Abbreviations - listing
Is there a way to print the list of abbreviations used, or is there a way to get to the start of the letter of a call without scrolling & searching?

1. You shouldn't ever have to print out the abbreviations. You'd waste several hundred pages of paper since there are about 4000 abbreviations in the database.
2. To view the abbreviations, sorted either by abbreviation, or by expansion, do the following:

   From the main menu, select 'Parse | Abbreviation database | Dump contents'; then select how you want the output to be sorted (by abbreviation or by expansion). This will generate a text file that can be viewed (or printed, if desired). The 'dump contents' output is useful since it also lists the 'Intrinsic abbreviations', which are the built-in abbreviations used by the program (these abbreviations all end with a slash ('' or '/'). For example, B is the abbreviation for BOY, BS is the abbreviation for BOYS, H is the abbreviation for HEAD, HS is the abbreviation for HEADS.

3. When editing the abbreviation database, there isn't currently a way to get the start letter of the call (I thought I had implemented this feature once, but maybe I'm mistaken. I'll add it to the 'to do' list).
4. A call can have several abbreviations. The default abbrevations for a call are
   1. the concatentation of the first letter of each word of the call; and
   2. the concatenation of the first two letters of each word of the call.

   For example,

   The default abbreviations for RELAY THE DEUCEY are RTD and RETHDE.

   The default abbreviations for SWING THRU are ST and SWTH.

   If you type 'ST' for SWING THRU, the program will display a dialog box asking you to select a desired expansion since ST has several possible expansions (e.g., SWING THRU, STAR THRU, SLIDE THRU, etc.).

5. An abbreviation is a single word (i.e., without any spaces).
6. It is not intended that the abbreviation database be used as a lookup table whenever you want to find the abbreviation for a particular call. Rather, you may use whatever abbreviation you'd like, and if the program is unable to find the abbreviation in the database, a dialog box appears which allows you to add a new abbrevation. This dialog box is titled 'Parse problem' and the first line of text in the dialog box says 'Unknown tokens encountered'. The dialog box contains the string parsed, and a list of the unknown tokens. To add a new abbreviation, highlight the token within the 'unknown tokens' list box and click the 'Add abbreviation' button.
7. The abbreviation database can also be used to correct typographical errors. For example, I often type "Hedas" for "Heads", or "teh" for "the". I entered "Hedas" as an abbreviation for "Heads" within the abbreviation database -- so now, whenever I accidently type "Hedas", the program replaces it with "Heads".

Abbreviations - unable to find an abbreviation
I haven't found the abbreviation for circulate. I have to type it out each time.

To add your own abbreviation for 'Circulate', edit the abbreviation database as follows:

1. From the main menu, select 'Parse' followed by 'Edit abbreviation database'.
2. The 'Edit abbreviation database' screen appears. From the menu, select 'Edit' followed by 'Add new record'.
3. Enter the abbreviation and it's expansion in the two fields provided and click the 'Save edits' button.
4. Exit the 'Edit abbreviation database' screen.

Changing Colors of Dancers #1
I received my copy of CSDS and am starting to study its features. It has a lot. First thing I tried to do was to change the colors of the dancers. I selected to change dancers on Settings and picked a new color. It asked if I wanted to change all icons for that dancer. I said yes, nothing happened. The colors did not change. Did I do something wrong? Is there some trick to this?

1. From CSDS main menu, select 'System | Settings...';
2. Click on the 'Dancers' tab;
3. Click on the 'Change colors of dancers' button;
4. Click on the left-most, top-most button (the #1 man facing East); At this point, the 'Change Icon Colors' dialog box appears. This particular icon only consists of two colors, namely grey and red, which correspond to the upper two buttons in the right column. These are the only two buttons that will change the colors on this icon.
5. Click on the 'red' button, select a color then click 'OK'. The dancer icon should have changed colors. If this is the color that you want, click the 'OK' button.
6. You are now prompted whether to 'Update all icons for this dancer?'. Click 'Yes'. The 'Change colors of dancers' is redisplayed, and the top row should now have icons with the new color.

You can repeat the above steps for other dancers.

