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PC-SIG Diskette Library (Disk #383)
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Information about “PC-DBMS”
PC-DBMS is a relational database management system that provides screen-
editing functions and on-line help. The data of a database is in named
tables that have records and fields. Each table resides in its own
file. There may be any number of data files associated with a
database.
Features:
~ Dynamically formatted full-screen forms for data entry.
~ A query command that can retrieve records.
~ Dynamic files.
~ A fast-screen editor.
~ A menu-based help system.
~ Files resemble the data tables.
~ Indexing with an automatic index update.
System Requirements: Two disk drives
How to Start: From DOS, enter TYPE MANUAL.1 and TYPE MANUAL.2 for
documentation. To run program, enter PC-DBMS at the DOS prompt.
Suggested Registration: $35.00
File Descriptions:
PC-DBMS SMP Color table
??? TXT Additional documentation files
MUSIC DEF A sample database used in the tutorial
MANUAL 1 First half of the manual
OPUS DAT A sample database used in the tutorial
COMPOSER DAT A sample database used in the tutorial
REQUEST DOC Payment form and invoice
READ ME Printing instructions for the manual
PC-DBMS EXE The PC-DBMS program
MANUAL 2 Second half of the manual
ADDENDUM.TXT
Addendum to PC-DBMS User's Guide
This addendum updates the version 1.0 User's Guide to
reflect changes up to version 1.2.
In the version 1.0 distribution, the User's Guide was
provided in the files MANUAL.1 and MANUAL.2. In this
(version 1.2) distribution, it may be in a single file
called PC-DBMS.DOC. Only two changes have been made to
the Guide. First, the three occurrences of "=>" on pages
3-4 and 3-5 have been corrected to read ">=". This error
caused some users to think PC-DBMS couldn't process its
own where clause. Second, Appendix C, User Supported
Software, has been updated to reflect unbundling of PC-
DBMS and lower prices. That appendix is reproduced in
the addendum. If you already have a User's Guide, you
may wish to skip printing PC-DBMS.DOC (or MANUAL.*).
In addition to the new Appendix C, this addendum
describes changes and extensions to the version 1.0
program. Bug fixes are documented in RELNOTES.TXT.
DISTRIBUTION DISKETTE
The distribution diskette contains the files shown in
Figure 1.
READ.ME getting started
PC-DBMS.DOC User's Guide (or MANUAL.1 & MANUAL.2)
RELNOTES.TXT description of changes in this version
ADDENDUM.TXT this file
MUSIC.DEF a sample data base
COMPOSER.DAT for the tutorial
OPUS.DAT in the User's Guide
PC-DBMS.EXE the dbms program
PC-DBMS.SMP sample start-up file
REQUEST.DOC order/payment form and invoice
Figure 1. Files on the distribution diskette.
MISSING FILE ERROR HANDLING
When PC-DBMS fails to find a data or index file, it will
so report and halt execution of the command.
RECORD COUNTS
The select, display, pack and key commands can process
existing data table records sequentially, i.e., without
index look-ups. Previous versions processed the number
of records shown in the schema if that count was
consistent with the file size and record length.
Occasionally, records added by other other applications
to narrow tables were ignored as a result.
Beginning with version 1.2, all records are read. Those
beginning with a backslash or a null are ignored. The
backslash records are marked as deleted and the null
records are inserted by PC-DBMS and certain other
2
programs to fill files to 128 byte boundaries.
SELECT AND SHOW COMMANDS
In the select command, the wildcard indicator * can be
used in place of ALL.
In the select and show commands, control num-lock still
halts scrolling but control-S no longer does.
PACK COMMAND
The deletion of data records and the removal of tables
(with the remove command) leaves unused space in data and
schema files, respectively. The pack command recovers
that space by pushing undeleted data or schema records
passed deleted ones. It then truncates the file. The
syntax is:
PACK [\SCHEMA] [table-name ...]
To pack the schema file, append the qualifier \schema to
the keyword pack. If the qualifier is not specified, at
least one table name must be given.
For example,
PACK\SCH COMP OPUS
packs the schema and two data files.
The pack command will also delete trailing nulls (ascii
zeros) which PC-DBMS uses to pad files to a 128 byte
boundary.
When a data file is packed the schema's record count
(which includes deleted records) is updated. The change
is apparent when the show command is executed.
3
It is necessary to remove indices on files to be packed
because indices store record numbers and these change
during packing. The schema will be updated to show a
previously keyed field as unkeyed and the associated
index file will be deleted. However, if the packing does
not change record numbers (no deleted records before the
last undeleted record), no change will be made to the
index file or the schema keying information.
