
                             * * *  My Little Realm  * * *

                              -  Private Library v/2.5  -
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                                  General Information
          ____________________________________________________________________

                                        Important

          Private Library is protected by copyright.  It is not freeware, 
          and it is not in the public domain.

          This is the evaluation version of My Little Realm's Private 
          Library.  It is a full-featured, fully functional program.  You are
          welcome to try it on your computer to ensure that it functions on 
          your system as it should, and that it meets your individual needs.
          If after 30 days you decide to keep using Private Library, you must
          pay for the program.  To print an order form, press <$> in the 
          Options Window.

          Bonus!  Get one MLR stand-alone program free with your order.
          Read DESCRIBE.TXT for details.  This offer ends 12/31/94.

          My Little Realm Enterprises stands behind all of its products with
          a 90-day money back guarantee.

          Thank you for trying Private Library!
          ______________________________________________________________________

                                    Introduction

          The Private Library Routine allows you to keep track of your 
          privately owned volumes (including books, records, tapes, cd's and 
          videos).  With Private Library you can view, edit, print and sort
          your file.  The most powerful feature, however, is the search 
          function.

          For example, if you'd like to see which books you have of a certain
          author, enter that author's name in the Search function and you'll 
          get every work in your library that has that name in the Author 
          field.

          If you're a Sci Fi fanatic and you'd like to see what you have on
          robots, tell the Search function to look for "robot" in the Title
          field.

          Would you like a way to keep your books separate from a roommate's?
          Use the Category field to identify your possessions and your 
          roommate's.  Then you can search on the Category field to see which
          works (or items) belong to whom.  It can help keep the peace.
          ____________________________________________________________________
          
                                   Getting Started

          The Quickeys.
          If you'd like to see what the Quickeys are for Private Library, 
          enter the backslash key in the Options Window.  This invokes the
          Change Quickeys function, and displays the following query in the
          Options Window:

                  _______________________________________________
                 |                                               |
                 |    Change which Quickey?  __                  |
                 |           ________________________________    |
                 |          |                                |   |
                 |          |   1  fic    3  l/d    5  a/t   |   |
                 |          |   2  n/f    4  v/t    6  c/d   |   |
                 |          |________________________________|   |
                 |                                               |
                 |_______________________________________________|

          
          If you don't want to change the Quickeys at this time, simply press
          <esc> when you're finished studying them.  If you'd like to make
          changes, enter the number of the Quickey category you want to 
          change and type in the new definition.  Read the section entitled
          "Extended Processing Options" at the end of this document for 
          details on changing your Quickeys.

          Creating records.
          The most common items recorded in the Private Library program are
          books.  They're easy to enter since there are only three fields to
          deal with:  the Title field, the Author field, and the Category
          field.  Example:

                   Title                Author                    Cat.

                  Lincoln            Vidal, Gore                  fic

          Other personal collectibles that can be recorded are videos.  Enter 
          the title, as you would a book, and in the Author field, enter the 
          time and whether the item is black & white or color.  Finally, 
          enter the Quickey <4>, v/t, for video tape.  Example:

                   Title                Author                    Cat.

                Casablanca            103 min.   black/white      v/t

          After you've entered all of your video tapes, you can obtain a
          printed listing (to keep by the television) by invoking the Search
          function and searching the Category field for v/t.
          
          Exiting Private Library.
          If you've made changes to your data file, Private Library will so 
          notify you when you attempt to return to your operating system and 
          ask if you want to save the changes.  You will almost always 
          respond with <Y> or <enter> to save the changes.  If, for some 
          reason, you do not want to save the changes, press <N>.  Following 
          either response, you'll be returned to DOS.  If you press <esc>, 
          Private Library will instead return you to the Options Window from 
          where you can resume processing.

          Why would you ever want to not save changes?  Home programs must
          take into account the unwanted help of children who occasionally
          get into a program and wreak havoc.  Should you find that someone
          you love is "helping you" with Private Library, don't get angry.  
          Just exit the program and don't save the changes.
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                                 Program Information
          ____________________________________________________________________
          
          There are seven choices in the Options Window.
                       ________________________________________
                      |                                        |
                      |   1  Add      2  View     3  Change    |
                      |   4  Delete   5  Print    6  Sort      |
                      |               7  Search                |
                      |                                        |
                      |----------------------------------------|
                      |             Choice __                  |
                      |________________________________________|

          There are also several extended processing options available from
          the Options Window.  They are detailed at the end of this document.
          ____________________________________________________________________

          Option # 1, adding new records.

