Readerware Online Help

Readerware Manual Cover /1

Readerware Online Help

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Copyright © 1999-2003 Readerware Corporation

An Introduction to Readerware 1/2

An Introduction to Readerware

Readerware is a book lovers dream come true. It includes:

A powerful SQL database to store and track your library. It can store thousands of titles.Built in internet support and web browser. Readerware can search the internet and automatically catalog the books you own. There is no simpler way of cataloging your library. It eliminates or reduces the chore of manual data entry.Bar code reader support, literally catalog a book at the swipe of a bar code wand.User friendly database searches. Search on virtually any field. No database knowledge needed!Support for multiple databases, create as many databases as you want or store everything in a single database.Built in access to the ultimate reference sources, The Library of Congress and The British Library.Fully integrated shopping cart with price comparison, secure online ordering, browsing and searching of all the major online retailers in Brazil, Canada, England, France, Germany, Switzerland and The United States.Compare prices before you buy.Online publishing, publish all or parts of your catalog on the internet.Sophisticated reporting to produce hard copy listings of your library and shopping cart. Take them with you on your next tour of your local bookstores!Easy to use, configurable operationFull mouse and keyboard navigation.Powerful import/export capabilities.Support for multiple platforms, take Readerware and your

An Introduction to Readerware 2/2

database to your platform of choice.Full online helpPalm Pilot support

Whether you are someone who loves to read or someone who loves to collect, Readerware is the product for you.

Building Your Readerware Database 1/8

Building Your Readerware Database

Readerware is the easiest way there is to catalog your library. It harnesses the power of the internet to search the online collections and catalog your library. You get to pick which sites it searches and the order in which it searches them. This document is divided into four sections:

Create your database(s) - Optional, Readerware automatically creates a database called "RWareDB.RWD". in the directory in which you installed the product. It will automatically load this database each time the product is started. So feel free to skip this step if you only want one database and are not too bothered where it is stored.Auto Catalog - This is the recommended way to catalog your existing library. It allows you to prepare a list of books to catalog using their ISBN's. Then you can define the sites to search and the order in which to search them.While You Browse - Using the Readerware Web Browser you can easily build your database as your surf the web. Simply search for a book at any one of the supported sites, then at a click of a button, import the data into your database.Data Entry - For data entry and updating your catalogs, the Readerware detail view makes it simple. Full keyboard navigation, clipboard support etc.

Create Your Database(s)

The first thing to decide is where to put your database and whether you want multiple databases, say one for fiction and one for non-fiction. By default Readerware creates a database called "RWareDB.RWD" in the directory in which you installed the product. If in any doubt. accept the default and skip the rest of this section.

To create a database in a different location:


Select the File->New Database menu itemNavigate to the required directoryEnter a name for your database, (no file extension)Press Create.

That is all there is to it. Readerware automatically remembers the name of the last database accessed when it starts, so your new database will be automatically loaded every time you start the product.

To define multiple databases, repeat the above steps as many times as necessary. As mentioned Readerware will automatically load the last accessed database when it starts. To change databases, simply:

Select the File->Open Database menu itemLocate the required databasePress Open

If you have decided to use multiple databases and would prefer that Readerware not pre load the last accessed database, use the Database Preferences and change the Remember Loaded Database option.

Auto Catalog

Once you have your database created, you need data to put in it. Auto Catalog allows you to prepare a list of books to catalog using their ISBN's or bar codes. Then you pick the sites to search and the order in which to search them. Select Run and sit back and watch Readerware do the rest.

Enter an ISBN number in the ISBN/Bar code field and press the enter key. You can also enter the ISBN using a bar code reader. Ensure the ISBN field has the focus and simply use the bar code reader on any book, hardcover or paperback. Readerware will convert the bar code symbol into an ISBN for you. Regardless of how you enter it, the ISBN will move down to the ISBN List. Refer to Everything you ever wanted to know about an ISBN and more if you need help determining the ISBN for a book. Repeat this as many times as necessary. If you


are creating a large list you should periodically save your list by clicking on the Save button. To load a previously created list, click on Load. To clear the list, click on Clear.

The next step is to define the sites you want to search. Select the drop down

arrow, , on the Sites drop down list. Notice that this drop down list is a little different from normal lists, it allows you to select multiple entries. Select all the sites you want to search, click on the first site, then ctrl-click on additional sites. shift-click to select a range of sites. The drop down list does not automatically close after you select an item, to allow for multiple selection. When you have finished making all your selections, you can close the list by clicking elsewhere in

the window or on the list close button, . You can also change the order the sites are searched using Readerware Site Preferences .

So why should you search multiple sites? The short answer is that no one site will have all the books you are looking for. If you have books published in different countries, you should ensure that you select at least one site from each country. Older books will probably not be found at the major online vendor sites like Amazon, but will be found at sites such as The Library of Congress and The British Library. On the other hand the online vendors are more likely to have the latest titles listed, it may take a while for them to be catalogued at some of the non-commercial sites. Some sites, primarily the non-commercial sites such as The Library of Congress are not available 24 hours a day. Readerware currently supports sites in Brazil, Canada, England, France, Germany, Switzerland and The United States.

Does the order matter? It can, the data extracted from each site is different. Different sites record different information about each book You may find that one site has better categories than another, that you prefer the way they specify the title etc. As Readerware searches each site in order, and stops at the first match, you should list your preferred sites first.

Once you have defined your ISBN list and your sites you are ready to go, Click on Run and Readerware will start building your catalog. You will see it accessing


the various sites you selected in the status bar, and it will display a progress dialog letting you know how many books are still waiting to be processed.

You can interrupt the cataloging at any time by hitting Cancel. You can restart at any time by selecting Run again. Readerware will skip over any books it has already catalogued and pick up where it left off.

In the background Readerware also updates the ISBN list each time a book is processed. If you want you can move the progress window out of the way to see more of the auto-catalog activity. Simply click on the title bar and drag the window out of the way. The progress window will close automatically once Readerware auto-catalog completes.

You may have noticed that as you added an ISBN to the list, a question mark icon was displayed next to the ISBN. This indicates that Readerware auto-catalog has not yet searched the internet for the book. As it processes each ISBN, Readerware changes the icon to indicate the results. The icons are:

- This indicates that the ISBN has not yet been processed

- The book has been processed, the book and cover image have been added to the database.

- The book has been processed and added to the database, no cover image was found

- The book has been processed but could not be found at any of the sites searched

- The ISBN was already found in the Readerware database, this ISBN was not processed

In addition to the icons, Readerware adds the title to any item it finds. This is a very handy way to identify the items that were not found by Readerware, it effectively gives you their location on your shelves.

Once the auto-catalog operation completes Readerware will display a completion dialog, listing counts of the books processed, the number found and catalogued, the number not found etc. If user logging is enabled, Readerware also creates a


log file called rwuser.log. If the books input and books added counts do not match you can examine this log file, it will identify each book skipped and the reason. You can view this log file in any text editor.

To see the data catalogued, select the Browse button, , in the toolbar. Or use the Readerware Search Bar to define your own custom search of your local database. Either way you should now see a table listing your cataloged books.

If some books were not found, select additional sites and run again. Readerware will only look for books it hasn't already found, so you can run Auto Catalog any number of times.

As Readerware will not search for a book again once it is in the database, you must first delete it if you want to recatalog it Then run Auto Catalog again. If you ever want to start over, you can create a new database and then run your Auto Catalog List again. Maybe you decide you prefer the extracted data from another site and want to change the site order. You can have as many Auto Catalog List files as you want, you do not have to include all your books in one file. You could create a separate Auto Catalog List for each letter of the alphabet and use the authors last name. You can catalog by category, fiction vs non fiction, hardcover vs paperback. the choice is yours. You can build you library catalog over time.

While You Browse

Readerware allows you to catalog a book from the Readerware Browser Window as you search different sites.

Auto Catalog is the ideal tool for cataloging your existing library. You could also use it as you add new books to your collection. Or you can use the interactive import features. Interactive import allows you to search for books by ISBN or other criteria such as author and title. You can then import the search results into your Readerware database. But there is a lot more to interactive importing, you can browse all the major online vendor sites and catalogs, import new books as you find them, you can find the price of any book at all the major online vendors,


securely order books etc., all from within Readerware.

This section focuses on cataloging books using interactive import. Be sure to check out the Online ordering and strategies sections for other powerful features.

From the Web menu, select one of the search and import menu items. The Readerware Web Browser will open with the appropriate search selected. You can change the type of search from within the Readerware Browser.

If you selected an ISBN search, enter an ISBN in the search field. You can also enter the ISBN using a bar code reader. Next select the sites you want to search. On an ISBN search you can select multiple sites. Note that Readerware remembers the selections you make so that you do not need to keep making the same selections. However the site selections you make for Auto Catalog and Interactive imports are remembered separately. Once you have selected the sites, hit Search and Import to search for the book and if found import it into your database. Readerware will search each site until it finds a match. Then it will stop the search and import the data into your local database. The data extracted is displayed in the main window in the Readerware detail view. You can review the data and update it if necessary.

The Options->Automatic Database Update Option allows you to control how data is imported into Readerware. If Checked the data is extracted from the site and added to the local database. If unchecked the data is extracted and displayed in the Readerware Data Entry Window, but the database is not updated. You can review the data and click Add if it is OK.

Use Search Only to just search for the book. Once found you can use Import to add it to your database.

If you select a Basic or Advanced search, you must select the site you want to search from the list. Readerware will then display the basic or advanced search page for that site. If the site you want is already selected, hit Go. Enter your selection criteria and perform the search. Once you have found the book you are looking for, hit Import and Readerware will import the data into your local


database. You must drill down the search results to the specific title you want to import. Readerware cannot import from a results list page for example as it does not know which particular entry you want to import. The options described above are also available for Basic and Advanced searches.

The basic and advanced search pages are provided by the site you selected. Some sites may not provide multiple search pages, in this case the same page is displayed regardless of whether you selected basic or advanced.

As you import books interactively using the Readerware Web Browser, they are also added to the Readerware Shopping Cart. You can use the shopping cart to run a price check on a book, to order books, maintain a want list etc. You can easily print the contents of your shopping cart and remove titles from you shopping cart as you add them to your collection. When the imported data is displayed in the Readerware Data Entry Window, you can uncheck the Shopping Cart box to import data into the database only if you prefer.

Data Entry

As mentioned above in the Interactive imports section, the Readerware detail view is displayed when you import data from an internet site and you can edit the data. The detail view is also used to display selections from the local database, allowing you to edit the data. You can also use it to add new books to the database manually if necessary. Select the Edit->Data Entry menu item or click

on the data entry button, , in the toolbar.

Cover Images

Cover images are optional. By default support for cover images is on. This means that whenever you catalog a new book using Auto Catalog or interactive imports, Readerware will also extract the cover art, if available, and save it in the database.

Cover images can take up a lot of space so you may decide not to use this feature. Go to Readerware Database Preferences and clear the Include Image


Support check box to disable cover image support.

If you want to add cover images later, you can turn support on and then from the Auto Catalog panel, select Add Images to DB. Readerware will then go to all the web sites selected and try and find an image for each book in your database that does not already have an image.

If Readerware cannot find an image for a book at any web site, it will display a default cover image. You can provide your own default cover image. The default image is stored in the Readerware directory, in the images subdirectory. It is called cover.gif . Simply replace this file with the image of your choice. This image will then always be displayed, if no specific image is available for a book.

You can also manually add images to individual books in the database. Simply click on Select Image in the detail view and select a local image file. Readerware will then copy this local file and store it in the database. If you have a scanner, you can easily scan in the cover art of any book you own. You should save the image in either GIF or JPEG format. Once the image is in the database, you can delete the original image if desired. You can delete an image from the Readerware database using the Delete Image button in the detail view.

You can use any size image you want. Most web sites use small thumbnail images which work very well. Typically these are 140-200 pixels high. The width is normally proportional to the height so varies from book to book. When creating your own images, you will probably want to scale them to approximately the same size as the images automatically extracted.

Not all web sites contain cover images.

Custom Extraction 1/3

Customizing Readerware Extraction

First off, this is not for everyone. Customizing the Readerware extraction process means getting your hands dirty and writing some scripting code to massage the data extracted. But for those of you that have experience writing scripts, this is an extremely powerful feature.

So why would you want to customize the extraction? There are a number of things you can do. One user wanted to change the titles and strip off leading A's. For example instead of "A Small Deceit" change the title to "Small Deceit" Some sites already do this, some don't. Another user didn't like Readerware extracting categories, he wanted to use his own. You can even substitute your category. Someone else wanted all new books to be set to Read. All this is possible with a simple script.

The way this is implemented is that Readerware will call a Python script after it extracts data from a web site and before it adds a book to the database. Using this script you can customize the data. You will find a basic copy of this script in your readerware\scrapers directory.

Here is what it looks like:

# Scraper user exit. # # If this file exists it is called immediately # before the scraper process returns. You can change # any of the # global variables to customize the extraction process #

import string

global title,author,isbn,publisher,format,first,signed,date,place global copies,rating,condition,category,read,pflag,eflag,value global comments,dateEntered,dataSource,cart,ordered global lccn,dewey,userNumber,copyDate,valueDate,location global series,pages,keywords,dimensions global user1,user2,user3,user4,user5,user6,user7,user8,user9,user10 global author2,author3,author4,author5,author6 global image,fullDateFormat,source

By itself this script does nothing, but it is the starting point for developing your own scripts. Note the global statements. These identify the global variable names that Readerware uses, in other


words the variable "title" contains the extracted title etc. This is really all you need to know about how the process works, you need to set or change the contents of the variables to the required data. So for example, if you don't want Readerware to extract categories from a web site, you could add the following line at the end of the script:

category = ""

For something a little trickier, suppose you wanted to map the categories extracted from a web site to your own categories:

if (string.find(category, "Mystery") != -1): category = "My Mystery Category"

You would need to add these kinds of statements for every category and every web site. You can probably see the basic idea, check for a string in the extracted category, if found replace the category with another. If you want to change the title as described earlier:

if (title[0:2] == "A "): title = title[2:]

This may all look very strange, the script is written in the Python language. If you know Python, you're all set. If you know another scripting language like Perl, it shouldn't be much of a challenge.

Learning Python

There are a lot of resources available on the web to help you with Python and a lot of books available too. Just fire up your browser and search for Python titles at your favorite book retailer. A good place to start your web search is at the official Python site www.python.org.

Note that you don't have to install Python, all necessary libraries are included with the Readerware distribution.

Python is a very powerful language and fairly easy to learn. If you're wondering about the name, yes it was named after Monty. Unfortunately I cannot offer support on Python itself. You will need to discover the power of Python for yourself.

A book I really like is "Learning Python by Mark Lutz", it has a very readable approach, covers the basics and advanced topics. The "Python Pocket Reference by Mark Lutz" is a handy thing to keep by your keyboard. A friend recommends "Python Programming on Win 32 by Mark Hammond", it covers Python with particular emphasis on using it with Windows.

Debugging Your Script

Even the best Python programmer is going to make a mistake once in a while. Fortunately it is very easy to debug your scripts with Readerware. First, start Readerware, go to General Preferences and ensure the User logging check box is checked. You must restart Readerware when you


change this option.

Use Readerware as normal. When extracting data Readerware will output debugging information and any error messages to a log file, rwuser.log. You can view this file in any text editor.

Also with debug on, Readerware will write the HTML file it retrieved from the web site to the Readerware directory as trace.html. This can be useful sometimes when debugging scripts.

Readerware Loan Tracker 1/2

Readerware Loan Tracker

The Readerware Loan Tracker provides an easy way to track books out on loan, you can easily loan out a book, set a due date and search for all books out on loan and books overdue.

To access the Readerware Book Tracker click on the Loan button from the Readerware detail view while displaying any book in your collection.

In The Readerware Loan Tracker Window, you can enter the following information:

Loan Number - If you have multiple copies of a book, you can have multiple loan records. Readerware will not allow more loan records than you have copies.

To add a new loan, select the <New Loan> entry. If this entry is not in the list, it means that you have already loaned out all copies.

To update an existing loan or return a book, (delete the loan), select the appropriate loan number. If no loan numbers are displayed in the list, there are no existing loans.

Loaned To - The name of the person or organization borrowing the book, (Required field)

Loaned Date - The loan date, this defaults to the current date, (Required field)

Due Date - The due date, this defaults to one week from the loan date, (Required field)

Click on the New Loan button to add the book to the Readerware Loan Tracker database.

Readerware Loan Tracker 2/2

Click on Update Loan to update an existing loan entry.

When the book is returned, click on the Returned button to delete the book from the Readerware Loan Tracker database.

Click on Cancel to dismiss the Readerware Loan Tracker without making any changes.

To search for books out on loan, use the standard Readerware Search facility and select On Loan from the search by combo box and either Out On Loan or Overdue Books from the search for drop down list.

Database Statistics 1/1

Database Statistics

You can display the database statistics dialog by selecting the Views->Statistics menu item. It is important to understand that the statistics are for the current search results. So if you want the statistics for the full database, make sure you

did a full database search or click on the Browse button, , in the toolbar. This means that you can also get statistics for books by category on loan etc.

This dialog contains the following information about your books:

Total Books - This is the total number of books included.

Total Value - This is the total value of all the books. This is just a simple accumulation of the estimated value field. It does not perform any currency conversion. If you use this field, you should ensure that foreign currencies imported from overseas web sites are converted before entering them into the database.

Unvalued Books - The number of books that do not have an estimated value.

Firsts - The number of first editions.

Signed - The number of signed copies

Read - The number of books flagged as read

Unread - The number of books not flagged as read. Just waiting for a rainy day.

List Maintenance 1/3

Adding to Readerware Lists

When you enter data into Readerware products, you will notice that several fields are lists. You select the appropriate item from the list. Fields that work this way include:

FormatSeriesCategoryRatingConditionLocationSoundColorRating

So how do you add new entries to the list? It is actually very easy, you can add, update and delete items right from the list itself. Each list has a popup menu, simply right click on the field and select the operation you want to perform from the popup menu.

Mac OS X users, hold down the Control key while clicking to display the popup menu.


The items we are interested in here are the last three items. In the following examples I use the category fields, but the same instructions apply to any of the other fields listed above. you can maintain a list wherever it is displayed, i.e. in the detail view on the edit mode in the table view etc.

Adding New Category

To add a new category simply type the new value into the category field, right click and select Add to Database from the popup menu. Readerware will then add this new item to the Category list. This only adds it to the list. If you also want to change the displayed book to use this new category, make sure it is selected and update the book.

Changing a Category

To change an existing category, first select it. Then make the necessary changes, right click and select Replace in Database from the popup menu.


It is important to understand that a book in the Readerware database does not include the full category, instead it holds the category key and uses the key to access the real category description when it is displayed. This means that if you update a category, all books in the database that use this category, will now use the new category.

If you want to change the category, just in the current book, don't update the category, add a new one instead. To simplify data entry, you can select a current category, make changes to it, right click and select Add to Database from the popup menu.

Deleting a Category

To delete a category, select it, right click and select Delete from Database from the popup menu.

Again all books that use that category will no longer have a category. If all you want to do is remove the category from the current book, don't delete the category, just remove the selection. Display the category list, hold down the Ctrl key and click on the current selection. This will remove all selections and the current book will no longer have a category. Update the book to change the category selection in the database.

Conclusion

Being able to maintain the list fields right in the list itself without having to bring up a separate list maintenance dialog is a very powerful feature. It makes editing your data much easier. Once you get the hang of it, list maintenance is a breeze in Readerware.

Readerware Views 1/5

Readerware Views

Readerware has 3 different types of views that can display the current search results, the table view, the tree view and the fish eye view.

You can select the current view from the view drop down list in the toolbar.

You can create additional views and maintain your views from the view display itself, as described below, or using the View Preferences.

You can create additional views by first selecting one of the default views, select

the type of view you want to create. Then click on the save button, , in the toolbar, immediately to the left of the view drop down list. You will be prompted to enter the new view name, Readerware will then copy the current view and create a new view under the name specified. You can then customize the new view.

You can rename a view or delete unwanted views using the View Preferences.

The Table View

The Table view displays the search results is a table format. A unique feature of the Readerware table view, is that many of the columns are displayed as links, just like in a browser. Clicking on the links enables you to easily refine your searches. For example suppose you searched for all items in the database by

clicking on the Browse button, , in the toolbar. Then you click on one particular title, now you see only items with this title.

You can use the Back/Forward buttons in the toolbar, , to navigate through your result tables, so you can easily return to the full display.

You can select an item in the table by clicking on the selection icon, . You can


select multiple items by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking on additional rows. You can select a range of items by holding down the Shift key and clicking on the last item in the range.

You can display the detail view for an item by clicking on the detail icon, , next to the item you want to display. Use the toolbar Back/Forward buttons to browse through each item displaying it in the detail view. Use the Back Up button

in the toolbar, to return from the detail view to the table view.

You can also edit your data right there in the table. Simply click on the edit

icon, , next to the item you want to edit. Notice that the icon changes to

indicate this item is in edit mode, . Click on any column in this row to change the contents. An appropriate edit field is displayed. For a title it will be an entry field, for the category column it is the Readerware maintainable drop down list etc.

You can customize the table view. To show or hide columns, right click on the column title to display the popup menu. You can hide the current column or show any previously hidden columns. The new column will be shown after the current column. So to show a column it is best to right click on the title of the column that you want to appear before the new column.

You can also move columns around, simply click on the column header and drag the column to its desired location.

To sort the search results on any column simply click on the column header to sort the search results in ascending sequence. Click again to toggle the sort sequence and display the search results in descending order.

The current view state is always saved when you exit Readerware or switch views so you never have to worry about saving your changes.

You can create as many table views as you want, each containing different columns and in a different order. The table view works with many other


Readerware features. You will probably want to create views for more than just displaying data on the screen. Create report views. When you print the table view Readerware will print the current search results, just the columns displayed, in the correct order. Create a summary report view with just a couple of key columns, create an inventory report view with valuation columns etc. Again, you can create an unlimited number of views.

If you regularly export data from Readerware, create an export view to define just how you want to export the data.

The Tree View

The Tree View displays a familiar explorer like tree structure. The tree nodes consist of authors and titles.

Click on the top level Readerware node and the right pane displays a table view of all items in the search results. This table is fully customizable and you can edit the items in the table. See the table view for more information.

