Data Entry Basics

Entering data into AVCataloger is designed to be simple and efficient. There is no save button except for the CDDB area. Once a row of data has been filled in, it is committed to the database by hitting the enter key. To cancel a data entry, hit the ESC key twice. There are different types of data that can be entered in a row of information, ranging from Dates to number fields, such as the Price column. It is imperative the right type of data is entered, for example, entering text in the Price column will trigger an error.

There are two types of drop down information in AVCataloger. Columns such as Media, Location, Genre in the Music area are drop downs that can be sorted within the drop down by clicking the column header of the drop down data. If you see a column header of the drop down data, this is a column that can accept data not listed by simply typing it in the column manually. After you type the data in the column and move off the column, the data, if not in the list of available items, will be added to the list for future use. If an item is in the list that you no longer want to be in the list, use the Data Manager to remove the item of interest. The second type of drop down data is a drop down list that can only accept values from the list, such as the Ranking column. If you create a user-defined (custom) drop down list column, you will see an option at the bottom of the list to modify the contents of the list. This is simple way of adding or removing items from this style of list. Duplicate items cannot be entered into the lists, be sure the item you want to add is not already in the list.

Date type columns require a valid date type format for data entry. The default format is that of your Windows Settings for date format in the Regional Settings area of your system control panel. Click the drop down arrow to present a calendar to choose a date from easily. To rapidly scroll the Year or Months, click on the Year or Month directly and a list will appear offering an easy way to scroll through time more efficiently. If you decide not to enter a date, click the None button at the bottom of the calendar and the date will be removed.

Editing data is straight forward and can be accomplished by clicking in the column and re-typing the data or selecting another item if the column contains a drop down list. In the Music area, tracks and images cannot be associated to a record until the record has been committed. Once the enter key has been hit on the keyboard and the row of data committed, you can then click within the stored row and the track and image managers will be available for data.

With the Main entry area, track manager, and image managers showing, the screen can be scaled by dragging the dividers between the top and bottom areas, or between the track and image manager areas. When the mouse pointer changes from a pointing arrow to a double-sided arrow, click and drag in the appropriate direction to resize the elements. These settings will be saved for future use to avoid having to resize each time.

**Music Area Only

The Music Area contains a column where albums stored via the CDDB process show an Internet icon indicating a link to resources related to the particular album. By clicking this icon, a dialog will appear allowing you to connect to the CDDB resource to either show a CDDB web browser containing information on the respective album, or showing the CDDB interface populated with data on the album. This feature provides a full information resource on the album that may not be saved in the music area, allowing for a more efficient layout. An Internet connection is required to connect to the CDDB information resource.

**Video Area Only

The Video Area contains a column where titles stored with the IMDb system will show an IMDb icon signifying the record was entered from the IMDb area.  Clicking this icon (when connected to the Internet) will open the integrated web browser and present the IMDb details directly from the IMDb web site.

**Book Area Only

The Book Area contains a column where a web link is stored to call up the saved book on the Amazon.com web site.  Click the icon and the inline web browser will display the corresponding book, which can then be purchased or viewed, as desired.  Internet connection required.