          The Add function in this program has only three entries.  To back
          up through the fields in this function, press the up arrow.  To
          advance through the fields, press the down arrow key or <enter>.
          [Note:  You cannot use the down arrow to advance from the Title 
          field to the Author field unless the Title field has something in 
          it.  In other words, the Title field must have an entry.]

                                ~ Field Definitions ~

          - Title field (38, required).

          Leading articles and prepositions should be put at the end of the 
          title.  For example, the title of the novel "The Agony and the 
          Ecstasy" by Irving Stone would be entered as:

                                 Agony and the Ecstasy, The

                                   ____________________

          - Author field (33, optional).

          An author's name should be entered with the last name first:

                                 Stone, Irving

          The major reason for entering titles and names in this manner is 
          that it facilitates record sorting should you request that option
          (# 6 in the Options Window).  

                                   ____________________

          - Category field (3, optional).

          Private Library displays its built-in Quickeys when it is time to 
          enter the category field.  The default categories are:
                                
                        Quickey     Category       Definition      
                        
                           1           fic          fiction
                           2           n/f          non-fiction
                           3           l/d          laser disc
                           4           v/t          video tape
                           5           a/t          audio tape
                           6           c/d          compact disc

          If the Quickeys are turned on, you will only be able to enter a
          category from the Quickey list.  If you should delete any of the
          Quickey categories, leaving the category blank, Private Library
          will not let you enter that Quickey in the Add or Change functions.
          
          For example, say you had no need for the l/d (laser disc) category
          shown above as Quickey 3.  If you deleted the category and left it 
          blank, you could not enter 3 in the Category field in the Add or 
          Change functions while the Quickeys are turned on.

          If you want to enter category information that is not in the
          Quickey list, turn off (that is, hide) the Quickeys using the <|> 
          EPO.  You can then enter any three character string you wish.  To
          hide the Quickeys, enter <|>, the pipe symbol on your keyboard, in
          the Options Window.  Private Library will tell you that your
          Quickeys are not hidden and then ask if you want to hide them.
          Respond <Y>, yes.  If you change your mind, press <esc> or <N>.
          See Extended Processing Options at the end of this document for 
          more details.

          You can change any of the Quickeys that come with Private Library 
          by using the backslash EPO.  If you plan to use the Dewey Decimal 
          System frequently to categorize your works, change the Quickeys to 
          the six DDS codes you'll be using most often.

                      --  The Dewey Decimal System Codes  --

                      DDS Code    Definition                

                        000       General titles (journalism, 
                                      bibliographies, etc.)
                        100       Philosophy
                        200       Religion
                        300       Social Studies
                        400       Languages
                        500       Pure Sciences
                        600       Technology (Applied Sciences)
                        700       Arts
                        800       Literature
                        900       Geography and History

          You can also set up your Quickeys as the initials of the realm 
          members so that you can identify the owner of each of the works you 
          enter in this program.  To use the Change Quickey EPO refer to the 
          section entitled Extended Processing Options at the end of this
          document.

          Note:  You cannot change the Quickeys if they are hidden.  The only
          exception to this rule is if there are no Quickeys (i.e., you 
          deleted all of them previously), in which case Private Library will 
          allow you to create a new Quickey list, but then your new list will
          be considered hidden until you expressly state otherwise.

          If you leave Private Library with the Quickeys turned off, Private 
          Library will remember that the next time you run the program.  To 
          show the Quickeys (i.e., turn them on), press <|> in the Options 
          Window and reply <Y>, yes, to Private Library's query.
          ______________________________________________________________________

          Option # 2, viewing your records.

          Private Library will ask you which record number you wish to see.
          You do not have to enter a record number.  You can use the 
          scrolling keys to browse through your records.  Should you wish to 
          focus on one particular entry, give the record number to Private 
          Library and that record's information will be highlighted for you.

