Mineral Record Cataloguing Program Modules

The Mineral Record Overview

The Mineral Record is a suite of programs that will allow the user to efficiently catalogue mineral collections, print labels for their mineral specimens and generate reports about their collections.

The various program modules of the Mineral Record are interactive, allowing the interchange of data between the different program modules. Many different types of data cane be stored for cataloging purposes: Text data. photographs of specimens and localities, maps, drawings, etc.. This can be done for a single mineral collection or for multiple mineral collections, micro mounts and cabinet specimens for example.. The Mineral Record can store, sort, and classify mineral data; organize mineral photographs, drawings, graphs, and document images. The Mineral Record can print reports, print images, print labels with and without images, print reports of mineral costs and values, etc..

Our goal is to make the Mineral Record the world's most complete and comprehensive program for mineral collection cataloging. We continually strive to make the Mineral Record's professional and sophisticated functionality user friendly, with data entry that is as simple, quick and as effortless as possible.

The Mineral Record Program Modules

Collection Database, your data for specimens

Locality Database, your data for localities

Species Database, your reference data of over 4000 recognized minerals

Collection Manager, your system database access manager

ImageBank, your image data

Report & Label Creator, your program for all labels and reports

ASCII Transfer Manager, your data exchange module

MR Book, your book view the Mineral Record program modules associated functionality, and settings

Collection Database

By far the most important program is the Collection Database. The program comes with two collection databases. One is called My Collection and the other Sample Mineral collection. You can create as many more collection databases as you want. Each one can catalogue up to a million specimens. The collection database has a form view, at table view and a filter vies. You will do almost all of your work in the form view of the collection database. Here is what it looks like.

Another view of the collection data base is the table view. In the table view, the data in the database is shown in the form of a table. Here is what that view of the database looks like.

In the above example, the table view shows the first fifteen records of the Rock H. Currier Collection. This is the database name I gave my collection database. The table view shows the first fifteen records of the database and only a few of the fields. To see the balance of the records and the fields you have to use the scroll bars to navigate around in the database. When you have added a lot of records and data to your database, it is a pain in the ass to use the table view to see the data because you have to use the scroll bars so much.

There is a third view of the database that is called the filter view. The filter view is used to search your database and present you with the information you want to know about. In the example below, the filter view has been asked to tell me how many calcite specimens from Tsumeb are in my collection. You can make your queries as complex as you wish. You could also ask it to find all the Tsumeb calcites that you added to your collection in a particular year that you got from a particular dealer and were of a particular size and or quality. The possibilities are endless.

After you place your query in the filter view you click the Apply button and you will be given an answer table showing the results of your query.

The above answer table tells me that I have five Tsumeb calcite specimens in my collection and that four of them have dioptase associated with them and one is associated with mimetite.

The form view of the database called a form view because it is just like a form you would fill out for something. The above example has been filled out with data about specimen #15 from my collection which is a Colemenite from Boron California. You can click back and fourth between the various views by clicking on the Table, Filter & Form buttons in the secondary tool bar near the top of the window.

There are a lot of different fields in the form view where you can enter data. Take a look at them. (The first image shown in this article. You don’t have to fill them all out and in fact I doubt that anyone would want to fill them all out. There are a few fields you must fill out before you can save your work and move on to a new one. You must specify a collection number. You must put something in the Species Label field and you must put something in the Country field of the locality section. You can put unknown in both the Species and Country field if you wish, but you must put something in those fields before you can post/save a record and move on to a new one . All the other fields are optional.

After you install the program you can start using it right away, but there are several housekeeping chores that you should take care of that will make your cataloguing easier and faster. Reading about these will introduce you to some of the special features of the program. In the menu bar is a menu called References and when you click on that one of the submenu choices is called Getting Started. When you click on this menu choice, it will open a Word document that will spell out in detail how to do the various things you will need to do to configure the program to your personal cataloguing needs. Here is an overview of what you should do to get started.

1.Give your database a name.

When you install your collection database(s) one will have the name or My Collection and the other will have the name Sample Mineral Collection. The one called My Collection is empty except for the first record which you should delete before you start. Work. You should rename this database with a suitable name like “The Great and Glorious Mineral Collection of Joe E. Smith Esq. Jr. III. To do this follow the directions in the Getting Started document mentioned above. The Sample Mineral Collection database is just that. It has a few records in it and you can fool around with it with and try different things without having to worry that you might be screwing up your collection database.

