INFIBASE
Multimedia Database for Worldgroup!

* Why settle for just an attached picture, when you can have sound, text, animation, video, word processing   files, programs...  Infibase displays just about anything! Attach up to 26 files to each record.

* Friendly user interface.  Category / sub-category tree makes it easy for your customers to simply point-and-click their way around

* Powerful searching features. Multi-keyword search and hierarchicalcategory browsing.  Auto-notification of new item entry.

* Dbase import / export.  Support for Dbase III+, Dbase IV, Clipper, Foxpro, and ASCII.

* Comprehensive statistics tracking. Reads, writes, responses, file xfers.

* Credit card processing.  Optionally require credit card payment from user before entering item in database.

* Extensive multimedia support. BMP, JPEG, GIF, PCX, TIF, Photo CD graphics.  FLI, FLC, AWA animation. WAV, RMI, and MIDI. AVS, AVI digital video, and QuickTime Movie.

* Infibase supports a powerful ANSI/Ascii interface for those users who are not using Worldgroup
  (since not everyone may be using Worldgroup, it's important that a database support those users too).


                  Applications for the Infibase database

Classified advertisements,  Job search database, Multi-media User Registry, Peronsals, manuals, Supplier/parts database... if your data belongs in categories and subcategories then it belongs in Infibase!

--------------------------------------------------
BBS Software and Products Reviews
by Steve Graves, Sysop News and Cyberworld Report

                              InfiBase

Pay attention Major BBS Sysops. If you're tired of spending hundreds of dollars for Galacticomm add-on software, take a close look at INFIBASE, a slick, easy-to-use application development program from Infinetwork. 

What is it?
InfiBase  is a hierarchial database that can meet multiple needs for Major BBS Sysops. The program can be configured as an online shopping, a classified advertisement section, an online order entry system, a dating service, a credit card processor - or all of the above.  In fact,  with a little imagination, Sysops can design any application requiring collection and dissemination of information that can be classified in a hierarchy or that can be collected by a form.  Best of all (thank God), the Sysop doesn't have to be a programmer to develop custom applications.

InfiBase is powerful, flexible, and yet simple in concept and execution.  It's Btrieve menu tree meshes quite nicely with Major's basic look and feel. Users familiar with the basic Major BBS command structure will 
quickly feel at home with InfiBase applications.  Besides saving sysops lots of money, InfiBase offers your callers an intuitive front end shared by all your custom InfiBase applications. The familiarity of the command structure will enable your caller to easily navigate any new InfiBase application that you develop for your board.

The InfiBase Import/Export function supports ASCII, FoxPro, Dbase III+, and Dbase IV files allowing easy access to your existing data collections.

Features

The Menu Tree Definition . . .  InfiBase permits users to locate information through a menu tree designed by the Sysop. The top menu is a very general category. After selecting an item from the top menu, the caller will be presented with more specific subtopic items. Each menu topic or item can nest up to seven subtopics.  Applications can be designed for any information that can be classified into diverse topics. 
InfiBase includes a simple classified ad database with the package.  Using any ASCII editor, the sample database can be copied and modified to meet the needs of the Sysop.
.
.File Attachment . . .  After your caller responds to a classified advertisement or completes a questionnaire, you can offer your caller the opportunity to attach a text, picture, or data file to their response.  The party that posted the classified advertisement can then download the file. This feature is especially valuable when used for dating services, online shopping malls, or other applications where a picture is worth a thousand words.

Sample Application . . . Using InfiBase, I constructed a Help Wanted and Position Wanted system 
for my own board, the JobMatch BBS. I based my menu system design on the Department of Labor's Dictionary of Occupational Titles. Although my menu includes several hundred categories, the system is easily navigable due to the top down menu tree. Callers can locate categories of interest in four 
or five key strokes or with the keyword search function.

Applicants post Position Wanted advertisements and optionally attach their resume in file format to the ad.  The candidates can also read Help Wanted advertisements posted by employers. Callers respond to the help wanted advertisements by completing a short job application form and optionally attach their resume. Of course, the employer may also request that the candidate fax, phone, or write in the body of the classified advertisement.  By selecting the Autonotify feature, applicants are alerted of responses to their ads or of new listings in selected Help Wanted categories  whenever they log on.

Employers post Help Wanted Ads by completing an online form. They can also locate potential candidates by scanning the appropriate Position Wanted Classified sections.  By selecting the Autonotify feature, 
employers are alerted of responses to their ads or of new listings in selected Position Wanted categories, when they next logon. After reading Responses and new Position Wanted classifieds, the employers may
download attached resumes.

Simple applications can be designed in an hour or two.  More extensive applications can take a few days. Don't let the buzz words like application development or debug scare you off from InfiBase. Writing applications for this program, although tedious, is simple and straightforward. If you can write a batch file, you can develop InfiBase applications.

Documentation . . .   Well, the documentation, what little there is, is better than that for most Galacticomm products, third party software, or BBS software in general. However, it lacks focus, an index, and a 
trouble shooting checklist.

Summary . . .   InfiBase can be viewed as a single solution for multiple problems. Surprisingly,  InfiBase solutions in many cases are as elegant and effective as some of the single purpose third party add-ons. The 
trade-off for the dollars you save is the time you expend in developing your custom applications. With a little sweat and ingenuity, this program can enhance the functionality of your BBS, improve caller satisfaction, and collect your money for you. You can give your online programs a unified look, feel, and command structure. It can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars in third party software. The InfiBase retail price appears a bit steep at first glance but note that you are in essence purchasing an unlimited number of applications.  InfiBase not only will solve many of your immediate needs but, as your system grows, it will help you meet many of your future needs with minimal expense.

Documentation
The program documentation is stored on this CD as a Microsoft word document in the \ADDONS\INFIB subdirectory. The file name is INFIBASE.DOC.

TRY THE DEMO...
If you select the "Install Demo" button, you will be able to try out the demo version of Infibase.
It will be fully functional, except that it will delete ALL ads in the database when the system starts up!
Give it a try!


