Report problems or suggestions to support@mmcctech.com
Hosted by Molarnet Technologies
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Mid-Michigan Computer Consultant's (MMCC) "Bell Choir Manager and Performance Planner" (BELLS) is an integrated set of computer programs which manage the day to day operations of a typical handbell choir.
As with any comprehensive computer system, BELLS may be used in many ways. Different choirs find different things are important; individual computer skills vary; choir sizes, music preferences and equipment inventories differ. BELLS was written with this in mind and is easily tailored to meet each choir's priorities.
The BELLS system incorporates several related functions. These include:
Instrument lists: Simple lists showing how many of each instrument the choir owns. These lists are categorized as handbells and handchimes and each list is organized by octave. The lists are used for performance planning purposes.
Property and Instrument Inventory: An inventory of the property that the choir owns. The inventory is organized into categories such as handbells, chimes, cases, tables, music stands, etc. Each of these groups can include any number of specific items. Each item is recorded with a description, costs, purchase and maintenance dates and similar information.
Music Library: This a compilation of all of the musical numbers that the choir owns. The list includes the typical items like title, composer and publisher but it also includes octaves, difficulty, instruments, purchase date, last performance date and the like.
Bell Assignments: Each musical number in the library includes a list of instrument assignments to show which book or position plays which notes. This list is used by the performance planner to map the movement of bells during a complex performance.
Performance Planner: A program which takes a list of musical numbers and charts the movement of all instruments from book to book as the performance progresses. Arriving at this program was the reason that the BELL system was created in the first place.
For a new user there's a somewhat logical sequence of things to do after installing the software. These steps will be outlined here then other sections of the manual will provide more specific instructions for the detailed steps.
Installation: The first step is installation. This is essentially copying the programs to your own computer's hard disk. There's little more to do. (Actually, you can run from the diskette if you don't mind it being slow. Make a copy of the disk first if you elect to do this!)
"Look around": Once the system is installed you should run it and just "look around". There won't be any data yet so you can safely play around without hurting anything. You'll notice that the system is relatively easy to use and has uncluttered screens. Another section of this manual describes the screen organization in detail but for now just note that there's a top zone to the screen, a data area in the middle, and a "prompt zone" at the bottom.
Load your instrument lists: The first real thing you should do is to load your instrument list. That's easy to do and gives you a feel for what's going on. Besides, you must have a list of instruments for the performance planner to work with.
Load some music: Once you have an instrument list, you should load a couple of musical pieces. You use the Music Library option to list each piece in your library and the particulars of that piece. You also list your bell assignments in this program.
Plan a performance: Once you've entered your bells and one or more pieces of music you're ready to plan a performance with option 4 from the main menu.
Performances consist of a "program" listing each of the musical numbers that you're going to play, in the order of performance. Once you've done this the program will build a work file for that performance and lay in all of the bells for each book for each number. You can modify the work file to change it from your standard bell assignments to the actual ones you'll use for this performance.
The performance work file is used to chart the movement of bells from one book to another. It's one of those jobs that's awful for a human yet perfect for a computer! After the performance is charted the program will print "pass sheets" showing each book where to get their bells from and where to send them to on each number.
Before you go on, now's a good time to at least skim through the rest of the manual. Many people find that it's easier to just play with a program to figure it out but this manual is short and you'll find reading it helps as you explore the system.
All computer software has built-in limits. If nothing else, the systems are limited by the physical storage capacity of the computer.
Some software imposes artificial limits which are not helped by having more hardware. Programmers write those systems to allow a fixed number of musicians or instruments or other items. Another type of limitation occurs when programs are written to accept very specific codes for common actions. For instance, a programmers might specify in advance how many octaves or bells you have. BELLS has VERY FEW limits.
BELLS is a highly configurable system. Very few assumptions are "hard coded" into the programs. Where some systems would use pre-defined codes, BELLS allows you to make up your own.
BELLS has few artificial limits. There is no limit to the size of data files. Files are allowed to grow naturally without special action, as long as there is space on the disk. Those limits that do exist are so large that it is unlikely they will be exceeded.
Computer Concepts:
The Bell Choir Manager software is designed so that the average user doesn't have to know much about the computer's operating system. Despite that fact, it is helpful if you understand a few fundamental concepts.
BELLS is a DOS program. That means that it doesn't require MicroSoft WINDOWS in order to run. These notes are written for DOS users. If you're using WINDOWS, much of this is useful but you'll execute BELLS from within WINDOWS which is a bit different.
It's not within the scope of this manual to teach DOS or WINDOWS concepts in detail. Entire books are devoted to this topic and are readily available at popular book stores. The topic is also covered in extreme detail in the many popular computer magazines. What we will do is to list some topics which deserve further study.
DOS Commands: Is isn't necessary to know all of the commands available within DOS. You should understand how commands are entered, generally what they do and how to recognize when you can enter a DOS command.
The "C:" Prompt: The "C: Prompt" is DOS' indication that it is waiting for a command to be entered. When the system is turned on you are either working in a program like BELLS or DOS is in charge and waiting for a command. You should be able to recognize what's happening by looking at the screen.
Disk Drive Identifiers: Although BELLS can actually be run from a diskette, nobody would do that these days. We'll therefore assume that you're using a hard disk. That disk is identified by a drive letter with the primary disk being C:. Diskette drives are also identified by letter but are limited to A: and B:. You should know what drives are installed on your computer and how to identify them.
Sub-directories or folders: Data stored on the hard disk may be organized into directories. (WINDOWS uses the term "folders" rather than directories; they're exactly the same thing.) This is important because it allows you to group your data files by system. You should understand the directory / sub-directory concept and how to find files in the directories.
Data files: BELLS data is stored in standard DOS/WINDOWS data files. You should never find need to mess with these files outside of the BELLS system. It is, however, nice if you at least understand how files are named, how to find them with DOS or WINDOWS tools and how to move them around if needed.
BACKUPS! It's important that you understand the concepts of backups. There are many ways to accomplish backups but they all do the same thing: they allow you to make a COPY of your data. You can, and should, make more than one copy of your data. Should anything happen to your computer, you can recover the data from your most recent backup.
Single-User vs. Network Systems
BELLS will operate on a single, stand-alone PC or on a group of PC's connected to a Local Area Network. The SHAREWARE version of BELLS is only licensed in the single-user format. You can use the system on a network but only one workstation at a time can reference the data files. If you want more than one person to access the system at the same time you can purchase a multi-user version of the system by contacting MMCC.
