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I'll use the Catalogue done by Vic (Cat2
and Cat2b)
for this tutorial as displayed on the left. With
Vic's tutorials one can learn how to create the
Catalogue's Categories and Sub-Categories, quite
easily in case you haven't mastered it yet.
The Properties of the Catalogue are normally
kept under wraps with most databases, yet with
this software at any given time one is given
access to them while at the same time securing
the array of main headings. That's what I like
in this software the most.
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The properties screen of the Catalogue is what
changes the headings one sees in the data area
(see pic on the left) of the catalogue screen.
Its obvious these do not suit everyone and being
able to change them is yet another great aspect
of the software I like. My previous cataloguing
software would only catalogue Wildlife (and I
had another one that catalogued photography
only). This was because the headings were fixed
and according to the 'experts' it would be
'quite a task' to get multiple catalogues going
in a software. I was glad to see I could do
multiple catalogues and even change headings at
will in any of them with this software.
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To access the properties screen, after one has
opened the catalogue in question, is by either
clicking the properties icon (the square 'cog'
icon in between and under the 'edit' and 'tools'
menu, or by clicking 'tools' in the menu
droplist and then 'catalogue properties'.
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This action brings the 'Properties' screen as
shown on the left graphic.
Here One can change a number of things to
control the way the catalogue behaves and looks,
to suit anything.
Looking at the graphic, one sees Five Main
Headings (from left):
-
'Current
Field'
- is what the default headings stand for.
-
'New
Name'
- is where you change the default setting name
of the heading to whatever takes your fancy.
-
'Display'
- if ticked displays the heading (and its
data), if not ticked, it doesn't display the
heading or the data.
-
'Multiline'
- if ticked changes the specific heading text
field (for the data) to a field that allows
one to enter a lot of text. If not ticked, the
heading field for the data allows for less
data to be displayed and looks like a single
line text data field.
-
'Report'
- if ticked allows the data to be included in
reports and labels, if not ticked it doesn't.
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I will now show each of these properties changes.
On
the left we see a data screen for the catalogue
and notice that:
-
the default 'current
field'
name headings are in place (these are the
headings you see when you first use the
software)
-
Because they are showing (the headings), its
obvious that by default the 'display'
properties checkboxes are 'ticked'.
-
There are no 'multiline'
text fields showing (the text fields are all a
single line), so these are all 'not ticked'
-
We
can't see the info about whether the headings
would show in
reports
from this screen, but more on it later.
I
will use the Heading 'Memo' (see where the
cursor is pointing on the left graphic) as the
example field for what I am about to do next
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First I will disable the heading 'Memo' from
showing in the data area.
To
do that I remove the 'tick' for the 'Memo'
heading in the properties screen.
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Then click the 'OK' button at the bottom of the
properties screen to 'save' this change
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And immediately the data screen area updates
with this change. Why would one want this to be?
In
my case I deal with clients and often have to
relay information which I keep in database
catalogue format. The info I deal with relates
to costs and since I found this software I can
now generate short reports (and the in fact also
use the HTML files the software creates to send
data and visuals to clients - another big plus
for me in the software) where the 'cost to me'
field can be quickly removed from displaying my
cost field to the client. Yet, this cost, is
still being kept by the software database. It is
only hidden on my command.
To
bring the 'Memo' Heading into view again (and
allow the software to include its data details
in the view) one just as to go back to
properties, tick the checkbox and 'OK' again.
Easy.
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Now I tick the 'Multiline' checkbox for the
'Memo' heading so i can show you what a
Multiline is. I click the 'OK' button
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And the 'Memo' text field (directly in front of
the heading) changes automatically to a multiple
text line.
You can now enter much more text in this field,
great to show at a glance multiple data
references.
Of
course this facility also allows to 'neat' the
display of the data area depending on screen
size, etc.
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Back in the properties screen, and now I look at
the ticked 'Report' boxes.
All these would show in reports and labels if
one was to do printing of either. Of course,
because the printing media in use can be
different, one has to ensure that before EACH
printing (be it Main report or labels etc) one
ticks or unticks the relative boxes.
This is because while in the main report one can
include all or most fields, with labels, one
might just want to print the image (CD's,
T-Shirts) or certain text fields apply (slides
mounts prints, CD's etc.)
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Regarding the very last property heading, the
'rating' field, although the data area droplist
caters for graphic inclusion of stars (1 to 5),
these appear in reports in numerical equivalent.
that is, 5 stars = the No. 5 in reports.
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In
Vic's tutorial (Cat2b)
there is a suggestion of keeping at least one
field named 'Disc No.', that can be used to
enable one to at a glance locate 'where the
image/s' are being kept - in this way by keeping
the original images stored in a CD-Rom or other
removable media, one does not burden the hard
drive (Images can take a lot of space in your PC
if stored there and a catalogue can grow
considerably if this easy to use).
This is how you change the Heading name:
Just type the new name in the field in front of
the default name (see pic on the left) and click
'OK' to save.
That easy!
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The only Heading that does not change ever, is
that of the Category and Sub-Category. When i
enquired before buying the software, it was
explained to me that this is the core of the
database and all else circulates around it. In
this way, one can create multiple catalogues
using the same shell for all, contained within
one small software. This is also the reason (I
found out later) why if one has two or three
catalogues open at the same time, if one has to
do a change of properties, one has to close all
but the one you're working on to do the change.
Makes sense and I'm grateful to have finally
found this software and being able to help in
sharing one of my experiences.
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