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Information about “DEDIT”
Need a faster, easier way to correct or update data in your database
files? Then consider DEDIT. DEDIT allows direct editing of dBase III
and the 100%-compatible data files produced by Clipper, Foxbase, and
PC-File:dB without going into your database program.
Some database applications don't allow the user to quickly and easily
correct mistakes made in data entry. DEDIT allows the user to access
data files directly, find any errors, and correct them.
It's easier and faster to enter the database and edit information with
DEDIT than to struggle with the maze of menus and editing screens that
populate those applications.
Beginners will appreciate how simple it is to use the program.
Experienced users will appreciate the access speed. No special
knowledge of dBase, Clipper, Foxbase, or PC-File:dB is needed.
DEDIT.DOC
d E D I T
Version 1.10
Database Edit Utility
The PC Solution
710 Silver Spur Road, Suite 284
Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274
Copyright (c) 1988 The PC Solution
All Rights Reserved
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . 2
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Program Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Starting dEDIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Copyright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Edit Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Change Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Quit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
i
INTRODUCTION
Overview
dEDIT allows direct editing, browsing, and searching of dBase III
and 100% compatible database files such as Clipper and Foxbase
without having to own copies of each of these programs. dEDIT
can be used with many accounting programs such as SBT, Lake
Avenue Software, and others.
Often application programs written in Clipper and Foxbase prevent
the user from directly accessing databases either to edit or to
simply browse information. This is often frustrating for the
user who only wants to view information or make modest
corrections. dEDIT eliminates this frustration by allowing the
user direct access to data files.
We include dEDIT as an utility in our custom programs. Users of
our custom programs appreciate the speed in which data can be
browsed and the ability to view several records at a time.
Beginners will appreciate how easy it is to use dEDIT. No
special knowledge of dBase, Clipper, or Foxbase is needed.
Experienced users will appreciate the speed at which database
files can be accessed.
We hope that you find dEDIT useful and fun to use.
1
Registration
dEDIT is a shareware product. Feel free to use the product and
distribute copies to others. However, we ask that you register
your copy if you find the program useful and continue to use it
after a 30 day evaluation period. To register your copy, send a
check or money order payable to The PC Solution for $20.00 ($25
foreign) to the address below.
The PC Solution
710 Silver Spur Road
Suite 284
Rolling Hills Est., CA 90274
U.S.A.
Upon registering, you will be sent a new copy of dEDIT which
contains many enhancements. A multiuser version of dEDIT is
being planned for 1990. Your comments and suggestions are
welcome either at the above address or via CompuServe 73027,3100.
Disclaimer
dEDIT is distributed "as is" with no warranties of any kind,
either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the
implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a
particular purpose.
The PC Solution, nor anyone else who has been involved in the
creation, production, or distribution of dEDIT shall be liable
for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, general, or
consequential damages, such as, but not limited to, lost profits
or benefits, lost savings or other incidental or consequential
damages, arising from the use of dEDIT.
System Requirements
The following hardware configuration is required to run dEDIT.
IBM or 100% compatible computer
320k of memory
2 floppy drives or 1 floppy and hard disk
DOS 2.0 or above
2
INSTALLATION
dEDIT can be run either from a floppy or hard disk. The
performance is better with a hard disk.
Floppy Disk
To create a self booting disk, follow the instructions below:
1. Insert your DOS disk in drive A and a blank disk in drive B.
2. At the A> prompt, enter FORMAT B:/S and press ENTER (or
RETURN on some keyboards).
3. Replace your DOS disk with your dEDIT disk.
4. At the A> prompt, enter COPY A*.* B:
5. Remove the dEDIT disk from drive A. Remove your self
booting dEDIT disk from drive B and place in drive A.
6. Reboot your computer. dEdit will automatically start.
Hard Disk
To install dEDIT on a hard disk, follow the instructions below.
1. Place your dEDIT disk in drive A.
2. Type A:HDINSTAL and press ENTER.
3. Follow the instructions. When finished, remove your dEDIT
disk from drive A.
