Category : Science and Education
Archive   : ECONV10.ZIP
Filename : README

ECONOMIC

i. Disclaimer
1. What is ECONOMIC?
2. Hardware Requirements
3. Operating System Requirements
4. Installation
5. Database Management
i. General Overview
ii. User Interface
iii. Options
a) Create Graph
b) Edit Graph
c) Delete Graph
d) Display Graph
e) Edit Data
f) Export Data
g) Set File Index
h) Sort File
i) Set Defaults
6. Graphics Environment
i. General Overview
ii. User Interface
iii. Options
a) Pan
b) Zoom
c) Undo
d) Redraw
e) Regen
f) Exit
7. Additional ECONOMIC INDICATOR data

*********************************************************************
i) Disclaimer

This version of the documentation, software and copyright
supersede all previous versions of ECONOMIC.

ECONOMIC copyright (C) 1991 by Jon B. Jacob. All rights
reserved.

This document copyright (C) 1991 by PUBLIUS SOFTWARE. All
rights reserved.

This ECONOMIC program and associated files is NOT public
domain or free software, but is being distributed as
"shareware".

Non-registered users of this software are granted a limited
license to make an evaluation copy for trial use on a private,
non-commercial basis, for the express purpose of determining
whether ECONOMIC is suitable for their needs. At the end of
this trial period of thirty days you must either register your
copy or discontinue using ECONOMIC.

Operators of electronic bulletin board systems (SYSOPS) are
encouraged to post ECONOMIC for downloading by users.

ECONOMIC IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO ITS USE,
THE ACCURACY OF THE DATA, AND ANY CONCLUSIONS DRAWN FROM ANY
ASPECT OF THE PROGRAM REST WITH THE USER.
*********************************************************************



1. What is ECONOMIC?
ECONOMIC is a software tool for the management and display of
various economic data. A single database is included with the
demo version of the program. Categories are included in the
database management portion of the program to allow the user
to add and correct new data to existing files. Once data has
been set, users may create various graphs for displaying the
data. Each graph may consist of up to (4) different charts
(database files) per screen, with up to (6) fields displayable
per chart. Display colors, graph and data types are definable
for each field. Data may then be graphically displayed, with
editing features such as zoom and pan included for close
observation of interesting patterns.

2. Hardware Requirements

An IBM PC/XT/AT or equivalent is required with a minimum of
400K memory for program execution. A hard disk is recommended
with a minimum of 2.5 MB free space for program, database,
index, table and swap files. If EMS memory is present, it
will be automatically detected and utilized by the database
index and swap files. A MicroSoft mouse (MOUSE.SYS or
MOUSE.COM) is strongly recommended and will be automatically
detected and used if installed. A VGA or EGA monitor is
recommended, although CGA is supported. A dual monitor mode
is fully supported, allowing the database portion to be
executed on a monochrome monitor while the graphics portion is
executed on the color monitor.


3. Operating System Requirements
DOS Version 2.0 or later is required. Ensure the CONFIG.SYS
file contains the statement "FILES=10", or a greater number.

4. Installation
Create a unique subdirectory on a harddrive with at least 2MB
of free space. Consult the appropriate section in the DOS
manual for assistance on creating subdirectories. Copy all
system files to the newly created subdirectory and change
directories to the created subdirectory. To begin the
program, type in "ECONOMIC" (without quotes) on the command
line and press the ENTER key.

5. Database Management
i. General Overview

Options are included to allow the addition of new data,
editing existing data, physically sorting the database file,
setting an alternate index and exporting data into an ASCII
file. Index files are given the same path and name as the
database file, with the extension ".NTX" When call are made to
open up a particular database file, the presence of the index
file is checked, and if found, set to apply to the database
file. If it is not found, then the database file is displayed
in the current sorted order.

ii. User Interface

All menu structures are fully supported by either keyboard or
mouse input and adhere to the following convention:

