SCBA TRAK
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Version: 3.x
Copyright 1993-2002 Raymond A.J. Pesek All Rights Reserved
Raymond A.J. Pesek
4706 Cottonwood Lane
Brunswick, Ohio 44212-2412
| Internet E-Mail Support: | support@scbatrak.com |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
End User License Agreement
Warranty Disclaimer
Help!!!
Equipment Requirements
Installation
Introduction
General Information Applicable To The Entire Program
Dialog Boxes
Key Combinations
Field Characteristics
General Screen Navigation
Erasing Records
Mouse Operation
Using The List Boxes
General Menu Operation
Tracking Multiple Owners of Equipment
Fast Quit Option
Updating Multiple Records at One Time with Identical
Data
Automatic Creation of Historical records and Displaying
Same
User-Defined Query Instructions
Differences Between Registered Versions And Trial Versions When
Using The Query System
Getting Started With The Query System
A Few Important Definitions
The Query List Manager
To Run A Query
To Create A New Query
To Create A Query By Copying
The Filter Building Dialog
Button Action Description
Relational Operator Descriptions
Character Field Operator Descriptions
Numeric Field Operator Descriptions
Notes Field Operator Descriptions
Date Field Operator Descriptions
Logical Field Operator Descriptions
Making The Right Connections
Knowing Your Data Is Important
A Practical Query Example
Shell To DOS
Printing Problems and Printing the Manual
Year 2000 Compliance
Network Use and Common Network Problems
Printing To A Disk File
Error Handling
Upgrading To A Newer Version
Using Borland dBASE, Microsoft FoxPro, or another database
program to directly modify the data files
Desktop Shortcut Settings
Registration and Licensing Requirements
Frequently Asked Questions
END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT
SCBA Trak (TM) is NOT a public domain program. It is NOT "freeware" nor has it
ever been. It is copyrighted by Raymond A.J. Pesek. This software and accompanying
documentation are protected by United States copyright law and also by international
treaty provisions. Raymond A.J. Pesek will be referred to as LICENSOR. You or your
organization will be referred to as the LICENSEE. The SCBA Trak computer program will be
referred to as the SOFTWARE.
This SOFTWARE remains the property of the LICENSOR. Upon registration, you are NOT
purchasing this SOFTWARE, but are purchasing a license to USE this intellectual property.
As such, there is NO transfer of title. Registered LICENSEES are granted a license to USE
the SOFTWARE for perpetuity on only one computer at a time, although the SOFTWARE may be
INSTALLED on as many computers as needed. Please see the License
Requirements page for details.
Unregistered LICENSEES are granted a thirty (30) day license for evaluation purposes only. You may enter data and use the program as you normally would for this thirty (30) day period. At the end of this evaluation period, you must either register the SOFTWARE or discontinue using the SOFTWARE permanently.
You may not use, copy, rent, lease, sell, modify, decompile, disassemble, otherwise
reverse engineer, or transfer the licensed program except as provided in this agreement.
Any such unauthorized use shall result in immediate and automatic termination of this
license. All rights not expressly granted here are reserved to Raymond A.J. Pesek.
U.S. Government Information: Use, duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Government of the
computer software and documentation in this package shall be subject to the restricted
rights applicable to commercial computer software as set forth in subdivision (b)(3)(ii)
of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at 252.227-7013 (DFARS
52.227-7013). The Contractor/ manufacturer is: Raymond A.J. Pesek 4706 Cottonwood Lane
Brunswick, OH 44212-2412
WARRANTY DISCLAIMER
LICENSOR HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES RELATING TO THIS SOFTWARE, WHETHER EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. LICENSOR WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL,
CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT OR SIMILAR DAMAGES DUE TO LOSS OF DATA OR FOR ANY OTHER REASON,
EVEN IF LICENSOR OR AN AGENT OF LICENSOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGES. IN NO EVENT SHALL LICENSORS LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID
FOR THE LICENSE TO USE THE SOFTWARE, REGARDLESS OF THE CLAIM. THE PERSON USING THE
SOFTWARE BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE. IF THE
DISCLAIMER OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES IS NOT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE HEREBY LIMITED IN DURATION TO
THIRTY (30) DAYS FROM THE DATE YOU RECEIVED DELIVERY. THIS SOFTWARE IS OFFERED "AS
IS" ONLY !
Some states do not allow the exclusion or the limitation of liability for consequential or
incidental damages, so the above limitations may not apply to you.
This agreement shall be governed by the laws of The State of Ohio and shall inure to the
benefit of Raymond A.J. Pesek and any successors, administrators, heirs, and assigns. Any
action or proceeding brought by either party against the other arising out of or related
to this agreement shall be brought only in a STATE or FEDERAL COURT of competent
jurisdiction located in Medina County, Ohio or Summit County, Ohio. The parties hereby
consent to in personam jurisdiction of said courts.
If any provision of this agreement is held void or unenforceable, the remainder shall
remain valid and enforceable according to its' terms.
YOUR USE OF THIS SOFTWARE CONSTITUTES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS.
HELP!!!
Context sensitive help is available throughout the program by pressing the F1 key. If the
message "Help is not available" appears, that topic was too complex for
on-screen help and is covered in this document instead. Pressing the Esc key clears the
help screen and returns you to the program.
EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS
This program will run on any IBM-compatible computer that has Windows 95,
Windows 98 or Windows NT 4.0 installed.
INSTALLATION
An automatic installation program is provided with all versions. The Print
Spooler will be installed so it starts automatically when your computer starts.
If you are a REGISTERED user of my program SCBABOTL, you can use your current data files with SCBA Trak. You have two options: 1. Change the installation program default directory from \SCBATRAK to the one used by SCBABOTL, or ; 2. Install the program into the new directory and then manually copy the following data files from the SCBABOTL directory to the new SCBATRAK directory: DEPTNAME.DAT SCBABOTL.DBF SCBABOTL.FPT FILL_LOG.DBF If you are using SCBABOTL version 1.3 or later, also copy these two files: PASSUNIT.DBF PASSUNIT.FPT
When SCBA Trak starts for the first time, it will detect the presence of the SCBABOTL-style data files. You will be asked if you want the data files converted. If you have already copied the SCBABOTL data files to another disk for backup purposes, just follow the directions on the screen. If you elect to proceed with the conversion and have not backed up the files, you run the risk of losing all of your data if the conversion should be interrupted by a power failure, etc. If you are an unregistered user of SCBA Trak, the files will NOT be converted and you'll have to manually reenter all of your data (or register). Each time the program starts up, it tests for the existence of the required data files. If they cannot be found in the current directory, the program will automatically create new ones. These data files are:
SCBABOTL.DBF the air bottle inventory file
SCBABOTL.FPT the "maintenance notes" file for the air bottle inventory
BOTLHIST.DBF the air bottle maintenance history file
BOTLHIST.FPT the "maintenance notes" for the air bottle maintenance history file
FILL_LOG.DBF the fill log file
SCBATRAK.CFG the file which holds the "F" key programming and other program
configuration information
PASSUNIT.DBF the PASS unit inventory file
PASSUNIT.FPT the "maintenance notes" file for the PASS units
PASSHIST.DBF the PASS unit maintenance history file
PASSHIST.FPT the "maintenance notes" for the PASS unit maintenance history file
SCBAMASK.DBF the mask inventory file
SCBAMASK.FPT the "maintenance notes" file for the mask inventory
MASKHIST.DBF the mask maintenance history file
MASKHIST.FPT the "maintenance notes" for the mask maintenance history file
BACKPACK.DBF the back pack inventory file
BACKPACK.FPT the "maintenance notes" file for the back pack inventory
PACKHIST. DBF the back pack maintenance history file
PACKHIST. FPT the "maintenance notes" for the back pack maintenance history file
EXPIRED.DBF the file which holds the maintenance expiration dates of all the equipment
NAMELIST.DBF the file that holds the list of names used to speed up entries of apparatus
designations
SCBAHELP. DBF One of the two online help files
SCBAHELP. FPT Second of the two online help files
QM_DICT. DBF Query system data dictionary
QM_ID. DBF Part of the query system
QM_LIST. DBF Part of the query system
When the program starts for the first time, "index" files are created. These file names have an extension of .CDX and are used to keep track of where the information in each (.DBF) file is stored, for quicker access. These index files are critical. If one or more of the index files are accidentally or deliberately deleted, new ones will be created the next time the program is used. If the program is acting weird, like it can't find an item you "know" is entered, one of the index files may have been damaged. From the main menu, press and hold the Alt key, then tap the R key (ALT+R). This will cause all new index files to be created.