Before running dEDIT on a hard disk, make sure that your
CONFIG.SYS file contains the following commands.
BUFFERS=8
FILES=20
Please refer to your DOS manual for information regarding the
CONFIG.SYS file and the BUFFERS and FILES commands.
3
Starting dEDIT
To start dEDIT, type dEDIT at the A> or C> prompt and press
ENTER. The program will take a few seconds to load.
The first time dEDIT is run, you will be asked to enter some
information.
Company: Enter your name or company name.
Program Drive/Path: Enter the drive and full path where your
dEDIT program files reside. For floppy
disk systems enter:
A:\
You must include a "\" after the ":".
For hard disk systems, enter (for example):
C:\dEDIT
Do not include a "\" at the end of the
subdirectory name.
Data Drive\Path: Enter the drive and full path where your
database files reside. If you wish to use
the sample data provided, enter:
A:\ or C:\dEDIT
The former is for floppy disk systems and
the latter for hard disk systems.
Database extension Enter the database file name extension. DBF
is the default.
Index extension Enter the index file name extension. NTX is
the default.
An error message will be displayed if you do not enter a company
or your name or if you enter an invalid drive/path. Press any
key and you will be given an opportunity to re-enter the
information.
After completing the setup screen, the copyright notice will be
displayed for 3 seconds after which you will be given an
opportunity to enter today's date. Make any change you want and
press ENTER or press ENTER to accept the date displayed.
Upon entering a date, the Main Menu will appear.
4
PROGRAM OPERATION
Starting dEDIT
To start dEDIT, type dEDIT at the DOS prompt and press ENTER (or
RETURN on some keyboards).
Copyright
After a few seconds, the program's copyright notice will appear.
This notice will be displayed for 3 seconds or until any key is
pressed.
Date
The program will display the current DOS date. This date can be
changed or press ENTER to accept the date displayed.
Main Menu
The Main Menu displays all of the program's functions. A menu
option can be selected either by pressing the first letter of the
menu option and pressing ENTER or by using the cursor keys to
move the highlight bar to the item of interest and pressing
ENTER.
Pressing F1 will display information on how to register your copy
of dEDIT and how to receive an enhanced version of the program.
Edit Database
Selecting Edit Database will display a list of database files
that reside in the data drive path specified during the
installation process or Main Menu option 2, Change Defaults. If
no database files exist, then an error message will be displayed.
(Note: only dBase III and 100% compatible files with the
extension DBF can be used by dEDIT.) A database can be selected
either by pressing the first letter of the name of the database
and pressing ENTER or by using the cursor keys to move the
highlight bar to the item of interest and pressing ENTER.
5
Upon selecting the database, you will asked if you wish to use an
index. Selecting "N" will immediately display the database edit
screen. Answering "Y" will display a list of all files with
extensions matching the extension entered during the installation
process or from Change Defaults(see below). Select the index
file of your choice either by pressing the first letter of the
name of the database and pressing ENTER or by using the cursor
keys to move the highlight bar to the item of interest and
pressing ENTER. Upon selecting an index, the database edit
screen will be displayed. (Please note that only indexes having
the extension NTX can be used with this version of the program.
If the select file is not a valid index file, an error message
will be displayed. Upon registering, you can optionally order a
version of the program that can use dBase III index files.) Be
sure that the index selected belongs to the selected database,
otherwise, an error message will be displayed at in the middle of
your screen. Should this happen, press any key to try again.
Only one index can be selected for a database.
The database edit screen will allow you to edit or browse the
selected database. The names of the database fields will be
displayed at the top of the edit screen. All fields will be
displayed. Long fields will only display the first 50
characters. However, the edit mode allows for horizontal
scrolling of long fields so that the entire field can be viewed
and edited. Data will be in record number order unless you
specified an index. In the latter case, the data will be in the
order specified by the index. Memo fields cannot be edited.
