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PC-SIG Diskette Library (Disk #971)
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Information about “MULTI BASE”
MULTI-BASE is a database management system with many sophisticated
features to complement its simple file management capabilities.
The program has a built-in screen definer, report writer, forms
generator, and menu generator. MULTI-BASE can handle as many records in
a database as the space on your hard disk will allow. In fact, when
first defining your database, you tell how many records you believe you
will need, and MULTI-BASE will allocate the needed space for these
records.
The system can be completely menu-driven or you can use simple command
language to manipulate the data in your database. Since the
representation of the data, format of the reports and menus are all
determined by you, MULTI-BASE offers a great deal of flexibility in the
way the program is used.
FILES971.TXT
Disk No: 971
Program Title: MULTI-BASE
PC-SIG version: 1.1
MULTI-BASE is a database management system that has many sophisticated
features to complement its simple file management capabilities.
It comes with a built-in screen definer, report writer, forms generator,
and menu generator. It has a simple command language so you can define
command lists to manipulate the data in your database easily, but if you
wish the system can be run completely menu-driven.
Since the internal/outward representation of the data, the format of the
hard-copy reports, and the menus are all determined by you, MULTI-BASE
gives you a great deal of flexibility in the way you can use the
program.
Usage: Database.
Spcicial Requirements: A printer.
How to Start: Type GO (press enter).
Suggested Registration: $35.00
File Descriptions:
ACTVDB Database file.
MBASE BAT Batch file to run MULTI-BASE.
CONFIGUR BAT Batch file to install program.
CONFIG SYS System configuration file.
PRTUG BAT Batch file for printing documentation.
MBASEUG DOC Documentation.
RUN EXE Main program.
READ ME How to get started.
??? PGM Program files (24 files).
PC-SIG
1030D East Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale Ca. 94086
(408) 730-9291
(c) Copyright 1988,89 PC-SIG, Inc.
GO.TXT
╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ <<<< Disk No 971 MULTI-BASE >>>> ║
╠═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ To print the documentation, Type: COPY MBASEUG.DOC LPT1: (press enter) ║
║ ║
║ To run the program, Type: CONFIGUR (press enter) ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
MBASEUG.DOC
MULTI-BASE INTRODUCTION
Be sure and read the file READ.ME before you go any further.
There are some very important instructions you must perform before
you continue.
To run the system, type MBASE at the A> prompt. After reading the
Multi-Base introductory screen, press any key and the Welcome to
Multi-Base Screen will appear. Press ENTER again and the Multi-
Base sign on screen will appear. Enter a four character data base
name either of a previously existing database that you want to
work with or a new database you want to create.
The Multi-Base Master Menu will then appear.
You should read thru the entire User's Guide before you begin
working with Multi-Base. This will give you a better
understanding of its capabilities and help you in developing any
applications you have in mind.
DATABASE DEFINITION
When defining a new information management application, the first
thing you must do is define the database file. Before selecting
this option, you should have worked out on paper what information
you want each record to contain. You should have selected FIELD
NAMEs for each field in the record. You should have decided which
fields are going to be alpha and which are to be numeric. For
each alpha field you should know how long it is going to be, ie.,
the maximum number of characters the field should hold. For
numeric fields, you should know whether they're integer or
floating point. Integer fields are those without decimal points,
ie., whole numbers. For floating point fields you should know the
maximum number of digits to the left and to the right of the
decimal point. Having all of this information down on paper will
make database definition much easier.
Some discretion should be used when deciding whether a field is to
be numeric. In general, fields should be numeric only if you plan
to perform arithmetic with them. Telephone numbers, social
security numbers, zip codes, dates, etc., should be defined as
alpha. Fields should also be defined as numeric if you plan to do
numerical searches or sorts against the field.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Numeric fields cannot contain dashes or slashes or any other non-
numeric character other than ".", "+", or +-+. Commas are not
allowed.
------------------------------------------------------------------
To define a database, select Option 1, RECORD MAINTENANCE, from
the Master Menu. Then select Option 1 from the RECORD MAINTENANCE
menu. The following Menu will appear.
***** DATABASE DEFINITION *****
SELECT YOUR OPTION FROM THE LIST BELOW:
1 - DEFINE THE DATABASE
2 - LIST DATABASE DEFINITION
3 - RETURN TO MASTER MENU
ENTER YOUR SELECTION ?
Select Option 1 from the Menu. The following message will
appear.
REMEMBER THESE RULES:
1 - THE FIRST FIELD YOU DEFINE WILL BE THE
RECORD KEY. PLAN YOUR RECORD ACCORDINGLY.
2 - FIELD NAMES MAY BE UP TO 15 CHARACTERS.
3 - THE MAXIMUM FIELD LENGTH IS 72 FOR ALPHA FIELDS,
10 FOR NUMERIC FIELDS.
4 - TYPE '.RESTART' TO RESTART DEFINITION.
PRESS 'RETURN' WHEN READY.
The system forces the first field in the record to be the key.
Plan your record accordingly. Should you discover an error while
defining the database, type '.RESTART' for the FIELD NAME of a
field to start over.
After pressing RETURN, you will begin your record definition. The
first field you define will be the Key field. It must be alpha
and the system forces it to be. Simply enter the FIELD NAME for
the Key field and how many characters it will have.
Next, each subsequent field in the record must be defined. Since
there are three different field types, alpha, integer, and
floating point, there are three different sets of questions
depending on which field type you select.
For alpha fields, answer the following questions.
ENTER FIELD NAME n ?
ALPHA OR NUMERIC (A OR N) ? (respond A)
ENTER FIELD LENGTH FOR ---------- ?
For integer fields, answer the following questions.
ENTER FIELD NAME n ?
ALPHA OR NUMERIC (A OR N) ? (respond N)
INTEGER OR FLOATING POINT (I OR F) ? (respond I)
NUMBER OF DIGITS (1-8) ?
For floating point fields, answer the following questions.
ENTER FIELD NAME n ?
ALPHA OR NUMERIC (A OR N) ? (respond N)
INTEGER OR FLOATING POINT (I OR F) ? (respond F)
NUMBER OF DIGITS TO LEFT OF DECIMAL (1-8) ?
NUMBER OF DIGITS TO RIGHT OF DECIMAL (0-8) ?
Answer these questions for each field in your database record.
------------------------------------------------------------------
FIELD NAMEs must not contain an apostrophe (').
------------------------------------------------------------------
Consider the following when planning ahead. The forms generation
facility of Multi-Base has the capability of left filling dollar
amounts with asterisks (*). That is "$ 120.50" can be printed
as "$***120.50". This is useful, for example, if you're printing
checks. In order to utilize this facility of the forms generator,
the field must be defined as a dollar field at database definition
time. To do this, simply make the first character of the FIELD
NAME a dollar sign ($), ie., '$NET PAY'. This establishes that
field as a dollar field. Then at form definition time, you can
select to have that field printed left filled with asterisks or
printed normally, left filled with blanks. If you enter a FIELD
NAME beginning with a dollar sign, the system will force it to be
numeric.
------------------------------------------------------------------
ENTER .END as the FIELD NAME to end the record definition phase.
------------------------------------------------------------------
You will then be asked for the maximum number of records you want
the database to hold. Simply respond with the maximum number of
records you think you'll ever want the database to hold. The
system will automatically round the number you enter up to the
next Prime Number. Space will be allocated on the disk for that
many records.
Database initialization then takes place. The entire database is
propagated with null records. The index file is also initialized.
The database definition facility will attempt to create a default
screen map for you. Two conditions must be met in order for the
default map to be generated successfully. If the total number of
fields in the database is less than or equal to 22, and no field
has a length greater than 54 characters, then the default screen
map will be generated and you can begin using your database
immediately. Otherwise, you'll have to define your own screen map
using the Screen Mapping Facility.
Database definition is now complete. You should now select
Option 2 from the menu to get a hardcopy of your database defini-
tion. You will need it for future reference.
Select Option 3 to return to the Master Menu.
Multi-Base supports a special type of database called a RECORD #
database. With this type of database, the record number is used
as the Key. It is assigned automatically by the system. This
frees you from having to worry about unique keys throughout the
database. Uniqueness is insured by the system.
To define a RECORD # database, simply use the keyword RECORD # for
the key FIELD NAME, ie., the first field in the record.
Everything else is the same. With this type of database, records
can be retrieved directly by record number or relationally by any
other field in the record.
