ClassiCat^tm for Windows: What's new in version 2?

General

Automatic Edit & Save

• No "Edit" buttons! As you display information, you can automatically type in changes...then they are automatically saved. This is in effect in the Compositions, Recordings, Composers, and Artists windows. There, you will display information as before (such as selecting a composer from the drop-down list in the Composers window) and then proceed with making any changes. When you either display different information (i.e. a different composer) or close the window then your changes will automatically be saved. You can still cancel changes by clicking on the "Cancel" button.

Custom Information

• This neat new feature allows you to add your own database fields! It applies to Artists, Composers, Compositions, and Recordings. So if there is a piece of information that you wish was stored by the program, wish no more - add it yourself!

• To understand how Custom Information works, think of an existing field, such as a composer's name. The database field has two important pieces of information, one that identifies what type of information it is ("Name") and the other is the value for a specific composer ("Bach, Johann Sebastian"). You can think of any database field in these terms, which I'll call "Property" (Name) and "Value" (Bach).

• To add Custom Information, you will need to specify the Property and Value. For example, you might want to specify the style of composers. For Bach, you would open the Custom Information window, click on New, then enter "Style" for the property and "Baroque" for the value and click on "Save".

• There are Views for each type of Custom Information.

Save As...

• In the Artists, Composers, Compositions, and Recordings windows there is now a "Save As..." button. When selected, a window will appear with options to either Rename or Clone the current record.

• Selecting Rename will allow you to change the primary identifier of the record in question, for example a composer's name. This might be useful when, for example, you want to change the spelling of a composer's name.

• Selecting Clone will create a new entity in the database that is modeled after the current one. This might be useful to, say, model a recording after one that already is cataloged in the database.

Reports & Print Preview

• There are six new customizable reports, making twelve in all.

• Print Preview has been added for everything that prints out: reports, views, form printouts, etc.

• Filters: You can now create your own query-like filters

• Sorting: You can specify which field to sort a report on

• Summarizing: You can create reports of cross reference totals by the field of your choosing (for example, counts of the number of composers born by country; the number of recordings by media type; etc)

• Save to file: You can now save any document that is displayed in the Print Preview window to a file. You can create files as either an HTML document or in Rich Text Format (which is compatible with popular word processing software such as Microsoft Word)

Views

View recording-related information only

• When this box is checked, the Outline on the right will only display information that is associated with recordings. For example, with the View Composer / Composition being displayed, when this option is not checked, all compositions for the currently selected composer will appear in the outline. If this option is checked, only compositions that appear on recordings will be displayed.

Expand / Collapse buttons

• When clicked, these buttons will either expand or contract all outline entries by one hierarchical level.

New Views

• 19 of 'em, making 45 in all now.

Recording Selections

• Direct access to compositions window when making selections: you no longer have to have all compositions in the database before displaying the selections window

• "Select movement as selection" option: Allows tracking of individual movements as selections; this is very useful for recordings such as collections of opera arias.

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Assigning Artists to Recording Selections

• "Assign to movements" option: Now you can assign an artist to one or more movements; this can be used in numerous contexts, such as assigning singers to individual opera selections or to an orchestral movement.

• "Select movement as selection" option: Allows tracking of individual movements as selections; this is very useful for recordings such as collections of opera arias

Composers

• New fields: City, State, and Country of "Death"

• "Circa" indicators for birth and death dates

Artists

• New Synopsis outline provides an overview of the artist

• Default Instrument & Role : You can now define a default instrument and/or role for an artist. Then, when they are added to a recording, they are automatically assigned these values (which can then be modified if you wish).

• New fields: City, State, and Country of "Death"; "Circa" indicators for birth and death dates

Compositions

• New Synopsis window on main window provides an overview of the composition.

• New Fields: Instrument & Role

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