SOFTWARE TITLE: VU-FILE
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: TS 2068 and preferably the TIMEX 2040 printer
"The Organizer" is available for the TS1000/1500
MANUFACTURED BY: TIMEX
COST: VU-FILE for 2068 cassette $24.99
VU-FILE for 2068 cartridge $34.99
The Organizer for TS1000/1500 - about $15.00 cassette only
If you have now or wish you had a 3X5 card file on anything this program is for you! It really expresses the power of a computer. You can see it at the club meeting as I have used it to maintain the file on the membership and produce the mailing labels on this newsletter. (When I get my peel-off mailing labels from E. Arthur Brown it will really pay off!) So what is all of the excitement.
First, you design a 3×5 card for a card file – making certain you do not go more than 32 characters across and 20 lines down. Make sure you count enough spaces for the probable length of your answers to be filled in.
For example let’s layout a simple name and address and phone number and age record. The word “record” must now be applied to each card – all of the cards will become the”file”. So let’s lay it out:
NAME: (1) STREET : (2) R.D.#/Box: (3) City : (4) State : (5) Zip Code : (6) Phone number : (7) Age: (8)
VU-FILE permits you to layout the format anyway you want-including the use of any colors for background (PAPER) or INK (the color you print in).
Then you may layout a PRINTER FORMAT which in this case shall be our mailing labels. But a problem – you don’t want to have your age and phone number printed out on a mailing label right? Not to worry VU-FILE allows you to format the PRINTER OUTPUT. First, rearrange so that we get the address printed in a reasonable manner, then stick the print position for age and phone number off in the lower right hand margin below the line that you want the mailing label to be:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)/(8)
In the printer format you could, of course, set up categories, but you would not want a mailing label to read “NAME: John Smith”! So pass through the step that asks for you to type in titles and just just mark the start of each “field” or the name, street, city, state, zip code – these are “fields of information”. So now you must keep track of “files”, “records” and “fields”.
We now have our formats – and they are changeable if you have overlooked something (like starting the field for “state” too close to the “field” for “city” so that NEW wipes out “TON” in Binghamton!)
Now comes the most important reason people do not want to start a “computerized record system” – entering the DATA (or the names, addresses, cities, states, zip codes, phone numbers and ages – these are all DATA). The typing is made easier since VU-FILE automatically moves your cursor to the next “field” when you press ENTER. That is to say when you set up the original card format you were asked to mark the start of each “field” – meaning the place where you would start typing the name, street, city, etc. Now when you Enter a record you just type the information for the “field of information” press ENTER and the cursor moves to the start of the next field!
Having typed in all of the names, addresses, etc. you are now ready to use the “Manipulative powers of the computer”. First, at the top of the screen” are a group of words – each word is a separate manipulative routine. All you need do is press the first letter of the word of the command you want and the 2068 takes off at full speed. Enter will get you a blank “record” where you can enter a new record. Delete will get you the prompt “Press ENTER to Delete the record”- press ENTER and that record is gone! Inform gets you a status report on the file – i.e. how many records, with how many fields, how much memory used and how much memory left. Copy prints a copy of the record while Print prints our mailing label. Alter allows you to move through the record and make any changes (like changing the address). Forward or Back moves you to the next record in that directtion-that will depend on which “field” the records are Ordered in! The records are always Ordered alphabetically or numerically by one field i.e. last name, zip code, whatever YOU have chosen (or forgotten NOT to choose!). Quit will take you back to the main menu which on the 2068 version allows you to SAVE this file to tape and then LOAD another file or set of records to manipulate. Order is the command that asks you to pick the “field” you want the “records” ORDERED by! So we can now Order up our records alphabetically by last name, or grouped by city, or grouped by zip code. To facilitate mailing you would Order up your records by the “field” of information “ZIP CODE”. Imagine you going through 150 3X5 cards and sorting them out by zip code. The TS 2068 does this so fast – IT IS DONE BEFORE YOU CAN LOOK UP TO THE SCREEN AFTER PRESSING ENTER! Reset simply returns you to the first “record” in the sequence – according to how you have “Ordered” the files! Select is one of the most powerful demonstrations of the real power of a computer – the TS2068 will “Search” all records and find any “Records” that have a particular “string” in them. In other words you press Select and in answer to the prompt you move the cursor to telephone number and press ENTER. The prompt asks for a “string” and you type in “785” – when you press enter you get the phone number of the lowest value that starts with “785”;all other “785” numbers can be seen by pressing “ENTER”!
“VU-FILE” is a powerful tool – giving you the powers that cost many dollars more on competitive computers. This power does require that you sit down and set up some “dummy” files and formats and read the instructions over again. If you will invest some study time you will gain incredible power!
Gary Ennis, Editor, SINCUS