Records Master

John Woodward

Introduction

Records Master is a secure file manager that allows you to collect important records (such as bank statements, credit card statements investment records, bills or receipts) in a database and allow for:

Think of it as a replacement for a file cabinet but with easier filing and retrieval. You can also use it just to keep any files together...especially useful for PDFs.

A trend today with financial institutions and utilities is to stop sending paper copies of bills and statements, and instead make them available online. However, this information is not available online forever, and is inconvenient to access across all of your financial institutions because you have to login to multiple web sites. If you wanted to review all your statements for December of 2005, you would have a lot of work to do. Though the online statements are often available for downloading, you have problem of organizing the information. Records Master addresses this problem by providing a database customized for storing and accessing such records in a single database file. If you still get some statements only in paper form and you have a scanner, then you might find it more convenient to scan the statements and store them in Records Master rather than maintaining a paper file system. You could also scan and organize receipts, instructions, etc. Also, MacOS X allows you to print anything to PDF, which you could then save in Records Master.

Even though Records Master was motivated by the problem of managing large amounts of bills and statements, it could be used to organize any files on your computer.

 

 Contents

Records Master Features

Records Master allows you to create multiple database files, each of which can contain any number of other files. Adding a file to a database is called importing.  Once imported, the following types of files can be viewed in Records Master: Microsoft Word files, most RTF and HTML files, plain text files, image files, PDF files, and Quicktime video and audio (which can be played). Other types of files can be imported, and you can open them with their default application from within Records Master, or export them.

Files and folders can be imported in several ways, see Importing. PDF files without a proper".pdf" extension (produced by some web sites) can optionally be automatically given a proper extension as they are imported.

Records Master allows you to create hierarchical folders into which your records are filed. The contents of the folders can be sorted as you specify. Imported files can be automatically filed in folders based on either their content (for text files only) or their filename. You can optionally associate notes and attributes (including tags) with each file (such as a start date and an end date), which can be used to make it easier to find the file later.

Note that you can scan or print to PDF to import anything into the database.

You can access your records in several ways. You can browse the folders, where you will find files organized by date ( if you associated dates with the files). You can also use the Find command to find records by folder/file name or path, by notes,  by date, by attribute, or by content. You can also create Smart Folders--folders that are continuously updated to contain files that match the find criteria associated with the Smart Folder.

You can produce reports or graphs based on the attributes of files in Smart Folders.

You can export files, print them or email them using Mail.

You can associate reminders with folders to remind you when to download or scan in records that go in that folder.

Because Records Master stores important records, it can be configured to automatically make backup copies your data, and to encrypt your records with 128-bit AES encryption to keep them secure. You can also backup your database manually.

Quickstart

The Database Window

When you first start the program, you will be prompted to create a database file. After choosing a name and location for your database, the database window will appear. An example database window with several folders created and files imported is shown at the right. At the upper left of the window appears the Browser panel, which contains the folder and file names, with triangles to allow you to expand folders (show their contents). This Browser looks and works very much like the Finder. At the right of the window is the file display area, which displays the selected file. Note that:

Above the file display area is the name of the selected file, or status about what is selected in the Browser. The arrows ( and ) operate much like back and forward buttons on an internet browser. For more information about these buttons, see Browser History.

Below the file display area is an area that displays reminders. A reminder is shown at the right, but if you have no reminders, the panel will be collapsed and take up no space. You can drag the dot above the reminders to manually adjust the size of the reminders panel.

The buttons below the Browser panel allow you to operate on folders and files as follows:


If you select a file or a date folder that contains only one file, the file will be displayed as shown at the right. Microsoft Word, most RTF and HTML, plain text, image files, PDF files, and Quicktime video and audio (which can be played) can be displayed in Records Master.

If your are viewing an image (including PDF), these buttons below the image display allow you to adjust the zoom and rotation of the image as follows:

Note that these image changes are remembered the next time you view the image, but that the image file itself is not changed. These size and rotation changes do not effect the file when printed.

These buttons below the file display allow you to operate on the displayed file as follows:

You can also duplicate the displayed file using the Duplicate File command in the File menu (command-D). A duplicate allows you to file the same file in multiple places at the same time, for example, to file a receipt for oil burner repair under "Receipts" and under "Oil". Duplicates are created in the Unfiled folder. After you make the duplicate, you can drag it to the folder of your choice. Note that Duplicate File does not make an extra copy of the file itself (just its attributes), and thus does not use much extra disk space.

You can copy anything displayed in the file display into the clipboard in the standard way. If text is displayed, text will be copied; otherwise an image will be copied.

Date Folders

Date Folders are automatically created and deleted as needed to hold files with which you associate starting and ending dates. Date folders are not used to file by modified date. Date folders can be years, such as "2006", or months, for which three-letter abbreviations are used. Date Folders have a special icon in the Browser: . You cannot rename Date Folders, but you can delete them. If you do delete them, you delete the files they contain as well. To remove a file from a date folder, you just clear or change the dates associated with the file.

What happens, you might ask, if you create your own folders with same name as Date Folders? This is not recommended because confusion can occur. If you create yours after a date folder has been created, yours will get a unique name by appending a number to the end of the name, so "Jan" would become "Jan2". But if you create yours before Records Master tries to automatically create one with the same name, yours will be used, and no additional folder will be created. In this case: 1) your date folder will not have the special icon, and 2) it will never be automatically deleted when it is emptied, because Records Master knows it did not create it.


Adjusting The Window

When the Attributes Panel is displayed the window appears as at the right.

