Sportcheck - Baseball Edition

Demonstration Version







Software Creations, Inc.
P.O. Box 484
Greendale, Wisconsin 53129













































Copyright

Copyright (C) 1989 by Software Creations, Inc. All rights
reserved.

Portions (C) Copyright 1984 Philip A. Mongelluzzo, Waterbury,
Connecticut. All rights reserved.


Trademark Acknowledgment

IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines, Inc.


Software Creations, Inc.
Demonstration Program License Agreement

You may freely copy and distribute this Demonstration Version
of Sportcheck - Baseball Edition as long as the following
files are kept intact and unaltered:

SPCBDEMO.EXE
CONFIG.FIL
SPORTCB.TOT
CLRFILE.EXE
FIXTOT.EXE
BTOP976.FIL
BFLE983.FIL
BDON989.FIL
MANUAL.DOC
ORDER.DOC


Introduction

The Sportcheck series consists of IBM compatible computer
software programs designed to enrich the hobby of sports
card collecting. Each of the Sportcheck programs provide the
card collector with the ability to maintain an up-to-date
inventory of the cards in his or her collection. This is
accomplished through the use of colorful, menu-driven display
screens.

Current values for every card in all of the major card sets
are stored in data files on disks included with the
Sportcheck programs. There is also a special file containing
values for complete sets and a personal file which can be
used to catalog any unusual cards which cannot be found in
any of the other sets. Updated card values are available on
an annual basis in November of each year.


The Baseball Card Edition

Sportcheck - Baseball Edition contains data files for every
major set by each of the seven prominent baseball card
manufacturers - Topps, Donruss, Fleer, Bowman, Score,
Sportflics, and Upper Deck. There is also a separate data
file for the many variations or error cards from these major
sets, as well as a file giving values for over 600 complete
sets. The single copy price is $69.50. Annual updates are
$20.00.


The Football Card Edition

Sportcheck - Football Edition includes data files for each
year of Topps, Bowman, Fleer, Philadelphia Gum, and Score
football cards. The single copy price is $49.50 and the
annual updates are $15.00.


Starting the Program

To run the Demonstration Version of Sportcheck simply type
SPCBDEMO at the DOS prompt while in the disk directory
containing the demonstration program files.


Setting Up The Program

The first time you use this version of Sportcheck, you will
need to customize a few options to work with your computer
system. These options can be changed through the "Change
Configuration" choice from the main menu screen.

To set the options for your system, use the cursor keys to
highlight "Change Configuration" and press RETURN. This will
bring up a double-sided configuration screen. The left side
shows the options that can be set and the right side displays
the current settings. Use the cursor keys to highlight the
selection that you wish to change and press RETURN.

Data Directory - This represents the directory in which
Sportcheck will look to find the data files. Enter the
drive/directory that you plan to use for your data files.
For example, if you plan to use a subdirectory on a hard
disk, enter the appropriate drive and path, such as
"c:\sportc". If you are keeping your data files all on
floppy disks, simply enter the drive that you wish
to use, such as "b:".

Printer Port - In order to print reports, Sportcheck needs to
know the location of your printer port. Enter in the
appropriate name that corresponds to your system
configuration. Valid printer port names include: LPT1,
LPT2, LPT3, COM1, COM2, and COM3.

Screen Colors - If you have a color monitor, you may adjust
the screen colors to suit your tastes. This is done by
altering the Backdrop Color, Text Color, Border Color, and
Background Color selections. The corresponding locations
of each of these colors can be found in the diagram that
follows. Any color changes that you make will take effect
as soon as you hit ESCAPE to exit from the "Change
Configuration" screens.


Choosing a Work File

If you wish to view, edit, or print the contents of a
particular baseball card file, you must first follow the
steps below to choose the file that you wish to use.

1. Use the cursor keys to highlight "Choose Work File"
from the main menu screen and press RETURN.

2. Highlight the card type that you wish to use and press
RETURN.

3. Highlight the year of the set that you wish to use and
press RETURN.

The only files that are available for the Demonstration
Version of Sportcheck - Baseball Edition are 1989 Donruss,
1983 Fleer, and 1976 Topps. All of the card types and years
that are available with the regular version of Sportcheck are
listed near the end of this document.

You do not have to choose a work file to print the summary
report.


Selecting an Action

After you have chosen a work file, you may either edit or
print reports from the file. These choices are found by
highlighting "Select Action" from the main menu screen and
pressing RETURN.


Edit Mode

Selecting "Edit File" from the Select Action screen will put
you into edit mode. The contents of the current work file
are first loaded into memory, and then are displayed on the
screen in a format similar to the following diagram. If your
computer does not have sufficient memory to load the entire
file, it will instead be loaded one page at a time and any
changes that you make will be updated directly to disk.

