AcmeBase Documents

This project has been abandoned. The code base is no longer being maintained.

Documentation Topics
This is a complete list of all the documentation available for AcmeBase. It includes the help files and other documents, some of which are also listed below. It includes program documentation and a list of the AcmeBase schema files used to construct forms and lists in the example database. The bullets in front of each topic are links which can be used to view the file's source code.
AcmeBase Search Instructions
Searching the database, whether its from the main console or from lookup form fields, is easy and powerful. The AcmeBase Searcher looks at your search string to determine which database columns to search. If the search looks like a name (with pattern matching characters) the name field is searched. If it looks like an ID number, it looks up the record ID. If the search looks like a phone number, the phone number columns are searched, and so on. Searches can also be little mini-scripts, prompting for parameters and joining other tables. This help document describes how to talk to the Searcher.
AcmeBase Forms
AcmeBase forms are enhanced to assist data entry. Data can be entered with the keyboard's number pad using the Enter key to go to the next field. Dates can be entered many different ways, and audit trails can be called up from the form. This document tells how.
AcmeBase Properties
This is currently the primary documentation of AcmeBase. It lists the AcmeBase properties used to describe your SQL database. AcmeBase is constructed from text files of property names and their values. It is a simple format and this document describes the syntax and lists the AcmeBase properties used to describe a database, its forms, lists, and its relationships.
AcmeBase Names
AcmeBase uses a naming convention to refer to the same information element in different realms (or name spaces). This document describes how a form field name translates to a Perl variable name and to a SQL database table's column name.
AcmeBase Files
This document diagrams the AcmeBase files and how they are organized.
AcmeBase Programs
This document describes some conventions used to write AcmeBase programs such as setting up error reporting and security checks. It also lists other programs and libraries the AcmeBase programs depend on being present on the computer.
AcmeBase Security
Access to all AcmeBase programs and to database tables and columns is controlled by user security settings in an access configuration file. This document describes how to restrict access to users and user groups.
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