You can adjust the sizes of the Browser, notes, and attributes in the window at any time by dragging the dividers between them. The height you set for the notes will be maintained if you resize the window or adjust the width of the left-hand areas.

The width you set for the Browser and notes will be remembered and used whenever you hide the Attributes Panel. This width will also be maintained if you resize the window.

The width you set for the Browser, notes, and attributes will be remembered and used whenever you show the Attributes Panel. This width will also be maintained if you resize the window.

The button to show and hide the Attributes Panel is merely a convenience. You can show or hide the editor at any time by dragging dividers.


If the database is Encrypted, a lock icon () will appear in the upper right-hand corner of the window.

Sorting

As specified above, you can use the button below the Browser to manually sort the selected folder(s), or you can specify automatic sorting. The Sorting menu, shown at the right, controls how files and folders in the Browser are automatically sorted. By default, files and folders are not automatically sorted, allowing you to arrange them as you wish by dragging them, unless you turn on Keep non-date files and folders sorted.

Year and month folders, which are automatically created to organize files with associated ending dates, are always kept at the bottom of each folder. You can also control how the year and month folders are arranged at the bottom of each folder.

These sorting options are stored per-database, so you can sort different databases differently.

Browser History

Records Master keeps a history of files and folders you have selected in the Browser in much the same way as any internet browser. You move backward and forward in the history using the and buttons above the file display area (or command-[ for back, or command-] for forward). The history is also used to allow you to see file or folder you have imported if you import multiple at once. After importing, say three files, all three will be selected in the browser, and hence none will be displayed. By clicking the back button three times you can see each file imported.

Importing

Files can be imported in four ways:

  1. by using the Import... command under the File menu, which allows you to specify files or folders to import;
  2. by dropping files or folders on the Records Master icon in the Finder or in the Dock;
  3. by dragging files or folders from the Finder directly into the Browser; or
  4. by moving files or saving files into a folder you designate as the Import Folder for the database and then bringing the database window forward (or just starting Records Master). Files imported via the Import Folder are automatically deleted after they are imported.

Folders can be imported in three ways:

  1. by using the Import... command under the File menu, which allows you to specify folders to import;
  2. by dropping folders on the Records Master icon in the Finder or in the Dock; or
  3. by dragging folders from the finder directly into the Browser.

The contents of the clipboard can be imported as a file using the Import From Clipboard command under the File menu. The type of the file created is based on the type of data in the clipboard. If Records Master does not recognize the type of data, you will be prompted to provide the proper extension (e.g., .doc) for the file.

Note that folders can be imported via the Import... command, or by dropping them on the Records Master icon, or by dragging them into the Browser, but NOT by placing them in the Import Folder.  If you import a folder by dragging it as a top-level folder in the Browser, the folder and its contents will be imported as a hierarchy, because individual files cannot be at the top level. If you import a folder by dragging it to Unfiled, only the files it contains are imported, because folders cannot be in Unfiled. When you import a folder in any other way, Records Master will prompt you as shown at the right.

If you choose "Import Files Only", all of the files in the folder and in any folders it contains will be imported as if each file had been individually imported.

However, if you choose "Import As Hierarchy", the folder and its contents are imported together into the selected folder or as a top-level folder if the Unfiled folder or nothing is selected.   Any folders within the imported folder are also imported as folders.  Files within the imported folder or its subfolders are not automatically filed.

When you use the Import... command with a non-date folder selected, the specified files will be imported into the selected folder or the containing non-date folder if a file or date folder was selected. If the Unfiled folder or nothing is selected, the imported files are automatically filed if possible or filed in Unfiled by default.

When you drop files on the Records Master icon in the Finder or in the Dock, they are automatically filed if possible or filed in Unfiled by default.

Files dragged into the Browser are automatically filed by date only.

Whenever Records Master is brought forward (e.g. when it is started), any files in the database's Import Folder are automatically filed if possible or filed in Unfiled by default. Files imported via the Import Folder are automatically deleted from the Import Folder after they are imported.

Note that you cannot import Records Master databases.

Files and folders imported are selected after importation so you can easily see where they were filed. Each individual file and folder imported is put into the Browser History so you can see each individual file and folder imported by successively hitting the Back arrow above the file display area ().

Import Folder

You can also specify (via the Edit menu's Import Folder Specification command) that files placed in a certain folder on your disk (a Records Master folder is not meant here) will be imported automatically whenever a database window is brought forward (e.g. when Records Master is started). Files will be deleted from the Import Folder after they are imported.

As shown at the right you can browse to select an existing folder as the import folder or you can create a new folder. If you select an existing folder, it must be empty, to prevent you from accidentally importing and deleting files in an existing folder.

AutoFile: Automatic Filing

When files are imported via dropping on the Records Master icon or via the Import Folder, or via the Import... command, or within a folder not imported as a hierarchy, the files are automatically filed if possible. The folder imported into is determined by a setting in the Importing Preferences, with default as follows:

You can change the order of the first 4 in the Preferences. When you import files by dragging them into the Browser, you are specifying the folder you want them in, so a folder is not automatically chosen as described above, but they will be automatically filed by date as described in this section.

After finding a folder, Records Master then tries to automatically associate starting and ending dates with each file by 1) trying to match the filename or 2) trying to match the text of a text or PDF file, in that order.

If only an ending date is found the starting date is defaulted to one month before. If only a starting date is found, the ending date is defaulted to one month after. If neither is found no dates are associated with the file.

Matching Filenames

If the filename in total (not including the extension), or that portion of the filename up to the first "+" matches a folder name, that folder is used. You can specify what "matches" means via the Importing Preferences.

