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Information about “FISHBASE II”
FISHBASE lets devoted fishermen, amateur and professional, keep track
of their favorite fishing holes -- to catch more, bigger fish in the
future. It's a database diary in which you record all the important
facts about the fish you catch, so you can return to the scene of your
success. It holds up to 1000 fishing trips. In addition to location,
you can record weather conditions, water temperature, size of fish
caught, and which lures you used to catch them. You can even note
items such as the phase of the moon, in order to find out when the bass
are likely to spawn. You can also print many reports from your data.
Currently in use by several ``pros,'' this program will also be of
interest to fishing clubs for competitions. The many help windows move
the program along swimmingly, and they are backed up by a hefty user
guide guaranteed to hook you.
FB.DOC
The SHAREWARE Concept
FISHBASE ][ is distributed under the concept of ShareWare. Under
this novel idea, you are free to distribute copies of this
software to your friends without charge. You are required to
distribute this document along with the software, being sure that
this notice remains attached. You are NOT permitted to sell this
software under any circumstances. Under the concept of ShareWare,
all rights to the software remain with the author. The authors of
this so-called "free" software deserve some recognition for their
efforts. By using this software, you have the unique opportunity
to "try before you buy". If, after a reasonable length of time,
you find this software useful, you are expected to register with
the author. Some of the best software available today is obtained
through ShareWare. Let's keep it coming!
For donations of ten dollars or more, I'll add you to my list of
'good guys'. These people will receive a disk containing the
newest version of FISHBASE ][, free of charge. Also, as a member
of the 'good guys', I will answer any correspondence regarding
FISHBASE ][ promptly. For the rest of you, I'll answer your
questions and provide help as time permits. Along with any
correspondence, please indicate what version of FISHBASE ][ you
are using, what type of computer you have, and what kind of
option cards you have installed. To satisfy my own curiosity,
please indicate how you obtained your copy of FISHBASE ][.
We've all got much to learn about fishing, and maybe if we share
our ideas, and even our data, we can take some of the mystery out
of the sport and improve our success!
Please send all donations, bug reports or questions to:
Richard Olsen
68 Hartwell Ave.
Littleton, Ma. 01460
Introduction to FISHBASE ][ vers. 2.4
Welcome to FISHBASE ][! FISHBASE ][ was written by a fisherman
because it was needed. Like many other fishermen, I kept a diary
of all of my fishing trips noting such things as weather
conditions, water temperature, size of fish caught and what lures
I used to catch them. After a few years of this, I began to try
to decipher all of the data and to derive some sort of pattern or
reason for the success or failure of my exploits. It became
apparent that I wasn't very consistent with my record keeping and
that it was difficult and time consuming to determine the things
I wanted to know about my fishing activities. For example, I
wanted to know what kind of lures accounted for the most fish.
What color lures caught the biggest fish? What water temperature
seemed to bring the most success? Did the phase of the moon
really have anything to do with the willingness of the fish to
strike? What week seemed to be the most likely time for the bass
to be spawning? These questions and many others were hard to
answer from the information contained in my fishing log. The
information was mostly there, but it sure took a long time to dig
it out. I then decided to use my personal computer to help me
find out what I wanted to know. At first, I used a commercially
available data base program to enter most of the data from my
fishing diary. It was a big help, but it fell short when it came
to providing me with all the statistics I was looking for. It was
easier to find out how many bass of four pounds or greater that I
had caught, but it still took a long time to figure out what
lures were the most productive or if the most fish were caught
during the full moon or at other times. Then I decided to write
my own program to do exactly what I wanted. After many hours of
work, FISHBASE ][ was created. Over many months, it underwent
change after change, and improvement after improvement. Features
were added. Speed was increased. Some fancy windows were
included. Pretty soon, my friends convinced me that it might be
useful to other fishermen as well. Even professional fishermen
could benefit from it. Clubs could use it for their tournament
record keeping. After all of this prodding, I decided to make
FISHBASE ][ available to all fishermen, in the hopes that it will
improve their catches. I've tried to make it easy to use, and as
bug- free as humanly possible. If you do find a bug, or have a
suggestion for improving it, drop me a line and I'll do what I
can to fix or improve the program. In return, I'll send you a
free updated copy. I'd also be interested in hearing any comments
you may have, good or bad, about the program.
