Copyright: DiveMaster 1.0 Online Help copyright 1994


Table of Contents
 DiveMaster Help Contents

Welcome to DiveMaster 1.0!

To learn more about a particular function of DiveMaster, click the topic or push the search button above.

Introduction

About the Programmer

Registration

Images

Acknowledgments

Using DiveMaster


 Introduction

Do you love diving yet hate the chore of filling out a log entry for every dive? Do you find that it takes too long and you often get your dives mixed up and confused? Have you ever wanted to find a particular dive in your log but couldn't seem to locate it?

I know I have had all of these problems in the past. So I created DiveMaster to fix them. This program is an easy to use yet powerful tool for keeping track of all of your dives. You can add, delete, and edit log files which can contain up to 5000 dives each. DiveMaster also allows you to search for words in your dive descriptions in case you want to find that one spectacular dive you had many years ago...All at the push of a button.


  About the Programmer

Hello! My name is Kris Wilk. I'm 15 years old and I'm in grade 10. Both of my parents have been diving for many years, and I got my "official" certification when I was 12 years old (I was diving years before that, but my experience was limited to the weekly cleaning of our pool using the scuba gear). Every Christmas my family goes to various islands in the Caribbean, where I get a chance to do some diving, and my dad takes a few rolls of film for underwater photography (by the way, all of the snapshots in this program are his).

I am also a real computer lover, and started programming about 1½ years ago (MS Visual Basic). I have made many personal utilities for myself, but this is my first try at a "real" program. I knew there were other products available, but I wanted to try my own hand at making a dive log program. Once I started working on it, I began adding more features and spicing up the interface by adding some 3-D controls and buttons to the windows. In the end DiveMaster was born.


Commands
 Using DiveMaster

Select a topic to learn about from the list below, or use the "search" button (above) to find a specific subject.

Opening Files

Entering Dive Information

Viewing Dive Information

Saving Files

Searching For Text

Viewing Dive Statistics

Image Descriptions

Adding A New Dive

Deleting A Dive

Joining Logs

Printing Log Entries

Printing Blank Log Sheets

Exiting DiveMaster


 Opening Files

NEW LOG...

All DiveMaster files are *.LOG in nature and MUST have this extension to work properly. The easiest way to create files of this format is with the New Log File button in the Open dialog box:

1) Click the Open button at the side of the DiveMaster window.

2) Select New Log File from the dialog box which appears on the screen.

3) An input box will appear, asking you to enter a file name to be created. You need not add the path or file extension to the name. DiveMaster does all the work for you.

4) The Options dialog box will appear, allowing you to specify either British or Metric units, the number of the first dive in the log, and the initial accumulated bottom time.

5) A new log file will be opened. You may now enter data into the text boxes (see "Entering Dive Information"). For every new dive, don't forget to hit the Add Dive button to create a new dive sheet.

OLD LOG...

If you already have a log file which you wish to open (i.e., to add dives), first click on the Open button in the main window, and then use the file access boxes to highlight the file to open. Finally, hit the OK button to open the log.


 Entering Dive Information

Once you have opened a log file in DiveMaster, you can easily change information about each of its dives. If you want to add or delete a dive from the current log file, you can use the Add a Dive and Del. a Dive buttons. You can also use the scroll bar at the bottom of the main window to select a dive to edit (see Viewing Dive Information). After choosing the dive that you wish to alter, changing any of the dive characteristics is easy:

1) Click on the box you want to change, or use the TAB key to select it.

2) Type in the new value for the selected text box.

NOTE: In all cases, data is constrained to be of the appropriate type (numeric or character). For example, characters other than numbers and the decimal point are not permitted in the depth fields. In addition, there are consistency checks for the time and depth, warning the user whenever no-decompression times are being exceeded by more than a factor of two.

NOTE: In some cases the method used to enter information may differ from the usual text entry method. For example, the bottom time for the dive is entered/altered by using the spin button next to its box. In addition, the Accumulated Bottom Time cannot be changed since it is computed based on the previous dives' bottom times added together.

WARNING: DiveMaster automatically computes the repetitive group designation (no-decompression dives only, using USN dive tables) consistent with you input data (you may change the letter if you wish). The computed letter is NOT INTENDED TO BE USED FOR DIVE PLANNING PURPOSES. It is there for your convenience only. If the computed letter conflicts with your expectations, please ASSUME IT IS INCORRECT, and check your results using standard tables.


 Viewing Dives

While editing your log files in DiveMaster, you may find that you want to go back and forth through your library of dives to make further changes to them. Navigating through a log is very simple. All that you have to do is to use the long scroll bar located at the bottom of the main window.

