S T A R

T R E K

V I D E O

L I B R A R Y

- Version 1.00 -







Table of Contents





Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Disclaimer(s) and registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

The Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

The Help Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Editing Hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Editing the Comments area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Searching the Comments area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

THE MAIN MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
0 - Quit the library system and return to DOS . . . . 10
1 - Add or edit an episode in the library . . . . . . 10
- K - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
- A - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
- C - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
- D - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2 - Delete an episode from the library (all copies) . 14
3 - Search menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4 - Utility menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5 - Parameters menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

THE SEARCH MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
0 - Main menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
1 - Episode name search for keywords . . . . . . . . . 17
2 - Comments search for keywords . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3 - Tape condition search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4 - VCR tape contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
5 - Name of episode, tape number, condition listing . 18
6 - Star date, episode, season listing . . . . . . . . 19
7 - Locality search on star dates . . . . . . . . . . 19
8 - Full database report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Active series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20


Global search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Printer toggle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
file Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

THE UTILITY MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
0 - Main menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
1 - Pack the database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
2 - Freshen (rebuild) the database index . . . . . . . 24
3 - Back up the data files to a safe place . . . . . . 24
4 - Restore the data files from a safe place . . . . . 25
5 - Import episodes from another file . . . . . . . . 25
Automatic Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Manual Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

THE PARAMETERS MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
0 - Main menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
1 - Set colors OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
2 - Change colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3 - Backup drive and directory setting . . . . . . . . 30
4 - Default drive and directory setting . . . . . . . 30
5 - Toggle active series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
6 - Zip menus now ON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Runtime Error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
273 - NOT ENOUGH FREE MEMORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
282 - RAN OUT OF DISK SPACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
294 - RAN OUT OF DISK SPACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Registration form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34




The Star Trek Video Library 1





Introduction


Welcome to the Star Trek Video Library! This database
system was first conceived as a simple dBASE utility for me to
keep track of my VCR tapes of Star Trek: The Next Generation
episodes. From there the idea grew into the fully functional,
stand-alone utility you are using now.
This database system accomplishes two goals. The original
intent of a tracking database for VCR tapes is fulfilled, and
more importantly this database serves as a variable cross-
reference for ALL the episodes. The database runs queries on all
fields based on your input criteria, and it can search separate
databases for each of the three Star Trek series (Original,
Animated, and Next Generation). For instance, this allows you to
search for all episodes where the USS Horizon is mentioned. You
can let the episodes flash across the screen one by one, or you
can port the output to the printer. You can also get various
global views of your database for selected input fields. More
details later, though.



Disclaimer(s) and registration


Since you (probably) downloaded this program from a bulletin
board or purchased a disk containing it from an information
service, I assume you know what shareware is, and I won't bore
you with a speech about registration, honor systems, or anything
else. Just keep in mind the fact that the Star Trek Video
Library is copyrighted software that is distributed as shareware.
It is not freeware, and it is not in the public domain. A
registration form is on the very last page of this document. If
you like my strange little program, you could let me know by
registering it.

Registration will entitle you to 1 free program update when
the next version becomes available. If the program you register
isn't the latest version, your registration will be automatically
promoted to the latest version, and a copy of the latest version
will be mailed to you promptly. You will still receive 1 free


The Star Trek Video Library 2


update to this latest version as mentioned above.

Registered users will receive all the import files needed to
bring their database up to date as they see fit. The import
files will be on the same disk as their update. Import files are
explained elsewhere in this manual.

All update materials will be mailed through the US Postal
Service on either 360K 5 1/4 inch floppies, or 720K 3 1/2 inch
disks, to be specified on the registration form.
This software should be treated like most any other piece
of copyrighted shareware - specifically:
(1) - Distribute it freely. I want as many people to use it as
possible, so feel free to upload it to any bulletin board system
that accepts uploads. Also feel free to give it to friends.
(2) - Do not modify any of the files you upload in any way, do
not charge anyone for the program, except reasonable shipping and
handling charges not to exceed $6.50.
(3) - No group, organization, or individual has the right to act
as a collection agent for the author. All donations and
registration fees must be sent to the author through the use of
the registration form at the end of this document. Exceptions to
this term may only be made with written permission of the author,
Pierce Krouse.
(4) - Since this package is distributed as shareware, I cannot
assume ANY responsibility for its fitness of purpose,
suitability, or stability. I also cannot assume any
responsibility for losses or damages arising from its use.

Now with all the nastiness said, realize that this isn't
just something I cobbled together and tossed onto a BBS. This
software represents over 5000 (five thousand) lines of code, a
year of spare-time effort, and MANY hours of debugging. There
may still be bugs in this system, but I sure can't find them!
Oh, and let's not get into how many hours it took to input the
data - I'm a slow typist, and I also cannot guarantee the
accuracy of this database. More on the actual contents and
layout come later.

STAR TREK is a registered trademark of Paramount Pictures
Corporation, and is also copyrighted by them. I assume the
character names are also trademarked and/or copyrighted. I am in
no way affiliated with Paramount Pictures, Lincoln Enterprises,
or any other organization connected to the STAR TREK universe.


The Star Trek Video Library 3


System Requirements


This system was developed for IBM PC/XT/AT machines and 100%
compatibles. It should work on any system generally fitting this
category. DOS 3.0 or higher is required, but I have a few doubts
about its suitability on a DOS 4.0 system. If it doesn't work,
someone let me know. A hard disk is virtually REQUIRED due to
the size of the system, although it would conceivably run on a 3
1/2 inch floppy drive. With the current amount of data shipped
with the system, you should have about 3/4 Meg of disk space free
before attempting to run the system.