Good luck!
Dick Olsen
What You Need To Use FISHBASE ][
FISHBASE ][ requires an IBM PC, XT, AT or compatible with at
least 256k of memory. A color display makes it nicer, but is not
necessary. If you have a hard disk, FISHBASE ][ will run much
faster and will be easier to use. Remember that if you are using
a hard disk, you should make frequent back-up copies of your data
file so that in the event of a computer problem or power failure,
your data will not all be lost. These things DO happen, so use
some common sense and protect your investment in time. If you do
not have a hard disk based computer, FISHBASE ][ will run on
either a one or two floppy machine. Floppy disk users should also
get in the habit of making backup copies of their data base. It
is highly recommended that you read this manual in its entirety
before using FISHBASE ][. This doesn't take very long, and it
will give you a much better understanding of what's happening on
the screen.
Getting Started
The FISHBASE ][ diskette contains an installation program to help
you get it up and running on your machine. This install program
is only needed if you intend to run FISHBASE ][ on a hard disk.
To install the program on your hard disk, insert the diskette
into drive A and type A:INSTALL. It is not necessary to be in any
specific directory at this point. INSTALL will create a new
directory called 'FBASE' on your hard disk and copy all of the
necessary files from the floppy disk to the hard disk. Keep the
original diskette in a safe place. The install program does not
need to be run again unless you want to install the program on
another computer. Once the installation program has finished,
simply typing 'FB2' while in the main (root) directory will run
the program. After the title screen appears, pressing any key
will cause the title screen to clear, and the message 'Use what
data base?' will be displayed. This message means that FISHBASE
][ wants to know which data base file you would like to work
with. Answer by typing in the name of a data file, or just press
'ENTER'. FISHBASE ][ will attempt to use the data base you have
specified, or if you just pressed 'ENTER' it will use the default
data base file called FISHFILE. If the data base you have
specified cannot be found, FISHBASE ][ will create it. If the
default data base, FISHFILE, cannot be found, FISHBASE ][ will
create it for you. After the data base is created (or an existing
one is found), the main menu will be displayed and FISHBASE ][ is
ready to use.
If you are going to run FISHBASE ][ from floppy disks, first make
a copy of the program disk. Always use the copy and store the
original diskette in a safe place. If your computer has only one
floppy disk drive, insert the program disk into the drive and
type "FB". This will start FISHBASE ][ running. and soon the
title screen will be displayed. Once the title screen appears,
press any key to begin. You will be asked to enter the name of
the data base you want to use. At this point, remove the program
disk from the drive and insert a blank, formatted disk. Once
you've done this, if you just press 'ENTER', FISHBASE ][ will
check the disk drive for a file called FISHFILE. If FISHFILE does
not exist, FISHBASE ][ will create it for you. If FISHFILE
already exists, it will become the active data base used by
FISHBASE ][. You can also enter the name of some other data base
you have created and FISHBASE ][ will use it as the active data
base. You should see the light on your disk drive come on for a
moment or two while FISHBASE ][ checks for the presence of the
data base. After this business is completed, the main menu will
be displayed, indicating FISHBASE ][ is ready to use.
If your computer has two disk drives, insert the program disk
into drive A: and insert a blank, formatted disk into drive B:.
Next, type "A:FB". Once the title screen has appeared, press any
key to proceed. When you are asked what data base you want to
use, type "B:FISHFILE", or the name of whatever data base you
want to use. FISHBASE ][ will then run just as described above.
If you need help copying or formatting disks, refer to the
operating system manual supplied with your computer. A diskette
will hold about 800 fish forms.