SYSTEM STARTUP:
Starting BELLS is a very simple operation. From the DOS prompt (usually the C: prompt) you change into the sub-directory where the programs are stored then type BELLS and tap ENTER. The program will perform some startup operations then present you with the main menu screen.
Is your caps lock key off?
The state of your caps lock key is important in the BELLS system. The programs expect caps lock to be OFF. To make keying more intelligent, BELLS will "invert" the keyboard for fields which would normally be keyed in upper and lower case and BELLS sets caps ON for fields which are normally upper case. If your caps lock light is on or if you can't get the shift key to do what you expect it's probably because your caps lock is turned on. (Most keyboards have a CAPS LOCK light but older boards don't.)
BELLS was designed to work in a very consistent and predictable way. If you learn to do something in one area you'll find that it's done the same way in other areas.
The thing that makes software easy to follow is designing it around a set of standards. This chapter explains the standards and the assumptions used when writing BELLS. Reading this will give you the roadmap you need to work through the rest of the sytem.
MENU DRIVEN SYSTEM:
BELLS is a menu driven system. That means that you are guided from screen to screen with list of options called menus. Each menu list a series of functions or options by number. At the bottom of the screen you are asked to select an option number.
Some menu options represent sub-menus. This simply means that the system can't give you all of your options on one screen so the an additional screen is used. In other cases a sub-menu is used to group similar functions. An example of sub-menus is "F5 services". When you press the F5 key in the main menu, you are presented with a new, sub-menu which lists service options.
A convenient shorthand method is used for identifying specific programs or reports. You get to the "handbell inventory list" by using option 2 of the main menu then option 1 of the "Inventory menu". The shorthand name of the "handbell inventory list" becomes the 2/1 or 2,1 screen.
KEYBOARD and SCREEN STANDARDS
BELLS is very consistent in the way it uses the keyboard and screen. As a rule, when you learn to use one screen you'll be able to use any other screen. Where there are differences, they will be clearly indicated with "prompts" on the bottom line of the screen.
GENERAL SCREEN ORGANIZATION:
The screen is thought of in three zones. The top two or three lines identify the program you're using. The middle of the screen is where the work is done. The bottom few lines are used for prompts.
TOP ZONE:
PROGRAM NAME: The program is identified in the upper left corner of the screen. This doesn't matter much to you unless there is a problem and you need telephone support. Then it helps to identify which screen you're working in. Program names are 8 characters long and usually look something like BELL1020.
DATE and TIME: Most, but not all, programs will show the date in the upper right corner of the screen. The time is updated only with certain keystrokes so don't count on it for an accurate time. The menu is an exception where the time is updated regularly every 30 seconds or so.
TITLE: The name of the system and the specific program are shown in the center of the zone.
REVISION: Almost all programs will display the REV date in the bottom right corner of the top zone. This is usually colored black on red to remove some of the emphasis. The revision date is the date and time when the particular program was last changed.
OPTIONS: Some programs have options which control their overall operations. Often times those programs will display a summary of important option settings on the left end of the second and third lines.
MIDDLE ZONE:
The middle of the screen is where the work is done. The details are different for each program but the concepts are the same.
All the programs use a fill in the blank approach. The screen is divided into fields which are made up of a description and a blank to be filled in. If the screen is for new data the blanks are shown with underlines or as colored boxes. If the screen contains data then the data in each blank is shown in high intensity or with a different color.
Some types of computers only allow movement on a screen to be reached by moving from left to right and top to bottom. That is, you can only move across the line, not directly up and down. PC's generally allow movement in any direction. BELLS allows movement from field to field in two ways:
* When you enter a value in a field and press the RETURN key the program will jump to the next field it thinks you want to work with. For instance, a field might have name, address and city as a block on the left and phone, dates, and status on the right. When you enter the name, the program moves you down to the address. Only after you've entered the city information does the program jump up and right to the phone block.
(NOTE: When you enter every character in a field the program will automatically jump to the next field just as though you had pressed the RETURN key. If you are not going to enter every character, say in a name, then you press the RETURN key yourself.)
* Secondly, you can move anywhere you want on the screen with the cursor keys. These are the arrows, HOME and END. (There are some special rules in edited fields as noted below).
PROMPT ZONE:
The bottom two or three lines of the screen are reserved for prompts. The information on these lines always describes exactly what you're expected to enter at the point where the cursor is flashing.
As you move from field to field on a screen the prompts will continuously change to keep you informed of what you can or should do.
When you have several options, the prompt informs you of the correct action by highlighting the letter or number which goes with the option. For example you might see:
Revise or Delete this entry
The R and D would be highlighted (or shown in a different color) to indicate that for revise you are to enter an R and for delete you are to enter a D.
EDITED FIELDS:
Alpha fields like descriptions, names and comments are usually EDITED. This means that you can move left and right within the field with the arrow keys. You can also backspace, delete and insert characters.
When working in an EDITED field you'll find that the left and right arrows, the HOME and END key don't allow you to go to another field on the screen. They work only within the field in question. That is, if you're working in a NAME and want to jump over to PHONE on the right side of the screen you can't do it with the right arrow!
If you want to leave an EDITED field there are several ways to do it. First, the left and right arrow movement can be accomplished by using TAB and SHIFT TAB. The up and down arrows always work so you might find it convenient to move up or down then left or right.
Edited fields are usually identified in the prompt line with the word *EDIT. It may be in a different color or flashing or juststuck on the end of the prompt but it should be visible. Of course you also know you're in an edited field when you can move left and right with the cursor keys.
EDITED fields recognize the INSERT key and change from insert mode to typeover mode. This is very similar to word processors. The blinking cursor usually changes size or shape to indicate which mode is in effect. The DELETE key deletes the character which the cursor is on and the characters to the right are pulled in to fill the hole. The BACKSPACE key simply moves the cursor when you're in typeover mode; BACKSPACE deletes the character to the left of the cursor when you're in INSERT mode.
The HOME and END keys can be used in a *EDIT field to jump to the beginning or the end of the string. You should note that SPACES on the end of the string are part of the string. Usually when you first enter a *EDIT field, the program will have removed any trailing blanks. If you press END you jump to the last actual character in the field. If you then add SPACES to the end, the END key will move to the last SPACE.
