NewBase

Copyright (c) 1987
Star Data Systems
235 Colonial Lane
Dayton, OH 45429


OVERVIEW


Ease of use by the non-technical user has been of primary
importance in the design of the NewBase system. It is not
necessary to learn special syntax or complicated commands to use
this program. You simply choose what you want to do from menus of
options.

The program fully supports upper/lower case differences for data
file sorting and searching. This means that the program doesn't
differentiate between upper and lower case in those operations.
As a result, sorts are true dictionary sorts. Searches can be
made without having to know whether the information in the file
was entered in upper or lower case.

NewBase uses vertical and horizontal menus to select program
options. You can select menu options in two ways:

1. Type the first letter of the option.

2. If one of the options is highlighted in inverse video,
you can position the menu cursor with the cursor arrow
keys on the numeric key pad and press ENTER.

NewBase also allows you to create word processor
merge files, check files for duplicate entries, reorganize
existing data files, import and export ASCII files, merge
existing data files, and create password protection for your data
files.

You can use DEFAULTS to change printer width, change video
colors, send setup codes to the printer, and set the default
drives for data files, work files, and import/export files. The
program is initially configured to expect these files on drive B.

NewBase has a record capacity of 32,000 records with the proper
hardware configuration. Demo versions are limited to 20 records.

NewBase requires 256K memory and two drives or one drive with
hard disk.



CREATING A PROGRAM DISK

The following steps are necessary to prepare a working
program disk. ENTER means to press the ENTER key.

1. Place a complete operating system disk in drive A.
Use version 2.0 or higher. Place a blank disk in drive B.

2. Type FORMAT B: ENTER
Format two disks.

3. Take the disk out of drive A and place the distribution
program disk in drive A.

4. Type COPY NB*.* B: ENTER

5. Place another formatted disk in drive B.

Type COPY SAMPLE* B: ENTER

6. You now have a working copy of NewBase and a disk with a
sample data file.

GETTING STARTED THE FIRST TIME

Place the program disk in drive A and type NB to execute the
program. If you are using a hard disk, the NewBase programs must
be in the current directory. Your program disk must not be write
protected.

You may wish to change the system configuration. You can change
your printer width and, if you are using a color monitor, the
color attributes of the NewBase display. Change the default data,
work, and import/export drives if necessary.


CREATING A NEW DATA FILE

You should have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish
before you run the program and enter information into NewBase.
NewBase uses the following definitions.

FILE A group of related information items
called records.

RECORD A record is composed of related information
items called fields.

FIELD The smallest information item in the file.
Each record is subdivided into fields. A
mailing list file will have fields such as
Name, City, and State.

FILE NAME A name you select to identify your data file.
The file name must consist of at least two
characters and no more than seven. Periods
may not be part of the file name.


To create a file, select SETUP A NEW DATA FILE
from the main menu. You will be asked to provide a name for
your file. When you select a name for the new file, the program
will check for any files which may exist with the same name.



If the file name is in use, creating a new file with the same
name will cause the old file to be destroyed. The program will
give you the option of using the existing file name, or selecting
a new name. Your file may contain up to 36 fields.

You should be aware of the following considerations.


1. The length of the longest field name is limited to 25
characters. Field length is limited to 50 characters.

2. No gaps are allowed between the first and highest entered
field.

3. Equations may not be created unless the defined field as
well as all other fields used are numeric.

4. If an equation is created, and the field that defines the
equation is deleted, or the numeric attribute is removed, the
equation is erased.

5. A field may be defined by only one equation. You may not
create both of these equations:

Field 9 = field 7 + field 8
Field 9 = field 4 + field 5

6. Equations may be overwritten by a new definition of the
existing field, or by redefining the equation and using a
different field.

7. Equations may be erased by removing the N attribute from
the field that the equation defines. You may then reset the
field to N, if necessary.

8. D and U attributes automatically assign 8 spaces to a
field.

9. The Y attribute automatically assigns 10 spaces to a
field.

10. Numeric fields must be at least 2 and no more than 20
characters in length.

The file setup screen displays the following menu of choices:


Create field definitions
Calculated fields
Labels
Data entry keys
Screen
Print file parameters
Save file to disk
Lookup fields
Validate field
Tabular screen

You may work on any option, leave it to work on another part, and
then go back to any previous menu item at any time.

CREATE FIELD DEFINITIONS

A screen is displayed with a cursor or pointer on the top line
and numbers along the left side. The numbers relate to the field
number. Move the pointer with the cursor arrow keys and press
ENTER to define a field.

Type in the field name, field type, field length, and number
of decimal places if applicable. If you want to make any changes
to a previously entered field, move the pointer to the desired
field and press ENTER. You can use the F3 key to tab to the
item to change. Then make the correct entry and press ENTER. If
you press ENTER in response to the field name, you will erase
the existing field name as well as the other information about
the field.

The following field types may be defined:

N Numeric
D Date
U Date of last update (defaults as date)
I Invisible
P Protected
Y Year (date field format MM-DD-YYYY)
C Caps (uppercase)
Z Note


Fields which are not specified as date or numeric default to
character fields.