The FISHBASE ][ diskette contains a sample data base, called
SAMPLE.DAT, for you to experiment with. This data base contains
information on more than 200 fish. Although the angler's names
and the fishing spots are fictitious, the data is genuine. It is
highly recommended that you "play" with this data base before you
start your own. You can try adding new forms, searching, and
editing with this data base. To use the sample data base, just
enter SAMPLE.DAT in response to the 'Use what data base?'
question that appears after the title screen.
Entering Information
It cannot be over stressed just how important it is to be
consistent when you are entering information on an input form.
When entering the date, it is mandatory that you use the format
'YY/MM/DD'. For example, July 14, 1987 should be entered as
'87/07/14'. There is good reason for this. When you run the
statistics portion of FISHBASE ][, a great deal of sorting is
done, and if the dates are entered in some other format, the
results of the sorting may not be what you'd expect. When you are
entering the date, FISHBASE ][ will check for the proper format.
If the format of the date is invalid, FISHBASE ][ will beep and
display a message near the bottom of your screen. Likewise, when
entering things like lure type or lure color, it pays to be
consistent.
When you enter the length and weight of your fish, don't use
fractions. Enter fractions as decimal values. For example, a 15
1/2 inch fish that weighed 2 3/4 pounds should have 15.5 entered
for the length, and 2.75 entered for the weight. The statistics
produced if you enter fractions will not be correct. The program
contains several help windows to assist you in being consistent.
If you flub up, and do something silly like enter 'SPINNER BAIT'
for a lure type during one input session and then enter
'SPINNERBAIT' during another input session, the program will
consider them both different lure types, and the statistics that
are generated will not be accurate. The program contains
powerful editing features which will allow you to clean up your
data base and eliminate inconsistencies. The editing features,
the HELP windows and the statistics routines will be discussed in
greater detail elsewhere in this document. It should also be
noted that word processing programs or editors cannot be used to
edit your data base. This is because the data base is a random
file in compressed format.
After the title screen is displayed, pressing any key will cause
the program to ask for the name of the data base you wish to use.
You can enter the name of some special data base here or just
press 'ENTER' to use the standard default data base (FISHFILE).
If the data base name you enter does not exist, it will be
created for you. Once you have answered the data base question,
the MAIN MENU will be displayed. Selecting item 1 will bring up a
blank input form, which is the main vehicle used to enter new
data. Pressing 'ENTER' after you have typed in the data for a
particular field will cause the cursor to advance to the next
field. Pressing 'ENTER' by itself (without actually having
entered data) will cause the field to remain blank and the cursor
will move to the next field. The 'TAB' key can also be used to
advance to the next field and the 'BACK TAB' key (shift-tab) will
move the cursor to the previous field. You can use the 'TAB' keys
to move around the form to fix errors or to skip over fields. The
'TAB' keys will not change the data in a field, but the ENTER key
will. Remember that pressing the ENTER key when the cursor is at
the first character position of a field will cause the the field
to be blanked. The 'TAB' keys merely retain the data currently in
a field. You can also use the arrow keys on your numeric keypad
to move up, down left or right on a form. They function in the
same manner as the TAB keys. Each of the fields has a maximum
number of characters that can be entered into it. If you try to
enter too many characters, FISHBASE ][ will beep, the excess
characters will be ignored and the cursor will remain at the last
character position for the field. Any field can be left blank,
but it's always best to enter data in as many fields as you can.
There are times when most of the fields will be blank. One
example of this would be when you've been 'skunked', or caught
nothing (ugh!) on a particular outing. Just as it's important to
know why you caught fish, it's equally important to know why you
didn't!
When filling out new forms, there are a few special keys that you
should know about. One key is the '/' key. This key will cause
all data entered on the form up to the point at which the '/' key
is used to be saved to the data base, and you will be asked if
you wish to enter another. The '=' key is another special one you
need to know about. This key acts like a ditto key, in that
whatever data was entered in that field on the previous form will
be popped into the same field on the current form. This is
especially handy when you have to enter a bunch of fish that were
caught on the same date or at the same place. It saves a lot of
typing and makes filling out the forms a lot faster. Each of
these keys only works when used as the FIRST character of a
field. If they're used after the first character, they're treated
just like any other character.