By clicking the right arrow, you move forward in the log, and by clicking the left arrow, you move back in the log. While scrolling, the dive text boxes are constantly updated with the current dive's information.


 Saving Files

To update the log file on the hard disk with newly input/edited information you must save the file. this has to be done before exiting DiveMaster, or else you will lose all changes to the log since it was opened. To save the current log file to disk, click on the Save File button at the side of the main window.

NOTE: The file will be saved with the name under which it was opened (see Opening Files).

NOTE: To protect you from inadvertently corrupting one of your log files, DiveMaster automatically creates a backup copy of each with the extension ".BAK". The backup copy is updated each time you open the corresponding ".LOG" file, and hold the last saved version of it.


 Deleting A Dive

To delete a dive from the current log, follow the steps below:

1) Use the scroll bar to find the dive that you want to delete from the log.

2) Click the Del. a Dive button at the left of the main window, or use the TAB key to highlight it and press <enter>.

3) The chosen dive is automatically removed from the log. Then the dives after it are shifted one position back to fill the space that the erased dive occupied.


 Printing Log Entries

One of the most powerful and useful features of DiveMaster is its ability to print log information on your printer to keep as a hard copy. The Printing option is fairly flexible, and is very easy to use. Dives are printed two to a page, and appear exactly as seen on screen.

To access the printing functions of DiveMaster, you must first open a log file. Then you click on the Print Dives button located at the side of the main window. A dialog box with various controls will appear:

TO PRINT THE CURRENT DIVE...

If all you want to do is to print the dive currently being viewed, follow these steps:

1) Click on the Print Current Dive check box so that it has an 'X' in it.

2) Click the Print Dives button to send the dive to your printer.

TO PRINT ALL DIVES IN THE CURRENT LOG...

If you would like to print all the dives in the current log (i.e., to put in a binder for safety in case your files get damaged), use the simple steps below:

1) Click on the Print All Dives check box so that it has an 'X' in it.

2) Click the Print Dives button to send the log to your printer.

TO PRINT ONLY A FEW DIVES...

At times, you might only need to print 5 or 6 dives (i.e., to update your hard copy of the log). This is an easy task in DiveMaster:

1) Ensure that both check boxes in the dialog box are unselected.

2) Use the spin buttons beside the two boxes in the dialog to identify the start and end point of the group of dives to be printed.

3) Click the Print Dives button to send the dives to your printer.

NOTE: The dives which lie on the start and end points of the print group ARE printed, so take that into account when you choose dives to be printed.


 Printing Blank Log Sheets

A secondary printing option found in DiveMaster is the Print Blanks feature. This allows the user to print up to 50 blank log screens (2 per page) at a single time. This is useful for those who dive away from home (which are most of us!).

The sheets match the computer input boxes exactly, so that all you have to do is fill the blanks out after each of your dives, and when you return home, you can simply copy information from the paper into the computer.

TO PRINT BLANKS...

1) Enter the print dialog box by clicking the Print Dives button in the main screen.

2) Click the Print Blanks button in the dialog box.

3) A window will appear prompting you for the number of blanks to be printed. Use the spin button beside the white box to increase the number of pages (between 1 and 25).

4) Click the OK button to send the information to the printer. Each blank sheet has room for two dives.


 Exiting DiveMaster

To exit DiveMaster 1.0, you can either click the Exit button in the main window, or you can double click on the control box at the upper-leftmost corner of the main window.

NOTE: If you have a log file open, DiveMaster will ask you if you want to save the file before exiting. If you say NO, any changes made since the last save will be lost.


 Viewing Dive Statistics

While you enter information about each of your dives, DiveMaster keeps track of statistics such as:

-Total Number of Dives

-Accumulated bottom time

-Average length of dives(min.)

-Average Depth of Dives(ft.)

-Maximum Depth Reached(ft.)

To view this information, click the Statistics button in the main window. A small window will appear with the above information for the open log. In addition to this basic information, two graphs (histograms) are available through this menu:

Graph #1--Number of Dives vs. Depth

Graph #2--Average Bottom Time vs. Depth

To access these graphs, click the corresponding button in the statistics dialog box. You can only view one graph at a time.


Fish Information
 Image Descriptions

You may have noticed the small button beside the image window in the main screen of DiveMaster. This allows you to bring up a window with descriptive text about the creature seen in the picture box. To view this window, simply click on the small button. Information such as common name, scientific name, classification, habitat, and behaviour is displayed. When you have finished reading, click the OK button to return to the dive editor.


 Searching For Text

At times, you may want to locate one of your dives, but can't seem to find it simply by scrolling through them all. An easy way to bypass this problem is to use the built in keyword search feature of DiveMaster. To do so, follow these steps:

1) Click on the Dive Search button at the left side of the main window.