NUMERIC FIELDS:
Numeric values are entered left to right. Once you've entered the value and tapped RETURN (or filled the field), BELLS will re-display the contents of the field and shift the numbers to the right.
For numbers which include decimals, you do NOT have to enter the decimal point. If you don't enter it then the system assumes that you are entering a whole number and it will put in the decimal points. For example:
If you enter: The system displays:
123 123.00
.5 .50
52.3 52.30
You might note that when you're entering a number in a field which already shows an older number, you type over the top of the old number. The system does not erase the old number when you start typing. Once you tap RETURN, the number you typed replaces what was on the screen.
SHIFT INVERTED FIELDS:
Shift inversion means that the system changes the state of your CAPS LOCK key without requiring that you do anything.
In general, everything you type will be in UPPER CASE. That's the way the computer likes to see data and it's why most computer printouts you see are in all capitals.
To get lower case when the computer usually wants upper, you have to press the shift key. BELLS tries to be helpful. When you're typing things like names and addresses or descriptions, the system assumes that you'd like those to be in upper and lower case and automatically puts you in that mode.
When automatically inverting the shift key the system changes to lower case mode for you. You hold the shift key to capitalize the first letter of a name or word. It is very natural and logical.
POP-UP WINDOWS:
The system makes use of pop-up windows for special lookups and warning messages. These windows appear as a block of information with a border around it and it appears directly on top of whatever is on the screen. It's called a pop-up because it seems to just pop onto the screen. When you have finished with the window it pops away leaving the original contents of the screen as they were.
Some pop-up windows are used to "scan" data. For example, you can "scan" your music library in alphabetic order. "Scan" windows allow you to use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to roll through the window. The window will have its own prompt zone which tells you what options you have.
CALL FOR HELP!:
BELLS goes to great lengths to watch for unusual events. Many software packages just ignore the unlikely things and hope they don't occur. BELLS looks for almost everything!
When BELLS finds something unusual it will issue a RED error message in the middle of the screen. The message contains up to six lines of information. The top two lines often contain technical data but the rest of the message usually contains a text description of the condition.
All error message blocks have a serial number in the top left border of the box. This serial number is made up of two parts. The first part is the program number, the second is the error ID. For example 1020.BW-10. You should note this error serial number in any correspondence with tech support.
If you have a printer attached to your computer, you should consider printing the screen if you get an error message. This allows you to save the information without writing it all down.
Most error messages require that you release them by keying a SHIFT X (which results in a lower case x). That key is used because it's unlikely that you would be keying it for anything else. This holds the screen until you acknowledge that you've read the message. In some cases there will be other release characters and those will be described in the bottom line of the message box.
SPECIAL KEYS:
F1: Stop an action. F1 is most often used when you're in a scan window or printing a report and you want to stop. There is usually, although not always, some kind of prompt informing you that F1 is available. If what you are trying to stop is not easily restarted the system will ask are you sure before stopping.
F2: a. Pauses an action asks for TAP ANY KEY to continue. This usually works in scans and reports or anything that rolls the screen very fast.
(NOTE: The computer's PAUSE key, or pressing CTRL-S, will also pause things. But that is done at the DOS level and the program has no control over it. The two problems with using the DOS level pause are 1) the screen may be caught in the middle of a scan and look strange and 2) if you're on a network the entire network may stop! DO NOT use the DOS level pause.)
Some screens include a GOSLOW routine. In this case, F2 will pause the activity in progress but will also allow you to set a speed from 0 (no stops) to 9 (very slow). This way to can watch what's happening.
b. Calls for a POPUP window. F2 will sometimes appear in your prompts as a SCAN option. It may also be offered as in INFORMATION block. You can press F2 to see what it offers.
SCAN routines normally allow you to enter a few characters of the information you're searching for. For example if you're looking for a piece of music and you're offered the F2 option you could enter a few letters of the title and then press F2. The scan will come as close as it can to that title and start the scan. You can then move forward or backwards through the index with the arrow keys.
INS: Insert character: Used in an EDITED field to turn insert mode on and off.
Insert record: In some programs the INS key may be used to indicate that you want to add a new record. If this is the case it will be noted in the prompt.
DEL: Delete character: Used in an EDITED field to delete the character to the right of the cursor.
Delete record: In some programs the DEL key may be used to indicate that you want to delete a record. If this is the case it will be noted in the prompt.
F10: END and SAVE. F10 is the standard SAVE key. Used anytime to end the screen (or sub-screen) you're working in and save the data.
Once you begin working in most screens, the cursor will stay within the body of the screen until you either F10 to save or ESC to cancel the entry. If you work your way all the way to the last field on the screen then tap ENTER one more time, the program will loop back to the top of the screen. The only way out is F10 or ESC.
ESC: Abort action. ESC should get you out of any action you're doing. Generally it will pop a red and yellow box on the screen and say action canceled.
Exit action. ESC is also used to exit a program and return to the previous menu. At the main menu, the ESC key doesnothing. You must enter the 99 option to exit BELLS entirely from the main menu. (Most people take advantage of this and exit a sub screen by hitting the ESC key many times quickly. The programs will back out to the main menu then will "stick" there.)
HOME: Home the cursor. This generally takes you back to the first field on the screen. In an EDITED field it will take you back to the first character of the field.
END: End of action. When you're working in a screen, the END key will often act the same as the F10 key to exit and save data. In an edited field the END key will move the cursor to the last character of the line (which may be a space if you've keyed one there.)
CURSOR KEYS: The arrow keys, more properly called the cursor keys, are used to navigate within the fields of the screen. This was noted above. The only exception is the left and right arrow when working in an EDITED field.
TAB: Tab left and right: The TAB key is treated the same as the RIGHT ARROW. SHIFT/TAB is the same as the LEFT ARROW. These keys work even within an EDITED field.
CTRL-C and CTRL-BREAK: System break: Control-C, Control-BREAK and BREAK are recognized by DOS and passed to BELLS as a program abort request. These will generally bring the work station back to the menu in a controlled fashion. If a system break is issued to the menu then the work station is returned to the DOS prompt.
NOTE: System breaks should be a last resort! Don't issue it unless you are sure that there is no other option or you have been specifically told by MMCC that it is acceptable. There is no guarantee that all files will be properly updated when a system break is issued!
CTRL-C is preferred over CTRL-BREAK or BREAK.