DO NOT manually copy the (*.DBF and *.FPT) data files to another computer for use by a second copy of the program. SCBA Trak maintains internal counters regarding the storage of your data in the SCBATRAK.CFG file. This file also contains program and computer configuration information. If you use the main menu "COPY . . ." and "RESTORE . . ." functions to transfer data between computers, everything will remain in sync.
If you want to transfer the query system files to another installation, ALL files
beginning with the letter "Q" must be copied as a group. The query system files
are not handled by the BACKUP and RESTORE system.
INTRODUCTION
This program was written to allow easy record keeping of your Self Contained Breathing
Apparatus and PASS (Personal Alert Safety System) units. It comprises five distinct
modules, one for keeping track of air bottles you own, one for keeping records of all
bottles you fill, whether for your organization or for someone else, one for keeping track
of your PASS units, one for keeping track of your SCBA masks, and one for keeping track of
your back packs. Because most departments have more than one mask per back pack (either
spares or masks assigned to individuals), the mask records are kept separately from the
back pack records. Information you enter in the "fill log" relating to when one
of your air bottles was filled and where the bottle is physically located will be
transferred automatically into your air bottle inventory file to keep your records up to
date. Air bottle hydrostatic test dates, fill dates, and ultimate life dates (if
applicable) are tracked to help assure your bottles are safe to use. A "visual
inspection" date can also be used if you perform these types of inspections. Visuals
can be for the external or internal condition of a bottle. Masks and back packs are
assigned a "certification date" used to keep track of repetitive maintenance
requirements, such as annual bench tests.
The term "certification" is intended to refer to the comprehensive disassembly of the mask or back pack into its major components. Certification would include, but not be limited to, the inspection of all straps, metal structures, welds, rivets, and for back packs, include the annual flow test. The phrase "certification" can be changed to something more meaningful to your operation on the Options screens.
A "visual inspection" date can also be used to track the routine checks of the equipment. Visual inspections are normally accomplished at the beginning of each shift on full-time departments, but may not be done for as long as a month on part time or volunteer departments. The back pack module includes places for recording the last flow test, last pressure reducer regulator overhaul, and the last mask regulator overhaul. If your units don't have a separate mask-mounted regulator, just leave those entries blank. The mask module includes places for recording the repetitive "fit test" required by various industry and OSHA programs. PASS units are tracked to assure their batteries are not older than a user-specified age. Generally, PASS unit batteries are changed every twelve months, but you can set any interval you need. Functional tests are normally accomplished at the beginning of each shift on full-time departments, but may not be done for as long as a month on part-time or volunteer departments. When the program first starts, a special file containing all of the maintenance due dates is scanned. If anything is almost due or overdue, a screen will pop up giving you a summary report. At the bottom of the screen, you're given three selections, one to continue on with the program, one to print the summary (what you're looking at), and one to print the detailed list, which will show you exactly what pieces of equipment are due or coming due for maintenance.
REMEMBER!!!! IF YOU DON'T KEEP THE COMPUTERIZED RECORDS UP-TO- DATE, THIS PROGRAM IS USELESS!
IF YOU'RE RELYING ON OUT-OF- DATE RECORDS, IT CAN BE DANGEROUS!
THIS PROGRAM CANNOT READ YOUR MIND OR YOUR WORK ORDERS. THE INFORMATION IT PROVIDES IS ONLY AS ACCURATE AND USEFUL AS THE INFORMATION YOU ENTER INTO IT.
GENERAL INFORMATION APPLICABLE TO THE ENTIRE PROGRAM
THIS SECTION IS IMPORTANT ! If you don't read anything else, read the next few sections.
DIALOG BOXES
Dialog boxes are simply pop-up boxes that ask you to either enter information or make a
selection from those presented in the box. Pressing the Esc key will cancel the box. If
you are asked to make a selection from those presented, you can do so by using the
"up arrow" and "down arrow" keys to position the cursor bar over the
desired item and pressing Enter, by tapping the first letter of the desired item, or by
clicking on the selection with the mouse.
KEY COMBINATIONS
Throughout this manual you'll see references to "key combinations." It'll be
shown as (for example) Alt+X . This means you should hold down the Alt key, tap the X key,
then release the Alt key to get the desired function to work.
FIELD CHARACTERISTICS
The collection of information relating to a particular item is known as a
"record." Example: If you have two hundred bottles in your inventory, you have
two hundred records, one per bottle. Data is entered into a record by a "fill in the
blanks" method. These "blanks" are known as "fields." The fields
share certain behavior characteristics. If the field allows you to enter both upper case
(capitalized) and lower case (uncapitalized) letters, the extreme left-hand character is
automatically capitalized for you. You don't have to hold down the "shift" key.
An example of this type of field is the "Manufacturer:" field. If a field
requires all of the characters to be capitalized, there is no way you can force it to
accept uncapitalized characters. An example of this type of field is the "Serial
Number:" field.
If a field is generally required to be all numbers, it may or may not allow you to enter letters. If it does, the cursor will not leave the field until all of the characters are of the proper type. An example of this type of field is the "Duration In Minutes:" field in the air bottle inventory. This field will accept either numbers (e.g. 60 for a sixty minute duration bottle) or the letters N/A to indicate a cascade or bank bottle. If you try to enter an invalid sequence, like 6/0 , the characters will display on the screen, but the cursor will not advance to the next field until you correctly enter the duration. A very few fields are "required entry" fields. This means you cannot leave these fields blank. An example of one of these is the "Last Filled:" date field in the fill log. Obviously, if you are logging the filling of bottles, you cannot leave the date that you filled it blank. If the cursor will not leave a field, it's because you have tried to leave a "required entry" field blank or because you have entered obviously incorrect data, like a date of 14/33/92.
All dates are entered in the format selected on the main menu "Options" screen. The above example would be obviously incorrect for any of the date format options. Note that several of the date fields have a validation check and will not allow you to enter a date that is in the future. SCBA Trak uses the date as reported by your computer's clock/ calendar to perform this validation. EXAMPLE: If today is 02/14/94, MM/DD/YY format, and you try to enter 03/15/94 into a "Last Certification" field, you'll get a warning box and the cursor will not leave the field. If you've entered the correct date, your computer's clock/calendar may need to be reset. When the battery in the computer starts to fail, often the first symptom is an inability to keep the date and time accurate. Refer to your DOS manual for details on setting the DATE and TIME. If you change the extreme left-hand character of a field that already has data entered in it, the rest of the field will be erased. Example: if you want to erase the "Manufacturer:" field, you would move the cursor to the beginning of that field and tap the space bar. All of the previously entered characters in the field will be immediately erased. If you are just correcting a typo that is not the extreme left hand character, no other characters will be affected.
If you have inadvertently changed the data in a field, you can press the Esc key WHILE THE
CURSOR IS STILL IN THAT FIELD and the old data will be restored. If you have moved the
cursor out of that field, you will have to go back and reenter all of the previous data.