NOTICE


Even though you may notice that the files in the system
don't add up to 3/4 Meg as noted above, please note that the
first time you run the Star Trek Video Library as described
below, an Index error message will pop up and wait for you to
take notice and strike a key.

THIS IS PERFECTLY NORMAL!


The system is building index files that help it keep track
of the episodes in the database. Once these files are built,
you'll notice that the total size of the system and data files is
closer to the size mentioned. You also won't see that error
again, unless you delete one or more of the index files for some
reason. If you do NOT have free space at least equal to the size
of STARTREK.DBF, you will most likely crash the system!


Installation

You really don't need to install the program per se. Just
make sure all the files listed below are located in the same
directory.
Simply put, you should use the 'install' batch file
(INSTALL.BAT) provided. You can install the program on a 3 1/2"
floppy drive or a high-density 5 1/4" drive if you have all day
kill whenever you run the program. First and foremost, this is a
database program, so the idea is to put it on the fastest disk
you have - the hard disk. Do NOT try to install this program on


The Star Trek Video Library 4


a 360K 5 1/4" drive - you're wasting your time. The program
itself is over 300K, not to mention the database.

To install the program with the batch file provided, go to
the directory where the files are located. Type INSTALL C: or
replace C with whatever drive you want to install the system on.
Do nothing to the drive, the install batch file will
automatically create a \STARTREK\ sub-directory on the drive for
you. The batch file does the rest of the installation. All the
batch file requires is the ZIP file you downloaded. All the
other files are ignored, and the install batch file deletes these
files after warning you.
To install the database system on a hard disk yourself, make
a subdirectory on your hard disk (or floppy drive if you insist)
with the DOS MKDIR command. Make it a sensible name like
STARTREK. Copy all the files into this new directory. You
should have at least the following files:
STARTREK.EXE
ST.MEM
STARTREK.DBF
ST.BAT
(you can put STARTREK.DOC there if you want to)

That's all there is to it. You start the system by going to
the directory you created and typing ST and hitting .
One last thing. If you are NOT running the system from
drive C:, go to the Parameters menu and change the Default drive
and directory setting found in that menu (selection 4). The
system comes configured for the STARTREK sub-directory on drive
C:, and you should make that setting match whatever drive you
install the system on.

And now - into the system:


The Star Trek Video Library 5



The Menus


This system is designed around a hierarchical menu system
with 'hot keys' that let you work with maximum speed. You never
hit when travelling through the menus - just hit the key
for the selection you want. Ease of use was important in the
design, too. Any system keystroke available to you is shown
highlighted on the screen. There shouldn't be any guesswork
about this. Each menu selection has 2 of these hot keys, and
they are both highlighted. The first hot key is always the
number to the left. The other hot key is (usually) the first
letter of the selection. This choice is a mnemonic that should
make some sense in the context of the menu choice. You can
choose the highlight color for the hot key as well as other color
choices in the Parameters menu described later. I distributed
this system with a (hopefully) rational color scheme. If you
have a monochrome system, you can turn the colors off and
hopefully clear up any problems the color choices give you.
Anyone can change colors or turn colors off. With colors turned
off, the hot keys are shown as bright characters. Also note
that the cursor is shown in the hot key color whenever you are
prompted for system key input. This means the cursor is NOT in
the hot key color whenever you are entering data into a field,
just when you are entering commands that drive the system.



The Star Trek Video Library 6


Here is an overview of how the menus relate to one another:



MAIN
MENU






SEARCH UTILITY PARAMETERS
MENU MENU MENU







The Help Screens


Every menu (plus the editing screen) has its own help screen
available with the 'H' key or the F1 function key. As far as the
menu help screens go, these contain short descriptions of each
menu selection. The editing help screen describes each of the
options available at the end of the screen in case you forget
what they do. The data fields themselves are not detailed there.
Some items may not be self-explanatory, so they are described
later in this document.

The help screens are one-way only. You cannot back up to
re-read an item. Each help section can be quickly aborted with
the key, however.





The Star Trek Video Library 7


Editing Hints


Once you start editing an item, your changes are not
committed until you say so at the end of the screen.

Data supplied in this system is provided in upper case.
ALWAYS enter data in UPPER CASE. It takes all the guesswork out
of searches.

You can navigate the edit screen with the arrow keys, and
you can always go straight to the bottom of the screen with the
key. You MUST NOT hit the key while in a field you
just edited. This will cancel changes to that individual field
you aped from. Just hit return, THEN hit . This
system was written in a dBASE dialect, and that's just the nature
of the beast - sorry about that.

Once you get to the bottom of the edit screen, the arrow
keys are disabled, keeping you from re-editing at that point.
The only way to re-edit the current record without saving and re-
editing changes is to ask for Copy, then say Re-edit in the
choices inside the warning menu. This trick ONLY works when you
are (1) editing an existing record and (2) have not changed the
Episode name during the edit. Since this trick is so dependent
on each situation, you shouldn't depend on it. It goes against
the designed flow control, anyway.


Editing the Comments area


A quick word about editing this section is in order. The
system doesn't really see the comments block as a paragraph like
you do. This area is really eight separate lines of text that
you edit in succession. Typing text in while in insert mode will
not spill the end of the line down to the next line. This
obvious weakness of the system will be improved if the demand of
registered users warrants it. Meanwhile, just enter text
carefully - editing it later is certainly possible - it's just a
little painful. As the lines of text are stored, all eight lines
are left-justified (leading blanks are trimmed off).

