














                        The Video Movie Log Database Program
                                  By Richard Thomas






















                                 Copyright (c) 1993
                                   Richard Thomas
                                 All Rights Reserved






























          Welcome to the Video Movie Log Database Program! This is a
          program to help you keep track of all those video tapes that tend
          to collect around the house. If you are like me, you have managed
          to collect quite a few. After all with the cost of new release
          video tapes at about $10.00 - $20.00 it almost seems like a false
          economy to rent them rather than to simply buy them! Some of
          these tapes are only available for a short time and so you might
          want to add these to your collection while they are still
          available!

          But, once you get all of these tapes, how are you going to keep
          track of them? I started this project with just that question in
          mind. My first attempt was in the days before I got my first PC
          and I used a trusty typewriter! Eventually I used several
          database managers, but they never gave me quite what I wanted so,
          eventually I started writing this program. Version 1 (for lack of
          a better description) has worked in our household steadily since
          I first wrote it about September of 1992. But, we wanted a little
          more flexibility in the way we looked at our movies, so I started
          on this version. I then added the ability to define printers so
          that everyone can have their printout look the best it can using
          their own printer.

          So, Give it a try, If you like it I will send you the registered
          version for only $10.00. I will also provide you with any updates
          which come along as a result of suggestions from you or any other
          registered user for a minimal cost.

          This will get rid of that irritating opening screen and 15 second
          delay at the end. This will also support the concept of
          "ShareWare" and keep the cost of software down.

          Remember to send your $10.00 to:
              Richard Thomas
              804 E. Gentile St.
              Layton, UT   84041

          Be sure to tell me what disk size you want, and I will send it to
          you via return mail.

          System Requirements:

          I always like to know whether or not I can run a program. Before
          I go on here is what you need to run this program:
               An IBM Compatible PC.
               MS or PC DOS Version 3.1 or above.
               384k of system memory (RAM)
               A disk drive with approximately 1MB of free space
                 (The more free space you have the larger your
                  database can be, Hard Drives work much faster.)
               A color monitor (Supports CGA,EGA,VGA and MCGA)
               A printer to print your reports.














          Supported, but not required:
               (Nice to have but if you don't it will still work)
               Microsoft Compatible Mouse with driver.
               LIM EMS V4.0 or above.

          Program Limits:

          Because of the nature of the database engine that was used to
          develop this program there is a limit to the maximum size of your
          database file. This limit is reached if your file ever reaches
          128Mb. Because of the amount of space that each movie record
          takes this limit would be reached once you had stored
          approximately 400,000,000 Movies. You must also understand that
          you must have that amount of free disk space.

          Since I always like to know all about my status as a user up
          front I always think it is important to get all the legal stuff
          out of the way as quickly as possible so here it is.

          License:

          You are granted a limited license to use this program on a single
          computer for a period of 30 days for evaluation purposes. If you
          continue to use this program for more than the 30 day period you
          are expected to send in the registration fee. No one except the
          author may accept any payment of any kind for this program. A
          disk copying fee is not considered payment. This program may not
          be sold for any amount of money except by the author.

          Copyright:

          This program is Copyright(c) 1993 by Richard Thomas and is
          protected by United States Copyright laws and international
          treaty provisions.

          Warranty:

          Richard Thomas disclaims all warranties either express or
          implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of
          merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event
          will Richard Thomas or his agents or suppliers be liable for any
          damages whatsoever (including without limitation, damages for
          loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business
          information, or other pecuniary loss) arising out of the use or
          inability to use this product, Even if the author has been
          advised of the possibility of such damages.




















          Registration:

          A registration fee of US$10.00 is required for the use of The
          Movie Log beyond the 30 day trial period.  Registration entitles
          the holder to the registered version of this program and
          notification of upgrades from the author. This does not imply
          that there are any guarantees that there will ever be any future
          upgrades. I do solicit comments and will take into consideration
          the suggestions of any and all registered users. If you are not a
          registered user, do not expect any technical support, nor do I
          guarantee that I will listen to any suggestions.