CTRL-ALT-DEL: System boot: The Control-alt-del key sequence is the hardware warm boot key sequence. It is anintentionally difficult set of keys to press because the results can be dangerous.
Booting the system stops anything that is working, wipes memory and restarts DOS with a clean slate. There is virtually no guarantee that what you were working on was preserved or even recognized.
If you re-boot a network file server then you also wipe out everyone else who was using that file server's disk!
Re-boot your system ONLY if you KNOW that you, and everyone depending on your computer, are not in the middle of anything. All systems should be at the DOS prompt!
DATA ENTRY CONCEPTS and STANDARDS
WHAT: Data entry is the process of keeping your data current and correct. It includes such things as entering or removing instruments, changing bell assignments or updating inventory records.
HOW: Maintenance is usually done from a list. Consider the PROPERTY INVENTORY (screen 2/3) as an example. When you enter this screen you're presented with a window listing all of the property you own. The prompt zone lists the options:
to item. Tap ENTER to select that item.
Letter Enter a letter to jump to that page
ESC to return without change
INS to ADD a new item.
f you already have inventory items on file you move a blinking pointer up and down through the list. When you find an item you want to work on you press the ENTER key. The program will present a large box in which you can update the details for that item.
If you want to add a new item to your inventory, you press the INS (insert) key. The program will then give you a small box allowing you to identify the item you want to add by type and ID. When you've done that the program gives you the large box in which you can update the details for the item.
These data entry screens are popup boxes. But they follow the general screen design used throughout BELLS. There is a top zone, middle zone and prompt zone within the box. Most of your work is done in the middle zone, specific prompts are shown at the bottom.
KEY FIELDS: It is very important to understand the concept of the key field and how it relates to data entry programs.
Each BELLS data file is organized with an indexing technique. That means that a specific set of data fields uniquely identifies each record in the file. In the property inventory file the key fields are the TYPE and the ITEM ID. The program must know both of these to find any particular inventory item and you cannot have two items with the same TYPE and ITEM ID.
Key fields are special because they cannot be changed! That means that once you put an item in the inventory with a specific TYPE and ITEM ID it keeps that number forever. The only way to change the key is to completely delete the item then put it back into the system with a new ID.
DATA FIELDS: Unlike the key fields, data fields are just general information. You can change any data at any time.
The BELLS program control your use of data fields in several ways. First, fields may be restricted to numbers or letters or allow both. They may automatically shift into upper case only or they may automatically invert the keyboard so that you key upper and lower case like you would on a typewriter. Fields may also be restricted to certain values. YES/NO fields will typically allow only a Y or an N to be entered.
The programs have many "editing" rules built in. They warn you of improper data and won't let you use it.
MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS:
FINDING A RECORD: Before you can work on a record you must identify it and let BELLS put it on the screen. That's done by filling in the key field data or pointing to the item on in a list box.
CHANGING A RECORD:
Once you identify a record to be changed BELLS load the data into a work area and present it to you on the screen. Your cursor will be placed in the first field that you can change, a prompt will be displayed in the prompt zone and you are free to move around and update the data.
In some cases the program doesn't automatically put into the change box. In those cases it offers options in the prompt zone instead. The most common options are to REVISE or DELETE the record. Sometimes there are options like PRINT.
When you are revising or adding data you may navigate the screen with the cursor keys and jump directly to the field you want to change.
Once you have made all the changes you want, press F10 to end the revise process. You can press the ESC (escape) key to discard the changes you've made on the screen and leave the original item as it was.
DELETING A RECORD:
You delete a record much as you would change one. Once you identify a record by key field or by pointing to it in a list. BELLS looks to see if that record is on file. If it is then the data is filled in on the screen and you are asked in the prompt zone if you want to REVISE or DELETE the record.
BELLS does not take deleting data lightly. In most cases you're asked if you're sure you want to delete the record. In some cases you're asked TWICE. There should be no excuse for accidentally deleting data.
Once data has been deleted you can't get it back. The disk is physically written over with special characters to indicate that the data is gone. Be certain of your intent when you delete data.
ADDING A NEW RECORD:
Adding a record starts much like a REVISE or DELETE. The difference is that you enter a key field value which is NOT already on file. You identify the data you want to add and the system looks to see if there is already a record with that key. If a record is NOT found you are asked if you want to add the record.
When you add a record you are usually given a blank screen to work with. In some cases, though, the system will leave the information from the previous item in the fields. When that happens you can just change the things which are different. It's a short cut. The screens which do this do it because it's proved useful to someone at some time.
AFTER YOU'RE DONE:
Once you finished adding or changing a record and you've used F10 to save and exit, the cursor is most often placed at the top of the screen so that you can enter another data key or you are returned to the list in which you're working.
NAVIGATING THE SCREEN:
Screen navigation refers to how you move around a screen. Basically you just use the arrow keys to move up, down, left and right. But there are some other rules which may not be as obvious.
The one special screen navigation rule is that the screen is organized into blocks of data. If you tap RETURN after entering a field value, the program jumps to the next logical field in the block of data it's working on. If, for instance, you're working on a name and address screen, the address may be several lines on the left side of the screen. Phone numbers and other information may appear on the right side of the screen. If you tap RETURN after entering the name, the cursor does DOWN to the first line of address, not RIGHT to the phone.
The TAB key and the SHIFT/TAB are used like the left and right arrow keys. F10 is the standard END of operation key and ESC cancels whatever you've been working on.
You should note that *EDITED fields are used very often in the maintenance screens. Read the description of those fields which appears earlier in this chapter.
COLORS:
BELLS makes extensive use of colors. Each zone is assigned a color and many special functions are assigned colors.
BELLS was written using a standard color map. Should you have a strange monitor on which these colors just won't work, you can purchase a utility program from MMCC which will allow you to re-map the colors to something which works better for you.
SYSTEM INFORMATION COLOR: You will notice that some items appear on the screen in dark blue on a black background. That's the "system information color". It's used to show data which is not important but might be useful. It's often used by the programmers to put special screen or file information on the screen for debugging reasons but it's not intended for the end user.
Don't be concerned when you can't read the dark blue data. It's not intended to be seen. If you really want to see it, do a print screen to get the data printed in plain black and white.
HARDCOPY SCREEN PRINTS:
Every PC keyboard has a PRINT KEY. If you have a printer attached to your work station you may find it useful to print the maintenance screen contents for a hard copy record. Screen prints are also very valuable documentation when reporting questions or problems to MMCC.