If a "+" appears in the filename, that portion of the filename after the first "+", up to the second "+" (if present), if interpretable as a date, is used as the ending date if only one "+" appears in the filename, else as the starting date. If two "+"s appear in the filename, that portion after the second "+" is interpreted as the ending date.

Thus, filenames can have any the following four formats:

 FolderMatch  
 FolderMatch+EndingDate  ( in this case the starting date is defaulted to the number of months indicated by the Reminder interval (if any), with a default of 1 month before the ending date; use for monthly or periodic statements)
 FolderMatch+StartingDate+  ( in this case the ending date is defaulted to the starting date; use for receipt)
 FolderMatch+StartingDate+EndingDate  
 FolderMatch+Q1  to specify a quarter (or Q2 or Q3 or Q4 or q1 or q2 or q3 or q4--uses quarter prior to current date)
 FolderMatch+1Q  to specify a quarter (or 2Q or 3Q or 4Q or 1q or 2q or 3q or 4q--uses quarter prior to current date)
 FolderMatch+2006Q1  to specify a quarter in a particular 2 or 4 digit year (or Q2 or Q3 or Q4 or q1 or q2 or q3 or q4
FolderMatch+1Q2009 to specify a quarter in a particular 2 or 4 digit year (or 2Q or 3Q or 4Q or q1 or 2q or 3q or 4q

A number of date formats are supported.

Matching Text

If the filename cannot be matched and the file is a text file or a PDF file that contains searchable text (Mac OS X 10.4 or later), Records Master tries to match the text using AutoFile Attributes associated with folders.

If no dates are found in the filename and the file is a text file or a PDF file that contains searchable text (Mac OS X 10.4 or later), Records Master tries to find dates in the text using AutoFile Attributes associated with folders.

PDFs can represent many types of information. Sometimes they represent an image, such as when a scanner produces a PDF file. Other times, such as when Mac OS X produces a PDF by printing to PDF, the PDF can contain text that is searchable. In this case, the PDF can be searched as text and automatically filed. Records Master supports searchable text in PDFs only on Mac OS X 10.4 or later.

Date Formats

The following date formats are supported in text files when trying to match a date in a file with folder attributes for automatic filing:

m/d/y
m-d-y
yyyy/m/d
yyyy-m-d
yyyymmdd
Month d, y
d Month y
d-Month-y

where: m is a 1 or 2 digit month, d is a 1 or 2 digit day, y is a 2 or 4 digit year, yyyy is a 4 digit year and Month is an English month or abbreviation The year in the above is optional, and will be defaulted to the current year if not present.

The following additional date formats are supported in filenames or as file date attributes:

m/d
m-d
Month d
d Month
d-Month

with these formats the current year is used.

If you have a date format that is not supported, feel free to contact the author to add support for the date format.

Import Logs

You can enable in the preferences that an import log be created for each import. Import Log files are named with the date and time of the import, and are filed in the folder "Import Logs" if it exists, else in the folder "Unfiled".

Notes

Files and folders can have notes associated with them. You might use file notes to indicate why you saved a particular file, or where you got it. You might use folder notes to record how to download the information that goes in the folder.

Notes are entered into the view below the folder/file view, as shown at the right.

File Attributes

Files can have attributes associated with them. Files can have starting and ending dates, just like bank and credit card statements. A file with date attributes associated will be organized by year and month of the ending date in its folder. The dates can also be matched by the Find command. 

Files can also have custom attributes associated with them.  These are attributes that you create, associate with specific files, and assign values to.  Custom attributes can be used to find files with the Find command or to produce reports or graphs.

Finally, files can have tags associated with them, to be used for finding files.

You use the Attributes Panel to view or edit attributes, which you can open or close with the button or shift-A. The Attributes Panel allows you to view or edit the attributes associated with the selected folder, the displayed file, or its folder. The attributes panel appears in the lower left of the database window as shown above.

Date Attributes

Files can have starting and ending dates, just like bank and credit card statements. A file with date attributes associated will be organized by year and month of the ending date in its folder. The dates can also be matched by the Find command. 

If you opened the attributes panel with the May 2006 Oil bill selected in the above example window, the attributes panel would appear as at the right. You can edit the date attributes for the selected file or its folder, "Visa Card". Note that attributes can be associated only with real folders, not date folders or Smart Folders.

In adiition to entering starting and ending dates directly, you can, as a shorthand, enter a specification of the quarter and optionally year, which automatically sets both the starting and ending dates.  The Quarter/Year specification should be one of the following formats: 1q, q1, 2q, q2, 3q, q3, 4q, q4, 1qyy, 2qyy, 2qyy, 4qyy, yyq1,yyq2, yyq3, yyq4.  You can also enter Q instead of q, and yy can be a 2 digit or 4 digit year.  If no year is entered the current year is assumed.

A number of date formats are supported.


Custom Attributes

Files can also have custom attributes associated with them.  These are attributes that you create, associate with specific files, and assign values to.  Custom attributes can be used to find files with the Find command or to produce reports or graphs.

If you click on the Custom tab of the file attributes panel, the panel appears as at the right. Here you can add custom attributes to the selected file.

Before you can add a custom attribute to a file, you must first create the name (type) for the attribute. This is done by clicking on the "Edit Attribute Names" button or by selecting "Custom Attribute Names" under the Edit menu. When you do this the window below appears. In this example, two custom attribute names (types) have already been defined: price and gallons.


To add a custom attribute to the file, click on the button in the attributes panel. Shown at the right is the attributes panel with two custom attributes added to the file. In this example, we are keeping track of the total price for each oil delivery, along with the number of gallons used. You cannot add the same attribute type to a file more than once.


