Cultural Heritage Information Consultants

Hints and Tips 1

Hints and Tips 2

Hints and Tips 3

Hints and Tips 4

Idealist Users Group

Idealist is now used in a number of museums, galleries and heritage organisations. This newsletter is designed to disseminate information about use of Idealist to interested parties.

Developments

Kevin Flude of Cultural Heritage Information Consultancy reports:

I have created a series of linked databases at the Old Operating Theatre Museum, and it has made quite a difference to the system - speeding up the processing of mundane activities while making available information to other members of staff.

The system now consists of 3 main databases:

Object records

Contact Mailing List

Letters

I've created a layout for each database that is very similar to each other, and each layout has a button that transfers the user into one of the linked database.

For example, if I wish to document an object that has been donated I fill in the data in the object database including details of the donor's name and address. Then I click on the contacts database button, and the system opens up the database and finds a person of the same name, or creates a new record if no appropriate person is found. I can then click on another button and move into the letters database, to compose a letter of thanks to the donor, copying details from the objects database if I wish.

The beauty of the system is that other members of staff can access all the details of the letters, contacts, and objects with a minimum of fuss. I find I am using the letters database for more and more of my correspondence, and using word processing less often. Working this way gives less options as far as fancy page layouts are concerned but automation of the formatting, and envelope printing means that much time is saved tinkering.

The screen layouts include buttons to:

Print a record,

Print an envelope

Print a label

These options are set up so that users can print the current record or the current hit list. Further buttons create new records and update cataloguer information.

The following is the code inserted into the Create Letter button:

The indented text is comments:

:get the label address info:

FieldGoTo("Label")

EditSelectAll

EditCopy

:open letters database

FileOpen("C:\\usr\\i\\letters\\letters")

:create new letter

RecordCreate("Letter")

:paste in label address

FieldGoTo("Address")

:find name in first line of address and paste it in

EditPaste

StartofField

EndOfLine

WordLeft(3,1)

EditCopy

FieldGoTo("Name")

EditPaste

:paste same name in salutation

FieldGoTo("Salutation")

EditPaste

:insert date

FieldGoTO("Date")

EditInsertDate

:position cursor on sender

FieldGoTo("Sender")

All in all a small amount of customizing idealist has saved a lot of time in processing records. If you want a copy of the layouts please send SAE to Kevin.

Hints and Tips

Record Numbers

 It can be useful to have a record number for each record - but it you forgot to set this up at first, it can be very tedious to create later on.

 So use an idealist button to automate the process.

 Problem: to provide each record in the hit list with a incremental number stored in the Custno field Note this only works in the new version of idealist (Version4) because earlier versions do not have the space to in the default contents field

 1. In any field, type in a number to increment from (one less than the number you want to start with), and highlight it with the mouse, and cut and copy it to clipboard by pressing CTRL and X.

 2. Create a button with the following contents:

 HitListCommand("

FieldGoTo(custno)

EditPaste

EditIncrement

EditSelectAll

EditCopy

EditClear

Editpaste

EditSelectAll

")

 3. This will whiz through the hitlist created storing a unique number in the Custno field.

 Remember - always check a new button with a HitListCommand in it with a hitlist of 1 record before risking it on the entire database!

 Using Accession Numbers in Idealist

Problem: A accession number of the No.partno type will not sort properly if recorded in a single field defines as type number. Accession 1234.12 will be considered to have a lower value that accession 1234.2

Solution: Example: uses the acc_no field in which data should be of the form number.partnumber

 Create new fields in database in 'Field Define Types' menu. Call them:

 number of type number

part_no of type number

 Change type of acc_no field to Calculated

 In Default Contents section of field type in following:

 Concat(number, concat(",",Part_no))

 This joins the number with a "." and the part no together thus 31.1 results from 31 and 1.

 To test it:

 create a new record

fill in the number and part_no fields.

 The acc_no field should show the concatenated field. (If acc_no shows as Concat(etc.) then click on the result/source button (the two curved arrows icon) and the number should be displayed)

 If you do not have Version 4 do not despair, place the concat(number, concat(",",Part_no)) expression in the acc_no field itself, and save this record as a template. When you create a record use this template and the acc_no will be automatically created from the sums of its parts.

 Using Foreign Languages and Extended Characters.

There are several ways of working with them:

1. For foreign languages.

Set up your computer to act as a foreign language keyboard - use the International Icon in the Control Panel of Windows

2. Enter text in a Word Processor and import it or paste in to idealist from Clipboard

3. Use Character Map

To use this click on the Character Map ICON in the Windows Accessories Window. You will see all the characters available to you.

Click on the one you want, and click on SELECT, and click on copy. This will store it in the ClipBoard. Back in idealist Choose Edit Paste and the character will be copied in.

4. Using Alt and numeric pad.

Look up the character set in your MS-Dos, Windows or Computer User Guide. Find out the number of the characters you commonly use. Put number lock on. Press the alt key while typing in the numbers of the char you want. For example ALT 145 is \ (on my system). Alt 144 is accent E.

These may or may not be searchable depending upon whether the characters are in the indexing set. Use File Info to see which chars are indexable. If the one you want is not in the list look up Extended characters in the Idealist index.

WHAT IS HAPPENING AT IDEALIST

Idealist have transferred maintenance and development of idealist to a third party. This has created some problems - for example, the new set up is not quite as user-friendly as before, and the release of version 4 shows some worrying signs.

Firstly, its release was delayed. Secondly, when it arrived we were warned it was full of bugs, and told not to load it! We are told a new version of version 4 is on its way however.

Thirdly, idealist has decided to simplify idealist - trimming away some of the less used features. This has meant the end of:

Kinship, Print Format, and phone dialing

Also it appears the new rich text feature cannot be exported - which is a disappointment give previous plans. We have to hope that the debugged version 4 returns idealist to its previous high standards!

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Post: CHIC, 249 Evering Road. London. E5 8AL.

Phone: 020 8806 3742Fax: 020 8806 4325