Note: Pressing the Esc key, while restoring the previous data, will also take you back to
the menu. Note #2: The bit about tapping the space bar does not work on certain fields,
like the "Certified Every xx Months". For these fields, you must use the
"Delete" (Del) key to erase the characters, or position the cursor at the
extreme left character and use the Ctrl+Y key combination. The Serial Number and I.D.
Number fields will not have all of their characters erased simply by tapping the space
bar. If you accidentally touch a key while browsing through the inventory, you'd most
likely erase the serial number or I.D. number by accident otherwise. If you attempt to
change either a Serial Number or I.D. Number, the program will ask you to confirm that
action.
GENERAL SCREEN NAVIGATION
The little blinking line or box is known as a "cursor." It shows you where the
characters you type will appear on the screen. The cursor has two modes (shapes): a
"single underline" known as "overstrike mode" and a "small
box" known as "insert mode." The cursor mode is changed by pressing the key
labeled "Insert" or "Ins." When the cursor is in the
"overstrike" mode, any characters you type will replace the one currently above
the cursor. When the cursor is in the "insert" mode, the characters you type
will be "inserted" just before the character that the cursor is on, with the
characters to the right of the new character being shoved to the right one position. Try
it, you'll see what I mean. To move the cursor around the screen, you use the
"up" and "down" arrow keys. The "up arrow" will take you
backwards to the previous item while the "down arrow" will take you to the next
item. This holds true even if the next or previous item is on the same line. You cannot
use the "left/right" arrow keys to move around the screen. Or just use the mouse
to click on the field where you want to go.
When adding NEW records into an inventory, pressing the PgUp or PgDn keys will take you
from any item on the data entry screen to a new, blank screen. This allows you to easily
enter many items into an inventory at one time. Pressing the Esc key will take you back to
the menu you started from. If you have entered new information into a particular field,
and the cursor is still in that field, pressing the Esc key will cause the new information
to be erased and the old information restored (if any), before it returns you to the menu
you started the entries from. When browsing EXISTING records, the PgUp key will take you
"backwards" in the inventory to the previous record. The PgDn key will take you
"forward" to the next record. Pressing the Esc key will return you to the menu
you started the browse from. There is usually a message at the top of the screen showing
you which record number you are on and the total number of records to be browsed.
If, for some reason, either of these numbers should be incorrect, you can reset the counters by copying all of the data files to a backup disk (via the main menu "Copy...") function, and then immediately restoring all of the data files (via the main menu "Restore...") function. During the "restore", all of the record counters are reinitialized to the proper value.
If you've entered new information or changed existing information in an existing record, a dialog box will appear as you leave the record. The dialog box will ask you if you want to print a new maintenance history report for the record you just added or changed. Tapping the Y key or the Enter key will print the report; tapping the PgUp, PgDn, or Esc keys will skip the printing. This dialog box can be turned OFF by using the main menu "Options" screens. The program has been written to minimize the number of times the Enter key needs to be hit. If an entry accepts a certain number of characters and you type that many characters, the cursor automatically advances to the next item. Example: the WORKING PRESSURE entry accepts five digits. When you type the fifth digit (if any) the cursor moves to the next item. If you type less than five digits, you must press the Enter key to continue with the entries. When viewing the listings of different items, you can press the Ctrl+PgUp key combination to be taken to the top of the list, or the Ctrl+PgDn key combination to go to the bottom of the list.
ERASING RECORDS
There are two ways to erase a record. You can use the "Erase selected items from the
data files" main menu to pick the record or group of records by serial or I.D.
number. This is the preferred method. Or, if you need to erase just one record, bring it
up on the screen and "blank out" all serial and I.D. numbers. You'll be asked to
confirm that you want to change the numbers. Then, after these fields are blank, tap the
PageDown key. You'll get a message that all of the serial and I.D. number fields are blank
and the record will be erased.
MOUSE OPERATION
If you have a mouse available, and haven't turned it OFF on the "Options"
screens, you can "point and click" on almost any field or menu selection. Double
clicking with the left button is the same as pressing the Enter key. The scroll bars seen
on some screens and list boxes can be a convenient way to move about a listing. If you
single click in the middle of a vertical scroll bar, you're taken to the middle of the
listing, etc. The mouse speed can be set on the "Options" screens. The mouse has
"auto-positioning." It will automatically place itself where it thinks it's
needed. For example, if you have the mouse cursor in the lower left corner of the screen,
and a dialog box pops up, the mouse cursor will jump to the immediate vicinity of the
dialog box. After you acknowledge the dialog box, the mouse cursor will return to its
original position. This should save on a lot of wrist movement. IF MOVING THE MOUSE ARROW
CURSOR ACROSS THE SCREEN CAUSES DATA TO BE DISPLAYED IN OTHERWISE BLANK DATA ENTRY FIELDS,
YOU PROBABLY HAVE DAMAGED DATABASE FILES!!! I have utilities that can repair most of this
damage. Please contact me if you see this happening. This type of damage is most commonly
caused by using another program, such as Borland's dBASE, to directly modify the SCBA Trak
data files.
USING THE LIST BOXES
SCBA Trak also makes use of "list boxes" to ease data entry. A list box operates
like a menu. When the cursor enters certain blank fields a list box will appear, giving
you different selections to choose from. If you like one of the selections, move the
cursor bar over the desired one using the "up arrow" and/or "down
arrow" keys, and press Enter, or double click on the selection with the mouse. You
also have a "speed search" feature available. When the list box appears, press
the F1 key for the instructions on using it. All sections of the program have a "Last
Known To Be On:" or an "Assigned To:" field. Both are used to record the
last known location (either on a truck or assigned to an individual) of the particular
item. This list box is not pre-programmed, but adds new selections as you enter them into
the program. The list of names used in the "Last Known To Be On:" and
"Assigned To:" fields are stored in a file named "NAMELIST.DBF." If
this file is not present in the current directory when SCBA Trak first starts up, all of
the inventory files will be scanned and a new list box generated from those records. If
you're on a network, and someone else is using the program, the file they have opened will
not be scanned.
GENERAL MENU OPERATION
To make a selection from a menu, tap the space bar, the "up arrow" or "down
arrow" keys to move the cursor bar over the desired item and press Enter or place the
mouse cursor on it and single click. Optionally, you can just type the very first letter
of the desired item and the selection will be made for you. Example: You want the
"Erase selected items from the data files" item from the main menu. You could
either tap the cursor arrow key until this selection was highlighted and then press Enter,
or you could simply tap the E key. If there is more than one item on a given menu
beginning with the same letter, you can only select the first item this way. The second
item can only be selected by manually moving the cursor bar with the arrow keys or space
bar and then pressing Enter, or using the mouse. Since all of the module menus are pretty
much identical, you can use some shortcuts. Example: You want to add new bottles into the
fill log. You start the program and from the main menu you tap the F key to get to the
fill log menu. From the fill log menu, you tap the A key to add new entries. With just two
keystrokes, you're ready to get to work. If you were adding new PASS units, from the main
menu you would tap the P key to get into the PASS unit module. From the PASS unit menu you
would tap the A key to add new PASS units into the inventory. Pressing the Esc key from a
menu will take you back to the menu you just came from. If you are at the main menu and
press the Esc key, a dialog up box will ask if you want to quit the program. Press the Esc
key, the Enter key or the Y key to quit the program. Pressing the N key or moving the
cursor bar over the NO block and then pressing Enter will cancel the program termination.
TRACKING MULTIPLE OWNERS OF EQUIPMENT
The program has a "multi-owner" mode which can be selected on the Options
screens. It allows you to keep the records for different stations, owners, companies, etc.
separate. This will allow you to selectively call up just those records belonging to one
owner at a time, if desired. Use the F1 key to get instructions on how it works.
