUST register it.

REGISTRATION INFO

Registering your copy of VideoBASE brings you great benefits! You'll receive the latest version of the program on disk (without the annoying shareware opening screen). You'll be entitled to product support (see topic SUPPORT). You'll be entitled to reduced pricing on future software, and much more!! Most important of all, your registration fee will allow the Shareware industry to grow and produce high quality, reasonably priced software for you.

SUPPORT

As a registered user of VideoBASE, you are entitled to unlimited support via the following methods:
1) Canadian/US postal service
        Dale W Eckert
        6527 Gillmore Drive
        Regina, SK.
        Canada
        S4X-3Z3
2) EMAIL to Dale Eckert on Visual Basic BBS - (216) 694-5734
3) Compuserve 75270,3163

SOFTWARE LICENCE

VideoBASE is not and has never been public domain software. It is not free software. Non-licensed users are granted a limited license to use VideoBASE for a trial period of 30 days for the purpose of determining if VideoBASE is suitable for their needs. The use of VideoBASE, except for the 30 day trial period requires registration. The use of unlicensed copies of VideoBASE outside the 30 day trial peroid is strictly prohibited.
A  single user license permits a user to use VideoBASE on a single computer only. Licensed users may move VideoBASE from one computer to another, but the program may not be used on more than one machine at a time. No one may modify the VideoBASE executable files in any way, including but not limited to decompiling, disassembling or otherwise reverse engineering the program. 
A limited license is granted to copy or distribute VideoBASE to others so that they may evalute the product, provided that:
1. The software is distributed in its original form.
2. No fee is charged 

WARRANTY

Dale Eckert guarantees your satisfaction with this product for a period of 90 days from the date of original purchase.  If you are unsatisfied with VideoBASE within that time period, return the package in saleable condition to the place of purchase for a full refund. Dale Eckert also warrants that all diskettes provided are free from defects in material and workmanship, assuming normal use, for a period of 90 days from the original date of purchase. Dale Eckert warrants that the program will perform in substantial compliance with the documentation supplied with the software product. If a significant defect in the product is found, the purchaser may return the product for a full refund. At no time will the refund exceed the original purchase price.
EXCEPT AS PROVIDED ABOVE, DALE ECKERT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE PRODUCT. SHOULD THE PROGRAM PROVE DEFECTIVE, THE PURCHASER ASSUMES THE RISK OF PAYING THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR, OR CORRECTION AND ANY INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. IN NO EVENT WILL DALE ECKERT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION AND THE LIKE) ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR THE INABILITY TO USE THIS PRODUCT EVEN IF DALE ECKERT HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. Use of this product for any period of time constitutes your acceptance of this agreement and subjects you to its contents.

UPGRADE POLICY

Registered users of VideoBASE are entitled to free upgrades for a period of 6 months from the date of original purchase. After 6 months, an upgrade fee of $10.00 will be charged to users wishing to upgrade to new releases of the software. Maintenance releases of the software will be issued to registered users free of charge for the life of the product.

TRADEMARKS

VideoBASE v1.0 for Windows is copyright (c) 1993 by Dale W. Eckert
Visual Basic v2.0 is a copyright product of Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft Word for Windows is a copyright product of Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft Windows 3.0/3.1 are copyright products of Microsoft Corporation
Turbo C++ for Windows is a copyright product of Borland International

ORDERING INFO

VideoBASE may be ordered by sending $29.95 + $5.00 shipping to:
Dale W. Eckert
6527 Gillmore Drive
Regina, SK.
Canada
S4X 3Z3
Select Print Order Form, from Help on the main VideoBASE menu.
Cash, Cheque and postal money order accepted.

GENERAL OVERVIEW

VideoBASE will allow you to quickly and easily organize your collection of videotapes. Its user interface is highly intuitive and any function you wish to perform is never more than 2 or 3 mouse clicks away. Any number of video databases may be created, each with a capacity of 2500 entries. 
If you received a shareware copy of VideoBASE via a BBS or otherwise, here is the recommended method of installing the product.
1. Create a work subdirectory on you hard drive (this directory may be deleted later)
2. Copy VBASE100.ZIP to this directory
3. Use PKUNZIP to extract the VideoBASE files from VBASE100.ZIP
4. Run SETUP.EXE in the work directory from the Windows Program Manager
5. If you chose to install VideoBASE in a directory other than your work directory, then you may delete             
   the contents of the working directory if you desire. It is recommended that you make a backup    
   before you delete this directory however. 
6. SETUP will create a new progam group in the Progam Manager
7. Simply double click on the VideoBASE icon to start the program.
If you received a registered distribution diskette, then simply insert the diskette in a floppy drive and run SETUP.EXE from the Program Manager

CREATING DATABASES

Before you can start to catalog your video tapes, you must create 1 or more databases. To do this, select CREATE NEW DATABASE from the the main menu FILE option. You will be presented with a dialog box requesting a name for your new database. Enter any valid name (max 8 characters) and do not enter the file extension. VideoBASE will create the extension for you when it creates the new database. Click OK and the new database will be created in the VideoBASE home directory, ie: C:\VBASE. If you decide not to create a new database at this time, simply click on CANCEL and you will be returned to the main menu.