          Registration fees in the form of check or money order in US
          Dollars payable to Richard Thomas may be sent along with your
          name, address and phone number to:
               Richard Thomas
               804 E. Gentile St.
               Layton, UT  84041
          The registered version will be returned via return mail.
          If you live outside the U.S. or Canada (APO's and FPO's
          excepted), please enclose and additional $10.00 US for postage.
          This means that those of you who live (and work) overseas but
          have an APO or FPO address will only have to pay the normal
          $10.00 registration fee.

          Distribution:

          Feel free to upload this program to you favorite Bulletin Board
          System, or give it to a friend, or in any way give this program
          the widest possible distribution. Just be sure that you do not
          charge for the program itself. You may charge a disk copying fee
          provided that you make it clear that this fee does NOT purchase
          the program. You may NOT modify, reverse engineer or de-compile
          any files that you distribute.

          Numbering System:

          My Version numbering system is just a little different. I still
          use the standard of Major.Minor(BugFix) convention, that is this
          is Major Release 2 Minor Release 0 Bug Fix 0. That Makes this
          Version 2.00. The letter on the end indicates whether or not this
          is a registered copy. "U" indicates Unregistered "R" indicates a
          registered copy.























          Features:

          This program incorporates many features which I believe makes it
          an especially easy and quick way to store all your video movies.

          Mouse driven interface with pull down menus:

          Will automatically detect the presence of any Microsoft
          compatible Mouse driver. If present, the program will allow you
          to use it to make menu selections an to choose from various other
          selections.

          Large capacity to store movies:

          This system will hold approximately 400,000,000 movies (depending
          on your disk space).
          Quick retrieval of any movie on file:

          Retrieval times are almost instantaneous on an my personal
          system. Since my personal system is not "state of the art"
          (80386SX-16 4megs RAM 106Meg HD). Yours could be even faster.
          This is with a database of more than 500 movies.

          Ability to determine your own movie categories:

          Since not all movies fit into nice neat categories, you are given
          the ability to define any category you choose "on the fly". You
          are allowed to choose up to 3000 different categories. In order
          to establish a new category, simply enter a movie with that new
          category, it is automatically established and stored.

          Ability to print various lists of your movies in various ways:

          Presently you can print your movies by category, then
          alphabetically within category or alphabetically regardless of
          category. You can print a summary which only includes title,
          category, time and year made. You can also print a complete
          listing in either method which includes all the information that
          you entered, including the Star and personal comments.

          On-Line help available from a menu selection:

          Cant remember how to do something? Just go to the on line help
          screen that refers to your question.

          Starting the program:

          First you need to unzip the program (If you are reading this,
          that has already been done). Next you need to create a directory
          using the DOS MD command (If you don't know how to do this
          consult your DOS manual). Then simply copy all the files into
          this directory. You can call your directory anything you like,
          but, I suggest calling it MOVIELOG.













          To actually start the program simply type MOVIELOG at the DOS
          prompt. This will start the program. When the program first
          starts, it will create an empty movie file and ask you for your
          background color preference. It will also ask you for your
          library name, This allows it to personalize your movie lists. You
          can enter anything you want, but I suggest you use your last name
          as the name here will be placed on report headers as: "THE JONES
          MOVIE THEATER PLAYLIST". Please select your preference with
          either the mouse or the Tab-Arrow Key-Enter key combinations,
          this will then bring up the opening screen. From here all
          functions are accessible from the pull-down menus. This initial
          opening sequence will only occur the first time you start the
          program. After that, all files will already exist, so you will
          only have to go through this once.

          Running this program from WINDOWS:

          This program will run as a DOS application in Windows. I have
          provided a program information file called "MOVIELOG.PIF" and an
          icon file "MOVIE.ICO" for this use. I have tested these files
          under Windows V3.1 and they work quite well.

          Keys:

          If you do not have a mouse or choose not to use it, the most
          familiar key to use in this program will be the TAB key. The TAB
          key will move your selection cursor from button to button. It
          will also move you from field to field in the Add and Edit Movie
          windows. The Shift-TAB key will move you back. If you have a
          mouse and choose to use it the mouse cursor will always be
          available for you to make selections with.

          Menus:

          All menus are available either by using a mouse and clicking with
          the left mouse button, or by pressing the ALT-First letter key.
          In order to access the Movies functions, press ALT-M, Utilities
          are ALT-U, Reports are ALT-R and Help is ALT-H. Using a keyboard
          you can the use the up and down arrow keys to highlight your
          selection, then press enter or press the letter that is
          highlighted. to select with a mouse, place the mouse cursor on
          your selection, then click with the left mouse button. We will
          talk about specifics later.























