Personal Collectible Organizer PCO2001

 Collectible Organizer and Picture Display Software

Online Help File

Personal Collectible Organizer PCO2001 is a Windows® 95/98/ME/NT4.0/2000/XP/ Vista®  application developed for collectors to help track, store and inventory different types of collectibles and display pictures. The program enables you to store and easily find what you have and organize it! The software includes Title Lists Categories for: Trading Cards, Coins/Currency, Comics, Stamps, Model Projects, Trains, Diecast, Generic Items, DVD's and CD's and Collectible Card Games (CCG) and has also successfully been used for Sports Memorabilia, Newspapers, Magazines, Music Records, Movie DVD, Music CD's, Posters, Dolls, Recipes and just about anything else!

PCO2001 QUICK INSTRUCTIONS

*****INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS*****
1. Insert the CD into your CD ROM drive.
2. Click 'Start' on the Windows task bar, then select 'Run' from the start menu.
3. Type "d:\pco2001\setup" and click OK (where "d" is your CD drive letter) and follow the setup instructions. NOTE: Your drive letter can be any letter and may NOT be "D".
4. To run the program go to the Windows 'start' button, up to 'Programs'
5. Scroll and find the 'PCO2001' program (usually at the bottom) and open the program.
6. The registration screen opens, enter the registration number located on the back of the CD CASE and click OK.
7. The Main menu should display and the main program button is at the top left.

*****PROGRAM DATA ENTRY INSTRUCTIONS*****
1. Open the PCO2001 form and select the "ADD" button.
2. Select the collectible category (round buttons).
3. Select and enter your data (one item at a time). Start in the large search data box and type the first 3 lines and hit enter after each line, then hit the small "C" button. See the help file for data entry instructions.
4. Hit the "Save" button and optional "Report Preview" at the top menu.
5. Hit the "Copy -Add - Paste" buttons to enter the next record.

NOTE: The bonus invoice program PIM2002 is included on the same CD; type "d:\pim2002\setup"


DATA ENTRY FOR GENERIC ITEMS

The generic category can be used for many different items such as: coke bottles, stock certificates, records, CD's, DVD's, beanie babies, dolls, recipes etc. by using the four custom titles and the copy-add-paste buttons. To file a generic item first hit the 'ADD' button then select the 'Generic' Category round button. The four blue titles on the left will display as:

· Category
· Item
· Type
· Item No.

OPTION:
Click your mouse on any of these BLUE TITLES and you can change the title within 12 characters.

Example to change blue titles:

Click 'Item' and change it to 'Custom 1'.
Click 'Type' and change it to 'Custom 2'.

You can customize the other two blue titles using the same method.

Next, type your data into the search data box. The first 3 lines in the search data box should
match the first three fields; the rest of the data in the search data box can be anything you
want to assist in locating this record.

Once the first 3 fields are typed in the search data box use the small 'C' copy function button to load the first three lines of the search data box into first three fields.
When typing data into the search data box, you have to hit enter for the first 3 lines. The program will remind you if you forget.
If you double click anywhere in the search data box, it will expand to full view. Double click again to return to normal size.

After you have entered your data in the search data box proceed to filling out the rest of the data entry form using the dropdown boxes or enter your own data (you don't have to use the dropdown boxes). When you finish entering your data click the 'Save' button to ensure the record data is saved. You do not need to fill out everything; you can always go back and edit your data at any time.

Once you set up the first record use the copy-add-paste buttons to create the next record and these changes will be copied over to the next record; then edit the new record accordingly.

· You can display the front and back of the item in the horizontal front/back picture tabs.
· Any text you type in the search data box will locate the item.
· The record and list search features will find and report your data once you have entered it.

DATA ENTRY FOR CATEGORY ITEMS

The Categories are: Trading Cards, Coins/Currency, Comics, Stamps, Model Projects, Trains, Diecast, Generic Items and Collectible Card Games (CCG).
Each time you press a button for a category it will load the data and titles in the dropdown boxes.

INSTRUCTIONS:

First, type your data into the search data box. The first 3 lines should match the first three fields; the rest of the data can be anything you want to assist in locating this record.

Example:
Type the data for the first 3 fields ("Name" and the two fields underneath it ) in the large search data box.
Then type some search data text anywhere below the first three lines.
Example search data box text using the 'Card' Category:

Leo Durocher
Manager
Cubs

Baseball
1967
Topps

The first three lines will be copied into 1. Player Name, 2. Position, 3 Team. The data on the bottom will be used for searches.
Once the first 3 fields are typed in the search data box use the small 'C' copy function button to load the first three lines of the search data box into first three fields (example: player name, position and team).
When typing data into the search data box, you have to hit enter for the first 3 lines. The program will remind you if you forget.

TIP
If you double click anywhere in the search data box, it will expand to full view. Double click again to return to normal size.

Data Entry (set up the first record)

After you have entered your data in the search data box proceed to filling out the rest of the data entry form using the dropdown boxes or enter your own data (you don't have to use the dropdown boxes). When you finish entering your data click the 'Save' button to ensure the record data is saved. You do not need to fill out everything; you can always go back and edit your data at any time.