In response to the field type prompt, type in the appropriate
letter or letters.

Examples:


DP Date field, protected
UI Date of last update field, invisible
NP Numeric field, protected
I Character field, invisible



FIELD TYPES

The following field types may be defined:

Date MM-DD-YY
Date of last update MM-DD-YY
Year MM-DD-YYYY
Numeric
Protected
Invisible
Uppercase
Calculated
Character (default)
Lookup
Note


DATE FIELDS

The Problem

There is a problem when sorting or searching data by date if the
date information is in the standard format MM-DD-YY. Consider two
dates, 11-29-79 and 01-07-80. If these two dates were ranked
using normal sorting techniques, the 01-07-79 would come first.
This problem arises because the year information, which is the
most significant part, is in the least significant digits
position. Requiring the user to enter date data in the form
YY-MM-DD is not a satisfactory approach to this problem.

The Solution

If you specify certain fields as date fields, the program can
store the dates on disk in a format the program can understand
for proper searching and sorting. The user, however, enters the
date data in the standard format MM-DD-YY.


Instructions

During the SETUP procedure, if a field is to be defined as a date
field, enter a D for the field type. Eight characters will be
allocated to the field by the program. Field 1 is not supported
as a date field.

Date field data must be entered in this format: MM-DD-YY

TWO DIGITS MUST BE USED FOR MONTH, DAY, AND YEAR.

All searches will work normally, but the entire date must be
specified. You cannot search for a partial date such as 10-82.

All dates are printed in standard format except when printing
labels. If field 6 is a date field and is printed on a four line
label, the field would be printed as 801230 rather than 12-30-80.


DATE OF LAST UPDATE FIELD

Any field except field 1 may be defined as an automatic date of
last update field.

Only one such field is allowed to be defined in this way. Eight
characters will automatically be allocated for this field.

Whenever a record is added or edited, this field will be
automatically updated with the current date.

You will not be allowed to edit this field.


NUMERIC FIELDS

Any field except field 1 may be defined as a numeric field. Any
field which will contain numeric data should be defined as
numeric. Numeric type fields which are not defined as numeric
will not sort or search properly.

To designate a field as numeric, enter an N for the field type.
When selecting the field length, be sure to allow space for the
decimal point as well as the minus sign if they will be used in
data entry.

Numeric fields are checked during data entry. The only allowable
characters are numbers 0 to 9, a decimal point, and a minus sign.
NewBase automatically formats the decimal places. If a field is
defined to 2 decimal places, and you make a data entry into the
field of 40, NewBase will change your entry to 40.00.
Additionally, entries are checked for overflow. If the field is 6
characters in length with two decimal places, the largest number
which it may contain would be 999.99. If you tried to enter 1000,
the program would translate this to 1000.00. This would result in
an overflow and entry would not be accepted.


INVISIBLE AND PROTECTED FIELDS

Protected fields are protected from being edited.

Invisible fields will not be displayed on the screen or printed
in reports, forms, or vertical formats. They will be printed on
labels. Invisible fields may not be edited. Invisible fields are
visible and are not protected in the ADD mode.

Use a P or I to indicated the protected or invisible status for a
field.

UPPERCASE FIELDS

Use a C to indicate a Caps or Uppercase field. Data entry for
these fields will be automatically converted to uppercase.

CALCULATED FIELDS

You are allowed to define certain fields as calculated fields. In
other words, the data for these fields are derived from
calculations based on data in other fields, and no data entry is
either necessary or possible for the defined calculated field.
The definition process involves selecting a field to define, and
then entering an equation from the keyboard.

Field 1 and field 2 are not supported as calculated fields.

The following considerations should be noted.

Up to 10 equations may be defined. This means that a file may
have a maximum of 10 calculated fields. An equation may
contain up to 12 steps or calculations.

A defined field may only operate on data from fields which
have been previously defined as numeric fields.

A defined field may be used to further calculate another
defined field.

Defined fields may only operate on data from fields which
precede the defined field in the record.

Extra spaces, in addition to the largest number that will be
stored in the field, must be allocated for a minus sign and
decimal point, if needed.

You must allow enough field space for the resulting
calculation. If the number is too large to fit in the field
space allocated, an overflow will occur and the calculation
will not be made.


Defining a calculated field

Select the field you wish to define as a calculated field. You
are allowed to define up to 10 calculated fields. You will then
be placed in the equation entry mode. The process simply involves
entering a mathematical function followed by the field on which
you wish the function to operate.

The allowable functions along with their equation entry symbols
are displayed on the top line of the screen.

+ Add
- Minus
* Multiply
/ Divide
$ Multiply by a constant value

Your equation may include up to 12 steps. Equations must have a
minimum of two steps. Each step includes a mathematical function
plus the field number upon which the function will operate. The
calculations will be made in logical order. Parentheses are not
allowed in the equation. Step two will calculate the value
calculated from step one, step three will compute the value
arrived at from step two, and so forth.

A prompt on the bottom of the screen will show: Function?