BELLS keeps track of two types of "inventory". The first is a simple list of the number of bells and handchimes that you own. When you run the performance planner this number of instruments is placed on an imaginary table then passed to the books that need each instrument.
The second type of inventory is more like a "fixed assets" system. This one keeps track of individual items of many types including bells, chimes, tables, music stands, lights, etc. Information about each item includes status, quantity, purchase price, maintenance dates and cost and related data.
INSTRUMENT LISTS:
There are two instrument lists; one for handbells and one for handchimes. They simply show the count of each type of instrument. The table is organized by octave and note. If you own two C4 handbells you'd enter two in the entry for that octave and note.
Loading your instrument lists is the first thing you should do with the system. It's a quick and easy operation and it gives you a feel for how the overall system works.
Here are the steps:
From the main menu, select option 2: Property and Instrument Inventory.
You're now at a second menu. Select the first option: Handbell list. This handbell list allows you to indicate how many of each instrument you own.
Notice how the screen's organized. The octaves are listed down the left side, the bell notes are listed across the top. This is all in the middle zone of the screen. The lower few lines of the screen are the prompt zone and contain instructions about what to enter.
This screen also shows you how we identify notes. Since the musical sharp symbol is about the same as the computer pound sign, everyone recognizes C#. Unfortunately there's no flat sign in the computer's native symbol set. After experimenting with lots of symbols, we decided to use the dash to indicate a flat. Therefore, G flat is shown as G-. (As a rule, the program will always display or print the sharp for a note rather than the flat. In some cases, both will be shown as G- F#.)
Now you can enter your list of bells. The cursor should be flashing in the cell for octave 2, note C. You can move this cursor around the screen by using the cursor (arrow) keys.
If you have only one set of bells in octaves 4, 5 and 6 you would move the blinking cursor to each of those bells and enter the number 1. If you have two sets of a bell you'd enter the number 2 for each bell.
After you've entered the count of bells in your inventory, press the F10 key to save the data and exit. This saves the data and takes you back to the previous menu. If you select option 1 once again you should see your updated list.
If you own handchimes, repeat this process for those instruments.
Now press ESC (escape) from the Inventory sub-menu to return to the main menu.
Property Inventory
The property inventory can be used as a typical inventory system listing types of property and the quantity owned or it can be used as a fixed asset program listing individual items.
You will find the property inventory screen as option 3 of the inventory menu. When you select this option you're shown a list of inventory items.
Inventory is organized by type then item. A list of types are pre-defined within the BELLS system. You'll find an F2 option in the inventory list to pop up the table of types.
The prompts tell you to press INS to add a new item to the inventory. By doing this you get a list of types and a box to identify the new item you want to add. You enter the type, Item ID of the item you want to add.
Once an item is added to the inventory file you are given a screen in which to enter information about that item. This information includes:
Description: This can be any description that you want.
Status: There are no pre-defined status codes.
Quantity: The quantity is optional.
Price and date: There are several price and date fields. Use those you want.
Purchase: Price and date that the item was purchased.
Replace: This could be the date the item was replaced or the date when you expect to replace it. The status would be useful to identify what the date means.
Last maintenance: Last time the item was maintained.
Next maintenance: Next scheduled maintenance.
Sold: If the item has been sold you may want to record the date and price of the sale.
The music library is a database of all of your music. Each entry in the library includes such information as the title, composer and publisher. It also includes the difficulty, number of books, dates purchased and performed.
The library also includes the standard bell assignments for each book or position. This list is provides the data for the performance planner so that it can chart the bell movements when you perform more than one piece at a given event.
Loading your music:
You get to the Music Library via option 3 of the main menu. Once there you're offered several options.
Option number 1 allows you to "Select a piece" from the library. You must do that before you can update or print the piece. In the select routine you're shown a list of the music now on file. (When your system is first installed the list will be empty.)
The prompts in the list show that you can press INS (the insert key) to add a new piece to the list. Other than that, just pointing to a piece and pressing ENTER selects that piece and it will appear on the Music Library menu.
When you INSERT a new piece the program gives you a small window and asks for a PIECE ID. You must give each of your pieces an ID of from 1 to 10 characters. It can be numbers and/or letters. If you already number your music you can continue to use your numbering system.
After you enter the ID, the program leaves it on the screen but it adds F10 to the prompts. Press F10 to confirm that you want to create an entry for this piece of music in the library.
At this point the program gives you a large box in which you can enter the facts about this particular piece. Just work your way through the various fields. When you've entered everything you want, press F10 to save this entry.
Entering Bell Assignments:
Inserting a piece into the library is only the first step in putting a piece into your library. The second part is assigning bells to books.
After you F10 from the music's information page, you're shown a screen which lists all of the instruments to be assigned to each book. The cursor should be blinking in position 1 for book 1.
The way you enter a bell is very important. An entry could look like:
BC4 or BC 4 or CA-6 or BC#%
The first letter MUST BE B for a bell or C for a handchime. The next character shows the note followed by the octave.
Sharps are indicated with the # sign. For example C# . There's no flat sign on your keyboard so you enter flats like this B- . (The program automatically changes flats to the corresponding sharp.)
If a book has the same bell more than once (two people on the same book) just list that bell multiple times. You can list up to 20 bells per book.
Note that the prompts show F4 as an option for "person" and "comment". This allows you to enter a notation for the book showing who plays it as well as a comment.
Once you've entered one piece, do an F10 to save it and then enter at least one more piece.
If there's any reason for the BELLS system to exist it's the performance planner. This portion of the system is used to create a musical program then chart the movement of bells from one book or position to the next as the performance progresses.
The performance planner uses your list of bells and the bell assignment charts for each piece of music. Therefore, before using the performance planner you must load your "handbell list" and (if necessary) the "handchime list" in the Property and Instrument inventory. You also need to have the music that you are going to perform loaded into the music library.
The basic scenario for performance planning is this. You identify a performance by date and enter a list of musical numbers in the order of performance. Next, you tell the performance planner to build a work file for the performance. This work file is a temporary storage area where the programs can simulate the movement of bells from book to book.
Once the work file is build you have the option to update the instruments and musicians for the performance. This is important because the music library has the "ideal" bell assignment for each piece. When you get to the actual performance you may find that a few bells are moved, some books are doubled with two musicians or that other things are unique to the individual performance.