------------------------------------------------------------------
The maximum record length is 1584 characters, ie., the sum of the
lengths of all fields in the database must not exceed 1584.
------------------------------------------------------------------
CALCULATION (Calc) FIELDS
A Calc field is a numeric field whose value is calculated from one
or more other numeric fields. Calc fields can be the result of
the addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division of two
other fields or one field and a constant. For example. You may
have a field called 'INVY VALUE' defined as the product of "QTY ON
HAND' and 'UNIT COST'. You may have a field called 'RETAIL PRICE'
defined as the product of 'COST' and 1.25. Or, you may have a
field called 'NET PAY' that results from subtracting 'FICA',
'FED WH', and 'STATE WH' from 'GROSS'.
Calc fields consist of four components. The first component is
the Calc field itself, ie., the name of the field that will
receive the result of the calculation. The second component is
the first field contributing to the calculation. The third
component is one of the mathematical operations, + (addition), -
(subtraction), * (multiplication), or / (division). The fourth
component is the second field or the constant contributing to the
calculation.
------------------------------------------------------------------
All 'FIELD NAME' components must be defined using the database
definition facility of Multi-Base before defining any calculation
fields.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Define them in the usual way. The arithmetic relationships
between the result field and the two contributing fields is
defined in a separate step. Calc field relationships can be
defined at any time after database definition. It is not
necessary to define them before screen, report, or form
definition. Whenever you define them, Multi-Base recognizes them
and automatically adjusts itself accordingly. You can even add
Calc field relationships to previously existing databases.
DEFINING CALC FIELDS
Remember, Calc fields are simply ordinary numeric database fields.
What you will actually be defining are the mathematic
relationships between the 'RESULT FIELDS' and the 'CONTRIBUTING
FIELDS'.
Select Option 1, Record Maintenance, from the Multi-Base Master
Menu. Then select Option 1, Define a Database, from the Record
Maintenance Menu. Then select Option 3, Define Calculation
Fields, from the database definition menu. The following screen
will appear.
Remember these rules:
1 - The RESULT FIELD is the name of the field that
will receive the result of the calculation.
2 - The FIRST CONTRIBUTING FIELD is the name of the
first field contributing to the calculation.
3 - The valid OPERATIONS are:
+ for addition
- for subtraction
* for multiplication
/ for division
4 - The SECOND CONTRIBUTING FIELD is the name of the
second field contributing to the calculation.
5 - Calculated fields cannot be entered or updated manually.
6 - A maximum of 10 calculation fields can be defined.
Press RETURN to begin defining your calc field relationships. The
following prompt will appear.
Result FIELD NAME ?
Enter the name of the previously defined field that will receive
the result of the calculation. The following prompt will appear
next.
First Contributing FIELD NAME ?
Enter the name of the previously defined field that will be the
first field contributing to the calculation. The following prompt
will appear next.
Operation (+,-.*,./) ?
Enter one of the operations, + for addition, - for subtraction, *
for multiplication, or / for division. The following prompt will
appear next.
Second contributing FIELD NAME/VALUE ?
Enter the name of the previously defined field that will be the
second field contributing to the calculation or either enter the
constant value to contribute to the calculation.
The original prompt will re-appear. If you have other calc fields
to define, do it now. Enter '.END' or press RETURN for the Result
FIELD NAME to end calc field definition. Control will return to
the Database Definition Menu.
------------------------------------------------------------------
The maximum number of calc fields you can define is 10.
------------------------------------------------------------------
EXAMPLES:
This example will calculate 'INVY VALUE' from 'QTY ON HAND' and
'UNIT COST'.
Result FIELD NAME ? INVY VALUE
First Contributing FIELD NAME ? QTY ON HAND
Operation (+,-,*,/) ? *
Second Contributing FIELD NAME/VALUE ? UNIT COST
This example will calculate 'RETAIL PRICE' from 'COST' and 1.25.
Result FIELD NAME ? RETAIL PRICE
First Contributing FIELD NAME ? COST
Operation (+,-,*,/) ? *
Second Contributing FIELD NAME/VALUE ? 1.25
This example will calculate 'NET PAY' from 'GROSS', 'FICA', 'FED
WH', and `STATE WH'.
Result FIELD NAME ? NET PAY
First Contributing FIELD NAME ? GROSS
Operation (+,-,*,/) ? -
Second Contributing FIELD NAME/VALUE ? FICA
Result FIELD NAME ? NET PAY
First Contributing FIELD NAME ? NET PAY
Operation (+,-,*,/) ? -
Second Contributing FIELD NAME/VALUE ? FED WH
Result FIELD NAME ? NET PAY
First Contributing FIELD NAME ? NET PAY
Operation (+,-,*,/) ? -
Second Contributing FIELD NAME/VALUE ? STATE WH
SCREEN MAP DEFINITION
The second step in defining a new information management applica-
tion is to define the screen map. Whereas database definition
defined the internal representation of the data, the screen map
defines the external representation of the data.
If the default screen map was successfully generated by the
database definition phase, you can proceed immediately to the
Master Menu and begin adding records to your database. You can
return at any time to personalize your screen map. You can either
modify the default screen map to suit your own tastes, or you can
completely build a new screen map.
A further bit of explanation may be in order here. You should
understand the difference between database definition and screen
definition, while at the same time understanding their close
relationship. When defining your database, you assigned FIELD
NAMEs to the individual fields in the database record. These
names were limited to 15 characters and as such you may have had
to abbreviate them. Entering data based on these names may be
confusing to an operator who didn't actually design and/or define
the database. Thus we have the screen map.
Perhaps a better name would be a Screen Form. What you're
actually doing here is defining a form by which to enter and view
the database records. The form consists of static textual
information as well as dynamic database information. The textual
information can thus be used as opposed to the field names to
better identify exactly what the data is. You can design a form
that lays out exactly what is expected so that any operator knows
what data to enter or what data is being viewed.
The field names are used in defining the screen map, but once
definition is complete, you can forget about them. Understand
that the idea of screen mapping is to get away from having to
remember or decipher field names. They do not have to appear
anywhere on the screen. Make is to any operator will understand
what data is expected.
SCREEN MAPPING FACILITY
Select Option 1, RECORD MAINTENANCE, from the Master Menu. Then
select Option 2, SCREEN MAPPING FACILITY, from the RECORD
MAINTENANCE menu. The following Menu will appear.
SCREEN MAPPING FACILITY
SELECT YOUR OPTION FROM THE LIST BELOW:
1 - DEFINE / EDIT SCREEN MAP
2 - DISPLAY THE MAP
3 - PRINT MAP DEFINITION
4 - REGENERATE SCREEN OUTPUT MAP
5 - RETURN TO MASTER MENU
ENTER YOUR SELECTION ?
Select Option 1 to define a new screen map or to modify the
existing one. Select Option 2 to display the existing map or the
screen. Select Option 3 to produce a formatted listing of both
the input map file, MAPI, and the output map file, MAPO. Select
Option 4 to regenerate the screen map output file, MAPO. Select
Option 5 to return to the Master Menu.
Screen map definition is done in two stages. In the first stage
you define the static textual data, ie., the form from which you
want to enter and view the database recores. A + sign is entered
on the screen at each place you want a field from the database to
be displayed. In the second stage, you must tell the system which
fields you want displayed at each + sign. This is called the
field definition phase. The system will prompt you for the FIELD
NAMEs for each + sign you entered on the screen form.
THE SCREEN EDITOR
A screen editor is provided which allows you to create and
maintain (modify) the screen map input file, MAPI. Select
Option 1 from the Menu and control will be passed to the editor.
The following Menu will appear.
***** SCREEN EDITOR *****
SELECT YOUR OPTION FROM THE LIST BELOW:
IN - ENTER SCREEN DEFINITION
AP - APPEND TO SCREEN DEFINITION
ED - EDIT SCREEN DEFINITION
EX - EXIT FROM EDITOR
RT - RETURN TO MENU
ENTER YOUR SELECTION?
THE 'IN' COMMAND
Enter IN to input your screen map. This option should only be
chosen to enter a new map. If a map already exists, it will be
overlaid. After a few informative messages, you should press
RETURN to begin your screen map definition. The screen grid will
be displayed and the cursor will be positioned at the upper left
corner of the screen.
