DATABASE MAINTENANCE To enter data, select VIEW from the opening menu. Once VIEW is selected, a list of existing files will appear. When you select a database, the corresponding Input Window will appear. The record which appears initially will be the last record entered. You may or may not have any interest in this record; Pirouette simply moves to this place in the file as an arbitrary starting point. CURSOR MOVEMENT The following keys are used to navigate within the Input Window, moving from field-to-field and from record-to-record: Input Window - Navigation Keys Key Result ----- ---------- Enter next field Tab next field cursor down next field cursor up previous field Ctrl-End last field in the window Ctrl-Home first field in window PgDn next record PgUp previous record Ctrl-PgDn last record in the database Ctrl-PgUp first record in the database " repeat the last entry If you are already at the first record in the database and press , a low-pitched tone will sound informing you that you are attempting to move past the beginning of the file. Similarly, a tone will sound if you press when you are at the end of the file. DATA ENTRY add NEW record When performing entry of new data, the first thing you will need is a blank input window. To call up a blank window, press . This is analagous to adding a new, blank index card to your card file. The new window will show only blank spaces and/or zeros. If you do not create a blank window for each new record, you will write over existing data, erasing the old information. -20- NOTE: If you quit (or open a second window) when a blank window shows on the screen, you will have a blank record stored in your database. If you print a report when a blank record exists in your database, the record will show up as a blank line (or lines) on your report. key entry To enter data in a field, simply move to that field and type in the relevant information. The data will be permanently recorded in the database as soon as you move to the next field. The simplest method of performing data entry is to key in the data, then press . The cursor will then automatically move to the next field. If you begin to key the wrong information in a field, press . The field will then be restored to its original value. This is known in the trade as an "oops" key. If you discover an error after moving into another field, return to the previous field and type over the errant information. Remember that typing over a field alters an existing record; the new information will be stored in its place when you exit the field. the ditto feature <"> Because data entry is often repetitive, Pirouette has a "ditto" feature to reduce key entry. Suppose you have written several checks on the same day, which you wish to enter into the CHECKREG database. Enter the first record normally. Then create a blank record to hold the second entry. For the second record it is not necessary re-enter the date. Simply move to the CHECK_DATE field and press <"> (the ditto, or double- quote mark). Pirouette remembers the value you previously entered and will place it in this field. You can then either accept this value (by pressing , , etc.), or discard it by pressing . When you first open an Input Window, the ditto feature is programmed with the values of the last record entered into the database. The ditto feature works with fields of any data type. fields restricted to lists If, during the creation of your database, you specified that a field should be restricted to a list, you have another opportunity to reduce key entry. When you enter something into the restricted field, Pirouette will consult the list (the corresponding field in the other database), to see if that same entry exists. If it does not, a window will pop up showing the allowable entries. Use the cursor to highlight the appropriate entry and press . The value from the list will be entered into the field. -21- The crucial thing to realize, however, is that the list item which is initially highlighted is determined by whatever you have keyed into the data field. For instance, if you are entering records into the CALENDAR database, when you come to the field EVENT_TYPE, it is not necessary to type the entire value. If you type "per" (or "pe", or just "p") and press , the list window will appear, with the entry "Personal" already highlighted. Then you can press again to complete the entry. In other words, in any list-restricted field, you greatly simplify your data entry by typing just enough letters (or numerals) to pinpoint the correct entry in the list, and then accepting that entry. HINT: Here's a quick way of adding to a list, without exiting from the current window to the main menu: (1) Enter the new value into the database as if the field were unrestricted; (2) BEFORE pressing , press and select the database containing the restriction list; (3) You will be told that there is no corresponding entry in the second database, and be asked if you wish to add one. Reply YES; (4) the second database will be opened, with a record containing the new list entry. Press twice to return the the first window. For more on this, see the section on Working With Multiple Databases. JOTTINGS Pirouette also allows you to add free-form comments, or "jottings", to your records. When you press (or ) the jottings window will appear. You can type your comments into this window for later review. The contents of the Jottings window are unique for each record. No provision is made in this version of Pirouette to print the Jottings, nor can you perform a search based on the information in this field. Jottings are strictly online notes to yourself or other users. TECHNICAL NOTE: The jottings are actually a DBASE memo field, the contents of which are stored in a separate file, with a .DBT file extension. Consequently, each database will actually have up to three files associated with it: the .DBF file, a .WDW file, and a .DBT file. Pirouette creates the .DBT file when you create or modify the database structure. Thus, the Jottings window will not be available if you are working with an unmodified .DBF file created with some other program. -22- KILL record The "Kill" command deletes the record currently showing in the Input Window. After pressing , you will see the message, "Do you wish to delete the current record?". A YES will carry out the command, a NO will cancel it. This reduces the chance of deleting a record by accident. only allows you to eliminate one unwanted record at a time. It is also possible to delete an entire group of