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PC-SIG Diskette Library (Disk #2377)
[PCjs Machine "ibm5170"]
Waiting for machine "ibm5170" to load....
Information about “INFORMATION PLEASE!”
INFORMATION PLEASE! is a text storage and retrieval program that stores
and retrieves full-text information, such as memos, catalogs,
briefs, letters, invoices, product descriptions, articles, scientific
papers, and so on. You can enter information from the keyboard or
import it from an ASCII file. Search, display, and print entries using
keyword or full-text searches that allow multiple AND and OR criteria.
Relate text to a PCX graphic or another program. User interface is an
easy-to-learn pull-down menu (Windows-like) interface. The program
contains an example "textbase" with help for dealing with DOS disk
problems.
FILE2377.TXT
Disk No: 2377
Disk Title: Information Please
PC-SIG Version: S2.0
Program Title: Information Please
Author Version: 2.00
Author Registration: $49.00
Special Requirements: 356K RAM, and CGA.
Information Please is a text storage and retreival program allowing you
to store and retreive full-text information - such as memos, catalogues,
briefs, letters, invoices, articles, product descriptions, scientific
papers, and so on. Enter information from keyboard or import from
ASCII file. Search, display and print entries using keyword or full-text
searches that allow mulitple AND and OR criteria. Relate text to a PCX
graphic or ANOTHER program. User interface is an easy to learn pull down
menu (Windows-Like) interface. Contains example "textbase" with helps
for dealing with DOS disk problems.
PC-SIG
1030D East Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale Ca. 94086
(408) 730-9291
(c) Copyright 1989 PC-SIG, Inc.
IP.DOC
ORDER BLANK FOR INFORMATION PLEASE
SN:IP200790
INFORMATION PLEASE software package, bound manual, latest version
registration, diskette ($49) x _______= $____________
Information Please EXTRA MANUALS ($10 each) x ______= $____________
AUTO UPDATE to next future IP version ($25)x _______= $____________
Other TexaSoft Programs:
KWIKSTAT:Statistical Analysis Package ($49)x _______= $____________
PC-CAI:Write your own tutorials ($49)x _______= $____________
SPELL GAMES:Practice spelling game ($19)x _______= $____________
BANNERIFIC:Vertical/Horizontal Banners($15)x _______= $____________
ALL ORDERS:Add $4 P&H or $8 if PO, COD or RUSH, $____________
$15 for Express Mail or add $10 if overseas.
Texas Residents add 7.25% sales tax $____________
TOTAL ENCLOSED $
============
Ask about quantity discounts and site licenses
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Specify: ____5 1/4 inch disk or ____ 3.5 inch disk
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Check one:___Check or M.O. ___MC ___VISA ___P.O. #___________
-------------------------------------------------------------------
IF CREDIT CARD:Name on card:______________________________
Card Number is:____________________________Exp Date_______
Authorized Signature:_____________________________________
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mail order to:____________________________________________
Address:__________________________________________________
City, State, Zip:_________________________________________
Phone ( )______________________________________________
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Where Did you hear about Information Please?_______________________
-------------------------------------------------------------------
MAIL TO:TexaSoft, P.O. Box 1169, Cedar Hill, TX 75104. Thanks!
30 day guaranteed satisfaction or return for a full refund.
Phone Orders: Call 214-291-2115 (MasterCard & Visa) ORDER TODAY!
1
INFORMATION PLEASE
2.00
An Information Storage and Retrieval System
for IBM PC and Compatible Computers
(C)Copyright TexaSoft, 1983, 1990
P.O. Box 1169
Cedar Hill, Texas 75104
214-291-2115
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Information Please Version 2.00
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All Rights Reserved
No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of
the information contained herein. While every precaution has
been taken in the preparation of this publication, the
publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.
Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from
the use of the information herein.
What is Shareware?
Shareware programs are copyrighted just like programs you
purchase from a retail software store. However, there are
some differences. Shareware is a way to distribute software
programs so that users can "try it before they buy it."
Instead of paying the full retail price for a program and
then getting stuck with it when you decide its not for you--
with shareware your investment to try a program is
minimized. Shareware software companies "advertize" by
allowing you to copy disks and give them to friends and by
allowing disk-copy companies permission to copy the disks
and sell them at a low cost to users. These disk duplicating
companies are selling disks, not fully registered versions
of the software. When you purchase a disk from a disk
vendor, you can try out the program to decide if you want to
use the program on a regular basis. If you make the decision
that the program is what you want, you should fill out the
registration form and send in the registration fee. When you
register a TexaSoft program, this not only gives you a
license for long-term use of the program, but you will
receive a printed manual, 90 day phone support, information
and discounts on future versions and you will receive the
Kwik-Bits newsletter. Professional shareware companies, like
TexaSoft, subscribe to the principles of the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP). Thank you for your support of
the shareware concept.