Enter the mathematical function with a single keystroke. It is
not necessary to press ENTER. For the first entry in the equation
NewBase will enter the "+" sign for you.

The next prompt will show: Enter Field Number?

Type the field number which you want to include in the equation
at this point and press ENTER. A visual indication
of your equation will be built on the screen above the Function
prompt.

If your response to the Function prompt was a $ , the next
prompt would have requested the value of the constant rather than
the field number.

The equation is completed by pressing F2 in response to a
Function prompt.

The following examples show the steps involved in
creating an equation.

Example 1

Field number 4 is JANUARY SALES
Field number 6 is FEBRUARY SALES
Field number 7 is MARCH SALES

We wish to define field number 9, FIRST QUARTER SALES, as the sum
of fields 4, 6, and 7.

Select field number 9 as the defined field.

The responses to the Function and Field prompts would be:

Function? + Field Number 4
Function? + Field Number 6
Function? + Field Number 7
Function? F2

The formula will be indicated on the screen as:

QUARTERLY SALES = +4+6+7

Example 2

Field number 4 is COST PRICE
Field number 5 is RETAIL PRICE

We wish to define field number 7 as MARKUP PERCENTAGE

MARKUP PERCENTAGE is calculated as:

RETAIL - COST / RETAIL multiplied by 100

The response to the prompts would be:

Function? + Field number 5
Function? - Field number 4
Function? / Field number 5
Function? $ Constant value 100
Function? F2

The formula indicated on the screen is:

MARKUP PERCENTAGE = +5-4/5$100


LOOKUP FIELDS

Lookup fields are fields which get their data based upon data
entry made to other fields. You can think of Lookup fields as
calculated fields which store text rather than numeric values,
and which use lookup tables rather than formulas. An example of
the use of Lookup fields would be to have a part number in one
field, and have the part description automatically looked up for
another field.

Lookup fields are defined by using the Lookup option when
creating a new file. You will be prompted for the Lookup field.
This is the field which will receive the lookup information. You
will then be prompted for the source field. This is the field
which, based upon its contents, causes information to be placed
in the Lookup field during data entry.

The screen displays all fields which have been defined. Lookup
fields are followed by a block marker followed by the field
number of the Source field.

Both the Lookup field and the source field must be alphanumeric
fields. They are not allowed to be numeric or date fields. The
lookup field may not be a validated field. Lookup fields may not
be chained. A Lookup field may not be a source field for another
Lookup field. Source fields may be the Source field for only one
Lookup field, and a Source field must precede its Lookup field.
To change a Lookup field definition, you must first delete the
existing definition. If a Lookup field has been defined, and that
field is subsequently defined as a date or numeric field, the
Lookup definition is removed from that field.

Lookup fields may not be edited during data entry. Lookup fields
are not supported by global update. If you create a new file with
the reorganization utility, you must redefine any lookup fields
for the new file.

Lookup fields use the Lookup table described in the section
explaining the Lookup function. If no lookup table is available,
data entry to the source field will set the lookup field to blank
spaces.

SCREEN

This option allows you to create a screen to display your file
data on the monitor. You can select the location where each data
item, or field, will be displayed and also add text and graphics
to the screen. If you do not create a screen, NewBase will create
a default screen for you. You can modify the screen with OPTIONS.

Any field name with its corresponding data item may be printed on
any screen location between and including lines 2 and 22.

Creating the Screen

When you select SCREEN a work screen will be displayed with
solid lines marking the screen perimeter. The top and side
borders are displayed for reference only. The bottom border will
be part of the actual screen.


Select

Select a field by its field number to enter into the screen. A
pointer is placed in the top left corner of the screen. You
design the screen by moving the pointer with the arrow keys on
the numeric key pad to the desired location and then pressing
ENTER. The field along with an indicator of the data item will
be printed on the screen in the specified location. The program
will not accept an invalid entry which would cause part of the
entry to be lost off the right side of the screen. The program
checks for overwriting of entries.

Any field may be printed in any location on the screen, but each
field may only be printed one time. If you have already placed a
field on the screen, you must first delete the entry before you
can change the screen location.

Delete

Allows you to delete a field from the screen.

Insert line

Insert a blank line on the screen. Place the cursor anywhere on
the row where you want to insert the blank line. All fields on
that row and all succeeding rows will be moved down one line. The
last line on the screen must be empty.

Erase line

Erases a blank line. Place the cursor anywhere on a blank row you
wish to erase. All fields below that row will be moved up one
line.

Text/Graphics

Enter text or graphics characters on the screen. Move the cursor
to the desired location and type in your text. Any keyboard
character may be typed. Graphics characters between ASCII code
128-254 may also be used. While the ALT key is depressed, type
the ASCII code of the graphics character on the numeric key pad,
then release the ALT key. Consult your Dos manual for a
description of the graphics characters. The F2 key will repeat
the previous entry.