records at once. This is known as Purging and will be discussed in the section on Advanced Data Manipulation. SEARCH and Sort To find a specific record, press . A blank Input Window will appear. It is easily distinguishable from a normal Input Window because the colors are reversed. Move to the field you wish to search on and enter the value you wish to search for. For instance, if you wish to search for check #278 in the CHECKREG database, move to the CHECK_NO field, type 278 and press . A couple of things will happen. First, Pirouette will quickly sort all of the records according to the designated data field. Second, it will move to the first record which contains the value you are looking for. It may be that several records meet this condition and the one you see is not the one you want (as would happen if you were searching on the PAYEE field instead of CHECK_NO). Since the records are now sorted, use the key to scroll through the records until you find the one you need. If Pirouette finds no records which meet the specified condition, it will move to the record which would have immediately followed the desired record if it had existed). It will also display a message that no records conform to its search instructions. For example, if there was no check #278, it would move to check #279. The data will continue to be sorted according to the search field until another search is conducted. If you wish to return the data to its original, unsorted condition, open the Search window and just press repeatedly, going through all the fields. Note that when you search on a character field, Pirouette does not distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letters. -23- ALTERING THE DISPLAY DRAG window In certain instances, particularly when you begin working with multiple databases, you will wish to move the Input Window around on the screen. To do this, press . The border surrounding the window will begin to blink. Move the cursor to the place where you wish the upper left-hand corner of the window to appear, then press . The window will now appear in its new location. In combination with the Open command , this feature can be used for viewing multiple records at the same time. More on this in the section on Working With Multiple Databases. BROWSE Speaking of viewing multiple records, there are many instances when it is preferable to view your data in a columnar-type layout, rather than one record at a time. To view the records this way, press . In Browse mode, the navigation keys work somewhat differently. Below is a table of the applicable keys: Browse Mode - Navigation Keys Key Result ----- ---------- cursor right next field cursor left previous field cursor down next record cursor up previous record Home first column on screen End last column on screen Ctrl-Home leftmost column Ctrl-End rightmost column PgDn down one screen PgUp up one screen Ctrl-PgDn the last record in the database Ctrl-PgUp the first record in the database Edit the current field Pay particular attention to the Edit command (). If you wish to edit an existing field value beginning with something other than the first character, you must press . Otherwise, Pirouette assumes that is an instruction to move to the next column, rather than to move to the next character within the current column. To switch the Browse mode off and return from Browse to the normal Input Window, press again. -24- USING BUFFER FIELDS As previously mentioned, data entry is often a highly repetitive task. The ditto feature is one device which allows you to reduce repetitive key entry; buffers are another. Pirouette has a series of ten "Buffer Fields", which allow you to temporarily store items of information and then copy the information from the buffer to a data field. You might think of the buffers as a temporary database with ten fields. The fields may store data of any type, depending upon your immediate needs. The following commands control the buffers. WRITE to a buffer To enter information into one of the buffer fields, move to the field which contains the information to be stored. Then press . A window will appear, showing the data currently contained in the ten fields (this allows you to see which buffers are empty and which are full). You may then select a buffer using one of two methods. The fastest way is to press one of the numeral keys, 0-9. Alternatively, you may use the cursor keys to highlight the desired buffer, and then press . READ from a buffer To retrieve information from one of the buffer fields, move to the field where you wish to place the data, then press . The buffer window will appear, displaying the current contents of each buffer. Select the appropriate buffer, either numerically or with the highlight. The information will then be displayed in the blank field. NOTE: When you read from a buffer, the data is simply copied from the buffer field, not erased. The same information will remain in a buffer field until you either exit Pirouette completely, or write something else into that same buffer. CALCULATOR Pirouette includes a pop-up calculator which can simplify many tasks -- particularly when used in combination with the buffer fields. For instance, if you must do some mathematical computation, you can use the on-screen calculator, write the result to a buffer, then read from the buffer to the desired field. When the calculator is activated, you will be asked to select one of four types of computation: -25- o FORMULA. This can be any type of formula using the dBASE functions and operators. This can be a simple mathematical function such as 7*133, or a complex formula using functions and character strings, such as UPPER(SUBSTR(PAYEE,1,10)). See Appendix B, Functions and Formulas, for detailed a explanation of allowable calculations. o COUNT. This returns a count of the number of records in the current database. This count will respect any Filter which is in effect (see the next section on Advanced Data Manipulation). o SUM. This returns the sum of the values in a numeric field. Like COUNT, the sum respects any active filter. o AVERAGE. This returns the average of the values in a numeric field, respecting any active filter. If you wish to transfer the result of a calculation to a field, first Write it to a buffer, then exit the Calculator window (by pressing either or ), and then Read the value from the buffer into the appropriate field. CONCLUDING A DATA ENTRY SESSION QUIT When you have finished your data entry session, press . This will return you to Pirouette's opening menu. -26-