Click on an author node and the right pane displays a table view of all items by the selected author. Again this table is fully customizable and you can edit the items in the table. See the table view for more information.

Click on a title node and the detail view for the item will be displayed. You can update and delete the item from the detail; view.

The bar dividing the tree view and the rest of the window can be moved around to allocate space as you need. The divider position is remembered when you exit Readerware or switch views.

You can use the Back/Forward buttons in the toolbar, , to navigate through all items. As you move between items, the detail view is displayed for each item and the current location is reflected in the tree. Use the toolbar Back

Up button, , to return to the top of the tree.


The Fish Eye View

The Fish Eye View is a revolutionary way to display a large number of search results. When you only have a few items in your database, it can look kind of silly, but try it again when you have a several hundred or several thousand titles and you can see the power of the fish eye view.

The view is built around the root node in the center of a circle, colored dots radiate out from the center. The first row of nodes are yellow and represent authors, the next row of dots are green and represent the titles.

Need to find a particular author? Maybe you can see the author node, simply drag it to the center of the view. If you cannot see a particular author, click in the approximate position and drag to the center. Now this area of the view is enlarged as it moves and you can see more detail. Select the author node or go straight to the titles and drag them to the center.

Right click on a title node and you can display the cover image or detail view of that item by selecting from the popup menu. Click anywhere in the view to remove the cover image

Navigate through all items in the search results using the Back/Forward buttons

in the toolbar, . Readerware displays each title in the detail view.

Click on the toolbar Back Up button, , to return to the fish eye view.

Changing the Default View

Readerware is setup to automatically select the default table view when it starts up. You can easily change this. The view works together with the default search, so you change the view by changing the default search. The basic process is, define the search you want, select the view and save the configuration. Here is how you would set up the default search to display all items in the tree view:


In the Search By drop down list, select Title

In the for field enter an asterisk, the Readerware wild card character

Click on Search to display all the items in your database.

Select Default Tree View from the view drop down list in the toolbar

Select Search->Save as Default Search from the Readerware menu

Next time you start Readerware it will display all items in the tree view. You can use this technique to customize the default search, perform any search you want and display any view, even user defined views.

Searching Your Readerware Database 1/4

Searching Your Database

The Readerware Main Window contains the search bar. This is always available and provides instant and easy access to the powerful search facilities built into Readerware.

To use the search bar simply select the type of search, Author, Title etc., enter the search criteria and press Search. The search criteria is case insensitive and by default will return books that contain the search criteria anywhere in the field. For example doing a title search for murder will return:

Murder with Mirrors A Holiday for Murder The A.B.C. Murders Murderers Abroad

You can also use an asterisk as a wild card in your searches. For example if you want to search for books that begin with Murder, you could enter Murder*. Using the above list only the following would be returned:

Murder with Mirrors Murderers Abroad

The search results will then be displayed in the main window using the currently selected view. You can then edit the data, display the detail view etc. Exactly how you do this will depend on the view type you selected. Refer to the view section for more information. You can customize the views so you can display exactly the data you want, in the order you want.

You can abort an active search using the Stop button, , in the toolbar.

From the results table, use the toolbar backward/forward buttons, , to navigate through the search result pages.

Normally the search results are automatically refreshed when you update a book


in your database. However this default behavior can be turned off using Database

Preferences . Use the toolbar reload button, , to refresh the search results.

That is really all there is to it. A more detailed explanation of the various search types and options follow. At this point you might prefer to simply go and play.

The Default Search

Readerware allows you to define a default search. This has two uses, you can configure Readerware to run the default search whenever you start the program or open a new database. You can also run the default search at any time by

clicking on the Run Default Search button, , in the toolbar. Initially the default search is set to search for all titles and display them by author. To define your own default search simply perform the search as normal and select Search->Save as Default Search from the menu bar. For example you could set the default search to display all unread titles or books in a specific category.

The Search Bar

You can search on virtually any field. As you select the different search types you will notice that the search criteria field will change. Sometimes you will type the search criteria in an entry field, for example an author search. Sometimes you will select from a list box, for example a category search.

The search types are:

ISBN/Bar Code - Enter an ISBN number, with or without punctuation, and hit the enter key or press the search button. Or use your bar code reader. Readerware bar code support allows you to search for a book by simply scanning the bar code. Readerware will automatically convert the bar code to an ISBN. Readerware starts the search as you scan the bar code, no need to hit the enter key or press the search button.Author - Enter an author, last name first, and hit the enter key or press Search.


Title - Enter a title and hit the enter key or press Search.Series - Pick from the list of Series titles and press SearchFormat - Pick from the list for formats and press Search.First Edition - Pick from First Edition or Other Edition and press Search.Signed - Pick from Signed or Unsigned and press Search.Read - Pick from Read or Unread and press Search.Category - Pick from the list of categories and press Search.Rating - Pick from the list of ratings and press Search.Keywords - Enter keywords or phrases separated by commas and press Search.Location - Pick from the list of locations and press Search.Date Entered - Enter a date in YYYY-MM-DD format and hit the enter key or press Search. This search returns books entered into the data base on the specified date or later. It provides an easy way to verify your new entries.Copies - Pick from None, One, More than one and press Search. This search is designed to allow you to select books you may be looking for or have on order, (None), as well as books you may have duplicates of and want to sell, (More than one).Images - Pick from With Image or Without Image and press Search. Use this search to find items without images so that you can add them.Comments - Enter the text to search for and hit the enter key or press Search. The Comments search can be used to expand the capabilities of the Readerware databaseOn Loan - Pick from Out on loan or Overdue books and press Search.Updated by last wizard - Pick from updated by last wizard or unchanged by last wizard and press Search. This search will display those items updated or unchanged by the last wizard run, i.e. the last auto-catalog, auto-update or replace run. This can be useful when you want to review the changes made by auto-catalog for example.User Columns - If there are additional searches displayed, it means you have defined user columns in your database. Pick the column you want to search, enter the search value and hit the enter key or press Search.


If you have defined user database fields, you can also search on these fields, select the appropriate field and enter the text you are looking for and press Search.

Wild Card Searches

Readerware uses the asterisk as a wild card character, you can also use the SQL % character if you prefer. It can be used in the author, title and comment searches. It can be placed anywhere in the search text. If you do not use the wild card characters in your search, Readerware assumes both leading and trailing wild card characters.

Examples using book titles:

Murder* - This will search for any titles beginning with Murder. *Murder - This will search for any titles that end with Murder. *Murder* - This will search for any titles that contain Murder. This is the default search if you do not explicitly specify wild card characters.

Note that searches are case insensitive, "Murder" and "murder" are the same.

Readerware Wizards 1/1

Readerware Wizards

Readerware Wizards will guide you step by step through some of the more common Readerware functions. They are designed for the novice user. They keep things simple and provide you with full, easy to understand, documentation along the way.

The following Readerware Wizards are available:

Readerware Auto-Catalog Wizard - The easiest way to catalog your collection. Readerware can automatically catalog your books by scanning the internet and building your database for you, complete with cover art. This wizard will take you step by step through the process of selecting sites, entering ISBNs or scanning bar codes and how to interpret the results.

Readerware Export Wizard - You can export your Readerware database for use on your Palm Pilot or to transfer the data to another program. This wizard shows you how to select which books and database columns to export and which formats to choose.

Readerware Import Wizard - If you already have some of you books cataloged but want to step up to the power of Readerware, you can often import your existing database. This wizard will guide you through the process of importing the data into your Readerware database.

Readerware Auto-Catalog Wizard 1/7

Readerware Auto-Catalog Wizard

One of the more powerful features of Readerware is Readerware auto-catalog. Readerware can scan the internet looking for information about the items you own, extract that information, including cover art and build your Readerware database. Cataloging your collection has never been easier and the Readerware auto-catalog wizard will guide your through the process step by step.

These are the basic steps:

1. Pick the internet sites you want to search2. Identify the items you want to catalog by scanning a

barcode or entering an ISBN3. Run Readerware auto-catalog4. Check the results

Site Selection

This is the first page of the Readerware auto-catalog wizard. This first step is to select which sites you want to search. You can select one or more sites.

To select the sites start by displaying the list of sites available by clicking on the down arrow on the site selection box. A list of available sites is displayed.

To select your first site, just click on it. Notice that the list does not automatically disappear at this point like a conventional drop down list. This is because you can select more than one site. To add another site, hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard and click on the next site. Notice that the names of both sites now appear at the top of the list. To select a range of sites, hold down the Shift key and click on a site, all sites between the new and previous selections are now selected.

When you have completed selecting the sites, click on the up arrow to close the


list.

If the Merge data from all selected sites box is checked, Readerware will search all the sites you select and merge the data. Readerware gets as much information as possible from each site before moving on to the next site looking for still more information. This means that the order you search sites is important.

For example, suppose you like the Amazon listing but would also like to include the dewey number in your Readerware database. In this case you would search Amazon first and then the Library of Congress.

But supposing you prefer the Library of Congress listing but would also like to get images from Amazon. You simply search the sites in the reverse order, The Library of Congress first.

If the Merge data from all selected sites box is not checked, Readerware will extract data from the first site with a match and then move on to the next item in the list.

Either way, the order you search sites can be important, it can make a big difference to the data you collect during a Readerware auto-catalog run. Each site maintains different data about an item. Many sites categorize items for example and Readerware will extract the category information for you. But sites use different categorization schemes. So which is better? That is really for you to decide, you need to look at the data each site returns and determine which site provides the best data for your needs. Then you can set up the search sequence to search that site first. That way, if your favorite site has the item, Readerware will extract the information from that site. If not it goes on to check the other sites. You change the search order using Readerware Site Preferences .

ISBN/UPC Input

You tell Readerware which items to look for by entering the ISBN of the book, the UPC of a CD or video. There are two ways to do this, you can simply scan the item with a barcode reader or you can type in the data, with or without the


punctuation.

If you are typing in CD and DVD barcodes, you must ensure that you type in all digits. A US barcode currently contains 12 digits, a European barcode contains 13.

In the above example, you would enter 731458917724, you must include the digits to the left and right of the barcode.

Using a barcode reader is often the fastest way to enter the list of items to catalog. Each day more and more companies make low cost bar code readers available to consumers. Check the barcode reader section on the Readerware web site for more information.

To enter the ISBN or UPC manually, simply type it in and press the enter key. Readerware will then validate the data and if valid, move it to the list below. If invalid, Readerware will display an error message. Readerware also uses audible queues to indicate a valid or invalid item number, so you don't have to keep looking at your screen each time you enter an item.

Normally when Readerware indicates that an ISBN is invalid, it means that you typed in the number incorrectly. Simply correct the mistake and try again. Very rarely Readerware will display the error, even when you entered the ISBN exactly as printed on a book. This is because the publisher included an invalid ISBN on the book. This does occasionally happen, especially on older books when the ISBN was new. You can tell Readerware to accept this ISBN anyway and try and find it by clicking on the No button in the dialog.

To scan in a barcode, refer to the instructions that came with your scanner. The


most common type of scanner is the wand scanner, you drag the tip of the wand over the barcode. Readerware then receives the data, converts it if necessary and adds it to the list.

To delete an item from the list, select it and hit the Delete key.

You can rerun Readerware auto-catalog, maybe your internet connection went down while auto-catalog was running, maybe you want to select more sites and try again to match not found books. You don't have to scan all the items again, simply hit the Reload button to reload you last item list. When you rerun auto-catalog, Readerware skips any items that are already in its database and just searches for the items it doesn't already have cataloged.

Using a file of ISBN, UPC or barcode scans

Readerware can also read ISBN and barcode scans from a file. Select the Load List button immediately following the entry field and a file selection dialog is displayed. Select the file and click on Open. The file must be a standard text file and contain one ISBN or bar code scan per line. The ISBN can be entered with or without the dashes. Readerware will then replace the contents of the list with the contents of the file. You can use this feature to prepare a list of items to scan ahead of time and outside of Readerware. It can also be used with portable barcode readers. Typically a bar code reader is connected to your computer by a cable. Portable barcode readers are not connected directly to your computer, You can scan barcodes into the reader and at a later time, upload them to a file on your PC. This means that you can take the barcode reader to your shelves rather than drag your books, CDs and videos to your PC. Again, check out the barcode reader section of the Readerware web site for specific models and more information.

Verification Page

Next up is the verification page. This is your last chance to change your settings prior to running Readerware auto-catalog. A quick summary of your choices is


listed. Click on Next if you are ready to go. Click on Back if you want to change your choices.

Auto-Catalog Running Page

When you reach this page, Readerware auto-catalog is running. You will see a progress window that will update as Readerware catalogs your items. In the background Readerware also updates the list each time an item is processed. If you want, you can move the progress window out of the way to see more of the auto-catalog activity. Simply click on the title bar and drag the window out of the way. The progress window will close automatically once Readerware auto-catalog completes. Don't hit the Cancel button though, this will abort the Readerware auto-catalog run.

You may have noticed that as you added an item to the list, a question mark icon was displayed next to it. This indicates that Readerware auto-catalog has not yet searched the internet for this item. As it processes each item, Readerware changes the icon to indicate the results. The icons are:

- This indicates that the item has not yet been processed

- The item has been processed, the item and product image have been added to the database.

- The item has been processed and added to the database, no product image was found

- The item has been processed but could not be found at any of the sites searched

- The item was already found in the Readerware database, this item was skipped

In addition to the icons, Readerware adds the title to any item it finds. This is a very handy way to identify the items that were not found by Readerware, it effectively gives you their location on your shelves.

You can save the item list by clicking on the Save List button.


When you have reviewed the status of each item you entered, click on the Next button to proceed to the final page of this wizard.

Auto-Catalog Complete Page

This page displays the overall auto-catalog statistics:

Items Input Count - The number of items enteredItems Added Count - The total number of items that were added to your databaseImages Added Count - The number of items with product images added, this will be less than or equal to the items added count.Duplicate Items Count - The number of items already found in the Readerware database and skipped.LOCIS Multiple Matches - This count will normally be zero. Occasionally the Library of Congress will return more than one match for the same ISBN. In this situation Readerware cannot determine which is the correct match so the book was skipped. But the book does exist at The Library of Congress, so you can use the Readerware Browser to catalog the book after selecting the correct match.

Note that you can use the Back and Next buttons to toggle between the results and the auto-catalog summary page. When you are done, click the Finish button. Readerware will then display all the new items added to your database in the main window. You can optionally review and edit these new items. Click on the toolbar browse button to return to the full database display.

This statistics information and a complete item by item listing is also written to the rwuser.log file, if user logging is enabled. You will find this file in your Readerware directory. You can view this file in any text editor


There is no easier way to catalog your collection!

Readerware Auto-Update Wizard 1/7

Readerware Auto-Update Wizard

One of the more powerful features of Readerware is Readerware auto-update. Readerware can scan the internet looking for information about the items you own, extract that information, including cover art and update your existing Readerware database.

Use Readerware auto-catalog to build your initial database and Readerware auto-update to add new information and update existing data. Cataloging your collection has never been easier and the Readerware auto-update wizard will guide your through the process step by step.


1. Pick the internet sites you want to search2. Identify the items you want to update3. Identify the database columns you want to update4. Run Readerware auto-update5. Check the results

Site Selection

This is the first page of the Readerware auto-update wizard. This first step is to select which sites you want to search. You can select one or more sites.

To select the sites start by displaying the list of sites available by clicking on the down arrow on the site selection box. A list of available sites is displayed.

To select your first site, just click on it. Notice that the list does not automatically disappear at this point like a conventional drop down list. This is because you can select more than one site. To add another site, hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard and click on the next site. Notice that the names of both sites now appear at the top of the list. To select a range of sites, hold down the Shift key


and click on a site, all sites between the new and previous selections are now selected.

When you have completed selecting the sites, click on the up arrow to close the list.

You might be wondering why you would select multiple sites to search. The answer is that no one site will have every item and each site will have different information about an item. When trying to update an item, Readerware searches each site in turn looking for a match. Readerware extracts the data from that site and updates the database. Then it searches the next site looking for more data. When all sites have been searched, it goes on to the next item in the list.

Advanced tip: You can control the order in which the sites are searched. This can make a big difference to the data you collect during a Readerware auto-update run. As mentioned earlier, each site maintains different data about an item. Many sites categorize items for example and Readerware will extract the category information for you. But sites use different categorization schemes. So which is better? That is really for you to decide, you need to look at the data each site returns and determine which site provides the best data for your needs. Then you can set up the search sequence to search that site first. That way, if your favorite site has the item, Readerware will extract the information from that site. If not it goes on to check the other sites. So it is important that if you have a site preference, you place it at the top of the list. You change the search order using Readerware Site Preferences .

Item Selection

The next step is to select the items you want to update. Readerware gives you a number of options, some based on the current search results. If using one of these options you must perform a search before launching the Readerware auto-update wizard. This will establish the items you want to update.

On this panel you can select on of the following choices:


All Items in the database - The current search results are ignored and Readerware will try and update every item in your database. A count of the total number of items in your database is also displayed.Current Search Results - The items returned by the last search will be updated, these are the items currently displayed in the main window. A count of the number of items returned by the last search is also displayed.Currently selected search results - The items currently selected in the main window are updated. You can select as many items as you want. A count of the number of items selected is also displayed.Input a list of items - If you select this option the ISBN/UPC input panel will be displayed next allowing you to enter the keys of the items you want to update. You can enter these manually or use a bar code reader.

ISBN/UPC Input

If you selected the Input option on the last panel, the ISBN/UPC input panel is displayed next. Otherwise you go straight to database column selection. You tell Readerware which items to look for by entering the ISBN of the book, the UPC of a video etc. There are two ways to do this, you can simply type in the data, with or without the punctuation or you can scan in the items bar code.

Using a bar code scanner is often the fastest way to enter the list of items to update. Each day more and more companies make low cost bar code readers available to consumers. Check the barcode reader section on the Readerware web site for more information.


Normally when Readerware indicates that an ISBN is invalid, it means that you


typed in the number incorrectly. Simply correct the mistake and try again. Very rarely Readerware will display the error, even when you entered the ISBN exactly as printed on a book. This is because the publisher included an invalid ISBN on the book. This does occasionally happen, especially on older books when the ISBN was new. You can tell Readerware to accept this ISBN anyway and try and find it by clicking on the No button in the dialog.

To scan in a bar code, refer to the instructions that came with your scanner. The most common type of scanner is the wand scanner, you drag the tip of the wand over the bar code. Readerware then receives the data, converts it if necessary and adds it to the list.


You can rerun Readerware auto-update, maybe you want to save a list of books and revalue them on a regular basis. You don't have to scan all the items again, simply hit the Reload button to reload you last item list.

Using a file of ISBN, UPC or bar code scans

Readerware can also read ISBN and bar code scans from a file. Select the browse button immediately following the entry field and a file selection dialog is displayed. Select the file and click on Open. The file must be a standard text file and contain one ISBN or bar code scan per line. The ISBN can be entered with or without the dashes. Readerware will then replace the contents of the list with the contents of the file. You can use this feature to prepare a list of items to update ahead of time and outside of Readerware. It can also be used with portable bar code readers. Typically a bar code reader is connected to your computer by a cable. Portable bar code readers are not connected directly to your computer, You can scan bar codes into the reader and at a later time, upload them to a file on your PC. This means that you can take the bar code reader to your shelves rather than drag your books, CDs and videos to your PC. Again, check out the bar code reader section of the Readerware web site for specific models and more information.


Column Selection

Your last task is to identify which database columns to update and how Readerware should update each column.

You will see a list of all database columns. Those with a check mark next to them will be updated. Those with a X next to them will not. You can double click on any item in the list to toggle its status. You can use the buttons to the right of the list to select or deselect all columns.

As you select each item in the list, you can also specify how the column should be updated:

Only Update if empty - Readerware will first check the database, if the column already has something in it, it will be skipped. Use this option to look for additional data without changing your existing data.Always replace existing contents - If Readerware finds data for the column, the current contents will be replaced. You can use this to update the value of your collection for example. Let Readerware go out on the net and find the latest values. Readerware will only update a column if there is new data available. If Readerware is unable to find data for the column, the current contents are left unchanged.

Verification Page

Next up is the verification page. This is your last chance to change your settings prior to running Readerware auto-update. A quick summary of your choices is listed. Click on Next if you are ready to go. Click on Back if you want to change your choices.

Auto-Update Running Page

When you reach this page, Readerware auto-update is running. You will see a progress window that will update as Readerware processes your items. In the


background Readerware also updates the list each time an item is processed. If you want, you can move the progress window out of the way to see more of the auto-update activity. Simply click on the title bar and drag the window out of the way. The progress window will close automatically once Readerware auto-update completes. Don't hit the Cancel button though, this will abort the Readerware auto-update run.

Initially each item in the list will have a question mark icon displayed next to it. This indicates that Readerware auto-update has not yet searched the internet for this item. As it processes each item, Readerware changes the icon to indicate the results. The icons are:

- This indicates that the item has not yet been processed

- The item has been updated, the item has an image.

- The item has been updated, the item does not have an image

- The item was not changed, the item has an image

- The item was not changed, the item does not have an image

- The item has been processed but could not be found at any of the sites searched

- The item does not have an ISBN or UPC, so it could not be processed

In addition to the icons, Readerware adds the title to each item. This is a very handy way to identify the items, it effectively gives you their location on your shelves.


When you have reviewed the status of each item, click on the Next button to proceed to the final page of this wizard.

Auto-Update Complete Page

This page displays the overall auto-update statistics:


Items Input Count - The number of items processedItems Updated Count - The number of items actually updatedImages Added/Updated Count - The number of items with product images added or updated.Unchanged Count - The number of items that were not changed. Items are not changed if no new data was found or all selected columns already had data.Books Without Keys Count - Readerware can only auto-update items with an ISBN or UPC. This lists the number of items that could not be updated because they did not have the key field.

Note that you can use the Back and Next buttons to toggle between the results and the auto-catalog summary page. When you are done, click the Finish button. Readerware will then display all the updated items in the main window. You can optionally review and edit these updated items. Click on the toolbar browse button to return to the full database display.


There is no easier way to catalog your collection!

Readerware Replace Wizard 1/7

Readerware Replace Wizard

Another powerful feature of Readerware is the search and replace facility. You can easily apply a change to one or more items in your database.