When you have the work file set to reflect the true aspects of the performance, you ask the program to "run the performance and build the pass table". In this operation the program will simulate the performing of each piece and map where the bells come from and go to for each number.
After the performance has been run and the pass table has been built, the program has an internal chart of everything that happens. You can print several reports showing this information and you can view some of it on the screen. Among the report are the "pass sheets". These are pages for each book showing where the bells come from and where they go to for each piece.
Before discussing the specific operations, you should note the terminology used mapping the location of bells
TABLE refers to the table or the cases or the shelves where you store your bells. All bells are assumed to be on the "table" before the performance begins. Each book picks up the bells they need for the first number and places those bells on their table. They may also pick up "spare" bells they'll need for later pieces if no other book needs them first.
SPARES are the bells that you'll need for a later number. The program will call for a bell in your spares when you'll need it on a later number and no one else needs it until then.
FLOOR is where bells go when they're no longer needed by you or by any other book. (You can actually put the bell on the floor or on the back of the table or wherever is customary in your own choir.)
Planning a performance:
1. Select or Create a performance file: There are several distinct steps to planning a performance as described above. When you first enter the performance planner you're only shown this first step since you must have a program identified before you can do anything else.
Performances are identified by date. Once you've put a performance on file it will stay there indefinitely. When you first install BELLS your list of performances will be blank. As you enter more performances the list will grow.
You select a performance by pointing to it in the list and pressing ENTER. You'll see in the prompt that you can also use the INS key to insert a new performance.
All performances have a "status". This basically follows the menu options of designing the performance, building the work file and updating the details. You can use any of the steps regardless of the status but the program uses the status to guess at the next thing you'll want to do.
2: Design the program of musical numbers: This is the step where you list the music that you'll perform. The program will allow you to perform up to 30 pieces in a single performance. (If you do more, please call so I can come watch!).
Designing the performance is as simple as entering the list of music. You can later change the order just as easily. (Note that if you do change the order you'll have to put any performance specific changes back into your data lists.)
The musical numbers are taken from the music library. If you don't remember the ID of the piece that you want to perform, just press F2 and you'll be able to use the library table to select a piece.
3: Build a work file for performance: Once the performance is designed you must allow the program to build a work file for the performance. This file holds the specific bell assignment details for the performance. These details may be different from the "ideal" assignments that you've stored in the music library.
Building the work file clears any of those detail changes you may have made for the actual performance. If you tell the program to build the work file a second time it will warn you that you'll lose these changes and will ask if you want to clear the file and start over.
4: Update instruments and musician data for books: This is the step which allows you to modify the work file to match your actual performance. There are many specific details that might change but the most common is probably moving a bell from one book to another just for the one performance.
In our choir we often will "double" books by having two people play the same bells. If you want to do this you simply list the bell twice in the same book. (There's even a special key to do it automatically.)
Updating the data for a performance is almost exactly like setting up the music library. This time you're given the list of numbers in the performance instead of those in the entire library. Once you select a piece you're given bell assignment list for each book and you can change anything you want.
5: Run the performance and build pass table: Here's where the program does it's work. It will simulate the performance in memory and move the bells from one piece to the next. All of these moves are recorded in the work file for later reporting.
he program takes many things into consideration when build this table. It's not an easy task! If you include both bells and handchimes in the same performance the program must look at that. If you have multiple sets of bells it has to check that too.
The program works essentially by "brute force". It builds an imaginary bell table and lays out your entire instrument inventory. Next it goes to the first musical number and goes book by book recording which bells are used and that they come from the table.
Running the first musical number is easy. But when the second piece comes up it gets more interesting. The program must look for each instrument on the table then, if it's not there the program must figure out who had the bell last and then remember to tell both musicians how to move the bell.
One important thing the program does is to pick up every bell it can before the first number is played. If, for example, book 4 needs the C4 on the third number and nobody else needs it before then, the program will note that the bell should be picked up in the first round and placed in book 4's "initial spares". The bell will stay with book 4 until it's played then it will move on.
f you get all the bells that the program calls for on the FIRST number (active and spares), you'll know which bells you need for the performance. If you're taking a road trip you'll also know which bells can be left at home!
6. Print pass sheets: This step actually lets you print several reports:
Master pass sheet: This is a report showing all of the bells in a chart. It's intended for the librarian or equipment manager or whoever keeps track of the bells.
The first page of the master list shows the BELLS ON TABLE and where they go in the first round. Only the bells you'll need are listed. The report skips a line between octaves.
If you have extra bells the program assigns a serial number to each one and they're tracked individually. Assume, for example, that in a three piece program the C4 is used by BOOK 1 then it moves to BOOK 4 then to BOOK 3. But let's say that you have two C4's and that you double BOOK 3. The master sheet would show the first C4 starts at BOOK 1's active position and the second C4 starts in BOOK 3's initial spares.
Another page will be printed for each musical number in the program. These sheets are organized by BOOK and shows the bells that are used and where they come from and go to at each book.
Grid of books: This was used more for
Book pass sheets: Each book will be given one page which lists the bells they need for each piece and show where these bells come from and where they go to.
These pages are almost the same as the second part of the master list. In this case, however, each book gets one page showing all of the musical pieces and the bell movements. The master list, on the other hand, starts with the musical number and shows all of the books.
Path of each bell: Each instrument is listed showing its position in each musical piece. If you have extra sets of bells you may note that the same note appears as two lists but with a different bell ID in the left column.
The functionality of this report is also available in option 7 on screen. Here you can look at a single bell at a glance and see where is should be at any time.
7. Track a bell's movement: This provides the same functionality as the "Path of each bell" report. In this case, however, you look at one bell at a time and see the results on screen rather than on paper.
WHAT: Installation refers to the process of loading software and data files onto your computer and defining certain options. The procedure is very simple and involves just a few steps. If you have questions, you may call our tech support office.
Software sold "over the counter" in computer stores frequently has built-in installation procedures. Anyone who's installed more than a few packages knows that there are no established standards for how these procedures work.
BELLS does not have a built-in installation procedure. Instead, we want you to understand what's required and be able to do it. That's something of a "test". We've seen too many examples of commercial software that doesn't work because the users aren't given enough basic information to understand what's happening.
To install BELLS you should understand these basic concepts:
* Files: How to name, find and copy them.
* Directories (or folders): How they work, how to create and remove them and how to change from one directory to another.
* AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS: Know what they do and know how to make them or change them.
