★ APPLICATIONS ★ BUREAUTIQUE ★ CHIBASE|8000 Plus) ★ |
| Chibase | Applications Bureautique |
Those people who've used a database will know that the general format of these programs is to present a screen with a number of preset places where you can enter your information. These are normally the only places you can type and you're limited to the length and number of 'fields' you've defined on a 'record'. This is fine for address lists, records of the number of different toffees stocked by your local sweetshop or a catalogue of exotic pets available across the counter of your neighbourhood take-away. When you need to store large amounts of text in each record, though, this kind of program has some shortcomings. Chibase is designed for just such a circumstance. Chi basics As with most databases, Chibase is divided into two distinct sections; creation and retrieval programs. The first program records a number of 'blank pages' on a disc, while the second one allows you to add text to each page and calls up pages by using a system of 'keywords'. The concept is very good, as it allows you to highlight up to 50 words within each page of text and to use these 'keys' to recall the pages later. If you have a collection of recipes on you Chibase data disc, for instance, you could search them for all the recipes containing eggs, or all those that can be prepared in under five minutes. This assumes that you've highlighted each ingredient and cooking time on all page before making the search. The practicalities Chibase doesn't go overboard on presentation - indeed there is very little on the screen most of the time, unless you include your own text. This would be fine if it was obvious how to use the program. Unfortunately, although it's quite simple to add pages and search through them for specific entries, you are hindered at almost every turn by the bizarre choice of controls and user-hostile editor. You open with Chibase's Help screen, actually its main menu. There is no help as such in the program, so if you can't decipher a particular command your only recourse is to the manual. This is 24 pages of close-printed text. It includes tutorial and reference sections, but has few illustrations and no index. With a bit of digging, though, you can find most of the information you'll need. All commands in Chibase are made by holding down the [ALT] key and pressing one other letter. This means you have to remember which sequence produces which result. You can refer to a single line screen prompt or keep flicking back to the 'Help' menu, but it would be a lot simpler if you could remember the sequences. And what could be easier than f I to list all the key words you've defined, ^V to insert a line of ^L to finish a session. This is WordStar all over again, only I don't see why I should have to go through the pain of learning a completely different set of sequences on a modern product. The Editor When you're entering text onto a Chibase page you just type away, the program wraps your words at the end of each line as a word processor would. If you want to insert text though, you have to press fC before each letter you want to insert. Fortunately you can load text from an ASCII file as well as from the keyboard. Forms If you are entering a number of pages in a similar format you'll probably want to save yourself some typing by defining a 'form' containing all the headings. Chibase can hold many forms, but again they're not quite as handy as they might be. When you recall a form to enter pages into your database, the headings do appear on each blank card. The trouble is there's no way of moving quickly from one heading to another. The only cursor controls you have move you one character or line in each direction, and if you're not careful you can overwrite the headings as if they were part of the text. Verdict I wouldn't like you to think that Chibase doesn't do its job. It finds keywords from even a large database (100,000 characters or more) in only a few seconds. The idea of having a free-form database which isn't restricted to predefined record formats is also good. It's just that so little thought seems to have been given to the way the program presents itself that I doubt there will be many users patient enough to make full use of it.
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