1. Identify the items you want to change2. Identify the database column you want to update3. Enter the new data4. Run Readerware replace5. Check the results

Item Selection

The first step is to select the items you want to update. Readerware gives you a number of options, some based on the current search results. If using one of these options you must perform a search before launching the Readerware Replace Wizard. This will establish the items you want to change.

On this panel you can select on of the following choices:

All Items in the database - The current search results are ignored and Readerware will change every item in your database. A count of the total number of items in your database is also displayed.Current Search Results - The items returned by the last search will be changed, these are the items currently displayed in the main window. A count of the number of items returned by the last search is also displayed.Currently selected search results - The items currently selected in the main window are changed. You can select as many items as you want. A count of the number of items selected is also displayed.Input a list of items - If you select this option the ISBN/UPC input


panel will be displayed next allowing you to enter the keys of the items you want to change. You can enter these manually or use a bar code reader.

ISBN/UPC Input

If you selected the Input option on the last panel, the ISBN/UPC input panel is displayed next. Otherwise you go straight to database column selection. You tell Readerware which items to look for by entering the ISBN of the book, the UPC of a video etc. There are two ways to do this, you can simply type in the data, with or without the punctuation or you can scan in the items bar code.

Using a bar code scanner is often the fastest way to enter the list of items to update. Each day more and more companies make low cost bar code readers available to consumers. Check the bar code reader section on the Readerware web site for more information.


Normally when Readerware indicates that an ISBN is invalid, it means that you typed in the number incorrectly. Simply correct the mistake and try again. Very rarely Readerware will display the error, even when you entered the ISBN exactly as printed on a book. This is because the publisher included an invalid ISBN on the book. This does occasionally happen, especially on older books when the ISBN was new. You can tell Readerware to accept this ISBN anyway and try and find it by clicking on the No button in the dialog.

To scan in a bar code, refer to the instructions that came with your scanner. The most common type of scanner is the wand scanner, you drag the tip of the wand over the bar code. Readerware then receives the data, converts it if necessary and adds it to the list.



You can rerun Readerware replace, maybe you want to save a list of items and update them on a regular basis. You don't have to scan all the items again, simply hit the Reload button to reload you last item list.

Using a file of ISBN, UPC or bar code scans

Readerware can also read ISBN and bar code scans from a file. Select the browse button immediately following the entry field and a file selection dialog is displayed. Select the file and click on Open. The file must be a standard text file and contain one ISBN or bar code scan per line. The ISBN can be entered with or without the dashes. Readerware will then replace the contents of the list with the contents of the file. You can use this feature to prepare a list of items to change ahead of time and outside of Readerware. It can also be used with portable bar code readers. Typically a bar code reader is connected to your computer by a cable. Portable bar code readers are not connected directly to your computer, You can scan bar codes into the reader and at a later time, upload them to a file on your PC. This means that you can take the bar code reader to your shelves rather than drag your books, CDs and videos to your PC. Again, check out the bar code reader section of the Readerware web site for specific models and more information.

Column Selection

Your last task is to identify the database column to change and the new value. You can only change a single column with Readerware replace.

You will see a drop down list of all database columns. Select the one you want to update. An editable field is then displayed and you can enter or select the new value. If you don't enter a value, the replace will erase the current contents.

When changing the list fields like category or format, you can also update the list using the replace wizard. So if you wanted to set the selected items to a new


category, first enter the new category, right click on the field and select Add to Database from the popup menu. Mac users, hold down the Control key and click to display the popup menu. Then proceed with the replace to set the selected items to the new category. Also see Adding your own categories for more information on updating lists in Readerware.

When you select the column you want to change, an appropriate editor is displayed where you can enter the new data. For most fields, this is an entry field or a list. But Readerware also allows you to perform some very powerful operations on some columns,

Title

When you select the title column you can:

Enter a new title

Reformat titles from "The Title" to "Title, The".

Reformat titles from "A Title" to "Title, A".

Uppercase titles

Value

When you select the value column you can:

Enter a new value

Adjust existing values by a set percentage. For example, suppose you want to value your collection at 25% less that the Amazon retail price. You could use Readerware auto-catalog or auto-update to extract the price from Amazon. Then you would use the replace function to set the value to 75% of the current value. Readerware will update the value on each selected item.


Copies

When you select the copies column you can:

Enter a new value

Increment copies by the specified amount.

Decrement copies by the specified amount.

User Number

When you select the user number column you can:

Enter a new user number.

Automatically generate user numbers based on a pattern. You specify the pattern, the starting value and the increment. You use question marks in the pattern to identify where Readerware should insert the number.

To start with a simple example. If you specify a pattern of ?, starting value of 10000 and an increment of 100, Readerware will generate user numbers of 10100, 10200, 10300 etc.

You can specify other text in the pattern which is used as is. You can specify multiple consecutive question marks to control the width of the generated number. If you specify a pattern of ?????? each number will have at least 6 digits, Readerware adds leading zeros if necessary.

The following table lists some examples:

PatternStarting

ValueIncrement Numbers


? 10000 10 10010, 10020, 10030

????? 100 10 00100, 00110, 00120

TOM-?????-BK

100 100TOM-00100-BK, TOM-00200-BK, TOM-00300-BK

BN-? 100 1 BN-100, BN-101, BN-102

Verification Page

Next up is the verification page. This is your last chance to change your settings prior to running your replace. A quick summary of your choices is listed. Note that your changes are applied to the database immediately, so review your selections to make sure they are correct. Click on Next if you are ready to go. Click on Back if you want to change your choices.

Replacing Page

When you reach this page, your replace is running. You will see a progress window that will update as Readerware processes your items. In the background Readerware also updates the list each time an item is processed. If you want, you can move the progress window out of the way to see more of the replace activity. Simply click on the title bar and drag the window out of the way. The progress window will close automatically once the replace completes. Don't hit the Cancel button though, this will abort the replace.

Initially each item in the list will have a question mark icon displayed next to it. This indicates that Readerware has not yet processed this item. As it processes each item, Readerware changes the icon to indicate the results. The icons are:

- This indicates that the item has been changed

- The item could not be found. This can only happen when you


input an item list

- There was an unexpected error. More information is in the log.

In addition to the icons, Readerware adds the title to each item. This is a very handy way to identify the items, it effectively gives you their location on your shelves.


When you have reviewed the status of each item, click on the Next button to proceed to the final page of this wizard.

Replace Complete Page

This page displays the overall statistics:

Items Input Count - The number of items processedItems Updated Count - The number of items actually updatedErrors - The number of errors

Note that you can use the Back and Next buttons to toggle between the results and the auto-catalog summary page. When you are done, click the Finish button. Readerware will then display all the updated items in the main window. You can optionally review and edit these updated items. Click on the toolbar browse button to return to the full database display.


Readerware Export Wizard 1/4

Readerware Export Wizard

Readerware export allows you to export the data in your Readerware database to a number of different formats:

CSV, (Comma Separated Value) - This is a standard data interchange format, use it to transfer data to other programs and databases.TAB Delimited - Another standard data interchange formatHTML - The universal language of the web, you can export your Readerware database to HTML to create web pages.Palm - You can transfer your database to your Palm device for use with Readerware for the Palm.Generic UIEE (Universal Information Exchange Environment) - A common format used to exchange book information. It is used by several book sites.Amazon UIEE - A non-standard version of the UIEE format used by Amazon.BookHound - You can transfer your database to BookHound from Bibliopolis.HomeBase 2.0 - You can transfer your data to HomeBase from Advanced Book Exchange Inc. You can also upload the exported file to the ABE web site.

There are a number of reasons for using Readerware export:

Transfer you database to Readerware for the Palm, take your database with you on your next trip to your favorite book stores.Create your own web pages to publish your collection online.Transfer data to online book sellers and auction sites.Transfer data to other programs or databases

Exporting



1. Pick the format you want to export to2. Select the file you want to export to3. Select the books you want to export4. Select the database columns you want to export5. Run Readerware export6. Check the results

Format Selection

This is the first page of the Readerware export wizard. The first step is to select which format you want to create the file in. Your choices are:

CSV, (Comma Separated Value)TAB delimited.HTMLPalmGeneric UIEE, (Universal Information Exchange Environment)Amazon UIEEBookHoundHomeBase 2.0

File Selection

You need to tell Readerware the name of the file you wish to create and where it should be located. You can either enter this in the file name field or click on the Browse button and select the file from the file selection dialog.

If you check the Always replace existing file check box Readerware will automatically overwrite this file if it exists. This is useful if you are doing regular export runs to the same file. If this is not checked, Readerware will display a confirmation dialog before overwriting an existing file.

Book Selection Page

There are two choices when selecting which books to export:


Current Search Results - The books returned by the last search are exported. You need to search for the books before starting the Readerware export wizard. You can control exactly which books are exported, for example you can search by category, then date entered etc.All Books - This will export all books in the database.

Column Selection Page

Some formats determine the columns that are exported, for example Amazon UIEE format defines which columns need to be included in the exported file. In this case the column selection page is not displayed.

There are two ways to select the database columns you want to export

Current View Columns - The columns currently displayed in the search results table will be exported. Readerware views are extremely flexible. You can define any number of views and control which columns are included in each view and the order. If you have a regular export you want to run, create a view for the export containing exactly the data you want. Then just select the view before starting the Readerware export wizard.Selected Database Columns - If you select this option the list of database columns is enabled. You select exactly which columns you want to export and the order. Columns listed with a green check mark are exported, those listed with a red cross are not. Double click on any entry to toggle its state. To change the order of the columns, select an entry in the list and use the up and down arrows to change its location in the list.

Verification Page

Next up is the verification page. This is your last chance to change your settings prior to running Readerware export. A quick summary of your choices is listed. Click on Next if you are ready to go. Click on Back if you want to change your choices.


Export Running Page

When you reach this page, Readerware export is running. You will see a progress bar that will update as Readerware exports the data to the file. Immediately below the progress bar is a Cancel button which you can use to interrupt the export.

When the export completes, click on the Next button to proceed to the final page of this wizard.

Export Complete Page

This page displays the overall export statistics:

Books Processed - The number of books written to the export fileErrors - The number of books that could not be written.

Normally this is all the information you need to ensure your data was exported correctly. If user logging is enabled, Readerware also creates a log file called rwuser.log. This file lists each book and any error messages. You can view this log file in any text editor.

When you are done, click the Finish button to exit the export wizard.

Readerware Import Wizard 1/3

Readerware Import Wizard

Readerware can import data from other databases and programs. This can be useful if you are currently using another product to maintain your collection and want to upgrade to the power of Readerware. As long as your current program can export data to one of two industry standard formats, you can transfer your existing data into Readerware.

Readerware can handle:

CSV or Comma Separated Value files - These files contain the data for each database column separated by a comma. The first line of the file is a mapping line which allows you to map the data to Readerware database column names.

TAB Delimited Files - These are similar to CSV files except that the data is separated by the tab character. Again the first line of the file is a mapping line which allows you to map the data to Readerware database column names.

HomeBase 2.0 - This is the format used by HomeBase 2.0 and the ABE online site. You can easily import your HomeBase 2.0 files into Readerware

Here is an example of a CSV file:

"Author","Title","Publisher" "Smith, Harry","My Story","HS Publ."

The first row identifies which Readerware database columns the data should be imported to. The remaining rows contain the data. Each column is contained in quotes and each column is separated by a comma. Notice that the field itself can contain a comma.

You can use single or double quotes, but you must be consistent. It is important


that the mapping line also contain quotes. Readerware examines this line to determine which delimiter you are using, single quotes or double quotes.

Importing


1. Indicate the format of the file you are going to import2. Select the file3. Run the Readerware import4. Check the results

Format Selection

This is the first page of the Readerware import wizard. The first step is to select which format the file you are importing is in. Your choices are CSV, (Comma Separated Value), TAB delimited or HomeBase 2.0. See above for more information on the file formats.

File Selection

You need to tell Readerware the name of the file you wish to import and where it is located. You can either enter this in the file name field or click on the Browse button and select the file from the file selection dialog.

Verification Page

Next up is the verification page. This is your last chance to change your settings prior to running Readerware import. A quick summary of your choices is listed. Click on Next if you are ready to go. Click on Back if you want to change your choices.

Import Running Page


When you reach this page, Readerware import is running. You will see a progress bar that will update as Readerware imports the data from the file. Immediately below the progress bar is a Cancel button which you can use to interrupt the import.

When the import completes, click on the Next button to proceed to the final page of this wizard.

Import Completed Page

This page displays the overall import statistics:

Books Processed - The number of books in the import fileErrors - The number of books that could not be added. Readerware requires a title and author. If either of these fields are empty, the book is not processed. Also Readerware requires that the ISBN, if any, is unique. If the book is already in the Readerware database it is not imported.

Normally this is all the information you need to ensure your data was imported correctly. If user logging is enabled, Readerware also creates a log file called rwuser.log. This file lists each book and any error messages. You can view this log file in any text editor.

When you are done, click the Finish button to exit the import wizard.

Readerware Backup Wizard 1/2

Readerware Backup Wizard

Readerware allows you to easily backup your database to a compressed ZIP file. The backup file will contain all your data and images. You can then save this file in a save place.

To restore, simply launch the Readerware Restore Wizard.

Backup File Selection

You need to tell Readerware the name of the backup file you wish to create and where it should be located. You can either enter this in the file name field or click on the Browse button and select the file from the file selection dialog.

If you check the Always replace existing file check box Readerware will automatically overwrite this file if it exists. If this is not checked, Readerware will display a confirmation dialog before overwriting an existing file.

It is a good idea to keep several backup files.

Verification Page

Next up is the verification page. This is your last chance to change your settings prior to running the Readerware backup. A quick summary of your choices is listed. Click on Next if you are ready to go. Click on Back if you want to change your choices.

Backup Running Page

When you reach this page, your Readerware backup is running. You will see a progress bar that will update as Readerware backs up the data to the ZIP file.

When the backup completes, click on the Next button to proceed to the final page of this wizard.

Readerware Backup Wizard 2/2

Backup Complete Page

This page displays the overall backup statistics:

Rows backed up - The number of items in your database that were backed up.Images backed up - The number of image files backed up.

When you are done, click the Finish button to exit the backup wizard.

Readerware Restore Wizard 1/2

Readerware Restore Wizard

Readerware allows you to easily backup your database to a compressed ZIP file. The backup file will contain all your data and images. You can then save this file in a save place.

Should disaster strike, The Readerware Restore Wizard will guide you through the simple process of restoring your database.

Backup File Selection

You need to tell Readerware the name of the backup file you wish to restore from and where it is located. You can either enter this in the file name field or click on the Browse button and select the file from the file selection dialog.

Database Selection

You need to tell Readerware where to create the restored the database. You can either enter this in the file name field or click on the Browse button and select the file from the file selection dialog.

The new database name must not already exist, Readerware does not allow you to overwrite an existing database.

Verification Page

Next up is the verification page. This is your last chance to change your settings prior to running the Readerware restore. A quick summary of your choices is listed. Click on Next if you are ready to go. Click on Back if you want to change your choices.

Readerware Restore Wizard 2/2

Restore Running Page

When you reach this page, your Readerware restore is running. You will see a progress bar that will update as Readerware restores the data from the ZIP file.

When the restore completes, click on the Next button to proceed to the final page of this wizard.

Restore Complete Page

This page displays the overall restore statistics:

Files restored - The number of database files restored.

Note that your current database is not changed. If you want to open your restored database, select File->New Database from the Readerware menu bar once the wizard completes.

When you are done, click the Finish button to exit the restore wizard.

Online Shopping With Readerware 1/4

Online Shopping

Another feature of Readerware that you will probably find indispensable is secure online shopping. Readerware works with all the major shopping sites in Brazil, Canada, England, France, Germany, Switzerland and The United States. You can easily browse your favorite sites, compare the prices of the books you want to buy at all the sites and securely place your order at the click of a button.

Ordering with The Readerware Browser

The Readerware browser is a full function browser complete with 128 bit encryption. This means that you can place orders from within Readerware, safely and securely, just as you would with any other browser. So as you browse vendor web sites using Readerware and come across a title you want to order, click on the order button exactly as usual. Then you can simply hit the Readerware import button to add the book to your database. Order a book and add it to your database at the same time, nothing could be simpler.

If you prefer to use your regular browser, simply right click on the page in the Readerware Browser and select Open in External Browser from the popup menu. Readerware will then display the page in your default browser. You can also configure the external browser using the Readerware General Preferences .

The Readerware Shopping Cart

The Readerware Shopping Cart allows you to easily build a list of wanted titles and keep them in your shopping cart as long as you like. You can easily compare prices at all the major online shopping sites, place and track orders. Full printing support is provided so the Readerware shopping cart is also a tool you can use with brick and mortar bookstores. Your shopping cart is also fully integrated with Readerware Palm Edition, a lightweight edition of Readerware that runs on a Palm Pilot and compatible devices.


Placing an Order using The Readerware Shopping Cart

The basic ordering process is:

Locate the books at your favorite site using the Readerware Web Browser.Click on import to add the book(s) to the local database and your Readerware Shopping Cart . Normally you would use the site with your preferred data. The data stored by each site differs and it is best to import from the site with a data format that best matches your preferences. You can later purchase from any site regardless of where you imported it from. Import as many books as you want, they will all be added to your shopping cart. You can easily remove any book from your shopping cart if you later decide not to purchase it.When you have found all the books you are looking for, open your

shopping cart by clicking on the Shopping Cart, , in the main window.

Select either Price Selected Item, , to run a price check on the

selected shopping cart item, or Price All, , to run a price check on your entire shopping cart. The price found at all your favorite shopping sites will be displayed in a list box, with the lowest priced site selected.Click on the order button to place your order, you can order from any site, not just the site with the lowest price. When you place an order, the Readerware Browser is opened and the site ordering page is displayed. You can then place the order as normal, safely and securely. You can order as many titles as you want by selecting each title from your Readerware Shopping Cart. As long as you place the orders with the same site all your purchases are accumulated into a single order. As you place the orders from the shopping cart, the entry is automatically flagged as ordered to help you track your purchases. The entry remains in you shopping cart, even after you place the order.

You're done. The book(s) are hopefully heading your way. When they arrive you


can open your shopping cart and click on the ISBN number to display the book details in the Readerware Data Entry Window to update the edition, categories etc. Then you can remove it from your shopping cart.

This is just one strategy for ordering online. A number of the steps are optional. For example you don't have to run a price check on the book, you can order it directly from the Readerware Shopping Cart. You can remove it from your shopping cart when you place the order.

Running a Price Check

One extremely powerful feature that Readerware provides is running a price check. Readerware will use the ISBN number of the book and check the price at all the online shopping sites you select. You can run the price check from the Readerware Shopping Cart, on a selected title or the entire contents of your cart. You have complete control over which sites are searched, Readerware supports all the major online retailers in Brazil, Canada, England, France, Germany, Switzerland and The United States.

As you import titles using the Readerware Web Browser, the books are automatically added to your shopping cart. You can also add any book in the database to your shopping cart by updating the book in the detail view or table view and checking the Shopping Cart box or drop down list. The price check is independent of the ordering process, you can easily remove any book from your shopping cart if the price check determines that the book is too expensive. Or keep it in your cart and check again later, maybe you will run into a sale!

When the Book Arrives

You will probably want to update the information in the database when the book arrives.

Simply open your shopping cart and select the ISBN of the book. The ISBN is a link that will display the book details in the Readerware Data Entry Window.


There you can update the edition information and any other appropriate changes. You can easily remove the book from your shopping cart from with the Data Entry Window or the cart itself.

Readerware Reports 1/4

Reports

Readerware provides a built in reports facility. You have extensive control over the format of the report and the data selected for printing. You can also define custom reports .

Selecting the books to print

The Readerware reporting functions work together with the views and search functions. You must select the view you want to print and run a search to establish the data you wish to print. Then when you select Print from the file menu or toolbar, the current results set is printed in the format displayed.

You can define custom views to print just the database columns you want and in the order you want. You can create additional views by first selecting one of the default views, select the type of view you want to create. Then click on the save

button, , in the toolbar, immediately to the left of the view drop down list. You will be prompted to enter the new view name, Readerware will then copy the current view and create a new view under the name specified. You can then customize the new view. The point to emphasize here, is that views are not just for displaying data on the screen, they are also used to define reports. So name your new view, "Summary Report" or "Inventory Report", then just select the appropriate view and print.

Readerware uses the current view to determine which columns to print, the order to print the columns and the order to print the rows. It also uses the current view to determine how much space to allocate to each column when printing. Readerware normally fills the entire width of the page with your data, adjusting the column widths as necessary. It allocates the same proportion of the total width to each column.

Sometimes if you adjust the column width so that it just fits on the screen, it may


be truncated when printing due to differences in printer and screen font sizes. You can fix this by selecting another font when printing, or adjusting the column width on the screen.

To show or hide columns, right click on the column title to display the popup menu. You can hide the current column or show any previously hidden columns. The new column will be shown after the current column. So to show a column it is best to right click on the title of the column that you want to appear before the new column.



The current view state is always saved when you exit Readerware or switch views so you never have to worry about saving your changes.

You can refine your searches as described in the Search functions section. You can for example search for all books by a particular author, then just hardcover and signed books. Then print these results.

To print the entire contents of your database, select one of the All data... formats from the toolbar. Then choose an author or title search and search for *, i.e. all items.

You can also print the contents of the Readerware Shopping Cart . To print your shopping cart you must select Print from the shopping cart window. Printing your shopping cart can be very useful if you also buy from brick and mortar book stores.

Printing a report


The first thing you see when you select Print is the Report Setup dialog:

Using this dialog, you define the various printing options you want for this report, the font, orientation etc. All selections are saved and will be used the next time you select Print. The choices you can make are:

Font Selection - You can select a font, style and point size for the report. A sample of your selection is displayed.Orientation - Portrait or Landscape. The Readerware reports with a large number of columns displayed will normally look better in Landscape mode.Margins - The page margins are specified in inches, i.e. .5 will result in a half inch marginDraw Table Grid - If checked Readerware will print the table grid.


