This is the first version of the records mode that I am releasing. There is
not much documentation provided. However, most of the functionality is
available from the RECORDS menu when you are visiting a records file.

A brief documentation on records usage is described below.

Steps:

1. Since you are reading this file, you have untarred the gzip'ed file. The
elisp files in the current directory (in which you are right now) will not be
installed in any other directory, and installation will automatically add the
current directory to the load path in emacs. So if you wish to move the records
software to some other emacs-related directory, now is the time to do it.

2. Read ./INSTALL and follow its instructions. The install procedure makes the
byte compiled elisp files, reads in the user settings for records (by running
recordsadmin), and installs these settings into the records initialization file
~/.emacs-records. This initialization file is read by emacs and the records
administration program (recordsadmin). Install also adds the loading of
.emacs-records into your .emacs. When you start emacs, all the records defaults
will be automatically loaded.

GO AHEAD AND DO THE INSTALLATION.

3. Type key "Ctrl-c n" (for records-goto-today). This will get you today's
records file. If you are starting fresh, it will be empty. 

4. To insert a records subject type "Ctrl-c Ctrl-i" or look for "Insert Record"
in the menu. Once you have added a subject, you can start typing ...
Regarding spaces in subject titles, look at the FAQ.

5. Multiple subjects can be added in each day's records file. Infact the same
subject can be added multiple times in each day's records file.

6. For all the other functionality, look at the records menu. The menu has been
divided so that most of the functionality at the top of the menu is related to
records traversal (up, down, prev, next, goto etc). The middle section adds,
deletes and renames records. The last section does administration tasks such as
encryption, concatanation of records by subject or days etc. Make sure you look
at the records TODO facility.

7. Remember that if you just have one records file (today's) then records
traversal's are not very useful!

8. The program recordsadmin has been provided in order to do meta-level things
- initialize (or reinitialize) your records software, change date format,
change directory structure and recreate records indexes if they are broken (for
example if your system crashes while emacs is updating your indexes on the
fly). You should not need to use it in normal records use.

9. Tell me if you like the package, have improvements to suggest, or have
found bugs.

Good Luck.

Ashvin Goel (ashvin@cse.ogi.edu)


