Preferences Window
Set Popups
Some data entry windows use popup menus for entering information. The Popups tab in the Preferences window allows for adding or removing popup entries. Drag and drop entries in the list to reorder the items as they appear in the corresponding popup menu. In the case of Format, this order will also determine the order used when reporting issues in various reports.
Format Type
The Issues window uses a popup menu for designating the format of the issue. Also, the order of the entries in this popup will determine the order used when listing issues in the sessions report. For instance, most people like issues listed in the following order: 78, 45, LP, CD. (Of course, there could be more issue formats but I'm only listing these for simplicity.)
Session Type
The Sessions window has a popup for designating the type of session. Most sessions are "studio" sessions. But there can also be live concerts, radio broadcasts, tv broadcasts, and any number of designations for a session.
Take Type
The Sessions window uses a popup menu for designating the type of performance. For many discographies, Master, Alternate, and Incomplete are sufficient for describing any performance, but users can add others if needed. The Type Name is used in the popup menu on the Sessions window, but the Type Abbreviation is used in the reports generated by BRIAN. In most cases, a performance listed in a discography is the master take, so it is rather repitious to see that designation in the reports. If you don't want to see a take type on the report, leave its abbreviation blank.
Verification Type
The Issues window contains a popup to show the verification status of the issue for the purpose of noting provenance of the information about the issue.
Relation Type
The Select a Related Song window is used to link different song entries that may be the same song. Two entries can be the same song when, for instance, there are more than one set of lyrics for the same music. The Relation Type popup designates the relation.
Issue Tags
Issue Tags are assigned in a separate tab of the Issues window. These are not a "popup", but rather displayed as a list of checkable items. The tags are sorted, added, and edited much like the popups, so they are included here.
Album Tags can be used for any criteria a discographer needs to distinguish a class of issues. Examples would be assigning a grade to the physical issues in the discographers collection, assigning genres, or noting publications where issues were reviewed when issued.
The Set Popups tab uses the 3 Step Edit Mode.
To enter a new item for the popup menu, first use the popup menu to select the type of popup to be changed. Then press the New button. Pressing New will cause the Edit button to change to Save and the Delete button to change to Cancel. Fill in the Type Name and Type Abbreviation. Press the Save button to save the entry or the Cancel button to cancel. If the Save button is pressed, the new entry will be displayed in the listbox below. Drag and drop the entry to change the order in the list.
To change a popup item, select the item in the listbox below. Then follow the same steps as for adding an item except press the Edit button to start the procedure.
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Appearance Preferences
Date Preferences
Use the Preferences window to set the date format used in reports. The Preferences window has no effect on the date format used in data entry fields for other windows.
Font Preferences
Use the Preferences window to set the size and style of fonts used in the BRIAN reports.
Session Leader Designation
To facilitate the options for displaying session leaders in the session report, use this popup to designate the instrument used to designate leader.
Arrangers Designation
To facilitate the options for displaying arrangers in the session report, use this popup to designate the instrument used to designate arranger.
Delete Local Preferences
Local Preferences are ones that are stored in the preferences file as opposed to preferences stored on the database. These are things like window placements and list column widths. Not all of them are explicitly set in this window. With some, BRIAN "remembers" the last setting you made to them. There are times where the preferences file can get corrupted and cause unpredictable results in displaying a window. If you press this button your local preferences file stored on your hard drive will be deleted. Once you do this, BRIAN uses default preferences, but it will gradually reset things like window position as you use the program.
Auto-complete City/Venue
Checking these will enable auto-complete for the Venue and City fields on the Sessions window. This, in effect, will enable a lookup for these fields so you don't have to fully type the information. The lookup will only include items already entered in these fields.
Ignore Update Notices
When you start BRIAN, the program checks to see if there are any available updates to the software. If for some reason you don't want these notification, you can click this checkbox and BRIAN won't check. This may be the case if you know that the new updates won't work for you so there is no need to know.
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File Location Preferences
Reports Folder
Use the Browse button to select the folder where BRIAN should store the generated reports. BRIAN versions prior to 9.12 would have you select this folder when the reports were generated and only remember the location until the programe quit. Now, you can set this in the preferences and not have to bother with that when running reports.
Track List Folder
Use the Browse button to select the folder where BRIAN should store the generated track lists. These track lists are generated from the Lists->Issues->Track List Files for Selected Issues menu from issues selected in the Issues window list. See the documentation for Displaying Track Links in Session Reports and the Issues window for more information.