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C O N T E N T S
Introduction to Information Please.............5
Installing Information Please..................6
Beginning Information Please...................6
Take a Quick Tour..............................7
How Information Please is Organized............10
The Files Menu..........................10
The Edit Menu...........................13
The View Menu...........................17
Options While Viewing Records..................20
Information Please Editor......................23
Edit Function Keys......................23
Edit Control Commands...................24
Using Command Line Switches....................25
User Ballot....................................27
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INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION PLEASE
Information Please is a text storage and retrieval program
allowing you to store and retrieve full-text information -
such as memos, catalogues, briefs, letters, invoices,
articles, product descriptions, scientific papers, and so
on. "Text is the next great frontier of information
processing." (John Verity, Information Processing Magazine,
June 18, 1990) Enter information from keyboard or import
from ASCII file. Search, Display and Print entries using
keyword or full-text searches that allow multiple AND and OR
criteria. Relate text to a PCX graphic or another program.
User interface is an easy to learn pull down menu
(Windows-Like) interface. Example "textbases" databases
could store information such as:
- How to Respond PC-DOS Error Messages
- Information on Toxic Chemicals
- Directory of National Parks
- Poison Control Information
- Franchise Opportunities
- Patent Infringement Case Studies
Suppose you run a business for people wanting to buy
franchises. If you had the Information Please textbase
"Franchise Information", and you wanted to know what AUTO
franchises deal with BRAKES, you could cross-reference that
information in an IP textbase-database. (Could you imagine
how much time it would take cross-referencing that look-up
in a book (or books)! After defining a search, examine the
find on the screen, print it, or continue the search for
more relevant information. Simple. Intuitive.
Suppose employees in your company call into a central help
line to get help when their cash register or computer acts
up. Over a period of time, most questions will have standard
answers. Do you need have a staff of several experts to
answer these questions over and over again? Should you
reinvent a solution each time a question is asked -- even
though it may be the same question that was asked two weeks
ago, a month ago, or a year ago? Why not store a description
of the problem in a Information Please (IP) database. Then,
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when someone calls up with a problem that has been
previously solved, the helpdesk operator can easily search
for that problem and relate the answer to the caller. In
fact, if you place a copy of Information Please on each
employee's computer, they can find the answer to their own
question without even having to call the central help line.
IP is a time saving, money saving, productivity enhancing
benefit! IP is designed to help you find the information you
need quickly and with a minimum number of keystrokes. Its
intuitive menu system can be mastered in minutes.
INSTALLING INFORMATION PLEASE
To place Information Please on your hard disk, place the
Information Please distribution disk in your A: drive (or
B:, C:, D: etc). Make A: (or B: etc) the default by typing
A: (or B: etc) at the DOS prompt. Enter the command:
INSTALL d: \IP
Where d: is the name of the disk where you want Information
Please loaded. It will be load on that disk in a directory
named \IP. There is a BLANK SPACE between the d: and the
\IP. For example, to load Information Please on your disk
C:, enter the command:
INSTALL C: \IP
Then follow the prompts on the screen.
BEGINNING INFORMATION PLEASE
To begin Information Please from the DOS prompt, make sure
your are logged into the correct drive and are in the \IP
directory. If you are not in the IP directory, enter the
command:
CD \IP
To begin Information Please, enter the command
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IP
Copyright information will appear. Press Enter. A screen
will appear with a menu bar at the top and a status bar at
the bottom. The Files menu will be display. To choose an
option from the menu, press the first letter of the option
or use the up and down arrow keys to highlight the desired
option, then press Enter.
SETUP INFORMATION PLEASE
To setup Information Please for your computer, select
"Choose Program Options" from the menu. You will be prompted
to enter the path to be used for the program. For now, just
enter the name of the disk drive, such as C: or A: and press
Enter. You will then be prompted to choose the kind of
monitor you are using. If your monitor will display colors,
choose color. If you are using a laptop with an LCD monitor,
you will probably choose the LCD option, else choose the
monochrome option (black and white, green and black, etc).