FAST QUIT OPTION
Available from all menus and most places in the program is a "fast quit" option.
Instead of hitting the Esc key or the Q key repeatedly to quit the program, you can use
the key combinations Alt+X or Alt+F4 . These will save all of your data and immediately
quit the program. If this function doesn't work, it's because you're in a part of the
program where it isn't safe to use it.
UPDATING MULTIPLE RECORDS AT ONE TIME WITH
IDENTICAL DATA
Selecting "Update records for maintenance performed" now gives you a menu of
"Multiple records with identical changes" or "One record at a time."
The latter works just as it did in previous versions. If you select the default of
"multiple records," you're brought to a browse screen where the left-hand column
is titled "Tagged For Update." To tag a record, move the cursor anywhere on the
row and tap the space bar. This will place a "check mark" in the "Tagged
for update" column, and then move the cursor down one record. To untag a record,
repeat the process. To tag or untag all records, use the Ctrl+A key combination. Pressing
the Esc key will untag all records and return you to the menu. After you've tagged the
necessary records, press Enter. You're now given a dialog box where you can enter the data
that will be entered into each tagged record. You can also press F2 to enter notes that
will be added to any existing notes. At any point prior to starting the actual updating,
you can press Esc to cancel the process and untag all records. Be aware that a lot of the
data validation present on the individual record entry screens is not active. For
instance, you can now enter just the "Visual Every xxx Days" value while leaving
the "Last Visual" date field blank. This is allowed so you can easily reset
retest intervals without having to go to each record one at a time. This way, you could
reset the "Visual Every xxx Days" value from 7 days to 14 days (for example) for
all the tagged records. Pressing Page Down or pressing Enter at the bottom right-most item
will start the updates. At any point, you can press Esc to stop the update process. Any
records that have already been updated remain updated. A counter shows you how many
records have not been changed.
Since mask fit test records aren't normally updated all with the same information, the
program asks you if you want to update fit records. If you answer NO, it skips over those
fields. This is a useful and highly-requested feature, but please assure you've got the
changes correct before proceeding. You can mess up a lot of records very quickly if you're
careless.
AUTOMATIC CREATION OF HISTORICAL RECORDS AND
DISPLAYING SAME
SCBA Trak automatically records all changes to a record in a separate history data file.
When the "Updating" message appears, a copy of the "before this
change" data is sent to the history file, and then the current status record is
updated to reflect your changes. History records can only be viewed or printed by the
Reports menu. Both the "Maintenance history report of each (whatever)" and the
"Single report of one (whatever)'s maintenance history" reports have been
enhanced by allowing you to display the report to the screen, and by allowing you to
select just what type of history report you want. You can select the history by the
various Serial Numbers, I.D. Number, or Assigned To fields. This allows you to, for
instance, recall all mask fit tests for a particular individual regardless of what mask
they were using at the time of the test. You will be given the option of limiting the
historical records found to just those that were transferred to the history file on or
between two dates. Since you may have years of history data, generating the reports can
take a long time if they're not limited somehow. This feature comes in handy when you've
just updated several records, and want to keep your paper backup current. You can set both
the beginning and ending dates to "today" and the report will only display and
print the current status and any records that were transferred to history as a result of
today's update. The query system has also been updated so it acts upon historical records
as well. This is another way of limiting the size of the historical reports.
The history reports are displayed in descending order, sorted by the date when the record
was transferred to the history file. The first record is always the current status, and
can be recognized by the statement "Last updated on (date) at (time)" in the
report header. If the current status record hasn't been updated since version 2.70 was
installed, the (date) will be displayed as / /. The next record is the most recent one
transferred to history, with the very last record displayed being the first one that was
ever transferred to history. History records have the statement "Transferred to
history file on (date) at (time)." If the transfer was because of a batch update, the
words "via a batch update" will be added to the end of this statement. When
viewing a history report on the screen (which can be quite lengthy), you can press the
Alt+F key combination to search for particular words or phrases, and use the F3 key to
repeat the search from the last point. In addition, you can use the Query Manager to
rapidly find historical records matching your query. After viewing the report, you're
given the option of printing it. Because there isn't any need for it, the mouse doesn't
work in the preview screen.
A new item has been added to Page 5 of the Options screens which can modify how the typed-in Notes are handled with respect to the History file. The question reads: "Do you want to MOVE old Notes into the History file instead of COPYING them into the History file?" The default is "N". This retains the current behavior of the Notes where all Notes that have ever been entered for a particular record are always available by pressing the F2 key. If you change the answer to "Y", the first time you change an existing record, all of the old Notes are moved to the history file, and any new notes are stored in the current status record. This assures the Notes reflect only that particular maintenance action, not years of maintenance. If you change the existing notes to correct a typo, the original notes are stored in a new history record. This assures no changes are made without being tracked. Think about this before making the change, as Notes that are moved into History can not be moved back (except by manual methods). One of the effects of moving the Notes is that pressing the F2 key may bring up a blank screen if a previous update (of any field) moved the Notes into History. This can be a bit disconcerting as you may erroneously believe the Notes have been lost.
History records are never changed by SCBA Trak EXCEPT for when the main menu function
"Name list changes and corrections" is used. This has to be done because of the
ability to locate historical records by using the location field. If you corrected a
misspelling in the current status record, but not in the historical records, none of the
history could ever be found. To alert you to the fact that the name was changed, an entry
is automatically placed in the Notes field of the historical record that reads "**
Location (owner) name changed from (old name) to (new name) on (date) at (time) **"
USER-DEFINED QUERY INSTRUCTIONS
A limitation of any program is a need to get information other than what's provided in the
canned reports and screens. An example would be the need to check your equipment inventory
for a specific run of serial numbers which have become subject to a recall.
"User-defined queries" allow you, the end user, to specify a condition using
plain English and simple relational statements, and then display or print the results. The
definition of relational operator (or just plain "operator") is given a bit
later. You can find data by picking up to 18 different comparison operators. Operators use
English terminology like: Begins with, Ends with, Exactly matches and Sounds like. Each
query can contain up to 10 conditions (such as "Date of Manufacture is later than
04/01/1993"). Furthermore, you can connect the conditions with AND/OR logic and
specify parentheses to clarify the order of operations for your conditions. For example,
"Pressure = 2216 AND (Assigned To MATCHES Truck-7 OR Assigned To MATCHES Engine-1 OR
Assigned To MATCHES Engine-4"). This query would show you all 2216 bottles on just
these three trucks. IMPORTANT NOTE: The total number of conditions that any individual
query can contain is determined by the overall complexity of the query. The more complex,
the fewer conditions. The Query Manager keeps track of the complexity automatically and
will issue a warning when the query has become too complex. The warning will indicate that
the query length exceeds 254 characters. This is not a count of the characters you see on
the screen, rather it is a count of the number of characters needed to build the query.
Generally deleting one condition will fix it.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN REGISTERED VERSIONS AND TRIAL
VERSIONS
Registered versions automatically save your built and tested queries in the Query List
Manager so you won't have to recreate them every time you run a query. You can give each
query a descriptive title to make it easy to recognize every time you need it. Trial
versions allow you to explore the full power of the Query List Manager, but will not save
any queries for use in a future session.
GETTING
STARTED WITH THE QUERY SYSTEM
To select or build a query, use the "Set/clear a user-defined query" menu
selection. "Set" means you want to use a query to display just records that meet
the conditions of the query. "Clear" means a query is now in effect, and
selecting "Clear" will disable the query, giving you access to all records. If a
query is already set, you'll get a dialog box asking if you want to set a new query or
just clear the existing query. If you select "Clear", the query will be cleared
and you will remain in the current menu. If you select "Set", the current query
will be cleared and you will then be able to set a new query.