Another special key to be aware of is the ' " ' key (double
quote). This key is only responded to in a special way when the
message 'Would you like to enter another ?' is displayed near the
bottom of your screen after you have entered a new form. If you
press the ' " ' key at this time, the form currently displayed
will be duplicated in it's entirety. This is handy if you have
lots of fish to enter that are the same size, caught on the same
bait, at the same place etc. A message will appear with a count
of the number of forms you have duplicated. Use this key ONLY if
all information is identical.
The last special key is the ESC key. Pressing this key will
usually bring you back to the main menu. It's handy if you want
to abort an operation such as entering a new form, or searching
your data base. Sometimes, you will need to press the key several
times.
Searching For Information
Selecting item 2 from the MAIN MENU will cause a blank form to be
displayed. This is the form you use to enter your search
criteria, or the information you'd like FISHBASE ][ to find for
you. This is a very powerful function, and when properly used,
can be very useful. Only the fields in which you enter something
will be used to conduct the search. Obviously, the more
information you enter on the form, the more specific your search
will be. Entering search criteria works just like entering new
information, except that entering a "/" at the start of a field
will cause the search to begin immediately, based on the
information you've entered up to that point. The ditto function
is not available in the search mode. An example might be that you
want to find all of the fish you have caught that were equal to
or greater than 15 inches in length during the year 1984.
Furthermore, you want to see only those caught on a black plastic
worm by you, and only you. Here is where some of the features of
the search mode really come into play. On fields that normally
contain numerical data, like length, weight, water temperature
etc. you can specify things like '=' (equal) or '=>' (equal or
greater than) or '<=' (less than or equal to) and the program
will only locate those. In this case, we want to find fish caught
during the year 1984. So, in the DATE field, we would enter
'84'then press the ENTER key to move to the CAUGHT BY field. Here
we would enter your name, or at least most of the letters of your
name. FISHBASE ][ will use only the information you enter. If
your name was John, and you entered only the letters 'JO' in the
CAUGHT BY field, someone whose name was Joe would also be
included in the search. After entering your name in the CAUGHT BY
field, pressing ENTER will cause the cursor to move to the
SPECIES field. Since we don't care what kind of fish it is in
this case, just press ENTER to leave that field blank. We have
now moved to the LENGTH field, which is another one we care
about. Here we are interested in fish that are equal to or
greater than 15 inches long, so we would type '=>15' in this
field. Use the ENTER key to move the cursor down to the LURE TYPE
field. In this field, we want to enter 'PLASTIC WORM'. Using the
ENTER key again, move to the LURE COLOR field. Here we would
enter 'BLK' or 'BLACK' depending upon the way you've decided to
enter your color information. Consistency, remember? One of the
help windows contains some suggestions for consistent color
abbreviations. At this point, we have entered information in
those fields we care about, and the cursor should be in the first
character position of the LURE SIZE field. Since we don't care
about any of the rest of the fields, we are ready to begin the
search. Typing '/' then pressing ENTER will now start the search.
You will be asked if you would like to stop on each form found.
If you answer with a 'y' or 'yes', each form found that matches
the search criteria you've specified will be displayed, and will
remain on the screen until you press any other key. The search
can be abandoned at any point by pressing 'ESC'. If you answered
'n' or 'no', each form found will be displayed, but the program
will automatically start looking for the next matching form.
Again, pressing 'ESC' will abort the search and return to the
MAIN MENU.
As you can imagine, the search possibilities are almost endless.
With a little practice, you will be able to find almost any kind
of information you can think of. The distribution diskette
contains a sample data base containing over 200 fish. The name of
the file is 'SAMPLE.DAT'. It is provided as a means to allow you
to see what FISHBASE ][ can do. In order to experiment with the
sample data base, you must specify 'SAMPLE.DAT' when the program
asks for the name of the data base to use. The name of the data
base you are currently using is shown any time the main menu is
displayed.