The monitor selections control the colors used to display
information on the screen. Choose the one that is most
comfortable to you. You will be asked to specify a printer
port. Usually your choice will be LPT1: (first parallel
printer port). This information is saved to disk so you will
not have to set these options again unless you want to
change something. You can reset program options at any time.
TAKE A QUICK TOUR OF INFORMATION PLEASE
To give you an idea of what Information Please can do,
follow along with the example given here. All of the menus
and options used here are explained later in more detail.
Begin Information Please by entering the command IP at the
DOS prompt. You should first see a copyright notice. Press
Enter.
1. CHOOSE DATABASE: Choose the Information Please database
to use by selecting the option "Open a Database" from the
Files menu (Either press the O key or highlight this option
and press Enter). When you choose this option, one or more
database names will be listed on the screen. Using the up
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and down arrow keys, highlight the name "IP-DOS" and press
Enter. At the bottom left of the screen, you should see a
note than the database IP-DOS is currently in use.
2. GO TO VIEW MENU: Press the right arrow key twice to
change to the View menu. With the View menu extended, use
the up and down arrow keys to highlight the option "View
Keyword List." With this option highlighted, press Enter to
select it. A list of keywords, one per line, will appear on
the screen. Use the Up and Down arrow key to move to record
number 5, then press the Enter key. This causes the contents
of record number 5 to be displayed on the screen.
3. VIEW NEARBY RECORDS: With record number 5 displayed on
the screen, press the F10 key a couple of times. This moves
you forward in the database. Pressing the F9 key moves you
backwards in the database. Press the Esc key to return to
the screen listing the keywords. Press Esc again to return
to the View Menu.
4. DO A KEYWORD SEARCH: While in the View menu, press the
"K" key to choose the option "Keyword Search." A list of
match types will appear. Choose the Single Keyword Search
option. You will be prompted to enter a keyword. Enter the
word DISK and press Enter. Information Please will now
search the keyword lists for the word DISK, and will display
the first record that contains that keyword.
5. CONTINUE SAME SEARCH: When a record is displayed, observe
the keyword list to find the word DISK. Press the F10 key to
continue to the search to the next keyword list containing
the word DISK, or press the F9 key to search backwards in
the file. If there are no more matches, the search ends.
6. END THE PROGRAM: Press Esc one or more times until you
are back to the View menu. Press Esc once more and you will
see an "End Information Please (y/N)" prompt. Enter Y and
press Enter to end the program and return to the DOS prompt.
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OTHER DATABASES ON DISK
There are other Information Please Databases on Disk to give
you more examples of how the program may be used:
PARKS DATABASE: This database contains information about US
National Parks. Open this database and look at the first
record for an Alaska National Park. Notice that when the
record is displayed, there is a menu item F4 at the bottom
of the window. This indicates that there is a command
associated with this record. In this case, it is a command
to show a map of the Alaska National Parks. (Action commands
are described later) If you have a CGA compatible monitor
(including an EGA or VGA), press the F4 key and the Alaska
parks map should appear on the screen. Press Enter to return
to the text of the record.
FRANCHISE DATABASE: This database contains information about
US Franchise Opportunities. Only a few records are included
in this example database.
SAMPLER DATABASE: This database contains single examples of
other kinds of information you could store in an Information
Please Database. Look through the records in this database
to give you ideas about how you can more effectively use
Information Please.
This quick tutorial has shown you a little of what
Information Please is all about. You can also perform more
complicated searches in a database, edit the keywords and
record contents, deleted records and more. Besides the
information in the IP-DOS database, you can create your own
databases. The following information details the various
commands and options available to you in Information Please.
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HOW INFORMATION PLEASE IS ORGANIZED
The Information Please main menu consists of three options;
Files, Edit, and View. When you choose one of these options,
a menu will be displayed with another set of options. FILE
is used to deal with file (database) related issues such as
creating a new database, opening a current database,
deleting a database and so on. EDIT is used to deal with
individual entries (records) in the database such as editing
a record, deleting records and so on. VIEW is used to search
for and look at entries in the database.
Each entry in a Information Please database is called a
record. A record consists of two parts, a keyword list and a
description. The keyword list is a list of words that
describe the entry. For example, the keywords might be "HARD
DISK WILL NOT BOOT" and the entry might explain what can
cause a hard disk to lose its ability to boot, and give some
solutions for solving the problem. The Keyword list consists
of up to 65 characters. The entry description can consists
of up to 500 lines of free-form information - usually one or
more paragraphs of information.
