Starstore is a ROM-based database from Slogger for the Electron. As with all Slogger's ROM software you'll need a Rombox or equivalent to use it.

It's designed primarily for the person was uses tape as the method of storage - random access filing isn't possible - but disc users shouldn't be put off since the ROM works equally well with discs.

It enables you to use the whole of the Electron's memory for sotring and retrieving information in the form of files which are subdivided into records and fields.

Starstore is called with *STARSTORE or any abbreviation of the word. This brings up the main menu displaying a total of twelve options shown in Figure 1. All are self-explanatory.

The first one you'll use is Create a new file. This allows you to initialise a file consisting of up to 255 records which can have up to 30 fields each containing between 1 and 127 characters per field.

When creating a new file you are prompted for the name of each field and its size. Pressing ESCAPE at any time returns you to the main menu and sets up the required database with the number of fields entered at that point. There's a useful limitation of how to set up an address/telephone number book in the manual that should help to get you started.

Several commands use the CTRL key and the appropriate letter, permitting movement around the records to a specified record number, the next free record and so on. A total of 12 control keys are used which are easily memorised.

When loading a file from tape or disc the filename may yake any legal form and Starstore will detect if a file is not a database, and report the fact accordingly. Any file error messages are displayed in the normal manner.

On entering the examine/update facility the record is displayed, and at the bottom of the screen the record number is shown. The cursor keys are used to move around the record being created and information can be entered directly. The RETURN key moves to the next field, or to the next record if pressed when the cursor is positioned on the last field. Adding or deleting fields is possible by calling the appropriate option from the main menu.

Option 7 on the main meny permits a search of the whole database for specific information in the records either by the use of one or more parameters as prompted for.

Electron Database STARSTORE    (c) Slogger Software 1985 0.   Load file from Disk/Tape 1.   Save file to Disk/Tape 2.   Create a new file 3.   Examine/Update file 4.   Add Field to file 5.   Delete Field from file 6.   Change field names/sizes 7.   Search for information 8.   Sort the information 9.   Print the information 10.  Save Starword Mailmerge file 11.  Set foreground Colour *    Execute System Command Select required option ? _

ESCAPE activates the search and the use of ? as a wild card character is permitted.

Information can be sorted by setting the sort parameters in the order of priority. For instance, you can sort by surname in preference to Christian name, though you can't use the same priority value for more than one field.

ESCAPE starts the sorting, which can take up to one and a half minutes depending on the number of records to be handled.

All the records found in the search are then displayed as record numbers, otherwise the "No search data found" message is displayed.

Records found are referred to as subset records, and those not found are referred to as inverse records.

There are several different ways of printing the information held in the database. You can print all records, subset records or inverse records, specifying the fields you want and their order.

The last option on the main menu offers a choice of foreground colour. The default is green, but it can be set to any valid colour except black.

The comprehensive instruction manual supplied with Starstore gave me the feeling that it was primarily designed to be used with Slogger's Starword word processor. It actually isn't necessary, but if you do have Starword there are one or two extra facilities available such as mail merge.

For the technically minded - and I'm not - the manual carries all the information for you to write your own file handling facility for changing the order of the fields or the merging of them and so on.

Star commands are not recognised by Starstore and are therefore passed to the Operating System which permits access to utilities and to return to BASIC from within Starstore.

This is another excellent package from Slogger, a company that seems to concentrate on using the Electron's capabilities to the full. Starstore is a superb database for Electron users on its own, and gives added value when combined with Starword.

David Richards