          Movies Menu:

          The Items on the Movies menu are:
          Name         Handy Key        Shortcut Key
          Add Movie        A                  F1
          Edit Movie       E                  F2
          Delete Movie     D                  F3
          Look At Movies   L                  F4
          Exit             X                  Ctrl-X

          You can either use the mouse to access any of these functions or
          use the handy key or shortcut key.

          Functions:

          One of the first things you will probably want to do is add some
          of your own movies to your list. First gather them all together
          then select Add movies from the list. You will then get a screen
          to fill in with all the information pertaining to each tape. Be
          sure that each title is different from every other title.

          Simply fill in the information in each field, using the TAB key
          to move through the fields, You can back up using the Shift-TAB
          key combination. Using the back space key in each field will back
          up the cursor to let you correct any mistakes in any individual
          field.

          The following fields are automatically capitalized for
          consistency and to insure that all searches are as efficient as
          possible:
             Movie Category
             Movie Title
             MPAA Rating
          So it does not matter how you enter the information into these
          fields, it will be automatically capitalized for you.

          The time field is designed to store the running time of the movie
          in minutes. This is simply because most of my movies list it this
          way. This should be entered as a number. So if the movie is 120
          minutes long simply enter 120.

          The personal rating Field is designed to store your personal
          rating on a scale of 0 to 9 stars. It should be entered as a
          number. You can give any meaning you want to this scale.

          It is unimportant what order you enter your movies in, the
          program will take care of all sorting and ordering for you
          automatically, silently and quickly. You will also notice that
          there is not "SAVE" command, this is because the program does
          this automatically for you.
















          The default category is "COMEDY" simply because we seem to have
          more comedies that any other single category. So if you are
          entering a COMEDY movie, you do not have to enter a movie
          category.

          Once you have entered all the information that concerns this
          particular title, simply press return or click on OK to save this
          entry.

          Edit Movie:

          If you enter a movie, then discover that you have made a mistake
          after it is already saved, you can always edit any movie. This is
          the second item on the Movies menu and is available by using your
          mouse, the ALT-M, E or F2 keys.

          Once here, simply enter the title of the movie (again the case of
          letters is unimportant), the same screen that you used to enter
          it in the first place will appear, this time filled in with all
          the information that you previously entered.

          Simply use the TAB, Shift-TAB key, and backspace key to move to
          the correct place, then type over any incorrect information to
          correct it. Once all information has been corrected simply press
          ENTER or click on OK this will automatically save any changes
          that you have made.

          Delete Movie:

          If for any reason you should ever get rid of a movie, here is
          where you would delete it from the database. PLEASE be very
          careful using this option. This option will absolutely erase the
          entry from the database, then the only way to recover it is re-
          enter it from Add Movie.

          You will be given several options to back out. This is NOT
          intended to be an irritant, it is only intended to insure that
          what you get rid of is what you really intended to get rid of.

          Please give some thought to whether or not you really want to
          Delete any given movie.

          DON'T DO THIS UNLESS YOU REALLY, REALLY THINK ABOUT IT!!!!!!
          (If you ever want to dump the entire DATABASE you can erase the
          file "MOVIELOG.DB" from the DOS prompt. The next time you start
          the program a new database will be created.)




















          Utility Menu:

          The Items on the Utility menu are:
          Name         Handy Key
          Backup           B
          Color            C
          Name             N
          Printer          P

          Functions:

          The purpose of these program utilities is to make it easier to
          make the program act as you want it to.

          Backup:

          This option will copy your database and your configuration files
          to a floppy disk in either the A: or B: drive. This backup DOES
          NOT compress the files, nor will it split a large database across
          multiple volumes. It is not there to replace your normal backup
          procedures, it is only there to provide an extra measure of
          security. Please be sure that your floppy disk has sufficient
          room to hold all of the files that are going onto it. My personal
          library will fit onto a 360K floppy and still have room left
          over.