THE INITIALIZATION FILE
After PC-DBMS presents its welcome screen, it attempts to
find and read a file called PC-DBMS.INI. This file
specifies the video attributes for various parts of the
main screen and the display utility's screen. These
parts are called screen items. Video attributes are
characteristics such as bright, color or reverse video.
Without an initialization file, PC-DBMS will use default
video attributes. Also, the initialization file can set
the command window editing default to overstrike instead
of pushright.
1. Specifying Video Attributes
Even color systems (color board and color monitor) do not
require the initialization file. However, they will
behave like monochrome without it. If you have a color
system, you can use a text editor to create a file with
just these two characters in it: %C. Name the file PC-
DBMS.INI and keep it in the current directory or in any
subdirectory named in the path command. You'll get the
default colors. If the defaults are satisfactory, you
need read no further regardless of the kind of system you
have.
There are three display system types:
4
(1) monochrome board and monochrome (single color)
monitor,
(2) color board and monochrome monitor, and
(3) color board and multi-color monitor.
PC-DBMS has a distinct set of screen item video
attributes for each system. System (1) is easy for PC-
DBMS to identify but the other two look alike because
software can't tell what kind of monitor you have. The
%C flag solves that problem by indicating a color
monitor. (The color monitor flag will be ignored if you
have a monochrome board.)
Figure 2 shows a sample initialization file.
5
%C full color, please!
%E overstrike editing
color color (Monochrome columns
mono- board, board, have default values.
chrome mono color The values could
board screen screen have been omitted,
------ ------ ------ leaving only commas.)
&A 7, 7, 30 display screen: background
&B 112, 112, 12 display screen: blocks
&C 15, 15, 78 command window: frame
&D 7, 7, 71 command window: interior
&E 112, 112, 103 main screen: top rt menu
&F , 112, 88 message stripe
&G 1, 7, 112 column headings stripe
&H 112, 112 output window
Figure 2. An initialization file.
There are eight screen items which can be assigned video
attributes. The interior of the command window is a
screen item, for example. The screen items are denoted
by the flags &A-&H. They are defined by the comments in
Figure 2.
Each screen item gets its own line in the file. However,
you can omit any of the screen item lines. For example,
the &E row could have been omitted. Defaults will be
assumed.
There are 256 possible video attributes numbered 0-255.
Their construction is shown in Figure 3.
6
Video Attributes for Systems (1) and (2)
Attribute Value Comment
Underlined 1 system (1) only
Normal (white on black) 7
Underlined bright 9 system (1) only
Normal bright 15
Reverse (black on white) 112
Reverse bright 120
Video Attributes for System (3)
Color Foreground Background
Black 0 0
Blue 1 16
Green 2 32
Cyan 3 48
Red 4 64
Magenta 5 80
Brown 6 96
White 7 112
Gray 8
Lt blue 9
Lt green 10
Lt cyan 11
Lt red 12
Lt magenta 13
Yellow 14
Bright white 15
The attribute value is the sum of the
foreground and background numbers.
For all system types, add 128 to the
attribute value for blinking.
Figure 3. Construction of Video Attribute Values.
7
The initialization file can specify one, two or three
video attribute numbers per screen item. The three
numbers correspond to the three system types,
respectively. Hence, a single initialization file can
work on any kind of system.
You can omit a number. It will assume the default value.
See the &F and &H lines in Figure 2, for example. The
first comma in line &F serves as a necessary place
holder. A trailing comma is unneeded. See line &H.
Each flag must be flush left. There must be a comma
between numbers. Space(s) can precede numbers or commas.
Comments can be inserted. There is no special comment
marker and a comment ends parsing of a line when
encountered.
All default values are shown in Figure 4.
color color
mono- board, board,
chrome mono color
board screen screen
------ ------ ------
&A 7, 7, 30
&B 112, 112, 12
&C 15, 15, 14
&D 7, 7, 3
&E 112, 112, 112
&F 112, 112, 71
&G 1, 7, 112
&H 112, 112, 30
Figure 4. Default video attributes
8
2. Changing the Editing Default
The editor in the command window uses pushright as its
default. If you wish the default to be overstrike, just
put these two characters at the beginning of any start-up
file line: %E. See Figure 2.