2. Collection Numbers

The second thing you should do is to tell the program whether you want to assign specimen numbers or you want the program to do it automatically. If you already have numbers assigned to your specimens you won’t need this function and you should tell the program not to assign numbers. If you do want the program to automatically assign numbers to your specimens you will need to tell the program at what number you wish to begin with. You do this using the System Manager/Collection Number… command dialogue box. It is explained in detail in the Getting Started document.

3. Specimen Properties

Click on the Special Properties tab in the form view of the Database. It looks like this.

Here you can check of special properties that your specimen may have. You can access even more of them if you use the scroll bar at the bottom of the field. If you don’t like these properties you can delete them, modify them or add new ones of your own. Take a look at them and make notes on those you want to delete, change or add. Then use the System Manager/Special Properties command to access the little database that will let you do this. The Getting Started document mentioned above will describe in detail how to do this. If you have data you want to add that is not suitable for this click on the property method, you will want to click on the Custom Categories tab or the Custom Fields Tabs and change the names on one or more of those fields to accommodate the data you want to enter. You will do this by clicking on the System Manager/Custom Categories or the System Manager/Custom Fields command. They operate in a similar fashion to the Specimen Properties functionality. They are not covered in the Getting Started document, but are completely explained in the Help manual which is also accessed from the Menu bar at the top of the screen.

4. Tabbing Sequence

You should look at all the fields in the database and decide which of them you will wish to fill with data. If there is data you want to enter but does not have any designated fields already made to enter this data, you should make a list of the names of those fields as well. You should then arrange this list in the order that you want to enter the data. Usually the first data you will want to enter is the collection number and the second, the minerals that are on your specimen. After you have this list you should create a personalized tabbing sequence and give it a name. The reason you should do this is that you can use the tab key and each click of the tab key will advance the entry cursor to the next field in the sequence. If you don’t you will spend a lot of time using the mouse or the tab key to get to the field you want to place data in. For a few entries it doesn’t make that much time, but if you have hundreds or thousands of entries, it will save you many hours of work. You will do this by using the System Manager/Tabbing Setup command and following the instructions in the Getting Started document.

You can create as many tabbing sequences as you wish and call them forward by clicking on the one you want from the list at the bottom of the System Manager menu.

5. Specimen Location

If you have only one cabinet in which you keep your specimens you will probably not want to use this field at all. If you keep your specimens in several different places you will probably want to use this field. Make a list of all the places you keep your specimens. Some of the common entries could be like Bedroom Closed, Safety Deposit box, Cabinet 1 Drawer #1, Big glass display case etc. After you have this list, use the System Manager/Specimen Location command to open the little database to enter the various places you keep your specimens

After you have done this, they will appear in a drop down box accessed by a down arrow at the end of the Specimen Location field. You can then enter them directly into the field and you will be prompted with their entry. But only after you have entered them first in the Specimen Properties database as described above.

6.Quality Classes and Size groups

The program comes with several suggested quality classed and size groupings. If you don’t like these you can use the System Manager/Quality Classes or System Manager/Size Group commands to delete, alter or add new ones of your own.

The program has many more features that will make your job of cataloguing you collection and printing labels and reports for them easy. Here some of them are described.

Species label field.

The Species Label field is where you put the name of the mineral(s) that are on your specimen. You type there exactly what you want to appear on the label. If you Capitalize the names of the minerals, the program will match them with the species listed in the species database and will prompt you with their entry. If the program does not find a it will underline that word with a wiggly red line. If the word you type into the Species Label field is not capitalized, the program will look for a match in the varieties or associated words database and if it finds one it will also prompt you with those words. If no match is found, the program will underline them with a red squiggly line. You can add species, varieties and associated words to their appropriate databases by right clicking on words that have the red underline. In the example above you can see that the program recognized all the words in the Species Label field. You can make this name as long and descriptive as you wish. About the longest name I have thus far used is Anglesite pseudomorph after Galena on Quartz with Linarite. You can make them longer, but then the problem becomes that you have to have special label templates that allow for enough room on the label to make sure you can print it all out.

Chemical Formula/Crystal System field.

Some people don’t care to have the chemical formulas in their collection databases or to print them on their lables and if you are one of them, then just ignore this filed. If you would like to use chemical foamless and crystal systems they will go in this field. But since it is a real pain in the ass to type them all in correctly, we have gone to the trouble for them to be entered into this field automatically by clicking on the little down arrow return button at the end of the field or by clicking on the Alt + Enter keyboard command. But before this will work you must have at least one valid mineral species present in the Species Label field and your cursor must be in the Chemical Forumla field. If you have six valid mineral names beginning with a capitol letter and no red squiggly line under them. Clicking on the down arrow button of the Alt + Enter keyboard command will cause the program to enter them all in the chemical formula line one after the other. Its like magic.