The instructions here don't go into detail about how to do fundamental DOS operations. There are numerous textbooks, popular press books and magazines which cover those in exhausting detail. If the concepts are totally foreign to you or you're not confident about your ability then you may want assistance in installing your software.
INSTALLATION QUICK START:
If you're an experienced DOS user, you can install your system with the following steps. If you want more help, skip to the DETAILED INSTALLATION STEPS which follow.
BELLS is distributed on 1 high density (1.44Mb) 3 inch diskette. The files are not compressed or encrypted. You can actually run the system from the diskette but that's quite slow.
1. Make a directory for the software. We usually call it BELLS.
2. COPY the files from the distribution diskette into your new directory.
3. COPY the BELLS.BAT file from the distribution diskette or from the BELLS directory into your root directory.
4. Decide if you need ANSI.SYS in your CONFIG.SYS.
BELLS is a colorful system. If you have not loaded the ANSI.SYS (or one of its "look-alike's") you may find a few odd things. They're not serious. The most significant is that the screen color may not be restored when you exit BELLS and return to DOS. This is not as significant when running from WINDOWS.
Loading ANSI.SYS is done with a CONFIG.SYS line something like:
DEVICE=C:\DOS\ANSI.SYS
5. If you change your CONFIG.SYS, you'll have to reboot your computer to make the changes effective.
6. Skip to STEP 6 of the Detailed Installation Steps which follow and go on from there.
DETAILED INSTALLATION STEPS:
These instructions are intended for the less experienced person.
You can accomplish each of these items in either DOS or WINDOWS. The actual technique varies considerably depending on which of those you use.
If you have any questions during installation, please ask someone who understands your system. You may also call MMCC Technical Support.
STEP 1 - Make a Directory: You should make a separate directory for the BELLS software and data files. Most people name it BELLS but you can use any name.
a. Change into the ROOT directory:
CD \
b. Make the new directory:
MD BELLS
STEP 2 - Copy distribution files: Once you've made the BELLS directory you're ready to copy the software and files into that directory. There are numerous ways to do that but these steps are simple and work well:
a. Change into the BELLS directory:
CD \BELLS
b. COPY the files from distribution diskette into this directory:
COPY A:*.*
c. Change to the ROOT directory on your hard disk:
CD \
e. COPY the bells batch file from the diskette.
COPY A:\BELLS.BAT
STEP 4 - Decide if you want to change the CONFIG.SYS file: The CONFIG.SYS file "configures" your DOS at the time it is loaded (booted). You make changes to this file just as you did to the AUTOEXEC.BAT.
The only item in CONFIG.SYS that interests us is the ANSI.SYS device driver. Of course there are other lines which can significantly affect the way your computer operates but they seldom affect BELLS.
ANSI.SYS is a "device driver". That is, it's a special program which extends the native capability of DOS. This particular driver adds certain screen handling features which are not part of standard DOS. As a general rule you can run without ANSI.SYS but some colors may be unusual.
STEP 5 - Optionally reboot the system: If you changed your CONFIG.SYS you'll have to reboot (restart) your system to make the changes effective.
STEP 6 - Begin using the system!
At this point BELLS is installed and you can start using it.
STARTING BELLS:
Part of the install process puts a BELLS.BAT "batch file" into the root directory of your system. This allows you to just type the word BELLS from the DOS prompt and start the system. (There's also a copy of this procedure in the BELLS directory.)
1. Change to the root directory
2. Type BELLS and press RETURN.
NOTES FOR WINDOWS USERS:
BELLS normally runs great from a WINDOWS DOS box. You can add a program item for BELLS to any of your groups The particulars are:
Description
Command line
Working Directory
An ICON has been provided in the BELLS directory. You'll find it under the name BCMICON.ICO
CONFIGURING BELLS:
Once you have installed BELLS on your computer you should identify the type of printer you're using. This is accomplished by pressing F5 at the main menu to go to "services".
The Services Sub-Menu offers only two options. The first is the "Printer setup". This option is used for temporary control of the printer. The programs won't remember what you've done after you exit the system.
The second option is "Update Configuration". This allows you to make permanent changes in the way that BELLS works.
At the present time the only CONFIGURATION option is the type of printer that you're using. When you enter option 2 you're shown your current printer setting and given a list of the printers that BELLS supports.
Some of the supported printers are rather old, some are rarely seen. The printers most people use are EPSONs or IBM's or LaserJet's. (Bells does not specifically support PostScript laser printers.)
Even if you don't have one of the listed printers, the system will probably work. Most modern dot matrix printers are compatible with either IBM or EPSON printer commands (most will accept either). Most laser printers are compatible with the LaserJet commands. Check your printer configuration to see what it supports and what it's set for.
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
BELLS is written in the ANSI Standard PL/B programming language. This is a very compact, efficient and fast system for PC software development. MMCC uses PL/B products from Sunbelt Computer Systems of Tyler Texas.
PL/B enables BELLS to run well on a very modest computer. The system will operate on any IBM Compatible personal computer. The basic requirements for a single-user system are:
400k free memory after DOS and any optional software is loaded.
MS/DOS 3.1 or later.
About 1.5 Mb free hard disk space.
Color monitor
One printer
BELLS is licensed to operate in single user mode only. The programs will run fine on a network but only one user may access the files at any time. A network license is available for an additional fee.
BELLS Data files:
Many people want to know how their data is stored. This section gives you a quick overview.
The BELL data is stored in several standard DOS text files. These contain ASCII data which is organized into fixed length records containing your data in specific location. (Because these files are in a standard DOS format they can be read by many types of programs. BE WARNED: DO NOT change any data with any program other than those in the BELLS system! The data will become unreadable.)
The data in the text files is stored in random order. That is, it's all jumbled up. To find the records you're interested in BELLS uses an INDEXING technique. The indexes are maintained in separate files from the actual text.
Each time you change a record, the text data is immediately written to the text file. The index files are written only when you exit a program. This is a compromise which maximizes both speed and reliability. (To insure that the INDEX files are updated it's important that you completely exit the BELLS software before turning off your computer.)
File name conventions:
Computer files are all given unique names so they can be found. The same name cannot be used twice in the same directory. Each name has two parts: a name and an extension which are separated by a period. The name may be up to eight bytes long, the extension up to three.