UP ARROW - Move up one data item
DOWN ARROW - Move down one data item
LEFT ARROW - Move left one character
RIGHT ARROW - Move right one character
HOME - Move to beginning of data item
END - Move to end of data item
PAGE UP - Move up one page in data list
PAGE DOWN - Move down one page in data list
CTRL-HOME - Move to leftmost item in data list
CTRL-END - Move to rightmost item in data list
CTRL-PAGE UP - Move to beginning of data list
CTRL-PAGE DOWN - Move to end of data list
ESC - Terminates current select with no save

If a MicroSoft mouse is detected, the following key actions
will be executed upon moving the mouse as follows:

MOUSE Stationary,No button pressed - NO ACTION
MOUSE Stationary, Leftbutton pressed - CARRIAGE RETURN
MOUSE Stationary, Rightbutton pressed - ESCAPE

MOUSE Moves Left, No button pressed - LEFT ARROW
MOUSE Moves Right, No button pressed - RIGHT ARROW
MOUSE Moves Up, No button pressed - UP ARROW
MOUSE Moves Down, No button pressed - DOWN ARROW

MOUSE Moves Left, Left button pressed - HOME
MOUSE Moves Right, Left button pressed - END
MOUSE Moves Up, Left button pressed - PAGE UP
MOUSE Moves Down, Left button pressed - PAGE DOWN

MOUSE Moves Left, Right button pressed - CTRL-HOME
MOUSE Moves Right, Right button pressed - CTRL-END
MOUSE Moves Up, Right button pressed - CTRL-PAGE UP
MOUSE Moves Down, Right button pressed - CTRL -PAGE DOWN

ii. Options
a) Create Graph

Selecting the "Create Graph" option will bring up a
data input window with the following categories and
explanations:

GRAPH NAME
This field is a unique (10) character string used to
identify the graph being created. To enter a name,
position the highlighted bar to the "Graph Name"
category and press the ENTER key. A data editing mode
is entered and the new graph name may now be input.

FGND COLOR/BGND COLOR/BORDER COLOR/AXIS COLOR/TITLE COLOR
These fields set the color to be used for the
respective color area on the screen. To change from
the default, position the highlighted bar to the
respective category and press the ENTER key. A color
select menu will then be displayed. Position the
highlighted bar to the desired color and press the
ENTER key. The value selected will then be shown in
the original color field.

SELECT CHART
As mentioned above, each graph may have up to (4)
different charts per graph. Selection of this option
will display a chart select menu, which will list the
chart as either being initialized or not initialized.
Position the horizontal bar to the chart to be
initialized and press enter. A field display menu
will be displayed with the following fields and
definitions:
SOURCE FILE
To select a data file, position the
highlighted bar to the "Source File" category
and press ENTER. This invokes a file select
routine in which a file specification is
entered, from which a list of files is
displayed which meet the file specification
criteria. For example, if a file
specification of "*.DBF" was entered, all
files with the extension of ".DBF" from the
current directory or subdirectory will be
displayed.

FILE DESCRIPTION
To enter a new or alternate file description,
position the highlighted bar to the "File
Description" category and press ENTER. A data
input mode is now entered and the new file
description may now be input.

VERTICAL TITLE
To enter a new or alternate vertical chart
title description, position the highlighted
bar to the "Vertical Title" category and press
ENTER. A data input mode is now entered and
the new vertical title may now be input.

HORIZONTAL TITLE
To enter a new or alternate horizontal chart
title description, position the highlighted
bar to the "Horizontal Title" category and
press ENTER. A data input mode is now entered
and the new horizontal title may now be input.

* NOTE
It is worth mentioning that a separate data
table ("AXIS.TBL") is maintained for storing
and retrieving the above (3) fields. Any
data entered will be stored as entered,
overwriting existing data if present.

MAXIMUM/MINIMUM
These fields allow for manual entry of the
maximum and minimum vertical axis values. If
no values are entered in the data entry mode,
values will be automatically extracted and
saved prior to the GRAPH DISPLAY.

#1 FIELD
To select a field from the Source File,
position the horizontal bar to the "#1 Field"
category and press ENTER. A list of valid
field names from the Source File will be then
be displayed. Position the highlighted bar to
the correct field and press ENTER. The
selected field will then be displayed.

#1 FIELD DESCRIPTION
To enter a field description, position the
horizontal bar to the "#2 Field Desc" category
and press enter. A data input mode is now entered
and the new field description may now be
input.

