Table of Contents

Preface Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Creating Your First Database 1.1 Preparing Your Diskette 1.2 Getting Into dBASE4 1.3 Creating a Database 1.4 Appending Records to a Database 1.5 Editing the Database 1.6 Browsing the Database 1.7 Appending to Your Database White in EDIT 1.8 Listing Your Database 1.9 Quitting from dBASE4 1.10 Example II: A Checkbook/Budget Account 1.11 Summary 1.12 Review 1.13 Laboratory Work 1.14 Exercise 2. Editing Your Database 2.1 Modifying your Database 2.2 Deleting Fields from the Database Structure 2.3 DISPLAYing your Database One Page at a Time 2.4 Deleting Records from your Database 2.5 Inserting a Record into a Database 2.6 Useful Features of the BROWSE Mode 2.6.1 Appending new data in BROWSE 2.6.2 Entering Data into a Database by Field 2.6.3 Browse Menu Options 2.7 Example II: Expanding the ACCOUNTS database 2.7.1 Navigating Around the Database in BROWSE Mode 2.8 Summary 2.9 Review 2.10 Laboratory Work 2.11 Exercises 3. Ordering a Database 3.1 Sorting a Database 3.2 Erasing a Database 3.3 Indexing a Database 3.3.1 Creating Individual (.NDX) Indexes 3.3.2 Indexing on Two Character Fields 3.4 Use of a Multiple or Production (.MDX) Index 3.4.1 Making a Multiple Index on LASTNAME + FIRSTNAME 3.4.2 Indexing on a Date Field and Character Field 3.4.3 Indexing on Numeric and Character Fields 3.4.4 Indexing on a Logical Field 3.4.5 Indexing in Descending Order 3.5 Selecting the Master Index in a Production (.MDX) Index 3.5.1 Selecting Individual (.NDX) Indexes 3.6 Deleting Indexes 3.7 Example II: Use of INDEXing Options in ACCOUNTS Database 3.7.1 Use of the UNIQUE Option 3.7.2 Use of the FOR Option 3.8 Summary 3.9 Review 3.10 Laboratory Work 3.11 Exercises 4. Columnar Reports 4.1 The Report Form Generator 4.1.1 Creating a Columnar Report 4.1.2 Modifying Report Forms 4.2 Example II: Quick Layout for ACCOUNTS Database 4.2.1 Using Group Bands with Subtotals 4.2.2 Printing a Group Report 4.3 Example II: Use of the Calculated Field in a Report Form 4.3.1 Use of a Running Sum of a Field in the Detail Line 4.4 Summary 4.5 Review 4.6 Laboratory Work 4.7 Exercises 5. Conditional Reports & Searches 5.1 Selecting Records in a Database 5.2 Conditional Reports 5.2.1 The HEADING Clause 5.2.2 Relational Operators 5.2.3 Use of the SET FILTER Command 5.2.4 Conditional Report Using a Date Funtion 5.2.5 Conditional Report Using the Substring Relational Operator 5.2.6 Use of the Logical Function LIKE(,) in a Filter 5.3 Calculations 5.3.1 The COUNT Command 5.3.2 Logical Operators 5.3.3 The SUM Command 5.3.4 Arithmetic Operators 5.3.5 The AVERAGE Command 5.3.6 Use of the CALCULATE Command 5.4 Searches 5.4.1 Searching Using the LOCATE Instructions 5.4.2 Searching Using the FIND and SEEK Commands 5.4.3 LOCATE Search versus INDEX Search 5.5 Summary 5.6 Review 5.7 Laboratory Work 5.8 Exercises 6. Labels, Mailmerge Reports and Forms 6.1 Label Form Generator 6.1.1 Creating a Label Form 6.1.2 Printing Sample Reports 6.2 Mailmerge Report Form 6.2.1 Importing a Text File Letter into the Mailmerge Layout 6.3 The Screen Generator 6.3.1 The Format File 6.4 Summary 6.5 Review 6.6 Laboratory Work 6.7 Exercises 7. Command Files & Memory Variables 