Tag Attributes

Files can also have tags associated with them.  Tags can be specified in the Find command to find files easily.  You can also select files by tag using the button select feature.  Tags are specified manually as shown at the right. 

Auto Tagging

Tags can be automatically assigned to files by scanning them looking for tags.  This auto tagging works well for journal articles that specify keywords that you would like to use as tags.  Furthermore, if you use MailTags, you can file email messages saved as PDF and those tags can be automatically associated with the files.


Auto tagging is specified under the Tags menu, which is shown above.  If you select Specify Auto Tagging..., you will get the dialog shown at the right.

Here you can specify the prefixes that precede tags in your files, and specify how individual tags are separated following the prefix.

In the tags menu could can specify that files are automatically scanned when imported, or that files you have selected in the browser be scanned.

You can use the find command to find files by tag, and in a future release you will be able to browse by tag instead of by folder.

Folder Attributes

Folders can have attributes associated with them. Folder attributes are used to automatically associate text files with folders and its starting and ending dates (AutoFile), to set reminders that you should download or scan files to go in the folder, or to specify the website, user ID and password to make downloading easier (Password Manager).

You use the Attributes Panel to view or edit attributes, which you can open or close with the button or shift-A. The Attributes Panel allows you to view or edit the attributes associated with the selected folder, the displayed file, or its folder. The attributes panel appears in the lower left of the database window as shown above.

If you click on the Folder tab you can edit the attributes associated with the folder, as shown at the right. There are three types of folder attributes: those specifying reminders, those specifying the website from which contents of the folder is downloaded, and those specifying automatic filing. Shown at the right are the Filing attributes, which are used to automatically file imported text and searchable PDF files. If an imported file contains the specified "Folder Match" string, it will automatically be filed in the folder. If an imported file contains the specified "Starting Date Match" string, and a date follows that string in the file, the date will automatically be associated with the file as its starting date. Similarly, if an imported file contains the specified "Ending Date Match" string following the starting date (if specified), and a date follows that string in the file, the date will automatically be associated with the file as its ending date.

The best way to specify the match strings is to select them in the file display area, then click one of the "Use Selected Text" buttons. In Mac OS X 10.4 or later you can select text in searchable PDFs. If a PDF is searchable, turning on "Show selected PDF as text to select it" will display the searchable text in the PDF in the file display area, where you can then select the text and click on "Use Selected Text" to use it.

The "Show selected PDF as text to select it" switch will not appear on systems prior to 10.4.

A number of date formats are supported.

Note that folder attributes are not the only mechanism to automatically file imported files.

Reminders Attributes

If you select the Reminders tab in the folder attributes, the reminder attributes appear, as shown at the right. Reminders are useful for records that must be downloaded or are received on a set schedule. You can specify monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, or yearly reminders. For yearly reminders you can specify the month and the day of the month. For others you specify just the day of the month.

You can also specify the text of the reminder. This can be used to specify complex instructions for downloading, like "display in Safari then print to PDF".

Reminders that are due are automatically shown below the file display, as shown here:

The check box indicates that the reminder is due. Once you have downloaded and imported the information, you check off the reminder, as shown here:

If you double-click a reminder, the Browser will select the folder for the reminder. If you hold down the "option" key while double-clicking, you will go to the associated website (if specified). The selected reminder is automatically checked off when a file is imported into the reminder's folder. Thus, if you double-click a reminder (leaving it selected), then go to its website and download a file and import it into the folder, the reminder is automatically checked off.

Checked-off reminders will be shown as checked off until the next time you open the database or bring it forward, at which time they will be set in the future.

Note that when you first specify a reminder it will never show as due, because the reminder will be set for the next matching date in the future. Thus, if you set the reminder at the right on 10/5, it will not appear as due until 10/7. If you set it on 10/8, it will not appear as due until 11/7.

If you want to see all of your reminders, including those that are not yet due, you can click on the button. This will show all reminders, as shown here:

From this list you can determine which reminders are due (because they have the check box), and which are not.

If you click on the button again, only due reminders are shown.

Note that you can drag the dot above the reminders to adjust the size of the reminders panel.

Website Attributes (Password Manager)

Records Master includes an integrated password manager that facilitates downloading records from web sites. As shown at the right, you can associate a website URL, user ID, and password with a folder. You can then go to the website in your default browser with the Go To URL button (command-shift-U), and, once there, enter the user ID and/or password using hot keys specified in the preferences.

Websites are constantly improving their security and, frankly, trying to defeat automatic user ID and password entry functions built into browsers. Therefore Records Master supports many options for user ID and password entry. User IDs can be in 2 parts, as required by some websites. If your user ID has only one part, just use the first field only.

You have several options for when/how the user ID will be entered. The default is to enter the user ID when you type the hot key, but you can also specify that the user ID be entered automatically after going to the web page. If your URL loads with the cursor not in the user ID field, then you can also choose to have a variable number of TABs entered before the user ID. When going to a URL, Records Master will wait a number of seconds to make sure the page has loaded before entering the user ID. You can configure the number of seconds to wait in the preferences.

You have four options for when/how the password is entered, as shown at the right. For "normal" websites that prompt for the user ID and password in adjacent fields on the same page, the default is to automatically enter the password in the next field after the user ID is entered. For websites (such as www.virtualbank.com) that prompt for user ID on one page and password on the next page, choose the Automatically in field on next page option for password entry, In this case, Records Master will wait the number of seconds specified in the preferences for the next page to load.

If you need finer control than the automatic options, choose the when its hot key is typed option for password entry. You can also specify how many TABs must be entered before the password.