A FEW
IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS
FIELD: A field is a category that holds information about your records in a file known as a "table." For example, in a table that holds air bottle information, there would be a field to hold Owner names, a field to hold Pressures, a field to hold Locations, etc.
FILTER: A filter is a set of criteria or conditions that lets you indicate which records to include in your query results (e.g., "Only back packs assigned to Station 1 and needing flow tested in July.")
OPERATOR: (a.k.a. relational operator) An operator describes how records are compared with given conditions or otherwise isolated. Examples are "greater than", "equal to", "contains text", etc. The available operators depend upon the data type of the field being worked on. The five data types are:
NUMERIC: a number which can be multiplied, added, etc. Example: "Last Hydro Cost"
CHARACTER: Simple text. Example: Serial Numbers, I.D. Numbers,
Manufactured By
LOGICAL: always either TRUE or FALSE Example: "within lead
time" or "now overdue"
DATE: A date. NOTE: Because of the mechanics involved in making date calculations, the "Last Hydro Test Date" field will be displayed in a MM DD YY format, with the "day" always being 01 . If you're looking for a specific hydro test date, such as 12/95, you must specify it as 12/01/95, or it won't be found. The correct operators are automatically selected for you based upon the data type of the field you're working with.
QUERY: A query is a specialized view of information in your database. It may contain all fields and records or a filtered subset.
REPORT: A report is the output of a query. Once the query is set, all reports, browses, etc. will show ONLY those records meeting the query condition. A footer is added to the bottom of each screen to remind you that a query is in effect. The header of each printed report will have the query title printed on it to remind you that the report only contains records meeting the query condition.
USING BUTTONS: Query Manager operations are activated by
"pressing" on-screen "buttons". Some people call them push buttons
because they look like the three-dimensional buttons you find on mechanical devices. For
example, when we say, press or click an button, you select the button by:
USING THE MOUSE
Click on the desired word with the primary mouse button (the left mouse button on most
computer systems). Not all actions are mouseable. Most notable is when you're entering a
new query title.
USING THE KEYBOARD
Move to the desired button by pressing Tab or the cursor arrow keys until a darkened
border appears around the word. Then press the Enter key. Additionally, a single letter in
each button is displayed in bright white. Typing that letter on the keyboard is the same
as tabbing to the button and pressing Enter.
THE QUERY LIST MANAGER
The Query List Manager is a Query Manager control panel. It is a screen showing titles of
previously saved queries. To choose an existing query to work with, you must first
highlight its title with an arrow key or with the mouse. You can then perform an action on
this highlighted query by "pressing" one of the buttons listed horizontally
across this screen's bottom, or select it for use by double-clicking on the title with the
mouse. When in the Query List Manager, you can create new queries. When creating a query,
you can either build it from scratch or you can copy an existing query and then modify it.
If using a keyboard, you can switch between the query list and the buttons with a left or
right arrow key.
SELECT: Selects the highlighted query and runs it. You're returned to the previous menu and the query is put in effect.
ADD: Allows you to create a new query.
EDIT: Allows you to modify the highlighted querys' filter condition.
COPY: Makes a copy of the current query. Useful if you need a new query, but with slightly different conditions. After copying, use RENAME to change the title and then use EDIT to modify the conditions.
RENAME: Changes title of the current query.
DELETE: Permanently removes the current query, after prompting for confirmation.
QUIT/DON'T SELECT: Returns you to your prior menu without setting the query. ADD and EDIT will take you to the Query Overview Dialog Box.
If you have at least one query displayed in the Query List Manager, you can run a query to
analyze your data.
TO RUN A QUERY
In the Query List Manager, highlight the query you want to run. Press SELECT to put the
highlighted query into effect. NOTE: If using a mouse, you can select a query by double
clicking on its title. If using a keyboard, you can select a query by first highlighting
it and then pressing the left or right arrow key to go to the Select button and pressing
Enter.
QUERY OVERVIEW DIALOG BOX
This dialog guides you through a step-by-step process of building a query. When done,
press OK to return to the Query List Manager.
TO CREATE A NEW QUERY
To Create a Query from Scratch:
STEP 1 : Go to the Query List Manager and press ADD . Type in a title for this new query. Press Enter to save the title. Press Enter again when the OK button is highlighted. When done, you will be taken to the Filter Building dialog.
STEP 2 : Input from one to ten filter conditions to indicate which records should appear in the query results. When done, press OK to return back to the Query List Manager.
STEP 3 : Press the SELECT button to put the query into effect.
STEP 1 : Go to the Query List Manager and highlight the query you want
to copy. Press COPY to bring up a title dialog box. Type in a title for this new query.
When done, you will be returned to the Query List Manager. You will now have an exact copy
of the query you selected, but under a different title.
STEP 2: Press RENAME to change the name of the copied query to what
it's really going to do. Press the Enter key twice to save the new name.
STEP 3 : Press EDIT to go to the Filter Building dialog to modify the
copied query's filter conditions if necessary. When done, press OK to return to the Query
List Manager.
STEP 4 : Press SELECT to run the query.
THE FILTER BUILDING DIALOG
Every query is an attempt to extract a subset of information contained within your
database system. The Filter Building dialog is where you specify a set of conditions to
determine the subset you are seeking. This set of conditions is your filter. You can
access this dialog from the Query List Manager by pressing the ADD or EDIT button. A
condition is a phrase that defines the set of data you are seeking. For example,
"Pressure = 4500". A condition consists of: 1. a field name (e.g.,
"Pressure") 2. a relational operator (e.g., "equals") 3. a comparison
value (e.g., "4500"). Each condition you add can narrow the results of the
query. That is, fewer records may be included in the query results. Each condition you
delete can expand the results of the query. That is, more records may be included in the
results. Each query can contain up to 10 conditions. The more complex the query is to
perform, the less the number of total conditions that can be specified. These are the
actions you can perform in the Filter Building dialog:
BUTTON ACTION DESCRIPTION
ADD: Add a new condition. You will be prompted to select a field, pick a relational
operator and type in a comparison value. After adding a condition, pressing ADD again will
allow you to specify another condition.
EDIT: Edit an existing condition. Change a condition's field, operator,
comparison value (or any combination of these). These terms are explained below.
SWITCH: Switch a condition's connector between an AND and an OR. If two
conditions are connected by an "AND", both must be true (e.g., Pressure equals
4500 AND manufacturer is Bottles-R-Us.) If, however, two conditions are connected by an
"OR", either can be true (e.g., Pressure = 4500 OR Manufacturer is
Bottles-R-Us).
MOVE: Move the position of a condition within the list of conditions. If
you are mixing both "AND" and "OR" connectors or are using
parentheses, the order of the conditions can determine which records are included in the
query results.
BRACKET: Place or remove parentheses around two or more conditions.
Complex queries may have several AND and OR connectors. The placement and organization of
these connectors can make a difference in the results. (See "Making the Right
Connections")
DELETE: Delete a condition from the list. Deleting a condition will
generally widen the results of the query.
CANCEL: Exit this dialog without saving. This will undo any changes you
made while you were in this Filter Building Dialog.
OK: Save and exit. This will save your work and return you to the Query
List Manager.
RELATIONAL OPERATOR DESCRIPTIONS
The operators will pop up in a list box for your selection. Highlight the desired operator
using the cursor arrow keys and press Enter, or single click on it with the mouse.
CHARACTER FIELD OPERATOR DESCRIPTIONS
BEGINS WITH OR MATCHES - "Serial number BEGINS WITH OR MATCHES
ALT649" would retrieve a unit with the entire serial number being ALT649 or units
with the first six characters of the serial number being ALT649
DOES NOT BEGIN WITH OR MATCH - opposite of above ENDS IN - "I.D.