The screen is divided into 22 lines. Each line is 72 characters
long. Line 23 is reserved for editor commands and line 24 is for
system messages. The system will not let you enter a map more
than 22 lines long.
As with database definition, you should work out on paper the way
you want the screen to appear. Remember, it is 22 lines by 72
characters. Simply type in the screen exactly the way you want it
to appear. Type in any static data you choose. The only
restriction is that no static data should contain a "+" sign.
Type a + sign at each place on the screen that you want a field
from the database record to appear. Use the RETURN key to move
the cursor down one line. Use the SPACE bar to move the cursor to
the right and the BACKSPACE or RUBOUT key to move the cursor to
the left. If you make an error on the line you are currently
typing, use the BACKSPACE key to move the cursor left to the error
and then retype it correctly. Should you discover an error in a
previous line, don't worry about it. You'll be able to correct it
later.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Although it is not absolutely necessary, it is very highly
recommended that you make the first field on your screen the KEY
field. You will avoid an awful lot of confusion later on if you
do it that way.
------------------------------------------------------------------
When you are through typing in your screen map, type .END in the
first 4 positions of a new line. This will cause you to exit the
IN mode and return to the editor menu.
THE 'AP'COMMAND
Use the AP command to append new lines of text to the end of a
currently defined screen map. Use this command only if you have
several lines to append to the screen. It is faster than using
the .INS sub-command of the editor.
THE 'ED' COMMAND
The ED command is used to modify (edit) the existing map, usually
the one you just typed in. Use this command to correct any errors
you made while in the IN mode or to otherwise modify the screen
map.
Enter ED. The screen map will be displayed and the command prompt
">" will appear on line 23. The editor supports six sub-commands,
Each command begins with a ".". Type HELP or ? at the command
prompt for a summary of the sub-commands.
Enter .DSP at the command prompt to display the current map.
Simply pressing RETURN at the prompt has the same effect. The map
will be displayed. Each line will have its respective line number
to the right side. Each of the other sub-commands require a line
number.
To delete a line of text, enter .DEL,n at the command prompt,
where n is the number of the line you want to delete. This line
will be deleted and the updated map will be displayed.
To replace a line of text, enter .REP,n at the command prompt,
where n is the number of the line you want to replace. The cursor
will position itself on line 24 of the screen. Type in the new
line you want to replace line n with and press RETURN. The
updated map will be displayed.
To insert a line of text, enter .INS,n at the command prompt,
where n is the number of the line you want to modify. The line
you selected will be displayed on line 24 of the screen. The
cursor will be positioned at the first character. Use the 'CTRL
A' sequence to position the cursor in the line where you want to
make a modification. Type in your change and press RETURN. The
line will be changed and the updated map displayed. This command
is especially handy for correcting single line typographical
errors.
Enter .END at the command prompt to exit the ED mode. The screen
editor menu will re-appear.
Once the screen map is entered, you must exit the screen editor by
selecting option EX from the menu.
FIELD DEFINITION PHASE
The next step is to generate the output map, MAPO. This is
referred to as the Field Definition Phase. Here you must tell the
system which field you want displayed at each of the + signs you
entered on MAPI. This phase starts automatically when you exit,
EX, the screen editor.
A few informative messages will appear. Press RETURN to begin
field definition. The screen will clear and your input map will
begin to be displayed. Each time a + sign is encountered in the
input map, the following prompts will appear.
LINE nn COLUMN mm
ENTER FIELD NAME?
Enter the FIELD NAME of the field you want displayed at the
current line and column numbers. Do this for each field you have
defined as prompted.
If you discover an error during field definition, type .END for
the FIELD NAME to return to the Menu. Then select Option 4,
REGENERATE SCREEN OUTPUT MAP, to restart the field definition
phase.
Once field definition is complete, you can proceed to the Master
Menu and begin using your new screen map.
You can return to the screen editor at any time to modify the
screen map. Doing so will have no effect on the current records
already in the database. Feel free to modify the screen map all
you want to until you get it exactly the way you want it. If you
make any changes to the map, even if it's just a change to the
static data, you must go through the field definition phase to
regenerate the screen output map MAPO.
Select Option 5 from the menu to return to the Master Menu.
ADDING RECORDS TO THE DATABASE
Select Option 5 from the RECORD MAINTENANCE Menu to add records to
the database. After a short pause, the screen map will appear.
The cursor will be positioned at the first field. After each
field will be a series of dots. These indicate the length of the
field. Be careful not to enter more characters than there are
dots. Press RETURN after each field is entered. The cursor will
automatically position itself at the next field. Numeric fields
are automatically formatted according to the database definition
and redisplayed in their correct format when you press RETURN.
After all fields have been entered, the OK (Y OR N) ? prompt will
appear at the bottom of the screen. Look the record over very
carefully. If everything is OK, press RETURN and the record will
be added to the database. If you find an error, enter N. Then
press RETURN until the cursor is positioned at the field or fields
in error. Correct the field and continue to press RETURN until
the OK prompt reappears. You can do this as many times as you
have to insure that the record is correct. The record will not be
added to the database until you reply Y to the OK prompt.
Type .END in the first field and control will return to the Master
Menu. You can return via Option 5 at any time to add new records
to the database.
If you enter a record with a key that already exists on the
database, an error message will be issued and the record will not
be added.
For RECORD # databases, the current record number will be auto-
matically displayed in the key field position and the cursor will
be positioned at the next field on the screen.
You will be warned when the database is 80% full. You will also
be told when the database becomes completely full.
Record keys are always alpha. Database definition forces it to be
defined that way. Keys can contain any alpha or alphanumeric
character. They can also contain special characters and even
imbedded blanks. There is only one restriction.
------------------------------------------------------------------
THE RECORD KEY MUST NOT BEGIN WITH A BLANK.
------------------------------------------------------------------
If you try to enter a key beginning with a blank, it will not be
accepted.
Numeric fields are checked for validity when you enter them.
If you enter an invalid numeric, the system will not accept it and
will force you to re-enter it. Numeric fields do not need to be
positioned according to their format. Simply enter the number
where the cursor is positioned. The system will automatically
format the number and redisplay it in the correct format. If the
number is negative, simply enter a "-" sign before the number.
Positive is the default. You do not need to enter the "+" sign.
Do not enter commas (,) in the number. If you press RETURN
without entering anything, the numeric will assume a value of zero
(0).
INQUIRE/UPDATE/DELETE RECORDS
Select Option 6 from the RECORD MAINTENANCE Menu to inquire the
database. After a short pause, the screen map will appear. The
cursor will be positioned at the key field. Enter the exact key
for the record you want to retrieve. You must enter the exact
key. If a record with that key does not exist, a "Record Not
Found" error will appear. Otherwise, the record will be
displayed.
Enter .HC in the key field and the currently displayed record will
be printed in screen image format.
Enter .DEL in the key field and the currently displayed record
will be deleted from the database.
If you want to modify the currently displayed record, press RETURN
until the cursor is positioned at the field you want to modify.
Type in the new information and press RETURN. When modifying
alpha fields, you must retype the entire field to insure
correction. If the new field is shorter than the old field, you
must enter trailing blanks to completely replace the field. For
numerics, you need not worry about positioning the number in the
field according to its format. Simply retype the number at the
cursor. It will be correctly formatted and replaced in the field.
Continue to press RETURN until the cursor is positioned back at
the key field. At this point the updated record is rewritten to
the database. You may then enter a new key to retrieve another
record, or enter .END to return to the Master Menu.
------------------------------------------------------------------
THE KEY FIELD CANNOT BE UPDATED.
------------------------------------------------------------------
There are several advantages to using this retrieval technique.
First, record retrieval is very fast. Since you must enter the
exact key for the record, the system can go right to it on the
database. Retrieval time should be negligible whether retrieving
record 1 or record 1000. Second, it is very easy to update
individual records using this facility. Third, this is the only
facility that allows you to delete individual records from th e
database.
Although this option is designed for direct retrieval by key, it
will allow you to browse through the database. Enter .BR in the
key field field position to enter the "Browse Mode". To browse
thru the entire database, enter an "*" in the first position of
any field. Press RETURN and each record will be displayed. To
terminate the current browse session, type .END. You can also
browse thru the database based on a single equal relationship.