For websites (such as www.ingdirect.com) that require that the password be entered on-screen via a keypad that randomly changes each time it is displayed, choose the Manually, w/ password in floating window option for password entry, In this case, Records Master will display the password in a semi-transparent floating window, allowing you to view it while entering the password via the keypad. The password will remain visible for 1 minute, or until you close its window.

For security reasons, you can hide the user ID and password using the Hide ID/Password button (command-b) (b for bullets). Also, when you navigate to website attributes you have previously set, the user ID and password are automatically hidden, as shown below.

Note: Use of the user ID and/or password hot keys will result in the clipboard being cleared for security reasons.

You can generate a random password with the Generate Password button. The length of the password generated is specified in the preferences, with a default of 8 characters. Generated passwords are guaranteed to have at least one lowercase letter, uppercase letter, and number, and have no special characters.  When you generate a new password, the old password is saved in the notes along with the date and time.

You can quickly go to one of the last 20 websites you have visited with the "Go To Recent Website" in the "File" menu.

If you encounter websites for which the above options for how userIDs and passwords are entered do not work, please email the author, and I will try to add support.

Finding Files or Folders

You can use the Find... command under the Edit menu (command-F) to find files or folders by

or files by

You can choose to search forwards or backwards from the current selection, finding the next file or folder that matches the criteria you specify, or you can choose to have all of files or folders matching your conditions selected in the browser panel or all the files matching your conditions referenced in a Smart Folder. When you select the Find... command the following dialog will appear:

This dialog allows you to specify whether you want to find one item a time (forward or backward), or whether you want the results selected in the browser panel or in a Smart Folder.

Specifying Find Criteria

You can specify multiple find criteria, using the + button to add a new criterion and the - button to remove one. You can specify that all or any of the criteria must be matched. The different types of criteria you can specify are shown at the right.

Matching a file or folder name refers to the name as it appears in the Browser (which does not include the file extension). Matching a file or folder path refers to the full path of the file or folder, which includes the folder(s) containing it as well as its extension if a file. Note that for name and path matches you can specify that case be ignored. Thus to search for all PDF files you could specify:

and to find all Utilities files you could specify:

You can also find files (not folders) by starting/ending dates, modified date, or custom attribute. If you choose "Custom Attribute...", the find dialog expands to allow you to specify the custom attribute you want to find:


Finding Files By Content

This feature is extremely useful.  For example, you could use it to search multiple credit card statements to find when and how much you paid a particular vendor.

However, you should be aware that finding by content can be slow, especially in encrypted databases, because each file must be decrypted to be searched.

Only certain files can be searched by content.  Generally, non-image files that can be displayed by Records Master can be searched.  PDFs are generally but not always searchable.  PDFs can be constructed to be searchable, but some contain just  images and are not searchable.

When a file found by content is displayed as the result of a forward or backward find, all text matched in the file is highlighted in Mac OS 10.5+ or just the first instance is highlighted in Mac OS 10.4.  Similarly, if you save the results of your find by content in a Smart Folder, when you select a file in that folder its contents are highlighted as described above.  If you specify that all found files found by content be selected, there will be no highlighting.

Finding Forwards or Backwards

If you specify finding one file or folder at-a-time forward or backward. The next file or folder found in the direction you specify is selected in the Browser. If a filename in a date folder is found, and it is the only file in the date folder, then the date folder will be selected and the file will be displayed. You can optionally specify that any folder found should be expanded. If your previous Find... was directional, the Find Again command, also under the Edit menu (command-G), repeats the previous find in whatever direction was specified.  The Find Previous command under the Edit menu (command-shift-G) repeats the previous directional find but in the opposite direction.

Selecting Files and Folders in the Browser Panel

If you specify "Select all matching files or folders in the browser panel" each file or folder that matches the conditions you specify will be selected in the browser panel. Their folder will be expanded as needed so they are shown.

Each individual file and folder found is put into the Browser History so you can see each individual file and folder found by successively hitting the Back arrow above the file display area ( ).

If you then decide you want a Smart Folder with these results, you can then click on the button below the Browser to create one, as explained here.

Creating a Smart Folder with Find Results

You can also put the results of your find in a Smart Folder. See Using Smart Folders for more information.

Smart Folders

Smart Folders can be created in three ways: 1) with the Find... command, 2) with the Create Smart Folder With Selected Files button () or 3) with the Button Select feature ().  The names of Smart Folders can be edited using the Rename Item button ().

Smart Folders look different than regular folders in the Browser, as shown at the right. The files that appear in a Smart Folder are actually references to the real files. Because they are shown without the context of the folder(s) that contain them, they are shown with their full path in the Smart Folder. If you hover your mouse over a file name in a Smart Folder, the full path will appear.

Files in Smart Folders can be viewed, printed, opened with applications, or exported, but they cannot be renamed or deleted nor can their attributes or notes be edited. However, if you double-click a file in a Smart Folder the real file will be exposed and selected in the Browser, and you can then rename it, delete it, or edit its attributes or notes.

Smart Folders are updated to contain all files that match their criteria when expanded. As files are imported, renamed, rearranged in the Browser, or have their attributes changed, they will be referenced in all Smart Folders they match, and removed from all Smart Folders they no longer match. Similarly, any deleted files are removed from any Smart Folders that referenced them.

You can rearrange the location of Smart Folders in the Browser, but you cannot drag them into another folder, nor can you rearrange the files in a Smart Folder. Also, you cannot drag anything into a Smart Folder.  Smart Folders can be deleted even though the files in them cannot.