3. Creating a Start-up File
The PC-DBMS distribution includes PC-DBMS.SMP, the
initialization file I use. Most but not all of its
values are the defaults. It is an easy starting point to
develop your own initialization file. Use the DOS copy
command
A> copy pc-dbms.smp *.ini
to produce a version which PC-DBMS will read. (Note the
new name assigned in the copy command.) The file must be
in the current directory or in one of the subdirectories
specified in a path command. If yours is a system (2),
remove the color flag %C with a text editor. Execute PC-
DBMS and see which video attributes you would like to
change. Exit PC-DBMS and edit the file. Repeat until
happy.
9
APPENDIX C
USER SUPPORTED SOFTWARE
PC-DBMS is distributed as user supported software. You
are encouraged to give copies of the distribution
diskette for others. There is no license agreement but
please pass along all files without modification. User
groups and similar organizations may impose a nominal
charge to cover the cost of duplication.
The user supported concept of software is a significant
innovation (not mine) which benefits both user and
author. For the user, there is the convenience of
leisurely evaluation of the program on your own system in
your own home or office to see if it's right for your
application. The low cost of user supported software
distribution also makes possible a voluntary payment
lower than the price of commercial software. And, of
course, there's no copy protection to diminish the
utility of the program.
For the author, there is the satisfaction of getting a
far larger number of copies into use than is possible
with conventional marketing. Also, the interference of
piracy is turned into a reinforcement in the distribution
of the program. Finally, if you have dealt with a
publisher, print or electronic, you understand the
undesirability of that alternative.
However, it doesn't work unless you want it to. If you
USER SUPPORTED SOFTWARE
find PC-DBMS useful, I hope you will register by making a
voluntary payment of $35, by check or through your bank
credit card. Beyond what you already have, this is what
you will receive from me.
- Support for a year. Comments, suggestions and
especially bug reports are welcome from anyone.
However, only registered users can expect
replies to their questions. Support will be
provided on a best efforts basis by mail and
through CompuServe. My CompuServe id is
74216,3033.
- Notices of subsequent PC-DBMS releases. Disks
and documentation will be available as indicated
below.
- My thanks. PC-DBMS took a year to develop, test
and document. I enjoyed every minute of it.
Now, I ask that you send your voluntary payment with the
order/payment form. A copy of that form is on the next
page or, if you wish to leave your manual intact, another
copy is in the file REQUEST.DOC. If you need an invoice,
you'll find one following the order/payment form in both
the manual and in REQUEST.DOC.
IF YOU REGISTER BY FEBRUARY 1, 1986, WE WILL SEND YOU A
FREE COPY OF THE TYPESET USER'S GUIDE.
For quantity purchases of PC-DBMS or to distribute it in
conjunction with your data base, contact Kware.
Whether or not you register, you are welcome to purchase
the typeset User's Guide ($10) or the
program/documentation disk ($10) or both ($18).
Purchasing materials is one way to support the continued
development of PC-DBMS and to keep yourself supplied with
the most current version.
C-2
USER SUPPORTED SOFTWARE
One way to keep current is to pre-order the next release.
It will be sent to you as soon as it's issued. You'll
get it faster and more reliably than through bulletin
boards and user groups. Just mark "next release" on the
applicable line of the order/payment form.
To register or to order materials, enter your name and
address on the form below and indicate the quantities
desired of the various items in the quantity column. Pay
by check or complete the credit card form.
C-3
USER SUPPORTED SOFTWARE
ORDER/PAYMENT FORM
Name _____________________________ Phone ____________
Company _____________________________
Address _____________________________
_____________________________
City _________________ State ________ Zip _________
Description Qty Price Extension
----------- --- ----- ---------
registration $35.00
User's Guide 10.00
PC-DBMS disk 10.00
Guide & disk 18.00
---------
Sub-total
Tax @ 4% (Va. residents only)
---------
Amount due
Kware Please make check payable
P.O. Box 16206 to Kware or complete
Arlington, Va. 22215 credit card form below.
Visa __ or Mastercard __ card # ___________________
exp mo/yr ______/______ signature ____________________
C-4
USER SUPPORTED SOFTWARE
INVOICE
Vendor: Kware, Inc. Federal EIN: 54-1304150
P. O. Box 16206
Arlington, Va. 22215 Date: / /
Description Qty Price Extension
----------- --- ----- ---------
PC-DBMS, $35.00
reg & support
User's Guide 10.00
PC-DBMS disk 10.00
User's Guide 18.00
& disk
---------
Sub-total
Tax @ 4% (Va. residents only)
---------
Amount due
You may retain this invoice.
C-5
FILES383.TXT
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disk No 383 PC-DBMS v1.0 V1 DS
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PC-DBMS is a relationaldata base management system that provides screen
editing functions and on-line help.