The Statistics Option
Selecting this option from the MAIN MENU will cause a window to
appear on your screen that describes the statistics that will be
compiled. When this window is displayed, you have the option of
entering a "p" to have the statistics listed to a printer, or
entering a "d" which will create a file called 'stats.dat' on
your disk. This file will look exactly like what you see on your
screen, and can be printed at some other time. If you just press
'enter', the statistics will not be sent to either your printer
or the disk. After you have selected "p", "d" or just pressed
enter, the message 'press any key to begin' will appear. If you
press 'ESC', the statistics function will abort and you will be
returned to the main menu. Pressing any other key will start the
statistics routine running. Once the statistics routine is
running, the data base is analyzed and many sorting and checking
things are performed. The time required to compute all of the
statistics depends on the type of computer you have, how many
forms your data base contains, and whether or not you have a hard
disk. On a data base containing about 300 fish, the statistics
routine will take about 2 minutes on a PC/AT class machine. You
can usually abort the statistics routine by pressing 'ESC'
several times while it is running. Each time you run the
statistics routine with the "d" option selected, the old
'STATS.DAT' file is overwritten with the new information. To
print out the 'STATS.DAT' file after you exit from FISHBASE ][,
type 'COPY STATS.DAT PRN:' if you are using computer equipped
with a hard disk, or 'COPY B:STATS.DAT PRN:' if you are using a
floppy disk based system. Most word processing programs will also
accept the 'STATS.DAT' file. The statistics option provides you
with a listing of the following:
* The average length of all the fish
* The average length of fish caught each
year, and a count of how many
* Individual angler totals and averages
* A list of the 20 largest fish, who caught
them, when they were caught, and what lure
was used.
* A sorted list of all lures used
* A list of the most productive lures
* What lures produced the best in the various
water temperatures.
* A list of how many were caught at each
water temperature range
* A list of how many were caught during
full and new moon phases
During most operations, you can pause the display by pressing
any key (except the ESC key). To continue the display, press any
other key.
The PRINT MENU
Selecting option 4 from the MAIN MENU will cause the PRINT MENU
to be displayed. At this point, you have three choices. Selecting
option 1 from the PRINT MENU will cause the entire data base to
be listed to the display. The information from the data base is
displayed sequentially in the order in which it were entered. You
can abort the listing by pressing the 'ESC' key, which will
return you to the MAIN MENU. The speed of the display can be
slowed by pressing "s" while the display is in progress. Each
time you press the "s" key, the speed of the display will slow
down a little. Keep pressing the "s" key until the display is
scrolling at the speed you like. Pressing "f" will make the
display run faster. Again, multiple presses of the "f" key will
gradually speed up the speed of the display. If you choose
option 2 from the PRINT MENU, the entire data base will be sent
to the printer. This mode works continuously until the whole data
base has been printed, or until you press the 'ESC' key. If you
select this option, and you do not have a printer connected, or
your printer is not responding, nothing will happen for a while,
then the message 'DEVICE TIMEOUT' will appear on your screen, and
the program will halt. Selecting option 3 from the PRINT MENU
does exactly what it says.....it returns you to the MAIN MENU
again.
Additional comments about printing:
Most versions of DOS are supplied with a utility program called
GRAPHICS.COM. Before you run FISHBASE ][, if you first type
GRAPHICS, DOS will load the special graphics printing driver
called GRAPHICS.COM. If you run this special printer driver as
described above, you will be able to print ANY screen from
FISHBASE at any time by just typing SHIFT-PRTSCR on your
keyboard. This is very handy if you want a print out of something
like the individual angler statistics or the graph of the water
temperatures.