Two sided - If checked Readerware will print on both sides of the paper. You should first print odd numbered pages 1, 3, 5 etc., reload the printed pages into the printer, and then print even numbered pages.Break on Author - Readerware will exclude the author column from the table itself. The author will be printed on a separate row and then Readerware will print the books for that author in the table format. Try it!Tables per Page - If you are printing a table with only a few columns you can adjust the slider to get Readerware to repeat the table across the page the specified number of times. For example if your view contains just author and title and you set the Tables Per Page to 3, Readerware will print a table with six columns, flowing the data from one group of columns to the next.Add Titles - If checked the report title will be printed at the top of each page. The tittle will be centered.Page Number - If checked Readerware will include the page number at the top of each page of the report, to the right.Date - If checked Readerware will include the date at the top of each page of the report, to the left.

Once you have specified all your Readerware options, you can display the printer properties dialog if additional options are required.

Then hit the Print button to begin printing the report. A progress dialog will be displayed. You may cancel the report at any time.

If you selected the two sided option, you will see two print buttons, Print Odd and Print Even. These will print the odd and even numbered pages respectively. You may print them in either order. After printing one set, reload the printed pages in the printer and print the next set.

Readerware Report Writer 1/8

The Readerware Report Writer Window

The Readerware Report Writer allows you to easily define your own custom reports, you can print the results or create an HTML file that you can use on your web site.

The input to the Readerware report writer is an HTML template which defines the layout and formatting options of the report. Readerware then merges in the data from your database and displays the output.

Printing a custom report

The easiest way to get started is to use one of the example templates that are shipped with Readerware. To produce a report do the following:

Do a search to establish the content for your report. The Readerware report writer uses the current search results as input. So you could search for all titles to produce a full report, search by a given author or category etc.

Open the Readerware Report Writer Window by selecting the File->Report Writer menu item.

Select the Readerware basic image report, (BasicImageReport.html), from the list. You will see a table displayed in the window, but instead of data, you will see text like [[$AUTHOR]], [[$TITLE]] etc. This is the report template, the [[$----] fields identify what Readerware database fields will be displayed and where.

Click on the Run button, , or select the File->Run menu item. Readerware will then populate the report template with the contents of the current search results. The report will then be displayed in the window.


To print the report select the Print toolbar button, , or to save it in

HTML format select the Save, , button. You can use the saved HTML file on your web site or load it into your regular browser and print it from there.

To display the report in your default browser, select the Browser

toolbar button, . The browser is then opened and the report displayed. You can print the report from your default browser if you prefer.

You can return to the Readerware Main Window and perform another search, then in the report writer just click on the run button again to produce another report with the new data.

That is how you create and print a report with the Readerware Report Writer. Try some of the other sample reports distributed with Readerware. There is an example of creating labels and creating a detail report with images. The next topic discusses how you create the template files.

Creating a report template

A Readerware Report Writer template file is in HTML format so you do need to understand a bit about HTML to take full advantage of all the customization and formatting options available. But you don't have to code the HTML file yourself, you can use one of the many HTML WYSIWYG programs available. For example Netscape Composer is part of the free Netscape browser, you can easily use Composer to create the HTML templates

The basic idea is that you simply create the HTML to produce the desired report, but instead of using real data you use predefined Readerware keywords that determine where Readerware will insert the data. Consider the template for the basic table example used earlier:

<HTML> <HEAD>


<TITLE>Readerware Basic Table Example</TITLE> </HEAD>

<BODY> <CENTER><FONT COLOR=#0000FF><H2>Readerware Basic Table Example</H2></FONT></CENTER>

<TABLE ALIGN=CENTER BORDER=3 CELLPADDING=5> <TR> <TH>Author</TH> <TH>Title</TH> <TH>ISBN</TH> <TH>Est. Value</TH> </TR>

[[$BEGIN_READERWARE]] <TR> <TD>[[$TITLE]]</TD> <TD>[[$AUTHOR]]</TD> <TD>[[$ISBN]]</TD> <TD>[[$VALUE]]</TD> </TR> [[$END_READERWARE]]

</TABLE> </BODY>

</HTML>

This is fairly standard HTML, the interesting part is between the [[$BEGIN_READERWARE]] and [[$END_READERWARE]] lines. These lines mark the section of code that Readerware will duplicate, once for each book to be displayed. You can see that between these lines the HTML statements define a new row within the table. So if you have five books in your result set, Readerware will duplicate this section five times creating a five row table.


Within this section you can see several Readerware database column names, for example [[$TITLE]] indicates this is where Readerware is to place the book title, Readerware simply substitutes these keywords with the database values. That's really all there is to it. Here is the HTML file that Readerware might generate from the above template

<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Readerware Basic Table Example</TITLE> </HEAD>

<BODY> <CENTER><FONT COLOR=#0000FF><H2>Readerware Basic Table Example</H2></FONT></CENTER>

<TABLE ALIGN=CENTER BORDER=3 CELLPADDING=5> <TR> <TH>Author</TH> <TH>Title</TH> <TH>ISBN</TH> <TH>Est. Value</TH> </TR>

<TR> <TD>In a Dry Season</TD> <TD>Robinson, Peter</TD> <TD>0-380-97581-5</TD> <TD>$24.00</TD> </TR>

<TR> <TD>Roses, Roses</TD> <TD>James, Bill</TD> <TD>0-393-04637-0</TD>


<TD>$23.00</TD> </TR>

<TR> <TD>The Breaker</TD> <TD>Walters, Minette</TD> <TD>0-399-14492-7</TD> <TD>$23.95</TD> </TR>

<TR> <TD>The Running Woman</TD> <TD>Carlon, Patricia</TD> <TD>1-56947-110-X</TD> <TD>$21.00</TD> </TR>

<TR> <TD>The Scold's Bridle</TD> <TD>Walters, Minette</TD> <TD>0-312-95612-6</TD> <TD>$6.99</TD> </TR>

</TABLE> </BODY>

</HTML>

You might want to start with one of the examples included with Readerware and adapt them for you own use, or you can start from scratch. Any HTML file stored in the appropriate reports directory will be included in the reports list:


Readerware readerware\reports\RW

ReaderwareAW readerware\reports\AW

ReaderwareVW readerware\reports\VW

If you develop custom reports that you think might be useful to other users, please consider sending them in. They may be placed on the Readerware web site where others can use and learn from them. Full credit will be given to the author or you can remain anonymous if you prefer. Just e-mail any templates to [email protected].

Report Writer Keys

The following is a full list of the keys recognized by Readerware. These will be replaced by the appropriate data from the database.

[[$AUTHOR]] Book Author

[[$AUTHOR2]] - [[$AUTHOR6]]

Additional Authors

[[$TITLE]] Book Title

[[$ISBN]]ISBN formatted for display, e.g. 0-684-87301-X

[[$RAWISBN]] Raw ISBN, no formatting, e.g. 068487301X

[[$PUBLISHER]] Publisher

[[$BOOKFORMAT]] Book format, hardcover paperback etc.

[[$FIRST]] First edition?

[[$SIGNED]] Signed?

[[$PUBDATE]] Publication date

[[$PUBPLACE]] Place published


[[$COPIES]] Number of copies owned

[[$RATING]] Rating

[[$CONDITION]] Condition

[[$CATEGORY]] Category

[[$READ]] Read?

[[$PRINT]] Include in Readerware reports?

[[$HTMLEXPORT]] Include in Readerware exports?

[[$VALUE]] Estimated value

[[$COMMENTS]] Comments

[[$DATEENTERED]] Date entered into the Readerware database

[[$SOURCE]] Source of import

[[$ROWKEY]] Internal row key, also used to store images

[[$CART]] Book in shopping cart?

[[$ORDERED]] Book ordered

[[$LCCN]] LCCN (Library of Congress)

[[$DEWEY]] Dewey number

[[$USERNUM]] User defined book number

[[$COPYDATE]] Copyright date

[[$VALUEDATE]] Valuation date

[[$LOCATION]] Book location

[[$SERIES]] Book series

[[$PAGES]] Page count


[[$KEYWORDS]] Book keywords

[[$DIMENSIONS]] Book dimensions

[[$USER1]] - [[$USER10]]

User defined fields

[[$LOANTO]] Loaned to

[[$LOANDATE]] Loan date

[[$LOANDUE]] Loan due date

[[$IMAGENAME]] The name of the image file

[[$IMAGE]] The full path of the image file

[[$CURRENTDATE]] The current date

All keys must be in uppercase as shown above. They can be in any order, but must appear between the [[$BEGIN_READERWARE]] and [[$END_READERWARE]] lines otherwise they will be ignored.

ReaderwareAW Report Writer 1/11

The ReaderwareAW Report Writer Window

The ReaderwareAW Report Writer allows you to easily define your own custom reports, you can print the results or create an HTML file that you can use on your web site.

The input to the ReaderwareAW report writer is an HTML template which defines the layout and formatting options of the report. ReaderwareAW then merges in the data from your database and displays the output.


The easiest way to get started is to use one of the example templates that are shipped with ReaderwareAW. To produce a report do the following:

Do a search to establish the content for your report. The ReaderwareAW report writer uses the current search results as input. So you could search for all titles to produce a full report, search by a given artist or category etc.

Open the ReaderwareAW Report Writer Window by selecting the File->Report Writer menu item.

Select the ReaderwareAW basic image report, (awBasicImageReport.html), from the list. You will see the file displayed in the window, but instead of data, you will see text like [[$TITLE]], [[$ARTIST]] etc. This is the report template, the [[$----] fields identify what ReaderwareAW database fields will be displayed and where.

Click on the Run button, , or select the File->Run menu item. ReaderwareAW will then populate the report template with the contents of the current search results. The report will then be


displayed in the window.





You can return to the ReaderwareAW Main Window and perform another search, then in the report writer just click on the run button again to produce another report with the new data.

That is how you create and print a report with the ReaderwareAW Report Writer. Try some of the other sample reports distributed with ReaderwareAW. There is an example of creating labels and creating a detail report with images. The next topic discusses how you create the template files.


A ReaderwareAW Report Writer template file is in HTML format so you do need to understand a bit about HTML to take full advantage of all the customization and formatting options available. But you don't have to code the HTML file yourself, you can use one of the many HTML WYSIWYG programs available. For example Netscape Composer is part of the free Netscape browser, you can easily use Composer to create the HTML templates

The basic idea is that you simply create the HTML to produce the desired report, but instead of using real data you use predefined ReaderwareAW keywords that determine where ReaderwareAW will insert the data. Consider the template for the basic table example:


<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>ReaderwareAW Basic Table Example</TITLE> </HEAD>

<BODY> <CENTER><FONT COLOR=#0000FF><H2>ReaderwareAW Basic Table Example</H2></FONT></CENTER>

<TABLE ALIGN=CENTER BORDER=3 CELLPADDING=5> <TR> <TH>Title</TH> <TH>Artist</TH> <TH>UPC</TH> <TH>Est. Value</TH> </TR>

[[$BEGIN_READERWAREAW]] <TR> <TD>[[$TITLE]]</TD> <TD>[[$ARTIST]]</TD> <TD>[[$UPC]]</TD> <TD>[[$VALUE]]</TD> </TR> [[$END_READERWAREAW]]

</TABLE> </BODY>

</HTML>

This is fairly standard HTML, the interesting part is between the [[$BEGIN_READERWAREAW]] and [[$END_READERWAREAW]] lines. These lines mark the section of code that ReaderwareAW will duplicate, once for


each CD to be displayed. You can see that between these lines the HTML statements define a new row within the table. So if you have five CDs in your result set, ReaderwareAW will duplicate this section five times creating a five row table.

Within this section you can see several ReaderwareAW database column names, for example [[$TITLE]] indicates this is where ReaderwareAW is to place the CD title, ReaderwareAW simply substitutes these keywords with the database values. That's really all there is to it. Here is the HTML file that ReaderwareAW might generate from the above template

<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>ReaderwareAW Basic Table Example</TITLE> </HEAD>

<BODY> <CENTER><FONT COLOR=#0000FF><H2>ReaderwareAW Basic Table Example</H2></FONT></CENTER>

<TABLE ALIGN=CENTER BORDER=3 CELLPADDING=5> <TR> <TH>Title</TH> <TH>Artist</TH> <TH>UPC</TH> <TH>Est. Value</TH> </TR>

<TR> <TD>Synchronistic Wanderings</TD> <TD>Benatar, Pat</TD> <TD>724349980327</TD> <TD>$31.99</TD> </TR>


<TR> <TD>Whoa Nelly!</TD> <TD>Furtado, Nelly</TD> <TD>600445021723</TD> <TD>$13.29</TD> </TR>

<TR> <TD>Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison</TD> <TD>Morrison, Van</TD> <TD>731453320321</TD> <TD>$14.99</TD> </TR>

<TR> <TD>Faith and Courage</TD> <TD>O'Connor, Sinead</TD> <TD>075678333729</TD> <TD>$14.99</TD> </TR>

<TR> <TD>Ancient Heart</TD> <TD>Tikaram, Tanita</TD> <TD>075992583923</TD> <TD>$14.99</TD> </TR>

</TABLE> </BODY>

</HTML>

Accessing Disk and Track Information


Each CD in a ReaderwareAW database is made up of the basic CD information like artist and title. It then has one or more disk entries depending on the number of disks in the CD set, and each disk has 1 or more tracks. If you want to display disk and track information in, you must include a disk and track section in your template. ReaderwareAW will then automatically handle any number of disks and tracks. The disk template section is repeated for each disk and the track template section for each track, just like in the example above.

The disk and track sections of the template are identified by special keywords. For example:

[[$BEGIN_READERWAREAW]] <TR> <TD>[[$IMAGE]]</TD> <TD>[[$TITLE]]<BR>[[$ARTIST]]</TD> </TR>

[[$BEGIN_READERWAREAW_DISKS]] <TR> <TD>DISK [[$DISKNUMBER]]:</TD> </TR> [[$BEGIN_READERWAREAW_TRACKS]] <TR COLSPAN=2> <TD>[[$TITLE]]</TD> </TR> [[$END_READERWAREAW_TRACKS]] [[$END_READERWAREAW_DISKS]] [[$END_READERWAREAW]]

The above is not a complete template, but it illustrates how you would display disk and track information. The [[$BEGIN_READERWAREAW]]...[[$END_READERWAREAW]] identifies the complete ReaderwareAW template, this section will be duplicated once for each CD you are displaying. There is HTML to display the CD cover image, title and artist information.


The [[$BEGIN_READERWAREAW_DISKS]]...[[$END_READERWAREAW_DISKS]] identifies the section that will be duplicated once for each disk within each CD. In this example it displays the disk number.

Finally the [[$BEGIN_READERWAREAW_TRACKS]]...[[$END_READERWAREAW_TRACKS]] identifies the section that will be duplicated once for each track, within each disk, within each CD. This section displays track title information. Note that this section is within the disk section of the template. This is the normal way you would code this, you want the tracks listed for each disk. If you use the tracks section on it's own, ReaderwareAW will display track information for the first disk only.

There is an example template, awTrackReport.html included with the product. This is a complete template that displays disk and track information.

Getting Started

You might want to start with one of the examples included with ReaderwareAW and adapt them for you own use, or you can start from scratch. Any HTML file stored in the appropriate reports directory will be included in the reports list:






Report Writer Main Keys

The following is a full list of the keys recognized by ReaderwareAW. These will be replaced by the appropriate data from the database.

[[$TITLE]] CD Title

[[$ARTIST]] Artist

[[$LABEL]] CD Label

[[$COMPOSER]] Composer

[[$CONDUCTOR]] Conductor

[[$DATE]] CD release date


[[$RUNNINGTIME]] Total time

[[$VALUE]] Estimated value of this CD



[[$UPC]] UPC or bar code

[[$ISBN]] ISBN formatted for display, e.g. 0-684-87301-X


[[$FORMAT]] CD format

[[$SERIES]] CD Series

[[$SOUND]] Sound format

[[$RATING]] Rating




[[$LOCATION]] Location where this CD is stored

[[$KEYWORDS]] Keywords describing this CD

[[$PLAYED]] CD played?

[[$PRINT]] Include in ReaderwareAW reports?

[[$HTMLEXPORT]] Include in ReaderwareAW exports?


[[$DATEENTERED]] Date entered into the ReaderwareAW database



[[$CART]] CD in shopping cart?

[[$ORDERED]] CD ordered

[[$DISKCOUNT]] Number of discs in this set

[[$ARTISTURL]] Link to the artists web site




[[$USER1 - USER10]] User defined fields




All keys must be in uppercase as shown above. They can be in any order, but


must appear between the [[$BEGIN_READERWAREAW]] and [[$END_READERWAREAW]] lines otherwise they will be ignored.

Report Writer Disk Keys

The following is a full list of the disk section keys recognized by ReaderwareAW. These will be replaced by the appropriate data from the database.

[[$DISKNUMBER]] Disk Number

All keys must be in uppercase as shown above. They can be in any order, but must appear between the [[$BEGIN_READERWAREAW_DISKS]] and [[$END_READERWAREAW_DISKS]] lines otherwise they will be ignored.

Report Writer Tracks Keys

The following is a full list of the tracks section keys recognized by ReaderwareAW. These will be replaced by the appropriate data from the database.

[[$TRACKNUMBER]] Track Number

[[$TITLE]] Track Title

[[$ARTIST]] Track Artist

[[$RUNNINGTIME]] Track time

[[$WRITER]] Track song writer

All keys must be in uppercase as shown above. They can be in any order, but must appear between the [[$BEGIN_READERWAREAW_TRACKS]] and [[$END_READERWAREAW_TRACKS]] lines otherwise they will be ignored.


Normally the tracks section itself is embedded within the disks section.

ReaderwareVW Report Writer 1/9

The ReaderwareVW Report Writer Window

The ReaderwareVW Report Writer allows you to easily define your own custom reports, you can print the results or create an HTML file that you can use on your web site.

The input to the ReaderwareVW report writer is an HTML template which defines the layout and formatting options of the report. ReaderwareVW then merges in the data from your database and displays the output.


The easiest way to get started is to use one of the example templates that are shipped with ReaderwareVW. To produce a report do the following:

Do a search to establish the content for your report. The ReaderwareVW report writer uses the current search results as input. So you could search for all titles to produce a full report, search by a given actor or category etc.

Open the ReaderwareVW Report Writer Window by selecting the File->Report Writer menu item.

Select the ReaderwareVW basic image report, (vwBasicImageReport.html), from the list. You will see the file displayed in the window, but instead of data, you will see text like [[$TITLE]], [[$ACTOR1]] etc. This is the report template, the [[$----] fields identify what ReaderwareVW database fields will be displayed and where.

Click on the Run button, , or select the File->Run menu item. ReaderwareVW will then populate the report template with the contents of the current search results. The report will then be


displayed in the window.





You can return to the ReaderwareVW Main Window and perform another search, then in the report writer just click on the run button again to produce another report with the new data.

That is how you create and print a report with the ReaderwareVW Report Writer. Try some of the other sample reports distributed with ReaderwareVW. There is an example of creating labels and creating a detail report with images. The next topic discusses how you create the template files.


A ReaderwareVW Report Writer template file is in HTML format so you do need to understand a bit about HTML to take full advantage of all the customization and formatting options available. But you don't have to code the HTML file yourself, you can use one of the many HTML WYSIWYG programs available. For example Netscape Composer is part of the free Netscape browser, you can easily use Composer to create the HTML templates

The basic idea is that you simply create the HTML to produce the desired report, but instead of using real data you use predefined ReaderwareVW keywords that determine where ReaderwareVW will insert the data. Consider the template for the basic table example:


<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>ReaderwareVW Basic Table Example</TITLE> </HEAD>

<BODY> <CENTER><FONT COLOR=#0000FF><H2>ReaderwareVW Basic Table Example</H2></FONT></CENTER>

<TABLE ALIGN=CENTER BORDER=3 CELLPADDING=5> <TR> <TH>Title</TH> <TH>Actor</TH> <TH>Actor</TH> <TH>Actor</TH> <TH>UPC</TH> <TH>Est. Value</TH> </TR>

[[$BEGIN_READERWARE]] <TR> <TD>[[$TITLE]]</TD> <TD>[[$ACTOR1]]</TD> <TD>[[$ACTOR2]]</TD> <TD>[[$ACTOR3]]</TD> <TD>[[$UPC]]</TD> <TD>[[$VALUE]]</TD> </TR> [[$END_READERWARE]]

</TABLE> </BODY>

</HTML>


This is fairly standard HTML, the interesting part is between the [[$BEGIN_READERWARE]] and [[$END_READERWARE]] lines. These lines mark the section of code that ReaderwareVW will duplicate, once for each video to be displayed. You can see that between these lines the HTML statements define a new row within the table. So if you have five videos in your result set, ReaderwareVW will duplicate this section five times creating a five row table.

Within this section you can see several ReaderwareVW database column names, for example [[$TITLE]] indicates this is where ReaderwareVW is to place the video title, ReaderwareVW simply substitutes these keywords with the database values. That's really all there is to it. Here is the HTML file that ReaderwareVW might generate from the above template

<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>ReaderwareVW Basic Table Example</TITLE> </HEAD>

<BODY> <CENTER><FONT COLOR=#0000FF><H2>ReaderwareVW Basic Table Example</H2></FONT></CENTER>

<TABLE ALIGN=CENTER BORDER=3 CELLPADDING=5> <TR> <TH>Title</TH> <TH>Actor</TH> <TH>Actor</TH> <TH>Actor</TH> <TH>UPC</TH> <TH>Est. Value</TH> </TR>

<TR> <TD>Inspector Morse: The Wolvercote Tongue</TD>


<TD>Thaw, John</TD> <TD>Whately, Kevin</TD> <TD></TD> <TD>066805985171</TD> <TD>$16.99</TD> </TR>

<TR> <TD>Lady and the Tramp 2: Scamp's Adventure</TD> <TD>Roussel, Jeannine</TD> <TD>Wolf, Scott</TD> <TD>Milano, Alyssa</TD> <TD>786936140446</TD> <TD>$22.98</TD> </TR>

<TR> <TD>Lilith Fair: A Celebration of Women in Music</TD> <TD>Colvin, Shawn</TD> <TD>Crow, Sheryl</TD> <TD>Girls, Indigo</TD> <TD>014381985023</TD> <TD>$19.98</TD> </TR>

<TR> <TD>Poirot: Death in the Clouds</TD> <TD>Suchet, David</TD> <TD>Jackson, Philip</TD> <TD></TD> <TD>054961362691</TD> <TD>$19.98</TD> </TR>


<TR> <TD>Trial and Error</TD> <TD>Sellers, Peter</TD> <TD>Attenborough, Richard</TD> <TD>Reid, Beryl</TD> <TD>720917505725</TD> <TD>$9.98</TD> </TR>

</TABLE> </BODY>

</HTML>

You might want to start with one of the examples included with ReaderwareVW and adapt them for you own use, or you can start from scratch. Any HTML file stored in the appropriate reports directory will be included in the reports list:





Report Writer Keys

The following is a full list of the keys recognized by ReaderwareVW. These will


be replaced by the appropriate data from the database.

