Main Help Screen
Quickdex for Windows

Click on a portion of the graphic or one of the subject areas below for help.

Basics	File Handling	Printing

Quickdex Keys	Searching for Text	Quickdex Options

Voice Options	Miscellaneous	Credits


Basics
 Quickdex Basics

Quickdex is a freeform database you can use as a place to put names and phone numbers, jokes, code fragments, or a million other miscellaneous pieces of information.

Quickdex replaces the Cardfile program that comes with Windows.  Unlike Cardfile, Quickdex allows you to search forward and backward, allows wild card searches, and allows (essentially) unlimited file and card sizes.  The concept behind Quickdex is to present a simple, clean interface, with well implemented, useful features.

Quickdex uses two main edit boxes, the Find box and the Text box. You put information you want to save in the Text box. To find information, you put some portion of the text you want to find in the Find box and press <Enter>.

Within the Text box of a Quickdex card, you may use the standard cursor movement keys, as well as <Enter>, <Insert>, <Delete> and <Backspace> with the expected results.  The <Tab> key switches your cursor between the text box and the find box.

An Edit menu appears if you press the Right mouse button within an edit box, or either mouse button anywhere else (anywhere that isn't a button or edit control).  You can also enable "Drag and Drop" editing if you want the text area to work like "Word for Windows".  The standard keyboard accelerators for editing also work (i.e.,  <Ctrl-X>, <Ctrl-Ins>, etc., depending on whether you are using Windows 3.0 or 3.1).  'Undo' on the Edit menu undoes very little, so if it doesn't work, try <Alt-Z>.

Quickdex notes whether a file has been marked 'Read Only' when it loads it, and displays a message noting that. Quickdex does not allow you to change read only files, and disables the New, Delete and Save buttons, as well as disallowing any changes in the text area. Text can still be copied from the text are to the clipboard.

See also: Quickdex Keys


File Handling

When you first run Quickdex, it prompts you for the name of a card file.  If you are creating a new file, simply type a file name (or use the default).  Once you have specified the file name, it is remembered in the file QDW.INI and is automatically loaded when you start Quickdex again.

Saving Files

To save changes to your current file, click on the save button, or press<Alt-S>.  Saving is disabled until you change the file.

Opening and Creating Files

To change to a different file, select a file using the 'Open/Create data file...' option from the Quickdex system menu.

Quickdex remembers the four most recently used data files, and they appear in the system menu. You may switch between your currently open file and an older one either through the system menu, or by pressing <Alt-2>, <Alt-3> or <Alt-4> (to get to the second, third or fourth file on the list).

The most recently used file (the first file on the list) is opened whenever you start Quickdex. You can override this by specifying a filename on the Quickdex command line (use the File, Properties command in Program Manager). This option is useful if you always want a particular file to open when you start Quickdex, regardless of the last file used.

See also: Using Macintosh Quickdex Files


Macintosh Files
Using Macintosh Quickdex Files

Opening Mac Files

Quickdex for Windows recognizes Macintosh format Quickdex files (version 1.4) when you try to open them, and asks if you want to convert them.  If you choose to convert, the file will be overwritten with the Windows format when you save the file.

Saving Mac Files

You may save your file in Quickdex for Macintosh format by holding down <Ctrl> when you click on the Save button.  You will be requested to verify that you want to write in Macintosh format.

Note that to use the file on the Macintosh, it will need to be 'stamped' with a creator of QDEX and a type of TEXT (case-sensitive).  If this doesn't make any sense,  you need to find a Mac expert to help you.


Printing

The Print Options dialog box is available from the system menu. Click on a portion of the graphic below to get more information about printing options.

As with a search, Quickdex thinks of your file as circular. If you print 'matching' or 'all' cards, printing begins with the next card and loops around the file to your current card.


 Quickdex Keys

The following <Alt>-key combinations are supported:

<Alt-A>	Same as <Alt-N>, adds a new card.

<Alt-B>	Displays the last card viewed before the current card.  <Alt-B> will only work if you have not changed the current card.

<Alt-D>	Deletes the current card.  You will be requested to verify the deletion.

<Alt-N>	Creates a new, empty card.

<Alt-P>	Reads or dials the highlighted (selected) number in the current card.  If you press <Shift-Alt-P>, Quickdex will find a phone number on the current card and read or dial it (same as clicking on [image] or [image].)

<Alt-Q>	Same as <Alt-X>, exits (quits) the application.

<Alt-S>	Saves any changes made to the file.

<Alt-T>	Toggles between Quickdex always on top, and normal mode (requires Windows 3.1).

<Alt-X>	Exits the application. If you have made changes to the file and have not saved them, you will be prompted to do so.