TABULAR SCREEN

Allows you to view your file in a column and row format. Each
record is displayed on one line. Fields are lined up in columns.
Up to 19 records are displayed at one time. Two different screens
may be created. To design the screen you simply select the fields
to be included by selecting ADD. Remove a field with DELETE.
Select HEADER to type in a one line heading to be displayed.
Pressing ENTER after selecting HEADER will leave the header
unchanged. SWITCH allows you to toggle between the two screens.
Up to 78 columns may be displayed from a record. One space is
inserted between each field. The fields are displayed in
relative order, not the order of selection when the screen was
designed.

When viewing the file with the Tabular Screen, the first 19
records are printed on the display. You may then move up or down
the file using the F9/F10 keys. The screen will scroll from
either the top or bottom, depending on the direction of the file
scan.

When viewing the file you can easily edit any records displayed
on the tabular screen. Move the pointer displayed on the side of
the screen with the cursor arrow keys to the desired record and
press EDIT.

NOTE FIELD

A Note field is a text field with a maximum length of 240
characters. Field 1 may not be defined as a note field. A record
may only contain one note field. Note fields are not defined
using SCREEN setup. During ADD, the Note field data is entered
after all other data has been input. Press N and the Note field
will pop up in inverse video for data entry. In display mode,
press N to pop up the note field, press E to edit the field.
Pressing F1 while in edit mode will undo any changes. Note
fields are most easily printed in vertical format. Although note
fields are displayed in a three line format, they are printed in
a four line, 60 characters per line format. As a result, the
printed format may not exactly match the format displayed on the
screen.


DATA ENTRY VALIDATION

Validation items may be created which do validity checking of
data entry. They may be created for fields which are one
character in length and which are not numeric. Fields one and
thirty-six are not supported. The validation item may be up to
twelve characters long. The characters that you enter into the
item will be the only characters allowed for data entry in the
specified field. Examples of its use are with Yes/No fields,
Male/Female fields, or fields which are used for one character
codes. An example validation item is: YyNn

Notice that both upper and lower case are allowed in this
example. If you wish to be able to blank a field, you should also
include a space in the validation item.


SAVE FILE TO DISK

To save your file format on disk select the SAVE FILE option.
If there are no file format errors, you will be prompted to
preallocate or reserve disk space for your data files. You may
allocate space up to the capacity of the disk. If you don't
allocate the number of records you will eventually use, the
system will dynamically allocate space when needed as your file
size increases past the allocated size. Allocating the amount of
space you will eventually need will improve the performance of
the program. File access time will be improved and file
segmentation will be kept to a minimum.


USING THE NewBase INFORMATION MANAGER



Once you have created or defined a file format you use the
information manager. Select INFORMATION MANAGER from the main
menu.

You have the following options:

Add to File
View
Printer
Load Another File
Condense File
Options to Change File Parameters
Global Update
Find


ADD TO FILE

Allows you to add new records to your file. The prompt indicates
the number of characters allowed for data entry. The program will
not accept more than the allowable number. Press ENTER to
complete each entry.

If you do not wish to enter data for a particular field, simply
press ENTER for the prompt for that field.

If F6 is pressed, you will skip to the end of the record.

Only numeric values, numbers 0 to 9 and a minus sign, will be
accepted as data entry in numeric fields.

Only numeric values or the "-" symbol will be accepted as data
entry in date fields.

If you press the F1 key after completing your entries for
a record, you will return to the main menu and the last record
you worked on will not be recorded.

If data entry errors are detected after you have entered a
record, you may enter the edit mode, move to the field you want
to edit with the arrow keys, and edit the field.


RAPID ENTRY OF REPETITIVE DATA

NewBase allows rapid entry of repetitive data with the single
keystroke: F2

Data typed in for the previous record may be duplicated for the
current record being added. A command is displayed on the
monitor: F2 = Data

The Data is the information added for the previous record for the
current field being prompted.

Pressing the F2 key will now place that Data in the current
record.

This feature cannot be used for field 1.

The current date may be entered in a field while in the ADD or
EDIT mode by the keystroke: F7


USER DEFINED DATA ENTRY KEYS

Up to 26 keyboard keys, letters A-Z, may be defined for rapid
entry of data with a single keystroke.

Defining the Keys

The keys may be defined during file SETUP. They may be changed
from OPTIONS in the main MENU. From the prompt, select the key,
letters A-Z, you wish to define. Up to 20 characters may be
assigned to any key.

Using the Defined Data Entry Keys

These defined keys may be used for data entry in the ADD mode or
in any EDIT mode. They may not be used to enter data for field
number one, or for any fields which have been defined as either
date or numeric fields.

When you are prompted to enter data for a field, first press the
ALT key, then the letter key you have defined (A-Z).

Pressing the ALT Letter combination will enter the information
defined for the key into the prompted field. If you use a data
key which has not been defined, the data entry field will not be
changed.


LOOKUP FUNCTION

A lookup function is available for all data entry modes. The
lookup function will look at your data entry and scan a lookup
table which you have previously created. If your data entry item
is included in the lookup table, the corresponding lookup item
will be substituted for your data entry. If the data entry is not
found in the table, the data field will be changed to blank
spaces. To activate the lookup function during data entry, place
a ? as the first character of your entry. Example: ?JM. Lookup
cannot be used with field number 1, or with date or numeric
fields.

