• Which is the most recent version of this program, and when was it uploaded?
• What exactly is Sacramental Register, and what does it do?
• How do I use the downloaded demo version?
• How do I find out how to use this program since there is no manual that downloads with it?
• Does Sacramental Register work with Windows NT, XP, and Windows 2000?
• I get an access violation when printing ledger reports under Windows 2000?
• Why does the program put two commas between the city and the state on my certificates?
• Why does the 888 phone number given by the program not work?
• Where did this version 3.0 come from? I had been using the version 2.0 demo. What is the difference?
• How do we handle this? When we enter data for a marriage using version 3.0, and the groom is not a baptized Catholic, the program won't let us enter him without a date of baptism?
• If I have been using Sac Reg 1.5 - 32 or earlier, what do I do about my data files?
• If I am going to convert my data files, where will I find the old files, and where do I put the new files?
• I can download and install the new program, and the program itself seems to work ok, but the data conversion utility gives an error when I try to open the old files. What is that about?
• I just started putting in data, and I keep getting a key violation error!
• I go to make a backup of my master file and I get an “access violation.” What do I do about it?
• I go to make a backup of (or just open) my master file and I get an “unknown table type” error. What do I do about it?
• I need to enter a bunch of data from the 19th century, but the program won't let me enter anything prior to 1900!
• When the program loads, I only see about half or 3/4 of the text? Why?
• What are some of the features that are NEW with Sac Reg 3.0?
• The Baptism certificate (portrait version) prints with a lot of unused white space at the bottom, even when I elect to suppress printing of notations. How can I get rid of the unprinted area?
• How do I append a set of data files to the master Sacramental Register 3.0 file?
• My question isn't answered here. Where do I turn now?

Q. Which is the most recent version of this program, and when was it uploaded?

Q. What exactly is Sacramental Register, and what does it do?

There are at least two labor saving advantages to this program. First, when there is a group of people receiving a sacrament, the program can be used to print a batch of certificates. It can also be used to print notification forms and/or mailing labels for each person in the group.

The real time-saver, however, is in looking up baptisms, or other sacrament records. Instead of having to pore over stacks of hand written register books, this program can perform a search in a matter of seconds (assuming, of course, that you and your army of volunteers have entered the data into the database file). Once found, a certificate can be printed in another few seconds. If you happen to be an older parish, or a large parish with frequent requests for baptism searches, the number of registers to look through by hand can take a significant amount of time. This program saves all that time, every time.
 

Q. How do I use the downloaded demo version?

Q. How do I find out how to use this program since there is no manual that downloads with it?

Q. Does Sacramental Register work with Windows NT, Windows XP, and with Windows 2000?

Q. I get an access violation when printing ledger reports under Windows 2000?

Q. Why does the program put two commas between the city and state on my certificates?

Q. Why does the 888 phone number given by the program not work?

Q. Where did this version 3.0 come from? I had been using the version 2.0 demo. What is the difference?

Q. How do we handle this? When we enter data for a marriage using version 3.0, and the groom is not a baptized Catholic, the program won't let us enter him without a date of baptism?

Q. If I have been using Sac Reg 1.5 - 32 or earlier, what do I do about my data files?

Users who are beginning fresh with Sacramental Register version 3.0 (users who do not have data files created with an earlier version of Sacramental Register) do not need to use this utility program at all. It can be deleted from the installation folder, if preferred.

For users who must convert their data files, the data conversion utility program creates a set of files that can be opened and processed with Sacramental Register 3.0. It is necessary for users of any version of Sacramental Register prior to version 2.0 to use this program to create a set of files that can be used with the new version.

The conversion utility will not damage or alter the earlier version files in any way. It operates by creating a new set of files, and copying data from the old set into the new set, making any adjustments required along the way.

To perform the data conversion, you must have enough free space on your hard drive to handle both the new set of files and the old set of files. Use the Windows Explorer if necessary and do a little arithmetic to make sure you have enough free space on the hard drive to do this conversion.

