OVER 2 YOU, 144 (26/08/03)

PEDIGREE PROGRAMS

I have been attempting to put various dog ancestry details on to a computer. I have tried several family tree programs without success.  The nearest was the PAF but even this one insists on altering the dogs' names to turn them into surnames and forenames. My original written tree is now getting rather battered, any suggestions?
K. Woodward, via email

Have a look at Dog Breeder Pro at: http://www.dogbreederpro.com/

dbpSoftware.asp. It’s freeware and apparently quite well supported with the developer’s stated aim of making it the industry standard application for dog breeders. If so you can bet it won’t be free for long…

Amy Douglas, Isle of Wight

I have been using a pedigree program for my dog breeding for the last six years.  It is Breedmate and I find it very successful. Details from: www.breedmate.com

Mrs A Bishop

Breeders Assistant for Dogs from Premiere Breeder Software (they also do cats, horses, birds, rabbits etc.) sounds like just the ticket. The basic version costs £99 and it has built in support for the UK Kennel Club, AKC, UKC and FCI breeders. It can analyse and print pedigree forms, keep kennel records and features powerful genetic tools. More details and links to a downloadable trial version can be found at: http://www.tenset.co.uk/

S. Wilson, via email

I have a database on one breed of over 430,000 records. This has been made by a friend. We can make a 5 and 7 generation pedigree on any dog in the database provided the information is available and on any dog in the pedigree. If this of use make contact and tell me what you are looking for.

Iain Wilson

WALKWARE

I am the administrator of a 26-mile walk involving 300 entrants. Every entrant has his/her own unique number and I am using a multi-sheet Excel program to record registrations, retirees, finishers etc. Does anyone know a formula (or macro) to prevent duplicating a number twice in the same column?  With a slip of the finger etc., it is possible to enter the same number twice.

Peter Skinner, via email

I've been involved in a similar event for a number of years, The Sun Run. The event organisers have developed their own software over the years for this ever-expanding event, which they may be able to share with you.  E-mail me (john.tunnicliffe@bushinternet.com) or try contacting them via the event website, http://www.sr-mc.org/.
John Tunnicliffe

I use a simple method in Excel to detect duplicate inventory numbers using "IF" and "SORT". Assume your list is sorted by names in column A, has race numbers in column B and the first unused column is J. In cell J2 enter =IF(B1=B2,"Duplicate",""). Copy this to the remaining lines of J by dragging the fill handle. When you want to check for duplicates SORT by column B. The word Duplicate will appear in J on all duplicate lines. After dealing appropriately with them, SORT by column A.

Lord Rosebery

I had an Excel problem at the weekend and put a post on Microsoft’s developer site. One of the replies directed me to:
http://www.contextures.on.ca/xlDataVal07.html, where I found a worked example of the exact solution to my problem using data validation. Another example of validation at the link above solves Peter’s problem very slickly. I think the site is run by a Microsoft Most
Valued Professional (MVP).
Phil Walker, Northwich

I have just organised the admin side of a 26-mile walk around Dovedale, Derbyshire with around 300 entrants. I wrote a database in MS Access, which produced reports, reply letters, results and printed Certificates on the day. I would be pleased to discuss this with Peter if he gets in touch.

Cliff Cartwright

Peter Skinner's problem can be solved with the minimum effort by highlighting the table and SORTING it (Data > Sort), with the column containing his competitors' numbers as the sort by criterion, then after the sort, looking down it to see if two adjacent numbers are the same. Once he has identified and made a note of the location of his errors he can Undo the sort and correct his mistakes in the original table. If he wanted to spend a bit more effort and make the errors more obvious, he could add a column to the table in which the cell in row 1 contained the formula =IF(C1-C2=0,"Error","") this assumes column C contains the competitors numbers, this cell should be copied the full length of the column and would then show him exactly where his mistakes are located after the sort has been made.

Malcolm Youd, Wickford, Essex

To avoid duplicating the numbers of his 300 entrants, Peter Skinner should assign all the numbers by incrementation, copy them, and use Paste Special to paste the values only.  For example, if the entry numbers are to go in column A, enter “Number” into cell A1, 1 into cell A2, =A2+1 into cell A3, and copy and paste cell A3 to the range A4:A301.  Then click on the heading of column A to highlight the entire column, Edit, Copy, Edit, Paste Special, Values, OK.  The resultant entry numbers are guaranteed to be unique, and will survive normal sorting like any other data in the spreadsheet.  (If column A contained formulae instead of values, sorting on other columns could create errors.)