USING THE INFORMATION PLEASE FILES MENU
The File menu allows you to use and manipulate Information
Please files and also contains some options that deal with
program setup and operation. The Files menu options are:
FILES MENU OPTIONS
------------------
Help
New Database
Open a Database
Delete a Database
Edit Database Description
Print a Database
Sort a Database
About Information Please
Choose Program Options
Go to DOS, Return with EXIT
Quit, Return to DOS
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To choose one of these options, you may use the up and down
arrow keys to highlight the desired option and then press
the Enter key. Optionally, you can press the first letter of
the option. For example, to choose the "About Information
Please" option, press the A key. Following is a brief
description of each of these options.
HELP
The Help option displays a series of help screens that
summarize the contents of the manual. When Help is chosen, a
menu of items will appear. You can then choose a topic to
examine or return to the main menu.
NEW DATABASE
The New Database option allows you to name a new database.
Before entering information into a database you must either
open an existing database or create a new database.
OPEN DATABASE
The Open Database option allows you to choose which
Information Please database on disk you will be using. A
list of the available databases will be displayed on the
screen from which you can choose one to open.
DELETE A DATABASE
The Delete a Database option allows you to delete database
files from your disk. It will delete the currently open
database -- but will ask for a confirmation to make sure you
really want to delete the database files.
EDIT A DATABASE DESCRIPTION
The Edit a Database Description option allows you to enter
or edit the 40 character description of the currently open
database. This database description is displayed in the list
of databases when you choose the Open Database or Delete
Database options.
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PRINT DATABASE
The Print Database option allows you to print the contents
of the database to a printer or to a file.
SORT DATABASE
The Sort Database option allows you to sort the database
keyword lists. In order to effectively use the sort option,
you may pre-plan your keyword list so they can be sorted.
For example, you might make the first word in your keyword
list your most important word. For example, in the Franchise
Database, it might be the kind of franchise such as
AUTOMOTIVE, BUSINESS, FOOD, and so on. Then, when you enter
new items and want to place the keyword list in alphabetical
order, you can sort on the first word of your keyword list.
When you choose to Sort a Database, you will be asked to
enter the range of the keyword list to use as the sort key.
For example, if you want to use the first 5 characters of
the keyword list, you would enter 1-5 as your sort key
range. When Information Please sorts a database, the
database is also automatically compressed. Thus, any records
that have been marked for delete will be gone when you
perform a sort.
If this sort does not place your database in the order you
want, another option is to print the database to a file,
then use a word processor to move records around. When your
database is in the order you want, delete the old
Information Please database and re-create the database name
and import the information from your word processed file (it
must be an ASCII text file). - See Import.
ABOUT INFORMATION PLEASE
The About Information Please option gives copyright
information about the program.
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CHOOSE PROGRAM OPTIONS
The Choose Program Options item allows you to choose the
disk drive and path to use for Information Please and to
indicate what kind of monitor you are using. For the path,
you can enter just the disk drive name, such as C: or a
drive and path, such as C:\IP\. If no path is specified,
Information Please will use information in the current
default directory on your disk. You may choose from monitor
types Color, LCD or Monochrome. The color option refers to
CGA, EGA, PGA, VGA or other monitor types that display
color. The LCD option displays only black and white. THe
Monochrome option displays black, white and bright white.
Choose the one that is most pleasant for your use. After you
make your choice, the information is stored to disk so the
settings will be the same the next time you begin the
Information Please program.
GO TO DOS
The Go to DOS option allows you to temporarily return to the
DOS prompt. You may enter DOS commands or run another
program. When you type EXIT at the DOS prompt, Information
Please will resume.
QUIT
The Quit, Return to DOS option ends the Information Please
program and returns you to the DOS prompt.
USING THE INFORMATION PLEASE EDIT MENU
The Edit menu is used to edit or manipulate individual
records in the database. Before using the Edit menu, you
must have an open database. If a database is open, the
database name will be located at the bottom left of the
screen. The options on the Edit menu are:
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EDIT MENU OPTIONS
-----------------
Add New Entry
Delete an Entry
Restore a Deleted Entry
Edit and Entry
Import from a File
Compress the Database
ADD NEW ENTRY
The Add New Entry option allows you to enter a new record
into the database. This record consists of a description and
a keyword list. When you choose to enter a record, the
Information Please Editor will display with a mostly blank
screen. On this screen, you will enter the description that
you want to appear in the record. Also, you must enter a
keyword description. To display the keyword entry box, press
the F2 function key. A dialog box will appear in which you
can enter the keywords for this record. Press enter to
return to the editor.
