HOUSEKEEPING TASKS


               The  fourth  choice  from  the  opening  menu,  PERFORM
          Housekeeping Tasks, deals with file  management  operations.
          These  are things like copying and erasing files.  Each task
          is described below:


          Change Directory

               If  you  are  working  with  several  sets  of  related
          databases, you will probably wish to store them in different
          DOS  directories.   By  selecting  Change Directory, you can
          move  to  a  different  directory  while  within  Pirouette,
          without having to exit to DOS.
               If  you  are working on a two-floppy system and wish to
          change data diskettes, you will have to change from  B:\  to
          B:\.  This sounds silly, but it will force Pirouette to read
          the directory information from the new disk.


          Specify Program Path

               If   you   are  working  with  databases  in  different
          directories, another thing you will probably want to  do  is
          designate  a  program  path.   This enables you to place the
          help files (*.TXT) is a central location, such  as  C:\PIRO,
          and  be  able  to recall them even when the directory you're
          working in is different.


          Initialize Directory

               As mentioned  earlier,  every  DOS  directory  must  be
          initialized  before  it  can  be  used  by  Pirouette.   The
          initialization process creates two files called XXXX.DBF and
          XXXX.NTX,  which  are  used  to  monitor  the  relationships
          between the other database files.
               If Pirouette  ever  seems  to  be  displaying  peculiar
          behavior,  re-initialize the directory.  This will cause the
          XXXX.* files to be rebuilt, which will solve most  problems.
          Even if it doesn't provide a cure, it won't do any harm.


          Copy a Database

               This  task  copies not only the .DBF  and  .DBT  files,
          which  contains  your  data, but also the corresponding .WDW
          file, which contains information  on  how  to  display  that




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          file.   You  may  use  this  tool  to  copy your database to
          another disk or directory, or to create a duplicate of  your
          database under a different name.



          Erase a Database

               This tasks erases a .DBF  file  and  its  corresponding
          .DBT and .WDW files.


          Copy a Report Spec

               Enables you to copy or duplicate a report spec.


          Erase a Report Spec

               Erases an existing report spec.


































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