The edit screen will initially be in the browse mode and the
following keys can be used.
Up arrow Up one row
Dn arrow Down one row
Left arrow Left one column
Right arrow Right one column
PgDn Next screen
PgUp Previous screen
Ctrl-PgDn Last row of current column
Ctrl-PgUp First row of current column
Home Leftmost current screen column
End Rightmost current screen column
Ctrl-Home Leftmost column
Ctrl-End Rightmost column
F2 Go to record
F3 Search current field
F4 Permanently remove all deleted records
F5 Remove all records from database
Del Delete/Recall current record
ESC Leave edit screen
6
Some of the above keys should be used with extreme caution. The
F4 key will pack the database. Packing the database will
permanently remove all records that are marked for deletion.
After packing the database, deleted records cannot be recalled.
The F5 key will permanently remove all records from the database.
Use with caution.
The search feature (F3) will display only the first 20 characters
of a character field. However, search strings longer than 20
characters can be entered by scrolling horizontally to the right.
The HOME and END keys can be used to move the cursor to the far
left and far right respectively.
To edit a database field, move the cursor to the appropriate cell
and press ENTER. This initiates the cell edit mode and the
following keys become active.
Left arrow One character to the left
Right arrow One character to the right
Home First character in field
End Last character in field
Del Delete character at cursor position
Ins Toggle on/off insert mode
Enter Stop edit - cursor moves right
Down arrow Stop edit - cursor moves one row down
Up arrow Stop edit - cursor moves one row up
When editing is completed, return to the browse mode and press
ESC.
After using dEDIT, it might be necessary to enter your
application and reindex the databases to make sure that the index
files reflect the changes that you made in your data. If you
only used dEDIT in the browse mode, then this step is not
necessary.
7
Change Defaults
The drive/path, database file extension, and index file extension
used by dEDIT to look for database and index files can be changed
from what was established during installation.
To change the data drive/path, select Change Defaults from the
Main Menu. The current data drive/path will be displayed. Enter
the new drive and full path where your data files reside. For
floppy disk systems enter:
B:\
and press ENTER to select Drive B, for example. You must include
a "\" after the ":".
For hard disk systems, enter (for example):
C:\dEDIT
and press ENTER. Do not include a "\" at the end of the
subdirectory name.
Selecting an invalid drive/path will produce an error message.
Press any key to try again. After entering any changes, a prompt
will be displayed to confirm the changes. Answer "N" to edit the
changes or "Y" to accept.
To change the default file name extension for database and index
files, select Change Defaults from the Main Menu. The current
setting will be displayed. You may change these as desired.
Wild card characters "?" and "*" can be used. Using "*" will
list all files in the directory. This method must be used for a
database or index file which does not have an extension to its
file name. Sample database and index files with "SAM" as the
file name extensions have been provided with dEDIT.
Quit
To leave dEDIT, select Quit from the Main Menu. You will return
to DOS.
8
GLOSSARY
Browse Mode The mode in which you can view the information
contained in the database. No changes can be made
to the data.
Database A collection of related information consisting of
one or more records. Each record can contain one
or more fields.
Delete Mark a record deletion. Packing will permanently
remove the record from the database.
Edit Mode The mode in which you can change information
contained in a field (cell) of a record.
Fields A collection of information such as last name or
quantity.
Index An index controls how the order of the records
contained in the database is displayed in the edit
screen. The order is based on one or more fields.
Pack Permanently remove deleted records from the
database.
Recall Undelete a record.
Record One set (row) of database information containing
one entry for each field.
Zap Permanently remove all records, whether marked for
deletion or not, from the database.
9
FILE1569.TXT
Disk No: 1569
Disk Title: dEdit
PC-SIG Version: S1.1
Program Title: dEdit
Author Version: 1.10
Author Registration: $20.00
Special Requirements: 320K RAM and two floppy drives.
