Movie Maker 2 - Managing
Personal Database
In this information age, with faster, bigger, better ways to manage things... there's the ongoing need for each of us to file and retrieve the info we need. How we do it is a very personal choice. As we have more data to deal with, we need easier and better ways to store and access it.
PapaJohn's Products and Services
The storage and retrieval of personal data has always been a strong interest of mine. Computer spreadsheets and databases offered so much... so did things like Internet Explorer's 'favorites'. I've been consolidating my key info needs over the years into a single custom-developed pesonal database. It's free to regular newsletter subscribers and $10 to others... using the PayPal or Google order button.
Newsletter 177 was about the database. Click the image to read it.
I'll email a copy... it's less than a 1 MB zipped file and doesn't need an installation process. Extract the items from the zipped file into a folder and run it. Realize it's an ongoing work in progress, and it's not a substitute for lack of discipline in entering info to keep track of.
Some people expect the database to contain a full copy of all my personal items, or at least all those about movie making. No, it doesn't... it's for you to enter your own info.
I developed the personal database over many years... to keep track of all the info (text only... no graphics) that I use in all corners of my life... video tapes and contents, software CDs and downloads, websites, email addresses, my schedule... I even drafted my books in it.
It's self contained, easy to backup, and can be run from a thumbdrive or flash card for the ultimate in portability and privacy. It actually started as a dozen different databases, but it evolved to a single one with everything in it.
The How To... is a 9 minute video about using the database...
Browse the Main File
Press the Main File button on the main menu and you'll see this view of the records in it. My persoanl file has been growing over the years and currently has over 6,300 records, all maintained in a single file of 9+ MB (and growing). Its size is limited only by the free space of the hard drive.
It's multi-user capable and can be run on a server. If two people open and edit the same record, the winner is the one who posts the changes first... the loser gets a message saying the record has changed since he/she opened it.
Each record is posted to the file as you use the database... in a power failure, the worst case is losing the info in the one record that you hadn't posted yet.
A quick scan of the window and the record selected for the above screen shot:
• When opened, the records are sorted alphabetically by Item name. Select the Type tab at the top of the list and it'll sort by Type... Item and Type names are whatever you decide they are.
• The two 'To Do' tabs (by Item or Type) filter the records so the list shows only those tagged as 'To Do' items.
• The 'by Date' tab filters all the records to show only those that have a date entered... you might have 100 things to do someday, but only 15 with dates.
• The 'Diagnostics' tab filters the records to show those you tagged as relating to that topic... GSpot, a codec utility, might be tagged as a diagnostic tool, as will be the Belarc Advisor.
• The unstructured comment field at the right can take 64,000 bytes of data, about 20 full pages when printed... use the print icon under it to print the selected record. It'll provide a screen preview first... maybe you only want to read it on-screen.
• The entry field right under the big comment field is the stored location of the original software package. My downloaded Ad-Aware installation package is in the solftware library on my G drive... in the Ad-Ware subfolder.
• The next field down, under the main list, is the installed location of the software... if it points to an executable, then clicking the open button to the right of the field will open the program right from the database... no need to use Strart > All Programs >..... About 90% of the apps accept running from a button in the database; some don't.
• The email field... if it has an email address, the icon next to it will open a new email and fill in the email address... you do the rest and send it. All without opening your email software first and finding the person in the address list.
• The last field at the lower right is the website address (URL).... the database can take those really long ones. Copy the URL from your browser when you're at a website you like and, instead of adding it to your internet favorites.... paste it into a new record in the database. The icon to the right of the field will open a new browser window and go to the website.
Yes, it does all these things from this main listing, without having to open a record.
With thousands or records in the file, how do you quickly go to a record such as Rehan's website? When the list first opens, type r and you'll be at the beginning of the r section, then e to be at the start of the Re section... if that's not enough type another letter. For those who know databases, this is called an incremental locator.
Change a Record (or add one)
When you opt to insert a new record or change an existing one, here's the window you get... just fill in or change whatever info you want... none of the fields are mandatory... but it's good to give each record an Item name or it'll be hard to find in the list.
The only other info in this record is what's on the tape... you can see it's some of my Chicago footage, a mix of standard and widescreen shots. If it was only footage of Chicago, maybe I'd make the item name read something like '57DV - Chicago - Dec 04'. It's easy to change a record... enter the changes and press the OK button.
Search
With thousands of items in the database, and the long free-flowing text field, how do you find something when you don't remember the item name? Here's one way. The main pulldown menu has a Browse > Search option. For this screen shot I entered the name Cameron, my oldest grandchild... and pressed the Search button (it's not case sensitive).
The list of items is presented in descending order based on the number of times the name 'cameron' appears in the record. I selected the one named 'Falcons-2002' and then double-clicked the item in the list... double-clicking high-lights the first instance of the name in the record.... double-click it a second time and it'll high-light the next instance... keep going as you want.
If, after seeing the list sorted by Hits, you want to see it sorted by Item or Type, press the appropriate button at the upper right.
Search results stay in memory until you clear them by pressing the Clear Results button.... if you don't clear them, and do another search, the additional records will be added to the ongoing list.
If it's an installed app and the path to the executable shows up below the window, you can open it using the icon to the left... this isn't the case with the record shown.
If there's a URL, you can run it from here, using the icon to the left... in the record shown, there's an online copy of the soccer game video on my website.... click the button and it'll open in Windows Media Player.
This overview of the database and how to use it is brief... I have instructions included in the database itself, along with some sample records to help you get up and running.