7.1 Introduction to Command Files 7.1.1 Creating an "Add Records" Command File 7.1.2 Use of the WAIT Command in the COMPPACK Command File 7.2 Memory Variables 7.2.1 Use of System Memory Variables 7.2.2 Design of the Print Report Command File: COMPREPO.PRG 7.2.3 Design of the Label and Mailmerge Command Files 7.3 Design of a Search/Edit Command File 7.3.1 The @ and SAY Display Intructions 7.3.2 The GET and READ Instructions 7.3.3 The Design of COMPEDIT.PRG 7.4 Design of a Menu Driving Command File 7.5 Summary 7.6 Review 7.7 Laboratory Work 7.8 Exercises 7.9 Term Project 8. Selection 8.1 Structured Programming 8.2 Flow Charts 8.3 Binary Selection 8.4 Example of Binary Selection, COM_EDIT.prg 8.5 Multiple Selection - The DO CASE Structure 8.6 Alternative Data Entry Commands 8.6.1 The INPUT Command 8.6.2 The ACCEPT Command 8.6.3 The WAIT Command Revisited 8.7 Saving, Restoring and Releasing Memory Variables 8.8 The REPLACE Command 8.8.1 Example Using the REPLACE Command for Block Replacements 8.8.2 The REPLACE ALL Command 8.9 Program Example Using ACCEPT, INPUT, WAIT and REPLACE 8.10 Summary 8.11 Review 8.12 Laboratory Work 8.13 Exercises 8.14 Term Project 9. Iteration 9.1 Introduction to The Loop 9.1.1 The DO WHILE Command 9.1.2 Example if Use of DO WHILE Loop 9.2 Design of a Delay Loop 9.3 Use of DO WHILE Loop with EOF() Function 9.4 The Deletion Program - COM_DELE.prg 9.5 Design of a Fast Indexed Search Program 9.5.1 The LOCATE WHILE Instruction 9.5.2 Use of the FOUND() Function 9.5.3 An Example of Indexed Search - COM_EVAL.prg 9.6 Use of the SCAN-ENDSCAN Instruction 9.6.1 The Design of a Range Search Program 9.6.2 Example: The Design of COM_GRAD.prg 9.6.3 Use of the SCAN-ENDSCAN Loop for a LOCATE Search 9.6.4 Use of the SCAN FOR ... Loop 9.7 Remarks on the use of the WHILE Clause 9.8 Summary 9.9 Review 9.10 Laboratory Work 9.11 Exercises 9.12 Term Project 10. System Organization 10.1 Bottom Up Systems Design 10.2 The Systems Structure Chart 10.3 Menu Driver Program with Pop-Up Windows 10.3.1 Design of Menu Sub-Modules 10.4 Use of Windows in Sub-Menus 10.5 Program Structure Chart 10.6 Use of Procedures in dBASE 10.6.1 Appending Programs Together to Form COM_PROC.prg 10.6.2 Design of a Prodecure Driver Program 10.7 Comments About Compiled Code in dBASE IV 10.8 Summary 10.9 Review 10.10 Laboratory Work 10.11 Exercises 10.12 Term Project 11. Controlling Your Environment 11.1 The SET Command 11.1.1 The SET Mode 11.1.2 The SET FUNCTION TO Command 11.1.3 Setting a Color Display 11.2 The CONFIG.DB File 11.2.1 DBSETUP Routine 11.3 Password Protection 11.4 Backing Up Your System 11.4.1 Backing Up a Floppy Diskette 11.4.2 Backing Up Between Different Types of Media 11.5 Running DOS Commands While in dBASE 11.5.1 Macros 11.6 Modifications of COMPCLAS System 11.7 Summary 11.8 Review 11.9 Laboratory Work 11.10 Exercises 11.11 Term Project 12. Debugging & Documentation 12.1 Debugging 12.1.1 Using the Debugger 12.1.2 Use of SET TRAP Command to Locate Errors 12.1.3 Obtaining a Printed Trace of Your Program Execution 12.1.4 Use Modular Programming to Minimize Errors 12.2 Creating Help and Reference Screens 12.2.1 Creating Help Screems 12.2.2 Creating Reference/Help Screens 12.3 Documentation 