FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Joan R.]

Our Forum partner Carles M., an expert software engineer, has sent a link where you could download a very friendly mineral Database made by himself: MINERALS (v1.0.4).

The million dollar link

You could manage your collection and this software allows to save 3 photographies for every record, and includes fields as number, date, species, characteristics, locality, country, location, origin, dimensions, weight, measures, and a space of unlimited extension for observations, with arrangement according to several criteria, complex filters with fields, automatic update of the purchase price according to the inflation rate, summatory all the money you spent (my God!!!), configurable reports printing, and searches for any field.
This version 1.0.4 offers new functions to print the photographies with title trained by the number, species and locality. Possibility of adding anchor up to four records to return to them with posteriority (useful to check along extensive databases). The column widths defined by the user remain for a later sessions. New hotkeys are added for major agility.
It is FREEWARE and runs with Windows 98, 2000, XP and Vista. The software also works in GNU/Linux and Mac OS with Wine or installed Crossover. The only small "problem" is the language but software is very very friendly and visual.

Feel free to download the .exe file (free of viruses and trojans!!!)

Thank you Carles.

[Carles Millan]

Now the English version is available for downloading at the same location.

[ike wilson]

Hi. I downloaded the database on to my comp. BUT I cannot find a way of making my own index, I cannot find any intructions with the download, its a good database if I can use, i may be thick, help please. regards Ike

[Carles Millan]

The program already has nine built-in indexes, that seem enough to handle virtually all the situations. Just for the advanced user, however, it's possible to create additional indexes and make them work, always from outside the program, by using a Paradox database file manager, provided he/she owns one.

No instructions are needed since everything is quite visual and intuitive, even for beginners. Please read carefully the hints associated with every menu item or button.

[Les Presmyk]

This looks like quite a nice software package. THank you for putting it out there. Can it be adapted to use on a Mac?

[Carles Millan]

Just install first Wine on your Mac and then you'll be able to execute any Windows program. It's an excellent emulator.

Wine is free. To download it please go to https://winehq.org/

[Joan R.]

Thank you Carles for your database!!! . The Carles text with the link ready to be used by a click:

Carlos M. wrote:
Just install first Wine on your Mac and then you'll be able to execute any Windows program. It's an excellent emulator.
Wine is free. To download it please go to https://winehq.org/

[Carles Millan]

New version released

A new version (1.1) of the freeware program has just been released. Several new functions have been added, and a number of small bugs have been addressed. Please, feel free to report in this forum any other issue you might encounter.

In addition, a new and more convenient location for downloading is now available.

More than 500 downloads from around the world have been registered in only 8 weeks. Many thanks to all who spent his/her time testing the software.

To the system administrator: Please, if possible, make the download link easier for the readers to click on by replacing the fake URL by the real one. Thank you!

[Jordi Fabre]

Sure Carles,

Here it is.

Thanks for supplying for free this fine software.

Jordi

[Carles Millan]

New version released

Several users asked recently for the possibility to convert the data to a standard format to facilitate their processing with other programs when needed.

Version 1.1.3 includes now a function to export the whole database, or only a subset of it if filtered, to MS Excel and MS Access by creating, with just a click, an XLS format file. Such file can then be opened with any version of MS Office from 2000 to 2007, and also with OpenOffice Calc (an open source free of charge worksheet available at openoffice(dot)org), and Lotus 1-2-3.

This new version can be downloaded here as usual.

[James Catmur]

Carles

Any chance of an import facility too. I developed my current database over 15 years ago and it runs under DOS. To move on to a new one I would need to be able to import the current data, otherwise I would have to re-enter all the records. I have an export facility in my software so can generate the data in various flat database formats, but clearly there would need to be a data field mapping facility.

PS I have a copy but have not yet had time to try it out

[Carles Millan]

Hi, James!

If it were just a matter of a half an hour... But unfortunately importing data from other programs, given the large variety of formats and, in every format, different versions and many different internal structures, making it is almost always a nightmare and a long time working.

I understand you pretty well but I fear there is nothing I can do to help. Sorry!

Good luck!

[James Catmur]

Carles

I fully understand the problem. But is there a way you could create a standard format for import, such as a defined table format in Excel where say column A is the first mineral, B the second etc, etc. If this could be done then people could manipulate their data into the right format before importing most of the data (but clearly some would have to be re-keyed). The key things are the minerals, location, source, code.

Can you post an example of the Excel output from the software and I can see if I can re-create the same layout from my database. If this were possible we could use this as a standard import/export format

James

[Carles Millan]

I'm very sorry, but writing to MS Excel is one thing and reading from its files is a quite different story. Maybe you are aware of the quiet but intense war over the file formats that is right now under way where Micro$oft is deeply involved in order to maintain its monopoly forever.

Perhaps in the future reading from another format, such as CSV (comma separated values) or DBF (dBase III), could be easier for me if I found the time and the will to work it. Both file types are available from inside MS Excel with the function "Save as...".

In the meantime I invite you to update the software and perform some tests. A new version is now available with predictive text in the species name that facilitates the manual entry, a species database with more than 600 records, and several icons to choose from if you don't like the default.

Carles

[James Catmur]

Carles

Good point! So maybe we could use a DBF format to avoid Bill's little issues. I will have a try soon and see what I think but I have to find time (I have too little to even go out and collect more minerals, let alone install new software!) Leave it for now and I will live with my own software (years ago I used to be a database programmer and developed accounting and hotel management software, so I can still use that experience even if it was 20 years ago)

James