Number ENDS IN 002" would retrieve any units where the last three characters are 002
. Trailing spaces are automatically disregarded. GREATER THAN (Yes, letters have
"values". A "B" is "greater than" an "A", etc.,
and entire phrases can be evaluated based upon their ASCII value. Rarely used, actually.)
GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO - A "B" is greater than or equal to
both an "A" and a "B" LESS THAN - An "A" is less than a
"B" LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO - A "B" is less than a "C" FALLS
WITHIN A RANGE - A "B" is between an "A" and a "C".
"A" and "C" also fall within the range.
MATCHES ANOTHER FIELD - If you were looking for a comparison between two
fields, such as REPAIRED BY and BOUGHT FROM, you would use this operator to see all units
that were both repaired by and bought from the same company.
CONTAINS THE PHRASE - "Serial number CONTAINS "649" will
find records with the character sequence 649 anywhere in the serial number, such as a
serial number of 123649456 .
DOES NOT CONTAIN THE PHRASE - Opposite of above
IS CONTAINED WITHIN TEXT - Very similar to "contains the
phrase", but backwards. "649" IS CONTAINED WITHIN Serial Number is just
another way of stating the query condition.
IS NOT CONTAINED IN TEXT - Opposite of above.
IS AN EMPTY FIELD - "empty" means nothing has been entered. For
numeric fields, this is the same as a value of zero
IS NOT AN EMPTY FIELD - Something was entered in the field. It's not
blank.
SOUNDS SIMILAR TO - Uses a mathematical algorithm to determine if two
different spellings are close to each other when spoken. Example: "would" and
"wood" or "Scot" and "Scott"
EXACTLY MATCHES - What you enter as a comparison value must be exactly
what's entered in the field, except for capitalization.
NUMERIC FIELD OPERATOR DESCRIPTIONS
EQUAL TO NUMBER - The number you're searching for is exactly equal to one
entered in a record ("Back packs with a purchase price of exactly 1500.00")
NOT EQUAL TO NUMBER - The number entered in a record field is different
than the one you're entering ("Back packs with a purchase price of something other
than 1500.00")
GREATER THAN NUMBER - The number entered in a record field is greater
than the one you're entering ("Back packs with a purchase price more than
1500.00")
GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO NUMBER - The number entered in a record field is
greater than or the same as the one you're entering ("Back packs with a purchase
price of 1500.00 or more")
LESS THAN NUMBER - The number entered in a record field is lower than the
one you're entering ("Back packs with a purchase price less than 1500.00")
LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO - The number entered in a record field is lower
than or the same as the one you're entering ("Back packs with a purchase price of
1500.00 or less")
FALLS WITHIN A RANGE - The number you're searching for is either equal to
one of the entered numbers or between them ("Back packs with a purchase price of
equal to more than 1000.00 and less than or equal to 1500.00")
MATCHES ANOTHER FIELD - One numeric field entry in a specific record is
the same as another numeric field entry in the same record. "Air bottles with a Last
Hydro Cost the same as the Last Repaired Cost")
NOTES FIELD OPERATOR DESCRIPTIONS
CONTAINS TEXT - Useful for finding specific words within the maintenance
notes entries. (Notes CONTAINS TEXT "BURST" would display all records where the
word burst was typed into the maintenance notes section. Spelling is critical. A search
for "burst" would also find all records where "bursted" was typed, but
not records where "berst" was typed.
DOES NOT CONTAIN TEXT - Opposite of above
DATE FIELD OPERATOR DESCRIPTIONS
SAME DATE AS - The date you're searching for is the same as the one
entered in a record ("Back packs Purchased Date of 12/01/96")
DIFFERENT DATE THAN - The date you're searching for is something other
than the one entered in a record ("Back packs not Purchased on 12/01/96")
LATER THAN DATE - The date you're searching for is later than the one
entered in a record ("Back packs purchased after 12/01/96")
LATER THAN OR SAME AS - The date you're searching for is the same as or
later than the one entered in a record ("Back packs purchased on or after
12/01/96")
EARLIER THAN DATE - The date you're searching for is earlier than the one
entered in a record ("Back packs purchased before 12/01/96")
EARLIER THAN OR SAME AS - The date you're searching for is earlier than
or the same as the one entered in a record ("Back packs purchased on or before
12/01/96")
FALLS WITHIN A RANGE - The date you're searching for is the same as the
entered dates or falls between them ("Back packs purchased on or after 01/01/96 and
purchased on or before 12/01/96")
MATCHES ANOTHER FIELD - One date field entry in a specific record is the
same as another date field entry in the same record. "Air bottles with a Last Visual
Date the same as the Last Hydro Test Date")
IS MISSING A DATE - (Example: " / / ") Records where this date
field was left blank for one reason or another.
IS NOT MISSING A DATE - Records where this date field wasn't left blank.
LOGICAL FIELD OPERATOR DESCRIPTIONS
IS TRUE - "Y" was entered in a logical field
IS FALSE = "N" was entered in a logical field
MAKING THE RIGHT CONNECTIONS
AND / OR Connectors: A filter consists of one or more conditions.
Conditions can be strung together with AND and OR connectors. How you connect the various
conditions makes a big difference in the results. If you create queries with many AND and
OR conditions, be sure to use brackets (parentheses) to ensure you get the results you are
expecting. Parentheses dictate how the query is interpreted. The query is evaluated first
in the innermost parentheses.
Without parentheses, the query conditions are evaluated from left to right. The Query
Manager makes one pass across your data, examining each record for all conditions and then
either accepts or rejects the record for inclusion in your output.
To Get This:
------------
All orders for product AX5000 as well as owners in ZIP code 11366 who have not returned
merchandise.
Use This Query Result:
----------------------
Product Exactly Matches "AX5000" OR (ZIP Code Exactly Matches "11366"
AND Returned is FALSE) Orders for product AX5000 as well as customers from ZIP code
111366:
In both cases, we want to show records for only kept merchandise. So the Returned is False
condition appears as a separate factor on the other side of the AND connector. (Product
Exactly Matches AX5000" OR ZIP Code Exactly Matches "11366") AND Returned
is False
ANOTHER "AND/OR" EXAMPLE
In the following example, we wish to know what combinations of purchases customers have
made in a hardware store. In this way, we can identify cross-selling opportunities. The
customers we will investigate have purchased some combination of hammers, nails and glue.
Customers who purchased a hammer. Customers who purchased nails. Customers who purchased
glue.
QUERY CONDITION ILLUSTRATION:
-------------------------------------------
QUERY CONDITION: Product equals Glue OR Product equals Hammer AND Product equals Nails
QUERY RESULT: Here we have selected all glue or hammer customer who have also purchased
nails.
QUERY CONDITION: Product equals Glue OR (Product equals Hammer AND Product equals Nails)
QUERY RESULT: Here we have selected those customers who have either glue or a set of
hammer and nails.
QUERY CONDITION: (Product equals Glue OR Product equals Hammer) AND Product equals Nails
QUERY RESULT: This is the same as the first set of conditions. We have used brackets to
confirm left to right processing.
QUERY CONDITION: (Product equals Hammer OR Product equals Nails) AND (Product does not
equal Hammer and Product does not equal Nails)
QUERY RESULT: Here we have identified all the customer with either hammer or nails, but
not both.
KNOWING YOUR DATA IS IMPORTANT
Because the query system uses a "pattern matching" technique, you must know how
your data is entered. And it must be entered in a consistent form. If you're searching for
serial numbers beginning with the pattern "ABC123", the query system will not
find serial numbers that were entered as "ABC 123" or that were entered as
"ABC-123". If you know the data was entered inconsistently, you must either
create your query to match all permutations you know about, or manually correct the data
to a consistent form. The latter is preferable. If you need to handle the variations, the
query would be constructed like so: Serial Number Begins with or matches ABC123 OR Serial
Number Begins with or matches ABC-123 OR Serial Number Begins with or matches ABC 123
Obviously, it's easier to correct everything to one form just once as opposed to having to
remember all the variations every time you construct a new query.