David Lewis

THE PLOT THICKENS

I have recently been given an HP DraftPro DXL plotter; probably about 10-15 years old but still working as it produces test plots perfectly. However I can’t get it to work with my Windows ME PC. The Hewlett Packard website lists the plotter but does not give any information on it and I cannot find anything that might relate to this particular piece of hardware. I have been told that plotters can sometimes be difficult to set up. This one is!  Does anyone have any ideas?

Alan Haddington, via email

In fact there’s a fair amount of technical information on this device on the HP web site, but you have to dig around in order to find it: http://h20015.www2.hp.com/en/ document.jhtml?lc=en&docName=bpp01011. Here you will find things like the DIP Switch settings, cable requirements and setup details for Windows 95, which should be the same for Windows ME.

Keith Tewson, via email

You should have a look at WinLine, which is a third-party driver application for specialist printers and plotters, including your HP DraftPro, and there’s a version for Windows 98 ME. You can get more details from the main web site (www.winline.com), or the UK distributors Vellum, who can be found at http://www.vellum.co.uk/

Mark Stannard

PSION OF THE TIMES

Can anyone help with scanning items from a supermarket checkout slip into a Psion pocket computer? My wife enters each item from the till receipt by hand recording the items into the appropriate sections. Does anyone know of a scanner that can read the bill then transfer the information into the Psion?

Stephen Payne, Menston, Ilkley

Your correspondent might be interested to know that scanning into a Psion computer is possible using a Siemens Pocket Reader, available at £20.00 from   - http://www.cjemicros.co.uk/micros/

individual/prodpages/CJE-PRSW.shtml 

The unit scans text and carries out an OCR one line at a time, storing a file of multiple lines which can then be transferred to computer. Software to download to a series 3, 5, 7, Revo and Netbook is public domain. The author (Mark Fleeming) no longer seems to supply but it is available from -- john.vanags@ntlworld.com -- supplier of this information.

A Serial Port Null Modem Adapter (£9.00) is needed to hook up to a Psion  -  www.clove-tech.co.uk The Pocket Reader works quite well on clear text but it should be remembered that scanning and OCR from scratchy print on a poor quality bill would produce errors. Mark Fleeming's software does include a built-in spell-checker, however.

If Mrs Payne is trying to keep a check on price movements at her local supermarket, she could alert herself to new high prices by entering something like the following in a spreadsheet:

A B C D E
1 ITEM PRICEHIGH DATE PRICEALERT NEWPRICE
2 beans 56 1/4/03 =IF(E2>B2,"NEW HIGH","last high") 46
3 prunes 67 6/7/02 =IF(E3>B3,"NEW HIGH","last high") 69

Peter Dunn

SAILING SOFTWARE

For sailing races, and maybe other events, finishers are awarded points in ascending order. In a series of races, not all entrants take part in all races, so I need to compare the list of finishers with the list of entrants, so that those who did not start or finish are awarded maximum marks. Is there a way in Excel, or other spreadsheet, to compare the two lists of
entrants and finishers so that these can be identified. Boat sail numbers do not follow any sequence.
Stephen Green, via email

Create a worksheet for each race with three columns, headed Sail-Number, Finish-position, and Points.  Sail-numbers you enter manually, and the same goes for Finish-position.  For Points, use a formula based on the corresponding Finish-position.  You haven't given quite enough information on how "maximum points" should be calculated, but one possibility (in words) would be:  The value of Points depends on whether the corresponding value of Finish-position is blank.  If it isn't, then it's the same number.  If it is blank, then use the number obtained from the Count of boats in the Race (or maybe in the Event).  So, before the race, everyone will have maximum points, and these reduce as Finish-position numbers are entered.

Philip Herlihy

CAN YOU HELP?

I have searched endlessly for a simple fax recorder, i.e. which can be left on to record faxes (like a telephone answering machine) and accessed by a computer at will.  I refuse to keep my computer going all day in case a fax arrives or keep cutting up reams of poor quality paper.  Can anyone help?

John Warden, via email

I’m resigned to the fact that when I travel on business I have to take several chargers with me (I’ve yet to find a universal charger with enough power for my laptop) but I despair at all the mains cables I have to take as well. Does anyone know of an adaptor for the different types of connectors on the chargers, specifically the ones shaped like a figure of 8 (camera and mobile phone chargers), the similar round three-pronged connector (laptop and shaver) and the flat three pin connector (video projector)?

Chas Richardson, via email

My family gets through a lot of expensive AA type alkaline batteries in all of their gadgets. I’ve tried using rechargeable batteries but they’re simply not as good and last a fraction of the time or won’t work at all (the voltage is too low). I seem to remember reading that alkaline batteries could be recharged, is this so, how well does it work and where can I get a charger from?

Kate Clements, Hendon, London