The data I have typed into the comments block was worded to
do 2 things:


The Star Trek Video Library 8



(1) Give a synopsis of the episode, and

(2) Name all the characters, planets, and ships in the
episode. The second part adds cohesiveness to the searches
described later.

The data you enter yourself will make more sense in context
if you follow those 2 guidelines.


Searching the Comments area


Even though the comments area is really just a collection of
lines, it is searched as if it were a solid block of text. You
are able to easily search for snippets of text that cross comment
lines. Some working details of the data storage system are
needed at this point:


When searching the comments, the system strings all eight
lines of comments together into a single line. Since most lines
of data do not perfectly fill the 78 characters in a line, the
spaces to the right are trimmed off, and exactly one space is
placed in between the result. Let's say some comment line ends
perfectly at the end with the word JEAN and no spaces trail it.
Let's also say the next comment line begins with LUC - this will
become JEAN LUC as far as searches are concerned - not JEANLUC as
one might think. Searching the comment area for JEAN LUC would
find the example illustrated whereas searching for JEANLUC would
fail.





The Star Trek Video Library 9



THE MAIN MENU


The Main menu contains the editing options, since these are
frequently used items. The Main menu also lets you branch into
the three lower menus in the system: Search, Utility, and
Parameters.

The following section describes each selection under the
main menu in detail:


S T A R T R E K V I D E O L I B R A R Y
Main menu

0 - Quit the library system and return to DOS
1 - Add or edit an episode in the library
2 - Delete an episode from the library (all copies)
3 - Search menu
4 - Utility menu
5 - Parameters menu

Input selection here --> (H = Help)




Active series: The Next Generation




The very last line on the screen reports the status returned
from menu options 1 and 2 where appropriate. Upon entering the
system, this line contains a message reminding you to enter data
in all caps (more on this later).

The next to last line is present in all the menus. It
reminds you which series is active at the moment. More details
are provided on this feature in the Parameters menu section of
the manual.

The following are detailed descriptions of each of the Main
menu selections:


The Star Trek Video Library 10




0 - Quit the library system and return to DOS


True to its word, this selection will get you out of the
system. You should ALWAYS exit the system this way. NEVER
reboot the system because that will raise the danger of
corrupting the database file. The data files are made up of one
actual database file and several index files that are used to
determine report order. Hosing an index file is no big deal -
you can rebuild those with ease. Hosing the actual database file
where the data is stored is a more serious matter. There really
is no way to recover lost data in this scenario.

Since all menu options use hot keys for selections, this
item will stop and ask you to confirm the exit action before
actually doing it.


1 - Add or edit an episode in the library


I highly recommend you experiment with this menu option by
entering a fake episode and playing around with it. There are
several options under this selection, and it's a good idea to
understand them all before entering any actual episodes.

This selection will prompt you for the name of the desired
episode. It will then let you edit the specified record in the
database, or it will add a record for the specified episode if
one does not already exist.




The Star Trek Video Library 11


Here is an example edit screen you would see for the episode
named THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS:

EDIT an episode
press when finished

Episode:THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS Season:3
Star date: 43989.1 Tape number: 40 Condition of recording:GOOD
Tape position:0075
Comments
THE SEASON FINALE FINDS THE ENTERPRISE AT ZURI IV INVESTIGATING AN OUTPOST'S
DISTRESS CALL. THE POST IS GONE, AND THE BORG ARE SUSPECTED. LT. COMMANDER
SHELBY COMES ON BOARD AS A SPECIALIST, AND THE BORG ARE QUICKLY ENCOUNTERED.
A FIGHT AND CAT-AND-MOUSE GAME END UP IN PICARD'S CAPTURE AND THE BORG SHIP
HEADED TO SECTOR 001 - EARTH. AN ATTEMPT TO SAVE PICARD MAKES THE BORG STOP,
REVEALING PICARD AS A BORG. RIKER ORDERS FIRING ON THE SHIP WITH A POWERFUL
WEAPON THAT IS THE ENTERPRISE'S LAST HOPE OF KNOCKING OUT THE BORG SHIP. IT
WILL SURELY DISABLE THE ENTERPRISE, AND IT MAY KILL PICARD. TO BE CONTINUED.

(K)eep or (A)bandon changes, (D)elete or (C)opy current episode: (H = Help)

Active series: The Next Generation




The last line reminds you which series the episode is filed
under. New episodes will be filed under this series. Details of
this setting are given in the section detailing the Parameters
menu.

The first line tells you whether you are editing an existing
record or adding a new record, and the next line reminds you of
the current active system hot key:




The Star Trek Video Library 12


The next line re-displays the episode name you just typed in
and allows you to re-edit if needed. The Star Date follows on
the next line. This field is automatically formatted as the
record is saved, so you need not go to great pains to enter this
data accurately. Just make sure you only enter numerals and one
decimal point. In the instances where a star date is not known,
just leave this field blank. When you are sure the star date is
not given anywhere in the episode, just enter NOT GIVEN in this
field. This will make the record fall in place with other
episodes of this type whenever you list things in Star Date
order.

The next three fields - Tape number, Condition of recording,
and Tape position are only useful if you actually record the show
and save the tapes. The Tape number field is useful if you ever
want to look up an episode and either watch it or loan it to a
friend in dire need of a Trek Fix (TM). Condition is entirely
subjective and marginally helpful if you got a lousy recording of
a particular episode once and the TV schedule shows you have an
opportunity to re-record the episode. The Tape position field is
especially helpful if you record in 6 hour mode and want to fast-
forward directly to an episode on the tape with a minimum of
fuss.