In edit mode you may add cards, change card conditions,
delete cards, and view your totals for the set.


Moving Through the File

The following keys are used to navigate through the data
file:

UP ARROW / DOWN ARROW - Moves the cursor either up or down
within the current screen.

PAGE UP / PAGE DOWN - Pages one screen forward or backward
in the data file.

F2 - Prompts for a card number to search for, then
displays the correct screen for the number entered.

For quick reference, this information is also available on-
screen by pressing F1 while in edit mode.


Adding Cards

To add a new card you must position the cursor in the
condition field corresponding to the number of the particular
card you wish to add, and enter a valid condition code.
Valid condition codes are G, V, E, N, and M as explained
below.

G - Good (Card showing signs of excessive wear - heavily
rounded corners, multiple creases, minor writing, tape
residue)

V - Very Good (Obviously handled card - slightly rounded
corners, minor creases, loss of surface luster)

E - Excellent (Moderately worn card - rather sharp
corners, no creases, no writing, slight loss of luster
on surface)

N - Near Mint (A nearly perfect card - sharp corners,
barely worn edges, slight loss of surface gloss or
slightly off-center)

M - Mint (Card in perfect condition - sharp corners and
edges, no creases, no signs of wear, even
borders, sharp focus)

This card condition information is also available on-screen
by pressing F1 while in edit mode.

After a valid condition code is entered, the value for that
card and condition will be displayed in the value column.


Changing Card Conditions

If you need to change the condition of a card in your
collection, simply move the cursor to the condition of the
card that you wish to change, and type in the new condition.
The value will automatically be updated to reflect the
change.


Deleting Cards

To delete a card that is no longer in your collection,
highlight the condition code of that card and hit the
space bar or DELETE key to remove the code. The value for
that card will be returned to zero.


Viewing Totals

To view your current totals for the work file set, press F3.
This will show you the number of cards that you have in the
set, and their accumulated value.


Printing Reports

Access to the reporting capabilities of Sportcheck can be
gained by choosing "Print Report" from the Select Action
menu. This will bring up the Select Type of Report screen.
From this screen you have the option of printing either a
summary report or a detail report.

Summary Report

The Summary Report lists each of the sets that are included
with the Sportcheck program. For each of these sets, the
total number of cards in the set, the total number of cards
collected, the percentage collected, and the total value of
the cards are printed.

Detail Reports

There are four different detail reports - Checklist,
Inventory, Missing Cards, and Cards For Sale. Each prints
lines that consist of card number, card condition, player
name, and card value.

Checklist

The Checklist report prints a detail line for every card
number in the work file. A value of zero is printed for
cards that do not contain a condition code. There are two
versions of this report - a one-column report and a two-
column report.

Inventory

The Inventory report only prints a detail line for the
cards that are in your collection. Cards that do not
contain a condition code are not included in this report.
There are also one-column and two-column versions of this
report.

Missing Cards

The Missing Cards report is intended to help the collector
acquire the cards that he or she needs for the collection.
It prints a detail line for each of the cards that are
missing from the collection. As a guide, three values are
printed for each of these cards - for mint, excellent, and
good conditions. This report cannot be run for the
Personal file.


Cards For Sale

When the Cards For Sale report is requested, the user will
be prompted to enter a percentage to use for the report.
This percentage of the actual value of each of the cards
will print on the report to determine the selling price.


Special Files

There are four special files included with the regular
version of the Sportcheck program. These are the Complete
Sets file, the Errors file, the Personal file, and the Totals
file. The Complete Sets file, Errors file, and Personal file
are not available for use with the Demo Version.

Complete Sets File

The Complete Sets file contains values for over 650 sets.
This file can be chosen from the "Choose Card Type" menu
and edited. For each complete set you own, simply enter the
appropriate condition code (G, V, E, N, or M) and the correct
value will be totalled into your collection. If you enter a
complete set, you should be careful not to record the same
cards again in the individual card files, or the values will
be counted twice - once as the total of the individual cards
and once as the complete set value.

If you have a newly completed set and wish to record it as a
complete set instead of individually, you have two options to
clear out the individual card file. First, you may simply
edit the appropriate card file and manually blank out the
condition codes for each card. Otherwise you may run a
special utility program that does this for you. To run the
utility program, change to the disk directory which contains
the Sportcheck program files and type the following at the
DOS prompt:

CLRFILE filename

The filename to use for the particular card type and year can
be found near the end of this document. Do not include the
.fil extension.