Creating Smart Folders With the Find Command

If you specify that the results of your Find... should be referenced in a Smart Folder, the Find dialog will appear as follows, requiring you to specify a name for the smart folder:

When you click the Find button, the Smart Folder is created at the bottom of the Browser, selected, and expanded. To edit the name or criteria associated with a Smart Folder created with the Find... command, double-click the folder. The result will be a dialog similar to the find dialog:

This dialog allows you to changed the name of the Smart Folder or edit its criteria. It does not perform another Find.  Note that you can also rename a Smart Folder with the   button.

Creating Smart Folders With Selected Files

When you click the  button a Smart Folder is created named "Selected Files" that references the files selected in the browser (and/or contained in selected folders).  You can change its name or with the   button. A Smart Folder created in this manner will continue to reference the selected files even if they are renamed or moved within the database.  If you create a Smart Folder that references a folder, it will always contain ALL files in that folder...even ones that are added after the Smart Folder was created.

Creating Smart Folders With the Button Select Feature

When you click the  button a Smart Folder is created named "Files With Selected Tags and or Date" and a Button Select callout appears as shown at the right to allow you to select the tags of files that you want to appear in the Smart Folder. When you click on buttons, buttons that you cannot additionally select disappear, and files that match all of the selected buttons appear in the Smart Folder.  As you click on the buttons, the name of the Smart Folder changes in the callout to reflect the buttons selected. However, you can change the name if desired before clicking OK to dismiss the callout.  If you later want to change the contents of the Smart Folder, double-clicking it will display the Button Select callout again, allowing you to choose different buttons to change the name of the Smart Folder.  If you just want to change the name of the Smart Folder, you can do so with the  button.

Producing Reports or Graphs

You can create reports or graphs based on the files in a Smart Folder. When you select the "Oil" Smart Folder created in the above example in the Browser, the attributes panel appears as shown at the right. This panel allows you to create a text report, a line graph, or a bar graph based on the custom attributes associated with the files in the Smart Folder.

The report or graph shows the specified values for each date in the files. You can specify all dates in the database, the last year, or the last two years via the Dates: popup. You can specify three different date formats, as shown at the right. You can specify up to four values to be shown in the report or graph. Each value can be a single custom attribute value or a simple mathematical function involving two custom attribute values. The functions are +, -, *, and /. Finally, you can specify the precision you want used for the values.


Shown at the right is the database window after specifying the single value of price per gallon (after more oil receipts with custom attributes have been added).

Because there are files in the Smart Folder that contain the value specified (in other words, have both a price and a gal custom attribute), the "Specified values not found among files in Smart Folder" message is gone and the "Display" popup is enabled allowing you to choose among:

When you have specified valid values in the attributes panel, the text report or graph appears in the file display panel at the right of the database window. Note that the filename is shown as "Oil.csv". That is because the points in the report or graph can be exported into a comma-separated values file if you choose the "Export..." command under the "File" menu.


In this example, if you choose to display a line graph, the graph will display as:

and if you choose to display a bar graph, it will display as:

If you chose graph price and gal is separate values, the text report would appear as:

the line graph would appear as:

and the bar graph would appear as:

Note that by clicking on the colors in the Key at the bottom of the graphs, you can change the colors used to display the lines or bars.

Note that with all of these reports or graphs, you can click on the title in the file display area to edit it.

You can also print the reports or graphs.

Exporting

Using the Export command in the File menu (command-shift-E), you can export the selected files, folders, Smart Folders, or their associated report. If you have selected any Smart Folders with associated reports, you will be asked whether you want to export the report as a comma-separated-values file (.csv) or the files in the Smart Folder, as shown at the right. Exporting a folder exports the folder and its contents. If a single file, report or folder is being exported, you choose its name and location to export to. If you select multiple items to export, you choose the name and location of a new folder to hold all of he exported items. Exported files and folders remain in the database.

Emailing

Using the Send With Mail command in the File menu (command-shift-M) you can mail the selected files or reports using Mail. Selecting a folder will email all files contained in the folder or its subfolders. If you select a smart folder with an associated report,, you will be asked whether you want to email the files in the smart folder or the comma-separated-values file (.csv) of the report, as shown at the right.

Printing

Using the Print command in the File menu (command-P), you can print the selected files, folders, Smart Folders, or their associated report. If you have selected any Smart Folders with associated reports, you will be asked whether you want to print the report or the files in the Smart Folder, as shown at the right. Records Master can print only those files that it can display.

Database Backup

Because your database likely contains important documents, you will probably want to back it up periodically. To do so, use the backup preferences to specify a folder to hold the backups. Then you can backup the database manually using the Backup Database command under the File menu. You can also use the preferences to specify that the database should be backed up automatically.

Preferences

You can view and edit the preferences by selecting the Preferences... command under the Records Master menu (command-,). There are five types of preferences, General, Backup, Importing, Website, and Dates.

The General preferences include the ability to specify the behavior of double-clicking a file in the Browser. The default is to edit the file name,but you can optionally request that files be opened when double-clicked. In this case the rename button would still edit the name, and double-clicking a folder still edits the folder name.

Also you can automatically check for Records Master updates whenever Records Master is started. If there is an update, you will be prompted to download it.

You can also specify how dates are displayed in the program as well as the interpretation of dates entered as file attributes and dates in imported filenames . The default is to have month/day/year, but you can specify that days appear before months.

Note that the format of dates that appear in a text file are not controlled by this preference, but rather by the folder filing attributes of the folder the text file matches. This is because text files from different web sites could have different date formats.

Note also that this preference will not change the value of dates you have already entered...it will only change how they are displayed.