The Comments section follows tape position, and here is
where you type in the episode synopsis, being careful to try and
include any relevant planet, character, and ship names for cross-
referencing purposes. Of course, you can put whatever you please
in this block - that's what it's here for. You should customize
your database as you see fit.

The whole time you have been editing, you will notice that
the word has been highlighted at the top. Please note the
earlier warning about hitting the key while still in a
field you have changed. Once you have finished editing and
dropped out of the database fields, you will notice that the word
is no longer highlighted. If you are adding a new episode,
the K and A characters of Keep and Abandon are highlighted below
the comment block. If you are editing an existing record, the D
and C characters of Delete and Copy are highlighted as well.
Here are the details for each of the 4 choices given here:




The Star Trek Video Library 13


- K -

The most common choice. All your edits are committed to the
database and you return to the Main menu. If you are editing an
existing episode the main menu displays this message at the
bottom of the screen:
EPISODE EDITED, CHANGES SAVED

If you are adding a new episode, the main menu reports:
EPISODE ADDED TO DATABASE

- A -

This selection ignores all the edits you made on the screen
and leaves the episode as you found it. Since this isn't what
you would normally want to do, the system asks to be sure this is
what you want to do. If you don't really want to ignore the
edits, hitting will put you back at the top of the editing
screen. This provides a reasonably quick way to get back to the
editing screen if you see that you need to go back and edit
something again. Hitting here will put you back at the main
menu. If you were editing an existing record, ALL EDITS IGNORED
is reported in the main menu. If you were adding an episode,
EPISODE NOT ADDED is reported instead.

The next 2 options are highlighted only when you are editing
an existing episode.

- C -

Copy will leave the original version of the episode in its
original condition and save the edited version to a new record,
leaving two possibly identical records in the database. If you
choose Copy without making changes to the episode's name field, a
warning screen will advise you not to do this. Since the system
allows you to edit records based on the episode's name, making a
copy without changing the episode name will leave you with two
database records under the same name. You would only be able to
edit the first one of these copies if you selected from the
main menu and typed in this episode name. This selection is best
used by making some change to the episode title, like typing
(COPY) after the actual episode name. This makes it different
enough for you to edit later if you wish. At any rate, you can
make the copy without changing the episode name by hitting
again in the warning screen that pops up. The main menu returns


The Star Trek Video Library 14


with EPISODE EDITED, CHANGES SAVED TO A COPY in the message area.


- D -

This selection will not only ignore the edits you have made,
it will also erase the record you found in the first place. If
you have 2 or more copies under this episode name, this option
will only delete the first instance found in the database,
leaving all the others intact. Selecting this option will
perform the deletion and return to the Main menu. If you were
editing an existing episode, the Main menu reports
EPISODE DELETED FROM DATABASE. If you were adding a new record,
the Main menu reports
ALL EDITS IGNORED, EPISODE NOT ADDED.

If you wish to delete ALL copies under an episode name,
refer to the next menu selection:


2 - Delete an episode from the library (all copies)


As you might expect, this selection from the Main menu will
ask you for the episode name, tally up the number of copies under
this name, and report this number to you. You can then abort
this delete process or delete all the copies found in the
database. This option also provides a way for you to check and
see whether extra copies have been made and added to the
database. All you have to do is abort the Delete process after
it reports the number found.


3 - Search menu


This option will pop up the Search menu, containing all the
reporting options.




The Star Trek Video Library 15


4 - Utility menu


This option takes you to the Utility menu, containing
options to let you back up and restore, tend to damaged index
files, and clean up the database. The back up and restore
options use settings you control in the Parameters menu.


5 - Parameters menu


This option allows you to control the systems color
settings, backup and restore locations, and which series is
active. For convenience, the series option is also available in
the Search menu.






The Star Trek Video Library 16



THE SEARCH MENU


All reporting activity takes place in this menu. This menu
is different from the others in that it has its own interactive
settings shown in a section below the normal menu selections.
These options make more sense here, and having them here saves
you the trouble of having to go to another menu to change
settings, just so you can come back to this menu to finish what
you were doing. These options are described after the normal
menu selections.





S T A R T R E K V I D E O L I B R A R Y
Search menu

0 - Main menu
1 - Episode name search for keywords
2 - Comments search for keywords
3 - Tape condition search
4 - VCR tape contents
5 - Name of episode, tape number, condition listing
6 - Star date, episode, season listing
7 - Locality search on star dates
8 - Full database report

Input selection here --> (H = Help)




Active series Global search Printer toggle file Index
The Next Generation OFF OFF EPISODE




The Star Trek Video Library 17


0 - Main menu


This selection returns you to the Main menu of the system.
Choice 0 or M on all the lower menus will do this.


1 - Episode name search for keywords


This selection prompts you for a piece of text to look up in
the episode name field. If the text you input appears anywhere
in the Episode title, the episode is displayed on the screen.
The episode is shown on the screen in approximately the same
format as the edit screen described earlier in selection 1 of the
Main menu. The actual scan through the database cannot be
interrupted, but the search can be stopped whenever the scan
pauses to display an episode. Hitting or
continues searching the database, while stops the search and
returns to the Search menu.

2 - Comments search for keywords


This selection is the most powerful and (hopefully) the most
useful search option in this system. You are prompted for a
string to search for, and all eight lines of the comments section
are treated as a single search area. The text being searched for
can break between comment lines. Read about the simple rules you
need to know about in the section called Searching the comments
earlier in the manual. This section is listed in the table of
Contents at the beginning of this manual. This search is
controlled like all the others - a will abort any search, and
or continues. Whenever an episode is found
containing the search string you specify, the episode is
displayed in the same format as selection 1, with one difference.
Since the comment block is relatively large, the found text
string is highlighted wherever it appears in the comment block.
The color choices for this highlighting can be changed in the
Parameters menu.