If the colors still aren't changing, you might check file C:\SQDATA\ICON\1MR.ICO, which corresponds to the #1 Man facing Right (East). Make sure that the file is not marked readonly.

Changing Colors of Dancers #2
Okay, I figured out how to get the color change to work for the dancers. Can the background pattern be eliminated and made solid? How do I do that?

If you want a solid-colored dancer icon, assuming the #1 Man Right icon again, you can click on the 'grey' button (top of right column) and set that color to the same color as the rest of the dancer.

Similary, you can change the column of the numeric by using the lower right button.

The region marked within the 'And Mask' section can not be changed.

Also, if you don't like these icons at all, you can get your own icon editor, and change them or create new ones.

Creating a list of calls taught so far
Can I just make a list of calls we have learned for teaching a level?

It can be done, but it takes a little work.

1. Create a new list (via List | New). In the resulting 'Edit list' window, change the status to 'Add' for the level(s) you want. Click 'OK' to create the list.
2. From the main menu, select 'List | Edit by Item'. Select the list that you just created. Use this window to select which calls are on the list (i.e., change the 'Added' field to 'YES' for calls you want on the list, and 'no' for calls that you don't want on the list).

CSDS data - Backing-up
What do you do for backing-up?

The following data should be backed up on a regular basis:

c:\sqdata\music\*.*   [music database]
c:\sqdata\seq\*.*     [sequences database]
c:\sqdata\sqused\*.*  [dates database]

If you enter a lot of getouts and/or snapshot records, you should also backup:

c:\sqdata\squaredb\getout.dat  [getout database]
c:\sqdata\sqproof\sqproof.db   [snapshot database]

If you've added new calls, abbreviations, or parse data, you should also backup:

c:\sqdata\sqlists\sqlists.dat  [lists database]
c:\sqdata\sqabbrev\*.*         [abbreviation database]
c:\sqdata\sqparse\*.*          [parse database]

Other data you could backup: (I don't bother with these)

c:\sqdata\dance\*.*                [dances]
c:\sqdata\pictures\*.*             [pictures imbedded in sequences]
c:\sqdata\sqlists\*.lst and *.ldf  [lists]

CSDS data - transferring to laptop
I have all my CSDS data in my desktop computer. Is there a way to transfer this data over to my laptop into the CSDS program so I don't have to type it all in again?

If you store music files outside of C:\SQDATA, then you'll have to copy them over as well. Be sure to keep the same folder structure on the new computer.

Of course, on the laptop computer, you have to install CSDS so that system files are copied to the correct location.

Dancer size and color
Is it possible to change the color and/or size of the dancers?

1. From the CSDS main menu, select System | Settings...
2. Click on the Dancers tab.

To change dancer size:

1. Drag the scroll bars for the 'Normal' or 'Small' dancers, and the dancer sizes will change appropriately.

To change dancer colors:

1. Click the Change colors of dancers button. This displays a window containing all dancer icons
2. Double-click on the dancer whose color you wish to modify. This will bring up a dialog box that allows you to change the color.
3. Click on one of the 16 color buttons that corresponds to the color that you wish to change.
4. A color dialog box appears. Click on the the new color then click the 'OK' button. The dancer icon now should have changed color.
5. Click the 'OK' button to save changes.
6. At this point, the program will ask 'Update all icons for this dancer?'. Click 'Yes' to change the color for all 14 icons corresponding to this dancer.
7. Repeat steps 2 thru 6 for each dancer whose color you wish to change

Definitions
How can I add call definitions to the program so when I'm on the road, I have access to the definitions?

From our definitions page, http://www.ceder.net/def.php you can find links to Callerlab PDF files. Click on one of these links, then save the PDF file to your computer so you can display it later.

Definitions of Calls - Missing Formation Pictures
The Definitions of Calls and Concepts menu selection functions for me, but all of the before and after pictures only show placeholders. What should I check?