Errors File

The Errors file contains alternate versions of some of the
many cards that are in the other card files. Whenever
there is more than one version of a particular card printed,
look into the Errors file to catalog the incorrect copy of
the card. A brief description of each error is included with
the players' names in this file.

Personal File

The Personal file is also accessed by selecting it from the
"Choose Card Type" menu and edited. The purpose of this file
is to give the user the ability to catalog cards that are not
included in any of the other major sets. The edit mode
screen for the Personal file is similar in format to the
regular edit screens, with a few exceptions. In the Personal
file the user must enter all of the information for each card
- condition, player name, and value.

The values entered are totalled in a manner similar to the
other card files. Records in the Personal file may be
deleted by pressing F4 while the cursor is on that record.
Running the utility CLRFILE on the Personal file will erase
all of the data in it, not just the conditions and values.

Totals File

The total values of each of the various card types and years
are stored in a file called SPORTCB.TOT. This file is
updated every time one of the other card files is edited. To
view the Totals file, simply print the Summary Report.

There is a remote possibility that the value in the totals
file will become corrupted and be inaccurate for one of
the files contained in it. This would happen only under very
unusual circumstances involving power loss to the computer at
precisely a certain moment. However, since it is a
possibility, a small utility program has been included which
will correct an inaccurate total in the totals file. To run
the utility, change to the Sportcheck program directory and
type the following command at the DOS prompt:

FIXTOT filename

The filename to use for the particular card type and year can
be found near the end of this document. Do not include the
.fil extension.


Messages

The following are error and procedural messages that are
generated by various conditions of the Sportcheck program.

A window could not be opened. There are too many files open.

Cause - Operation was aborted because the number of open
file handles exceeded the maximum number specified
in the CONFIG.SYS file.

Solution - If you do not currently have a CONFIG.SYS
file on your DOS boot disk, create one containing
the command "FILES=20". If you already have a
CONFIG.SYS file, edit it to include the "FILES=20"
command. See your DOS reference manual for the
procedures to create or edit a CONFIG.SYS file.
Once the file has been changed, you will need to re-
boot the computer to have the changes take effect.

A work file must be selected in order to perform this
operation.

Cause - You have attempted to edit or to print a report
without first selecting a work file to use.

Solution - Select a file to use from the "Choose Work
File" screen.

DATA file is not in the directory listed. Change
configuration.

Cause - The current work file was not found in the
directory listed on the current settings side of the
"Change Configuration" screen.

Solution - Change the Data Directory on the "Change
Configurations" screen to be the correct location of
your data files.

Insert the diskette containing the correct DATA file in drive
x:

Cause - This is a normal message for users of a diskette
based system.

Solution - Insert the appropriate diskette into drive x:
(x: will be either A or B) and press any key to
continue.

Insert the diskette containing the TOTALS file on it.

Cause - This message occurs when Sportcheck is started
from a diskette and the diskette containing the
program files and the totals file has been replaced
or removed.

Solution - Insert the diskette which contains the totals
file (SPORTCB.TOT) into the drive from which the
program was started and press any key to continue.

Text and background colors cannot be the same. Please change
one.

Cause - This error occurs after changing screen colors
in the "Change Configuration" section of the
program. The error is caused by selecting identical
colors for the Text Color and Background Color.
This would cause all subsequent screens to be
unreadable.

Solution - Choose a different color for either the Text
Color or the Background Color.


Further Help

If you have a problem or question regarding the operation of
this Demonstration Version of Sportcheck, contact Software
Creations, Inc. at the address listed at the beginning of
this document. Be sure to include a detailed description of
your situation, including the problem you are experiencing
and the brand and model of computer equipment you are using.
Also, remember to include your address and daytime telephone
number so that we may contact you to help solve the problem.


Notice to Card Dealers

The card values used in Sportcheck are obtained from actual
selling prices from card dealers throughout the United
States. These values will be updated on an annual basis in
November of each year. In order to present values that are
as accurate as possible, we would like to get more and more
card dealers involved. If you publish selling prices for
common cards, stars, or complete sets of baseball or football
cards, please include Software Creations, Inc. on your
mailing list. Our address is shown at the beginning of this
manual. Your participation will be greatly appreciated by
Software Creations, Inc. and the users of the Sportcheck
programs.

The regular versions of Sportcheck - Baseball Edition and
Sportcheck - Football Edition are packaged in individual
portfolios which contain the program and data diskettes, a
printed manual, and the user registration card. Substantial
quantity discounts are available to dealers on these
programs. Please write to Software Creations, Inc. for
details.