The Star Trek Video Library 18


3 - Tape condition search


This selection behaves much like selection 1 in this menu.
The major difference is that you can tell the search to proceed
in an Exact or Approximate match section. Approximate searches
will return episodes with the text string you specify contained
anywhere in the Tape condition field. If you specify GOOD as the
input string, episodes containing GOOD as well as episodes
containing REAL GOOD will be displayed. This search method is
the one used in selections 1 and 2 in this menu. Exact search is
more restrictive. Only episodes with the exact same string in
the Tape condition field are displayed. The episodes containing
REAL GOOD from the earlier example would not appear here.
Whichever match selection method you choose, that selection
method becomes the default selection method the next time you
choose this selection. This default selection remains in effect
even after you leave the system entirely. Since it is likely
that you would always want the same type of search here, this
match selection is considered a 'set-and-forget' item that you
shouldn't have to always fool with.


4 - VCR tape contents


Since it is likely that VCR users will keep more than one
episode on a tape, this method is used to show which episodes are
contained on any given tape you've cataloged in the system. It's
assumed you number your tapes in the 0 - 999 range accepted by
the system. This selection isn't especially useful, but it is
included here for completeness.


5 - Name of episode, tape number, condition listing


This selection and the next one follow a different display
format from the first 4 selections. These 2 selections display
simple lists with three items per line. The list for selection 5
is useful as an overview of your tape collection, giving you
organization and condition data in a compact format.




The Star Trek Video Library 19


6 - Star date, episode, season listing


This selection gives you an overview of the Star Trek
universe as you have it cataloged. Along with the episode name
you have the star date and season in a simple list.


7 - Locality search on star dates


This selection searches the time line created by looking at
things in star date order. You are prompted for a target star
date, and the system searches for this star date among the
episodes in the system. If your target star date coincides with
an episode in the system, that episode is displayed in the same
format used in the first four selections in this menu. In the
likely event that you fail to match it exactly, another screen is
brought up that shows the target star date that failed, and it's
listed in between the first star date found preceding that date,
and the first star date found following that date. From this
screen you can chronologically look backward and forward from
this star date. Since there is only one episode per star date,
you will usually expect to see only one episode when you look at
the episodes matching the dates surrounding this failed star
date. The notable exception to this is when your failed star
date falls off the end of the cataloged star dates. This will
show that the following episodes have a star date of NOT FOUND,
or whatever the star date is you have entered for the occasional
episode with no star date. If you have more than one copy of an
episode that falls adjacent to the failed star date, you will be
able to see them all here if your failed star date is adjacent to
the star date of this episode. This selection is admittedly
difficult to describe here. Play with it and see if you like it.
Most people don't.


8 - Full database report


This option prints out the episodes without any selection
from you. Like all the rest of the reports here, the order
isdetermined by the file Index setting described below, and the
Global search toggle affects the report as well.
You need to specify whether you want the Complete report or


The Star Trek Video Library 20


the Abbreviated report (,). The Complete report option
shows everything about an episode in the same format used in
selections 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7. The Abbreviated report option uses
a format combining the fields in options 5 and 6 onto 1 line.
Active series


Choosing will change the status box at the bottom of the
screen so that it appears like this:


Choose the series you wish to use.

>>1The Next Generation<< Global search Printer toggle file Index
2The Original Series OFF OFF EPISODE
3The Animated Series

^ |
Please press 1,2,3, or |,V, then :

The caret marks ( >> and << ) will mark the current series
setting. Pick your new series setting with the arrows and
key, or simply hit the appropriate number key. The
status box will return to normal and show your setting in the
leftmost box. This set-and-forget setting is permanent and will
remain in effect until you decide to change it. This same option
is also found in the Parameters menu, and was included here for
convenience.


Global search


This set-and-forget option behaves as follows:

OFF - Your reports will only reflect those episodes listed under
the Active series in the leftmost status box.
ON - Your reports will be pulled from all episodes listed in the
database, regardless of the Active series setting.

This option only affects the reports you make. It is a
filter option that does not have any effect on the actual data as
episodes are added or edited.


The Star Trek Video Library 21


Printer toggle



Any report you create in this menu will automatically go to
the screen, and this toggle option will make it go to the printer
as well. Reports created with selections 1 through 4 and 7 send
data to the printer as it is found. Items 5 and 6 send it all at
once when the report finishes scrolling across the screen. This
setting remains in effect as long as you are in the system, and
always defaults to OFF whenever you enter the system.

This release only recognizes printers hooked up to parallel
port LPT1. LPT2 users should either use a ram-resident utility
that switches output from LPT1 to LPT2, or use a utility such as
PRNDSK that redirects printer output to the disk. Either type of
utility would have to be run before ever entering the Star Trek
Video Library.