          If you have a large number of records and you're trying to find a
          specific title or author, use the Search function, Option # 7, 
          described below.

          To exit the View function and return to the Options Window, press 
          <enter> (without entering a record number) or <esc>.
          ____________________________________________________________________

          Option # 3, changing the contents of a record.

          To change the contents a record, you must first find the specific 
          record you wish to modify.  Enter the record number, and Private 
          Library will highlight the record you have selected to change.

          If you tell Private Library that you want to modify one of the 
          fields but then change your mind, press <esc> while on the input 
          line (before you press <enter>), and it will reinstate the original 
          entry.  Remember, the Title field must have an entry.  You cannot 
          leave it blank.

          To exit the Change function and return to the Options Window, press 
          <enter> (without entering a record number) or <esc>.

          Don't forget that if you elect to change the Category field and you 
          want to use the Quickeys, they cannot be hidden.
          ____________________________________________________________________

          Option # 4, deleting records.

          Enter the record number.  Private Library will highlight the entry 
          and ask you if you are sure.  You must respond <Y> for yes if you
          wish to effect the delete.  Press <N>, for no, or the <esc> key to 
          cancel the delete request.  Be sure the highlighted record is the 
          one that you wish to delete. 

          To exit the Delete function and return to the Options Window, press 
          <enter> (without entering a record number) or <esc>.
          ____________________________________________________________________

          Option # 5, printing records.

          The Print function prints a listing of all of your records as they 
          appear at the time you request the printout.  Thus, if you want the 
          records sorted, you must select option 6 first, and direct Private 
          Library to sort the array containing your records and on which 
          field it is to perform the sort.  The sort function then brings up 
          the View procedure and shows you the sorted file.
          
          If all is in order, press <esc> to return to the Options Window and
          select 5 to print out the results of the sort.

          You can abort the printout at any time during the printing process
          by pressing <esc>.
          ____________________________________________________________________

          Option # 6, sorting records.

          Option 6 lets you sort your records by title, author, or category.
          After the sorting is finished, the View function is automatically 
          invoked and your sorted records displayed.

          Press <esc> to return to the Options Window.

          Note:  Private Library stores your records on disk in the same
          order shown in the Viewing Window.  Thus, if you've sorted your
          records by title, they'll be stored that way, and the next time
          you run Private Library, that's the order in which they'll be
          displayed.
          ____________________________________________________________________

          Option # 7, searching a field for a string.

          The Search function allows you to find all of the records with a
          specific character string, called a keyword, in a given field.  You
          enter keywords without quotes.  You may use the backslash as a 
          special delimiter, described below, to force the Search function to 
          look for external spaces.

          If you want the Search function to display all of the books with 
          the word "computer" in the title, select the Title field from the 
          its sub-menu and enter the keyword "computer" (without the quotes).
          In short order, the Search function would display all of the 
          volumes it found with the word "computer" in the title.

          If there is more than a screenful of records, the Search function 
          will tell you to use the scrolling keys to peruse the listing.  The 
          scrolling keys are the directional keys, <ctrl> + <home>, 
          <ctrl> + <end>, <pageup>, and <pagedown>.  You can also print the 
          Search function listing by pressing <P>.

          You must be as precise as possible if you are looking for a 
          specific record.  That is to say, if you are looking for a 
          particular author, you must give the Search function the entire 
          name of said author or it might retrieve a number of records whose 
          authors have the same keyword in their names.
          
          As an example, if you were searching for all of the volumes written
          by "Smith, Alice", you could enter "Smith" for a keyword, but you 
          would also get all of the records with any other Smith's you had in
          the Author field.  You would have to enter "Smith, Alice" to have 
          the Search function display only those works by that author.  The 
          same is true for the Title and Category fields.

          When you can't recall the spelling of an author's name or the title 
          of a book (or whatever it is you've cataloged), enter just enough 
          of the keyword to have the Search function weed out the bulk of the
          unwanted records.
          
          For instance, if you're trying to find a book but all you can 
          remember of its author's name is that it contains the syllable 
          "Long", just enter that portion.  The Search function will display 
          the records it finds with that syllable in the author field, like 
          "Longman" or "Longfellow" or "Longacre", but the number of records 
          will have been reduced considerably, and you'll be able to find the
          record you're looking for much more quickly.

