     ANTIC DATABASE - MANUAL     Antic dataBASE is an easy-to-usefile manager with all operationsmenu-driven.  Antic dataBASE makes itsimple to create your own mailinglists, phone directories, householdinventories, catalogs of your music,videotapes, software, books ormagazines -- any kind of interactivedata file.     Antic dataBASE requires an Atari8-bit computer with at least 48K anda disk drive.XXX     Antic dataBASE saves yourupdated information on disk andpresents it back to you either onyour computer screen or in hardcopyfrom your printer.  You can keep amailing list on disk and quicklyaccess any individual's address orphone number.  You can even have yourAtari select all names and addresseswith a specific ZIP code or telephonearea code.XXX     GETTING STARTED     Here's how to make your AnticdataBASE disk:     1.  Format a fresh disk with DOS2 or 2.5.  Be sure to WRITE DOS FILESto this disk.  This will be yourAntic dataBASE disk.     2.  ANTICDB.EXE is the filenameof the Antic dataBASE program.  Copyit to your Antic dataBASE disk.ANTICDB.EXE is on the "B" side of theAugust '87 Antic Monthly Disk.     3.  Put your Antic dataBASE diskinto your drive and renameANTICDB.EXE as AUTORUN.SYS.XXX     To start the program, turn offyour Atari and place your ANTICdataBASE disk into drive 1.  Removeall cartridges.  (If you have an XLor an XE, hold down the [OPTION]key.) Turn on your Atari and AnticdataBASE will start automatically.XXX     At the title screen, press anykey to get the main menu:A. File Directory G. Add New RecordB. Change Drive   H. Modify Old RecordC. Create File    I. Print RecordsD. Modify File    J. Display RecordsE. Exit to DOS    K. Display FieldsF. Format a Disk  L. Sort File     First, format a disk for yourdata files.  Then select C from themain menu to Create a File.  Enter ashort file description and a filenameat the prompts.  The inverse barsshow how long each entry can be.XXX     The third prompt asks for the"Number of Fields in Record (2-8)" --this is the amount of different itemsyou want to store in each record.For example, in an address file youmight want to store each person'sname, street address, city, state,ZIP code and telephone number.  Eachof these is a "field," and AnticdataBASE can search or sort an entirefile based on the contents of afield.XXX     Important:  once you've createda file, you can go back and alter thelabels assigned to each field, butyou can't change the number of fieldsin an existing file.     Think hard before answering theprompt "Field Length (1-37)."  Youcan set it only once.  The shorteryour fields, the more you can storeon a disk.  But if a field is tooshort, you'll have to startabbreviating information.XXX     When all fields are defined, thescreen clears, a summary of the filedefinition is displayed and theprompt "Press (Y) to Save File"appears.  Pressing any other keyreturns you to the main menu.     SIZE LIMITS     While creating the file youprobably noticed the "Record Size"number.  Keep an eye on this total asyou define the file, because thenumber equals the sum of all thefield lengths defined up to thispoint.  The maximum is 128.XXX     How much you can store in a filedepends on the length of the records,disk density and the number of otherfiles on that disk.     MAIN MENU     A.  File Directory -- maintainedin a file called INDEX.  All databasefiles must have a DB extender, whichis automatically assigned to filescreated by Antic dataBASE.     B.  Change Drive -- lets youspecify which disk drive will be usedin all data management operations.     C.  Create File -- for creatinga new database.XXX     D.  Modify File -- lets youeither delete a file or changelabels.     E.  Exit to DOS -- even if youhave a MEM.SAV file on your disk,you'll have to reboot Antic dataBASE.     F.  Format Disk.     G.  Add New Record -- lets youadd a record to an existing databasefile.     H.  Modify Old Record -- letsyou change an existing record, suchas an address or phone number.XXX     I.  Print Records -- sends anyor all records from a file to theprinter.  You can print partialrecords as well.     J.  Display Records -- printsthe contents of any or all records tothe screen.     K.  Display Fields -- shows thefields defined for the records in anyone or all of the database files onthat disk.     L.  Sort Files -- you can sorton any field in a record and ineither ascending or descending order.However, you can't sort a file of 200or more sectors.XXX     HINTS     1.  Sorting is based on theASCII codes of the letters andnumbers in the field.  An abbreviatedASCII table follows.  (See yourfavorite computer manual for acomplete 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".XXX     2.  Use Antic dataBASE to deleteany database files, because your DOSwon't update the INDEX file.