AVCataloger Newsletter

February 2005

Downloads | Documentation | Online Tour | Video Tutorials | Forums

Welcome to our February 2005 newsletter for AVCataloger - the premier cataloger for Music, Video, Book, and Software collections and our exclusive Loan Log and Wish List bonus areas.  Just about a month ago we released AVCataloger 3.6 which is available for immediate download.  This is another FREE update for our version 3.x customers and we have had nothing but great reviews of the new update.  In this update we enhanced the performance and existing features to make data entry quick and reliable as well as updated the IMDb engine to keep up with changes to the IMDb resources. 

In this newsletter we will continue our goal to help you get the most out of this fascinating product.  We'll show you how to mold AVCataloger into just about any user's needs.  We'll begin our series of newsletters by showing you advanced Sorting and Grouping functionality as well as how to add your own columns to store data in AVCataloger.  We'll also discuss how we take care of our customers by bringing updates and notifications to you with the powerful InstallShield Update Service embedded into AVCataloger.  And we'll also tell you how you can earn money by referring your friends and coworkers to AVCataloger.  That's right, we will pay you $10 for each and every referral when you bring a new face to the AVCataloger community.

For those using dial-up Internet connections, we have you covered.  We'll discuss how to get AVCataloger on CD-ROM so you don't have to worry about downloading software with a slow Internet connection.  So read on and enjoy our newsletter focusing on the popular media cataloger - AVCataloger.  Be sure you are subscribed to our mailing list to receive newsletters as they become available.
 

In the first of two topics on "How-To's" we are going to discuss Sorting and Grouping.  AVCataloger offers complete control over sorting and grouping data so you can produce an effective layout for viewing and managing AVCataloger data.  Sorting can be easily accomplished by clicking the column header of the column you wish to sort.  Click the same column header and it will sort again in the opposite direction.  Sorts are preserved between uses of the program.  However, there is a more advanced sorting option available such that you can sort on multiple columns at once, as shown in the figure below.

You can set sort patterns on up to four columns simultaneously in AVCataloger.  Not only can you select a column to be sorted but also control the sort direction such as Ascending or Descending.  In the example above we are going to sort first by "Title" (ascending) then "Musician" (ascending) and finally "Genre" (ascending).  After the sorts have been set, click the "OK" button to save the sort and apply the changes to your data entry area.  You will see the sort indicators on the column headers indicating the column is being sorted and in which direction as indicated by the arrow head.

Grouping your data can provide a unique layout of your data such as adding a column "Owned" and then grouping by this column.  You may be in the Book area and want to add a few books you intend to purchase.  By adding a Yes/No (checkbox) column "Owned" you can keep track of books you own and books you want to purchase when you have the money or make your next shopping trip.  You would then "Group by" this column "Owned" and you'll see a neat presentation of your data with the grouping configured. 

Groups can be created by either showing the "Group By Bar" and dragging and dropping column headers to the Group Box area or from the figure as shown above to set advanced group options.  View the dialog above by clicking View...Current View...Customize Current View.  Click the "Group By..." button and the dialog as shown above will appear.  Up to four group levels can be configured with this dialog which is called "nesting groups."  In the example above we are first going to group by "Musician" so all of our albums by "Artist ABC" will appear together then all of our albums by "Artist XYZ" will appear, etc.  Sorting options for groups can be controlled at the group level.  You can additionally select if when a column is grouped whether or not to view this column of data.  If you wish to hide columns of data used for grouping, clear the checkbox "Show field in view" below the group column selector and the column will not appear when grouped.

A few other options are available to further format the grouping of data.  When saving the group configuration you can specify if the groups will first appear "Expanded" or "Collapsed" from the drop down list on the far right side of the group configuration dialog.  There are two checkboxes at the very bottom which control whether or not a summary value will appear in the group footer and whether the "Group Box Bar" will appear across the top of the data entry area indicating which columns are being grouped.

So as you can see in this short discussion on Sorting and Grouping, AVCataloger has powerful features available to display your data in a meaningful way for any and every AVCataloger user.  Refer to the documentation for more examples and discussion on this topic.
 