Optionally, you can enter an Action Command to be associated
with this record. An Action Command is a DOS command that
you want to be issued during the viewing of the record. For
example, In the PARKS database, when you view information
about Alaskan parks, you can view a map of the parks by
pressing the F4 key. The F4 key invokes a command that was
defined when this entry was added (or edited). To define a
command, press the CTRL-K key while adding or editing this
record. The command may be any DOS command up to 25
characters in length. The main stipulation is that there
must be enough memory in the computer for this command to
execute. See the discussion on ACTION COMMANDS later.
When you have finished entering the description and
keywords, press the F7 function key to save the information.
If you decide to abandon this entry and not save the
information, press the Esc key.
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DELETE AN ENTRY
The Delete an Entry option allows you to delete a record
from the database. You will be asked to enter the record
number of the entry to delete. Optionally, you can enter a
range of records to delete. This process does not actually
permanently get rid of the entry or entries - you can
restore a deleted entry. If a record is deleted, you cannot
read it or display its contents. To permanently get rid of
all deleted record, use the Compress option.
RESTORE A DELETED ENTRY
If you have deleted an entry, you can get it back by using
the Restore a Deleted Entry option. You will be prompted to
enter the number of the entry to restore.
EDIT AN ENTRY
The Edit an Entry option allows you to edit the keywords and
description of an entry. The entry will be displayed in the
Information Please editor, where you can change, add to, or
delete information in the description. Use the F2 key to
edit the keyword list or CTRL-K to edit the Action Command
(see description for Adding an Entry). Editing records can
cause slack space in your database file. This is space in
your database that formerly held information, but now is not
used because of editing. You should periodically run the
Compress option to free up the slack space in the database.
IMPORT FROM A FILE
Using the Import from a File option, you can enter
information that you may already have information on your
computer into an Information Please database. To import
information in to Information Please, your information
should be in a standard ASCII text file with lines less than
75 characters long. Most word processors will save
information in this manner as an option. Your text file
should have keyword lists before each description. This
keyword list must begin with KEY: followed by up to 65
characters for the key list. For example:
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KEY:HARD DISK WILL NOT BOOT
After the key list place the text of the description. You
may have any number of entries in your text file. When you
import them into Information Please, the "KEY:" statement
will signal the beginning of a new entry.
Optionally, you may also have a command line in the file.
For example, if you want the command
IPPCX ALASKA /M:0
to be available when this record is viewed, place
COMMAND:IPPCX ALASKA /M:0
flush left in the description of this record on a line
following the KEY: line. (see Action Commands, described
later). You may also enter a title for the database. to do
this, place
TITLE:The title you want
as the first line in the file.
Once you have created the file containing the entries you
may choose the Import From a File option. You will be asked
the name of the file to import, and Information Please will
read the file and add those entries to the record of the
currently opened database. If you are beginning with a blank
database, choose Create a Database from the Files menu, then
choose Import from the Edit menu.
An example text file is included on disk called
FRANCHIS.TXT. To make this file into a database, first
choose NEW DATABASE from the FILE menu (leave the database
description blank) Then, go to the EDIT menu and choose
IMPORT. When you are asked for the import file name, enter
FRANCHIS.TXT. The information from this file will be read
into Information Please, and the new database will be ready
for use.
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COMPRESS THE DATABASE
When you have deleted records from a database, they are not
physically removed, and they may be restored. To permanently
get rid of these records, use the Compress the Database
option. This will free up space on your disk and make
searching the database more efficient.
USING THE INFORMATION PLEASE VIEW MENU
The View menu is where you search and view the information
in the Information Please database. You may choose to view a
record by number, by searching for a keyword in the keyword
list, by searching for one or more words in the record
description or by looking at a list of the keywords. The
items on the View Menu are:
VIEW MENU OPTIONS
-----------------
Number Choice
Keyword Choice
In-Text Search
View Keyword List
You must have a currently open database to choose one of
these options. Choose an option by highlighting the option
and pressing the Enter key, or press the first letter of the
option.
NUMBER CHOICE
When you choose the Number Choice option, you will be asked
to enter the number of the record to view. This record will
then be displayed on the screen. You may use the F9 key to
view the previous record, the F10 key to view the next
record. Deleted records will not be displayed. Press the F2
key if you wish to edit this record. Press the Esc key to
end the viewing.