<Alt-Z>	Undoes all changes to a card -- up to the last time the cursor was moved out of the text edit box.

<Alt-1>	Loads the first file listed on the system menu. Usually that is the file you are working with. It is a quick way of discarding all changes you have made to a file.

<Alt-2>	Toggles (switches) between the last two files you have been using.  Similarly, <Alt-3> and <Alt-4> cycle through the last three or four files you have been using.

Except for <Alt-P>, all <Alt>-key combinations are not case (or CAPS LOCK) sensitive.

See also: Basics, Quickdex General


Finding Text
 Searching for Text

Cards with matching text can be found by typing a string in the Find box and pressing <Enter>.

Repeatedly pressing <Enter> will find each subsequent occurrence of your string. You can press <Shift-Enter> to find the previous occurrence.  You may choose to have your search start in the next (or previous) card or continue in the same card by setting the Search in card option on or off.

If you do not enter a search string, then you will simply jump to the next (or previous) card.  You may also press the scroll buttons [image] [image] to the right of the Find edit box to search forward or backward.

Quickdex thinks of a file as circular, so a forward search will find your card whether it appears ahead of or behind your current card. If the search string is not found, the application will beep.

See also: Search Considerations,  Wild Card Searches


 Search Considerations

Forward searches are much faster than backward searches.  Generally there is no reason to search backward, as a forward search will cycle through the entire file.

Forward searches are faster if you use a longer search string. As a rule of thumb, a string twice as long can be found in half the time.

If you skip past a card when searching forward, it is faster to use <Alt-B> to go Back to the previously found card.  <Alt-B> only goes back one card.


 Wild Cards

You may use wild cards in your search by prefacing your search string with a tilde, '~'.  Wild cards only work with a forward search and slow your search down considerably.  Wild cards include '?' to match any character, '*' to match any number of characters (including none), and '[x-y]' to match any character in the range x through y.  For example:

    ~2[0-9][0-9]9  matches 2349 and 2569, but not 28G9.

    ~a*b  matches ab, Albert, and Crandallberg, but not ball.

    ~a??c  matches ACDC, a3!c, and acac, but not abca.

As with other searches, wild card searches are not case-sensitive.


Quickdex Options

Quickdex Options are available by clicking first on the [image], and then on the Options button. Click on a portion of the graphic below to get information about each option.


Voice Options

If you have selected the PC Speaker in the 'Options' dialog, clicking on the [image] tells Quickdex to look in the current card for a phone number and read it out.

Quickdex uses sound files that come with the application, but you may specify your own sounds.

To use your own sounds, you must record WAV files for each digit and place them somewhere in the path.  Wave files are named yyyyyyx.WAV where x is a digit from 0-9, and yyyyyy is a prefix of your choice.  You tell Quickdex to use your wave files by specifying your prefix in the Options dialog.

For example, if you wished to have Quickdex speak in French, you would record ten wave files -- named FRENCH0.WAV through FRENCH9.WAV.  Then specify the wave file prefix as 'FRENCH'.  After making this change, Quickdex will use your sounds when speaking a phone number.


 Miscellaneous Information

Information-only Messages

You can disable the 'splash' displayed when Quickdex starts by adding the line 'LG=0' to QDW.INI.  The value for LG specifies how long (in seconds) the splash will appear.  Clicking on the splash (or any other information-only message) while it is displayed makes it go away.

Merging Files

Within a Quickdex file, card records are strung end-to-end, delimited by ASCII 127 (Ox7F) characters.  To merge two files, use the DOS copy command (copy file1+file2 file3).

Command Line

Quickdex accepts a file name as a command line argument. A file specified on the command line overrides any filenames found in the QDW.INI file. This is useful if you are installing Quickdex on a managed network and wish to have a default file loaded for new users or if you want to set up several icons for Quickdex  each loading a different file (Quickdex allows multiple instances).

Limitations

File size is limited by available RAM, as the entire file is loaded into memory for use.  Individual cards are limited to 30,000 characters.

Undocumented Features

If you find any bugs or other undesirable 'features', please contact the author at (403) 237-3804 or through Compuserve 70444,127.

- SCS -


Port to Use

Select whether you would like phone numbers read aloud or played on your modem.

Selecting Speaker will make the [image] button appear and phone numbers will be read aloud. Note that you must have Windows 3.1 and a sound driver installed for this to work.

Selecting COM1 through 4 makes the [image] button appear and Quickdex will use a Hayes-compatible modem on the COM port chosen to dial the phone number.