MUSIC DEF A sample data base used in the tutorial
COMPOSER DAT A sample data base used in the tutorial
OPUS DAT A sample data base used in the tutorial
MANUAL 1 First half of the manual
MANUAL 2 Second half of the manual
PC-DBMS EXE The PC-DBMS program
READ ME Printing instructions for the manual
REQUEST DOC Payment form and invoice
PC Software Interest Group (PC-SIG)
1030 E Duane, Suite J
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
(408) 730-9291
RELNOTES.TXT
Release Notes
for PC-DBMS
version 1.2
This text describes cumulative corrections and
performance improvements to PC-DBMS to remedy problems or
shortcomings. The User's Guide for PC-DBMS version 1.0
is in MANUAL.* (or PC-DBMS.DOC) and cumulative
enhancements are documented in ADDENDUM.TXT.
CORRECTIONS IN VERSION 1.1
DOCUMENTATION
The User's Guide contained a repeated error on pages 3-4
and 3-5. The illustrated select ... where commands
produced error messages. In the current User's Guide,
the three occurrences of the incorrect string "=>" have
been replaced by ">=".
DISPLAY UTILITY
The display ... where command was improperly parsed under
some circumstances producing a spurious error message.
This problem has been fixed.
The default qualifier on the display command was \query.
In the current version, it is \edit in conformity with
the User's Guide.
EDITING OF FLOATING POINT ENTRIES
User entered numbers and numbers read from data files are
converted to binary in a consistent manner. In version
1.0, inconsistent conversion algorithms occasionally
caused equal floating points numbers to be converted into
unequal binary numbers resulting in failure of the =
where clause operator.
SCREEN ATTRIBUTES ON EXIT
Version 1.1 sets screen attributes to white characters on
black background upon exiting. Version 1.0 left screen
attributes as they were in the command window.
SCREEN HANDLING
The output window, the message and column heading stripes
are now output by writing directly to display memory
enhancing performance.
CORRECTIONS IN VERSION 1.2
SELECT AND DISPLAY UTILITY
The select and display ... where commands occasionally
failed to retrieve qualifying records when doing a keyed
look up on = and <> operators. Problem fixed.
DISPLAY UTILITY
The display utility sometimes improperly handled index
updates when a record was deleted or modified. Problem
fixed. Also, when an index was used to retrieve a record
which was then deleted, the first record in the file
might be overwritten. Problem fixed.
SELECT COMMAND
The select ... sorted by ... into ... command produced
an unusable target table. Problem fixed.
REQUEST.DOC
USER SUPPORTED SOFTWARE
To register or to order materials, enter your name and
address on the form below and indicate the quantities
desired of the various items in the quantity column. Pay
by check or complete the credit card form.
ORDER/PAYMENT FORM
Name _____________________________ Phone ____________
Company _____________________________
Address _____________________________
_____________________________
City _________________ State ________ Zip _________
Description Qty Price Extension
----------- --- ----- ---------
registration $35.00
User's Guide 10.00
PC-DBMS disk 10.00
Guide & disk 18.00
---------
Sub-total
Tax @ 4% (Va. residents only)
---------
Amount due
Kware Please make check payable
P.O. Box 16206 to Kware or complete
Arlington, Va. 22215 credit card form below.
Visa __ or Mastercard __ card # ___________________
exp mo/yr ______/______ signature ____________________
INVOICE
Vendor: Kware, Inc. Federal EIN: 54-1304150
P. O. Box 16206
Arlington, Va. 22215 Date: / /
Description Qty Price Extension
----------- --- ----- ---------
PC-DBMS, $35.00
reg & support
User's Guide 10.00
PC-DBMS disk 10.00
User's Guide 18.00
& disk
---------
Sub-total
Tax @ 4% (Va. residents only)
---------
Amount due
You may retain this invoice.
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #0383
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
READ ME 816 9-18-85 8:25p
MANUAL 1 45193 8-14-85 8:39p
MANUAL 2 55808 8-14-85 8:00p
MUSIC DEF 1420 8-10-85 6:11p
COMPOSER DAT 506 11-25-84 11:47a
OPUS DAT 92 11-25-84 11:50a
PC-DBMS EXE 115562 9-04-85 10:56p
REQUEST DOC 2051 8-14-85 11:49p
FILES383 TXT 809 7-08-85 2:41p
RELNOTES TXT 2481 9-18-85 10:14p
ADDENDUM TXT 17286 9-18-85 7:57p
PC-DBMS SMP 931 8-14-85 11:37p
12 file(s) 242955 bytes
73728 bytes free