Position the cursor at any field by pressing RETURN. Type in any
character string at the field selected and press RETURN. Any
record whose selected field is equal to or begins with the
characters entered will be displayed. For example. Suppose you
have a DATE field defined as MM/DD/YY. If you position the cursor
at the DATE field and enter 10/, then all records whose DATE field
begins with 10/ will be displayed. If you enter 83 in the
DATE field, then only those records whose YY (year) is equal to 83
will be displayed. The symbol means to ignore that relative
character in the compare. Type .END to terminate the current
browse session. If the browse mode is still indicated at the
bottom of the screen, type .END again to return to the direct
retrieval mode.
Any currently displayed record in the browse mode can be printed
by typing .HC in the key field. Records cannot be updated or
deleted in the browse mode.
RELATIONAL RECORD SELECTION
Multi-Base allows you to retrieve and/or process records based on
up to five logical search arguments. Five different facilities
have this capability. They are:
1 - Relational Retrieval
2 - Dynamic Reporting
3 - Report Writer
4 - Forms Generator
5 - Command Processor
Each of these facilities uses a common record selection technique.
The following is a discussion of the selection format and the
manner in which the search arguments are communicated to Multi-
Base.
After selecting one of the above menu items, each of the FIELD
NAMEs defined for the selected database will be displayed across
the top of the screen. This is simply to guide you in entering
your selection arguments. Next, the WHERE ? prompt will be
displayed at the bottom of the screen. You can then begin
entering you logical selection arguments. Up to five arguments
can be entered. Each argument is entered in the following format
at the WHERE ? prompt.
Field 1 2 3 4
'FIELD NAME 1" |EQ| |'FIELD NAME 2'| |AND|
|NE| |NUMBER | |OR |
|LT| |"LITERAL" |
|LE|
|GT|
|GE|
Each field must be followed by a single blank. The vertical bars
mean to select one from the group. The first field is 'FIELD NAME
1'. It must be one of the field names displayed on the top
portion of the screen. It must be enclosed in apostrophes (').
Field 2 is one of the following logical operators: EQ for equal
to, NE for not equal to, LT for less than, LE for less than or
equal to, GT for greater than, GE for greater than or equal to.
The third field can be either another field name, a numeric
constant, or an alphanumeric literal. 'FIELD NAME 2' must be
enclosed in apostrophes. NUMBER is any numeric quantity.
"LITERAL" is any alphanumeric literal and it must be enclosed in
quotes ("). If field 3 is a literal, then you may select to
search on a subfield of field 1. For example. Suppose you had a
field named DATE defined as MM/DD/YY and you wanted to select
records based on the YY subfield of DATE. Then you could enter
the following relation at the prompt.
WHERE ? 'DATE' EQ " 83"
The " " symbol says to ignore that relative character when doing
the compare. Then all reports whose YY subfield of 'DATE' is
equal to "83" would be selected. The last field is optional. If
your search criteria consists of more than one argument, they must
be connected by one of the Boolean operators AND or OR. If your
criteria consists of only one argument, or if the current argument
is the last one in your search criteria, then leave this field
blank.
If you want to select all records in the database, simple press
RETURN at the first WHERE ? prompt. Typing .END at any WHERE ?
prompt will cause control to return to the Master Menu.
Some other rules to remember are:
1) The maximum length of the argument is 70 characters.
2) FIELD NAME must be one displayed and is a maximum of
15 characters.
3) Literal can be a maximum of 48 characters.
Logical evaluation of the search arguments is done from left to
right, ie., first to last. Each argument is evaluated and
assigned a value of either True or False. The Boolean operations
are then applied first to last to determine the final value of the
search criteria. Make Sure to enter the arguments in the order
that you want them evaluated. There is no way to alter the first
to last evaluation hierarchy. To insure correct logical
evaluation, the Boolean operators should not change sense, ie.,
from AND to OR or vice versa, more than one time in your list of
search arguments.
RELATIONAL RETRIEVAL
Select Option 7 from the RECORD MAINTENANCE Menu for relational
retrieval. After a short pause, each of the defined field names
will be displayed. This is to guide you when entering your
logical search arguments. The WHERE ? prompt will then appear at
the bottom of the screen. Refer to the section on Relational
Record Selection for details on how to enter your search
arguments.
Pressing RETURN at the first WHERE ? prompt will cause the entire
database to be selected for retrieval.
Each record satisfying the arguments you specified will then be
displayed. Press RETURN to continue to the next record. Type .HC
to cause the currently displayed record to be printed. Once
printing is complete, press RETURN to continue or type .END to end
the search. Typing .END will cause the original screen to be
redisplayed. You can either select to do another search or type
.END again to return to the Master Menu.
If you want a hardcopy of each record retrieved, enter Y at the
prompt. Each record selected will be printed in database
definition format. Records will still be displayed but there will
be no pause between records.
BATCH FILE MAINTENANCE
In some instances you may want to update only one or several
fields for a whole group (batch) or records. For example, you may
want to update TOTAL SALES from a batch of daily sales tickets.
It would be inconvenient to use the regular update facility since
each field is selected for update and you only want to update one
field.
The Batch File Maintenance facility allows you to select only
those fields you want to update for a given batch. Enter the key
for the record. The record will be displayed and the cursor will
position itself only at the fields you have selected for update.
Select Option 8 from the RECORD MAINTENANCE Menu for Batch File
Maintenance. After a short pause, the screen map will appear.
Use the RETURN key to position the cursor at the different fields.
At each field you want to update for this batch, enter an "X" and
press RETURN. Continue this until all fields you want have been
selected. The screen map will reappear and the cursor will be
positioned at the key field. Enter the key for the record you
want to update. The record will be displayed and the cursor will
be positioned at the first field you selected for update. Enter
your change and press RETURN. When all selected fields have been
updated, the cursor returns to the key field. You may then
continue with the next record or type .END to return to the Master
Menu.
------------------------------------------------------------------
THE KEY FIELD CANNOT BE SELECTED FOR UPDATE.
------------------------------------------------------------------
You can update numeric fields by selecting to add, subtract, or
multiply the current field value by an entered constant. For
example, if you wanted to add 10 to the current value of TOTAL
SALES, type in +10 when the cursor positions itself at the TOTAL
SALES field. Enter -10 to subtract 10 from the field. To
multiply a field by a value, enter * and the value. For example,
*1.10 would increase a field by 10%.
The operators +,-, and * must be entered at the first position,
ie., right where the cursor is positioned. The constant value
must immediately follow the operation. If you don't enter one of
the operators +, -, or *, then the number you enter will replace
the one currently displayed. If you want to replace a currently
displayed value with a negative value, preceed the - sign with a
blank, ie., enter " -10.2".
You can print a hardcopy audit trail of your updates by entering Y
at the prompt. You must also enter the current date. The Key and
the old and new field values will be printed for each field in
each record updated. This will allow you to keep track of all
changes you make to the database as well as the date you made the
changes. In some applications this information may be critical.
REPORT DEFINITION
Using the Report Definition Facility you can define reports that
can be generated from the database on a request basis. As with
screen map definition, report definition is done in two stages.
In the first stage you define the report header lines. In the
second stage you define which fields you want displayed on the
report and where the fields are to be positioned on the line.
Select Option 1 from the REPORT PROCESSING Menu to define a
report. The following menu will appear.
***** REPORT DEFINITION *****
SELECT YOUR OPTION FROM THE LIST BELOW:
1 - DEFINE THE REPORT
2 - LIST REPORT DEFINITION
3 - RETURN TO MENU
ENTER YOUR SELECTION ?
Select Option 1 to define the report. Select Option 2 to list the
report definition.
Each report must be identified by a four character name. You will
use this name when it comes time to actually generate the report.
Enter the four character name when prompted.
The report can be headed up by up to five header lines. These
header lines will be printed at the top of each page of the
report. As with database and screen map definition, you should
plan ahead by designing your report on paper.
Reports can be either 80 or 132 columns wide. Select either line
length when prompted.
You will be prompted to enter the header lines. A grid will
appear to guide you as you enter the headers. Enter each header
as you want it to appear on the report. Type .END in the first
four positions of a new line if you want to have less than the
five header lines provided for.
Next, you must enter the FIELD NAMEs of each field you want to
appear on the report. Have a copy of your database definition
handy to help you here. For each FIELD NAME you must enter the
position on the line where you want that field to appear. You can
optionally enter the length of the field. If you want to use the
length as defined in the database definition, simply press RETURN.
In some cases though, you may want to display only the first few
characters of a field so that you can get more information on a
report. If the field is numeric, you will be asked if you want to
total that field. Reply Y if you do.
