
Product Compatibility Database
==============================

This is the !Help file for !Products.
                                        
!Products is a database which gives you information about the 
compatibility of hardware and software products with the Acorn Risc PC. 
The information has come from a programme of testing conducted by Acorn 
and over one hundred external hardware and software companies during 
the six-month period prior to the computer's launch.

Please note that the database provides information only on whether the 
product can be used with the Acorn Risc PC. It does not give guidance 
on whether the product performs any particular purpose or whether it is
suitable for your use. 

There are nearly 2,000 records in the database of which about 800 
contain compatibility information. This information has come from the 
publishers of the products, rather than from Acorn. Please note that 
Acorn can provide no guarantee to the accuracy of the data and any use 
made of it is at your own risk. Please remember that the information 
may not be up-to-date by the time you read it and if in doubt, contact 
the publisher for the most up-to-date information.

A status of 'Unknown' implies that the publisher has not provided Acorn
with information about that product.


Usage
=====

The database enables you to browse through the records product by 
product, or company by company. You can search for particular companies 
and products. A search for a product can be started simply by dragging 
the program icon into the database window. !Products can also save or 
print letters to the product's publisher requesting product upgrades or 
more information.

Registration
============

Double-click on !Products to load it onto the icon bar. Clicking on the 
icon bar icon will bring up the registration box. Type your name and 
address into the box and click on Save. Your name and address will be 
saved to disc. Click again on the icon and the record window will 
appear.

The record window provides information about a single product. The 
database is sorted in alphabetical order of company and product, with 
Acorn products and those built into the computer at the start. 

Browsing
========

Click the arrow buttons to browse through the records. The middle 
arrows browse product by product. The double arrows browse company by 
company. The outside arrows move to the beginning and end of the 
database.

Searching for products
======================

The Find button enables you to find the details for a product or 
company. If !Products cannot find an exact match of the string of 
characters you ask for, it will try shorter strings by removing 
characters from the end. In most cases this finds the record you need, 
even if you type the name incorrectly, but occasionally it will find a 
different record.

You can also drag a program from your disc into the database window, or 
to the icon on the icon bar. This searches the database for the program 
and presents the record if it can be found.

Saving and printing letters
===========================

Clicking on the Letter button gives a Save dialogue box. You can drag 
the file icon to a directory to save the letter to disc. If you have a 
printer driver installed on the icon bar, you can drag the file icon to 
the printer icon to print it.

The letter produced will use the name and address details you entered 
in the Registration box. Some products have particular upgrade details, 
in which case the comment field refers to the letter. If there is no 
reference in the comment field, clicking the Letter button produces a 
standard letter requesting more information.

You may wish to print the letter directly or you may wish to edit the
letter in a word processor. In the first case the letter will be printed
using a fixed-width font. If you edit the letter in a word processor you
will probably use a proportionally-spaced font. As it is not possible to
pre-format your home address on the right-hand side to cater for both of
these possibilities, the address has been placed on the left-hand side.
You will be able to use the right-justification facilities in your word
processor to change this.