2) A dialog box will appear prompt you for the fields to search (description, location, buddy), dives to search, and the text to search for. Type in a string and click OK (or press <enter>).

3) After a moment or two, a window will come onto the screen with a list of the dives in which the search text was found. You can now use the scroll bar to view those dives.


 Adding A New Dive

To add a new dive to the current log, follow the steps below:

1) Use the scroll bar to find the position at which you want to add the new dive.

2) Click the Add a Dive button at the left of the main window, or use the TAB key to highlight it and press <enter>.

3) You can now edit the text boxes for the blank dive that is inserted into the log.

NOTE: The new dive will be added immediately AFTER the dive which is being displayed when the Add a Dive button is pressed. For example, if the button is pressed with dive 10 selected, the blank dive will be dive 11, shifting all dives following it forward by one log entry ("old" 11 becomes 12, etc.).

NOTE: If at any time you make a mistake and add a dive that you don't need, you can always use the Del. a Dive button to delete it.


 Acknowledgments

The following references were used for preparing the descriptive text accompanying the underwater images:

Paul Humann, Reef Fish, Coral, & Creature Identification, ed. Ned DeLoach, New World Publications Inc., Orlando:1989-93.

Norman A. Meinkoth, The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Seashore Creatures, Alfred A. Knopf Inc., New York:1981.

Hans Hvass, Fishes of the World, Methuen & Co. Ltd., London:1965.

Charles C. G. Chaplin & Peter Scott, Fishwatcher's Guide to West Atlantic Coral Reefs, Livingston Publishing, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania:1972.

Idaz & Jerry Greenberg, Guide to Corals and Fishes of Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean, Seahawk Press, Miami:1977.

Sandra Romashko, The Coral Book, Windward Publishing Inc., Miami:1975.

Warren E. Burgess, Corals, T.F.H. Publications Inc., Hong Kong:1979.

Ian F. Took, Fishes of the Caribbean Reefs, Macmillan Education Ltd., London:1978.

Gordon Alexander, General Biology, Thomas Y. Crowell Co., New York:1962.

Special thanks go to the following people who helped test pre-release versions of DiveMaster 1.0:

Matthew Dobb

Daryl Eves

B. James

Robert Mcconnell

Ferucio Ciobanu


 Registration

This program is being issued as SHAREWARE. It may be FREELY copied and distributed. However, no part of this program may be used for commercial gain, except by written permission from the author.

Being the initial release, this program is limited in scope and likely has many inadequacies. I would very much appreciate any feedback, comments, suggestions for improvements, etc. that you might have. For example, would you find it useful if DiveMaster included a "dive planner" with NDLs, decompression schedules, and dive computer algorithms; a database of "scuba facts"; and a "sketch-pad" pop-up window for each dive.

If you like this application, find it useful, and would like to see future enhancements, please show your support and encouragement by sending a $20.00 (Canadian) registration fee (which entitles you to a free diskette version of the next release of DiveMaster) to:

ReefNet Software

Attn: Kris Wilk

3610 Walnut Grove

Mississauga, Ontario

CANADA   L5L 2W8

Tel: (905)820-8378

Fax: (905)820-1927

Internet e-mail: leslie.wilk@hydro.on.ca or leslie.wilk@canrem.com

A related application currently under development is ReefMaster 1.0 for Windows, a Caribbean reef life identifier. The code will include a "search by characteristic" feature linked to a database of several hundred (larger) images from our library of photo-CDs, and corresponding descriptive text. To be issued late 1994.

Kris Wilk

Programmer


 Images

DiveMaster contains 45 undersea images that are selected randomly at every program start-up, and every 10 minutes during program operation. The photographs were taken in the Caribbean, Florida, and the Turks & Caicos Islands. Digitized images were obtained either by scanning slides & negatives or by image capture from 8mm videotape. The images were cropped to size, and in some cases, digitally enhanced for proper contrast and colour balance. All image manipulation was done with the aim of presenting the primary subject as realistically as possible.


 Joining Logs

This feature allows you to append one log to another. The unit types must be the same (British or Metric), and the resultant file must not exceed DiveMaster's 5000 dives/log restriction. The default name for the resultant file is "JOIN.LOG". It is up to you to  RENAME the file.

To join two log files, follow these steps:

1) Click on the Join Logs button at the left of the main DiveMaster window.

2) Select the file that will be ADDED TO from the first dialog box which appears.

3) Select the file that will be ADDED from the second dialog box which appears.

4) If all goes well, you will be returned to the main DiveMaster window without error. Otherwise, you will be notified of any problems that DiveMaster has encountered with your selections, such as:

-Two files with the same name

-A file named 'JOIN.LOG' was selected

-mismatched units

-combined files too big (more than 5000 dives)