Editing Forms
The process of editing forms is begun by selecting item 5 from
the main menu. Form editing consists of two operations, the first
being the FINDER FORM. The finder form appears immediately after
you select item 5 from the main menu. The FINDER FORM is where
you enter the information you want to locate. It works in a
manner similar to the search option discussed earlier except that
in most cases you must specify the information more exactly. For
instance, if you wanted to find all forms that contained
SPINNERBAIT for the lure type, you would have to enter the whole
word, SPINNERBAIT. Entering just SPINNER would only find the
forms that had SPINNER in the lure type field. This is important
because if you decide to use the GLOBAL CHANGE command, you want
to be sure that only the forms that contain an exact match would
be changed. As many fields as you want can be included in the
FINDER FORM, but each must exactly specify the information that
you are looking for. Once you have entered all of the information
you need on the FINDER FORM, enter the '/' at the beginning of
the next field. The '/' key tells FISHBASE ][ that you are
finished entering your FINDER FORM information and it's time to
enter your CHANGE FORM information.
The second operation when editing forms is called the CHANGE
FORM. This form appears after you have fully specified what forms
you want to find with the FINDER FORM. On the CHANGE FORM, enter
information only in the fields that are to be changed. Again, you
can enter the CHANGE information in as many fields as you need.
Use the 'TAB' and the 'BACK TAB' keys to move to the fields to be
changed, and leave the unchanged fields blank. You can also use
the 'arrow' keys to move around on the form. Once you have
finished filling in the fields to be changed, enter the '/' key
in the next empty field to start the find/replace operation.
FISHBASE ][ will begin scanning all of your forms looking for a
precise match for all of the fields you specified on the FINDER
FORM. When the first exact match is found, the form will be
displayed, and you will be asked if this is the form you want to
change. Answering 'Y' will cause the information you specified on
the CHANGE FORM to replace the information on the displayed form
in only those fields you specified. Then FISHBASE ][ will
continue searching for more forms that match the FINDER FORM
exactly. Entering 'N' will skip making the changes on the
displayed form and start looking for another form that matches
your FINDER FORM. You can abort the find/replace operation at any
time by pressing the 'ESC' key. If you decide that you want to
end the find/replace operation before any further changes are
made, just enter 'Q' to return to the main menu. Entering 'G' in
response to the 'Make your changes to this form' question will
cause all forms that exactly match your FINDER FORM to be changed
to the information specified on your CHANGE FORM. This is a very
powerful command that should be used with care since you will not
have the opportunity to change your mind once it starts. You can,
however, press the 'ESC' key during a global change to cause it
to abort. Only the forms that were changed before you pressed
'ESC' will show the changes.
There is one exception to the exact match rules on the FINDER
FORM. This is called the WILDCARD. Wild cards are specified by
entering a '*' as the first character in the field, followed by
the rest of the characters you are interested in. For example, if
you entered '*SP' in the lure type field, all forms that had a
lure type of SPOON, SPINNER, or SPINNERBAIT would be found, and
the information specified on the CHANGE FORM would replace the
corresponding fields on those forms. You can use wild cards in as
many fields as you like, but again, be careful when you use them,
particularly in conjunction with the global change command. It is
recommended that you use these powerful features sparingly until
you become proficient with the use of FISHBASE ][.
Other Goodies
Selecting option 6 from the main menu will cause a window to
appear that provides five additional features of interest. The
first of these allows you to display information about a
particular fishing area. If you choose [1], you will be asked to
enter the name of the area of interest. You do not need to enter
the complete name, because FISHBASE ][ will find all forms that
contain the name as you enter it. For example, if you want to
find out how you have done while fishing Toledo Bend, just
entering 'TOLEDO' is enough. Of course, you can still enter the
whole name if you wish. This is important because if you have
both a 'LONG LAKE' and a 'LONG POND' in your data base, and they
are different places, then you need to spell out the whole name
of the one you are interested in. After specifying the name of
the place you're interested in, FISHBASE ][ will compute all
kinds of information about that place for you. The information
you will be given is:
* Total number of fish caught at this location
* Total weight of these fish
* Average weight of fish caught
* Average length of fish caught
* Number of times the area was fished
* Average number of fish caugth each trip
* The five most productive lures at this location
* The biggest fish caught at this location
* Who caught the biggest fish
* What lure caught the biggest fish
Selecting item [2] from the goodies menu will let you enter the
name of a particular angler that you want information about. When
you specify the name, it's a good idea to completly spell out the
name. As with the evaluation of a fishing spot, FISHBASE ][ will
find all the forms that contain the name as you have entered it.