Computer file names may be just about anything that fits into the 11 characters provided. By convention, the three character extension is used to put the file in a category of data. Some extensions are set by DOS:
.EXE Indicates a type of program
.COM Another type of program
.BAT A system "batch command" file
Some extensions are set by your software (word processors, databases, BELLS, etc.). Extensions used by BELLS are:
.ISI A BELLS index file
.TXT A BELLS data (text) file
BELLS file names:
BELLS generally expects all its data and programs to be in one directory. The programs all have the .EXE name extension. All data files have a .TXT extension and index files have an .ISI extension.
The BELLS programs are BELLS.EXE (the main menu) and several other programs named BELLnnnn.EXE where nnnn is a serial number.
The BELLS data files follow. Each file will appear twice, once with the extension .TXT (the text file) and once with the extension .ISI (the index file). Some files do not have an associated index file.
BELLCONF - Configuration file
This file contains the name of your choir and other configuration data. Note that the name of the choir is encrypted. The BELLS system is not copy protected but it is keyed to data in the configuration file. If any of the license data is changed the programs will refuse to work until the files are restored to their original condition!
BELLDATA - Master records file
This is the master database file of all of the choir's inventory, music, bells and performance facts.
BELLSXC - System information
The "XC" file contains error messages, notes, user defined codes, screen color information and other related general information.
BPGnnnnn and BPTnnnnn - Working PROGRAM FILEs
The BELLS system will create working program files for each performance that you plan. These files are essentially temporary but most people will leave them in place for later reference.
Zxxxxx - Work files
There are times when the BELLS system must use working files for temporary storage. We call these "Z" files because their names all begin with the letter "Z". As a general rule you can delete "Z" files at any time and you don't have to include them in your backup.
File Indexing:
It has been noted that BELL data is stored in text files and that most of these have an associated INDEX file. The index files are dynamically maintained so that you don't have to do anything to keep them updated. Under certain unusual circumstances, however, the index files could become corrupted. Should this happen you can send a copy of the text file to MMCC and we can recreate the index file. You may also purchase a separate INDEX utility program to do this function yourself for $25.
Backup Procedures:
WHAT: Backup procedures are steps you take to make copies of your data on diskettes. You can keep these copies in a safe place. Should you have a problem with your "live" data, you can "recover" by copying data back from the diskette.
In truth, it is unlikely that you'll ever need your backups. BELLS is a very safe and forgiving system. The primary reason you might need the backup would be for disaster recovery if the hardware malfunctions (disk drives do die) or there's a fire, flood or other disaster with the office.
In the case of physical disasters in the office, your backups do no good if they're all in the office. It is recommended that you frequently take a backup set off site. Store it at home or at the bank. Set a schedule and stick to it.
WHEN: The more frequently you make backups, the safer you are. When you must "recover", anything that you have done since the time the backup copy was made is LOST!
Each site makes their own decision about when and how often to backup their data. The most important time is after you've entered a lot of changes or new information. Many people find that it's useful to set a routine schedule and stick to it.
Because the BELLS system is small, compact and efficient, backups are usually very fast; there's no excuse for not making backups.
HOW: There are many ways to make backups. DOS provides the COPY command to copy individual files and the BACKUP command for saving large volumes of data. There are also commercial programs as well as special hardware such as tape drives for backup.
Again because the BELLS system is small, compact and efficient, just about any backup procedure is acceptable. You can use the DOS COPY command to copy all of the files from the subdirectory to a diskette. It won't be as fast as other techniques but it works just as well.
It is not necessary to backup everything each time a backup is made. MMCC recommends that at a minimum all of the .TXT and .ISI files be backed up. The .EXE files never change (except when you receive an update from MMCC) so having the original diskettes is sufficient backup for those items.
There are other backups which you should consider outside of the BELLS system. In particular, everyone should make a complete system backup as soon as the system is installed. The most common time for hardware problems is in the first few months that a system is used. Having a complete system backup makes recovery very easy.
Additional complete system backups should be made anytime major software packages are added to the system or when the system if significantly changed.
RECOVERY: The technique used to recover data from backup depends on how you did the backup in the first place. It'salso controlled by what you did or what happened to make you need the backup.
We won't attempt to guess at the reasons you would need to recover. In truth, recovery is almost never needed with BELLS unless there's been a physical disaster.
BACKUP PHILOSOPHY:
Backups take time, they're boring, and they may seem to be a waste of time. If you've never had a problem, you may be tempted to just not do backups. DON'T EVEN CONSIDER IT!
Backups are essential if you're going to use a computer. Although major problems are infrequent there really are cases where you "lose it all". When disaster strikes, your backup is the insurance policy that saves you.
The only things which can't be recovered from backup are the things you have added to the system SINCE THE LAST BACKUP WAS MADE. Those items will have to be reentered by hand.
DO NOT become lazy and skip backups. Sure as you do, Murphy will drop by and everything that can go wrong will go wrong.
BACKUP CYCLES:
There are many ways to control backups. MMCC recommends that you "cycle" your backups over a number of diskettes. This means that each time you make a backup you use a new set of diskettes. After you've used some number of sets, you "cycle" back and re-use the first set again. For instance you might have a set of diskettes for each day of the week. Each Monday you start over with the Monday set.
The use of backup cycles protects you against the "double whammy": disaster striking during your backup run. When that happens, not only might you lose your main disk, you lose the backup you're working on too! If you have backup cycles you can use the set from the time before.
BACKUP LABELING:
Backups are almost no good if you don't know where they are or which set is most current or exactly when you made the backup. You MUST be certain to clearly and faithfully label your diskettes.
MMCC recommends you label each backup set with a name (Monday, Tuesday, Month-End, etc.) and the date AND TIME that the backup was made. When you use several diskettes in one set you should also number them in the order they're used.
BACKUP STORAGE:
Backups are useful ONLY IF YOU HAVE THEM. A benefit of using diskettes for backup is that they are easily locked in a fire safe or, even better, taken home. Having an off-site backup is REAL fire insurance.
REMEMBER:
Know who has the backups.
Label, date and time stamp each diskette.
Faithfully follow the cycle procedure.
BELLS is written in the ANSI standard PL/B
programming language. PL/B, formerly known as DATABUS, was developed
by Datapoint Corp. in 1972 for their family of multi-user mini-computers.
The language was first ported to the PC environment
in 1983 and is currently offered by several language vendors for Datapoint,
PC, PC/LAN, MS/DOS, WINDOWS, Macintosh
and UNIX systems. MMCC uses PL/B products from