To use Lookup, there must be a lookup table file on line on the
program disk when a data file is accessed, and for the rest of
the file session. To create a lookup table, select LOOKUP from
the main menu. You may create as many as 200 input items and 200
corresponding lookup items. Input items are limited to 12

characters, lookup items are limited to 24 characters. The lookup
file, LOOKUP.TBL, may be used with any NewBase file. You may
create separate lookup files for different data files, but the
file is always named LOOKUP.TBL. The LOOKUP file will be created
on the program disk.

The advantages of Lookup are speed and accuracy. If you use
Lookup for an inventory file, the input column can contain part
numbers, while the lookup column can contain part descriptions.
If you use it with a file containing names of sales people, the
entry column could contain their initials, while the lookup
column contains their full names. If the data field is too small
to contain the entire lookup item, it will be truncated.


EDITING

All edit modes use the same editing features. The field to be
edited is highlighted in reverse video. Just move the pointer
with the arrow keys to the field to edit, make your changes, and
then press ENTER to complete the entry. If you do not press
ENTER, the changes will not be recorded.

The following keys may be used while adding or updating records.

Backspace Delete character to left of cursor
Del Delete character above cursor
Ins Toggle between insert and overtype mode
Ctrl-End Delete characters from cursor to end of field
<-- --> Left/right cursor keys on numeric key pad

In addition, the following keys may be used to edit a note field.

Home Move cursor to first character of field
End Move cursor to last character of field
Ctrl --> Move cursor to next word
Ctrl <-- Move cursor to previous word

Records may be edited any time they are displayed, but you can
only change field number one with the FIND option.

DELETE RECORD

Records may be deleted from any display mode. This option does
not actually remove the record from the file, it only flags the
record for deletion. An asterisk is placed next to the record
number to indicate a record flagged for deletion. A record may be
unflagged by updating any field in that record. When the CONDENSE
option is used, all records flagged for deletion are permanently
removed from the file.

OPTIONS

Allows the following file parameters to be changed.

Any of the 26 data entry keys
Any field name
Label format
Value of a constant
User defined screen
Protected and invisible fields
Validation items for data entry
Tabular screen


FIND

Allows you to rapidly bring up any record on the display based on
the contents of field number one. You can type in the entire
search item or just a few letters. If there is more than one
occurrence, the first one found will be displayed. You can use
the F9/F10 keys to move up and down the file in alphabetic
sequence. To find the first item alphabetically, just press
ENTER in response to the find prompt. If your input item is
greater than any item in the file, the program will bring up the
last item in the file.

Upper/lower case differences are ignored in the find process.

The edit mode in FIND will allow you to edit field number one.


CONDENSE FILE

All deleted records are removed and the file is compacted.

SEARCH OPTIONS

The file may be searched on up to eight search criteria per
search level. Up to five search levels are allowed. You specify
the fields to search and the search items. The search options
enable the file to be searched in hundreds of possible
combinations.

Searches make no distinction between upper and lower case. If the
search item is Smith, a match will be found with Smith as well as
SMITH.

EQUAL TO will find occurrences where the search item exactly
matches the data found. Searches involving negative numeric data
are not supported.

PARTIAL MATCH is a literal string search. If the search item is
found anywhere in the search field a match is found. For example,
if you wish to find all addresses on MAIN STREET, enter MAIN as
the search item for the specified field. If MAIN is found
anywhere in the field the record will be printed or displayed.

LESS THAN and GREATER THAN will work both with numeric and
alphabetic data. The program will determine whether the search
field is defined as numeric and use the proper search method for
numeric data. This makes it very important that numeric
information be placed in fields which have been defined as
numeric. The program treats numeric information differently than
alphabetic information. For example, 100 is greater than 20 if
these numbers are assessed numerically. However, if the program
thinks that these are alphabetic values, the 20 would be greater
than the 100 just as Bob is greater than Anderson because the
first character in the string or word is of greater value.

NOT EQUAL is the opposite of the EQUAL TO search. If the search
item is not equal to the data found in the search field, the
search is true and a match is found.

NOT PARTIAL is the opposite of PARTIAL MATCH. If the search item
is not found to be included in the search field, the search is
true.

Wild Card Searches

Wild cards are only supported by the PARTIAL MATCH and EQUAL TO
searches. The @ symbol is the wild card character. If the @ is
included in the search item, the character represented by the @
will equal the relative character found in the field being
searched.

For example, if the search item is 10-@@-@@ and the search type
is EQUAL TO, fields which include 10-11-82 and 10-12-83 will
match the search item.

If wild cards are used in a PARTIAL MATCH, the match will start
at the beginning of the field. For example, to find all names
beginning with SP, the search item would be SP@, the search type
would be PARTIAL MATCH.


Selecting Search Criteria

Up to 8 search items may be selected for each search level. Each
search item in a search level is connected to the other search
items in the same level by an AND parameter. In other words, if
you have three search items, OHIO, DAYTON, and MERCEDES, a match
will be found if the search record contains OHIO AND DAYTON AND
MERCEDES in the specified fields.