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KEYWORD CHOICE
When you choose the Keyword Choice option, you will see
another menu giving you the following options:
Single Keyword Search
AND - Multiple AND Search
OR - Multiple OR Search
Quit
A single keyword search allows you to enter a one keyword or
phrase (such as DISK). Information Please will then display
the first record that matches the search. Case is not
checked, so DISK will match disk. You may use the F9 key to
view the previous matching record, the F10 key to view the
next matching record. Deleted records will not be displayed.
Press the F2 key if you wish to edit this record. Press the
Esc key to end the viewing.
A Multiple AND search allows you to specify 2 to 10 words to
match. For example, you might want to match on the words
DISK and BOOT. The AND match criteria means that the keyword
must contain BOTH the word DISK and the word BOOT. You will
be prompted to enter a list of match words with the AND sign
(&) between each word. In this case you would enter
DISK&BOOT
Information Please will display the first record that
matches the search criteria. You may use the F9 key to view
the previous matching record, the F10 key to view the next
matching record. Deleted records will not be displayed.
Press the F2 key if you wish to edit this record. Press the
Esc key to end the viewing. A Multiple OR search allows you
to specify 2 to 10 words to match. For example, you might
want to match on the words DISK or BOOT. The match criteria
means that the keyword must contain EITHER the word DISK or
the word BOOT. You will be prompted to enter a list of match
words with a ~ (tilde) between each word. In this case you
would enter
DISK~BOOT
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Information Please will display the first record that
matches the search criteria. You may use the F9 key to view
the previous matching record, the F10 key to view the next
matching record. Deleted records will not be displayed.
Press the F2 key if you wish to edit this record. Press the
Esc key to end the viewing.
IN-TEXT SEARCH
An In-text Search searches the contents of the entry, not
just the keyword list. This search tends to be slower than a
keyword search.
When you choose the In-Text Search option, you are give the
same options as in the Keyword search - a single keyword
search, multiple AND matches and multiple OR matches.
VIEW KEYWORD LIST
The View Keyword List option displays a list of the keyword
descriptions of all of the entries in the currently opened
database. If there are more entries than the screen can
display, you may press the down arrow key of PgDn to view
additional keyword lists. To move back up the list, press
the up arrow key or PgUp. To view the contents of a record,
highlight the keyword list and press the Enter key. Press
the Esc key to end the View Keyword List option.
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OPTIONS WHILE VIEWING RECORDS
While viewing records, there are several function key
commands that are available to you. Pressing the F10
function key will cause Information Please to search for the
next record. The F9 key searches for the previous record.
Pressing the F2 key allows you to edit the record being
viewed. Pressing the F3 key allows you to print this record.
If and action command has be defined for a record, the F4
key will activate that command. Press the Esc key to quit
viewing records and return to the previous menu.
USING ACTION COMMANDS (F4)
An Action Command is a DOS command that you want to be
issued during the viewing of the record. If an Action
Command has been created for a record, while viewing the
record the F4 function key will appear at the bottom of the
view window. When the F4 function key is pressed, the Action
Command is executed.
An Action Command is defined when an entry is added (or
edited) in a Information Please database. To define a
command while in the editor, press the CTRL-K key. The
command may be any DOS command up to 25 characters in
length. The main stipulation is that there must be enough
memory in the computer for this command to execute. The
Parks information file uses an Action Command to display a
map of Alaska associated with the description of Alaskan
National Parks. A program that displays PCX (Paintbrush)
files is included on your Information Please disk. This
program, IPPCX.EXE, displays a graphic on the screen. When
the user presses any key, the program ends, and control is
turned back over to Information Please. See the description
about how to use the IPPCX program.
You can use any DOS command as an Action Command. There are
any number of programs available to you that can display
graphics (PCX, GIF, TIF and others), programs that can
display spreadsheets, database file, text files, and so on.
When the program you have initiated quits, control will be
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turned back over to Information Please.
The primary concern in using an Action Command is if the
user's PC has that program available and if it will work on
his or her PC. For example, if you have a PCX graphic
created to be viewed on a VGA type monitor, a person with a
CGA monitor will not be able to see the graphic properly.
If the command you want to issue is longer than 25
characters, you can use the Action Command to call a batch
file. The batch file can then contain other commands that
you want executed. See your DOS manual for a description of
batch files.
The program IPPCX was included on disk to illustrate how to
use an Action Command. A description of how IPPCX works
follows.