[[$TITLE]] Video Title

[[$ACTOR1]] - [[$ACTOR10]]

Actors

[[$DIRECTOR]] Director

[[$WRITER]] Writer

[[$SCREENWRITER]] Screenwriter

[[$DIRPHOTO]] Director of Photography

[[$COMPOSER]] Composer

[[$EDITOR]] Editor

[[$SERIES]] Video series

[[$UPC]] UPC (Bar code)

[[$ISBN]] ISBN formatted for display, e.g. 0-684-87301-X


[[$STUDIO]] Studio

[[$FORMAT]] Video format, VHS, DVD, LaserDisc etc.

[[$PLACE]] Where produced

[[$DATE]] Video release date


[[$MPAA]] Rating (MPAA or local)

[[$WIDE]] Widescreen?

[[$CC]] Closed Captioned?


[[$SOUND]] Sound format

[[$COLOR]] Color format

[[$RUNNINGTIME]] Running time


[[$RATING]] Rating



[[$VIEWED]] Viewed?

[[$PRINT]] Include in ReaderwareVW reports?

[[$HTMLEXPORT]] Include in ReaderwareVW exports?

[[$VALUE]] Estimated value



[[$DATEENTERED]] Date entered into the ReaderwareVW database



[[$CART]] Video in shopping cart?

[[$ORDERED]] Video ordered

[[$LOCATION]] Video location

[[$BOOK]] Book the video is based on

[[$AUTHOR]] Author of the book

[[$KEYWORDS]] Video keywords


[[$TRACK1]] - [[$TRACK20]]

Track information




[[$USER1 - USER10]] User defined fields




All keys must be in uppercase as shown above. They can be in any order, but must appear between the [[$BEGIN_READERWARE]] and [[$END_READERWARE]] lines otherwise they will be ignored.

Ongoing Readerware Strategies 1/2

Ongoing Strategies

As you become more and more familiar with Readerware you will doubtless develop your own ways of using it and strategies for keeping your Readerware database up to date. To get you started here are some key strategies that we have found useful.

Online Ordering

There are many ways you can use Readerware for secure online ordering. I find The Readerware Shopping Cart provides the easiest way to order and track your purchases from any of the online vendors.

Want Lists

The Readerware Shopping Cart also provides a great way to build your want lists. But here is another approach. If you have a title that you are looking for you can add it to your database. You can keep track of your want list a number of ways. The easiest is probably to create a Rating of "Wanted" or some similar term and then select that rating for all titles on your want list. You can then select all your want list titles using a Ratings search and even print them out in any of the Readerware report formats, or publish then on your web page . You can also set Copies to 0, to indicate a wanted title. Again you can easily search on 0 copies.

Bookstore Cheat Sheet

Online retailers are great, but I still love searching for finds at my local used book stores. Any other fans of The San Francisco Mystery Bookstore out there? Readerware has a powerful built in reporting facility. You can print the results of a search in a number of different formats. You can create an especially useful report for taking on your trips to your local bookstores. Of course you can also

Ongoing Readerware Strategies 2/2

use Readerware for the Palm Pilot for this too.

Create a table view with just a few column, the ones you need like author, title, format, first edition etc. Keep the columns as narrow as possible. When printing this report, select a small font, say an 8 point font. Check the Two Sided and Break on Author options. Adjust the Tables on Page slider to meet your preferences, the goal is to get as many columns as possible on the page. Try experimenting with portrait and landscape modes. This will list the maximum number of titles per page. Depending on the font size you select you can get well over a hundred titles on a single page, sorted by author.

Remember that you can print the results of any search, so you can print multiple reports. If you are using a want list as described above you can easily print that out. You can also print out a report of your entire library. You may be surprised at how few pages it takes to print out your entire library. The report can include key information such as the format you have, signed, first edition etc. So when on a shopping trip and you come across a first edition of a favorite title in excellent condition, you can easily tell if you have it, if you only have a paperback edition etc. All the information you need to make a purchase decision at your fingertips.

Your Strategies

So how are you using Readerware? What are your favorite strategies. Please let us know, this will help us improve the product and we can pass your tips along to others. Please send e-mail to [email protected] .

Readerware Import/Export 1/11

Import/Export

Readerware includes powerful import and export capabilities. You can use Readerware import/export to:

Transfer your database to Readerware Palm Edition, a lightweight edition of Readerware that runs on any Palm OS device. Readerware Palm Edition is Readerware "to go", take your entire database with you on your next trip to your favorite brick and mortar bookstore.

Import data from another database program into Readerware. If you are currently using another program and want to upgrade to the power of Readerware, you can import a CSV or TAB delimited file to create your Readerware database. HomeBase users can import a HomeBase 2.0 file directly into Readerware.

Export data from your Readerware database to another program. Readerware auto-catalog is an extremely powerful feature, using it you can automatically catalog your library, no data entry required. Now you can use Readerware auto-catalog with other programs. Use Readerware to catalog your library and then export the data in CSV, TAB delimited or UIEE formats to other applications. Direct support is provided for BookHound and HomeBase.

Upload books for sale to online services. Most online services support the UIEE format, with Readerware you can upload all or parts of your database to online services such as ABE or Alibris.

Create HTML pages from your Readerware database, use Readerware for online publishing. Readerware can create HTML pages that you can then publish on your web site.

As you can see the Readerware import/export feature is a powerful tool to help you build your database and manage your collection. Exporting data from


Readerware is discussed first or jump to the import section.

Selecting Books to Export

Readerware export works together with the views and search features. You can first search to establish the data you wish to export and the current view can define the columns you want to export and the order you want to export them in. Consider defining separate "export" views if you have regular exports you want to run. This is the preferred method of using Readerware export. But you can also select specific columns to export.

When you select the File->Export menu item the Readerware Export Wizard will take you step by step through the process of exporting your Readerware data.

Readerware can export data to the following file formats:

Readerware Palm Edition (Palm Pilot)HTMLCSV, (Comma Separated Value)TAB delimitedUIEE, (Universal Information Exchange Environment)HomeBase 2.0

Exporting to Readerware Palm Edition

Readerware Palm Edition is a lightweight edition of Readerware that runs on the Palm Pilot and compatible devices. It is optimized for small devices providing a quick and easy way to search your entire database and your shopping cart on a portable device.

To actually create your Readerware Palm Edition database, run the Readerware Export Wizard, selecting the Palm format. Select a directory for the database, the database name must be readerware. TIP: select your Palm HotSync Add On directory to create the database in. This will make it easier to actually transfer the


file to your Palm. When you click on create, Readerware will create a file called readerware.pdb, the next step is to transfer it.

Start your Palm Desktop, click on the Install button. Click on Add and select readerware.pdb using the file selection dialog. Then click Done. The Palm software will display a dialog telling you that the file will be transferred on the next HotSync. Start the HotSync from your Palm as normal. Now when you start Readerware on your Palm, your new database is loaded automatically.

That's it, your now mobile.

Exporting to HTML

To create an HTML file, run the Readerware Export Wizard, selecting HTML as the file format.

Readerware will build an HTML file containing the items you select. It will contain an HTML table displaying all the selected rows and columns. When Readerware creates the HTML table it uses a style sheet, rware.css, which is distributed with the product. The style sheet controls various formatting options such as the colors, font styles etc. To display correctly you must copy the rware.css file to the same location as the exported HTML file.

You can customize the style sheet and change the way the HTML table is displayed, without having to actually alter the generated HTML file. You can for instance change the font or color of the HTML title, the background colors used in the table etc. The style sheet applies to all exported HTML files in the same directory. If you want different pages in different formats, create them in separate directories and customize the style sheet in each directory.

You can use the export to HTML feature to publish your collection on your web site. You can list books you have for sale, or books you are looking for. You can e-mail the HTML files to dealers or friends.

If you were to include all your books in a single HTML table, it might be very


large and unwieldy. But with Readerware you can easily break down your collection and produce HTML files by category or by the first letter of the authors last name etc. Simply perform the search to produce the results you want and create the HTML files. Then all you need to do is create the main page which includes links to the individual pages. Rerun the searches and re-export to update your web site as often as you want. Online publishing was never easier!

You can also create more advanced HTML pages using the Readerware Report Writer. You can create your own HTML templates and save rather than print the generated HTML.

Exporting to a CSV file

To create a CSV file, run the Readerware Export Wizard, selecting CSV as the file format.

A CSV file is a common data interchange format that can be read by other programs.

You can exchange CSV files with other Readerware users. A CSV file can be easily imported into any Readerware database. You may also be able to import/export CSV files into/from other systems. You can use the CSV import/export functions to divide or combine your databases.

The first line of the CSV file can optionally contain the database column names, subsequent lines contain the search result rows. Each row contains the value of each column in that row, separated by commas. Hence the name comma separated value.

Exporting to a UIEE (Universal Information Exchange Environment) file

To create a UIEE file, run the Readerware Export Wizard, selecting UIEE as the file format.

A UIEE file is a common format for describing books and is used by a number of


other applications and online services.

A UIEE file is designed to be used to export data from your Readerware database into another application. Using this technique you could utilize the Readerware auto-catalog feature to provide data for other applications. You can also use this format to upload books you have for sale to online vendors such as ABE and Alibris.

Exporting to a TAB delimited file

To create a TAB delimited file, run the Readerware Export Wizard, selecting TAB delimited as the file format.

A TAB delimited file is a common data interchange format that can be read by other programs.

A TAB delimited file is designed to be used to export data from your Readerware database into another application. Using this technique you could utilize the Readerware auto-catalog feature to provide data for other applications.

The first line of the TAB delimited file can optionally contain the database column names, subsequent lines contain the search result rows. Each row contains the value of each column in that row, separated by tabs.

Exporting to a HomeBase 2.0 file

To transfer data to HomeBase, run the Readerware Export Wizard as normal and select the HomeBase 2.0 format. As you go through the wizard, Readerware will create a file in HomeBase format containing the books you select.

To import this into HomeBase, select File->Import / Export->Import from the HomeBase menu. Select the merge or zap option and click OK. Select the file you created in Readerware. HomeBase will ask you if you are sure and then import the records. HomeBase will display a statistics window showing you the results


of the import. It is best to ignore these statistics as the counts don't seem to make much sense.

You can also upload the HomeBase file created by the Readerware Export Wizard directly to the ABE web site. Just follow the normal procedure for uploading files.

Here is a tip if you plan to regularly transfer files between HomeBase and Readerware. HomeBase does not remember the directory you choose during the import and export, but Readerware does. So if you are exporting from Readerware, save the file in the HomeBase export directory. Then when you try and import the file into HomeBase it will be right there. Readerware will remember the location when you create your next export

Importing into Readerware

Readerware can import data in the following file formats:

CSV, (Comma Separated Value)TAB DelimitedHomeBase 2.0

When importing from CSV or TAB delimited files, it is important to understand how Readerware maps the imported data into the database fields. The data exported is typically just a collection of database fields delimited by a predefined character. But which import field goes in which database field? Readerware expects the first line of the imported file to contain a description of the file, a list of the database fields names delimited by the same predefined character. Readerware will automatically generate this line for you when creating the export file, so if you are transferring data from one Readerware database to another, everything is automatic. But if the file was created by another program, you might need to add this line so that the data is mapped correctly when it is imported into Readerware. If Readerware finds a database field name that it does not recognize, the contents of that column are not imported.


For example to import a list of book titles and authors using the TAB delimited format, the import file should look something like this, (the » character is used to represent the TAB character):

Author»Title Beaton, M. C.»Death of an Addict Yorke, Margaret»The Girlfriend Vine, Barbara»Asta's Book

The first line tells Readerware that the first column in the imported file contains the Author field and the second the Title field. Readerware can then correctly map the imported data to the database fields.

The fields specified must match the database schema. The field names are:

Author - Authors name, required. Readerware uses a "last name, first name" format. This is the name of the first author.Author2 - Author6 - Additional authors, translators etc., optionalTitle - Book title, required.ISBN - ISBN, optional. Must be unique, a book with a duplicate ISBN will be rejected.Publisher - Publishers name, optional.First - First edition, optional. Must be Y or NSigned - Signed edition, optional. Must be Y or NPubDate - Published data, optional.PubPlace - Published place, optional.BookFormat - Book Format, optional. Readerware will add this to the format list if necessaryCopies - Number of copies, optional. Must be numericRating - Rating, optional. Readerware will add this to the rating list if necessaryCondition - Condition optional. Readerware will add this to the condition list if necessaryCategory - Category, optional. Readerware will add this to the category list if necessaryRead - Read, optional. Must be Y or N.


Print - Include in printed reports, optional.. Must be Y or NHTMLExport - Include in HTML exports, optional. Must be Y or N.Value - Estimated value, optional. Can include currency symbol, punctuation etc.Comments - Comments, optionalSource - Source of data, web site. OptionalCart - Include in Readerware shopping cart, optional. Must be Y or N.Ordered - Whether or not the book is on order, optional. Must be Y or N.LCCN - Library of Congress number, optionalDewey - Library of Congress Dewey number, optional.UserNumber - User defined number, optionalCopyrightDate - Copyright date of book, optional.ValueDate - Book valuation date, optional.Location - Book location, optional. Readerware will add this to the location list if necessarySeries - Book series, optional. Readerware will add this to the series list if necessaryPages - Book page count, optional.Keywords - Comma separated keyword list, optionalDimensions - Book dimensions, optionalUser1 - User10 - User defined fields, optional

The fields can be in any order but the names must be specified exactly as above. Separate the fields by the appropriate delimiter, (comma for CSV files, TAB for TAB delimited files). Refer to the Readerware detail view for more information on field contents.

Importing from a CSV file

Any CSV file created by Readerware can be imported into any Readerware database. You may also be able to import data from other systems. The CSV file format is a generic format supported by a number of products. If you already have your library cataloged in another product, you may be able to initialize your


Readerware database by importing from your existing system.

To import a CSV file, select the File->Import menu item the Readerware Import Wizard will take you step by step through the process of importing data into your Readerware database.

Once the import completes the wizard displays counts of the books imported and rejected. Normally this is all the information you need to ensure your data was imported correctly. If user logging is enabled, Readerware also creates a log file called rwuser.log. This file lists each book and any error messages. You can view this log file in any text editor.

If the ISBN already exists in the database, Readerware will reject the book during the import run. However if the book does not contain an ISBN it will not be considered a duplicate. This has important implications if you try and run the same import file twice. Books with an ISBN will be rejected as duplicates, but books without ISBN's will be added to the database a second time. So do not rerun an import file without first manually editing the file and removing books that have already been added. It is a good idea to import a file into a new empty database. This will enable you to check for errors before actually importing it into your real database. You can then delete the temporary database.

If any fields contains a comma, the author for example, you must put the data in quotes. This will prevent Readerware from interpreting the comma as a field delimiter. You can use single or double quotes, but you must be consistent. It is important that the mapping line also contain quotes. Readerware examines this line to determine which delimiter you are using, single quotes or double quotes. For example:

"Author","Title" "Beaton, M. C.","Death of an Addict" "Yorke, Margaret","The Girlfriend" "Vine, Barbara","Asta's Book"


This is handled automatically when you export from a Readerware database. If exporting from another source, you may have to manually edit the exported file.

Importing from a TAB Delimited file

Any TAB delimited file created by Readerware can be imported into any Readerware database. You may also be able to import data from other systems. The TAB delimited file format is a fairly generic format supported by a number of products. If you already have your library cataloged in another product, you may be able to initialize your Readerware database by importing from your existing system.

To import a TAB delimited file, select the File->Import menu item, the Readerware Import Wizard will take you step by step through the process of importing data into your Readerware database.

Once the import completes the wizard displays counts of the books imported and rejected. Normally this is all the information you need to ensure your data was imported correctly. If user logging is enabled, Readerware also creates a log file called rwuser.log. This file lists each book and any error messages. You can view this log file in any text editor.

If the ISBN already exists in the database, Readerware will reject the book during the import run. However if the book does not contain an ISBN it will not be considered a duplicate. This has important implications if you try and run the same import file twice. Books with an ISBN will be rejected as duplicates, but books without ISBN's will be added to the database a second time. So do not rerun an import file without first manually editing the file and removing books that have already been added. It is a good idea to import a file into a new empty database. This will enable you to check for errors before actually importing it into your real database. You can then delete the temporary database.


Importing from a HomeBase 2.0 file

To transfer data from from Homebase, first start HomeBase and create the HomeBase 2.0 file. Select File->Import / Export->Export from the HomeBase menu. Select the books you want to export and click OK. Then select the location and name of the export file. Make sure the file type is set to HomeBase 2.0. HomeBase will then export the selected rows to a HomeBase format file.

To import a HomeBase 2.0 file into Readerware, select the File->Import menu item, the Readerware Import Wizard will take you step by step through the process of importing the HomeBase data into your Readerware database.

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Readerware Preferences

You bring up the Readerware preferences window by selecting Edit->Preferences from the menu. The preferences are divided into several different categories, just click on the appropriate tab to display the correct preferences panel. Your choices are:

General - General preferences, look and feel error handling, browser selection etc. View - Rename of Delete Readerware views Sites - Select search and order sites Book - Book related preferences Database - Database preferences and information User Columns - Define new columns in the Readerware database. Proxy - If you use a proxy server to access the internet, configure it here. Import - Import related preferences Export - Export related preferences

The Button Panel

Once you have made your changes, click on OK to save them and have them take effect. Click on Cancel to discard your changes. Note you only have to click on OK when you have finished all your changes, you can move between tabs and only click OK when you are done. This will close the Readerware preferences dialog.

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General Preferences

The Readerware General Preferences tab is used to configure basic options such as the user interface, window, tooltip settings etc. Changes made will take effect immediately and will be saved between Readerware sessions.

Look and Feel Settings

Readerware supports multiple "look and feel" implementations. The choices available will depend on the platform you are using, Windows, Macintosh etc. The default look and feel is the Metal look and feel. This is a cross platform look and feel and is available on all platforms. The look and feel determines how components such as buttons and list boxes etc. look and behave. It also controls how a component reacts to mouse and keyboard input. You will have at least one other look and feel choice, a native look and feel available for your platform.

If you select the SkinLF you can pick from a list of available themes to customize the Readerware display. Themes can change the colors and the appearance of windows buttons etc.

Window/Exit Settings

When Readerware is run for the first time, it displays windows in a default position and at a size that will fit on a basic 640 by 480 screen. Today most computers offer higher resolution modes. With the Remember Position setting on, the default, Readerware will remember the size and position of each window when you close the application and restore them next time you open the application. There are two basic ways to use this feature:

You can leave Remember Position on and always have your windows open at the location you left them when you last closed Readerware.Establish a new default position and size and select the Options->Save


Window Positions menu item. Then turn Remember Position off. Readerware will then open all windows at your default location and size rather than the last used location and size.

Note that the Remember Position option also controls internal window dimensions such as column widths in the table view.

Readerware can display icons on the menu items corresponding with the icons on the toolbar. This can make it easier to identify toolbar button functionality. By default Readerware does not use icons on menu items. Set the Use Menu Images check box to display images on menu items, clear the box to remove the images. You will need to restart Readerware for this option to take effect. Currently it is recommended that you leave this option off as it can cause high CPU usage.

Readerware will display a backup reminder dialog whenever you close the program. It will give you a chance to backup your Readerware database and safeguard your data. You can turn this option off by clearing the Backup Prompt at Exit check box.

Tooltip Settings

All Readerware components, buttons, entry fields etc. have tooltips, helpful hints on how to use the component. These tooltips will display if you leave the mouse pointer stationary over the component for a short period. By default tooltips are on for all components. You can turn them off once you are familiar with the product. You can turn window field tooltips and/or toolbar tooltips on and off independently. Window field tooltips display on entry fields in the detail view or column headers in the table view for example.

Error Handling Settings

Readerware gives you control over how error notification is handled.

Dialogs Only - This option will cause Readerware to always display a modal dialog with error or confirmation messages. The advantage to this


approach is that you will not miss a message. The disadvantage is that they require additional user interaction. For example in this mode Readerware will display a confirmation dialog that a book has been added to the database after you use the Readerware Web Browser import function. This can be useful or it can be disruptive if you are trying to catalog a number of books.Status Bar Only - All Readerware windows include a status bar at the bottom of the window. This area is used to display general status messages to keep you informed as Readerware performs various functions. When this option is checked, Readerware will display all error messages in this status bar. The advantage is that no additional interaction is required . The disadvantage is that you could miss an error if you are not paying attention to the status bar. For example in this mode Readerware will display the confirmation message that a book has been added to the database in the status bar, you get the confirmation if you want it, but it does not disrupt your input.Dialogs/Status Bar in Auto Mode - If this option is checked Readerware attempts to give you the advantages of both the above approaches without the disadvantages. For example in this mode Readerware will display confirmation messages that a book has been added in the status bar. If you are searching and importing a book from several sites, Readerware will display progress messages, including book not found messages, in the status bar. If the book cannot be found at any of the specified sites, an error dialog is displayed to indicate that the operation failed.

The logging options determine when Readerware will create log files.

User Logging - Operations such as auto-catalog, import and export can produce a log file. This file is called rwuser.log. The user log file will tell you which items were cataloged, not found, imported etc. Check this option to create a log file, clear this option to turn logging off.System Logging - This should only be turned on at the request of Readerware Technical Support. System logging can severely impact


performance.

Browser Settings

The browser settings determine how Readerware interacts with your normal browser.

When searching the web manually you can use your default browser, Netscape, IE etc., (see Browser Integration), or you can use the built in Readerware Browser. Normally Readerware will use your default browser. Check the Enable Browser Integration Mode check box to use your default browser, clear the box to use the built in Readerware Browser.

