# Standard filePro Terms

Databases, Fields, Records, Files

An example of a simple database is an address book. In this book, it is possible to keep track of contacts, usually arranged by last name. The information typically collected in an address book includes first and last names, home and work phone numbers, street address, city, state, zip code, email address, and possibly personal notes. filePro is a program that helps users to organize and use this type of information. The usage can range from a simple mailing list (which can be organized and sorted at incredible speeds) all the way to a complex registration program, which keeps track of students, teachers, fees, courses, and materials.

Within filepro, each type of information stored, such as city or a phone number, is called a field. Each full collection of fields is called a record. In the address book, a completed entry may include the persons name, contact information and personal notes. The specific information in a field is called data and is saved when each record is saved. The records are collected to create a database file.

filePro uses what is called a map to define the fields. This map is created by the Define Files option of the filePro Plus Main Menu.

Within the map, fields are referred to as "real fields", and are defined by:

Number (and name, although name is optional)

Length: number of characters (up to 999)

Type of data: alphanumeric, numeric, date, time

There can be up to 999 fields per record.

You can build many different named filePro databases (limited only by disk space), and they can all share and use data from each other.

The filePro programs are reached through the filePro Plus Main Menu.

§ To open the filePro Plus Main Menu in UNIX/LINUX/AIX, simply press p at any shell prompt (since the filePro Plus program 'p' is found in the /usr/bin directory and this directory is listed in the PATH variable for all users under these systems).

Note: The path environment variables must be set in a file fppath, fpplus.bat or other batch file in order to properly run filePro. Refer to the path variables for more information.

§ To open the filePro Plus Main Menu in Windows, click on the ICON created by the install shield. This will call a batch file e.g. fpplus.bat or fpws.bat which sets the filePro environment and executes "p". If the filePro Plus Main Menu is not properly displayed, check the last line of the batch file to see if it has been modified to call a user menu name. If so, create a copy of the batch file and modify the last line to drop the user menu after \p.exe.

You can create and run filePro files from this filePro Plus Main Menu. It is divided into two sides: Creation Programs (left side) and Runtime Programs (right side).

In most instances, end users will be provided with custom "user" menus. For our purposes , we will use the filePro Plus Main Menu. This menu is used to develop the applications. It is divided into two sections. You will use this menu to do virtually all design work within filePro. It is structured in this way so that you can also use it to test your work before packaging it up for the end - users. (Some filePro users do use this menu to access their programs; however, there are preferred ways of accessing user programs and pre-built applications. You will learn about them later.)

This primer will give you an overview of how to use the Inquire, Update & Add (IUA) menu option. This is provided to familiarize you with the "look and feel" of filePro. After we have something to work with, the "Beginner" guide will go through things in more detail.

By the way, case (upper or lower) is not important to Windows-based versions of filePro, but VERY important to Linux/Unix based systems. Throughout these guides, lower case will be used in most instances, and occasionally filePro will turn them into UPPER case as needed. You may use whichever suits you best, but you must be consistent. If you name files in lowercase letters, you must refer to them in lowercase as well.

All menu choices throughout filePro are "hot-keyed". This means you can just press the letter or number of the desired choice. Alternatively, you can move the highlighted bar to the desired choice and then press ENTER. Move the highlighted bar with the Arrow keys. The SPACE bar acts just like the Down Arrow.