USING THE IPPCX PROGRAM
The IPPCX Program allows you to display PCX type files to
the monitor. The format of the IPPCX program is
IPPCX filename [/M:n]
where filename is the name of the PCX file and the optional
switch /M:n designates the Monitor type being used. The
option n many range from 0 to 9, with the following
meanings:
PCX Monitor Modes for the IPPCX Program
0 - 320 x 200 pixel CGA (4 colors)
1 - 640 x 200 pixel CGA (2 colors)
2 - 320 x 200 pixel EGA (16 colors)
3 - 640 x 299 pixel EGA (16 colors)
4 - 640 x 350 pixel EGA (2 colors)
5 - 640 x 350 pixel EGA (16 colors)
6 - 640 x 480 pixel VGA (2 colors)
7 - 640 x 480 pixel VGA (16 colors)
8 - 320 x 200 pixel VGA (256 colors)
9 - 720 x 348 pixel Hercules (2 colors)
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The monitor type should match the type used to create the
PCX file. If a monitor cannot display the monitor type, the
PCX graphic will appear distorted.
For example, in the PARKS database, the command
IPPCX ALASKA /M:0
was used as an Action Command. This command began the IPPCX
program to display the PCX file named ALASKA.PCX. The switch
/M:0 indicates that this graphic is made to display on a CGA
type monitor. (It will also display properly on most EGA and
VGA monitors.)
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USING THE INFORMATION PLEASE EDITOR
The Information Please editor allows you to enter new record
descriptions or to modify descriptions already in a
database. The following commands are available in the
editor. Commands are accessed by pressing a function key or
by entering a CTRL (control) command. The function keys
command are:
EDIT FUNCTION KEYS
-------------------------------------------
Esc-End - Exit without saving modifications
F1-Help: Help screens.
F2-Keyword - Enter or Modify Keyword list
F3-Top: Move to the top of the record
F4-Bottom: Move to the bottom of the record
F5-Files: List files or get file from disk.
F6-Center a line
F7-Save Record and any modifications
F8-Clear: Clears editor contents (Does not clear
copy buffer).
F9-Mark: Mark block for copy.
F10-Copy: Copy text. See also Ctrl-C.
To edit or enter a keyword list, use the F2 function key.
The F9 and F10 commands are used to copy text from one
location to another. To mark text (store it to be moved),
place the cursor at the top left of the text and press the
F9 key once. Then move the cursor to the bottom right of the
text and press the F9 key again. Make sure your rectangle
covers all of the text to move. When you mark the text, it
will be highlighted on the screen. Move your cursor to where
you want the text to be moved and press the F10 key. This
will insert the text between existing lines in the record.
To copy text directly over exiting text, use the CTRL-C
command rather than the F10 command.
To exit the editor and save the description, press the
F7-Save key. To exit and not save, press the Esc key. The
following list of commands are Control commands. Control
commands are issued by pressing the CTRL key like a shift
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key, and then simultaneously pressing a single command key.
CONTROL COMMANDS (CTRL)
----------------------------------------------------------
CTRL A - Makes characters UPPER CASE.
CTRL C - Is similar to the F10 function key. However,
instead of first inserting blank lines before making a copy,
CTRL C will place the copied text in the position specified
by the cursor, directly over any text that may happen to
exist.
CTRL D - Deletes all characters on the current line which
are to the right of the cursor. If the cursor is in column
one, the entire line will be deleted.
CTRL K - Allows you to enter or edit an Action Command.
CTRL F - "Fills" the text from the current line to the next
blank line which starts with a dot "." Each line is filled
with as many words as will fit while observing the current
line length specifications.
CTRL J - Justifies line to right line length (margin) in
editor. CTRL L - Reset the line length (right margin) within
EDIT. After pressing CTRL L, you will be prompted to enter
the new line length.
CTRL S - Will search for a specified text. You will be
prompted to enter the text to be located. Each time this
text is matched, it will be highlighted on the screen.
CTRL W - Deletes text from the position of the cursor to the
next blank. This is usually used to delete a word.
CTRL Y - Delete a line.
CTRL Z - Makes characters lower case.
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USING COMMAND LINE SWITCHES
This section lists some special features of Information
Please. These may be of particular interest to
organizational PC Support Coordinators.
COMMAND LINE SWITCHES:
The format for the Information Please command is
IP [/MESS:filename][/OPEN:dabasebasename]
The items in brackets are optional switches to the command.
Information in switches must not contain any blank spaces.