* NOTE
It is worth mentioning that a separate data
table ("DESC.TBL") is maintained for storing
and retrieving the Field Desc data. Any
data entered will be stored as entered,
overwriting existing data if present.

#1 DATA TYPE
In order to display chart data in various
forms, each field is assigned a data type.
The various types with explanations are as
follows:
DATA
This classification is used on fields
to be displayed as either POINT, LINE,
BAR or STEP graphs.

DATE
This classification is used to denote
a date field. Its data is used only
to display the horizontal divisions,
or time frame, of the remaining data
fields.

To select, position the highlighted bar to the
"#1 Data Type" category and press ENTER. A
list of data types will then be displayed.
Position the highlighted bar to the correct
data type and press ENTER. The selected data
type will then be displayed.

#1 GRAPH TYPE
Several chart display options are available
for better representing the chart data. The
various types with explanations are as
follows:
POINT
This option will display each data
field as a point.

LINE
This option will display successive
data points joined together with a
(sloped) line. If either of the data
items are zero in value, the line is
NOT drawn.

BAR
This option will display the data as a
vertical bar drawn from the Minimum
value to the value of the data item.

STEP
This option will display the data as a
series of steps, with a vertical line
being drawn from the previous data
point to the Y value of the current
data, followed by a horizontal line
to the current data point X value.

#1 COLOR
This field is used to set the color used for
displaying the data field. To select,
position the highlighted bar to "#1 Color" and
press ENTER. A color select menu will then be
displayed. Position the highlighted bar to
the desired color and press the ENTER key.
The value selected will then be shown in the
field.

Continue initializing #2 thru #6 Fields in a similar
manner. When completed, select the "Return" option
and press ENTER. If ESC is entered, either thru the
keyboard or mouse, all initialized data will be
nullified!


DELETE CHART
Selection of this option will display a chart select
menu, which will list the chart as either being
initialized or not initialized. Position the
horizontal bar to the chart to be deleted and press
ENTER. All file and fields data associated with that
particular chart will then be deleted.


b) Edit Graph

Selecting the "Edit Graph" option will bring up a list
of currently configured graphs. Position the
highlighted bar on the graph to edit and press ENTER.
Follow the steps as outlined in the "Creating Graph"
section listed above for changing the various graph
parameters and data fields.

c) Delete Graph

Selecting the "Delete Graph" option will bring up a
list of currently configured graphs. Position the
highlighted bar on the graph to delete and press
ENTER. This graph will then be physically deleted.



d) Display Graph

Selecting the "Display Graph" option will bring up a
list of currently configured graphs. Position the
highlighted bar on the graph to display and press
ENTER. Checks will be performed at this time to
determine the existence of the file(s) to display and
that chart within the graph contains numeric data to
display. If no MAXIMUM and MINIMUM values were
entered, they are initialized at this point. Checks
are also made to ensure that a valid color monitor is
installed. After completion of the above steps, a
configuration file is generated ("CHART"), which
contains the data necessary for the graphics
display program ("CHART.EXE") to operate.

It should be noted that the database portion of the
code is written to disk before executing the graphics
program. This differs considerably from utilizing the
DOS "SHELL" command with the database code, as the
SHELL copies another command processor to memory and
begins the child program with both the additional
command processor and database code still residing in
memory. Writing the existing program code to disk
frees all but approximately 10K of conventional
memory, thereby reducing the total memory requirements
for execution of the database and graphics portion to
less than 400K. In searching for available space to
temporarily save the existing program code, the
following paths are searched:

EMS MEMORY
If sufficient EMS memory exist, the entire
program code and data will be temporarily
written to EMS memory.

DEFAULT SWAP PATH
A path statement entitled "Default Swap Disk"
is provided for in the "Set Defaults" option
in the main menu. If a ram disk is present,
it should be included in this path to allow
for storage of the program code.

DEFAULT PATH
If the above means are exhausted, the code
will be written to the first drive capable of
containing the code in the default DOS path
statement.