Locality Fields Prompting

The Country, State, County, City, Mine Name and General Locality fields are where you will enter your locality data. This can be a pain in the ass as well, so we have done several things to speed up the process. The locality database has been populated with the locality data from several hundred of the more common localities. There is a better than average chance that the locality you will want to enter is already in the locality database. Pick a word from the locality string and type it into the appropriate field. If you have a specimen from say USA, California, Kern County, Boron, US Borax Mine, Kramer Mining District. Type Boron into the City field. As soon as you strike the B or Bo keys on the keyboard Boron will be entered into the City field. Then click on the little green button above the field and you will be presented with a table of locality matches from the Locality Database and your database.

Just double click on the one you want or click on the Transfer to Collection DB button at the top right of the window and the entire locality string will be placed correctly in your locality fields. This will save you a huge amount of entry time.

Specimen Description and other rich text fields.

At the bottom of the window there are a number of fields where you can enter lost of data about your specimens.

The one I use the most is called Specimen Description and here I place a description of my specimen. You can put anything you want in these fields. These fields will pop open (get larger) if you use the Shift+ double left mouse click command to toggle them open and closed. This is real handy when you are entering a lot of data or trying to read a lot of data. You can also select any word or phrase in these fields and link them to documents or images in your computer, web sites or to pop up notes.

Label Making

Your program comes outfitted with many label templates each of which has a name. You can select which label you want to use by clicking on the little down arrow at the end of the Label Name field.

They are generally arranged so those at the top of the list are for small specimens like micromounts and toward the bottom of the list the labels will get larger to accommodate larger specimens. You will need to play around with these to get a feel of which label you may want to use for the specimens you are cataloguing. To do this you click on the label you want in the drop down list, and that will cause the name of that label to be placed in the Label Name field. Then click on the Print Label… button. This will not cause the label to print, but will show you a preview of what the label will look like. If you don’t like it, close the preview window and go back and pick a different label. When the label in the preview screen looks good, you can print it by clicking on the little printer icon in the tool bar at the top of the preview window. You also have the option of specifying how many copies of the label you would like to print, and then when you click on the Print… button you will be able to preview the number of labels that will be printed when you click on the printer icon at the top of the preview window. A typical label name might be 70x50 mm, J2, min data, 14 pt, coll N&No, formula.utr. This would mean that a 70x50 mm labels will be printed suitable for a small J2 size box that would accommodate a label with not very much data on it and it would print the label with 14 point font and would include a collection name, collection number and a chemical forumla.

There is a good chance that you will want to customize your labels and you can do that by using the Report and Label Making module which you can access with the File/Report and Label & Label Creator menu commands. This is not a user friendly program and is sort of like a CAD design program where you use objects that that you select in the tool bar at the top of the screen and drop them into the design field and then use the Object Inspector to change the properties of that object to design the label just exactly as you wish it to be. This program and all the others have extensive help menus and if you follow the instructions it will show you how to alter existing labels or how to create entirely new labels and reports for your collection. If you wish you can bribe me to make them for you. Once the label types are created with this program you will have to hook them up to your collection database using the Label/Labels Manager command. This is described in detail in the help manual.

Pictures

The Collection, Species, and Locality databases all support pictures. You can attach as many pictures as you want to any record on those databases.

You will do this by placing the image in the Image Bank program which you can access by the File/Image Bank command in the Collection database. In the Image bank you first choose the database you want the picture to go into and then the particular record in the database. If you want to associate more than one picture with a particular record, you need to specify which one is the default image. The process is described in detail in the Help Manual that comes with the Image bank program. You enter an large image into the Image bank and then generate a TN image of it.

Spell checker

There is a spell checker associated with the databases and it will check the spelling of any text that you put in the rich text fields like Specimen Description, Provenience etc.

Special Characters

When entering data in the Species Label, or the rich text fields, a Ctrl+Y command will open a window that will let you select from a wide range of special characters that you can select for insertion in those fields.

The program will even support overbar characters.

Find & Replace

The filter view of the program will allow you to search your database in almost any imaginable way. Once you have found what you are looking fore there is a replace function what will allow you to replace things globally.

For instance you can ask the filter to find all the specimens from South West Africa in your collection and then tell the program to replace the South West Africa with Namibia. Another few button clicks and you can have the program print up new labels with the corrected locality information.