Enter single of multiple lines per record reports can be defined.
The report line(s) must be defined left to right, top to bottom.
If the line position for the current field is less than or equal
to the line position for the previous field, then the report
writer will skip to the next line when it prints the report.
Thus, all you have to do is define your lines left to right, top
to bottom.
After all fields are defined, type .END for the FIELD NAME to end
report definition and return to the Menu.
If you make an error while defining the header line, type .RESTART
in the first 8 positions of the next header line to start over
from the beginning. Typing .RESTART for a FIELD NAME will restart
report definition at the line definition stage. Reports can be
redefined from the beginning or starting at the line definition
step. Simply enter the name of the existing report and follow the
prompts.
THE REPORT WRITER
Predefined reports can be generated by the report writer. Report
formats must have been defined using the Report Definition
Facility. Reports can be generated on a request basis. Records
can be selected based on up to five logical search arguments.
Select Option 2 from the REPORT PROCESSING Menu to write a report.
The following prompt will appear.
ENTER FOUR CHARACTER REPORT NAME ?
Enter the four character report name for the report you want to
generate. Each of the FIELD NAMEs defined for the database will
then be displayed. This is to guide you in entering your search
arguments. The WHERE ? prompt will appear at the bottom of the
screen. Refer to the section on Relational Record Selection for
details on how to enter your logical search arguments.
Pressing RETURN at the first WHERE ? prompt will cause the report
to be generated for the entire database.
The report writer has an option that allows you to break the
report on any field in the record. This option is only effective
if the database is sorted on the field you want to break on. At
report generation time you will be prompted:
BREAK ON ?
Enter the FIELD NAME you want to break on. If you don't want to
break the report, simply press RETURN. If you select to break the
report, the following prompt will appear.
START AT ?
This prompt allows you to base the break on a subfield of the
selected field. If you want to use the entire field, simply press
RETURN. You should always do this if you're breaking on a numeric
field. If you want to base the break on a subfield of the
selected field, enter the number of the character relative to the
beginning of the field where the subfield starts. You will then
be prompted:
FOR LENGTH ?
Enter the length of the subfield. For example. Suppose you had
had an inventory database whose PART NUMBER was defined as
XX-YYY-ZZZZ and you wanted to break on the subfield YYY. Then
your responses would be as follows.
BREAK ON ? PART NUMBER
START AT ? 4
FOR LENGTH ? 3
Any time the field you selected to break on changes, the report
will break. If any numerics are being totaled, the subtotals will
be printed at the break. If there are no subtotals to print, two
blank lines will be printed.
Records can be selected based on up to 5 logical search arguments.
Combining this feature with the break option, a single report
definition can be used to provide many different combinations of
data.
Reports can only be routed to the printer. You will be prompted
to enter a report title. The title can be up to 60 characters.
Either enter an appropriate title, or simply press RETURN for no
title.
DYNAMIC REPORTING
You can generate one time dynamic reports that can be displayed on
the screen or printed on the printer. Selection of fields you
want displayed is by FIELD NAME. A columnar report is produced
headed up by the FIELD NAMEs you choose. A maximum of five fields
can be chosen to be displayed on a single report.
Alpha fields are displayed left justified in their respective
columns. Numeric fields are right justified. For neatness and
readability, the system forces all alpha fields to be displayed on
the left side of the report and all numeric fields on the right
side.
Records can be selected based on up to five logical search
arguments. Each argument must be entered at the WHERE ? prompt.
Refer to the section on Relational Record Selection for details on
how to enter your search arguments.
Pressing RETURN at the first WHERE ? prompt will cause the entire
database to be selected.
Any numeric field selected for the report can be totaled. Simply
respond Y to the appropriate prompt.
Select Option 3 from the REPORT PROCESSING Menu for dynamic
Reporting. The following prompt will appear.
SELECT : (Replace the ? with X to select a field.)
(Enter M for menu, S to stop selection.)
Following this prompt, each of the field names will be displayed
followed by a "?" . To Select a field for the report, replace the
"?" with an "X" . If you don't want a particular field displayed,
press RETURN to position the cursor at the next "?". Continue to
select fields by typing "X". Either press RETURN until all fields
are selected or type "S" to stop selection.
As you are selecting fields for the report, the system keeps track
of the current line length. Should the line length ever exceed
80, field selection is automatically terminated and your report
will consist of all fields you have selected so far such that the
total line length is less than or equal to 80. Remember, the
maximum number of fields you can select is five (5).
After all fields are selected, the WHERE ? prompt will be
displayed at the bottom of the screen. Enter the record selection
criteria. For any numeric fields selected, the system will ask if
you want it totaled. Respond Y if you do. You will then be asked
if you want the report routed to the printer. Respond
accordingly. If you select to print the report, you will be
prompted for a report title. You can enter up to 60 characters to
appear at the top of each page of the report.
The report will then be generated as requested. When finished,
the original screen will reappear. You can then select to define
and generate another report or type "M" to quit and return to the
Master Menu.
FORMS DEFINITION FACILITY
The Form Definition Facility allows you to interactively design a
form on which to print database records. An editor is provided to
enter and edit the form layout.
Four types of information can be printed on the form: 1) Static
text information, 2) Database fields, 3) Global variables, and
4) Local variables. Static text can be anything you want it to
be. It is printed exactly the same on each form. Field
information from the database can be printed at preassigned
locations within the static text. Fields are located by '+' signs
within the text. At form definition time you define which fields
you want displayed at each '+' sign. A GLOBAL variable is one
that you enter from the keyboard at form generation time. Globals
are entered only one time and will subsequently appear on each
printed form. Globals are defined by placing a '#' symbol within
the static text at each location a Global is to appear. A LOCAL
variable is similar to a global variable. It also is entered from
the keyboard. But, Local variables have to be entered for each
form printed. Locals are defined by placing a '^' symbol within
the text where each Local is to appear.
A form letter might be an example where each type of variable
would be used. Suppose that you had a client name, address, and
balance database. Occasionally you need to send out a form letter
to each client to verify his current balance. You could use the
Forms Definition Facility to do this. The static text would be
the form letter itself. Fields from the database that would be
included in the letter would be the client's name, address, and
current balance. The date of the letter would be defined as a
Global variable. Then at form generation time, you would enter
the current date and it would subsequently be printed on each form
letter. To personalize each letter, you could define the
salutation as a Local variable. Then as each letter was printed,
the printer would pause so that you could enter 'Dear Mr. Jones:',
or 'Dear Mrs. Smith:', or 'Attn: Accounting Department:', etc.
The total number of all variables including Global, Locals, and
database fields must not exceed 60. The total length of all
Global variables must not exceed 500 characters.
FORM DEFINITION
Form definition is very much like screen map definition. The same
editor is provided with the following exceptions.
1) Maximum for length is 96 lines rather than 22.
2) Maximum line length is 76 characters rather than 72.
3) The .DSP sub-command requires a line number, ie.,
.DSP,N would cause the form to be displayed starting
at line N.
To define a form, select Option 1 from the FORMS PROCESSING Menu.
The following Menu will appear.
*** FORMS DEFINITION FACILITY ***
SELECT YOUR OPTION FROM THE LIST BELOW:
1 - DEFINE / EDIT FORM
2 - PRINT FORM DEFINITION
3 - GENERATE DUMMY FORM
4 - REGENERATE OUTPUT FORM
5 - RETURN TO MAINTENANCE
ENTER YOUR SELECTION ?
Select Option 1 to define a new form or modify (edit) an existing
one. The following Menu will appear.
*** FORMS EDITOR ***
SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS:
IN - ENTER FORM DEFINITION
AP - APPEND TO FORM DEFINITION
ED - EDIT FORM DEFINITION
EX - EXIT EDITOR
RT - RETURN TO MENU
ENTER YOUR SELECTION ?
If you are defining a new form, select the 'IN' Option. Enter the
3 character form name.
The following is a brief explanation of how the Forms Definition
Facility works. You are effectively presented with a grid that is
76 characters wide and up to 96 lines long. You can use any
positions in this grid to display static text, database fields,
Global variables, or Local variables.
If you are designing a form to be printed on plain paper, like a
form letter, your task is a little easier. Simple enter the
static text exactly the way you want it to appear on the paper.