The /OPEN: switch allows you to open a Information Please
database file without having to choose it from the
Information Please menu. This allows you to setup the
Information Please program to automatically use a particular
database. For example, if you want the database IP-DOS to be
open when you begin the program, you would enter the
command:
IP /OPEN:IP-DOS
The /MESS: switch allows you to display the information from
a text file on the screen at the beginning of the
Information Please program. This could be helpful if you are
using Information Please as a part of an organizational
support program. You can use this "Special Message" as a
description of how to use Information Please, what updates
you have included in a database, and other important
message. For example, suppose you place some ASCII text in a
file named SPECIAL.TXT that you want displayed when
Information Please is begun. You would use the command
IP /MESS:SPECIAL.TXT
This message will be displayed in a message box with the
caption "Special Message" at the top and "Press Enter to
Continue" at the bottom. ASCII text files can be created by
most word processors. Create a file using margins that
create a document about 60 characters wide. Save the
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document as a DOS, ASCII or Text file (different word
processors use different terms.). Then, use the /MESS:
switch in the Information Please command to display the
message.
Distributing Information Please Information Databases
If you are distributing Information Please databases around
your organization, you must supply two files for each
database. Of course, there must be a copy of the Information
Please program on the computer, also. The file with the .IPI
extension contains the index of Keywords. The file with the
extension .IPD contains the data records. To distribute an
Information Please database, all you need to do is supply
these two files. That is, copy these files to the PC hard
disk where you want them to be available. When you choose
"Open a Database" from the Files menu, Information Please
searches the directory for database names. Those database
names that are found are the ones displayed when the user
chooses Open Database.
If you are going to commercially distribute an information
database you have created, you will need to include a
runtime version of Information Please on the disk. Please
contact TexaSoft for information about licensing the
run-time module.
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Information Please Version 2.00
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USER BALLOT
In order to continue to improve Information Please, we need your
input. This ballot is used to help us prioritize changes in future
versions. Please indicate the changes you would like to see most in
this program. Place a number from 0 to 10 next to each item, where 10
indicates a HIGH priority for change and 0 means a LOW priority for
change. We appreciate your suggestions.
Your Vote Item
--------- -----------------------------------------------
_____ Support use of a mouse
_____ Make the program searching faster
_____ Make the keyword field longer
_____ Provide password protection for use of a database
_____ Allow encryption of database contents so the user
cannot change the contents of a database
_____ Allow fixed-length fields within the keyword field
_____ Allow sort by numeric and/or date keyword items
_____ Provide more examples on disk & in the manual
_____ Allow printing of all records that match
search criteria with one command
_____ Allow mixed AND and OR search criteria in
one search
_____ Use single keystroke commands to go to commonly
commonly used options (such as Alt-V to go to
view keyword list)
_____ __________________________________________________
_____ __________________________________________________
Write Other Suggestions Here:
Please fill out this ballot and return to Texasoft, PO Box 1169, Cedar
Hill, Texas 75104.
27
VENDOR.DOC
Note to shareware vendors: Distribute this disk under the guidelines
of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP) vendor policies.
Program: Information Please
Version: 2.01
Reason for version: New Version
Registration fee: $49.00 plus P&H
BBS filename: IP201.ARC
Support: Registered user receives 3 months phone support, Compuserve
support on 70721, 3145. Also gets printed, bound manual with
illustrations, newsletter, information on upgrades, changes and
discounts on new versions.
Disks needed: Floppy or a Hard Disk
Description: Information Please is a text storage and retreival
program allowing you to store and retreive full-text information -
such as memos, catalogues, briefs, letters, invoices, articles,
product descriptions, scientific papers, and so on. "Text is the next
great frontier of information processing" (John Verity, Information
Processing Magazine, June 18, 1990) Enter information from keyboard or
import from ASCII file. Search, Display and Print entries using
keyword or full-text searches that allow mulitple AND and OR criteria.
Relate text to a PCX graphic or another program. User interface is an
easy to learn pull down menu (Windows-Like) interface. Contains
example "textbase" with helps for dealing with DOS disk problems.
Requires 360K RAM. Can be run on floppy or hard disk. ASP Shareware.
Register through TexaSoft, PO Box 1169, Cedar Hill, Texas 75104, or by
phone (MC/VISA) at 214-291-2115.
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #2377
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
PRINTDOC COM 7282 10-01-90 2:01a
IP201 EXE 187347 10-01-90 2:01a
IP DOC 54527 10-01-90 2:01a
INSTALL BAT 2432 10-01-90 2:01a
VENDOR DOC 1497 10-01-90 2:01a
README BAT 1922 10-01-90 2:01a
FILE2377 TXT 1925 10-17-90 8:35a
7 file(s) 256932 bytes
62464 bytes free