If you just enter the name 'JOE', then all anglers with the
letters JOE in their name will be included in the report. The
report produced is similar to that of the fishing spot report and
includes the following information:
* Number of fish caught
* Total weight of fish caught
* Average weight of fish caught
* Average length of fish caught
* How many times the angler has been 'skunked'
* Number of fishing trips logged by angler
* Average number of fish caught per trip
* The best lures for that angler
* The biggest fish caught by that angler
* Where the biggest fish was caught
* When the biggest fish was caught
* What lure caught the biggest fish
Option [3] in the Goodies menu allows you to obtain statistics
about a certain TYPE of lure. For example, if you're interested
in finding out how well you've done using a plastic worm, enter
"plastic worm" for the lure type. The color does not matter. All
fish caught with a plastic worm will be analyzed, and FISHBASE ][
will tell you how many fish were caught (on ALL plastic worms),
their average size, who caught the biggest fish on the plastic
worm, as well as where and when it was caught.
If you choose [4] from the goodies menu, a chart showing water
temperature versus date will be drawn on your screen. A separate
line is drawn for each year, allowing you to compare the water
temperatures by dates for each year. This is handy to help
predict what the approximate water temperature will be on any
given date.
Choosing option [5] from the goodies menu will allow you to
obtain the full and new moon dates for any month or year that you
enter. Make sure you use the format requested when you enter the
month and year information. If you change your mind, and want to
get out of the goodies menu, just press 'enter' by itself and the
message 'press any key to return to main menu' will appear at the
bottom of your screen.
Ending A Session
Selecting option 'Q' from the MAIN MENU will prompt you with the
question 'Are you sure...?'. If you answer 'yes', FISHBASE ][
will end, and return you to the DOS prompt, leaving you in the
'FBASE' directory. This gives you one last chance to change your
mind. If you answer 'no' in response to the question, the main
menu will be redisplayed and FISHBASE ][ will not terminate.
Using the HELP Screens
Several layers of help screens are built into FISHBASE ][. These
screens, or windows, can be called upon to jog your memory when
it comes to abbreviations, weather conditions and some other
useful things. These windows can only be used when you are
entering a new form (option 1 from the MAIN MENU) or when you are
searching for information (option 2 from the MAIN MENU). To bring
up the HELP windows when you are using either of these two modes,
just press the '?' key and the first window will pop onto the
screen. Each successive window can be displayed by pressing the
'down arrow' cursor control key. Previous help windows can be
brought back by pressing the 'up arrow' key. To exit the help
windows and restore your form in its entirety, just press the '?'
key again. It doesn't matter what help window is displayed when
you decide to exit the help mode. In other words, you can return
to your form no matter how many layers of help windows are on
your screen. Help windows such as the length-to-weight chart are
only meant to be used as a guide, and to remind you to be
consistent in your data entry. The weights given for a particular
length are derived from my own fishing experience and reflect
typical weights for a largemouth bass of those lengths.
Naturally, the weights will vary according to things like time of
year, the region in which you fish, and obviously the species of
fish. The color abbreviations help window is used to remind you
what abbreviation to use for a given lure color. I've found that
after using FISHBASE ][ for a while, that I seem to remember
these pretty well. The general abbreviations window lists several
suggestions for standard abbreviations. Weather conditions, water
conditions etc. are included here. The SEARCH help window
concerns itself with things to do with searching for data. Some
hints on using the search capability appear here, to save having
to look it up in the manual. The last help window contains some
general help information and might save you thumbing through the
manual.