Dropdown boxes: Each dropdown data box is sorted for most categories. If you type a letter in the dropdown box text field the data will automatically start from that letter so you do not have to scroll down as much.
Take time to set up the first record, all the fields except the first three will be copied into the next record you create using the Copy-Add-Paste buttons.

CATEGORY:

Each major category has its own set of caption titles and dropdown data boxes when you select the category from the 8 round buttons. If you leave the first two data fields empty ('Name' and the text field underneath it) you can change to you preferred category each time the program loads to Coins, Comics, Stamps, Trains etc. If data is loaded in these two fields you will see a warning saying you need to create a new record to clear these fields.

The 8 category buttons load the dropdown data boxes. When you select one of these categories it checks the 'Name' field and field under the name ('Subject' or 'Position' for Cards). Leave these two fields blank in the first record and just hit the 'trains' button when the program loads. You will not see the warning message if these two fields are blank.

Sort by category
The search data box is the key to all the searches (list search and record search).
If you want to sort by 'engines' or 'cabooses' just make sure the word "caboose" is somewhere in the search data box. Every category should include some type of sort word and it will copy over with the copy-add-paste buttons.

The quickest way to load data would be to load similar items together (load all cabooses and then load all engines) and let the copy buttons do most of the work.
You can then find a record or do a list search for "Lionel" "Caboose" to see all Lionel Cabooses.

CUSTOM TITLES:

The 4 blue titles can be changed to anything you like by clicking the blue title and typing your custom title and typing your custom title in the dialog box. The custom title will be copied over to the next record using the copy-Add- Paste buttons.

COPY FUNCTIONS:

There are two copy functions in the program to help you load data fast; they are the COPY-ADD- PASTE
buttons and the small 'C' button. Once you understand how to operate these functions, data entry will be quick and easy.

Once the first 3 fields are typed in the search data box use the small 'C' copy function button to load the first three lines of the search data box into first three fields (example: player name, position and team).

To assist in data entry, you can use the "Copy-Add-Paste" buttons to copy your data into a new record. Once the first record is created (and saved), hit the "Copy-Add-Paste" buttons to copy all of the fields except the first three ("Name" and the two fields underneath it will not be copied).

These two copy functions give you flexibility, speed and accuracy in the data entry process.

SEARCH FIELDS AND NAVIGATION

Press the desired number search button (1-6) and enter your text criteria. The program will take you to the first match. Proceed to the next matching record by using the large right arrow navigator button. Proceed to the previous matching record by using the large left arrow navigator button.

LOAD PICTURES

You can load pictures from a scanner, digital camera or use pictures from the Internet with common picture file extensions: .bmp, .jpg, .gif.

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It is best to create a new picture file directory to store all your pictures, this way you can locate them and back them all up. The database stores the directory path and not the picture file itself.

You can include up to 8 pictures per record. A vertical front/back image and horizontal front/back image. The program will resize the picture to fit the screen and you can also select the 'actual size' view feature. You can load all 8 pictures from the 'Load Pic' tab or from each picture view tab. Once the picture is loaded you can hit the 'view picture' button to view the picture. Hit the 'SAVE' button to view a picture after you load it and move to a different Tab.

The '2 picture' display tab can change the picture display to square or long under the 'view' menu option. As an example you can use 'long view' for trading cards and 'square view' for coins etc.

Sell Items: Keep track of the items you want to sell by simply checking the "Sell" checkbox in the main menu. You can easily view a complete or filtered list in the program or print it out. Items that are checked as 'sold' will display as a red background. You can keep sold items in the database as long as you want until you delete them. To view a list of all the items you have sold, click the 'list tab' and under 'list search' select 'Search sold items'. You will always get 2 prompts to filter your search. You can leave them all blank by just hitting enter.

List Search All items
If you list search 'All' you will get 5 prompts to filter your list. You can always leave as many as you want blank.

Search Text: The text that you type will be displayed in blue on the main menu so you can check for any typos if results are not as expected.

Organize Items: A group of checkboxes allow to you to organize by: Favorite, Rookie (1st), Reprint, Error, Sets, Checklists, Graded and Autograph. When you check these boxes, the list search options are identical, so you can easily view lists of all checked items i.e.: (a list of all 'Autograph' items etc.)

'Item' Search: To find a specific item by its number (card no, coin year (sorted) issue No. Catalog No. et.), hit the 'Search item number' button and enter the number. Depending on how many items have that number use the large navigator button to locate the item you are looking for quickly. A filtered list search is better suited for item number searches where you can search for specific team, year, issue, coin, grade, etc. This will work for any type of number in this field.; i.e. Card Number, Stamp catalog number, Issue number, Coin year etc.
 

Record Numbers and Record Count

Each record is assigned a unique sequential non-duplicating RECORD NUMBER. Once you delete a record number it cannot be used again. This number cannot be changed.