12.3.1 Brief Narrative of System Function 12.3.2 User Instruction Guide 12.3.3 Sample Reports 12.3.4 Program Structure Diagram 12.3.5 System Structure Chart Diagram 12.3.6 Database Contents List 12.3.7 List of all Indexes & their Keys 12.3.8 Fully Documented Program Listings 12.3.9 Optional Documentation 12.4 Summary 12.5 Review 12.6 Laboratory Work 12.7 Exercises 12.8 Term Project 13. Accounts System - Multiple Files 13.1 Top Down Systems Design 13.1.1 The Budget Database 13.1.2 System Structure Chart for ACCOUNTS System 13.1.3 The Database ACCOUNTS.DBF 13.2 Use of Saved Memory Variables to Select Multiple Databases 13.3 Use of Stubs in Top Down Implementation 13.4 Design of the Update Accounts Sub-Modules 13.4.1 Design of BROWSIT.prg 13.4.2 Design of CATHELP.prg - Use of Multiple Databases 13.4.3 Design of REBALANC.prg 13.4.4 Design of RECONCIL.prg 13.5 Powerful Commands - The Design of SPREADIT.prg 13.5.1 Use of the TOTAL Command 13.5.2 Use of the SET RELATION TO Command 13.5.3 Design of BROWBUDG.prg 13.6 Design of the SETUP Module 13.6.1 The Use of a "Do Until" Loop 13.6.2 The Design of CHANGEYR.prg 13.7 Use of FUNCTION and PICTURE in Design of SEARCAT.prg 13.8 The Budget Report 13.9 Summary 13.10 Review 13.11 Laboratory Work 13.12 Exercises 13.13 Term Project 14. Functions, Arrays & Queries 14.1 User Defined Functions 14.1.1 Elements of User-Defined Functions 14.1.2 Function Example: CDATE() 14.2 Use of Arrays on dBASE 14.3 PUBLIC & PRIVATE Memory Variables 14.4 Inserting Memory Variables Into a Customized Screen Form 14.5 Design of the Re-Calculation Function: RETOTAL() 14.5.1 Attaching a Function to a Screen Entry 14.5.2 The Program BUDGEDIT.prg 14.6 Query Generator 14.6.1 Creating a QUERY of Two Databases Linked Together on a Single Common Key 14.6.2 Creating a QUERY of Multiple Databases Using Multiple Keys 14.6.3 Creating a Composite Database 14.7 Use of the JOIN Command 14.8 Usse of the UPDATE Command 14.8.1 Design of an Updating Program for the COMPCLAS System 14.9 Summary 14.10 Review 14.11 Laboratory Work 14.12 Exercises 14.13 Term Project Appendix A: Setting Up the Proper Pathways and Directories A.1 Accessing an Already Installed Copy of dBASE IV on Your Hard Drive A.2 Creating an AUTOEXEC.BAT file that Established the Proper Pathway A.3 Creating a CONFIG.SYS file that Establishes the Proper System Config A.4 Creating the Proper Directories Appendix B: Free Form Reports B.1 The Free Form Report Appendix C: Query By Example C.1 Creation of Simple Queries C.2 Queries With More than One Condition in an AND Relationship C.3 Queries With More Than One Condition in an OR Relationship C.3.1 Queries with Inclusive OR Conditions Existing in the Same Field C.3.2 Queries With Inclusive OR Conditions Existing in Different Fields Index

About the Author

Warren M. Littlefield is Associate Professor of Computer Information Science at Sullivan County Community College.

Reviews

"I like the way the author begins at a low level with one example and continually develops the same example in increasing complexity. Littlefield presents the material so that it is easily understandable to beginners and also interesting to experienced users." -- Larry Fudella, Erie Community College