The Aviation DataBase®
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The Aviation DataBase ® If you are a Subscriber; also see How to use this System. For some time now we have had concerns that Windows XP
would have some unpleasant surprises. Our System will work
correctly when using ANY Operating System (Windows 95, 98,
ME, XP, or 2000, Apple MacIntosh, IBM, Unix, Linux, etc.)
That's because all you are doing is "scooping" data up from
our Web Server -- Any Scoop will work !! The problem is;
ease of use and functionally. Microsoft has always tried to
make things easy for you, however, their latest trend is to
limit your flexibility in order to make it easier.
Therefore, we recommend Windows
2000 as having the most functionally and giving
you the most control over your computer.
Windows XP is at the other end of the spectrum; Microsoft
makes a lot of assumptions for you that are sometimes
difficult to change. If you are using Windows XP (or any
other Operating System for that matter) and you find things
that don't seem to be working right -- Just call as at
800-952-8844. Internet - Data Transfer Concept: The source of the confusion seems to be the use of the term "download". Like many terms in the computer (data processing) industry, "software" is another example, its use has grown to mean so many things that it is no longer precise. Without going into the origin of the word, it is now used to mean any movement of data across a network of any kind. "upload" and "download" are almost interchangeable. Commonly it is thought that "download" is from Server to Client or Big to Little; i.e. Business to Customer. Alternatively it is From Source To Requester (pull). "upload" is From Sender To Destination (push). Next; if you can see something on your computer screen, it has already been downloaded to you. The technical exception is a large PDF file. In some cases you may see the first pages on your screen while the download of the balance of the document is still in progress. If it hasn't been downloaded, you can't see it. Once you can see it, it is on your computer and you can do anything you want with it. More important, it is almost always already on your hard disk stored as a Tempoary File in the Windows System area of your disk. The exception is the data that is only stored in memory while it is displayed on your monitor; that is no longer common in MS-Windows operating systems. To save any data (downloaded file) that you can see, just select "File" in the upper left part of your screen and then "Save As". Netscape makes this process a little easier that MS-IE, but they both get the same result. This System uses your Word Processor, typically MS-Word,
to display data files (DOC or RTF). When things are set-up
correctly, selecting (clicking on) a data file Link will
launch your Word Processor and load the data file. In other
words, your Browser calls and launches your Word Processor
and then displays the data file. Netscape always handles
this procedure correctly. MS-IE may, under some
circumstances, miss-handle the load of MS-Word and report a
"Server Error". This problem exhibits the following:
Solutions:
************************************************* The Word Processor delivered with MS-Office 2000 has a Hyperlink "bug" that causes the application not to respect Bookmark Links created with earlier versions of Microsoft Word Processors (MS-Word 6.0c). Microsoft is aware of the problem. The result is that our files (AD text files and others)
with imbedded Hyperlinks will not "jump" to other places in
the document when "clicking" on the Bookmark Links displayed
with Word 2000. In a recent conversation with Microsoft Technicians, we were assured that a fix to the problem would be "available soon"; probably with the first Service Release for Office 2000. Microsoft now has a Web Site dedicated to the support of Microsoft Office: http://officeupdate.microsoft.com You should check this Web Site periodically for updates to MS-Office 2000. The Word Processor in Office 97 does not have the problem. ************************************************* Text Colors and Color Printers: We use "Screen Colors" in the most of our text (DOC & RTF) data files to provide emphasis for some data elements: BLUE:
for some Headers, Titles and Appendices Hyperlinks are always Blue and
Underlined. Most Color Printers will print the document with the correct colors and most "Black Only" printers will print the document correctly, however, without color (colored words are printed in black). We have now seen some printers that will not print the words that are displayed in color. They produce a "Blank Space" where the colored words should be. The following procedure gets around the problem:
The real solution is to determine why your printer is ignoring words shown in color, however, the above procedure will get the document printed correctly. ************************************************* MS-Word HyperLinks: (Download the WLL) - (User of Hyperlinks) HyperLinks ("Jump to" Commands) can be used in three general ways:
All kinds of Document Handling software use Hyperlinks. Specifically: SGML, HTML (and its new variants), most modern Word Processors, and many others. The problem is; they all use a different method (internal code and tags) to accomplish the "Link". HTML is emerging as the standard, and is the defacto standard for all World Wide Web Browsers. However, it is not yet flexible or universal enough to meet all of our needs. Therefore, we need to use a Word Processor for most of our documents. The goal is to design around a Word Processing standard that has all of the features we need and is commonly available. And, although we don't like to push Microsoft products, MS-Word meets all of the requirements, including being found on about 80-90% of modern, business oriented personal computers. Next, we must use the earliest version of MS-Word
possible, so everyone does not need the latest version to
use our System and display the data files. Fortunately that
choice was easy; MS-Word 6.0 has all the features we need
(HyperLinks being a special case) and, so far, all new
releases of MS-Word are backward compatible with Word 6.0,
i.e. Word 97 will correctly interpret Word 6 Links. Unfortunately, MS-Word 6.0 can not create, nor does it respect, HyperLinks as it comes "out of the box"; a special DLL (WLL) is needed. If you are using MS-Word 6.0 and it does not show the word "Hyperlink" at the bottom of the "Insert" pull-down menu, you will need to install WORDHTML.WLL in the MS-Word startup subdirectory to make Hyperlinks work. The MS-Word 6.0 primary directory can have several
possible names: WINWORD, WINWORD6, WORD60, etc. Once you
determine where to put the ".WLL" file, Click on the
Link above and save the file in the MS-Word 6
"startup" subdirectory. The file is a compressed
self-extracted EXE. In DOS, type the filename or with
Windows Explorer, double-click on the filename to decompress
the archive. (The EXE file can then be deleted). Word 6.0 does not handle HyperLinks to graphic files as
well as it could. That notwithstanding, if you "click" past
the two Dumb Messages, the graphic should appear. This System uses HTML HyperLinks in the standard way and Word Processor (MS-Word) HyperLinks as follows:
************************************************* If you are going to use this System to meet your day-to-day requirements for FAA Regulatory Data, we recommend the following approach to downloading and saving data files:
Note: We use Netscape as our default browser, its free and it makes life an lot easier. We only use MS-IE to test our System so we can tell you about MS-IE's idiosyncrasies. ============================================ The resources, facilities and knowledge required to use this System can be divided into several areas: Computer and Hardware Requirements:
Software and Resource Requirements:
Knowledge and Experience Requirements:
The good news is: There are only 2 real requirements.
The other fifteen points above just provide a logical place for us to put "links" to useful information that you may need. Aviation DataSource, Inc. Denver, Colorado Copyright 1992-04 All rights reserved Phone: (800) 952-8844; E-Mail: AirBase@AirResearch.com Copyright 1992-2013. Aviation DataSource, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |