MainBoss Newswire
March 2002
Topics:
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1. Using Windows 2000 to automatically perform
backups of your MainBoss database
Regularly scheduled backups of your MainBoss
database can help prevent data losses in the cases of power failures, network
errors, or mistakes made by MainBoss users. Rather than having to manually
create a MainBoss backup through the MainBoss Administration menu, Windows 2000
can automatically create these backups with the help of the Scheduled Tasks
feature. The process for automatically creating backups consists of creating a
directory on your computer to which the backup files will be saved, setting up
the Scheduled Task, and using the Backup subcommand to tell the Scheduled Task
to perform the backup.
1.
To create the backup folder, open Windows Explorer and create a folder
called “backup_mb” on your C drive. The path should therefore be: c:\backup_mb
2. To set up the Scheduled
Task feature on Windows 2000, follow these steps:
a. Click on
Start->Settings->Control Panel and double-click on the Scheduled Task
icon.
b. Double-click on Add
Scheduled Task. This opens up a wizard. Click Next.
c. From the list of
applications, select the MainBoss program and click Next.
d. Choose a name for the
Scheduled Task and enter this into the provided field. Also choose how often
you would like to create you backup (i.e. Daily, Weekly, etc) and click Next.
e. Select the time at which
you would like the backup to be created. This should be a time when no one will
be using MainBoss. You can also select the date on which you would like to
start this task (the default is set to today’s date). Click Next.
f.
Enter the
User name and password of the person whose identity would be seen as executing
this process. Click Next.
g. Click Finish.
3. To instruct the Task to create the backup
file, follow these steps:
a.
Click on Start->
Settings-> Control Panel and double-click on the Scheduled Task icon.
b.
Right click on the Task you just created and from the menu
choose Properties.
c.
For the field called Run, first browse to find the location
of the MainBoss.exe file (usually located within the Program Files folder; i.e.
the path would be: “C:\Program Files\MainBoss\2.8\MBoss.exe”). Then type in the
following string:
<MainBoss.exe>
backup /mzh:c:\backup_mb /mbd:<location of mainboss database>
The <MainBoss.exe> string refers to the location of
your MainBoss.exe file, which you have already selected.
For <location of mainboss database>, type
in the exact path of your database. For example, if your database is located on
your C drive with the name MainBoss, then you would enter C:\MainBoss as the
pathname.
As an end result, you should have something
similar to:
“C:\Program Files\MainBoss\2.8\Mboss.exe”
backup /mzh:c:\backup_mb /mbd:C:\MainBoss
For more information on the Backup Command,
see pg 252 of the Users Manual. This Scheduled task will now create a backup in
the backup_mb folder, with the current date as the file name.
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2. Do you know: Controlling MainBoss with shortcuts
In MainBoss (and in most other Windows programs),
you can use keyboard key combinations to select menu items, click buttons, and
perform other operations that are more commonly done with the mouse.
On the MainBoss menu bar, each menu entry has a
character underlined. For example, you’ll see Work
Orders
with the W underlined. The underlined character is a
shortcut key for opening the menu. If you enter Alt+W (hold down the Alt key and press W), MainBoss opens the Work
Orders menu.
Each item in the open menu also has a key underlined.
For example, you’ll see Print with the P underlined. The
underlined character is a shortcut key for selecting the menu item. If you type
P, MainBoss opens the Print Work Orders dialog
as if you selected Work Orders -> Print from the menu.
Similarly, many MainBoss buttons have shortcut keys
associated with them. For example, in the Print Work Orders dialog, you’ll see
that Preview has the v underlined. The
underlined character is a shortcut key for the button. If you type Alt+V, it has the same effect
as clicking the Preview button.
When a particular button or field doesn’t have a
shortcut key, you can use Tab to move from the current
field to the next field and Shift+Tab to move backward to the
previous field.
Other keys may have special meanings. For example, Enter typically has the effect
of clicking OK, and Esc typically has the effect
of clicking Cancel.
All of these shortcut keys give you a way to bypass
the mouse, and therefore can be used when you want to control MainBoss through
barcodes.
Note: A basic understanding of using keyboard
shortcuts is helpful in setting up barcoding with MainBoss, which will be
discussed in the next MainBoss Newswire.
This information is also available on the mainboss website, under the FAQ
section.
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3. MainBoss welcomes new Dealers in the USA, Canada, Mexico, and Senegal
MainBoss is pleased to announce that the following Representatives have joined the MainBoss dealer network:
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4. Upcoming Tradeshows: USA and Canada
·
Springfest 2002 Trade Show & Conference will be held
April 12, 2002 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (North Building) in
Toronto, Ontario. MainBoss will be demonstrated at booth 72.
·
Business Expo 2002 will be held April 17, 2002 at the ASU
Convocation Center in Jonesboro, Arkansas. MainBoss will be represented by
dealer Wes Green.
·
Facility Forum will be held April 22nd and
23rd at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California.
MainBoss will be demonstrated at booth 121.
·
Connecticut Industry & Facility Resource Show will be held
on May 2nd, 2002 at the New Haven Coliseum in New Haven,
Connecticut. MainBoss will be demonstrated in booth 212.
·
Kansas City Plant Engineering & Maintenance Show will be held
May 15th and 16th, 2002 at the KCI Expo Center in Kansas
City, Missouri. MainBoss will be demonstrated in booth 8. Visit www.ProShows.com/kcpo for more
information.
For a complete list of MainBoss appearances
at tradeshows, see http://www.mainboss.com/english/news/tradeshows.shtml.
____________________________________________
Daniela Schumann
Customer Service Manager
MainBoss CMMS, www.mainboss.com