- A note to LaserJet users -

The typical LaserJet user has the printer installed on a COM
port instead of one of the LPT ports. I've seen some pretty
strange printer setups in the past ten years, so I hesitate to
claim that ALL laser printers are connected this way. Those of
you using LaserJet printers hooked to a COM port should note that
it is easy to redirect printer output from LPT1 to the COM port
your printer is hooked up to. You can do this with the DOS MODE
command, and you should run it before running the Star Trek Video
Library. Assuming your printer is hooked up to COM1, the two
commands that usually do the trick are the following:

MODE COM1: 9600,N,8,1,P
MODE LPT1=COM1




The Star Trek Video Library 22


file Index


Choosing will temporarily change the right side of the
status box as follows:
^ |
To change, hit 1,2,3,4,|,V.
Then hit for
Active series Global search Printer toggle highlighted index.
The Next Generation OFF OFF 1-EPISODE
2-TAPE NUMBER
3-SEASON
4-STAR DATE


There are no caret marks as seen when you change the Active
series setting on the left. Instead, the current Index is fully
highlighted. The index affects the order of the episodes shown
in the reports you create. This setting remains in effect as
long as you are in the system, and always defaults to EPISODE
whenever you start the system.







The Star Trek Video Library 23



THE UTILITY MENU


This menu contains the tools that you use for database
upkeep.


S T A R T R E K V I D E O L I B R A R Y
Utility menu

0 - Main menu
1 - Pack the database
2 - Freshen (rebuild) the database index
3 - Back up the data files to a safe place
4 - Restore the data files from a safe place
5 - Import episodes from another file

Input selection here --> (H = Help)









Active series: The Next Generation



0 - Main menu


This selection returns you to the Main menu of the system.
Choice 0 or M on all the lower menus will do this.


1 - Pack the database


Whenever you delete an episode with option 1 or 2 in the
Main menu, the data's storage space is made unavailable, but the
actual space is not usable until you actually pack the database


The Star Trek Video Library 24


with this option. This option doesn't really improve performance
of the system that much, but it does shrink the disk space needed
if you delete a lot of episodes.


2 - Freshen (rebuild) the database index


All sorts of unforseen events can damage the index files
that determine episode order in the reports you generate in the
Search Menu. It doesn't happen very often, and I haven't seen it
happen at all since I moved the system out of an actual dBASE
environment into a compiled environment. One common symptom of a
damaged index file is episodes you just typed in seem to
disappear completely from reports, although you may still be able
to call them up and verify the data you entered is intact.
Rebuilding the index files is a simple step to take that remedies
this situation. This option is used by the system the first time
you ever run it to build the index files in the first place.


3 - Back up the data files to a safe place


Rebuilding the index files is easy. Rebuilding damaged
database files is next to impossible. It's a lot easier to keep
the database file backed up in a safe place. You can back it up
to any existing subdirectory on any hard disk you own, but it's a
lot easier to just back it up to the root of a floppy disk and
store the disk somewhere safe. Since I have already watched a
lot of database files go in the toilet before, just take my word
for it: it is not fun. Back up the stupid files and save
yourself a lot of hassles.

When you choose this option, you will be told what the
system is about to do, and of course you have the option of
getting out if you see something is wrong. A good example of
something going wrong is you noticing that

(a) The system thinks it's located in a directory that you
know is totally wrong, or
(b) The system is about to try and make a backup copy on a
drive and/or directory that does not exist.

You can correct both of these problems in the Parameters


The Star Trek Video Library 25


menu. If you try to perform a backup or restore when either of
these problems exist, you will get a (fatal) runtime error that
will most likely lock up your computer and make you reboot.
Ironically, this has the potential to damage the very database
file you are trying to save.


4 - Restore the data files from a safe place


This choice behaves exactly like the previous one. All
warnings mentioned there apply here as well.


5 - Import episodes from another file


Occasionally I will send update files out to bulletin board
systems with newer or changed episodes that you can include in
your copy of the database. This option lets you pull these
episodes into your own copy of the database. Note that you do
not have to import the whole file - you can if you wish, but you
may pick and choose the episodes you want to import and ignore
others.
Before performing an import into your database, observe the
following 2 guidelines:

(1) You must copy the .DBF file with the desired episodes into
the directory on your disk where the system is installed.
Otherwise the system won't be able to find the file to import
from. This setting is found in option 4 under the Parameters
menu.

(2) It's a good idea to make a printed listing of the episodes
you already have before importing, especially if you plan on
doing a Manual import. This will prevent you from ending up with
2 copies of the same episode, since the import option does not
over-write any existing episodes. You can do this by selecting
option 5 from the Search Menu. Make sure you toggle the printer
on so you'll have a hard copy of the report to guide you through
the import process.

Naturally, you can also use this option to get episodes from
your friends. The import file is nothing special - it's just a
database file like the one your episodes are stored in, so


The Star Trek Video Library 26


nothing prevents you from using another database file to import
from.
You have 2 import options - Automatic and Manual:

Automatic Import

The Automatic import is definitely not recommended unless you
know EXACTLY what episodes are in the import file! You will
flood your database with duplicate episodes if you use the
Automatic import option with a friends database. It's a real
pain to fix this kind of mess - believe me. Import files I
upload to databases will be accompanied by a separate file called
EPISODES.LST that will let you know what episodes are in the
import file. Automatic import is only recommended for uploaded
import files. Import files will be in ZIP form similar to the
ZIP package the Star Trek Video Library came to you in. Along
with EPISODES.LST will be a database file with the actual
episodes. Since I plan to send several versions of import files
out, check the name of the file against the information in
EPISODES.LST to make sure you haven't imported the episodes
already.

Manual Import

The Manual import option is a safer but more tedious import
method. Episodes are listed one by one in an EPISODE window, and
an Action window to the left of this asks you what to do with the
episode shown - Add it or Ignore it. The results of your choice
are shown to the right in the Result window. Note that this is a
one-way process - you cannot back up to change your mind once you
hit the or key for an episode - the import is immediate
and irreversible. You can stop the manual import at any time by
hitting the key. If you ignore an episode that you later
decide you want, just perform the import again and hit until
the episode you want appears - the import process does not delete
the episodes from the import file, it just makes a copy of them
in your database file.