The new files will require about 30% MORE space than the old files.

Also, while the earlier versions of Sacramental Register did not require the user to specify file names and folders, version 3.0 does require them. Further, the file names for version 3.0 data files must have the last character of the name portion be the character '0' (zero). Examples of workable file names for Version 3.0 data files: STJOHNS0.DB, X0.DB, MASTER00.DB, or JanInput0.db. Please DO NOT select the test/demo file named zzzzzzz0.db which is installed with the program. This file has over 200 entries in it already, and is supplied in order to give you some experience in searching for records and playing with the program before you get involved with actual data. if you convert your data and put it into this zzzzzzz0.db demo file, the bogus demo data will be all mixed in with your actual data, creating a confusing situation for sure.

Because the Sacramental Register data is distributed over a total of thirty three files for each identified file set name, it is a good idea to create a new folder for each new file set, and then create the new file in the new folder. This makes it easier later on to check up on backup processes.

Q. If I am going to convert my old data files, where will I find the old files, and where do I put the new files?

Next, click on the button that says “Create New Ver 3 file.” Again, the little open file dialog box appears, and again you must point it wherever you want the new files to be placed. Where to put your new files is largely up to you. It is the same kind of problem as where will you put a new document you create with your word processor. One suggestion would be to click in the “Look in:” box and then click on the C:\ drive, and then on My Documents. With the My Documents folder showing in the Look in box, click on the little folder with the sparkle in the corner to create a new folder named Sacramental Register Data. Then, put that folder in the look in box, and under that folder, create a folder called Current Master File. Finally, put the Current Master File folder in the look in box, and then assign a file name for the converted data in the appropriate field. A suggested file name might be: StSwithinMaster0.db. It seems to work best if the actual file name contains no spaces between words. And don't forget that the file name must end with the digit zero (0), plus the extension .db as in the example shown. Please remember that the data is copied rather than changed, so that the old program and the old data files can continue to be used and can be saved as useful backups even after running the data conversion utility.
 

Q. I can download and install the new program, and the program itself seems to work ok, but the Data Conversion Utility gives an error when I try to open the old files. What is that about?

1. Launch Windows Explorer.
2. In the left panel of Explorer, browse down to the Program Files folder, and click on the plus sign just to the left of this folder.
3. Browse down the list of folders under the Program Files folder to find a Borland folder, and click on the plus sign to the left of this folder.
4. Browse down the list of folders here to find a Shared folder (or Borland Shared) folder, and click on its plus sign to show a BDE folder. Click on the BDE folder to display its contents in the larger right hand panel. If you found the BDE folder on your system skip on to step 5. Note: if there is no BDE folder, that means you have another application which you loaded previously which installed the Borland Database Engine somewhere else on your system. WordPerfect Office is famous for doing this. In this case, use the Windows Explorer FIND function to locate the folder containing a file named BDEAdmin.exe. There should only be one folder on your system with this file in it.
5. Double click on the file named BDEAdmin.exe to launch the administrator program, which shows a small screen with two tabs in the lower left area. One says Databases, and the other says Configuration. Click on the Configuration tab.
6. The panel below the tabs shows three images, or one image with a plus sign to the left. If you see only one image, click on the plus sign to expand the top image. The top one says Configuration, the next one says Drivers and the last one says System. Click on the plus sign next to the one that says Drivers. That lists out two more images, one reading Native, and one reading ODBC.
7. Click on the plus sign next to the one reading Native. That drops down a list of little steering wheels, one of which will say MSACCESS to the right of it.
8. Click on the steering wheel that says MSACCESS. That causes some information to show up in the panel to the right of the steering wheels. At the top of this panel, a tab appears that reads Definition.
9. Look down the list of names and titles of information in the left of the two columns to find the line that says DLL32. DLL32 appears in the left column. Click one time in the second column on the DLL32 line. This should cause a small down-arrow to appear at the right hand side of the column.
10. Click on this down arrow. A selection list of two items appears. One of the items is the entry that is already in that field. It says IDDAO32.DLL. The second item says IDDA3532.DLL.  Select this second item by clicking on it. The value IDDA3532.DLL should now appear in the field in the second column on the same line that says DLL32 in the first column. You are almost done.
11. Near the very top of the screen, select the menu item Object and click on it once. In the drop down menu that appears, click on the word Apply.
12. Select the menu Object AGAIN and click on it once. In the drop down menu that appears, click on Exit.
13. You do not need to restart your computer, but you must exit and restart the Sacramental Register Data Conversion Utility program. It should no longer generate that message when opening the Microsoft Access data files from the old version.