Should the graphics display program lock up for some
unforeseeable reason, pressing "CTRL-ALT-INS"
simultaneously will force a return to the database
portion of the program.


e) Edit Data

Selecting the "Edit Data" option will bring up a file
select routine. A file specification is entered, from
which a list of files is displayed which meet the file
specification criteria. For example, if a file
specification of "*.DBF" was entered, all files with
the extension of ".DBF" from the current directory or
subdirectory will be displayed. Position the
highlighted bar to the file to edit and press ENTER.
A browse type editor is entered which allows data to
be viewed and edited. The following keys are in
effect while in the edit mode:

UP ARROW - Up one row
DOWN ARROW - Down one row
LEFT ARROW - Column left
RIGHT ARROW - Column right
CTRL-LEFT ARROW - Pan left one column
CTRL-RIGHT ARROW - Pan right one column
HOME - Left most current screen column
END - Right most current screen column
CTRL-HOME - Left most column
CTRL-END - Right most column
PAGE UP - Previous screen
PAGE DOWN - Next screen
CTRL-PAGE UP - First row of current column
CTRL-PAGE DOWN - Last row of current column
RETURN - Enter/exit for edit mode
ESC - Terminate


f) Export Data

Selecting the "Export Data" option will bring up a file
select routine. A file specification is entered, from
which a list of files is displayed which meet the file
specification criteria. For example, if a file
specification of "*.DBF" was entered, all files with

the extension of ".DBF" from the current directory or
subdirectory will be displayed. Position the
highlighted bar to the file to export and press ENTER.
An comma delimited file (CDF) will be created in the
order specified by the current index if set, or
physical order of the file if not.


g) Set File Index

Selecting the "Set File Index" option will bring up a
file select routine. A file specification is entered,
from which a list of files is displayed which meet the
file specification criteria. For example, if a file
specification of "*.DBF" was entered, all files with
the extension of ".DBF" from the current directory or
subdirectory will be displayed. Position the
highlighted bar to the file to index and press ENTER.
Once selected, a list of valid fields to index on is
displayed. Position the highlighted bar to the field
to index on and press ENTER. An index file will then
be created with the same file name of the original
file with a "NTX" extension. All subsequent access to
this file will then check for the existence of this
indexed file and if found, set the controlling index
to this file.


h) Sort File

Selecting the "Sort File" option will bring up a file
select routine. A file specification is entered, from
which a list of files is displayed which meet the file
specification criteria. For example, if a file
specification of "*.DBF" was entered, all files with
the extension of ".DBF" from the current directory or
subdirectory will be displayed. Position the
highlighted bar to the file to sort and press ENTER.
Once selected, a list of valid fields to sort on is
displayed. Position the highlighted bar to the field
to sort on and press ENTER. A physical sort of the
file will then be initiated. After the sort is
complete, checks are made to determine the existence
of an indexed file as described in the preceding
section. If found, it is erased and the controlling
order for subsequent file accesses is determined by
the physical order of the file.


i) Set Defaults

Selecting the "Set Defaults" option will bring up a
a menu select with the following categories and
operations:

WINDOW COLORS
Selecting this option will display a menu of
configurable screen color options. Position
the highlighted bar to the desired option and
press ENTER. A list of colors will then be
displayed. Position the highlighted bar to
the desired color and press ENTER. The
selected color will then be displayed in the
data field. Continue this process until all
options have been set. Returning to the main
menu will then set the new colors. Note that
if a monochrome monitor is being used for the
database portion of the program, selected
colors will not be displayed.

DEFAULT SWAP DISK
Selecting this option will cause a prompt to
be displayed requesting the default disk to be
used for swapping memory during the graphics

display section of the program. Enter the
desired drive/path(s) to be searched in the
same format as a DOS PATH statement.