Readerware will normally find your default browser automatically. By default the Let Me Find Your Browser Automatically option is turned on. Readerware will then determine the location of your default browser from operating system settings. If for some reason this does not work or if you have multiple browsers installed and do not want Readerware to use the default browser, clear this option and specify the specific path.

The Button Panel


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View Preferences

The Readerware View Preferences tab is used to maintain your views and change global view options.

Table View Options

Display single result in detail view

When a search returns a single item and you have selected a table view, you have the option of displaying this item in the table view as a single row or in the detail view, just as if you had selected the detail view from the table.

Check the Display single result in detail view box to display a single result in the detail view, clear the box to display it in the table view.

Case sensitive sort

Readerware searches are normally case insensitive. An example of a case insensitive sort is:

Smith, jane Smith, John Smith, joseph

If you check the Case sensitive sort box, the same search results would be displayed in the following sequence:

Smith, John Smith, jane Smith, joseph

View Maintenance

To create a new view, select an existing view on which to base your new view

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and click on the Copy button. You will be prompted to enter a name for your new view.

To rename a view, select the view in the list and click on the Rename button. You will be prompted to enter a new name for the view. Note that you cannot rename one of the default views.

To delete a view, select the view in the list and click on the Delete button. There is no confirmation, the view is removed from the list immediately. If you make a mistake and delete a view in error, simply hit the preferences Cancel button and the view will not be deleted. Note that you cannot delete one of the default views.

To add or remove a column from a view, select the view in the left list, then select the column in the right list. Double click on any column to toggle its status. A check mark indicates the column is included in the view, an X indicates the column is not included in the view.

To change the order of columns in a view, select the view in the left list, then select the column in the right list. Use the Up/Down arrows to change the position of the column in the view.

The Button Panel

Once you have made your changes, click on OK to save them. Click on Cancel to discard your changes. Note you only have to click on OK when you have finished all your changes, you can move between tabs and only click OK when you are done. This will close the Readerware preferences dialog.

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Site Preferences

The Readerware Site Preferences tab is used to customize the site drop down lists used for importing, price checks, ordering and browsing.

Import URL List

The Import URL list is used for both Auto Catalog and interactive imports. The drop down lists include the sites you select and in the order you select them.

By default all sites are included in the drop down lists. To remove a site double

click on an entry in the list so that the changes to an . Checked items will be included in the list, crossed items will not. To change the order of a site in the

list, first select a site and then use the up and down arrows, , to move the selected site up or down in the list.

Order URL List

The Order URL List determines which sites will be searched when you run a price check or place an order from The Readerware Shopping Cart. See the Import URL List for more information on maintaining the list.

By default all the US sites are active. The non -US sites are inactive. I hope our overseas users will not take offense. The reason this is done is that the Readerware price check feature does not currently handle currency conversions. So if all sites were selected, the UK sites would typically display as the lowest price as the price is listed in pounds sterling. The price check works best if you only select sites from one country, but this is not a requirement. You can have any and all sites active for price checks and ordering. You can order from any sites, regardless of your location. For example, I regularly order from the UK, sometimes you just can't wait for the latest Ruth Rendell mystery to be published

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in the US.

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Book Preferences

The Readerware Book Preferences tab is used to configure book related settings.

ISBN Handling

By default Readerware validates each ISBN you enter. If you receive an error when entering an ISBN, it means that the ISBN check digit validation failed. Normally you can resolve this by checking the ISBN and correcting it. Occasionally you might find that Readerware rejects an ISBN even though you entered it exactly as printed on the book. Very rarely the publisher may include an invalid ISBN, this is normally on older titles, issued when the ISBN was new.

You can tell Readerware to accept the invalid ISBN anyway using the error dialog that is displayed.

If you want to disable ISBN validation and accept whatever you enter without requiring you to respond to the confirmation dialog, check the Accept Invalid ISBN Without Confirmation radio button. Clear this button and Readerware will display a confirmation dialog whenever it encounters an invalid ISBN.

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Database Preferences

The Readerware Database Preferences tab is used to set database options and display database information.

Database Access

This section will only be present if you have licensed Readerware Client/Server Edition.

Local Database - Select this radio button if you want to connect to a local Readerware database. When you select the File->Open Database menu item, a standard file selection dialog is displayed.

Remote Database - Select this radio button if you want to connect to a Readerware server. When you select the File->Open Database menu item, the database connection dialog will be displayed.

Database Options

Run Default Search on Open - If checked Readerware will run the default search whenever you start the program or open a new database. With this option on you will see the results of your default search when you start Readerware. With it off you will see a blank page. Turning this option on can increase startup time.

Include Image Support - If checked Readerware will automatically add a cover image for each book you catalog by extracting the book from a web site. You will be able to manually add images for other books. Images can take up a lot of space, so if you do not need this feature you can uncheck this option and no images will be created. Initially this option will be turned on.


Remember Loaded Database - If checked Readerware will automatically open the last accessed database when starting the application. If not checked, the default Readerware database will be loaded. This option is only really necessary when you are using multiple databases. Initially this option will be turned on.

Refresh History - If checked Readerware will automatically reload result pages that have changed when they are accessed using the Next and Previous

buttons, . If unchecked, the page is displayed as is. This may mean that the page does not reflect the current database state. It is normally OK to leave this option checked but if reloading a page from history becomes too slow because the database has grown very large, you can turn this option off. Initially this option will be turned on.

Add Not Found Items in Auto-Catalog - If checked and an item is not found during Readerware auto-catalog, Readerware will add a dummy row with the ISBN or UPC number of the item, to the database. By default Readerware just reports items not found, nothing is added to the database. If you want Readerware to add dummy items which you can later update manually, check this option. Initially this option will be turned off.

Database Statistics

The database statistics section will display the name of the database currently loaded, the approximate amount of disk space the database is using, in bytes or characters, and the number of books or rows in the database.

These fields can not be updated and are for informational purposes only. These fields only report information on local databases. If you are accessing a remote database via the Readerware Server, only limited information is available.

The Button Panel

Once you have made your changes, click on OK to save them and have them take effect. Click on Cancel to discard your changes. Note you only have to click


on OK when you have finished all your changes, you can move between tabs and only click OK when you are done. This will close the Readerware preferences dialog.

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Web Import Preferences

The Readerware Web Import Preferences tab is used to control the importing of data from the web to the Readerware database. These settings are used for both auto-catalog and manual imports.

Default Value options

The default value options are used to provide a default value that will be added to the Readerware database, if no explicit value can be extracted from the web site.

Format - Readerware will always attempt to import the boom format, hardcover, paperback etc. Most web sites provide this information. If you select a format from the list, the format field for books imported without an explicit format will be set to the selected value.

Series - Few web sites provide series information. If you are cataloging books within a series use this field to set the series value for all books that do not have series information available.

Condition - Readerware does not import a condition from web sites. If you select a condition from the list, the condition field for all books imported will be set to the selected value.

Category - Some sites provide a category, some do not. Select a default value to be used when no category is available from the web site.

Rating - Readerware does not import a rating from web sites. If you select a rating from the list, the rating field for all books imported will be set to the selected value.

Location - Readerware does not import a location from web sites. If you select a location from the list, the location field for all books imported will be set to the selected value.


Place - Some sites provide a place of publication, some do not. Enter a default value to be used when no place of publication is available from the web site.

Comments - Readerware does not import comments from web sites. If you enter a comment, the comment field for all books imported will be set to the entered value.

Date Options

If the Full option is checked, Readerware will import the date in whatever format the web site provides. If the Year Only option is checked, Readerware will import the year of publication only.

Value Options

If the Regular price box is checked, Readerware will extract the normal selling price from the web site. For a new retailer like Barnes & Noble, this will be the retail price, including any discount offered. For a used retailer like Half.com, it will be their lowest used price.

If the Used Price box is checked, Readerware will extract the used price, if any. For a site like Amazon which offers new and used items, this will be the lowest used price. For a new only retailer like Barnes & Noble, the used price will be empty. For a used retailer like Half.com, it will be the lowest used price.

If the Collectible Price box is checked, Readerware will extract the collectible price, if any. For a site like Amazon which offers new and used items, this will be the lowest price of a collectible edition. For a new only retailer like Barnes & Noble, the collectible price will be empty. For a used retailer that does not distinguish between collectible and used, the collectible price will be empty.

The Button Panel

Once you have made your changes, click on OK to save them and have them


take effect. Click on Cancel to discard your changes. Note you only have to click on OK when you have finished all your changes, you can move between tabs and only click OK when you are done. This will close the Readerware preferences dialog.

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User Defined Column Preferences

The Readerware User Columns Preferences tab is used to defined additional columns in the Readerware database. These can be used for whatever information you want.

Once activated the columns can be added to the table view, and will be automatically displayed in the detail view. You can also perform searches on user defined columns.

To activate a column, check the Active radio button. Enter the Column Title , this value will be displayed as the column header in the table view, as the tag name in the detail view, and as the search choice in the search bar.

To remove a column, clear the Active radio button. Note that this does not remove the column or the data entered from the database, it simply removes it from the display.

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Proxy Preferences

The Readerware Proxy Preferences tab is used when you access the internet through a proxy server. You specify the name and port of the proxy server. See your system administrator if you need help with proxy settings.

HTTP Host - Enter the name of the proxy server host used for normal HTTP access.

HTTP Port - Enter the port number of the proxy server host used for normal HTTP access.

Security Host - Enter the name of the proxy server host used for secure HTTPS access.

Security Port - Enter the port number of the proxy server host used for secure HTTPS access.

The Button Panel


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Export Preferences

The Readerware Export Preferences tab is used to control the exporting of data from the Readerware database. Readerware supports exporting to the following file formats:

CSV, (Comma Separated Value) TAB delimited UIEE, (Universal Information Exchange Environment) HTML. Palm Pilot

Database Column Selection

Current View Columns - The Readerware export feature works together with the views. If this option is selected, the current view columns are exported in the order they appear. This means that all the columns displayed in the results table are included in the export file.

Select database columns - If selected you can define which database columns will be included in the export file. The export feature still works together with Readerware's powerful searching capabilities, but rather than export the database columns displayed in the current view, the columns you select from the list below are always exported, regardless of the screen contents.

All columns with a green check mark, , next to them will be exported. Those

with a red cross, , will not. Double click on any item to toggle its state. To change the order the columns are written to the exported file, select an entry and

use the up and down arrow buttons, , to change its position.

Export options

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Output Header Line - If checked Readerware will output a header line to CSV and TAB delimited export files. This line will list the columns included in the export file, separated by the appropriate delimiter. This enables you to automatically map the data to the correct database fields on import. Not all programs support this feature, some will treat the header line as data. In that case, simply turn this option off. Readerware does support this option on import, so if you plan to import this file into another Readerware database, ensure this option is on.

UPPERCASE Title - If checked, Readerware will convert titles to uppercase before writing them to the export file.

Split Title/Subtitle - Some sites will include a title and subtitle separated by a colon. For example "Child's Play : A Dalziel/Pascoe Mystery". If this option is checked Readerware will export this title format into two separate fields, the Title, ("Child's Play") and the Subtitle, ("A Dalziel/Pascoe Mystery").

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The Readerware Command Line

Readerware will accept the following options on the command line:

Database Name

You can use the /db option to include the full path name of a Readerware database on the command line.

/dbE:\Library\Library.RWD

Debug Mode

You can use the /debug option to start Readerware in debug mode. You should only use this option at the direction of Readerware technical support. It can impact system performance.:

/debug

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Readerware Browser Integration

When manually searching the web you can use your default browser, Netscape IE etc., or you can use the built in Readerware Browser. Normally Readerware will use your default browser.

There are two main features of browser integration, importing data from your web browser to the Readerware database and launching web searches from within Readerware.

First, let's take a look at how you can import data from your browser.

Browser Drag and Drop

Suppose you are surfing the web in Netscape or IE. Checking the new releases section of Amazon you find a new CD by a favorite artist. This is a must have item so you want to add it to your ReaderwareAW database. Simply fire up ReaderwareAW and then drag the page from your browser and drop it into Readerware. The CD (or book or video), is now cataloged, it's that simple.

Let's take a closer look. In the location bar of your browser you will find a little icon that you can drag. You may have already used this technique to add a shortcut to your desktop. The location and image of this icon varies from browser to browser and platform to platform:


To import the contents of the current browser page into Readerware, simple drag from the browser to the Readerware drop target icon, the yellow bulls eye at the end of the search bar:


To perform the drag, click on the drag icon in your browser, hold the mouse button down and move it until you are over the Readerware drag target, then release the button. Readerware will popup a dialog while it reads the data, extracts the information and adds it to the database.

If the cursor displays as a "not" sign when you move over the Readerware drop target, repeat the drag holding down the Ctrl key while you drag the page. With some browsers you must hold down the Ctrl key while dragging.

That's it, you're done, you have just added a new book, CD or video to your Readerware database.

More Drag and Drop Tips

Believe it or not, it can get even easier.

Most browsers support the ability to drag a link, so you can catalog a book without actually displaying the page in your browser.

Imagine you are still on that new releases page at Amazon. You see that new CD, you could click on it to display the detail page, listen to some samples maybe and then catalog it by dragging it to Readerware.

But there are some titles you just have to have. So you can simply drag the link from the new releases page and drop it onto Readerware. Readerware will retrieve the contents and catalog it even though you can't see it in your browser.

Supported Sites

You cannot drag from just any site, Readerware needs to know how to find and


extract the data from the web page. For a complete and up to date list of supported sites go to http://www.readerware.com/userhome , pick the appropriate category, books, music or video, and then look at the drop down list of supported sites.

Searching the Web from Readerware

Readerware browser integration means you can also search the web from within Readerware. Click on one of the Readerware web search menu items and Readerware will open your browser automatically and take you to the appropriate Readerware search page.

The Readerware search page is an easy to use page that enables you to search any of the supported sites. The Readerware search pages offer:

Search by ISBN or UPC, you can even use your CueCat barcode scannerQuick search by book author, CD artist or video titleDirect access to the search page of each sitesDirect access to the book, CD or video home page of each site.

So the Readerware search pages are a great starting point for your web searches. You can also use them outside of Readerware, just bookmark one or more of the pages, you can even make one of them your home page. Each page has instructions on how to bookmark the page etc.

The Readerware search pages are:

Readerware Search Home Page:

http://www.readerware.com.index.html

Readerware Book Search Page:

http://www.readerware.com/userhome.rwsearch.html

Readerware CD Search Page:http://www.readerware.com/userhome/awsearch.html

Readerware Video Search Home:

http://www.readerware.com/vwsearsh.html

These pages also contain the Readerware news flash, alerting you to the latest releases


and newest features. Another good reason for visiting them often.

Summary

Readerware browser integration offers a very convenient and easy way to catalog your books as your surf the web. The Readerware search pages make it easy to find what you are looking for.

But you don't have to use the Readerware search pages, use you favorite search engine. It doesn't matter how you get to the page, but once you have displayed an item at any one of the supported sites, simply drag it to Readerware and it is cataloged. It's that simple.

Don't forget that Readerware has a price check facility built in to it's shopping cart . Once you have cataloged an item, you can easily run a price check and find the lowest price. Click on the ordering icon and Readerware displays the order page in your browser. Easy and it can save you money too!

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Database Backups

The importance of backing up your data cannot be overstated. Readerware may be the fastest way to catalog your library, but you will still invest a lot of time and effort in building your database just the way you want it. You should regularly backup your database.

Fortunately, Readerware makes backups easy too. Its built in backup support creates a single ZIP archive of your database, including all the data and images. To create a backup file, simply select File->Backup Database from the Readerware menu and the backup wizard will guide you through the simple process.

You should then save that file in a safe place. Store it on another computer or hard drive, on a ZIP or other removable drive. If you have a CD burner, put the file on CD. You could also consider putting it on an online server. Many standard ISP accounts also give you online storage, more than enough space to safely store your Readerware database.

If disaster strikes and you need to restore your database, its just as easy. Start Readerware and select File->Restore Database from the Readerware menu. Again, the restore wizard will step you through the simple process of recreating your Readerware database. Once the restore completes, you can open your restored database by selecting File->Open Database from the Readerware menu.

Don't put it off, backup now!

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Bar Code Reader Support

With Readerware you can use a bar code reader to enter an ISBN. This can be very useful both when building your initial database and normal maintenance. If you are using Readerware to track your "to read" pile for example, you will want to retrieve the entry for a book to mark it as read or add comments, ratings etc. A bar code reader is the fastest way to retrieve a book from the database.

Anywhere you can enter an ISBN in Readerware you can simply scan in the bar code instead. Readerware will convert the bar code into a correctly formatted ISBN. When searching for a book, Readerware will immediately search for the title after you scan the bar code, there is no need to press the enter key.

When deciding whether or not a bar code reader will be useful to you, it will help to check out the contents of your library. How many books in your collection contain bar codes? All new books you purchase will contain a bar code, how many new books do you buy? How often will you be searching the database for a specific book?

Types of bar code readers

There are many types of bar code readers. Readerware will handle any bar code reader that enters data via a keyboard interface. These are often referred to as "wedge" readers as they wedge themselves in between the keyboard and your computer. Some bar code readers require driver software, others do not. Readerware will support either type, but if a bar code reader requires driver support, you need to ensure that a driver is available for your operating system, (Windows, Linux etc.).

There are basically two types of bar code readers that are applicable to an application like Readerware:

Wands - Wands must be swiped across the bar code as if you were


drawing a line through it. Wands are the most rugged and least expensive. One minor drawback is that as the wand comes in physical contact with the bar code, it can cause wear and tear on the book jacket over time. For most users however this will not be a problem.Charged Coupled Device, (CCD) - Just point it at the label and pull the trigger. Good performance/price ratio, very rugged as they have no moving parts and are easy to use. Some models have limits to how wide the bar codes can be, but this is not normally a problem with books.

See The Readerware Web Site for specific recommendations.

Types of bar codes

There are two basic types of bar codes that are used on books. Hard cover books have a European Article Number (EAN) on the back jacket.

Paperbacks have different types of bar codes. Some will include an EAN like a hardcover book. However mass market paperbacks, those designed for sale in places like supermarkets, will not have an EAN as they typically cannot be read by supermarket scanners. Instead they have a UPC bar code.

Fortunately Readerware will support either type of bar code and you need not know which type of bar code you are scanning. But there are some differences.

Manufacturer to Publisher Mapping

The EAN embeds the ISBN so Readerware can retrieve the ISBN from the bar code. Mass market paper backs only include part of the ISBN, but also include a manufacturers code. Readerware needs to map the UPC manufacturer code to the publishers ISBN code, and reconstruct the full ISBN. Readerware has mappings for most publishers built in. But you may occasionally see an error dialog reporting an undefined manufacturer code when scanning a paperback.

Once you enter the correct mapping, Readerware will remember it and will be able to handle books from that paperback publisher. Mapping the manufacturer


code to the publisher code is best explained by example.

Here is a UPC code from a paperback:

Although the ISBN is printed under the bar code, it is not part of the bar code itself. So when the bar code is scanned, the ISBN is not included. Here is how Readerware maps the manufacturer to the publisher and generates the ISBN. The UPC manufacturer code is the first five digit number, in this example the manufacturer code is 71009. The ISBN contains the publisher code after the first hyphen, in this example the publisher code is 440.

So if this publisher were unmapped, Readerware would display a manufacturer code of 71009 and ask you to enter the corresponding publisher code, in this case 440. That's all there is to it, Readerware is now able to generate the ISBN for all mass market paperbacks by this publisher.

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International Standard Book Numbers (ISBN)

A Brief History

The International Standard Book Number has its origins in the Standard Book Numbering system developed in England for bookseller W. H. Smith. The Standard Book Numbering system was introduced in the UK in 1967.

The International Standards Organization, (ISO), investigated the feasibility of adapting the British system for international use in 1968. The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) was approved as an ISO standard in 1970.

ISBN Format

An ISBN has 10 digits, separated by hyphens. In Readerware you can enter ISBN's with or without hyphens, Readerware will automatically add the hyphens in the correct places. The ISBN is divided into 4 parts:

1. Group identifier (1 digit, typically 0 or 1 for English-speaking countries)2. Publisher identifier3. Title identifier4. Check digit

The check digit is used to validate the preceding 9 digits. The check digit will sometimes be an X. All other characters must be numeric.

ISBN Problems

The publisher identifiers are assigned by various Government agencies. The title identifiers are assigned by the publishers themselves. Therein lies a problem. The ISBN should be unique but a publisher could reuse ISBN's from out of print titles, or simply make a mistake and assign duplicate numbers to different titles. So occasionally you will run across different titles with the same ISBN.

ISBN Support 2/3

The check digit is calculated from the preceding 9 digits. Unfortunately not all check digits have been calculated correctly. You will sometimes run across a book with an ISBN that has an invalid check digit. This problem occurs mostly on older titles.

Readerware handles this by displaying an error dialog whenever it detects an invalid ISBN. Normally you will get this dialog when you enter an invalid ISBN, so the proper response is to click on Reject and correct the ISBN. However because you will occasionally run across an invalid ISBN on a book, Readerware allows you to override the error and accept the ISBN anyway. You should only override the ISBN error in those rare cases when a book has an invalid ISBN.

Where to find the ISBN

All modern books, (hardcover and paperbacks), include the ISBN on the copyright page. Hardcover books today will include the ISBN as part of the European Article Number, (EAN), commonly referred to as the UPC or bar code, which is located on the back of the book jacket. Paperback books may also include an EAN but mass market paperbacks typically do not. So the bar code on a mass market paperback will not include the ISBN, but a mass market paperback may include the EAN on the inside front cover.

On older books, the ISBN can be virtually anywhere. If the copyright page does not include the ISBN, check the book jacket, typically the spine or the back cover. Books published before 1970 will of course not have an ISBN.

ISBN and bar codes

Remember that anywhere you can enter an ISBN in Readerware, you can enter it via a bar code reader. A bar code reader can make entering and maintaining data in Readerware a lot easier. They are the fastest way to search for a book. See The Readerware Web Site for recommendations on specific bar code readers.

ISBN Support 3/3

Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN)

The Library of Congress Control Number predates the ISBN and can also be useful when cataloging books with Readerware. You will often find the LCCN on books from the fifties and sixties. Sometimes you will find both the ISBN and the LCCN, in that case use the ISBN as it is supported by all the search sites. If a book only has an LCCN, you can search for it at The Library of Congress information system, LOCIS, which is accessible through Readerware.

