














                         The Video Movie Log Database Program
                                  By Richard Thomas
                                      Version 2.6





















                                  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. This applies to the unregistered version ONLY.
             Please do not distribute the Registered version.

             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 8megs 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, you can decide whether you want to see a complete
             list of ALL your movies or a list presented by category.
             Simply use the TAB key to select and the ENTER key to
             confirm or use your mouse and click on your selection. This
             choice is only presented if you have less than 1250 total
             movies in your database. if you have 1250 or more movies,
             you MUST use the option to edit by category, no choice will
             be presented. If you choose to edit from the entire list,
             the titles of all your movies will be presented in
             alphabetical order. Simply select the movie you want to edit
             by highlighting it then pressing ENTER or clicking on the
             name with your mouse. If you decide to edit by category you
             will be presented with a list of all your categories, first
             select from this, then a list of all movies that are in that
             category will be presented in alphabetical order again
             choose the movie you wish to edit.
              
             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.)
              
             Look at Movie:
             If you ever want to simply scroll through your movies, this
             is the place to do it. Your movie entry will be presented on
             the screen in the familiar manner of the "Add/Edit" screen.
             the only addition you will notice is the four buttons on the
             bottom of the form. <NEXT> will take you to the next movie
             in your list, <PREVIOUS> will give you the previous movie
             <SAVE> will save any changes you make. (Yes, this is another
             place where you can actually edit an entry). Please be aware
             that if you do not <SAVE> your entry at this screen it will
             not be entered into the database.

             If you reach the end of your list the <NEXT> button will
             take you to the first movie, and if you are at the beginning
             of your list the <PREVIOUS> button will take you to the last
             movie in your list.

             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.































                                    MOVIELOG V2.6
                                  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.


