6. Graphics Environment
i. General Overview

Once a graph has been selected for display, a graphics display
program ("CHART.EXE") is executed. Data is read in from the
configuration file ("CHART") and checks made to ensure all
parameters are entered in the correct format. If a fatal
error occurs during the initialization process, the
appropriate message is displayed with the corrective action.
A best graphics mode is then determined and the actual display
of the graph is begun. If sufficient memory exists, memory
is allocated for arrays to store the data in as it is being
read in from the file. Note that if an index file is
detected for the data file, the data will be displayed in the
order specified by the index file. If this index file is not
present, then data is displayed in the physical order of the
file. Deleted records are not displayed. Once the graph is
displayed, options are available for the pan and zoom of
discrete regions in question. Upon completion of the graphics
portion, the screen is cleared and program control returned to
the database portion of the program. As mentioned previously,
pressing the "CTRL-ALT-INS" keys simultaneously will force a
return to the database portion of the program.



ii. User Interface

Options are displayed on the bottom of the screen. To select,
one of (3) means may be used.

MOUSE
If a MicroSoft mouse is detected, the following key actions
will be executed upon moving the mouse as follows:
LEFT BUTTON - ENTER
RIGHT BUTTON - ESC

ARROW KEYS
Options may be selected by using the LEFT ARROW and RIGHT
ARROW keys to position the highlighted bar. Once positioned,
pressing the ENTER key will select that option. In the case
of ZOOM and PAN operations, the screen marker may be
positioned using the UP ARROW, DOWN ARROW, LEFT ARROW and
RIGHT arrow keys. Movement may be accelerated by pressing the
SHIFT key in conjunction with the ARROW keys.

KEYBOARD INPUT
Options may also be entered via the keyboard by typing in the
appropriate option. Data is terminated with either the ENTER
key or pressing the SPACE bar.

ii. Options
a) PAN

Selecting the "PAN" option will display a cross in the
center of the screen. Position the cross to the
beginning of the pan region using the MOUSE, ARROW
keys or SHIFT-ARROW key combinations and press ENTER.
Move either in a vertical or horizontal direction to
the ending point and press ENTER. The outcome of the
pan is dependant upon the starting and ending points
selected and the number of charts per graph. For
vertical pans, the chart in which the starting point
was selected denotes the chart to be vertically
panned. The amount of pan is scaled according to the
distance to the second pan point compared to the
vertical axis. For horizontal pans of multiple
charts, either a single or all chart may be panned,
depending upon where the initial point is selected.
For a single chart pan, position the starting cross
within the chart to pan. For horizontal pans of
multiple charts, position the starting cross between
the individual charts. Once the starting and ending
points have been selected, the screen is redraw using
the new vertical/horizontal parameters.
chart

b) ZOOM

Selecting the "ZOOM" option will display a cross in
the center of the screen. Position the cross to the
beginning corner of the zoom region using the MOUSE,
ARROW keys or SHIFT-ARROW key combinations and press
ENTER. Move either in a vertical or horizontal
direction to the opposite corner and press ENTER. The
outcome of the zoom is dependant upon the starting and
ending corners selected and the number of charts per
graph. To zoom within a single chart, select both
starting and ending points above and below the
adjacent charts (if present). To zoom within multiple
charts, position the zoom corners within the charts to
display, or above and below the chart to exclude.

Once selected, the screen will be redrawn using the
new vertical and horizontal parameters.

c) UNDO

Selecting the "UNDO" option will undo the previous
operation. There is no limit on how deep the undo
command will work as a file is maintained containing
the necessary information to recreate all screens.

d) REDRAW

Selecting the "REDRAW" option will cause the screen to
be redrawn using data from previously allocated arrays
(if present). If arrays were not allocated, then data
is read directly from the source data file. In this
case, there is no difference between a REDRAW and
REGEN

e) REGEN

Selecting the "REGEN" option will force the program to
redraw the screen, initializing data from the data
file. If sufficient memory exist for the allocation
of data arrays, data will be stored in these arrays.

f) EXIT

Selecting the "EXIT" option will close all open files,
clear the screen and return program control to the
database portion of the program.


7. Additional ECONOMIC INDICATOR data

Complete databases of ECONOMIC INDICATOR data is available
starting from 1947 and later. Each database consists of raw
data entered directly from the U.S. Government Printing Office
Publication "ECONOMIC INDICATORS" and is complete up to the
most recent publication. Files/fields for the complete data
base are listed in the accompanying text file "DATABASE".
This complete data base is available for $175.00, with monthly
updates available via modem for $35.00 per year.