Enter a '+' sign anywhere you want a field from the database to be
displayed. Be sure to leave enough blank spaces after the '+' to
contain the entire field. Enter a '#' symbol for each Global
variable, and a '^' symbol for each Local variable.
If you are designing a form to be printed on a preprinted form,
you'll need a forms ruler and a blank form. You must use the
forms ruler to determine which line and which columns each
variable field will be printed at. Then on the form grid, simply
space to each line and column and type the appropriate symbol,
'+', '#', or '^'. If you will be printing on continuous forms ,
be sure to leave enough blank lines at the bottom so that line 1
will be positioned at the top of the next form.
After selecting the 'IN' option, you will be asked how many lines
long the form is to be. Be sure and allow enough lines to include
blank lines for continuous forms. You will then be asked for the
total number of fields defined on the form. Respond with a number
that is greater than or equal to the total number of fields. It
doesn't have to be exact. The screen will clear and the line
number and grid line will appear. Begin typing in the form
exactly as you designed it, referencing the line number and the
character position on the grid.
Use the SPACE bar to move the cursor right and the BACKSPACE key
to move it left. Press RETURN to skip down to the next line. You
can use the BACKSPACE key to correct any errors you make while
typing in a line. If you discover an error in a previous line,
don't worry about it. You can correct it later with the editor.
When you have completed typing in the entire form, type .END in
the first four positions of a new line and control will return to
the Menu.
Enter 'ED' to edit an existing form. The editor commands, with
the exceptions mentioned, are the same as for the screen map
editor.
FIELD DEFINITION PHASE
After you are satisfied that the form is exactly the way you want
it, you must exit the editor using the 'EX' command. DO NOT use
the 'RT' command. It is reserved for special cases that will be
discussed later.
You will then enter the Field Definition Phase. In this step you
will indicate which database fields are to be displayed at each of
the '+' signs and assign FIELD NAMEs to Global and Local
variables. After a pause, which could be several minutes
depending on the number of lines on the form, the form will begin
to be displayed on the screen. Each time a + sign is encountered,
you will be asked for the FIELD NAME of the database field that
you want displayed there. Each time a # or ^ symbol is
encountered, you will be asked to assign a descriptive FIELD NAME
to the respective Global or Local Variable. This name will be
displayed at form generation time to prompt you in entering your
global or local data. For local variables, you can also enter the
FIELD NAME of any database field to be displayed along with the
local FIELD NAME when you are prompted for the local information.
For example, if the local field is 'SALUTATION', you may want to
select to display the database field 'NAME' to be displayed at the
local prompt. This would keep you from having to refer to the
printer or other document to determine what to enter for
'SALUTATION'.
For any dollar fields, ie., fields whose name begins with a dollar
sign ($), you will be asked if you want to left fill the field
with asterisks (*). If you do, simple press RETURN. If not,
respond N.
After each field is defined, control will return to the Menu.
If during the Field Definition Phase you find you've made an
error, you can type .END for any FIELD NAME and control will
return to the Menu. You can then select Option 4 from the Menu to
return to field definition.
Select Option 2 from the Menu to print a hardcopy of the form
definition. This will be handy for reference.
Select Option 3 from the Menu to print a dummy form. This option
will print the form placing X's into each field defined by a '+'
sign. This will give you the opportunity to see exactly how the
form will appear, and if it is to go on a preprinted form, you can
hold it up to the light and verify that each field is positioned
correctly.
Selected Option 5 to return to the Master Menu.
You can return via Option 1 at any time to edit a form. If you
make any changes whatsoever, you must return via the 'EX' option
to the field definition step, even if all you changed was static
text data. If you go into edit mode but decide not to make any
changes, you can return to the Menu by selecting Option 'RT'.
FORMS GENERATION
Predefined forms can be generated by the Forms Generator. The
forms must have been defined using the Forms Definition Facility.
Forms can be generated on a request basis. Records can be
selected based on up to 5 logical search arguments or they can be
selected singly by Key.
Select Option 2 from the FORMS PROCESSING Menu to generate a form.
the following prompt will appear.
ENTER NAME OF FORM (3 CHARACTERS) ?
Enter the three character name of the form you want to generate.
Records can be selected for forms generation either by Key or by
Relational Selection. If you want to generate the form for only
one or a few records, and you know the key for each record you
want, then select Keyed Retrieval (K). Otherwise, select
Relational Record Selection (R). If you select R, then each of
the FIELD NAMEs defined for the database will be displayed. This
is to guide you in entering your search arguments. The WHERE ?
prompt will then appear at the bottom of the screen. Refer to the
section on Relational Record Selection for details on how to enter
your search arguments.
Pressing RETURN at the first WHERE ? prompt will cause the form to
be generated for all of the records on the database.
For each GLOBAL variable, if any, defined for the form, the
following prompt will appear.
ENTER VALUE FOR GLOBAL VARIABLE : 'FIELD NAME'
Enter the value you want the GLOBAL variable 'FIELD NAME' to
assume. The following prompt will then appear.
DO YOU WANT EACH RECORD ON A NEW PAGE (Y OR N) ?
If you want each record to begin on a new page, reply Y.
Otherwise, the records will be printed in a continuous form.
The following prompt will appear next.
DO YOU WANT FORMS ALIGNMENT CHECK (Y OR N) ?
If you are printing on a special preprinted form, reply Y. A
dummy form will be printed allowing you to check forms alignment.
Reply N to begin forms generation.
If you selected "R" for Relational Record Selection, a form will
be produced for each record satisfying the search arguments you
requested. If there are any LOCAL variables defined on the form
the printer will pause to let you type in the value that you want
that LOCAL variable to assume. The field you defined will be
displayed and the prompt will appear to let you enter the value
for the LOCAL variable.
After all forms have been produced, control will return to the
Master Menu.
If you selected "K" for Keyed Record Selection, you must enter the
key for each record that you want the form produced for. The form
will be printed as described above. Enter .END for the key and
control will return to the Master Menu.
COMMAND PROCESSING
Multi-Base provides a simple command language that allows you to
set up Command Lists for mass updates to the database. Seven
commands are supported. They are: ADD, SUB, MUL, DIV, MOV, IF,
and GOTO. A Command List can consist of up to 50 commands which
are processed in the order they are entered. Each command will be
discussed in detail.
THE 'ADD' COMMAND
The ADD command is used to add two fields together. The general
form of the add command is :
ADD |'FIELD NAME 1'| TO 'FIELD NAME 2' GIVING 'FIELD NAME 3'
|NUMBER |
ADD is the keyword. It must begin in the first position following
the ">" prompt and it must be followed by a single blank. The
vertical bars mean to choose one of the options within the bars.
'FIELD NAME 1' is any numeric field from the database. It must be
enclosed in apostrophes ('). Optionally, you can specify a
numeric literal (NUMBER). It is not enclosed in apostrophes and
must immediately follow the single blank following ADD. TO is the
modifier. It must be preceded and followed by a single blank.
'FIELD NAME 2' is any numeric field from the database. It must be
enclosed in apostrophes. GIVING is the second modifier. It is
optional. If you leave the GIVING modifier off, 'FIELD NAME 2'
will receive the result. Otherwise, 'FIELD NAME 3' will receive
the result. GIVING must be preceded and followed by a single
blank.
With the exceptions noted, the above rules apply in general to
each of the other commands.
THE 'SUB' COMMAND
The SUB command is used to subtract one field from another. The
general form of the SUB command is:
SUB |'FIELD NAME 1'| FROM 'FIELD NAME 2' GIVING 'FIELD NAME 3'
|NUMBER |
FROM is the first modifier. It must be preceded and followed by a
single blank.
THE 'MUL" COMMAND
The MUL command is used to multiply two fields together. The
general form of the MUL command is:
MUL 'FIELD NAME 1' BY |'FIELD NAME 2'| GIVING 'FIELD NAME 3'
|NUMBER |
BY is the first modifier. It must be preceded and followed by a
single blank. If the GIVING modifier is left off, 'FIELD NAME 1'
will receive the result.
THE 'DIV' COMMAND
The DIV command is used to divide one field by another. The
general form of the DIV command is:
DIV 'FIELD NAME 1' BY |'FIELD NAME 2'| GIVING 'FIELD NAME 3'
|NUMBER |
If the giving modifier is left off, 'FIELD NAME 1' will receive
the result. Should 'FIELD NAME 2' ever be zero (0), the result
will be 999999.99.