You can use an OR parameter by specifying more than one search
level. Each search level is connected to other search levels by
an OR parameter. Think of each search level as a box. You can
place 8 search items in each box. All search items in a box must
be true for the match to be made. If you have two search levels,
or two boxes, if either search level or box is true, a match is
made.

Example 1:

You want to find all records in which state is OHIO and sales are
over $1000.

This would be a single level search since both search criteria
must be true. Select search item 1, Equal To OHIO. Select
search item 2, Greater Than 1000.

Example 2:

You want to find all records in which state is OHIO and either
sales are over 1000 or sales quota is over 100%.

This would be a two level search since there is an OR search
parameter. Select search level 1, search item 1, Equal To OHIO.
Select search item 2, Greater Than 1000. Select search level 2,
search item 1, Equal to OHIO. Select search item 2, Greater
Than 100.

SORT FILE

Three field multi-key sorts may be made.

Sorts may be made in either ascending or descending order for any
sort field.

An alphabetic sort algorithm is used. If numeric data is to be
sorted correctly, the field to be sorted must have been defined
as a numeric field.



FAST SORT

The FAST SORT is made on field number one only. The program does
not sort the file at this time. This is why it is called fast.
NewBase maintains an index based on field number one, and always
knows the sorted order of the data file based on field one.

PRINTER

NewBase can print reports, forms, labels, or a vertical format.

Printing may be paused or aborted at any time. If your are using
The Vertical Format and Report modes allow the printing of either
single sheets or continuous forms.

Vertical Format

The records are printed down the page, one field to a line. The
entire record is printed. Top and bottom margins will be created.
The size of the margin is a function of the number of fields in a
record. Records will not be split between pages.

You may set the page length as long as 112 lines, as short as the
number of fields per record plus 3.


Report (columnar) Format

Report title may be printed at the top of each page. If this is
not desired, press ENTER when prompt appears. To print the
current date, make the @ symbol the first character in the report
title. The date will be printed at the top of each page. The @
will not be printed. If you want to print the date, but no title,
the @ should be the only character in the title.

Each record will be printed on one line. Prompt requests fields
to be printed. Fields will be printed in the order selected.

Single or double spacing may be selected.

Spacing between columns may be set from one to nine spaces.

Your print line should not be larger than the width of your
paper. If it is, the printer will wrap around and you will not
have an evenly formatted printout.

A standard 11 inch page contains 66 lines printing at 6 lines to
the inch. You may set your page size anywhere from 24 to 112
lines. The default value is 66 lines.

The number of printed lines per page may be set to a minimum of 8
lines or a maximum of page length minus 6. The program will
default to 54 print lines or the page length minus 12, whichever
is smaller.

After setting the print parameters you may make a trial printout
of one record to check your spacing. If any numeric fields are to
be summed, three spaces are added to the column width for those
fields. This will not be reflected in the test printout.

When you have completed the report initialization, adjust the
paper in your printer to where you want the first line to print.

Mailing Labels

The pre-set labels may be printed with 3 print lines or 4 print
lines at user's option. Only fields 1 through 6 are printed. They
are allocated as follows:

1. Name
2. Street
3. City
4. State
5. Zip code
6. Optional

The labels are printed in the following format:

1. Name
2. Optional
3. Street
4. City State Zip

The 4 line label will print the optional 6th field on line two of
the label.

If the three line label is printed, street will be on line two of
the label and line three will contain City, State, and Zip Code.

Three or four line labels may be printed up to five labels
across. You will be asked for the label width if more than one
label across is printed. If the label width you specify is not
large enough to hold the data from your file, your entry will not
be accepted. The label width is determined by measuring the
distance from the left edge of the first label to the left edge
of the next label. Your response should be in columns. This
allows the use of any size print pitch. You normally would be
printing at either 10 or 12 characters per inch.

User designed labels may contain up to 9 print lines of
information. The number of print lines must be at least one less
than the number of lines in the label. Any of the first 18 fields
may used. When you design a special label a label window, or
form, is displayed. A pointer is placed in the upper left corner
of the window. The pointer can be moved about the window with
the cursor arrow keys. The label may contain text or field data
from the file. Simply move the pointer to the desired location
and type in the text or field for the label. Fields are
indicated by typing the field letter followed by a #. To place
field A in the label you would move the pointer to the desired
location and type A#. The fields, lettered A-R, are displayed on
the side of the screen. To erase any entries to the label use
the spacebar. The window will not give an exact representation

of how the label will actually be printed because the field
lengths are not indicated in the label window. Also, when the
label is printed one blank space is added at the end of each
field.

The user designed label may be any size from 6 to 48 lines. Most
printers can be setup to print 6 or 8 lines per vertical inch.
For example: If your labels are one inch and you are printing 6
lines to the inch, set your label size to 6 lines. If your labels
are two inches and you are printing 8 lines to the inch, set your
label size to 16 lines. The 48 line maximum size allows
continuous postcards or envelopes to be printed directly.

Names which are entered in the data file last name first will be
automatically reversed for the printout. However, the original
entry must be in the following exact format:

LAST NAME - comma - one space - FIRST NAME

The program will detect commas in the entry for field 1.
Therefore, any data entries which are not names of individuals
should not contain commas in field 1. If no commas are found the
field will be printed on the label exactly as found.

At printout time, test label patterns may be printed for proper
label alignment. At the end of each print run an additional label
will be printed with the print count.


DEFINE REPORT FORMAT

Nine different report formats may be created and saved in a
report library.

The program takes you through a series of prompts requesting
which fields are to be printed and in what order. Double or
single spacing, page numbering, and the number of print lines per
page may be specified. This information is then saved in a report
generator file for recall and printing at a later time.

In addition to specifying the print format, you can also indicate
sorting and searching criteria as well as column totals and
averages.

The report name is requested so that the correct report may be
identified at printout time.

Print defined report

User specifies which format is desired and printout is made based
upon this previously specified format.

You have the option of printing the report with the record
selection parameters (sort, search, statistics) as specified when
the format was created, or selecting new parameters for this
printout.

FORM GENERATOR

Type of Forms

Practically any form on 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper may be
generated. You may print in any column from column 1 to 79.
Length is limited to 66 lines. Any field may be printed in any
location on the form. The current date as well as text may be
printed. Up to 4 form formats may be stored in a library on disk.

Designing a Form

Select FORMS from the printer menu and select DESIGN. A blank
worksheet will be displayed with a cursor in the upper left
corner. The screen can only display 20 lines of the form at a
time. Move the cursor with the direction keys to your required
position and type in your items. Any mistakes can be erased with
the space bar. To print a field, move the cursor to the location
and type # followed by the field number.

The last entry in the form should be the end of form marker which
is the \.

The sample data file included on your program disk has a sample
form which will give a clear example of form design.

Since the length of a field is not represented on the form,
printing a field followed by a second entry on the same line
will not give a correct visual indication of where the second
item will actually be printed. Additionally, the program will
not print more than 79 columns on the printer.

Other commands are available in Design mode:

Name Label your form. Will help identify a form to print.

Clear Erase form from workspace. Does not erase from disk.

Save Save the worksheet to disk.

Print Print a sample form.


Printing a Form

Any of the options in the Print menu (All, Search, Sort, Fast
Sort, Search and Sort, and Fast Search and Sort) may be used to
print forms. Multiple forms may be printed for each record.

Forms may also be printed from the FIND mode in the Form menu. If
you wish to print a form for the displayed record, press a number
(1-4) corresponding to the form number you wish to print.

STATISTICAL SUMMARY

. Totals of any numeric field

. Averages of any numeric field

. Number of occurrences

. Sub totals

. Running totals

Statistical summaries may only be calculated in the view screen
mode or in the report format in the printer mode. Running totals
may only be selected for fields which are to be summed.

View Mode

In this mode it is necessary to press the F9/F10 keys to traverse
the file. There may be occasions when you wish to get the
statistical information, but are not interested in inspecting the
individual records. After the first record is displayed, pressing
the F1 key will cause the program to jump out of the SCAN mode.
The balance of the records will be inspected by the program
without any additional records being displayed. When the end of
the file is reached, the results will be displayed.

Printer Mode (Report Format)

Only fields which are numeric and which have been selected to be
printed may be used in statistical calculations.

Three to five spaces, depending on the length of the file, will
be added to the width of each column to be summed.

If the file is to be sorted, subtotals may be printed for the
fields to be summed. A prompt will ask for the key field.
Columnar subtotals will be generated when there is a change in
this column during the printout.

If subtotals are specified, it is possible to print the report
with the first column indented. In other words, if the key field
does not change, the data for that field will not be printed on
subsequent lines. This will give the report the appearance of
having sub-headings. You may force a new page after each sub
total.

After answering Y to the subtotal prompt, you will be asked if
you wish to indent the first column. The following must be true
in order to indent:

.The first column must be the key field.
.Subtotals must be specified.
.The first column may not be a numeric field.


This is an example of a printout with indentation:

State Name City Sales
----- ---- ---- -----

AZ Henderson, Don Phoenix 22000
Simpson, Ted Tucson 26000
-------
48000

CO Kennedy, Robert Boulder 2100
Anderson, Andrew Denver 12000
Williams, Richard Denver 76000
-------
90100

=======
138100


GLOBAL UPDATE

Allows you to edit any field in multiple records simultaneously
with a single operation. After making your data entry, you are
placed in the search mode. All records meeting your search
parameters will be edited.

Global Update can perform five different functions.

1. Delete - All records which meet your search
criteria will be flagged for deletion.

2. Replace - The data you enter for
the field will replace the data existing in that field.

3. ADD - The value you enter will be added to the existing
value in this field.

4. MULTIPLY - The value you enter will be multiplied by the
existing value in this field.

5. RECALCULATION of computed fields.


USING THE NewBase UTILITIES



FILE PROTECTION

The protection system allows you to set file protection levels
for individual data files.

The file protection system can be accessed from the main system
menu. This option is not listed on the menu. Obviously, no file
protection will be afforded if the protection system is available
to anyone who uses the NewBase system.

Files may be completely protected from unauthorized use,
partially protected, or different levels of access may be given
to different users. If data file security is important in your
operation, you will find the file protection system to be an
effective method of keeping your data secure.


THE REMAINDER OF THIS SECTION IS INTENTIONALLY OMITTED.

REORGANIZE A DATA FILE


Allows you to restructure your data files without having to
reenter the data.

This program can read the records of any NewBase file and then
write those records to another file with a different file
structure. The original file is left intact.

Gives you the ability to:

Add fields.
Delete fields.
Change field sizes.
Change field definitions.
Select, using up to 8 selection criteria,
records to be included in the new file.
Create Smaller files which only use
selected records or selected fields
from the original file.


Instructions

Select the Reorganize a Data File option from the main menu.
After the reorganization program is loaded, you may remove the
program diskette from drive A, if necessary, and replace it with
a data diskette. If you remove the program diskette, you must
replace it before exiting the program.

A menu of options will then be displayed. The options will be
very similar to the Setup program. The field definition screen
will already contain the information from the existing data file.
You can add fields or make changes to existing fields. Calculated
fields must be redefined.

Lookup fields must be redefined.

Be careful setting field lengths. Fields which are reduced in
length may result in loss of data from the original file.
The screen cannot be created at this time. Use the OPTION menu
in the Information Manager.

After the file has been defined, select the save file option.

You may then select from two options.

1. All records from the existing file will be included in the
new file.

2. Only selected records from the existing file will be
included in the new file.




CREATE A WORD PROCESSOR MERGE FILE


This program allows you to interface your NewBase data files with
most of the popular word processors. The power of your word
processor can be combined with the capabilities of NewBase to
create standard forms or letters.

NewBase has the ability to create a Select file of merge data
from your NewBase data files in a format which the word processor
can read to print multiple copies of a document merging it with
information from your NewBase files. You may use up to eight
selection criteria to determine which records will be included in
the new file.


Creating the select file

Select Create a Word Processor Merge File from the main menu.

After the program executes you will be prompted for the name of
the existing NewBase data file which is to be used.

You will then be prompted for the name to be assigned to the new
Select file and the drive on which the Select file is to be
placed. The file name must be eight characters or less in length.

The fields in the existing file will then be displayed.

Select the fields for the new file.

You may elect to use all records in the existing file for the
select file, or you may use up to eight search criteria to use
only selected records.


Creating the word processor document

Consult your word processor manual regarding the creation of a
merge document.

CHECK A FILE FOR DUPLICATES

NewBase can quickly search an entire data file for duplicate
records, mark the duplicates for deletion, and give you a hard
copy printout of the results.

How it Works

The program arranges the data file in sorted order. Then, it is
only necessary to make a single pass through the file to pick out
the duplicates.

Upper/lower case differences are ignored by the program when
making comparisons.


How to use the program

Select Check a File for Duplicates from the main menu.

The program will execute. A menu of options is displayed.

1. Flag records for deletion.

Checks data file, marks duplicate records for deletion.

2. Print duplicates.

A report of the duplicate records are printed on the printer.
The duplicates are printed in pairs.

3. Print report of records marked for deletion.

There is no option to actually purge the deleted records from the
file. The CONDENSE option in the information manager menu will
purge your deleted records.

After selecting the menu option, enter the name of the data file
to check.

One further prompt allows you to select the field in the file on
which you want to make the comparison between records. You would
normally be comparing field number one, but NewBase provides this
option in case your key field is not the first field in the
record. Any of the first nine fields may be selected for
duplicate checking.


TRANSFER TEXT FILE

Allows you to transfer a text file created with another program,
such as a word processor or another data management program, to
NewBase format.

You first must have a NewBase file into which the text file is to
be transferred. The NewBase file may be an existing file or a
newly created format which contains no records.

It is your responsibility to make sure that the fields in your
text file match the NewBase file format.

The text file must be in ASCII format, only alphanumeric
characters with no imbedded control codes. Two types of ASCII
files may be used

In sequential ASCII files each field must be followed by a
carriage return and line feed. If you view the file with a
word processor, each field will appear on a separate line


You may also use comma delimited ASCII files. Fields in
comma delimited files must be surrounded by quotation marks
and separated from other fields with a comma.

MERGE TWO DATA FILES


Allows you to merge two NewBase data files into one file.


Instructions

Select Merge Two Data Files from the main menu.

The program prompts you for the two data files to merge. Both
files must be on line at this time.

The SOURCE file is the file which is to be copied on to the end
of the other file.

The DESTINATION file is the file which is to receive the
addition.

The SOURCE file will be left as is.

Both files should have the same record lengths and the same file
parameters. If they do not, the merge will be successful, but all
of the data from the SOURCE file may not be included in the
DESTINATION file appendage.