t h e d b
The handy education database

Version 1.3.3.4

Features

  • Manage multiple files
  • Easy to switch between three files
  • Add formula and text data
  • Edit and remove data
  • Copy data to the clipboard to use them somewhere else
  • Lock/unlock files to prevent accidental modifications
  • Search throuth the file to find quickly what you're searching for
  • Cut, copy and paste data to rearrange contents
  • Show data as a 2D expression
  • Solve formulas easy by selecting the variable to solve to (and option to enter the values to calculate the formula)
  • Settings to customize the programm

 

About the files

Since version 1.3.2.2 you need two files to run the programm. One is the packed programm and the other one is the launcher to start the programm.

The filename on the computer of the packed programm is thedb.xxy (xx stands for 9x, 89, or v2). This file is named thedbpac.ppg on the calculator
The filename of the launcher is thedb.xxz (xx stands for 9x, 89, or v2). This file is named thedb.asm on the calculator.

The packed programm (thedbpac.ppg) has to be in the current folder (press MODE in the home screen and look what's choosen at "Current Folder"). The launcher thedb.asm can be wherever you like to.

Another possibility is to use the TICT-Explorer (Download from ticalc.org). With this explorer, it is possible to start packed programms without the launcher so you would not need thedb.xxz (thedb.asm on the calculator).

Index

Information for users of my Formula-library

If you have used my Formula-Library (Formelnbibliothek), you can convert the fsave.lib file to a *.tfdb file to use it with thedb. Get the converting programm Thedbcnv from www.mytinyarchive.ch.vu or search in the archives of www.ticalc.org.

 

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Information for users of a TI-92+ or V200 and Titanium

TI-92+ and the V200

Programm versions are also available for the TI-92+ and the V200 calculators. The only change are some key codes and the size of the display. I never tested the programm on these calculators, so try it out and please tell me if it works well or if there are some bugs or some unhandy keys.

Titanium

I also don't know if the programm works on a TI-89T calculator. Try it out and tell me if it works or not ;)

 

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How to...

...switch between Formula and Text

If the cursor is placed at position number 1, you can switch between formula and text, pressing the LEFT or RIGHT cursor key.

If you make a change, the active file (7) will also change and the settings for text will be loaded.

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...create a new file

To create a new file, select with position 1 what you need. Now, there are two ways to create a new file:

  1. Select "New" (3) and Press ENTER. A dialog box will appear and you can select a folder and enter a filename. After that, the dialog box for adding data will be shown.
  2. Select "Active File" (7) and press BACKSPACE. The same dialog box will appear.

When you create a new file, the file path will be shown at position 7. If there was already a path name, it will be overwritten.

If you enter a filename that already exists, it will warn you and you can select if you like to overwrite the existing file or enter a new filename.

Read switch between the three files for more information.

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...add data to the file

To add new data to the file shown at "Active file" (7), choose "New" (3) and press ENTER. The corresponding dialog box (depends on what you've choosen at position 1) will be shown. Enter anything you like and press ENTER again. The data will be saved and added at the end of the file.

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...show the data (List view)

To show the data in a file, make shure that a file path is shown at "Active file" (7) and choose "Show" (2). A window will be opened and all the data in a file will be printed out.

Read The list view for more information.

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...add an existing file

If you have already a datafile on your calculator, you can load it by selecting "Active file" (7) and pressing ENTER. The Var-link dialog will be shown and you can select your file. If you select an illegal file (for example a file with an illegal file extension) thedb will warn you and abort the process.

You can select these files:
*.tfdb if 7 is set to "Formula"
*.ttdb if 7 is set to "Text"

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...lock/unlock a file

It is possible to lock or unlock a file. If a file is locked, it means that you can't edit, add or remove data from this file and you can't remove the file with thedb. But it is still possible to show the data in the file in the list view or to remove the file manually in the var-link. Locked does not mean that the file is locked on the calculator. It's just locked for the programm.