THE 'MOV' COMMAND
The MOV command is used to move one field to another. The general
form of the MOV command is:
MOV |'FIELD NAME 1'| TO 'FIELD NAME 2'
|NUMBER |
|"LITERAL" |
"LITERAL" is an alphanumeric value. It must be enclosed in quotes
("). The data type of the FROM and TO fields must match, ie.,
they must both be numeric or they must both be alpha.
A special form of the MOV command is supported by the Command
Processor. It is:
MOV "#" TO 'DELETE FLAG'
With this command you can cause selected records to be deleted
from the database. 'DELETE FLAG' is a special keyword and is only
valid with the MOV command. Extreme caution should be exercised
when using this command as you could very easily delete every
record in the database. Be sure to have a good backup before
doing any kind of mass delete.
THE 'IF' COMMAND
The IF command is used to cause conditional transfer within a
command list. The general form of the IF command is:
IF 'FIELD NAME 1' |EQ| |'FIELD NAME 2'| THEN GOTO nn
|NE| |"LITERAL" |
|LT| |NUMBER |
|LE|
|GT|
|GE|
For example, the command:
IF 'GROSS' EQ 0 THEN GOTO 10
would cause control to transfer to command #10 if 'GROSS' is equal
to 0. The following sequence of commands illustrates the use of
the IF command.
1 >IF 'GROSS' EQ 0 THEN GOTO 6
2 >MOV 0 TO 'GROSS'
3 >MOV 0 TO 'FICA'
4 >MOV 0 TO 'FED WH'
5 >MOV 0 TO 'STATE WH'
6 >MUL 'HOURS' BY 'RATE' GIVING 'GROSS'
7 >IF 'YTD GROSS' GT 35700 THEN GOTO 99
8 >MUL 'GROSS' BY .067 GIVING 'FICA'
If nn is greater than the number of the last command, then control
is transferred to the end of the command list.
If the "LITERAL" field is shorter than 'FIELD NAME 1', then all
records where 'FIELD NAME 1' begins with the "LITERAL" would be
processed. For example:
IF 'NAME' EQ "Ja" THEN GOTO 8
would cause control to transfer to command #8 for all names
beginning with the two characters "Ja".
You can work with a substring of a field as follows. Suppose your
record had a field name 'DATE' defined as MMDDYY. Then
IF 'DATE' EQ ' 83" THEN GOTO 16
would cause control to transfer to command #16 for all records
where the YY subfield of 'DATE' was equal to "83". The " " symbol
says to ignore that relative character when doing the compare.
THE 'GOTO' COMMAND
The GOTO command is used to unconditionally transfer control
within a command list. The format of the GOTO command is:
GOTO nn
where nn is another command number. If nn is greater than the
number of the last command in the list, then control is
transferred to the end of the command list.
The following sequence of commands illustrates the use of the GOTO
command.
1 >IF 'QTY ON HAND' LE 'MIN STK LVL' THEN GOTO 4
2 >MOV "N" TO 'ON ORDER FLAG'
3 >GOT0 5
4 >MOV "Y" TO 'ON ORDER FLAG'
5 >.....
BUILDING THE COMMAND LIST
Building a Command List is kind of like programming, but not
nearly as complicated. There are only seven commands and their
syntax is very straight forward.
Two types of Command Lists are available. One type is for
executing only one time and disgarding. The other type is
actually stored on a disk file by name so that you can return at
any time to execute it by its name. It's these types of Command
Lists that allow you to really complete your application
definition.
To define a Command List, select Option 4 from the Master Menu.
The following Menu will appear.
*** COMMAND PROCESSING ***
SELECT YOUR OPTION FROM THE LIST BELOW:
1 - BUILD A COMMAND LIST
2 - EXECUTE A COMMAND LIST
3 - DISPLAY A COMMAND LIST
4 - RETURN TO MENU
ENTER YOUR SELECTION ?
Select Option 1 to build a Command List. You will be asked to
enter the name of the Command List. If you want to permanently
save the Command List, enter an 8 character name. Make it as
descriptive as possible. If you want to build a Command List to
execute only one time, simply press RETURN.
The command line number and prompt (>) will then appear on the
screen. Enter each command at the prompt. Enter .END for the
last command or simply press RETURN at the prompt. Remember, you
can enter a maximum of 50 commands.
If you want to execute the Command List immediately, reply Y to
the prompt. Otherwise, control will return to the Menu.
EXECUTING A COMMAND LIST
Select Option 2 from the Menu to execute a Command List. You will
be asked to enter the name of the Command List you want to
execute. If you did not name the list, ie., it is a one time
Command List, simply press RETURN. Otherwise, enter the name of
the Command List you want to execute.
Records can be selected for processing either by Key or by
Relational Selection. If you select relational selection, you can
also select to display or not display the updated records as the
command list is executing. Selecting no to display the records
will cause the Command List to execute faster, especially if you
have a large record and/or a complex screen map. If you select to
display the records, you can actually watch the Command List as it
is executing.
The database FIELD NAMEs will be displayed followed by the WHERE ?
prompt. Refer to the section on Relational Record Selection for
details on how to enter your search arguments.
Pressing RETURN at the first WHERE ? prompt will cause the entire
database to be selected for processing. Otherwise, the Command
List will apply to all records on the database that satisfy the
selection criteria.
If you selected record selection by Key, the screen map will
appear. Enter the Key for the record you want to process. The
Command List will be executed and the results will be displayed.
You can then enter the Key for the next record you want to process
or enter .END to return to the Master Menu.
DISPLAYING A COMMAND LIST
Select Option 3 to display a Command List. The Command List can
either be displayed on the screen, or routed to the printer for a
permanent hardcopy.
Since Command Lists are stored internally in a coded form, they
cannot be updated. If a command list has to be changed, the
entire command list must be re-entered.
USER MENU PROCESSING
Multi-Base provides you with a number of system menus to guide you
through the development and use of your application. But once
you've got your application completely developed, many of the
options provided for on Multi-Base's menus are no longer needed ad
in fact clutter up your application. Also, its kind of
inconvenient to have to enter the names of reports, forms, etc.,
each time you use them.
Thus, you can define a single User Menu to supervise control of
your application. On this menu you can define your own options
and select only the facilities of Multi-Base that you need to run
your application. In effect, menu definition allows you to put a
professional looking finishing touch on your application.
Menu definition is very much like screen map definition. The same
editor is used. thus the learning time for using this facility is
greatly reduced. The question and answer technique used allows
you to get your menu defined in a minimum length of time. Once a
menu is defined, it gets control automatically after you Sign-On.
There is no additional manual intervention required. When under
user menu control. you can return to the Multi-Base Master Menu by
pressing CTRL-C.
To define a menu, select Option 5, USER MENU PROCESSING, from the
Master Menu. Then select Option 1 from the USER MENU PROCESSING
Menu. The following Menu will appear.
MENU DEFINITION FACILITY
SELECT YOUR OPTION FROM THE LIST BELOW:
1 - DEFINE / EDIT THE MENU
2 - DEFINE THE MENU OPTIONS
3 - DISPLAY THE MENU
4 - PRINT MENU DEFINITION
5 - RETURN TO MASTER MENU
ENTER YOUR SELECTION ?
Select Option 1 to define your menu. The following MENU EDITOR
Menu will appear.
***** MENU EDITOR *****
SELECT YOUR OPTION FROM THE LIST BELOW:
IN - ENTER MENU DEFINITION
AP - APPEND TO MENU DEFINITION
ED - EDIT MENU DEFINITION
RT - RETURN TO MENU
ENTER YOUR SELECTION ?
Except for some of the wording, this is the same menu you see when
you select to define a screen map. Select Option 'IN' to enter
your menu definition. A few informative messages will appear.
Press RETURN. The screen will clear and the screen grid will
appear.
Menu definition is done in two phases. In the first phase you
define the "text" of the menu. Simply type on the screen the
exact information you want the screen to contain. Each option
MUST be identified by a number. These numbers MUST begin with 1
(one) and MUST be consecutive, ie., if your menu has five options,
they must be numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Your menu can be up to
22 lines of 72 characters each. You can define a maximum of 25
different options. You may have several options that use the same
facility. For example, you application may have several different
reports defined for it. You would thus want to have a different
option for each report. Remember, your menu can display not t
only the available options, but any other directions or dress-up
information you want. For example, you might want to say at the
bottom of the screen to "Press CTRL-C to return to the Master
Menu". Make it look nice.