AVCataloger models after the extremely powerful Microsoft Outlook interface and with AVCataloger, we took no shortcuts offering tremendous customizability with AVCataloger.  We provide the standard set of columns with AVCataloger that most will use for the main data entry areas as well as what we would envision most would use in the Loan Log and Wish List areas.  However, you may not realize this but you can "Morph" AVCataloger into just about any application or custom requirement with great ease!  We'll go over the basic fundamentals of customization in this little tip to get you pointed in the right direction in customizing your software, AVCataloger, as desired.  To start, click View...Current View...Format Columns... and the dialog will appear as shown below.

In this dialog you have great control over the formatting and order of your columns, however, we are going to limit this discussion on adding a New column.  On the lower right click the "New Field..." button to bring up the dialog for creating a new field (aka. Column).  When clicking this button you will be prompted with a dialog on what type of data this column will hold and a caption which will go at the top of the column header.  The available Types of Data for a column can be:

  -Text
  -Integer (numbers such as 1, 2, 3 - no decimals)
  -Decimal (numbers such as 1.25, 3.67)
  -Currency ($59.95)
  -Date (Calendar will appear)
  -Yes/No (Checkbox will appear)
  -Drop Down List

Depending on the "Type of Data" set for the column will affect the next step in configuring the column, which is pretty straight-forward but a little more advanced if creating a drop down list, so we'll take a look at this option now as it is the most complex of the available types.

In this example the "Type of Data" was selected to be a "Drop Down List" so when we click in this cell/column when entering data in AVCataloger, we will be able to select from a list of options.  We named this new column "Owner" so that it will appear in the column header and now all we have to do is populate our list of drop down items.  Enter the new values to be added to the list in the "New Item" box on the right then click "Add" and you'll see it added to the list instantly.  If you added something you didn't intend to, select it and click "Remove" and it will be removed.  After the new drop down list is configured, click the "Save" button to save it to your data entry area being customized, such as the Music area we are working in now.  You will immediately see the new column in the field list and you can change the column order and place the column exactly where you want it.  When printing directly from the data entry area your new column of information will be a part of the printout.

So as you can see the ability to customize AVCataloger is limitless.  All six data entry areas can be customized as you wish, empowering our AVCataloger users to take full control the application and mold the program to fit your specific needs.
 

Click the button across the top of the dialog to go to the desired area, in this case we are in the Music Area.  Along the left side is a vertical menu of data areas you can manage, in this case the "Genre" area is selected.  You can view at a glance the usage column which indicates how many times this particular item has been selected.  For example, there are 108 entries in AVCataloger at this time that have the "Alternative & Punk" Genre selected.  To remove an item from the Genre drop down list first ensure the item is not in use, in other words you will not see a "Usage" statistic displayed.  Once entries have been changed that were using this item to use another list item, you can come back to the Data Manager and click the Red X on the left side of the row.  Doing so will remove this item from the list of available options.  In some cases you can also rename the item displayed, for example if you spelled a Genre wrong such as "Rockk".  You could use the Data Manager to change the entry to "Rock" with ease by double-clicking in the Music Genre column as in this case.

The Data Manager is a powerful feature among the many powerful customizable options of AVCataloger.  Be sure to backup (File..File Operations..Backup) your data file prior to performing any data modification operation.
 

NC Software uses the InstallShield Update Service to help ensure you are always up-to-date with your AVCataloger software.  We are a believer in taking information to our customers and not requiring our customers to come to us asking "is there an update" every so often.  We too have many software applications installed on our computers and want to ensure we have the "latest and greatest."  Making the "rounds" every few days to each manufacturer's web site to see "what's the latest" can be painful and of course we may miss a few and be short changed on nifty new features and ehemm, bug fixes!  Instead, NC Software delivers, and we want to do all the work so you can concentrate on simply using the software you paid for or are evaluating for purchase.

The Update Manager is a new addition to the InstallShield Update service to help you control the updating process which used to be only configurable by us developers within the code of the application.  Now you can control more options related to product updates with ease using the new Update Manager.  There are two types of update you'll receive via the Update Manager: 1) Software Updates and 2) Messages or "Notifications."  AVCataloger will check for either software updates or messages related to AVCataloger every 30 days or you can check manually from the "Check for Updates" menu options in various places either in the Start...Program Files area or within the software itself.  If the Update Manager appears, it means there is either a software update or notification message available.  Click the item(s) in the list and you can see the Description text below, as shown in the example above.  If it is only a notification message the "Install" button will not be available but you can click the appropriate options available for the message or "Hide" so as not to show it again.

