ANTIC DATABASE - MANUAL

     Antic dataBASE is an easy-to-use
file manager with all operations
menu-driven.  Antic dataBASE makes it
simple to create your own mailing
lists, phone directories, household
inventories, catalogs of your music,
videotapes, software, books or
magazines -- any kind of interactive
data file.
     Antic dataBASE requires an Atari
8-bit computer with at least 48K and
a disk drive.

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     Antic dataBASE saves your
updated information on disk and
presents it back to you either on
your computer screen or in hardcopy
from your printer.  You can keep a
mailing list on disk and quickly
access any individual's address or
phone number.  You can even have your
Atari select all names and addresses
with a specific ZIP code or telephone
area code.

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     GETTING STARTED
     Here's how to make your Antic
dataBASE disk:
     1.  Format a fresh disk with DOS
2 or 2.5.  Be sure to WRITE DOS FILES
to this disk.  This will be your
Antic dataBASE disk.
     2.  ANTICDB.EXE is the filename
of the Antic dataBASE program.  Copy
it to your Antic dataBASE disk.
ANTICDB.EXE is on the "B" side of the
August '87 Antic Monthly Disk.
     3.  Put your Antic dataBASE disk
into your drive and rename
ANTICDB.EXE as AUTORUN.SYS.

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     To start the program, turn off
your Atari and place your ANTIC
dataBASE disk into drive 1.  Remove
all cartridges.  (If you have an XL
or an XE, hold down the [OPTION]
key.) Turn on your Atari and Antic
dataBASE will start automatically.

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     At the title screen, press any
key to get the main menu:

A. File Directory G. Add New Record
B. Change Drive   H. Modify Old Record
C. Create File    I. Print Records
D. Modify File    J. Display Records
E. Exit to DOS    K. Display Fields
F. Format a Disk  L. Sort File

     First, format a disk for your
data files.  Then select C from the
main menu to Create a File.  Enter a
short file description and a filename
at the prompts.  The inverse bars
show how long each entry can be.

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     The third prompt asks for the
"Number of Fields in Record (2-8)" --
this is the amount of different items
you want to store in each record.
For example, in an address file you
might want to store each person's
name, street address, city, state,
ZIP code and telephone number.  Each
of these is a "field," and Antic
dataBASE can search or sort an entire
file based on the contents of a
field.

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     Important:  once you've created
a file, you can go back and alter the
labels assigned to each field, but
you can't change the number of fields
in an existing file.
     Think hard before answering the
prompt "Field Length (1-37)."  You
can set it only once.  The shorter
your fields, the more you can store
on a disk.  But if a field is too
short, you'll have to start
abbreviating information.

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     When all fields are defined, the
screen clears, a summary of the file
definition is displayed and the
prompt "Press (Y) to Save File"
appears.  Pressing any other key
returns you to the main menu.
     SIZE LIMITS
     While creating the file you
probably noticed the "Record Size"
number.  Keep an eye on this total as
you define the file, because the
number equals the sum of all the
field lengths defined up to this
point.  The maximum is 128.

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     How much you can store in a file
depends on the length of the records,
disk density and the number of other
files on that disk.
     MAIN MENU
     A.  File Directory -- maintained
in a file called INDEX.  All database
files must have a DB extender, which
is automatically assigned to files
created by Antic dataBASE.
     B.  Change Drive -- lets you
specify which disk drive will be used
in all data management operations.
     C.  Create File -- for creating
a new database.

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     D.  Modify File -- lets you
either delete a file or change
labels.
     E.  Exit to DOS -- even if you
have a MEM.SAV file on your disk,
you'll have to reboot Antic dataBASE.
     F.  Format Disk.
     G.  Add New Record -- lets you
add a record to an existing database
file.
     H.  Modify Old Record -- lets
you change an existing record, such
as an address or phone number.

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     I.  Print Records -- sends any
or all records from a file to the
printer.  You can print partial
records as well.
     J.  Display Records -- prints
the contents of any or all records to
the screen.
     K.  Display Fields -- shows the
fields defined for the records in any
one or all of the database files on
that disk.
     L.  Sort Files -- you can sort
on any field in a record and in
either ascending or descending order.
However, you can't sort a file of 200
or more sectors.

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     HINTS
     1.  Sorting is based on the
ASCII codes of the letters and
numbers in the field.  An abbreviated
ASCII table follows.  (See your
favorite computer manual for a
complete chart of ASCII values.):
     CHARACTER VALUES
     0 - 9      48-57
     A - Z      65-90
     a - z      97-122

     Using this system, the word
"ZODIAC" would appear BEFORE the word
"aardvark" -- but AFTER a word like
"07-APRIL".

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     2.  Use Antic dataBASE to delete
any database files, because your DOS
won't update the INDEX file.

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