To lock or unlock a file, select "Active file" (7) and press MODE. Now the sympol at position 9 will change. If there's a tick shown, the file is not locked, if a lock is showed, the file is locked. A question mark ? is showed when no file path is selected or when something is wrong with the file (e.g. the file does not exist anymore).

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...switch between the three files

thedb has the possibiliti to easy select three files (three formula files and three text files). Position 8 shows which file is active. To switch between these three files, press 2ND+LEFT/RIGHT. The number on position 8 will change and the corresponding file path will be shown.

If you add an existing file or if you create a new file, the current active file path will be overwritten. So make shure that the right path is shown at position 8.

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...remove a file

You can remove a file from the calculator. Select "Active file" (7), choose the file you want to remove (see switch between the three files for more information) and press CLEAR. A dialog box will warn you that the file will be completely removed from the calculator. If you acknowledge with pressing ENTER, the file will be removed.

 

...change settings

Select "Settings (4) and press ENTER. The main menu will disappear and the settings menu will be opened on the right side of the display. Select with UP/DOWN the setting you like to change, and press LEFT/RIGHT to change the setting. The changes will take effect immediately (the settings will just be saved in the configuration file when you exit the programm).

Available settings: Modes: Description:
Start with menu/list Start the programm with the menu or the list view with the last opened file
Archive files yes/no Archive files used by the programm or let them unarchived
Make backup copy yes/no Make an archived backup copy of the currently used file or do not make one

 

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The list view

Navigate

To navigate in the list view, there are several keys. To move the cursor up and down, use the UP and DOWN keys.
Press 2nd+UP/DOWN to jump up or down 5 entries.
Press HOME to jump to the first entry.

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Switch between Name/Formula/Description or Title/Text

To switch between the corresponding entries of the showed data, press RIGHT or LEFT. The lighter gray title (on the lower right or upper left) will show you what's showed.

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Edit data

You can edit the selected data by pressing BACKSPACE. The same dialog box like when you add new data will appear and the input fields will be filled with the data you selected to edit. Press ENTER to save your changes.

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Remove data

In the list view, you can also remove data. Press CLEAR to remove the selected entry. A dialog box will appear to ask if you're shure to remove the data. Acknowledge by pressing ENTER or abort by pressing ESC.

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Copy to the clipboard

You can copy the selected data to the clipboard so you can use it somewhere else (for example you like to use a formula in the homescreen). To copy the selected entry, press ENTER. A dialog box will appear to show what has been copied.

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Search

Press F3 and a dialog box will appear. Enter something you like to search for (the search is case sensitive!). Press ENTER and the search will start. The first compared entry will be the one the cursor is on and the search will go downwards.

Press 2nd+F3 (F8) to continue searching. The first compared entry will be the one after the cursor.

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Cut/Copy/Paste

To cut, copy and paste you can use the standard key combinations DIAMOND+CUT, DIAMOND+COPY and DIAMOND+PASTE (DIAMOND+X, DIAMOND+C, DIAMOND+V on the TI-92+ and V200). Move the cursor the the entry you like to cut or copy and press the key combination. The entry will be marked. Now, move the cursor to where you want to put the selected entry and press DIAMOND+PASTE (DIAMOND+V). A dialog box will appear and you're able to coose if you like to add the marked entry before or after the selected one. Press ENTER and the process will start.

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Solve a formula

Select the formula entry you like to solve and press F1. First, a dialog box will appear where you can select the variable you like to solve the formula to. After pressing ENTER, you have to enter a value for the first variable. Continue till you have entered the value for the last variable. The result will now be showed in a window. Here you can act like in the 2D view (just BACKSPACE does not work). If there's a fault in the formula expression, a warning will appear and you can't solve it. Try to figure out where the fault is (e.g. copy the formula into the clipboard and try to execute the formula in the home screen).