          The Search function strips off the external blanks that you enter 
          around a keyword when it performs the search on either the Title 
          field or the Author field.  "   ABC   ", for example, is reduced 
          to "ABC".  You can force the Search function to search for 
          precisely what you enter by delimiting your keyword with 
          backslashes.  To make the Search function look for a keyword like 
          "   ABC   " (with its concomitant external spaces), you can enter:

                                     \   ABC   \

          Let's assume you have the following titles in your file:

                              Longbows of the 18th Century
                              Long John Silver
                              Longacre's Mysteries

          If you simply entered "Long" at the keyword prompt, the Search
          function would show you all three of those records, even if you 
          entered the keyword as "Long ".  To winnow it down, you can force 
          the Search function to search for "Long " (with a trailing space) 
          by entering \Long \ and get only the second title, "Long John 
          Silver".

          When using the backslash as a delimiter, however, you must ensure
          that you begin and end your keyword with backslashes.  If, instead, 
          you entered:

                                   \ long\acre

          the Search function would assume that it was supposed to look for
          the backslashes since one is embedded, and it will search for
          exactly what you entered ... including the backslashes.

          Notes.
          Private Library's Search function is not case sensitive, so "ABC" 
          is the same as "aBc", and so on.

          When you search on the Category field, you must use the Quickeys
          if they are active.  If they are inactive (hidden), you cannot use 
          them, but you can enter any string found in the Quickey list.  You 
          simply have to key it in manually.

          Keywords do not have their external spaces removed when searches 
          are performed on the Category field.  So " d " (with a space on 
          either side) is different from "d  " (with two trailing spaces), 
          and so on.
          ____________________________________________________________________

          Extended Processing Options.

               EPO  Definition
                         
               <\>  Change the Quickey categories employed by this program.

                    The Quickeys categories can be up to three letters long, 
                    and are used to describe the categories of your personal 
                    volumes.  Private Library comes with six Quickey 
                    categories that represent general purpose categories.

                    Default Quickeys.
                                 ________________________________    
                                |                                |   
                                |   1  fic    3  l/d    5  a/t   |   
                                |   2  n/f    4  v/t    6  c/d   |   
                                |________________________________|   

                                 Quickey    Code       Definition      

                                    1        fic       fiction
                                    2        n/f       non-fiction
                                    3        l/d       laser disc
                                    4        v/t       video tape
                                    5        a/t       audio tape
                                    6        c/d       compact disc

                    You can, of course, change any you choose.  For example, 
                    you could make one of your categories "C/B" for comic 
                    books or "BBC" for baseball cards.  You can even use
                    the initials of the owners of the works you are 
                    cataloging as a means of identifying ownership, should
                    you wish to keep your possessions separate from your 
                    roommate's.

                    Note:  You cannot change the Quickeys if they are 
                    hidden.
                         
                                    - - - - - - - - -
               
               <|>  Hide/show the Quickeys.  
                    
                    The Quickeys are numbers one through six in the first 
                    position of the category entry.  Enter <|> in the
                    Options Window and Private Library will tell you if
                    your Quickeys are hidden or not.  It will then ask
                    you if you want to reverse the situation.
                    
                    If the Quickeys are turned on, you must use them when
                    you are entering data in the Category field.  If you 
                    want to enter categories not found in your Quickey 
                    list, you must either turn off the Quickeys or change 
                    the current Quickeys.  If you turn off the Quickeys, 
                    you can enter anything you wish in the three character 
                    field.

                    You do no harm to your previously entered records by 
                    turning the Quickeys on and off.

                                    - - - - - - - - -

               <+>  Print a listing of a specific category.  

                    Note:  This EPO is no longer supported in Version 2.x.
                    See the Search function, option <7> in the Options 
                    Window, for this and many other new features found in
                    Version 2.x and later.

                                    - - - - - - - - -

               <#>  Switch between color and black/white modes.

                                    - - - - - - - - -

               <$>  Print an order form.

                                    - - - - - - - - -

               <?>  Display the EPO's used in this program.

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                                      +  The End  +
          ______________________________________________________________________

          (c) Copyright 1991 - 1992 John L. Salisbury