OPENING A DATABASE

Now that you have a database, you must open it before you can work with it. Select OPEN DATABASE from the main menu FILE option. A Database Open dialog will be presented to you. Select the desired database via the drive/directory/file list boxs and click OK to open the database. Click on CANCEL to return to the main menu without opening the database. Clicking on HELP will give you context sensitive HELP about the Open Dialog. If you've clicked OK to open the database the main menu window will be updated to show the currently open database name and number of movies in the database.

ADDING MOVIES

Select ADD NEW MOVIE from the main menu EDIT option to add movies to your database. You will be presented with the data entry dialog. Fill in all the fields and click on ADD MOVIE to save the data to your database. If you wish to add another movie, click on NEXT MOVIE and the fields will clear and your cursor will be positioned on the first data entry field for your convenience. When you have finished adding movies, simply click on CANCEL to be returned to the main menu. 

The START and END position fields were provided to accomodate tapes with multiple movies or programs. If the tape you are working on only has one movie, my convention has been to set the starting position to 1 and the ending position to 9999. You can however decide how to handle this based on your own needs.

DELETING MOVIES

Select DELETE A MOVIE from the main menu EDIT option. A dialog will be presented to you which lists every title in your database. Simply highlight the title you wish to delete and click OK. If you choose to accept the confirmation message which follows, the movie which you have highlighted will
be removed from your database. Click on CANCEL to return without deleting a movie at this time and click on HELP to receive context sensitive HELP about  the delete dialog.

UPDATING MOVIES

Select UPDATE A MOVIE from the main menu EDIT option. A dialog will be presented to you which listes every title in your database. Simply highlight the title of the movie you wish to update and click on OK. Click on CANCEL to return or click on HELP to receive context sensitive help. If you clicked on OK, the update data dialog will be presented to you. The current details of the movie you selected will be displayed. You may update any of the fields on this dialog except for the movie name. Click CHANGE to commit your changes to the database. Click CANCEL to return without changing any information or click HELP to get context sensitive HELP.

VIEW MOVIE DETAILS

Select MOVIE DETAILS from the main menu VIEW option. A dialog will be presented to you listing every title in your database. Highlight the movie you wish to view and click on VIEW. Click on CANCEL to return or HELP for context sensitive HELP. If you clicked on VIEW, you will be shown the current details about the movie which you selected. Click on OK to return.

REPORTS

Two different report types are available in this release of the software ( both printed). To print a list of every entry in your database select PRINT MOVIE LIST from the main menu REPORTS option. After ensuring that your printer is online, the report will be generated and printed to your systems default printer. If you'd like to print only a specific category of entry, select PRINT MOVIES BY CATEGORY from the main menu REPORTS option. A dialog will be presented to allow you to choose the desired category to report on. After clicking on OK, the report will be generated and printed to the default system printer.

DELETING A DATABASE

You are only allowed to delete database(s) if there are none currently open. If you wish to delete a database and you have a database currently open, you must select CLOSE DATABASE from the main menu FILE option. Then select DELETE DATABASE from the main menu UTILITIES option. You will be presented with a File Dialog to allow you to select a database to delete via drive/directory/file list boxes. Highlight a database to delete and click OK. The database will then be deleted. Click on CANCEL to return without deleting any databases at this time.

DATABASE STATISTICS

This option is only available when you have a database open. Select DATABASE STATISTICS from the main menu UTILITIES option to get an idea of how full your database is getting. Click on OK to return.

SYSTEM INFO

Select SYSTEM INFORMATION from the main menu UTILITIES option the get information about your current hardware and software configuration. Click on OK to return.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

VideoBASE v1.0 for Windows was developed with the following products:
1. Visual Basic 2.0
2. Borland Turbo C++ for Windows and Resource Workshop
3. Microsoft Word for Windows
4. Windows Notepad

This software was developed and tested on an IBM PC - Clone 386SX-20 with 80 Megabyte Hard Drive and 2 Megabytes of extended memory. Testing was also done on an IBM PS/2 Model 77 with a 210 Megabyte Hard Drive and 16 Megabytes of RAM. Running OS/2 2.0 using the WIN-OS2 engine.

Many thanks to all of the BETA testers of this product and to all who offered suggestions.