Once you've got the menu typed in, type .END in the first four
positions of a new line to return to the editor menu. If you need
to, you can select the 'ED' option to edit or otherwise modify the
menu. Refer to the screen map editor for instructions on using
the editor.
At this point you must complete phase two of the definition
process. If you select option 'EX' from the editor menu, you will
immediately proceed to the Option Definition phase. If you don't
otherwise have a hardcopy of your menu, you should select option
'RT' to return to the Menu Definition Menu and then select Option
4 to get a hardcopy of what you'll probably need some sort of
hardcopy to successfully complete phase two of the definition.
Select Option 2 from the Menu Definition menu to return to the
Option Definition phase.
You should have a copy of your database definition and a copy of
your database Table of Contents handy to help in completing phase
two of the menu definition.
Upon entering the Option Definition phase, the following screen
will appear.
THE FOLLOWING FACILITIES ARE AVAILABLE FOR MENU SELECTION.
1 - ENTER NEW RECORDS 8 - GENERATE A FORM
2 - RETRIEVE RECORDS BY KEY 9 - EXECUTE A COMMAND LIST
3 - UPDATE/DELETE RECORDS 10 - SORT A DATABASE
4 - RELATIONAL RETRIEVAL 11 - NOT AVAILABLE
5 - DYNAMIC REPORTING 12 - SWITCH DATABASES
6 - BATCH FILE MAINTENANCE 13 - RETURN TO MASTER MENU
7 - WRITE A REPORT 14 - EXIT MULTI-BASE
FOR EACH OPTION ON YOU MENU, SELECT ONE OF THE ABOVE
FACILITIES BY NUMBER. ENTER 99 FOR THE LAST SELECTION.
The top half of the screen lists each Multi-Base facility that is
available to a user menu. Notice that none of the application
definition facilities are there. You should be thru with them at
this point. The number by the side of each facility is the
respective facility number. At this time there is no relationship
between these numbers and the option numbers on your menu. There
will be when you're through.
Following this list is the prompt:
M E N U O P T I O N : 1
Now, this number represents the current option number on your
menu. Following this is the prompt:
T O U S E F A C I L I T Y N U M B E R ?
Enter the corresponding number of the facility you want to get
control when the current option number is entered from you menu.
For example, if the current option is to generate a report, enter
7 for the facility number.
Each consecutive option number from you menu will be presented.
For each one, enter the corresponding facility number. When the
options from your menu are exhausted, enter 99 for the facility
number. Menu definition is now complete.
Depending on the facility number you select, you may be prompted
for additional information.
For facility number 7, Write a Report, you must enter the four
character report name that you want to generate. If you don't
enter a name, the report writer will prompt you for the name when
it gets control.
For facility number 8, Generate a Form, you must enter the three
character form name that you want to generate. If you don't enter
a name, the forms generator will prompt you for the name when it
gets control.
For facility number 9, Execute a Command List, you must enter the
eight character command list name that you want to execute. If
you don't enter a name, the command processor will prompt you for
the name when it gets control.
For facility number 10, Sort the Database, you must enter the
FIELD NAME of the field you want to use as the sort key. If the
field is alpha, you will be prompted for the relative starting
position in the field. If you want to start at the beginning,
enter 1 or simply press RETURN. You will then be prompted for the
length of the sort key. Press RETURN to use the defined length or
enter the length you want to use. For example, suppose you wanted
to sort on the year subfield of a field named DATE defined as
MMDDYY. Then enter DATE as the FIELD NAME. For the starting
position enter 5. For the length enter 2. You will then be
prompted whether you want an ascending or a descending sort.
Enter A for ascending or D for descending.
For facility number 12, Switch Databases, enter the 4 character
name of the database you want to switch to.
The menu processor does not provide a high degree of error
trapping. If an error occurs in the menu processor itself,
control will be transferred to the Master Menu. You should thus
be very careful that you correctly define your options in phase
two. If an error occurs in one of the selected facilities, normal
error trapping will take place. You can then either stop or
return to your menu.
Control can be passed to a user menu from the Master Menu. Select
Option 5, USER MENU PROCESSING. Then select Option 2 from the USE
MENU PROCESSING Menu to transfer control to the user menu.
DATABASE UTILITIES
Multi-Base provides several utilities that complement the system.
Select Option 6 from the Master Menu for the utilities. The
following menu will appear.
DATABASE UTILITIES
1 - DISPLAY DATABASE DEFINITION
2 - DISPLAY TABLE OF CONTENTS
3 - REORGANIZE THE DATABASE
4 - SORT THE DATABASE
5 - REINITIALIZE THE DATABASE
6 - RETURN
ENTER YOUR SELECTION ?
Select Option 1 to display the database definition. The listing
can be displayed on the screen or printed on the printer.
Select Option 2 to display or print the Table of Contents.
Select Option 3 to compress and reorganize the database. When you
delete records from the database, they are not physically removed.
Instead, they are flagged as deleted and ignored by the system. If
after an extended period of time you have deleted a number of
records, you should run the reorganize utility to actually remove
them from the database as they are taking up unnecessary disk
space.
The reorganize utility completely rebuilds the database. It can
be used to cure a world of ills. If during normal operation find
the system not working quite like you think it should, try running
the reorganize utility. Chances are it will shake loose some old
dust that may be causing the problem.
Since the reorganize utility may physically remove some records
from the database, it tells you about it when it does. When a
record is removed, it is displayed. If you want a permanent copy
of the records deleted, select to hardcopy the list.
Select Option 4 to sort a database. You must enter the FIELD NAME
of the field you want to use as the sort key. If the field is
alpha, you will be prompted for the relative starting position in
the field. If you want to start at the beginning enter 1 or
simple press RETURN. You will then be prompted for the length of
the sort key. Press RETURN to use the defined length or enter the
length you want to use. For example, suppose you wanted to sort
on the year subfield of a field named DATE and MMDDYY. Then enter
DATE as the FIELD NAME. For the starting position enter 5. For
the length enter 2. You will then be prompted whether you want an
ascending or a descending sort. Enter A for ascending or D for
descending.
Select Option 5 to reinitialize a database. This option removes
all data from the database. It does not effect the database
definition, screen definition, report definitions, or form
definitions.
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #0971
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
ACTVDB 110 4-06-87 7:59p
AMENU PGM 1406 3-19-87 8:27a
CONFIG SYS 17 3-15-87 2:03p
CONFIGUR BAT 14 3-17-87 3:23p
CONFIGUR PGM 1736 3-19-87 8:38a
DBFBUPD PGM 8148 3-19-87 8:31a
DBFCALC PGM 4240 3-19-87 8:35a
DBFCMDB PGM 10960 3-19-87 8:32a
DBFCMDP PGM 14806 3-19-87 8:33a
DBFCMDST PGM 5236 3-19-87 8:37a
DBFCOMP PGM 4474 3-19-87 8:34a
DBFDEFFM PGM 12816 3-19-87 8:36a
DBFDEFMU PGM 11954 3-20-87 3:47p
DBFDEFN PGM 9164 3-19-87 8:35a
DBFDRPT PGM 11220 3-19-87 8:30a
DBFGENFM PGM 11262 3-19-87 8:32a
DBFINPT PGM 7060 3-19-87 8:28a
DBFMENUP PGM 2348 3-19-87 8:28a
DBFNQUD PGM 8132 3-19-87 8:29a
DBFOLMF PGM 12078 3-19-87 8:35a
DBFRELT PGM 8838 3-19-87 8:29a
DBFRPTFN PGM 8894 3-19-87 8:36a
DBFSGON PGM 1166 3-19-87 8:27a
DBFSORT PGM 6640 3-19-87 8:34a
DBFSUP PGM 8334 3-19-87 8:28a
DBFWRITE PGM 12332 3-19-87 8:31a
FILES971 TXT 1326 1-24-89 3:28p
GO BAT 38 10-19-87 3:56p
GO TXT 540 12-15-87 1:50p
LOGO PGM 1920 4-03-87 2:16p
MBASE BAT 15 3-15-87 2:04p
MBASEUG DOC 91440 4-06-87 2:01p
PRTUG BAT 24 4-06-87 2:02p
READ ME 822 1-18-87 1:00p
RUN EXE 49152 3-19-87 3:19p
35 file(s) 328662 bytes
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