BRUTUS

software for cataloging

and organizing the

things we collect





2-2. Entering Books

The image below shows the Book Dialog which is used to enter new Books and to update existing Books which have already been entered into the Brutus database. To get to this dialog in New Mode, click on the File menu on the main window, then New, then Book. See below about how to get to this same dialog in update mode.






The field names are all fairly self-explanatory, we think, but here are a few things to keep in mind:

New: After filling in all the fields with the necessary information, add this Book to the database by clicking this button. This button is only enabled in new mode for inputting a new book. After entering a new Book, this dialog will remain visible for additional data entry. To return, simply click on the Main Window button.

Update: This button will only be enabled when in update mode (read below about how to enter into update mode). When in update mode this dialog will be presented fully populated with the current item. After making modifications to any part of the information, click on this button to update the database with all of the modified data. After a successful update, this dialog will be terminated. If, after attempting to update an item, this dialog remains visible, please check the Java console and the brutus.log file for information regarding possible errors encountered.

Delete: This button will only be enabled when in update mode (read below about how to enter update mode). If you click on this button, the entire item will be erased from the database.

Main Window: This button will never be disabled. If you have no more new Books to enter, or if you wish to abort an update in progress (before you have clicked on Update, of course), clicking this button will take you back to the Brutus Main Window and all data entered into any of the fields will be lost.

New Mode

Title: This field is completely arbitrary and you can call it whatever you like. Just be aware that this is the title that will be displayed in the drop down box for selecting which item to display in the main window. It is a required field and is also the field that will be searched if you choose the Search menu and then Title.

Author: This is an optional field, but it is the field searched if you choose the Search menu and then Author/Composer.

Publisher: This field, intended for the name of the Book's publisher, is optional. It is for information purposes only and is not the object of any search options.

Date: This is another optional field. Its intended use is to record the date the Books was published. It is for informational purposes only and is not included in any search.

Page Count: Enter into this field the number of pages in the Book. It is an optional field for information only.

Location: Here you need to enter the physical location of the media. It is a free-form entry field and you can put anything you like, for example: Third shelf of the bookcase next to the TV table. In the case of computer files, this should be the complete Drive, Path, and file name (e.g. D:\Books\FileName.pdf). Since the purpose of this software is to keep track of your collectible items, this has been made a required field.

Media: In this drop down box, you need to choose the type of media your book is recorded on. It is used in the determination of whether or not there are any files in this Book which can be displayed from this program. If you do not choose a media type, the default, CD, will be picked up by the program and stored on the database. If this is a printed copy of a published book, choose Other.

Genre: This describes the type of material in this book. If the material is not represented in the options available, choose Other. If you fail to choose an option, the default, Fiction, will be picked up by the program and stored on the database.

Comments: This is an optional field into which you can enter anything you wish... even a complete book review, if you wish.

Update Mode

Any time you have an Book displayed in the Brutus Main Window, you can update that Book by clicking on the File menu and then on Edit. This will present the Book Dialog window, in update mode, fully populated with all the data from the currently-displayed Book.

You may make deletions, additions or modifications to any of the fields on the dialog. After making all your changes, just click on the Update button.





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