Carry Forward buttons

If you have a number of similar specimens from the same locality you can use the carry forward buttons to carry forward all the data from an existing record into a new record (excepting the collection number) or to carry forward into a new record only the locality data or to carry forward the data from selected fields.

Reports

The program comes with a number of standard reports that you can generate with the click of a couple of buttons. You can click on the Reports menu and tell the program to generate a report listing your specimens numerically by collection number, Alphabetically by species or alphabetically by country. You can choose eight or ten point fonts for each of these reports.

Table View

When you click on the table view of the database you will be presented with a table view. This view looks rather like a spread sheet, with each column one of the fields in the database and each row one of the records. The table view is usually not used very much, because you have to use the scroll bars a lot to get to the record and field that you want. You can use the System Manager/Table View setup command to open a window that will allow you to customize the table view so that it will only show you the fields you are interested in and not all of them.

You can give each of your custom table views a name and call them up from the list at the bottom of the system manager.

Printing Labels and Sequential specimen numbers

Under the Label Menu, you can tell the program to print out labels for any particular specimen or sequence of specimens. In the Labels menu you can also ask the program to print out sequential specimen numbers of various kinds should you want small specimen numbers to cut out and glue on to your specimens.

Help Menu

By clicking on the Help/Help Content you can open an extensive help manual for the program. This program has more than 100 topics and thousands of words and screen shots of various parts of the collection database to help you use the program.

The best part is that if you have trouble with the program you can call me directly at 626-485-1467 and Ill try and Ill try and help you with any problem you have. Ill do this until the calls make me stop answering my phone.

In addition to the Collection database(s) that are described above, there is a collection manager. It allows the user to change from one collection database to another and to edit, delete and create new collection databases. Here is what it looks like.

A complete help manual for the use of this little program is included under the help menu item in this program.

Also included is the Species Database. The species database contains the chemical formulas and crystal systems on more than 90% of all known minerals. You can edit the data in the species database to correct it, delete it and add new data about new minerals to it. The collection database uses the data in this database when it prompts you with the correct entry of valid species names and from which to draw the chemical formulas and crystal systems should you want to put them in the collection database in order to print them with the other data on labels and reports. This database is similar in structure to the Collection database though the fields are different. You can also associate images with records in the database. Here is what the Species database looks like.

Locality Database

The locality database is where you can store locality information. When you are entering data about a locality into the collection database and you ask the program to see if it can find any locality matches for the locality data you have entered, the program will first check the locality database to see if it can find any matches in that database before searching your locality database for matches. If a match(s) are found you can click on the one that is correct and all the locality information in the database will be automatically inserted into the locality fields in the collection database. You can edit the data in the species database or add information about new localities. It is structured the same way as the collection and species databases. Here is what it looks like.

Image Bank

If you want to associate images with records in the Collection, Species and Locality databases, you will use the Image Bank program to do that. You first choose what database you want and then which record to associate them with. You can associate any number if images with records in these databases. You store the full size image in the image bank, and then make thumbnail images and label size images for printing in labels and reports should you want to put images in your reports and labels. Here is what the Image bank looks like.

In the example below you can see that the image of an apatite crystal has been associated with record number 1 in the David Eidhal collection database.

Report and Label Creator

The Report and Label Creator is a powerful, if not user friendly program that allows the user to create labels and reports from the data in the collection species and locality databases. It has been used to create all the label templates that are resident in your collection database(s) that you can select in the Label Name field of the collection database. It has also been used to create the various reports that are supplied with your program that you can use in the Reports menu of the collection database(s) in your program. Below is what the program looks like. In the design tab of the program are the various programming objects that have been placed there to create one of the label types that are resident in your program. Associated with the program is the Object inspector where you will control the properties of the various objects in the design field. Here is what the program looks like.

This is what the Object inspector looks like. This object inspector is focused on the object that is the design grid itself. You can use the inspector to control among other things the units that are displayed on the design grid. Currently it is set to show the grid in millimeters, but you can change that to inches or pixels if you wish.

ASCII Transfer Manager

The ASCII Transfer Manager is a program that allows the user to transfer his data from the Collection, Species and Locality databases to a CSV file. You can transfer selected portions of the data or all of the data. You can select which character you wish to separate the records and which character to separate the files. The character generally used to separate the records is a comma. The reason for this program is so that your data will not be trapped in our program so you can use it only in our program. Here is what the program looks like.

Mineral Record Book

This program gives the user access to an overview of various functions of the Mineral Record program as well as access to the various help manuals in the various programs. I have found that you will rarely need to use this program because almost all the functions that you will be using are accessible directly from the collection database(s). Here is what the program looks like.