Thanks to Samuel Stearley for his great code to extract the variables!

 

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The 2D view

You can show your data as a 2D expression. First, select your entry in the list view and press APPS. The selected entry will be shown in the window.
If the expression is bigger than the window, you can move by pressing 2nd+UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT (DIAMOND+UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT moves faster). Use UP/DOWN to show the previous/next entry in the list.

Formulas will automatically be printed in 2D. Other data will be printed as normal text. Switch between 2D and text by pressing F4.

It is not possible to print out the data if there's a variable name with more than 8 letters. A warning will be printed out instead of the expression.

Other useful keys:

 

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Other interesting things

 

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Other position numbers

About

Shows a dialog box with name, version, date and author of the programm

 

Exit

Exits the programm and saves all settings. To exit the programm, you can also press ESC.

 

Number of entries

Shows how many entries the file selected with "Active file" (7) contains.

 

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History

Version 1.3.3.4

Version 1.3.2.3

Version 1.2.2.2 Final

Version 1.1.2.2

Version 1.0.2.1

Removed the possibility to add variables to a formula. Found a code from Samuel Stearley to extract the variables of an expression automatically -> The file Version of formula files is now Version 2 (noone has really used thedb now, so it shouldn't care anyone :) ).

Version 1.0.1.1

New:

Version 0.0.1.1

The first version of the programm. This version has never been shared that much.

 

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Bug reports

Version 1.3.3.4

Version 1.3.2.3

Version 1.2.2.2 Final

Version 1.1.2.2

Version 1.0.2.1

Version 1.0.1.1

- No bugs known yet

Version 0.0.1.1

- If you create a file with a name that already exists in the same folder, the file will be overwritten.

 

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Known problems

Large files

If you have large files (more than 300 entries, that's really much!) it will take few seconds to save new data. Sometimes it could fail to save the new data. If it fails, try it again (maybe it helps to restart the programm).
I tryed it out with more then 400 entries, sometimes it failed to save, but after restarting the programm, it worked mostly.

 

Filenames

Some filenames were not possible to use. These are for example filenames used by the Y-Editor or system variables. If you try to enter such a name (for example "y1") the programm will check the name and show the warning "Reserved filename!" if it's a reserved one.

Also filenames according to functions or filenames with special symbols can't be used. If you try to enter such a name (for example "solve" or "test.1") the programm will check the name and show the warning "Invalid filename!".

 

Solving a Formula

When solving a formula, there's the possibility to enter the values for the variables. The main problem here is, that it is possible that someone has a formula with the maximum lenght of characters and the formula just contains variables and operators. In this case, if the user enters for each variable the maximum lenght of the value , it would need a large amount of memory to solve the formula.
Actually, the solving system is not perfect. Maybe you have to restart the programm if you solved a formula with lot of variables and other strange things could happen, but that's just in the extreme circumstance. With "normal" formulas everything should work.
Please report any bugs you'll find.
Version 1.3.3.4: I never had problems solvina a formula...

 

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About

thedb Version 1.3.3.4

written by: Thomas Naeff

e-mail: th.n@gmx.ch

homepage: www.mytinyarchive.ch.vu

Please tell me if you miss something in this programm or if you found a bug!

...and please excuse me for my not-perfect-english ;-)

 

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Credits

Special thanks to:

 

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License

Thomas Naeff is not responsible for anything that might occur from the use of this program. Nor does he guarantee that it even works and he's not responsible if your calculator crashes or for every damage caused of my programm!

The source code of this programm, or parts of it, can be used wherever you want to and may be distributed in every c/asm project.
If you use parts of my code, please thank me in your readme and be shure to mention that it has it's own license and copyright. Please also denote the part of my code in your source code. If I used parts of code from someone else, please read the license of them and mention them in your readme. They could have their own license!
It would be nice tho hear from you if you use a part of it and if you have a correction suggestion.

© 2006 by Thomas Naeff

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