To Search on an LCCN with Readerware, select the advanced search in the Readerware browser window , and the Library of Congress site. On the Library of Congress search page, enter the LCCN and select "LC Control Number" for the type. Most of the books that include just an LCCN date from the period covered by the Library of Congress PreMARC database, so select PreMARC under database to be searched. The results displayed from these older LCCN searchers are not in a standard format but can be imported into Readerware.

Help for Readerware Main Window 1/4

The Readerware Main Window

The Readerware Main Window is the window you see when you first start the application. It provides access to your local database allowing you to search and maintain your collection. It also serves as a launching point for other windows such as The Readerware Web Browser Window and The Readerware Shopping Cart.

The File Menu

This menu allows you to:

Open different databases and create new databasesCheckpoint the databaseBackup the databaseRestore from a backup fileDelete a database, permanently remove all data and imagesPrint reports, both predefined and custom reportsImport data from external sources into your Readerware databasesExport data from your Readerware databases to HTML, CSV, UIEE and TAB delimited formats

The Edit Menu

The Edit menu allows you to:

Copy data from any entry field into the clipboardPaste data from the clipboard into any entry fieldSelect the contents of an entry fieldDelete the selected text from an entry field.Edit preferences


The Edit menu functions are also available from popup menus in all entry fields. Simply right click in any entry field to display the popup menu.

Edit menu functions are disabled when not appropriate. For example an entry field must have focus before you can select and copy text.

The Web Menu

The Web menu is your gateway to the world wide web. You can:

Search the web based on Bar Code or ISBN and import data into your local databasePerform basic and advanced web searches and import data into your local databaseStart Readerware auto-catalogDisplay an empty detail view for manual data entryOpen your shopping cart to order and check prices on a book from online retailers

The Search Menu

The Search menu allows you to search your local database:

Browse your books, display all the books in your databaseRun your default searchSearch by any fieldSave the default search

The View Menu

The View menu is used to navigate through search results. You can:

Move through your resultsReload the current page from the databaseView statisticsCreate a new view


The Help Menu

The Help menu is used to access both local and online help resources. You can:

Display page specific helpDisplay help contentsSearch helpDisplay the help indexDisplay the Readerware Quick StartDisplay release notesDisplay frequently asked questionsCheck for Readerware updatesRegister ReaderwareAccess Readerware Customer supportDisplay Readerware version information

The Toolbar

Common functionality from the Readerware Menu bar is duplicated on the Toolbar for easy access:

Return to the top level search results

Go backwards through search results

Go forward through search results

Reload current search results page

Stop the current search

Start Readerware Auto-Catalog

Start Readerware Auto-Update

Display The an empty detail view for manual data entry

Browse your books, display all your books

Run your default search


Open your shopping cart

Print the view

Create a new view

Select a view

Display help for the current page

The Search Bar

The search bar is used to search the local database. You select the type of search, (author, ISBN etc.), enter the search value and press the search button.

Readerware Detail View 1/9

The Detail View

The Readerware Detail View is used to:

Add new books to your database. To display a blank detail view select

the data entry item, , from the Web menu or the toolbar. To add based on an existing book, first search for that book, make changes to the existing entry, and press the Add button.Display or update books in your database. To display the detail view from a table view, select the correct match by clicking on the detail

icon, . From a tree view, select a title node in the tree. From a fish eye view, right click on a title node. Now you can view and/or update any field.Track books on loan - Select the Loan button to open the loan tracker window. You can use this to keep track of the books you loan out.

The detail view has been designed to make it as easy and as fast as possible to add and update data. Features include:

Full keyboard navigation:

Tab between fields,Enter key selects the Add or Update button depending on modeSpacebar toggles check boxes.Spacebar selects radio and push buttons.Copy (Ctrl-C or Ctrl-Ins),Paste (Ctrl-V or Shift-Ins)Cut (Delete key)

Mouse navigation:

Popup menu support. Right click in any entry field to access clipboard and other functionalityField contents selected when you click the mouse in the field


Lists, (Category etc.), can be updated in place from the popup menuQuick search from entry fields using the popup menu.

The data entry panel contains the following fields:

Cover Image - Cover images are optional. They are enabled using Readerware Database Preferences . If enabled the cover image for a book is displayed at the top of this panel. You can click on Select Image to use an image you have on your hard drive. Normally the cover image is extracted automatically from a web site when you catalog a book. Click on the Delete Image button to remove an image from the database.

Title - This is a required field. It can contain a maximum of 256 characters. Title is a searchable field, to display other books with the same title, right click to display the popup menu and select Search.

Author - This is a required field. It can contain a maximum of 75 characters. Author is a searchable field, to display other books by the same author, right click to display the popup menu and select Search. Readerware can handle up to 6 authors, translators etc. To enter or update additional authors, select the appropriate author field from the drop down list.

ISBN - This is an optional field. It can contain a maximum of 11 characters, excluding the punctuation characters. You do not have to enter the punctuation characters, just the ISBN itself. The ISBN must be unique. You will get an error if another book has the same ISBN. Update the Copies field instead if you have multiple copies of


the same book. When you hit the Enter key in this field, the ISBN is validated and punctuation automatically added. If the ISBN is invalid a dialog will be displayed asking you to reject the ISBN or accept it as is. This is necessary as some books, especially older titles, will sometimes have invalid ISBN's. Normally you should correct any invalid ISBN, but if after close inspection you determine that it really is the correct ISBN, you can accept it. Note that normally the Enter key will add or update the book, the ISBN field is the only exception. Here the Enter key is used to indicate the end of an ISBN. This is required to support Bar Code readers. Rather than enter the ISBN manually, you can simply scan the bar code of a book and Readerware will translate the bar code to an ISBN for you.

LCCN - Library of Congress Control Number, select this field from the ISBN drop down list to display the LCCN.

Dewey - Library of Congress Dewey number, select this field from the ISBN drop down list to display the Dewey number.

User Defined Number - Designed for a user defined numbering scheme, select this field from the ISBN drop down list to display the user defined number.

Series - This is an optional field used to track books in a series. You can select a value from the list of available series entries. To remove the selection and not enter a series, drop down the list and then ctrl-click on the currently selected entry. Note that initially there will be no series values listed. To add a series, type it into the field and right click to display the popup menu. Then select Add to Database. Series can contain a maximum of 128 characters. You can edit or


delete existing series entries in the same way. The series values you choose are entirely up to you. Important, if you assign a particular series value to a number of books and then change that series value, the change applies to all books with that series. See list maintenance.

Publisher - This is an optional field. It can contain a maximum of 75 characters.

Date - This is an optional field and should contain the date of publication. It can contain a maximum of 32 characters. There is no required format for this field, you can enter whatever you want. Obviously it is easier if you decide on a specific format and stick to it. This can be just the year, month and year etc.

Place - This is an optional field and denotes the country or city of publication. It can contain a maximum of 75 characters. Again there is no specific format required.

Copyright Date - This is an optional field and should contain the copyright date. It can contain a maximum of 32 characters. There is no required format for this field, you can enter whatever you want. Obviously it is easier if you decide on a specific format and stick to it. This can be just the year, month and year etc.

Format - This is an optional field used to track book formats. You can select a value from the list of available format entries. To remove the selection and not enter a format, drop down the list and then ctrl-click on the currently selected entry. To add a new format, type it into the field and right click to display the popup menu. Then select Add to Database. Series can contain a maximum of 128 characters.


You can edit or delete existing format entries in the same way. The format values you choose are entirely up to you. Important, if you assign a particular format value to a number of books and then change that format value, the change applies to all books with that format. See list maintenance.

First Edition - Check whether or not this book is a first edition.

Signed - Check whether or not this book is signed

Read - Check whether or not this book has been read..

Copies - This is an optional field and contains the number of copies of the book you own. This field will accept 0 as a valid entry. For example you might specify 0 copies to indicate a book is on order. You can easily search for books with 0 copies and update an entry when the book comes in. This is a numeric field.

Pages - This is an optional field and contains the number of pages in the book. This is a numeric field.

Dimensions - This is an optional field designed to hold a books dimensions in whatever format you want.

Estimated value - This is an optional field. When Readerware imports data from an internet site, it will put the price in here, if available. You can use it to keep track of the estimated value of your collection.


Valuation Date - This is an optional field and should contain the valuation date, i.e. the date the estimated value was set. It can contain a maximum of 32 characters. There is no required format for this field, you can enter whatever you want. Obviously it is easier if you decide on a specific format and stick to it. This can be just the year, month and year etc.

Include in - These fields are optional and are used in conjunction with Readerware export and reporting functions. By default these fields are checked, meaning that the book can be exported to an HTML file and included in a report. Uncheck either of these fields to exclude this book. The Shopping Cart check box will add or remove a book from The Readerware Shopping Cart.

Location - This is an optional field used to track the books physical location. You can select a value from the list of available location entries. To remove the selection and not enter a location, drop down the list and then ctrl-click on the currently selected entry. Note that initially there will be no location values listed. To add a new location, type it into the field and right click to display the popup menu. Then select Add to Database. Location can contain a maximum of 128 characters. You can edit or delete existing location entries in the same way. The location values you choose are entirely up to you. Important, if you assign a particular location value to a number of books and then change that location value, the change applies to all books with that format. See list maintenance.

Condition - This is an optional field used to track the condition of each book. You can select a value from the list of available condition


entries. To remove the selection and not enter a condition, drop down the list and then ctrl-click on the currently selected entry. Note that initially there will be no condition values listed. To add a condition, type it into the field and right click to display the popup menu. Then select Add to Database. Condition can contain a maximum of 32 characters. You can edit or delete existing condition entries in the same way. The condition values you choose are entirely up to you. Important, if you assign a particular condition value to a number of books and then change that value, the change applies to all books with that condition. See list maintenance.

Category - This is an optional field used to categorize each book. You can select a value from the list of available categories. To remove the selection and not enter a category, drop down the list and then ctrl-click on the currently selected entry. Note that initially there will be no category values listed. To add a category, type it into the field and right click to display the popup menu. Then select Add to Database. Category can contain a maximum of 128 characters. You can edit or delete existing category entries in the same way. The categories you choose are entirely up to you. Important, if you assign a particular category to a number of books and then change that category, the change applies to all books in that category. See list maintenance. Note that when importing books from an internet catalog, Readerware will use the categories contained on the web site, if any. This has important implications when searching different sites to catalog your library. If you favor a categorization scheme used by a particular site, always ensure you pick that site first to minimize manual editing. Category is a searchable field, to display other books in the same category, right click to display the popup menu and select Search.

Rating - This is an optional field used to track the rating assigned to


each book. You can select a value from the list of available rating entries. To remove the selection and not enter a rating, drop down the list and then ctrl-click on the currently selected entry. Note that initially there will be no rating values listed. To add a rating, type it into the field and right click to display the popup menu. Then select Add to Database. Rating can contain a maximum of 32 characters. You can edit or delete existing rating entries in the same way. The ratings you choose are entirely up to you. Important, if you assign a particular rating to a number of books and then change that rating, the change applies to all books with that rating. See list maintenance. Rating is a searchable field, to display other books with the same rating, right click to display the popup menu and select Search.

Keywords - This is an optional field. Keywords are comma separated words or phrases. The keywords field can contain a maximum of 256 characters. Keywords is a searchable field, to display other books with the same keywords, right click to display the popup menu and select Search.

User Defined Fields - If you define additional fields in the Readerware database they are displayed here in the detail view. Only a single user defined field is visible at one time. Select the required user defined field from the drop down list, the data for that field is then displayed. User defined fields are searchable fields, to display other books with the same value, right click to display the popup menu and select Search.

Comments - This is an optional field. It can contain up to 4096 characters. You can use it for reviews or what ever purposes you like.


Finally at the bottom of the data entry panel is the button bar. The default button, the one that will be clicked when you hit the enter key, is indicated by a darker frame. When you are displaying an existing book, the default button is Update, when displaying an empty panel, the default button is Add. Whichever button you select then becomes the default button. The individual buttons perform the following functions:

Add - Add a new book to the database.Update - Update a book in the databaseDelete - Delete a book from the databaseClear - Clear all data entry fields and make the Add button the default buttonLoan - Open the loan tracker window

Readerware Web Browser Window 1/6

The Readerware Web Browser Window

The Readerware Web Browser Window is your gateway to the World Wide Web. You can use it to search internet catalog and bookseller sites, import individual titles into your local database, run price checks on a book and securely order books. It is a browser customized for the book collector and reader.

The Readerware web browser is displayed when you select one of the Search and Import or Vendor Home Pages items from the Web menu. When you first open the Readerware Web Browser, the Readerware User Home Page will be displayed. This is a special home page for Readerware users, not our normal home page on the web. It will contain useful information about Readerware, news and updates etc.

The format of the Readerware Web Browser window will be customized for the function you select. Once the Readerware Web Browser is displayed, you can change the format by selecting the equivalent option from the Browse By combo box.

ISBN/Bar Code Browser Window

In this mode an entry field is displayed where you can enter an ISBN, formatted or unformatted, or a bar code. If you have a bar code reader attached to you system, you can enter the ISBN by scanning the bar code on a book.

The URL combo box is a multiple selection combo box. You can select one or more sites to search. To select a single site from the list simply click on it. To select multiple sites, click on the first site and the ctrl-click on additional sites. To select a range of sites shift-click to select all sites between the starting and ending sites. There are three function buttons that can be pressed once you have entered an ISBN or bar code:


Search and Import - This will search each site selected until a match is found. It will extract the matched data and display it in the Readerware Data Entry Window. If the Automatic Database Update option is on, the data will be added to your database. If the option is off you can review the data extracted, make any changes, and press the Add button to add the book to your database.Search only - This will search each site selected and stop when a match is found, no data will be extracted. You can use the Import button once the search results are displayed to extract the data and add the book to the database.Import - This will extract the contents of the currently displayed web page and process it as described in the Search and Import section above.

When you add a book to your database, it is also added to your Shopping Cart. If you uncheck the Shopping Cart box in the Readerware Data Entry Window, it will be added to the database only. By adding books to your shopping cart you can easily run price checks to find the lowest price for a book, order selected titles online or print out a shopping list.

Basic Search Browser Window

In this mode you can select a single site from the URL combo box. As you select a new site, the basic search page for that site will be displayed automatically. If you want to navigate to the currently selected site simply press the Go button. The basic search page is provided by the site you select, so it will differ from site to site. It will generally be a page where you can enter basic search criteria such as author and title. You can search the site just as you would in a normal browser, you can use any of the links provided by the site to find the book you are looking for.

Once you have found the book you can click on the import button. The data will be extracted from the current web page and displayed in the Readerware Data Entry window. If the Automatic Database Update option is on, the extracted data


will be automatically added to your database.

You should always navigate to the full results page. Some sites will display a listing of matched items. You must select the link you want before pressing the import button so that Readerware knows which book to import. If for some reason Readerware cannot extract data from the page, it will extract as much as possible before displaying an error message.

Advanced Search Browser Window

In this mode you can select a single site from the URL combo box. As you select a new site, the advanced search page for that site will be displayed automatically. If you want to navigate to the currently selected site simply press the Go button. The advanced search page is provided by the site you select, so it will differ from site to site. It will generally be a page where you can enter advanced search criteria such as ISBN, publisher in addition to the basic search criteria. You can search the site just as you would in a normal browser, you can use any of the links provided by the site to find the book you are looking for.

You can import titles from the advanced search window in the same way as you do for the basic search window.

Some sites only offer a single search page. In this case the same page will be displayed for both the basic and advanced searches.

Online Ordering

You can order a book from the Readerware browser just as you would in your normal browser. Readerware fully supports secure access to remote sites so you can safely enter confidential information such as credit card numbers. You should note the padlock icon in the top right hand corner of the window. When the padlock is closed, it indicates you have a secure connection and all messages will be encrypted. If the padlock is open, you have an insecure connection and no data will be encrypted. Always ensure the padlock is locked before entering confidential information.


The best way to order a book using Readerware is to import the books into your database. They will be automatically added to your Readerware Shopping Cart. Using the Readerware Shopping Cart you can find the lowest price for any book, order it online from vendors in Brazil, Canada, England, France, Germany, Switzerland and The United States. Plus, the Readerware Shopping Cart automatically tracks your purchases.

The power of the Readerware Shopping Cart makes it the preferred way to order a title online, and as it works with the Readerware browser, it offers full access to secure ordering.

So as you are browsing a site and come across a title you wish to purchase, you can first import it into your database and shopping cart with a single click, then place the order. You can run a price check on any title and find the lowest price offered. You can easily import from one site and order from another.

The Menu Bar

The Readerware Browser window menu bar provides access to all features of the browser.

The Web menu duplicates the functionality of the search and import buttons. Like the buttons, the actual contents of the Web menu will differ based on your current Browse By selection.

The View menu provides the standard web navigation items such as backwards, forwards and reload.

The Options menu allows you to customize the Readerware browser:

Automatic Database Update - If this option is checked the book is automatically added to the database after an import. The data extracted is always displayed in the Readerware Data Entry Window. You can review and update this data if needed. With the Automatic Database Update option turned off, the data is extracted and displayed in the data entry window but it is not added to your


database. You can review the data and simply press the Add button when you are ready to add it to your database. Initially this option will be turned off.

Switch to Data Entry Window - If this option is checked the Readerware Data Entry Window is brought to the front after an import. You can then review the extracted data. This option is independent of the Automatic Database Update option but the two are often used together. Initially this option will be turned on.

Load Images - If this option is checked all images in a page are loaded. If you have a slow connection and don't need to see the images you can turn this option off. Initially this option will be turned on.

The Help menu provides access to the Readerware online help system.

The Toolbar

The Readerware Browser Window toolbar provides quick access to commonly used features:

Go back to the previous page

Go forward to the next page

Reload the current page

Interrupt the loading of the current page

Go to the Readerware User Home Page. This is a special home page for Readerware users, not our normal home page on the web. This page will alert you to news about Readerware, updates etc.

Display this help page.

Readerware Shopping Cart 1/4

The Readerware Shopping Cart

As your browse the web using the Readerware Browser, books you import are added to the database and to the Readerware Shopping Cart. You can use the shopping cart to build a list of titles you want to add to your library, you can use the shopping cart for all books, not just those you plan to purchase online. The Readerware Shopping Cart is your want list of titles, both new and out of print titles.

The Readerware Shopping Cart will also be exported to Readerware Palm Edition, a lightweight edition of Readerware that runs on the Palm Pilot and compatible devices. Take your entire database, including your shopping cart, with you on your next trip to your local bookstore.

Finding the Lowest Price

You can easily find the lowest price for any book in your shopping cart, or the

entire cart. Simply click on Price Selected Item, or Price All, , and Readerware will find the lowest price available. Each item in your shopping cart contains a list box which lists every vendor site and the price at that site. After the price check completes, the first site in the list with the lowest price is displayed. You can click on the list box and see all sites and prices.

You can control which sites are included in the lists. By default all US vendor sites are included. You can reduce the size of the list to the couple of sites you normally order from. If you order from outside the US, you can enable those sites. The lists are maintained using Site Preferences . You can control which sites are listed and the order in which they are listed.

At this time Readerware does not handle currency conversions. So if you select sites in different countries, say The UK and The US, then The UK site will probably be listed as having the lowest price as the price will be in pounds


sterling.

Online Ordering

You can order any book in your shopping cart. Using the item site list, select the

site you want to order from and click on Order, . Readerware will then open its browser window and load the ordering page for that book at the selected site. You can then order the book as you normally would, safely and securely. Readerware will also check the Ordered box for that item so that you can track your orders.

Once you receive your order, you can remove it from your shopping cart by

selecting the item and clicking on Remove, . This will remove the book from the shopping cart but not from the database. If you delete a book from the database, it will also be deleted from the shopping cart.

Printing Your Shopping Cart

You can easily print you shopping cart, for shopping expeditions to brick and

mortar book stores etc. Simply click on Print, . The Report setup Dialog will be displayed where you can select report options and print the report.

Readerware To Go!

When you export a database to Readerware Palm Edition, a lightweight edition of Readerware that runs on the Palm Pilot and compatible devices, your shopping cart is automatically included. So you can easily search your entire database and check your want list when at your favorite brick and mortar book store.

Updating your Database from the Shopping Cart

The ISBN displayed in the shopping cart is a link to the Readerware Data Entry Window. If you need to update any book in your shopping cart, simply click on


the ISBN.

Configuring your Shopping Cart

Just like the Readerware table view, you can customize the columns displayed in your shopping cart.

To show or hide columns, right click on the column title to display the popup menu. You can hide the current column or show any previously hidden columns. The new column will be shown after the current column. So to show a column it is best to right click on the title of the column that you want to appear before the new column.



The current shopping cart state is always saved when you exit Readerware or close the cart window so you never have to worry about saving your changes.

The Menu Bar

The Readerware Shopping Cart Window menu bar provides access to all features.

The Shopping Menu is used to:

Price a selected item or the entire cartOrder selected itemsRemove selected items from the cartEmpty the entire cartPrint the shopping cart


Close the Shopping Cart Window

The Help menu provides access to the Readerware online help system.

The Toolbar

The Readerware Shopping Cart Window toolbar provides quick access to commonly used features:

Price the selected item

Price all items in your shopping cart

Order the selected item

Remove the selected item from your shopping cart

Empty your shopping cart

Reload your shopping cart, use after you have added new items to your cart

Interrupt a price check

Print the contents of your shopping cart

Display this help page.

Readerware Palm Edition 1/7

Introducing Readerware Palm Editions

Readerware Palm Editions are lightweight editions of the desktop product that run on a Palm or compatible device. It is not a standalone product but an add on to Readerware. You can transfer your databases to your Palm. Once there you're fully mobile, take your Readerware databases with you when you visit your favorite brick and mortar stores. You can easily search your databases to identify the titles you already own. Your Readerware Shopping Cart is also transferred to Readerware Palm Edition so you can easily display the items on your wish list.

Installing Readerware Palm Edition

Readerware Palm Edition is distributed as a self extracting executable or zip file, it includes Readerware, ReaderwareAW and ReaderwareVW for the Palm. You must first extract the contents of this file into a temporary directory. Just double click on it to extract the files which must be transferred to your Palm. The first two must be transferred regardless of which product(s) you install. Transfer the others as appropriate.