Wave File Prefix

If you are using the speaker to read phone numbers, Quickdex uses WAV files to hold the sounds for individual digits. If you wish to choose between alternate WAV file sets (i.e., other languages, male/female, dial tones) you may specify a different file prefix to use in this edit box.

See Voice Options for more information.


Local Number Prefix

If you need a special dialing sequence to precede local calls (e.g., 9 to get an outside line) you may enter that sequence in this edit box.

Quickdex assumes numbers of seven to nine digits are local calls.


Long Distance Prefix

If you need a special dialing sequence to precede long distance calls (e.g., 1), you may enter that sequence in this edit box.

Quickdex assumes numbers of ten digits or more are long distance.


Valid Characters

This is the set of characters that Quickdex thinks make up a phone number. If you use different characters, add them to this list. A 'space' is always valid.


Always on Top

Selecting this option causes Quickdex to remain the 'topmost' window at all times (Windows 3.1 only). You may toggle this option on and off by pressing <Alt-T> while Quickdex is active.


Search In Card

Use this option if you want to find a string in different places in the same card.

By default, whenever you start a search, Quickdex starts the search from the next card (or previous card if you are searching backward). Selecting this option tells Quickdex to search from your current cursor position rather than from the next (or previous) card.


OK

Click on this button when you are satisfied with the selections you have made and wish to continue.


Cancel

Click on this button if you wish to cancel any selections you have made and abort the procedure.


Setup...

Click on this button to change the default setup for your printer. Setup will display a dialog dependent on the type of printer you have installed.


Print Current Card

Selecting this radio button tells Quickdex to print only the currently displayed card.


Print Matching Cards

Selecting this radio button tells Quickdex to print all cards that contain text matching the text in the Find edit box.

Printed cards are found from the next card to the end of the file, and then from the beginning of the file to the current card.


Print All Cards

Selecting this radio button tells Quickdex to print all cards in the file.

Printed cards are found from the next card to the end of the file, and then from the beginning of the file to the current card.


Separate Cards with Blank Line

Selecting this radio button puts a blank line between each card printed.


Separate Cards with a New Page

Selecting this radio button forces a page break between each card printed.


Separate Cards with a Custom String

Selecting this radio button puts whatever text you specify between each card printed. The text you wish to use is limited to a single line and must be entered in the edit box beside the radio button. If you put nothing in the edit box, nothing will separate cards (not even a blank line).


Exit

Clicking on this button will quit (exit) the application.  If you have not saved your file, you will be prompted to do so.


The System Menu

The System Menu (also called the Control Menu) appears in the upper left hand corner of the application, and look like this: .

Quickdex uses the System menu to hold the Open, Print and Exit (Close) menu options.


Find Area

Enter the text you wish to find in this box and press <Enter>.  For more information, see Finding Text.

Pressing the right mouse button in this box brings up an Edit menu.


 The Mouth/The Phone

Clicking on this button will find a phone number on the displayed card and read it out or dial it using your modem.  For more information see Quickdex Options or Voice Options.


New

Clicking on this button adds a new, blank card to your file.  The cursor is automatically positioned inside the text box.


Save

Clicking on this button saves your file.  This button is disabled until you make a change.  See File Handling for other file options.


Help

Clicking on this button brings up the Quickdex 'About' dialog with a short help file.  From the About dialog you can bring up more detailed help by selecting 'More Help' or change Quickdex options by clicking on Options.


Previous Card

Clicking on this button displays the previous card that matches the search criteria specified in the Find text box.  If there are no matches, the application will beep.


Next Card

Clicking on this button displays the next card that matches the search criteria specified in the Find text box.  If there are no matches, the application will beep.


Delete Card

Clicking on this button will delete the card displayed.  You will be requested to confirm the delete before the card is actually deleted.  Deletions can be "Undone" only by exiting the application without saving.


Drag & Drop

If drag and drop editing is enabled, you may "drag" an area of selected text to a new position. When the cursor is over a "selected" area it looks like [image]. When you are dragging text to a new position, the cursor looks like [image].

If you hold down <Ctrl> when you drag text, it will be copied instead of moved to the new position.


Text Area

Type anything you want in this area.  Click on other buttons to find data or create new cards.

If you press the right mouse button in this area, an Edit menu will be displayed.  If you don't like using "Cut & Paste", you can use "Drag and Drop" editing instead.


Credits

Special thanks to:

Julie Vouri, Ron Burk, Gary Hall and John Carton


Thanks Julie, for editing my help file


Thanks Ron, for writing the code to support drag and drop editing. The code appears in 'Windows/DOS Developer's Journal' . WDJ can be reached

at 913 841 1631


Thanks Gary and John, for being incredible nit-pickers over the most minor things