A PRACTICAL QUERY EXAMPLE
Let's assume a recall has been issued for air bottles having a serial number beginning
with ABC123 and you need to locate them.
Enter the air bottle module and select SET/CLEAR A USER-DEFINED QUERY from the menu.
Because this is a new query, select ADD from the bottom buttons to add a new query. Either
click on the word ADD or type an A on the keyboard.
Now you must enter a descriptive, unambiguous title. The title you enter will be displayed
on the bottom of the screens when this query is in effect, and will be printed on the
report headers. Type: All bottles with serial number starting with ABC123 and press the
Enter key twice. You're now taken to the screen where you will construct the query.
Since this query doesn't exist yet, select ADD from the bottom buttons to add a new
condition.
A list box of field descriptions will pop up on the screen. Locate and highlight the one
that says Serial Number and press Enter.
Now you must pick a relational operator from this new list box. The one we want is Begins
with or matches . Locate it, highlight it, and press Enter or mouse click on it.
Now we have to enter the comparison value. Type ABC123 and press Enter.
Since we've finished entering this condition, press Enter.
Since this is a simple one-condition query, we're done building it. Find the OK button and
select it. You're now returned to the Query List Manager. Make sure this query title is
highlighted, and select the SELECT button. The query is now activated and in effect. Only
air bottles with a serial number beginning with ABC123 will be available.
SHELL TO DOS
The key combinations Alt+S or Shift+F9 will shell you to DOS from all menus and most data
entry screens. This function actually swaps the SCBA Trak program out of conventional
memory and stores it in either extended memory, expanded memory, or, as a last resort, as
a temporary file on the disk. Thus, you will have all but around 8K of your conventional
memory available. The temporary file is about 1000K in size and is marked with a READ ONLY
attribute to prevent accidental erasure while in the shell. If you have sufficient
extended or expanded memory, the swap takes less than one second. If the swap file must be
stored on the disk, it can take several seconds. To return to the program, type EXIT and
press the Enter key, just like the prompt says.
PRINTING PROBLEMS AND PRINTING THE MANUAL
If the printer driver is not available, check to see if you have an icon with
the yellow letters "PS" (for Print Spooler) in the system tray. The
tray is the area opposite the Start button that usually shows the time of day.
If it is there, try restarting your computer to see if it is frozen. If it is
not there, try reinstalling the program.
This file, MANUAL.DOC , can be printed with the by using the key combination Alt+P from
the main menu screen. The printing can be interrupted if necessary, but you cannot restart
from where you left off if you completely cancel the printing. You'll have to reprint
everything. NOTE: If you view this file using certain types of file viewers, and then save
the file to disk from within the viewer, the pages may not print properly later. The codes
for assuring the pages are fifty five lines long are automatically removed by some file
viewers.
YEAR 2000 COMPLIANCE
Since all dates are entered in a "yy" format, you might be wondering how the
upcoming turn of the century will affect the program. Fear not, it won't. SCBA Trak does
use a one hundred year cycle to allow you to enter the dates with just the last two digits
of the year, but the cycle runs from the year 1940 through the year 2039. If the date
format is set to MM/DD/YY and you enter a date of 01/01/40, SCBA Trak assumes the year is
1940. If you enter a date of 12/31/39, SCBA Trak assumes the year is 2039. Selecting an
alternate date format, like YY-MM-DD, does not change how the dates are processed internal
to the program. Precisely at midnight on December 31, 2009, the cycle will change from
1940 through 2039 to 1960 through 2059. If you are still using any fifty year old life
support equipment at that time, you should think about upgrading your equipment.
NETWORK USE
Registered versions of the program are fully multiple user ready, meaning you can have
more than one person using the program at a time. NOTE THAT SIMULTANEOUS MULTIPLE USER OPERATION
REQUIRES THAT MULTIPLE LICENSES HAVE BEEN PURCHASED. The program uses the "Read/Edit/Write" strategy.
When you select a record for entry or updating, it's information is displayed on the
screen. You can edit it, but the changes do not actually take place until you leave the
record. An "Updating" message will appear. Just before the update takes place,
the program places a "lock" on the record to keep someone from updating it at
the same time as you're actually making your update. The program then checks to make sure
no one else has updated the record in the time between when you started making your
changes and when you attempted the update. This is to assure you will not inadvertently
wipe out someone else's update. This could occur if you started to change a record, went
to lunch, and while you were out, someone else changed the same record for another reason.
Upon returning from lunch, you would complete the entry, attempt to save the changes, and
the program would detect the other persons' change. In this instance, your changes will be
lost and you'll be given a message telling you why.
Some of the functions, like backing up the data files or restoring the data files, certain
record erasing procedures, and all reindexing operations require exclusive use of all the
data files. No one else can be using the program during these operations. The program will
issue a warning if it detects another user before it tries these functions. If you are
experiencing slow printing on the network, you probably have a non-dedicated server. These
servers usually print only when a program is "idle," waiting for a key press,
etc. However, SCBA Trak is rarely idle. During these times it is busy cleaning up files,
defragmenting memory, etc. I can create a special version just for you to fix this, if
necessary. If you cannot run more than one copy of SCBATRAK.EXE because of file or sharing
errors, you may have to reset the file attribute of SCBATRAK.EXE to READ ONLY. This is a
known peculiarity of certain brands of networks.
If you're running on a Novell network and using Client 32 version 3.1, make sure
you have Service Pack 2 installed for the Client. NetWare v4 should be at
Service Pack 8 or later.
If running on a Novell 3.x network, make sure each file has an "owner". Files
without owners cannot be expanded (appended to) and you will experience "UE 24
unrecoverable write error" or "disk full" error messages. This is normally
only a problem when user accounts are deleted and the existing files haven't had a new
owner assigned. For example, John Doe installed the program and had been its sole user. He
quits, and Tim Buck starts using the program. Novell detects that John Doe's name has been
removed from the network bindery, but that these files are still owned by him. It resets
the owner to None, and will not allow anyone else to add data to the affected files until
their owner is set to a valid user. In the mean time, Tim Buck will be unable to modify or
add data.
PRINTING TO A DISK FILE
On registered versions only, the ability to send the reports to a disk file instead of the
printer is active. The disk file could be used to import the report into your word
processor. When you select a report to be printed, you'll get a list box asking where to
send the report. If you want to print it, just hit the Enter key. If you want to send the
report to a disk file, tap the D key, the space bar, or the down arrow key once. You'll be
given a dialog box asking for the path and file name. If you specify the path to your word
processor document directory, for example, that's where the report will be sent. If a file
with the same name is detected in the specified path, you'll be given the option of
specifying a new file name, appending (adding) the new report to the existing file, or
replacing the existing file with the new report. The path is stored in memory so the next
time you need a report during that session, you won't have to retype the path, just the
new file name. NOTE: If you don't specify a file name extension, an extension of .PRN will
automatically be added to the file name. EXAMPLE: You typed in a file name of REPORT , so
the actual file name on the disk will be REPORT.PRN
ERROR HANDLING
Any serious errors in the program will cause a pop-up warning box to be displayed giving
technical details on the problem. These errors include missing or corrupted files,
computer hard drive problems, etc. If you can, use Shift+Print Screen to capture this
data. A file with the name of ERR?.TXT will also be written to your disk with this
information. The "?" will be replaced by a number, starting with
"zero." Each time a new ERR?.TXT file is written to the disk, the "?"
is increased by "one." Example: ERR0.TXT, ERR1.TXT, ERR2.TXT, etc. Please be sure to
send this information along with a description of how the problem was encountered when you
complain.