          Color:

          If you ever want to change the background color of your screen
          and data entry fields, choose this option. A window will appear
          giving you your choice of available colors. You can either choose
          the desired color with a mouse or press the TAB key 3 times, then
          use the arrow keys to make you selection, press ENTER and your
          selection will become the new default.

          Name:

          If you ever want to change the name that will appear on the top
          of your reports, this is the place to do it. If for any reason
          you want to change the name from "JONES" to "SMITH" choose this
          option. The name will be automatically capitalized for
          consistency. Then this will become the new default name to appear
          on your movie lists.

          Printer:

          This program comes supplied with several printer drivers. The
          first 8 characters of the name indicate the Make and Model of the
          printer. This option allows you to choose your printer from this
          list by using the "DEFINE" sub-option. If your printer is not on
          the list, you can create a new printer driver by simply choosing
          the "CREATE" sub-option.














          If you do decide to create your own printer driver, it will be
          time to get out your printer manual and determine the correct
          codes. Give your printer a name that you can remember. Then type
          in the codes, using the TAB or SHIFT-TAB keys, then press ENTER
          when done.

          After your printer driver is created you still need to DEFINE
          your printer, It will now appear on the list of available
          printers. Simply select it by using your mouse or pressing the
          TAB key 3 times then using the Arrow Keys and pressing ENTER.
          Your selected printer will now become the default from now on.


          Reports Menu:

          The Items on the Reports menu are:
          Name         Handy Key
          Summary          S
          Complete         C
          Type             T
          Alphabetical     A

          Functions:

          This is where you can see the results of all your labors. The
          most difficult part of any program like this is entering all the
          information (That part is your labor). This will give you output
          reports.

          Summary:

          This report is sorted first by category, then by movie title. It
          also allows you to direct the output to either the printer or to
          a file. the end result should look something like this:

          Page:  3                                          05-19-1993

                     THE THOMAS MOVIE THEATER PLAYLIST

          Movie Type       Movie Title          Rating   Year  Length

          COMEDY        BACK TO THE FUTURE        PG     1985     116
          COMEDY        BEETHOVEN                 PG     1991      87
          COMEDY        BEING THERE               PG     1979     130
          COMEDY        BLAZING SADDLES           R      1974      93

          This will help you to keep all your movies organized by category
          if that is they way you want to do it. ( this is my personal
          preference).

















          Complete:

          This report is very similar to the summary, except that all the
          information that you entered will placed on the report. It should
          look similar to the following:

          Page:  1                                         05-19-1993
                     THE THOMAS MOVIE THEATER PLAYLIST

          ACT/ADV DR. NO  PG 111 Minutes  Filmed in: 1962
          Starring: Sean Connery and Ursula Andress.  This movie rates 8
          Star(s)
          First James bond film is least pretentious, with meatier story,
          better all around production of Ian Fleming caper. Bond
          investigates strange occurrences in Jamaica, encounters master
          fiend Dr. No.

          Type:

          This option allows you to print either a summary or complete type
          report based on the category of your choosing. If you want a list
          of all your Comedies, choose this option, you will then only get
          those movies in that category.

          Alphabetical:

          This option allows you to print a list in either the summary or
          complete format, but sorted alphabetically by movie title. This
          is regardless of category.

          Help Menu:

          The Items on the Help menu are:
          Name         Handy Key
          Add Movie        A
          Edit Movies      E
          Delete Movies    D
          Look At Movies   L
          Change Colors    C
          Backup Database  B
          Printer Options  P

          Functions:

          These are the help functions. If you ever have a question this
          set of options will offer on-line help. Refer to these as often
          as you feel like it.

          That should get you started using this program, if you have any
          comments, suggestions, etc. I am always open to these comments
          from registered users, please let me know what you would like to
          see in future versions.














                                  REGISTRATION FORM

               Name:__________________________________________

               Address:_______________________________________

               City:________________________

               State:__________

               Zip:_______________________

               Where did you get your copy of this program?

               __ BBS                 ___ Friend

               ___ Users Group        ___ Other (specify)

               _______________________________________________

               Preferred Disk Size:

               ___ 5.25"

               ___ 3.5"

          Please send this form with your Check or Money Order for US$10.00
          to:
               Richard Thomas
               804 E. Gentile St.
               Layton, UT  84041

          Your registered version will be sent to you via return mail.

          Program: Video Movielog V2.0U

























