Focus Made Easy: A Complete Focus Handbook for Users and Programmers

Here's an all-in-one reference to learning and implementing Focus -- one of the major fourth-generation languages in use today. Simple to understand and apply, this volume assumes no prior computing or programming language, the first part deals with the Focus Report Writer, showing readers how to use the Focus report writer features to create and update files. The second part deals with database design and file maintenance. Ideal for Focus end-users looking to solve business problems in accounting, human resources, treasury, engineering, operations, customer services, and marketing department; as well as for systems analysts, designers, and managers interested in prototyping new applications.

This all-in-one reference provides a thorough introduction to Focus report writer and to database design and file maintenance.

 1. Overview of Computer Systems and Introduction to Focus.

 2. The Focus Program Editor: TED.

 3. Designing and Creating Databases in Focus.

 4. Designing and Creating Reports with Focus.

 5. Sorting, Group Totalling, Control Breaks, and Summarizing of Data.

 6. Data Selection and Filtering.

 7. Designing and Creating Report Headings, Footings, and Labels.

 8. Customizing Reports.

 9. Creating Work Fields in Focus with DEFINE and COMPUTE.

10. Advanced Features of the Focus Report Writer.

11. External File Processing and Other Advanced Features of Focus.

12. File Maintenance Using Batch Transactions.

13. Interactive File Maintenance with the PROMPT Command.

14. CRTFORM: Creating Customized Data Entry and Display Screens.

15. Complete Application Development with the Dialogue Manager.

16. Odds and Ends.

Appendices.