This Help file was originally distributed on 8/28/99 as A5v4Help and a small donation was requested from anyone who found it useful. With the advent of A5 version 5, the version 4 Help file is being distributed free of charge.
The file was created by copying (with the permission of Selwyn Rabins of Alpha Software) text from the 'Xbasic.doc' for A5v4. (It took a lot of cutting and pasting!) Additional information and corrections were added as they became available. With a few exceptions, this help file only contains information about the various XBasic functions available in the Alpha Five version 4 database. NOTE:It is intended as a reference document - not a tutorial document.
The primary purpose was to create a Help file that could be used to find information on XBasic functions faster - whether or not the actual function name was already known. This was accomplished by using as many keywords as possible for each function and adding links between various related Help items. For example, looking up the word "erase" would show all the following functions:
<fld>.blank_put()
<tbl>.delete()
<tbl>.delete_dups()
<tbl>.delete_range()
<tbl>.is_deleted()
<tbl>.query_detach_all()
A_deleting_record
Dir_remove()
File.remove()
Table.erase
A second minor advantage is that this help file still uses the older .hlp type of file which means that it loads instantantly. This makes it more convenient to open and close the help file as needed.
INSTALLING THE A5v4 HELP FILE:
To install this version of the Help file, download and run the installation routine. That will install the AIMS_A5v4_Help.hlp file in a folder named Program Files\AIMS_A5_Help and put an icon on your start menu for opening it. We recommend moving the icon to your Quick Launch toolbar for faster, easier access. (The Quick Launch toolbar is the one that is typically at the bottom of your screen next to the Start button and only shows small icons that are activated by a single mouse click.)
WHAT'S NEXT:
An A5v5 version of this XBasic Function Help file has been completed. However, we understand that Alpha Software is doing something similar - go to the A5v5 XBasic Help page to see what advantages the AIMS Help file has.
We have also begun work on an XDialog Help file but it is only about 10% complete as of Jan 2003.
AIMS DataCom, Inc. - Custom Database Applications
This site created and maintained by Cal Locklin, CALocklin@chartermi.net, using 1st Page 2000.
Last update: 20-Mar-03
This site may be freely linked to but not duplicated in any fashion without prior written consent.