If you need a faster, easier way to correct or update data in your
database files then consider dEDIT. dEDIT allows direct editing of
dBase III and 100% compatible database files such as Clipper, Foxbase
and PC-File:dB without having to go into your database program.
Often database applications prevent users from directly accessing
database information either to edit or to simply browse information.
dEDIT was created to allow the user to easily enter the database and
bypass this restriction. Some database application programs don't allow
the user to easily correct mistakes made in data entry. dEDIT allows
the user to access data files directly, find the error(s), and correct
them.
Although dEDIT was created for the purposes previously mentioned, users
have found that it is often easier and faster to edit information with
dEDIT than to struggle with the myriad of menus and editing screens
that clog their application programs.
Beginners will appreciate how easy it is to use the program and that no
special knowledge of dBase, Clipper, Foxbase, of PC-File:dB is needed.
Experienced users will appreciate the speed at which database files can
accessed.
PC-SIG
1030D East Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale Ca. 94086
(408) 730-9291
(c) Copyright 1989 PC-SIG, Inc.
FILES.TXT
Disk file listing
AUTOEXEC BAT DOS autoexec.bat file
DOC BAT Program to print documentation
HDINSTAL BAT Installatin program for hard disks
RUNME BAT Instructions
CUSTOMER DBF Sample database
ORDERS DBF Sample database
PRODUCTS DBF Sample database
SALESMAN DBF Sample database
STATES DBF Sample database
CUSTOMER DBT Memo field for customer.dbf
DEDIT DOC Documentation
DEDIT EXE dEDIT program
READ ME Latest information regarding dEDIT
CUSTOMER NTX Sample index
ORDERS NTX Sample index
PRODUCTS NTX Sample index
STATES NTX Sample index
APVENDOR SAM Sample database
APVENDXX SAM Sample index
GLCHART SAM Sample database
GLCHRTXX SAM Sample index
GLDATA SAM Sample database
GLDATAXX SAM Sample index
CONFIG SYS DOS Config.sys file
FILES TXT This file
GO.TXT
╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ <<<< Disk #1569 dEDIT >>>> ║
╠═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ To start dEDIT, type: DEDIT (press enter) ║
║ To install dEDIT to a hard disk, type: HDINSTAL (press enter) ║
║ ║
║ To print documentation, type: RUNME (press enter) ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #1569
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
APVENDOR SAM 1590 12-07-89 6:57p
APVENDXX SAM 2048 12-07-89 6:57p
AUTOEXEC BAT 41 12-07-89 6:57p
CONFIG SYS 22 12-07-89 6:57p
CUSTOMER DBF 4919 12-07-89 6:57p
CUSTOMER DBT 512 12-07-89 6:57p
CUSTOMER NTX 2048 12-07-89 6:57p
DEDIT DOC 19476 12-07-89 6:57p
DEDIT EXE 209984 12-07-89 6:57p
DOC BAT 913 12-07-89 6:57p
FILE1569 TXT 2813 1-02-90 6:26p
FILES TXT 1010 12-07-89 6:57p
GLCHART SAM 5753 12-07-89 6:57p
GLCHRTXX SAM 4096 12-07-89 6:57p
GLDATA SAM 12931 12-07-89 6:57p
GLDATAXX SAM 4096 12-07-89 6:57p
GO BAT 38 1-01-80 1:56a
GO TXT 617 12-29-89 11:26a
HDINSTAL BAT 910 12-07-89 6:57p
ORDERS DBF 1024 12-07-89 6:57p
ORDERS NTX 2048 12-07-89 6:57p
PRODUCTS DBF 1024 12-07-89 6:57p
PRODUCTS NTX 2048 12-07-89 6:57p
READ ME 447 12-07-89 6:57p
RUNME BAT 177 12-07-89 6:57p
SALESMAN DBF 162 12-07-89 6:57p
STATES DBF 1354 12-07-89 6:57p
STATES NTX 4096 12-07-89 6:57p
28 file(s) 286197 bytes
25600 bytes free