A Few Words About Data Bases
FISHBASE ][ data bases are limited to about 800 fish each. This
is due to memory limitations of PC compatible computers, not the
program itself. If the number of fish in your data base starts to
approach the 800 fish limit, it's best to start a new data base.
A new data base is easy to create by entering the name you want
to call the new data base when FISHBASE ][ first starts running.
Be sure that the name you choose is different from any data base
that you currently have on your disk! If you use the name of a
data base that already exists, FISHBASE ][ will happily add forms
to it, and you may exceed the maximum limit. If the limit is
exceeded, all functions of FISHBASE ][ will work except for the
statistics compiler and the goodies stuff. Trying to run the
statistics compiler or the goodies (except the moon phase) may
cause the program to halt unexpectedly if you have too many forms
in the data base.
REGISTRATION FORM
Dear Dick,
Enclosed please find my check or money order for $10.00. Please
register me as a FISHBASE user and send me the latest version if
the version I currently have is not the latest.
Thanks!
YOUR NAME________________________________________________
STREET ADDRESS___________________________________________
CITY, STATE, ZIP_________________________________________
COUNTRY__________________________________________________
FISHBASE Version you have________________________________
Where did you get FISHBASE ][?___________________________
COMMENTS_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Other programs available from the author:
BASSTOUR......A bass fishing tournament game. Over 2300
lure/color combinations. Six different lakes
to fish. You have complete control of a fully
rigged bassboat. Here's your chance to fish
against the best with the BEST fishing game
available. For EGA, CGA or Hercules displays.
LAKES #1......A collection of 7 new fishing areas you can
add to BASSTOUR. Installation instructions
are included.
LAKES #2......Another seven fishing areas to use with
BASSTOUR. Use of both LAKES #1 and LAKES #2
will bring the total number of fishing areas
to 20. Includes installation instructions.
BASSTIPS......A collection of over 100 bass fishing tips.
Add your own, pop them on the screen when you
power up your machine. Great gift! Color or
Monochrome machines.
TIKLER........A simple, quick reminder program for color or
monochrome systems. Almost indespensable.
Available for $10 each. Plus $2.00 to cover postage and
materials. Please specify what you want.
Mail TO:
Richard Olsen
68 Hartwell Ave.
Littleton, MA. 01460
FILE1358.TXT
Disk No: 1358
Disk Title: FishBase II
PC-SIG Version: S2.1
Program Title: FishBase II
Author Version: 2.4
Author Registration: $10.00
Special Requirements: None.
FISHBASE lets devoted fishermen, amateur and professional, keep track
of their favorite fishing holes -- to catch more, bigger fish in the
future. It's a database diary in which you record all the important
facts about the fish you catch, so you can return to the scene of your
success. It holds up to 800 fishing trips. In addition to location,
you can record weather conditions, water temperature, size of fish
caught, and which lures you used to catch them. You can even note
items such as the phase of the moon, in order to find out when the
bass are likely to spawn. You can also print many reports from your
data.
Currently in use by several ``pros,'' this program will also be of
interest to fishing clubs for competitions. The many help windows
move the program along swimmingly, and they are backed up by a hefty
user guide guaranteed to hook you.
PC-SIG
1030D East Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale Ca. 94086
(408) 730-9291
(c) Copyright 1989 PC-SIG, Inc.
GO.TXT
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║ <<< Disk #1358 >>> ║
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║ ║
║ To install program type: INSTALL ║
║ ║
║ ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
(c) Copyright 1990, PC-SIG Inc.
~
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #1358
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
FB DOC 43973 1-24-90 4:08p
FB EXE 94416 1-24-90 3:59p
BASS PIC 16391 5-14-87 1:36p
INSTALL BAT 118 10-12-88 7:27a
FB2 BAT 15 2-09-88 4:22p
SAMPLE DAT 86510 2-10-88 4:27p
GO BAT 17 7-10-90 3:52a
GO TXT 630 7-10-90 3:52a
FILE1358 TXT 2221 7-10-90 3:47p
9 file(s) 244291 bytes
71680 bytes free