The Star Trek Video Library 27



THE PARAMETERS MENU


This menu lets you set various variables that control the
systems behavior.


S T A R T R E K V I D E O L I B R A R Y
Parameters menu

0 - Main menu
1 - Set colors OFF
2 - Change colors
3 - Backup drive and directory setting
4 - Default drive and directory setting
5 - Toggle active series
6 - Zip menus now ON

Input selection here --> (H = Help)



Active series: The Next Generation



0 - Main menu


This selection returns you to the Main menu of the system.
Choice 0 or M on all the lower menus will do this.


1 - Set colors OFF


The system comes configured with colors turned on and set to
a (hopefully) logical set of choices. Toggling this option will
turn the screen colors ON and OFF. Users with monochrome systems
may find the hot keys easier to read if they toggle this setting
OFF. When you toggle this setting, ON will turn to OFF and vice-
versa. See the description of option 6 on this menu if you don't
understand why ON is displayed when colors are OFF and vice-
versa.


The Star Trek Video Library 28



Note that when the colors are toggled OFF, choice 2 in this
menu is disabled, and therefore its hot keys are turned off.

This and the following selection have no effect on the
colors used in the opening screen.

2 - Change colors


When colors are turned ON, selecting this option will bring
up the following screen. There's a lot of information on this
screen, so explanations may be in order:



Example of current settings:
INPUT COLOR ->
Current menu box color: CHANGES BELOW: -> S T A R
New menu box color: -> Sample
->
-> 0 - Quit the
Current menu text color: New menu text color: -> 1 - Add or e
Return to dos -> 2 - Delete a
-> 3 - Search m
Current menu hi-lite color: New menu hi-lite color: -> 4 - Utility
0 - Q ->
->
Current data colors: New data colors: ->
... THE ENTERPRISE ... FG: BG: ->
-> Star Date: 4124
Current comment hi-lite colors: New highlight colors: ->
... THE ENTERPRISE ... FG: BG: -> THE ENTERPRISE IS
-> INTO THE NEUTRAL
Color choices: -> CRIPPLED ROMULAN
ForeGround: BackGround: -> ON THE STARBASE
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV -> WORF AND THE LAN
0123456789ABCDEF 01234567 -> SAVE PICARDS LI
................ ........ ->
->






The Star Trek Video Library 29


This screen logically divides into the following 5 areas:




Color User Example
change input area
area area









Palette Decision
area



When the screen first comes up, the Decision area is blank.
The current settings are used to fill in the Example area as well
as the Color change area. The palette shows the available
foreground (FG) and background (BG) choices, and a bar of
characters above the Foreground is flashing because that is the
choices area for the current question the system is asking you.
The user is led down through the User input area (duh), and color
choices made there are reflected in the Color change area, but
not yet in the Example area.




The Star Trek Video Library 30


When you answer the last question in the User input area,
the Decision area fills in:


(K)eep,
(A)bandon, or
(R)etry this menu
with these colors:
(K),(A), or (R):


The current choices reflected in the Color change area can
be saved and control returned to the Parameters menu by selecting
here. will abort the color setting process with no
questions asked. will use the colors shown in the Color
change area to update the Example area and put the user at the
top of (you guessed it) the User input area.


3 - Backup drive and directory setting


This choice lets you choose where any backups you make in
the Utility menu will go. In the unlikely event that you need to
restore the database, this is where the backup copy of the
database is expected to be. The system is shipped with drive A
and the root directory (\) as the settings here.


4 - Default drive and directory setting


This choice basically tells the system where it is located.
This info is needed for the backup and restore options as well.
The system is shipped with drive C and \STARTREK\ as the two
settings.





The Star Trek Video Library 31


5 - Toggle active series


This selection is functionally the same as the Active series
setting in the Search menu. You are asked to use the number keys
or arrow keys followed by a to make your selection.7


6 - Zip menus now ON


If you don't like the way the program menus come up on the
screen, you can turn off this 'zip-effect' with this set-and-
forget option, making the menus appear on the screen normally.
Since the choice here is not a verb like 'Set', it seemed more
logical to show the current setting (ON or OFF) than to show the
intended action (turn ON or turn OFF). For example, intended
action is shown in option 1 - Set colors ON/OFF. Here if the
colors are ON, OFF is displayed because hitting here would
set the colors OFF, just like it says. If this description
doesn't make sense, just play with options 1 and 6 and see what
happens. Ah, the great debate continues!!!





The Star Trek Video Library 32


Runtime Error messages


It is inevitable that some unknown situation will make this
system crash for *someone* out there using it. I have taken all
precautions I could imagine while designing this code. I would
be a fool among fools to think this code is perfect, though.
Some runtime errors are tagged internally by the compiler and
they will usually manage to cough up a nonsensical error message
right before the system draws its dying breath. I have simulated
the effects of as many of these system errors on my machine that
I could think of, and these are the error messages that you might
be unfortunate enough to see sometime. I have given descriptions
that should clarify the offending situation for you.


Error
No. Meaning


273 - NOT ENOUGH FREE MEMORY
Remedy this by removing memory-resident programs.
If you are unfamiliar with memory-resident programs, some
examples are SideKick (by Borland), or a
print spooler like PRINT.COM, which comes with DOS.

282 - RAN OUT OF DISK SPACE
This is most likely during the rebuilding of index
files, quite possibly right when you installed the
program for the first time. Just remove some
unneeded files from your disk where the program
is installed.