AVCataloger also uses an advanced system that checks for software updates every time AVCataloger is launched.  If an update is available it will automatically download in the background if an Internet connection is detected.  The downloading will be transparent to you as it will also "throttle back" should you decide to surf the Internet so as not to slow your Internet surfing down.  When you are finished surfing the net, the background download system will continue to download until the file is ready to install.  If an update is available, when closing AVCataloger you will be prompted to install at this time.

There have been a few issues with firewalls that may make AVCataloger slow to launch.  You can disable the background update checking from the Tools...Preferences menu area if this is a factor, but is not recommended so critical updates can be delivered if you are not having this issue.  

The Update Manager is installed by default with AVCataloger and cannot be removed unless AVCataloger is removed.  The Update Manager is a sealed system meaning only applications that are registered with the Update Service can communicate with the update servers to download an update.  As in the case with AVCataloger, when update checking occurs, the update system will check if an update is available and download the updates published to the NC Software servers.  It is not possible for any other software to be downloaded from the Update system therefore you need not worry about unintended software being downloaded to your system.  The Update Manager is NOT Adware, it is not Spyware, it is a very simple and controlled system to allow NC Software to HELP you by bringing software updates to you and help stay up-to-date. 

*Read InstallShield's topic on changing settings in the Update Manager here.
 

AVCataloger 3.6 includes a new registration system making registering your software much simpler than before.  The new license code will be a series of characters bracketed by braces such as {abcdefg...}.  When purchasing an AVCataloger license simply highlight this license code and press CTRL+C on your keyboard or (Edit...Copy from the menu) to copy the license to the Windows Clipboard.  When AVCataloger starts up it will detect the license on the Windows Clipboard and actually enter it for you.  Just click OK if the license code was automatically entered and that's all there is to it!  If you don't see the code press the "Paste" button on the upper right OR press CTRL+V (the paste keyboard shortcut) to paste in the registration code.

If you copy and paste the license code from an e-mail invoice or registration recall there is a chance your e-mail reader may wrap the lines so the registration code displays on multiple lines.  The e-mail system may have inserted line breaks typically at the 60-80 character mark.  When entering the registration code into AVCataloger it is important to remove any line breaks or spaces so you have a continuous flow of characters then click OK.

The new registration system rolled out beginning with version 3.6.  Version 3.6 is a FREE update to all 3.x registered customers.  We e-mailed out the new license codes to all customers in our database prior to the release.  If you changed e-mail addresses or we missed you by accident, please e-mail us for your version 3.6 license (include your prior issued key code or order information so it can be updated).  The registration recall center will also issue version 3.6 license codes for those ordering AVCataloger prior to August 2003.
 

We appreciate all of the great referrals to AVCataloger and we want to make sure we are compensating you for your efforts.  At the top right of AVCataloger is a menu item "Refer-a-Friend" which allows you to register for a referral "promotional" code (if AVCataloger is registered).  Click this button and provide a few details (US customers only) and refer your friends, co-workers, etc. to AVCataloger.  Write down your referral code and when they order, have them enter the referral code on the last screen of the order process where the credit card numbers are entered.  They will see a "Promotion Code" box where they enter YOUR referral code and you will be paid $10 for each and every purchase, paid out monthly.  It's that easy, just spread the word and in just a few referrals your software is paid off! Keep referring and pocket a few extra dollars to spend as you wish.

*Referrals are not retroactive and can only be paid out when the referral code is used when placing an order.
 

Are you still surfing the net with your dial-up modem connection?  Broadband is certainly taking off rapidly and with speeds now up to 4-8 Mbit/sec which is outstanding.  However, we know not everyone is fortunate to have high-speed Internet connectivity, therefore we continue to offer our software on CD-ROM for only $9.95.  The software on our Software CD-ROM is identical to that which is available for free download but for those that want to preserve the current version or cannot download the 15-20 meg installation file.  We also offer a "web installation" system where installations can resume at any time and only required files are downloaded, the preferred download option for dial-up users.  Ordering a CD-ROM is easy, click here and place your order and we'll ship your CD-ROM within 24 hours.