Sets Included in the Baseball Edition

BBOW948 .FIL - 1948 Bowman
BBOW949 .FIL - 1949 Bowman
BBOW950 .FIL - 1950 Bowman
BBOW951 .FIL - 1951 Bowman
BBOW952 .FIL - 1952 Bowman
BBOW953B.FIL - 1953 Bowman B & W
BBOW953C.FIL - 1953 Bowman Color
BBOW954 .FIL - 1954 Bowman
BBOW955 .FIL - 1955 Bowman
BCOMPSET.FIL - Complete Sets
BDON981 .FIL - 1981 Donruss
BDON982 .FIL - 1982 Donruss
BDON983 .FIL - 1983 Donruss
BDON984 .FIL - 1984 Donruss
BDON985 .FIL - 1985 Donruss
BDON986 .FIL - 1986 Donruss
BDON987 .FIL - 1987 Donruss
BDON988 .FIL - 1988 Donruss
BDON989 .FIL - 1989 Donruss
BERRORS .FIL - Error Cards
BFLE959 .FIL - 1959 Fleer
BFLE960 .FIL - 1960 Fleer
BFLE961 .FIL - 1961 Fleer
BFLE963 .FIL - 1963 Fleer
BFLE981 .FIL - 1981 Fleer
BFLE982 .FIL - 1982 Fleer
BFLE983 .FIL - 1983 Fleer
BFLE984 .FIL - 1984 Fleer
BFLE984U.FIL - 1984 Fleer Update
BFLE985 .FIL - 1985 Fleer
BFLE985U.FIL - 1985 Fleer Update
BFLE986 .FIL - 1986 Fleer
BFLE986U.FIL - 1986 Fleer Update
BFLE987 .FIL - 1987 Fleer
BFLE987U.FIL - 1987 Fleer Update
BFLE988 .FIL - 1988 Fleer
BFLE988U.FIL - 1988 Fleer Update
BFLE989 .FIL - 1989 Fleer
BFLE989U.FIL - 1989 Fleer Update
BPERSON .FIL - Personal File
BSCO988 .FIL - 1988 Score
BSCO988T.FIL - 1988 Score Traded
BSCO989 .FIL - 1989 Score
BSCO989T.FIL - 1989 Score Traded
BSPO986 .FIL - 1986 Sportflics
BSPO987 .FIL - 1987 Sportflics
BSPO988 .FIL - 1988 Sportflics
BSPO989 .FIL - 1989 Sportflics
BTOP952 .FIL - 1952 Topps
BTOP953 .FIL - 1953 Topps
BTOP954 .FIL - 1954 Topps
BTOP955 .FIL - 1955 Topps
BTOP956 .FIL - 1956 Topps
BTOP957 .FIL - 1957 Topps
BTOP958 .FIL - 1958 Topps
BTOP959 .FIL - 1959 Topps
BTOP960 .FIL - 1960 Topps
BTOP961 .FIL - 1961 Topps
BTOP962 .FIL - 1962 Topps
BTOP963 .FIL - 1963 Topps
BTOP964 .FIL - 1964 Topps
BTOP965 .FIL - 1965 Topps
BTOP966 .FIL - 1966 Topps
BTOP967 .FIL - 1967 Topps
BTOP968 .FIL - 1968 Topps
BTOP969 .FIL - 1969 Topps
BTOP970 .FIL - 1970 Topps
BTOP971 .FIL - 1971 Topps
BTOP972 .FIL - 1972 Topps
BTOP973 .FIL - 1973 Topps
BTOP974 .FIL - 1974 Topps
BTOP975 .FIL - 1975 Topps
BTOP976 .FIL - 1976 Topps
BTOP977 .FIL - 1977 Topps
BTOP978 .FIL - 1978 Topps
BTOP979 .FIL - 1979 Topps
BTOP980 .FIL - 1980 Topps
BTOP981 .FIL - 1981 Topps
BTOP982 .FIL - 1982 Topps
BTOP982T.FIL - 1982 Topps Traded
BTOP983 .FIL - 1983 Topps
BTOP983T.FIL - 1983 Topps Traded
BTOP984 .FIL - 1984 Topps
BTOP984T.FIL - 1984 Topps Traded
BTOP985 .FIL - 1985 Topps
BTOP985T.FIL - 1985 Topps Traded
BTOP986 .FIL - 1986 Topps
BTOP986T.FIL - 1986 Topps Traded
BTOP987 .FIL - 1987 Topps
BTOP987T.FIL - 1987 Topps Traded
BTOP988 .FIL - 1988 Topps
BTOP988T.FIL - 1988 Topps Traded
BTOP989 .FIL - 1989 Topps
BTOP989T.FIL - 1989 Topps Traded
BUPP989 .FIL - 1989 Upper Deck