NOTE: Versions prior to 3.01 used CLIP?.ERR for the file name.
UPGRADING TO A NEWER VERSION
Be certain your data files are backed up to a floppy or another drive BEFORE installing
the newer version. Your existing data files may need to be modified to work properly. If
"something" were to happen during the modification process, like a power
failure, someone would have to do lot of work to do reentering the data if the backup
files weren't available.
If you're running on a peer-to-peer network, you may have had to set the SCBATRAK.EXE file
to "read only" to avoid error messages when more than one person is using the
program. If so, you MUST remove the "read only attribute" before installing the
new version.
Install all new version files into the same directory where SCBA Trak is now installed.
Run the new program. Instructions will appear on the screen telling you how to proceed.
USING BORLAND DBASE, MICROSOFT FOXPRO, OR ANOTHER
DATABASE PROGRAM TO DIRECTLY MODIFY THE DATA FILES
In a word, DON'T !!!!! Although these, and other, programs are capable of opening and
using the DBF/FPT file format used by SCBA Trak, some of them make little changes in the
file structure to make the file structure closer to what they expect. In some cases, I've
had users completely unable to access their data, lose access to their maintenance notes,
etc. I do have some file repair programs which can undo some of the changes
("damage") done by these programs. Contact me if you need help. If you were
using these programs on a regular basis to modify the data files, please let me know why.
I may be able to add similar capabilities to SCBA Trak.
DESKTOP SHORTCUT SETTINGS
By right-clicking on the desktop icon, and left-clicking on "Properties," you
can setup the shortcut settings. These are the default settings:
PROGRAM TAB
-------------------
Top field: SCBA Trak
Cmd line: SCBATRAK.EXE /NG /NF
Working: \SCBATRAK
Batch file:
Shortcut key: none
Run: Maximized
Close on exit: checked
Advanced Button: Suggest MS-DOS mode as necessary
FONT TAB
-------------
Available types: Both font types
Font size: Auto
MEMORY TAB
-----------------
All should be set to Auto
Protected: not checked
Uses HMA: not checked
SCREEN TAB
----------------
Usage: Windowed
Display toolbar: checked
Restore settings on startup: checked
MISC TAB
------------
Allow screensaver: checked
Always suspend: not checked
Idle sensitivity: about 1/3rd above full left
QuickEdit: not checked
Exclusive mode: not checked
Warn if still active: checked
Fast pasting: checked
Windows shortcut keys: All checked EXCEPT for PrtSc
REGISTRATION AND LICENSING REQUIREMENTS
This program is "user-supported" software. That means I will
strive to continue to improve it and offer it as long as I know people out there are using
it and supporting my efforts. So, folks, please take the time to evaluate the program and
offer any suggestions or criticisms. In this way, we both can profit. To print out the
registration form, press the P key when the "commercial" screen is being
displayed, when the program first starts up. If you have a registered version, you can
print an order form from the main menu by using the key combination Alt+O ("O"
for "order") or using the Online Order Form.
SCBA Trak is licensed on a "per simultaneous user" basis, as noted in the preceding License Agreement. Just as a book cannot be read by more than one person at a time, SCBA Trak cannot be used by more than one person at the same time unless you've purchased one (1) license per simultaneous user. Each license at any given location is $79.00.
I don't care how many computers have SCBA Trak installed. The only thing that matters is the number of simultaneous users at that location. To make it easy, I'll define "location" by the sharing of data files. If you have 30 locations all interconnected on a network, and they all share the same set of data files, then you need one (1) "First license" plus as many "Additional simultaneous user" licenses as you'll have simultaneous users. Yes, this means if you have one technician who travels to 30 stations, and is the only person who accesses the data files, then you need just one license. But, if you have 30 locations, and each location has their own computer with their own data files (because you're not on a network), then you need 30 separate "First Licenses." Please contact us if you have any questions.
I would appreciate a check sent with the registration. If you're a corporate or government
user and must use a purchase order, that's fine. I'll invoice you when I send the disk.
Personal checks are OK also; if you were going to "stiff" me, you wouldn't
bounce a check, you just wouldn't register. If you're registering from outside the U.S.A.,
PLEASE use postal money orders or have the funds drawn on a US bank. The US banks charge a
$ 20.00 fee if I try to deposit a foreign money order, EuroCheque, etc. to
"process" it through their currency exchange departments. I can also accept VISA
and MasterCard, including the government IMPAC card.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
HOW DO I CHANGE THE AIR BOTTLE TYPE, HYDRO TEST PRESSURE, ETC.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You need to set the working pressure to 0 and press Enter. The list box will pop up
allowing you to select this information.
THE DUE LIST APPEARS TO BE INCORRECT
-----------------------------------------------------
From the main menu, hold down the Alt key and press the U key, then release both keys. The
due list will be rebuilt from scratch. No one else can be using the program at the same
time you're doing this. Doing an Alt+R will reindex the files and rebuild the due list as
an alternative.
HOW DO I CHANGE THE "OWNER NAMES" OR THE "ASSIGNED TO" NAMES
OR THE "LAST KNOWN TO BE ON" NAMES?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There's a function on the main menu titled "Name list changes and corrections"
which allows you to make multiple changes to these fields easily. Select it and press the
F1 key for advice on using it.
I SENT SOME EQUIPMENT OUT FOR MAINTENANCE. HOW DO I KEEP IT FROM SHOWING UP ON THE
REPORTS UNTIL IT COMES BACK ?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You need to change the "Assigned To" or "Last Known To Be On" field to
something beginning with the * character, as in *O.O.S. or *In Repair . Anytime the first
character of this field is the * , that piece of equipment will be excluded from all
"needs maintenance" reports while still showing up on the inventory reports.
You'll get a pop up advisory notice when you do this to remind you of it's effect.
HOW CAN I KEEP SEPARATE SETS OF RECORDS FOR THE DIFFERENT COMPANIES WHOSE
EQUIPMENT I MAINTAIN ?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You need to turn on the "Multi-Owner Mode" on Page 3 of the Options screens by
answering the question Y . This will allow you to keep separate sets of records for
everyone you perform service for. When the cursor is on this field, press the F1 key for
more information.
I'M GETTING "SHARING VIOLATION" ERRORS AND OTHER WEIRD STUFF
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You are loading a program named SHARE in either your CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT computer
startup files. You need to modify this statement like so: SHARE.EXE /L:200 /F:4096 and
then restart your computer.
HOW DO I SWITCH FROM FULL SCREEN TO A WINDOW (or vice
versa) ?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hold down the "Alt" key, and while holding it down, tap the "Enter"
key. Do the same thing to get back to a full screen display.
I UPGRADED FROM AN EARLY VERSION OF THE PROGRAM. EVERY TIME I SELECT A RECORD FOR
THE FIRST TIME, I GET THE "UPDATING" MESSAGE, EVEN THOUGH I DIDN'T CHANGE
ANYTHING. IT NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN FOR THAT RECORD. WHAT'S GOING ON ?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Early versions didn't have the "Owner" field in the upper right hand corner of
the data entry screens. Since each record must now have an owner, this field is
automatically filled in for you using the name that's programmed to the F1 key in the Fill
Log, if the Multi-Owner mode is turned "off" (the default). If you had to enter
your organization's name when you first used this version, it's the same name. If you have
turned "on" the Multi-Owner mode, you can select the correct name for that
record instead. It's the automatic filling of this field when the Multi-Owner mode is
"off" that's tripping the "Updating" message.
HOW DO I CHANGE THE MASK FIT TEST TYPE OR TEST PROTOCOL?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Change the Last Fit Test date to an earlier or later date, and you can change the other
settings. Then change the date back to what it should be. Note that a history file entry
will be created for each change, so you may want to make an entry in the Notes section so
future users will know at a glance what happened.