294 - RAN OUT OF DISK SPACE
Happened to me once when my database file got too big for
the disk it was on. This happened during an episode
import, as opposed to building an index as described above.




Index




(A)bandon 11, 30
(C)opy 11
(D)elete 11
(K)eep 11, 30
- A - 13
- C - 13
- D - 14
- K - 13
13, 20, 26, 30, 20, 26
13, 20
7, 11, 12
26
30
13
26
4, 5, 17, 20, 31
31
17
13
0 - Main menu 17, 23, 27
0 - Quit 10
1 - Add or edit 10
1 - Episode name search for keywords 17
1 - Pack the database 23
1 - Set colors OFF 27
100% compatibles 3
2 - Change colors 28
2 - Comments search for keywords 17
2 - Delete an episode 14
2 - Freshen 24
273 32
282 32
294 32
3 - Back up the data 24
3 - Backup drive and directory setting 30
3 - Search menu 14
3 - Tape condition search 18
3 1/2" floppy drive 3
3/4 Meg 3
360K 5 1/4 inch floppies 2
360K 5 1/4" drive 4
4 - Default drive and directory setting 30
4 - Restore the data 25
4 - Utility menu 15
4 - VCR tape contents 18


The Star Trek Video Library 34


5 - Import episodes 25
5 - Name of episode, tape number, condition listing 18
5 - Parameters menu 15
5 - Toggle active series 31
5 1/4" drive 3
6 - Star date, episode, season listing 19
6 - Zip menus now ON 31
7 - Locality search on star dates 19
720K 3 1/2 inch disks 2
8 - Full database report 19
A note to LaserJet users 21
Action window 26
Active series 9, 11, 16, 20, 22, 23, 27, 31, 20
adding a new record 11, 14
Approximate 18
Automatic Import 26
character 2, 12
Color change area 29, 30
COM port 21
comments 7, 8, 11, 12, 16, 17
comments block 7
Condition of recording 11, 12
dBASE 1, 7, 24
Decision area 29, 30
Default drive 4, 27, 30
directory setting 4, 27, 30
Disclaimer(s) and registration 1
disk space 3, 24, 32
DOS 3, 4, 9, 10, 21, 28, 32
DOS 4.0 3
editing an existing record 7, 11-13
editing help screen 6
Editing Hints 7
editing options 9
Editing the Comments area 7
EPISODE window 26
EPISODES.LST 26
Exact 18
Example area 29, 30
fake episode 10
file Index 16, 19, 20, 22
floppy drive 3, 4
Free program update 1
freeware 1
Global search 16, 19, 20, 22, 20
Hard disk 3
help screen 6


The Star Trek Video Library 35


High-density 5 1/4" drive 3
hot keys 5, 10, 27, 28, 5
IBM PC 3
identical records 13
Import files 2
Install 3
INSTALL.BAT 3
Installation 3
Introduction 1
Latest version 1
left-justified 7
Lincoln Enterprises 2
LPT1 21
LPT2 21
main menu 9, 13, 14, 16, 17, 23, 27
Manual import 25, 26
MKDIR 4
mnemonic 5
MODE 7, 12, 21
NOTICE 3
OFF 20
ON 20
palette 29
Parameters menu 4, 5, 9, 11, 15, 17, 20, 24, 25, 27, 30, 25
Paramount Pictures 2
Paramount Pictures Corporation 2
planet 12
Printer toggle 16, 20-22, 21
public domain 1
Register 1
Registered trademark 2
Registered users 2
registering 1
registration 1, 2, 34, 1
registration form 1, 2, 34, 2
responsibility 2
Result window 26
Runtime Error messages 32
Search menu 9, 14-17, 24, 25, 31, 25
searching the comments 8, 17
Searching the Comments area 8
series 1, 9, 11, 15, 16, 20, 22, 23, 27, 31
Series setting 20
Set-and-forget 20
shareware 1, 2
ship names 12
ST.BAT 4


The Star Trek Video Library 36


ST.MEM 4
stability 2
STAR TREK 1-3, 19, 21, 26, 34, 2
STARTREK.DBF 3, 4, 3
STARTREK.DOC 4
STARTREK.EXE 4
subdirectory 4, 24
suitability 2, 3
System Requirements 3
Tape number 11, 12, 16, 18, 22
Tape position 11, 12
The Help Screens 6
THE MAIN MENU 9, 13, 14, 17, 23, 27, 9
THE PARAMETERS MENU 4, 5, 9, 11, 15, 17, 20, 24, 25, 27,
30, 27
THE SEARCH MENU 14-17, 24, 25, 31, 16
THE UTILITY MENU 15, 23, 30, 23
Trademark 2
UPPER CASE 7
User input area 29, 30
Utility menu 9, 15, 23, 30
ZIP form 26







Registration form

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - cut here - - - - - - - - - - -
Please print legibly: check disk size: 5 1/4___ 3 1/2___


Name:____________________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

Phone (voice):(__ __ __)__ __ __ - __ __ __ __

BBS you downloaded this from:(__ __ __)__ __ __ - __ __ __ __

The following information will be used to help me get a profile
of the registered users and their needs:

Computer brand:________________________________________

system configuration:__________________________________

__________________________________

RAM:________________________________________

Printer brand:________________________________________

Printer model:________________________________________

Suggested Star Trek Video Library 1.00 Enhancements/Changes:

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________


Please remit $20 registration fee with the above information to:

Pierce Krouse

1540 Presidential Dr.

Columbus, OH 43212