Q. I just started putting in data, and I keep getting a key violation error!

Q. I go to make a backup of my master file and I get an “access violation.” What can I do about it?

Q. I go to make a backup of (or just open) my master file and I get an “unknown table type” error. What can I do about it?

Q. I need to enter a bunch of data from the 19th century, but the program won't let me enter anything prior to 1900!

Q. When the program loads, I only see about half or 3/4 of the text? Why?

Q. What are some of the features that are NEW with Sac Reg 3.0?

New File Design and Organization
The data file organization has been changed so that all recipients names are in one master file, permitting one search, regardless of which sacrament is involved. The master file record display indicates which sacraments have been received.

Multiple Sets of Files
Program and Data file organization has been changed so that users are able to work with sets of files. That means a user can open a set of files and do data entry, while another user can open a set of different files to do additional data entry. This permits different groups to keyboard data for different sacraments, and then all the sets of files can be imported into the master file.

Multiple Parish Capability
A field has been added which, when enabled, permits one master file to include information from several parishes, where each parish is identified by a unique code in the master data record.

Expanded Name Search Capability
The master file search capability has been expanded so that recipients can be looked up by lastname plus firstname plus date of baptism (formerly only the lastname could be searched on). Recipients with identical first and last names are listed in order of their baptism dates.

Expanded Date Search Capability
he search capability on sacrament reception dates has also been expanded. Formerly, search was possible on date of baptism. The new program permits searching on date of baptism, date of first communion, date of confirmation, date of wedding, date of profession of faith, date of acceptance, or date of death.

New Death/Burial Registry
The program has been expanded so that the data files include a death registry.

Full Mailing Addresses
The master data file has been expanded and designed to permit a complete mailing address for each person entered.

Capability to Print Mailing Labels
Users can select a sacrament and a date range, and print mailing labels for every recipient selected. This capability is limited in the demo version.

New User Interface
The new data-user interface has been changed so that pertinent information in the master record is presented on the individual sacrament screens, so that most information needs only to be entered once.

New Remarks/Notations Capability
The old program included two remark fields and two miscellaneous fields per sacrament. The new program has a single remarks "memo" field, associated with the person's name in the master file, which is open ended in terms of how many lines of information can be entered.

Automatic Updating of Baptism Entry
The new data organization makes it possible to have a baptism certificate automatically include information about, say, a marriage, merely because the marriage information has been entered. No special action is necessary to cause this inclusion. The old program required that the information be manually entered in the baptism record as a totally separate transaction.

New Direct On-Screen Editing
The new program permits all fields to be edited on the screen, provided the program is set up to be used to enter or edit the data files. The old program required a field by field editing process which required many menu steps to get into each field.

New Backup Creation Capability
The new program includes a backup procedure which permits the set of master files to be backed up.

New Decree of Nullity Field
The Baptism record includes a new field to enter the existence of a decree of nullity for annulments.

RCIA Tracking on Acceptance Screen
The Acceptance Data Entry Screen (and underlying data file) have been changed so that users can enter the fact of, and the date of: Acceptance, Election, Scrutiny1, Presentation of the Creed, Scrutiny2, Scrutiny3, Presentation of the Lord's Prayer, Recitation of the Creed, and the Ephphetha Rite.