In any case, the following steps should fix the problem:

1. The following files are required in c:\sqdata\definitions:
   1. CsdsActiveX.CAB
   2. CsdsActiveX.HTM
   3. WebDef.Dat
   4. WebDef.Inx
   The latest versions of these files are available at http://www.ceder.net/csds/ftp/
2. Download the above files into c:\sqdata\definitions then try running CSDS. If the problem is not fixed, do the following:
   1. Download CsdsActiveX.ocx from http://www.ceder.net/csds/ftp/ and save it in folder c:\windows\system32.
   2. Bring up a command window (cmd.exe) and do the following commands:

      1. c:

      2. cd \windows\system32

      3. regsvr32 CsdsActiveX.ocx

      The problem should now be fixed.

P.S., to download the files above, right-click on the filename within the listing at http://www.ceder.net/csds/ftp/ and select "Save As".

Desktop icons
I did a program upgrade. Now I have 2 icons on my desktop, one says CSDS and the other is labeled CSDS.EXE. Am I supposed to click on the .exe icon or ????

To determine which icon to use:

1. Right-click on one of the icons;
2. Select 'Properties';
3. Select the 'Shortcut' tab;
4. Check that 'Target' is 'C:\sqdata\csds.exe';
5. If not, delete the icon.

Run CSDS and verify that you have the correct version. If not, go back to the upgrade page, read the instructions, follow them, and try upgrading again.

Downloading getins, getouts, and sequences
Are there any get ins, get outs, and singing call figures that could be down loaded, and what is the procedure to do so?

You can quickly download CSDS sequence databases from http://www.ceder.net/choreodb/csds_databases.php

Formation bitmap - display problem
I just downloaded the latest version of CSDS and copied it to my laptop. All seems to do well except the girls display as black circles in the Bitmap display. Turn off sex and it goes to all boxes without solid fill. It works fine on my desk PC. Any thoughts?

Otherwise, it might be a bug with the video driver or card.

Generate short sequences

I am wondering if I'm missing an obvious step. I ran the 'generate short sequences' under getin-getout for C2. I got a bunch but they require some clean up before they could be used. I expect some to be unusable due to hands, flow, etc. but these had a lot of extraneous info attached like the handle number etc. I've looked in the manual & the screenshot book but I still don't get a clear picture of how I go from what I have to a finished short sequence database.

The output file must be visually examined and you must decide which short sequences you wish to save. The 'handle number' mentioned above is not a handle number but a record index of the getin or getout within the getin or getout database. The record index allows you to quickly find the record so you can update the 'used' or 'used as quickie' count if you so desire.

For each short sequence you wish to save, you will have to type it in as a new sequence.

In the future, more of this process may be automated.

Getout database - size mismatch
I've managed to get the getout database to be a different size on my laptop from my desktop. The getout database on my desktop is over 100k while my laptop is several hundred under. Is there an easy way to copy the getout database from the desktop to the laptop without messing up the index files etc.?

Don't worry about copying index files since CSDS will notice if an index file is incorrect or missing and will generate a new one.

Main window background image
I used the System/Settings and then the "Background image for main window" to change to a picture. Now I would like to revert to the blank, grey, original image. How do I do this?

1. On the main CSDS window, right-click on the background for a context-sensitive pop-up window. You now have the option to set or clear the background image.
2. Go to Settings | Display, then clear the contents of the 'Background image for main window' edit box. (e.g., Select All, then press the Del key)

Sample Screens
Where are the sample screens with the commands explained?

1. CSDS Screens.doc
• Over 100 pages consisting of text and screen shots (pictures) of the screens and dialog boxes from CSDS.
• Each screen shot is accompanied by an explanation of the associated menu items, text boxes, buttons and other controls.
2. CSDS User Manual.doc
• About 20 pages giving an overview of CSDS and it's associated database files.

Both files are in Microsoft Word format and correspond to CSDS version 0.92. To view (or print) them, use the Windows File Explorer to locate them, then double-click on one of them to launch Word or Wordpad.

On-line, please check out the CSDS HTML Help Index

User manual
I found a file called users manual. So maybe I'll be okay. I'm trying to print it now. My computer isn't cooperating, but I'll look at that and let you know if I panic again.

CSDS documentation currently consists of the following:

1. from CSDS main menu, select 'Help'. Under this section, the most up-to-date documentation is under 'HTML Help Index'.
2. on the web, I maintain a large FAQ database for CSDS at http://www.ceder.net/faqdb/view.php?section=1