Important: You must install these files on your Palm OS device, Readerware will not work if installed on an expansion card.


All Products:

waba.pdb waba.prc

Readerware:

Readerware.prc RWare.pdb

ReaderwareAW:

ReaderwareAW.prc AWare.pdb

ReaderwareVW:

ReaderwareVW.prc VWare.pdb

Start your Palm Desktop application, click on the Install button. Click on Add and select each of the files in turn. You do not have to transfer any other files included in the Readerware Palm Edition distribution. Click Done. The Palm software will display a dialog telling you that the files will be transferred on the next HotSync. Start the HotSync from your Palm as normal.

You should now see new icons on your Palm home panel. Depending on the products you installed, you will see the familiar Readerware, ReaderwareAW or ReaderwareVW icons and another called Waba VM. To start a product, just select the appropriate Readerware icon.

If you start Readerware now, you will see an about box and an empty window. This is because before you can see your data, you must transfer your database from your desktop to your Palm.

That's the next step, your now ready to create your Readerware Palm Edition databases.


Exporting to Readerware Palm Products

Readerware Palm Edition is optimized for small devices providing a quick and easy way to search your entire database and your shopping cart on a portable device. You do not create the Readerware databases using Readerware Palm Edition, rather you create them on your desktop and then transfer the database to your Palm.

The basic process is the same for all products. Do a search to establish which items you want to export. If you want to transfer your entire database, click on the Browse button in the toolbar. Now you will see the search results displayed in Readerware as normal.

To create your Palm database, select the File->Export menu item. Select the Palm format from the drop down list. Select a directory for the database. The database name defaults to the correct name for each product, you should not change the name, just the directory. TIP: Select your Palm HotSync Add On directory. This will make it easier to actually transfer the file to your Palm. When you click on Create, Readerware will create the file, the next step is to transfer it.

Start your Palm Desktop application, click on the Install button. Click on Add and select the appropriate .pdb file using the file selection dialog. Then click Done. The Palm software will display a dialog telling you that the file will be transferred on the next HotSync. Start the HotSync from your Palm as normal. Now when you start the applications on your Palm, your new database is loaded automatically.

When you want to transfer updated data to your Palm, just repeat the above steps to export and HotSync your database. You need to transfer the full database each time, Readerware replaces rather than updates the database.

In order to conserve space and allow large databases to be stored on a handheld device, only the following fields from the Readerware database are exported to Readerware Palm Edition:

Author (Primary field)


TitleISBNPublisherRatingFormatFirst Edition?Signed?

In order to conserve space and allow large databases to be stored on a handheld device, only the following fields from the ReaderwareAW database are exported to ReaderwareAW Palm Edition:

Artist (Primary field)TitleLabelComposerConductorFormatRatingUPC

In order to conserve space and allow large databases to be stored on a handheld device, only the following fields from the ReaderwareVW database are exported to ReaderwareVW Palm Edition:

Title (Primary field)ActorsDirectorSeriesFormatSoundWidescreen?


UPC

The primary field determines the sequence in which the items are displayed and which field is the search field. You can only search a Palm database on the primary field.

That's it, your now mobile.

Using Readerware Palm Edition

To launch a Readerware Palm Edition application simply select the appropriate Readerware icon on your Palm home panel. Readerware will start, load the database and display the first page of results.

Along the top of the screen you will see the application title and a row of buttons:

Select the application title to display the about box. This includes program information as well as the number of items in your database.

Select the left arrow icon, , to display the previous page.

Select the right arrow, , to display the next page.

Select the home icon, , to return to the first item in the database.

Select the magnifying glass icon, , to display the search dialog.

Select the shopping cart icon, , to display your Readerware shopping cart or wish list.


Below the title bar are the items in your database. The primary key is displayed in a bold font followed by the items, i.e. books by that author. The items are displayed in a plain font. ReaderwareVW displays just the video title. You can select any title and a detail page is displayed which includes all the information about the selected item.

Searching

When you select the search icon, the search dialog is displayed. Enter the text you are looking for. This must be text in the primary field:

Readerware Author


ReaderwareAW Artist

ReaderwareVW Title

Enter the data using Palm graffiti just as you would in any other application. The search data is case sensitive and the search always starts with the first character of the field. You can have Readerware automatically uppercase the first character for you. Enter as much of the field as necessary to match the required entries. For example to search for books by "Rendell, Ruth", you might enter "ren", without the quotes, in the search field. Select the Search button and Readerware will display the first matching item, if any, at the top of the page.

Readerware Client/Server Edition 1/4

Readerware Client/Server Edition

Readerware Client/Server edition is designed to allow multiple users to share and update a single database. It can be used in small home networks to manage personal collections. It can also be used in libraries, churches, schools and enterprise locations to catalog and manage a library.

A single Readerware server accesses the database and allows Readerware clients to connect, view and update the database. You can optionally restrict access so that clients can view the data but not update it. Once started the Readerware server runs quietly in the background requiring no user intervention. The Readerware clients can be anywhere on your network or on the same machine as the server,

Starting the Readerware Server

Readerware Client/Server edition is installed as part on the standard Readerware package, there is no extra installation required. You will need to install Readerware on the machine that will act as the server and on all client machines. You are welcome to host the Readerware installation file on your network for distribution internally.

Before you start the server you must create your Readerware database. To create a new database, start the Readerware program as normal, select the File->New Database menu item, select the name and location of your database and click on Create.

The database needs to be accessible to all users so that images can be accessed, so create your database somewhere that all your users have access to and can mount as a network drive.

If you want to use an existing database, you can. Just make sure that you open


any Readerware 1.x database with Readerware 2.0 first so that the database is converted to the new 2.x format.

Make sure that your Readerware client is closed. There must not be anyone accessing the database when you start the server.

To start the Readerware server, launch it from your start menu or double click on the program, rwserver.exe. It will open a small console window. You must first select the databases from the server console menus so that the server knows which databases to access. The databases you select will be remembered and automatically selected next time you start the Readerware server. If you ever need to change databases, select the appropriate Clear Database Selection item.

Readerware should now display a server started message. That's all there is to it, your Readerware server is now running.

The full Readerware Server menu bar contains a File menu with just an exit item and entries for each Readerware server. Each server menu contains:

Select Database - Select the database the server is to access.

Select Database Mode - Select the database mode, Update or Read Only. If Read Only is selected, clients will be able to view the database but not update it.

Clear Database Selection - Once you have defined a database, the Readerware server will automatically open it the next time the server is started. This eliminates the need to select a database each time the server is started. If you ever need to change databases, select this menu item. Then when restarted, Readerware will not select a database.

Checkpoint Database - This will cause the server to close and reopen the database ensuring that all information is on disk.

Backup Database - This will prompt you to enter the name and


location for a backup file. Readerware will then create a ZIP archive of the complete database including the images. You can then easily save this single ZIP file in a safe location. Any client can also backup the server database this way, providing an automatic backup on another machine.

Restore Database - Use this item to restore a database from a Readerware backup ZIP file. You will be prompted to select the backup file and the new database name, it must not already exist. Readerware will then create a new database with the contents of the backup file.

Configuring Readerware Clients

Start the normal Readerware program on any machine, even the same machine as the server. You might get an error when Readerware opens the database if the last accessed database is now the one used by the server. Just click OK, and Readerware will open with an empty database.

Select Edit->Preferences from the Readerware menu. Click on the Database tab. Click on the Remote Database radio button. Click OK to close the preferences dialog. Readerware is now setup to use a remote server. If you do not see the Remote Database radio button, it means that your license is for Readerware Standard Edition rather than Readerware Client/Server Edition. Just select Help->Register from the menu and enter your Readerware Client/Server license information.

Select the File->Open Database menu item. Now you will see the database connection dialog. Enter the name of the machine where the Readerware server is running. Click on the browse button and select the database the server is using. Although the Readerware client will access the database via the server, it still needs to know where the database is so it can access the images. You must select the database on the remote machine. As mentioned earlier the database


needs to be stored where all users can access it.

Click on OK, Readerware will now load the remote database. Next time you start Readerware it will automatically connect to the server so you only have to configure the client once. Repeat this configuration on all your clients. If you configured the Readerware server so that clients have read only access, all fields will be read only and the user will not be able to update the database, run auto-catalog etc.

There are no other differences in the Client/Server edition of Readerware so continue to use the product as normal.

Readerware Server Log File

The Readerware server logs basic activity and errors to a log file. The file is called rwServer.LOG and it will be created in your Readerware directory. Each time the server is started, the log is reinitialized.

If you experience any problems, the answer can normally be found in the log file. This is a plain text file and can be viewed in any text editor.

Readerware FAQ 1/12

Readerware FAQ

All platforms

Why does Readerware auto-catalog always return a not found error? How can I display items in the order they were entered? How can I merge two Readerware databases? Why can't I update a category? My changes aren't saved. How can I save the Readerware database during a session? Can I scan books outside of Readerware and still use Readerware auto-catalog? Why can't I copy text from the Readerware browser? Can I order a book from the Readerware browser? Can I use amazon.com one click ordering with Readerware? How Do I backup my Readerware database? Can I use Readerware with a proxy server?

CueCat®

Why does my web browser open when I scan a barcode with my CueCat®? Why doesn't my CueCat® work with my Laptop? Why does my computer go nuts when I scan a barcode? Why does Readerware say the ISBN is invalid when I scan a barcode?

Windows

Why can't I connect to the internet with Windows 95? Why is the Readerware window not repainting correctly?

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Why does Readerware auto-catalog always return a not found error?

If Readerware auto-catalog consistently returns a not found error when searching for an item, then Readerware is probably unable to connect to the internet. There are a few reasons why this could happen:

If you are using a dial up connection, try connecting to the internet before starting Readerware. Some users report that they have to connect before starting Readerware.

If you have a firewall, make sure it is not blocking Readerware access to the network. Readerware just uses port 80, no special ports are required. Some firewalls require that you authorize each program that accesses the net. Refer to your firewall documentation for more information.

If you are using a proxy server, make sure you have set the Readerware proxy server preferences. If you are not sure whether or not you need to specify a proxy server, your network administrator or ISP should be able to help you. Readerware proxy server preferences .

If you are not using a proxy server, make sure that your Readerware proxy server preferences are empty. Readerware proxy server preferences .

If you are running Windows 95, make sure you have Winsock 2.0 installed.

If you are still experiencing problems, please contact Readerware Support for assistance, [email protected] .

How can I display items in the order they were entered?

Click on the Row Number column header to sort your search results in the order

Readerware FAQ 3/12

they were entered.

Readerware assigns a unique sequential number to each item as it is added to the database. So to sort items in the order they were entered into the system, just sort on this column. Click on the Row Number column header to sort in ascending sequence, click again to sort in descending sequence.

If the Row Number column is not visible, edit the view and add it. From the Readerware menu bar, select Edit->Preferences and then the Views tab. Select the view you want to edit in the left list. In the right list look for the "ROWKEY" column. A green check mark indicates the column is displayed, a red X indicates that it is hidden. Double click on the column name to toggle the display. You can also use the arrow keys to change the position of the column in the view.

For more information see Readerware View Preferences .

How can I merge two Readerware databases?

Readerware does not have a merge feature as such, but you can merge two databases using Readerware Import/Export. First you need to export from your source database. You can export the entire database or only selected items. To export an entire database:

1. Open your source database, the database you are merging from2. Select File->Export to open the Readerware Export Wizard3. From the drop down list, select the tab delimited format, Click Next.4. Enter or select the name of the export file, Click Next.5. Select the All items radio button, Click Next.6. Select the Selected Database Columns radio button. Ensure that all

columns are selected. If a column has a green check mark next to it, it is selected. If it has a red X, it is not selected. Double click on any column to toggle its status. Click Next.

7. Review your choices and Click Next.8. When the export completes, Click Next. Readerware will display a count

Readerware FAQ 4/12

of the items exported.9. Click Finish to close the wizard.

Now that you have created your export file, you can import it into your target database:

1. Open your target database, the database you are merging to.2. Although not required, it is a good idea to backup your database before

the merge. Select File->Backup Database. Backing up your Readerware Database.

3. Select File->Import to open the Readerware Import Wizard.4. From the drop down list, select the tab delimited format, Click Next.5. Enter or select the name of the import file you created, Click Next.6. Review your choices and Click Next.7. When the import completes, Click Next. Readerware will display a count

of the items imported.8. Click Finish to close the wizard.

If there are any errors on the import, you can review the Readerware log file, rwuser.log for a full description of the errors.

Your target Readerware database will now contain all the items imported from your source database. But the import does not handle images. Fortunately Readerware auto-update has the ability to search for images and add them to existing items. You can use this feature to add the images to your merged database:

You now have a fully merged database.

If you only want to do a partial merge, the export procedure is as follows:

1. Open your source database, the database you are merging from2. Search for the items you want to export. You can search by date

entered, category, author etc. The results displayed will be the items exported.

3. Select File->Export to open the Readerware Export Wizard

Readerware FAQ 5/12

4. From the drop down list, select the tab delimited format, Click Next.5. Enter or select the name of the export file, Click Next.6. Select the Current Search Results radio button, Click Next.7. Select the Selected Database Columns radio button. Ensure that all

columns are selected. If a column has a green check mark next to it, it is selected. If it has a red X, it is not selected. Double click on any column to toggle its status. Click Next.

8. Review your choices and Click Next9. When the export completes, Click Next. Readerware will display a count

of the items exported.10. Click Finish to close the wizard.

Once you have created your partial export file, continue with the import as described above.

How can I save the Readerware database during a session?

All updates to the Readerware database are written to the database immediately so there is really no need to save the database as you go.

You can force Readerware to close and reopen the database at anytime by selecting File->Checkpoint Database from the Readerware menu. This is the equivalent of a save in a word processor application for example.

Can I scan books outside of Readerware and still use Readerware auto-catalog?

Yes, Readerware can read files of bar code scans or ISBNs. Just select the Load button in the auto-catalog window. Readerware will then load the file, convert bar code scans to ISBNs and display the list of ISBNs in the auto-catalog window. You can then run Readerware auto-catalog as normal.

There are several uses for this feature:

Maybe you have a portable bar code reader, scan your books without

Readerware FAQ 6/12

removing them from their shelves. Then upload the data from your portable bar code reader to your PC and open it in Readerware.

If you already have some books cataloged and want to convert to Readerware, export a list of ISBNs from your existing database and let Readerware re-catalog your books automatically.

The file you create can contain bar code scans or ISBNs. The ISBNs can be with or without hyphenation. Just make sure that the file contains each bar code scan or ISBN on a new line.

Why can't I copy text from the Readerware browser?

The Readerware browser does not currently allow you to copy text from the browser window. Copy and paste can be useful if there is additional information on the web page that Readerware did not extract. You can copy text from the browser window and paste it into Readerware. Fortunately there is an easy workaround. Right click on the Readerware browser window and select "Open Page in External Browser" from the popup menu. Readerware will then display this page in your default browser, Netscape, IE etc. and you can copy from your browser into Readerware.

Can I order a book from the Readerware browser?

Yes! When you display a book at one of the online vendor sites in the Readerware Browser you will see the normal order buttons or links. You can place orders from within the Readerware browser just as you would in your regular browser. Readerware supports access to secure sites. so you can safely enter your credit card information. Look at the padlock icon at the top right hand corner of the Readerware browser window. When it is closed you have a secure connection to the remote server and all messages will be encrypted. If the padlock is open you have a normal connection, and data sent is not encrypted.

This means that you can order any title in the Readerware Browser window, via

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secure servers.

You can also place orders directly from the Readerware Shopping Cart. The shopping cart provides a number of additional features to make shopping much easier and can save you money. You can price each item at all sites with a single click, before you buy. You can accumulate titles in your Readerware shopping cart until you are ready to buy. You can export your shopping cart to Readerware Palm Edition or print it for trips to your local bricks and mortar book stores.. You can order securely online as the Readerware shopping cart works with the Readerware Browser to provide access to secure servers at vendor sites.

Can I use amazon.com one click ordering with Readerware?

Yes. amazon.com one click ordering provides you with an easy and secure way to order from amazon.com right from the Readerware Browser. amazon.com uses cookies to enable one click ordering and Readerware fully supports cookies. As the cookies are saved per system and per browser, you must first register for one click ordering from within the Readerware Browser. Open the Readerware Browser and go to the amazon.com home page. Login to your account using the secure or standard server and sign up for one click ordering. Readerware will remember the settings and it will always be available from Readerware. Just select the one-click button as normal from within the Readerware Browser.

How Do I backup my Readerware database?

Select the File->Backup Database menu item. Readerware will create a single ZIP file containing the entire database and all image files. You can then easily archive this ZIP file. To restore a Readerware database simply select File->Restore Database. You will be prompted to select the backup file and the name of a new database, it must not already exist. Readerware will then create a new database with the contents of the backup file.

Readerware FAQ 8/12

Can I use Readerware with a proxy server?

Yes, Readerware can access the internet via a proxy server. Just select the Options->Proxy Options menu item and fill in the proxy server information. See your system administrator if you need help with proxy settings.

Why can't I update a category? My changes aren't saved.

You need to first add the new entry to the Readerware categories list and then select the new value and update the item. All Readerware drop down list fields work this way. Full information on how to add, update and delete drop down list entries is provided in the online help.

Why can't I connect to the internet with Windows 95?

Readerware may not run reliably with Winsock 1.1 which is included with Windows 95. If you still have Winsock 1.1 installed and experience problems, you must upgrade to Winsock 2.0.

The following URL contains information about how to determine if the Winsock 2.0 components are installed on a Windows 95 platform:

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q177/7/19.asp

You can download Winsock 2.0 for Windows 95 from Microsoft:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/downloads/contents/wuadmintools/s_wunetworkingtools/w95sockets2/

Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 98 include Winsock 2.0 so this is only an issue for Windows 95 users.

Why is the Readerware window not repainting correctly?

Readerware FAQ 9/12

According to Microsoft. this indicates a problem with your video driver. There are a number of things you can do that may solve this Windows problem. The easiest is to adjust the Windows graphics acceleration until the screen is painted correctly:

1. Go to the Windows Control Panel2. Double click on System3. Click on the Performance tab4. Click on the Graphics button5. Adjust the Hardware acceleration slider until the problem is resolved.

We find setting it to the "correct problems with the mouse pointer" setting normally resolves the problem, but you may have to try other settings.

The Windows Desktop Themes can cause a lot of painting problems. If you turn off themes and revert to a standard Windows desktop the problem will often go away.

Similarly cursor schemes can also cause problems. Try using the normal Windows cursor.

Another approach to this problem is to contact your video card manufacturer and see if an updated video driver is available.

Some users report that setting the display properties to 256 colors resolved this issue.

Why does my web browser open when I scan a barcode with my CueCat®?

The CueCat® software will automatically open your web browser and go to a site related to the barcode you scan. Effectively the CueCat software is stealing

Readerware FAQ 10/12

the scan and Readerware never sees it.

It is not necessary to install the software that came with your CueCat when using it with Readerware. So one solution is to uninstall the CueCat software. If you want to be able to use both the CueCat software and Readerware, you must remember to close the CueCat software before starting Readerware. You can do this from the CueCat icon in your Windows task bar.

Why doesn't my CueCat® work with my Laptop?

The CueCat® has problems working with some laptop computers.

If you only have a single port for connecting both a keyboard and mouse to your laptop, I have found that you sometimes need to install a Y cable and then connect your CueCat. Even if you are not connecting an external mouse.

On some laptops you may need to install a real external keyboard on the other end of the CueCat cable before the laptop will see the CueCat. An alternative is to add a keyboard terminator. Typically you will need to use this in conjunction with a Y cable. Plug the Y cable into your laptop, plug the CueCat into the keyboard socket on the Y cable. Plug the keyboard terminator into the CueCat keyboard socket. Keyboard terminators are available from Wasp Bar Code.

If your laptop has a USB connection, try getting a USB CueCat. They are now available and should work better with a laptop.

More on this issue from the CueCat packaging:

Because of wide variations and the lack of standardization among notebook computers, your CueCat may not function properly with your particular notebook computer.

Notebook computers have a built in keyboard but the CueCat generally requires an external keyboard. However your computer


need not have a real external keyboard. Simply "enabling" an external keyboard is usually sufficient. Some models allow you to enable an external keyboard either by changing your computers BIOS setting or by changing a control panel setting.

To change you computers BIOS setting:

1. Shutdown Windows2. Turn on your computer and watch the screen as it starts up3. Press the necessary keys displayed on the screen to enter

the BIOS program4. Find the option to enable the external keyboard5. Save you changes and exit

To change the keyboard driver with the control panel:

1. Click Start and choose Settings > Control Panel2. Double click the Keyboard icon. The keyboard properties

dialog box opens3. Look for an option that enables the external keyboard,

probably on the Options or Driver tab

If neither of these options work, use you CueCat with a real keyboard or keyboard terminator.

Why does my computer go nuts when I scan a barcode?

If strange things start happening when you scan a barcode, menus get selected, windows open, chances are you have the CueCat plugged into your mouse port. You must plug the CueCat into your keyboard port.

If you are using the CueCat on a laptop with a single port, you may need to use a Y cable. See Why doesn't my CueCat® work with my Laptop?

Why does Readerware say the ISBN is invalid when I scan a barcode?


This CueCat wand reader looks like a keyboard. This error indicates that the input from the CueCat contains unrecognized data. Check the following:

Make sure your caps lock key is off. The CueCat data is case sensitive and this will cause the data to be input with the wrong capitalization.Make sure your system is set up to use an English keyboard. CueCat will not work with other languages.

Readerware Support 1/2

Readerware Support

Readerware is committed to the very best customer support.

There are a number of resources distributed with the product and on our web site to help you get the answers you need. The web versions may contain additional information added after the product was released:

Local Readerware Web Site

Quick Start Quick Start

Release Notes Release Notes

Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions

If you cannot find an answer to your questions please send e-mail to [email protected]. We will respond to your question as soon as possible, normally within a few hours. Please note that at this time support is only available via e-mail. There is no telephone support available.

If you have suggestions for new features you would like to see in future versions of Readerware, we very much want to hear about them. Your input will have a major impact on Readerware development. Send e-mail to [email protected].

Thank you,

Readerware Support 2/2

The Readerware Support Team

Readerware Online Help

Documents

Transcript of Readerware Online Help