The Backup preferences are shown at the right, and control how database files are backed up. To backup database files you must specify a folder to hold the backups, and the number of backups to keep. You can then backup manually by selecting Backup Database from the File menu. You can also specify that your databases should be backed up whenever they are closed (assuming they had been changed since the last backup). If your database file is named Example then the most recent backup will be named 1Example, then next most recent 2Example, etc.


The Importing preferences are shown at the right.

The AutoFile section specifies the order in which folders are automatically selected based on the file name or contents being imported. You can drag change the order. You can also specify how the names of files being imported are matched against folder names. There are three types of filename matching, which you can select via the pull-down menu. An Exact Match matches the folder name exactly. A Prefix Match matches the beginning of a folder. A Contains Match matches any portion of a folder name. A complete description of filename matches appears above. You can also specify that case should be ignored when matching filenames.

The Last Import section ...

The Log section allows you to specify that an import log file be created for each import. Import Log files are named with the date and time of the import, and are filed in the folder "Import Logs" if it exists, else in the folder "Unfiled".  If you turn on this preference and create the folder "Import Logs", it's browser icon will be red to indicate that the folder is maintained by Records Master.

The Website preferences are shown at the right. These allow you to specify the hot keys for entering user IDs and passwords specified in the Website attributes of folders. You can also specify the number of seconds that Records Master should wait for a page to load before automatically typing a user ID or password. Finally, you can specify the length of generated passwords, from 6 to 16 characters.

Security Features

Records Master has two types of security features: the ability to encrypt a database and the ability to securely delete files and backup databases, all specified from the Security menu, as shown at the right.

Encrypting A Database

If you want your database encrypted using 128-bit AES based on a password you supply, you can select Encrypt Database. When you select this option you will be prompted for a password to protect the database. After you enter the password (twice), all files in the database are encrypted (which may take a while). Thereafter, files imported will be encrypted, and files are decrypted as needed for displaying, printing, and exporting. As each file is encrypted, it is also verified to be decryptable with the same password. When you open an encrypted database, you are prompted to enter its password.

Once a password is chosen for a database, it cannot be changed without decrypting the database and encrypting it with another password. To decrypt the database, select Encrypt Database again to remove check mark. All files will be immediately decrypted, which may take a while.

When you request to encrypt the database, you are warned that your data will be lost if you forget your password and advised to keep frequent unencrypted backups (e.g. on CD) in a locked place away from your computer--just in case you forget your password. To do this, select Make Unencrypted Database Copy from the File menu. This function is available only for encrypted databases.

An encrypted database has a lock icon ()in the upper right-hand corner of its window

Secure Deletion

You can specify secure deletion on a per-database basis. Secure deletion means that files are overwritten with random data before deletion, making it impossible to scavenge for their contents after deletion. If you specify Delete Files Securely, then files deleted from the database or deleted from the Import Folder after being imported into the database will be securely deleted. Additionally, you can specify Delete Backup Databases Securely, in which case the oldest backup will be deleted securely to make room for a new backup. This option is separate from secure file deletion because it can take a LONG time for large databases, and is much less needed for encrypted databases.

Read-Only Databases

If you open a read-only database (as specified in the database file permissions or because the database is on read-only media), a read-only icon () will appear in the upper right-hand corner of the window. Of course, you can make no changes to a read-only database. You can change the zoom and orientation of images (including PDFs), but these changes are not saved as they would be in a writable database.  You can also changes the colors used in graphs, but these changes are not saved as they would be in a writable database. 

Reliability Features

Records Master contains many features to help keep your important data safe, including the provision for automatic backup. Most of the other reliability features are invisible, and have to do with the way that files and Browser information are written to disk. One reliability feature that you do see is the progress bar when opening a database. The progress bar is displayed while the consistency of the Browser information is checked against the files actually in your database. These might not match in rare cases where your system has crashed or frozen with a database open. This consistency check allows you to recover or delete files in your database that do not appear in the Browser.

Of course, it is impossible to protect against disk errors, or against other programs that clobber your database file. That is why backing up your databases is important.

FAQs

  1. Why do I need Records Master? Why can't I just use folders on my disk to organize my records? You can, but it will be a lot more work to organize and find your records by date, view their contents, print them, and back them up.
  2. My database is large. Why does it take so long to open my database? In order to keep your data safe, the internal consistency of your database is checked each time it is opened. See Reliability Features for more information.
  3. How can I use Records Master to easily file monthly statements that my financial institution produces in PDF format in the right folder by date? First, set up an Import Folder. In Preview or Adobe Reader you can save the PDF you are viewing in the Import Folder. When you save it, specify a name that denotes the folder to file in and the ending date. For example, if the filename is "Visa Card+4-15-05", the statement will be filed in the "Visa Card" folder with an ending date of 4/15/05 and a starting date defaulted to 3/16/05. then when you start Records Master or bring it forward the imported statement will be in the folder "Apr" in the folder "2005" in the folder "Visa Card", and will be selected.
  4. What if my financial institution does not produce PDF? If you want to store PDF files in Records Master, then you can display your statement or bill in your browser and then print it, but choose the Save As PDF... button in the print dialog, and save the PDF in your Import Folder. You can choose the name to automatically file the PDF as in the above example, or if running on Mac OS X 10.4 or later the PDF may contain searchable text to allow for automatic filing.
  5. What if my financial institution produces HTML statements? You can always print these to PDF as described above, but you might also find that you can save the HTML directly into your database's Import Folder with acceptable results. You might have to experiment with different browsers. If you save the HTML in the format "Web Page, complete" (as Firefox and Camino allow you), an HTML file and a folder of supporting files will be saved. Records Master cannot import folders, so it will just import the HTML file. The result depends on your web site, but is often the text portion of your statement without graphics.
  6. Can I use Records Master to organize the bills and statements I get only in paper form? Yes, if you have a scanner. You just save the scanned file in your Import Folder. You can choose the name to automatically file the scanned document as in the above example.
  7. Does the IRS accept electronic copies of records? Yes, as described in Revenue Procedure (Rev. Proc.) 97-22. In fact, a company called Neat Receipts sells a scanner bundled with software for PCs only that is specifically designed for those who want to go paper-free.