One Marriage Data Entry Screen
The Marriage data entry screen includes a button to coordinate the one marriage record with both the bride's and the groom's master record.

Profession of Faith Screen Changed to track RCIA
The Profession of Faith screen (and underlying data file) have been changed so that users can enter the fact of, and the date of: Rite of Welcoming, Rite of Calling to Continuing Conversion, Penetential Rite (Scrutiny), and Reception.

Added Flexibility for Volume, Page, and Number Fields
The Volume, Page, and Number fields have been converted to be simple character fields rather than requiring integer number values only. Thus, with the new program, if a pastor "forgot" to enter a baptism, a successor can go back and enter something like Number 326B so as to approximate the correct sequence for the omitted baptism.

New Custom Certificate Design Capabilities
The type font and size can be custom selected (from whatever fonts are installed on the user's machine) for the certificates, and the Headline and parish name & address can also be done in selected colors.

Print Certificates With or Without Borders
Each certificate can be printed with a simple border design around it. Border options include a single border, or a double border, with the inner border being a fixed hairline rule, which the user can move to be closer to the other border or further from the other border. In addition, this simple border graphic can be changed to be a vertical bar or vertical lines on the right and left sides, or a horizontal bar or horizontal lines at the top and bottom. The outer border can be changed in thickness and both can be changed in color, according to the capability of the user's printer.

Print Certificates in Portrait or Landscape Format
Each certificate can be printed in either portrait format or landscape format. Either format offers the size, font, color, and border options.

Option to Suppress Printing of Notations on Certificates
The user can set preferences to suppress the printing of notations on baptism certificates.

New: Certificate Preview Capability
A certificate preview capability is new with this version. Each certificate is viewable on the screen prior to printing, to permit the program user to make certain that the correct certificate is being printed, with all the correct information in place.

Capability to Print a Batch of Certificates
Users can enter a sacrament and a date range and print a batch of certificates, one for each recipient within the date range. This capability also works through the preview function, so that the user can inspect each certificate and elect to print it or not, one at a time.

Demo Capability Added
Until a valid user key is entered by a new user, this program can be installed and operated as a DEMO of itself. The demo version is pretty similar to the production version. The only differences are that in the demo mode all the certificates print St. Swithin's as the parish name on all the certificates, only three mailing labels will print in a range, and any given data file can be opened no more than five times.

Date Fields Replaced with Date "Pickers"
All of the date bearing fields on all of the screens have been changed from ordinary screen text boxes to special database bound date/time "pickers." The pickers permit users to "pick" the date from a calendar, or type it in as before.

File Filters Added
Users can now select to view subsets of all the data. For example, a user can select the Baptism filter, which will exclude all but Baptism related data from view.

Procedure for Group Printing
We have added the capability to print mailing labels, groups of certificates, and ledger reports for a range of master file records.

Q. The Baptism certificate (portrait version) prints with a lot of unused white space at the bottom, even when I elect to suppress printing of notations. How can I get rid of the unprinted area?

Q. How do I append a set of data files to the master Sacramental Register 3.0 file?

Second, open the MASTER file set in the conventional way, by selecting the file with the zero in the name such as xxxxxxx0.db.

With the master file set open, go to the file menu and select append a file set.

In the dialog box, browse to the folder containing the file set to be appended and select the file with the zero in the file name, such as yyyyyyy0.db.

The program will automatically attempt to insert or append each master file record, along with each sacrament record that has been checked. When the process is complete, the master file set will be larger, and the appended file set will be unchanged. It should be possible to attempt to append or import the data from such a set of files over and over again, although such efforts are not a good use of time. The point is that neither set of files are harmed by repeating the import process.

It is always a good idea to check the data in the master file after importing a file set, to verify that the indexes and data are functioning properly.

Note that the file sets being appended can serve as an excellent off-line backup of your database if they are all saved on diskettes or other appropriate off-line media.
 

Q. My question isn't answered here. Where do I turn now?