The RECORD COUNT is located above the "Previous" and "Next" buttons and will always show a sequential record count starting from 1 even when you delete records.

As you add more records you will find it helpful to search by this record number. To find a specific record use the top menu option under ’Search’ and input the record number you are looking for.

Expanded Displays: You can expand the note box to include large text or notes. Copy and paste into the search data or note box by highlighting the text, right clicking the mouse and pasting into these boxes. You can store many different types of information such as grading lists, web pages, Set checklists etc. The note field is expanded on the second tab, and the search data is expanded by double clicking anywhere in the search data box. To return to normal display double click anywhere on the expanded search display box.

Multiple Search Fields: There are 6 separate search fields to locate data. Each button on the main menu with a numbers 1-2-3-4-5-6 are for how many search prompts for that function. If you hit button "2" you will get two search prompts. Example, search for "Yankees" and "1967". Then use the large navigator buttons with < > arrows to move to the "Next" or "Previous" record. You can use as many search fields as necessary to help filter your search; i.e.: Button 4: "Yankees", "1967", "Topps", "pitchers", will show you all the pitchers on the Yankees for 1967 Topps cards. The text that you type will be displayed in a box on the main menu to check for any typos if results are not as expected.

Remember you are searching for data in the search data box.

List Search: You can do a list search up to 5 separate fields! Use the list search option in the top menu. You can search "ALL" or select a filtered search based on the checkboxes. An example would be to search for "Yankees", "1967", "Topps" . Hit enter for the other blank search prompts. It does not matter if you use lower or upper case characters. Larger lists can be scrolled down to view. The data to the left in the list search are sorted in sequential order making it very helpful for completing sets, viewing years, issue numbers, catalog numbers and also will sort data alphabetically. You can save this as a text file to view on your computer or print out.

The list search tab includes a feature to show the horizontal scroll bar to view all your data if it extends outside the box and you can remove an item from the list, by selecting the item and pressing the 'Count/remove' button.

List Count
The list search has a 'Count/Remove' button on the bottom. do a list search and then select one item and press the remove button. The total number of items in the list will show to the right of the remove button.

If you click this button after you do a list search it will show how many items are in the list.

Inventory List Search: The total value of each list search is displayed on the bottom giving you the sum of your collection. The total purchase price is also displayed on the bottom.

Alternate Pictures: There are four alternate Pictures that can also be linked to the record making a total of eight pictures per record (2+3+3). Click the 'Main Picture' button to view the main picture and 'Picture 1',2 etc for the others. There is an 'Actual size' button that will show the picture in actual size and a 'zoom' and 'out' button for alternate displays.

Main Grid Display: You can view, edit and sort the data via a grid. Click the top of the header in the grid for the data to be sorted. The grid can be opened from the main menu under 'File ' or 'options' menu. You can also open the main grid from the button in the quick-view grid tab.

Calculator: A calculator is built in to the main menu for easy reference.

There is a record preview (4 images and all record data) and Image group preview (all 8 images and limited record data).

Free Upgrades: Your purchase entitles you to Free Program Upgrades that can be downloaded from our Web site.

Reports: You can view, print or save as text file individual records or complete list search reports. There are several options to generate reports; you can print the entire record data, notes or list search results to a separate text file. The list search includes 11 different options! Print options are the same as reports and you can print from any tab, including the picture tabs.

Report Preview: The Report Preview feature includes the record data and up to four pictures and the Image Group Preview displays up to all eight images on one page! Both the Report Preview and Group Image Preview will print the images displayed on the screen!

Text Editor: A Text editor is built in to the main menu to create or open text files.

Grid Display: There is also a quick sort grid located on a separate tab. Use the dropdown box to automatically sort by player name, card number, etc. You can not edit the record in this mode; it is display only. Always edit the record in the data entry tab or main grid.

Data Backup: All your data is stored in a database located in c:\program files\pco2001\Sportcard.mdb.
If you copy this data to disk all your data will be backed up. The pictures are not stored in the database; only the picture path is stored. You will need to make a separate backup to tape or CD as you normally would for your pictures. There is no limit to how many files you can store besides the hard drive space on your computer.

Save a record data to a text file (on disk or hard drive), proceed as follows:

1. First go to the record you want to save.
2. In the Top left Menu options click 'File' - 'Save to file'
3. Choose your path in the dialog box. Usually at the top select path 'A: 3.5' and name your file under 'FILE NAME"

This will save the record as a text file to disk.
Choose a different path if you want to save to your hard drive folder.

If you want to use the same entire database on another computer; copy the 'Sportscard.mdb' database located in c:\program files\pco2001 to the computer you want to use it in.

Be careful if doing this and make a backup before you do because it will overwrite the database on the computer you are coping to.

Support: For help or support please contact by e-mail bparkin@juno.com or visit our web site.

Program updates can also be downloaded from this web site.

https://mcmsoftware.tripod.com/pco2001.htm

Copyright (C) 2001-2008 by Robert W. Parkin. All Rights Reserved.

Version 1.5.9