Macintosh Requirements

Records Master runs on MacOS 10.4 or later. Universal Binary.

Version History

7.9 - Feature enhancement:

7.8 - Feature enhancement:

7.7 - Compatibility enhancement and bug fix:

7.6 - Feature enhancement:

7.5 - Feature enhancement and bug fix:

7.4 - Feature enhancements:

7.31 - Fixed bug in creating a smart folder by selecting files using tags, months, or years (Button Select feature).

7.3 - Feature enhancements:

7.2 - Feature and performance enhancements and bug fixes:

7.1 - Feature enhancements:

7.01 - Fixed bug in display of certain file types.

7.0 - Feature enhancements:

6.91 - Feature enhancement and bug fix:

6.9 - Feature enhancements:

6.8 - Feature enhancement:

6.79 - Feature enhancements and bug fix:

6.78 - Feature enhancement and bug fix:

6.77 - Feature enhancement:

6.76 - Feature enhancement:

6.75 - Feature enhancements:

6.74 - Feature enhancement:

6.73 - Feature enhancements:

6.72 - Feature enhancements and bug fixes:

6.71 - Feature enhancements and bug fixes:

6.7 - Feature enhancements:

6.6 - Feature enhancement:

6.5 - Feature enhancements and bug fix:

6.4 - Feature enhancements:

6.3 - Feature enhancement and bug fix:

6.2 - Bug fix:

6.1 - Feature and reliability enhancements and bug fix:

6.0 - Reliability and performance enhancement:

5.9 - Feature enhancement:

5.89 - Feature enhancements:

5.8 - Feature enhancements:

5.87 - Leopard compatibility release.

5.86 - Feature enhancement:

5.85 - Feature enhancements:

5.83 - Bug fixes

5.82 - Feature enhancement and bug fix:

5.81 - Bug fixes

5.8 - Feature enhancements and bug fix:

5.7 - Feature enhancement and bug fix:

5.6 - Feature enhancements and bug fixes:

5.5 - Feature enhancement:

5.4 - Feature enhancement:

5.3 - Feature enhancement and other updates:

5.2 - Feature enhancements:

5.1 - Feature enhancement and bug fix:

5.0 - Feature enhancement and other updates:

4.9 - Feature enhancement:

4.8 - Feature enhancements and bug fix:

4.7 - Feature enhancement:

4.6 - Feature enhancements and bug fix:

4.5 - Feature enhancements and bug fix:

4.4 - Feature enhancements and bug fix:

4.3 - User interface enhancement and bug fix:

4.2 - Bug fixes:

4.1 - User interface enhancement and bug fixes:

4.0 - Feature and user interface enhancements:

3.6: Fixed bug with searching Smart Folder names.

3.5 - Performance and user interface enhancements and bug fixes:

3.4 - Reliability and user interface enhancements and bug fixes:

3.3 - User interface enhancements and bug fix:

3.2 - Reliability and user interface enhancements:

3.1 - Feature enhancement, reliability improvements, bug fixes:

3.0 - Feature improvements, bug fix, and name change:

2.95 - Fixed bug with unencrypted read-only databases

2.94 - Added new type of Find that selects all found items.

2.93 - Improved error checking for corrupted databases.

2.92 - Fixed bug in display of MB file sizes.

2.91 - Feature enhancement:

2.9 - Feature enhancement and bug fix:

2.8 - Feature enhancements and bug fixes:

2.7 - Feature enhancements:

2.6 - Feature enhancements:

2.5 - Feature enhancement:

2.4 - Feature enhancements and bug fixes:

2.3 - Feature enhancements and bug fixes:

2.2 - Feature enhancement and bug fix:

2.1 - Fixed bug in creating new databases.

2.0 - Feature enhancements and bug fixes:

1.5 - Feature enhancements:

1.4 - Feature enhancements:

1.3 - Bug Fixes:

1.2 - Feature enhancements:

1.1 - Feature enhancements and bug fix:

1.0 - Initial Release.

How to Pay for Records Master

Records Master is shareware. You can try it out for 30 days, but if you still use it thereafter, you must register it. The price is very reasonable--$24. After 30 days, Records Master will not work unless you have registered it.

If you are a registered user of my companion program, QIF Master, you can purchase Records Master for only $16 if you run it on the same machine on which QIF Master is running. This price is not applicable to prior purchases of Records Manager. 

You can also purchase a registration code for both Records Master and QIF Master as a bundle for $32.

Registration includes future updates. 

To purchase Records Master, select Registration... under the Records Master Menu, and click on the Purchase Registration Code button. You will be taken to a web site where you can choose among the above options, then to a payment web site where you can pay by credit card. Once you have paid, you will receive a registration code via email.  You can enter this code into Records Master Registration... dialog.


Records Master Copyright © 2005-2010 John Woodward. All rights reserved.

SM2DGraphView Copyright © 2002-2008 Snowmint Creative Solutions LLC
http://www.snowmintcs.com/

You may distribute Records Master unmodified via any media, as long as you keep it together with its Read Me file.