Subj : # Announcing PowerFile/Wi
To   : All
From : Robert Wolfe
Date : Wed Sep 16 2026 09:59:00

..**Database Manager Based on PC-FILE III for DOS**
Programming by Robert Wolfe <rwolfe@twc.com>
(C)opyright 2026, by Robert Wolfe Software. All Rights Reserved.

---

## The database manager you remember, running today

PowerFile brings back the fast, full-screen, keyboard-driven
database
experience of the classic DOS program PC-FILE III - the same look,
the
same feel, the same "no mouse required" speed - built fresh in
PowerBASIC/CC with a modern, dBase III-compatible `.DBF` file format
under the hood.

Design a database in minutes. Enter data on an auto-built form.
Browse,
search, sort, index, and report on it - all without ever leaving the
keyboard.

---

## Feature list

### Core database management
- **Database Design** - define fields by name, type, length, and
  decimals; create a brand-new database or restructure an existing
one
  (fields are matched and carried over by name, automatically).
- **Data Entry** - a full-screen form generated automatically from
your
  field list. Add, edit, and page through records without ever
leaving
  the form.
- **Browse** - a scrollable, spreadsheet-style grid over your whole
  database (or the current query result), with horizontal scrolling
for
  databases with more fields than fit on screen.
- **Delete / Undelete** - mark records deleted and bring them back
any
  time before you Pack.
- **Pack** - permanently remove deleted records and reclaim their
space,
  via a safe rewrite-and-replace process.

### Finding and organizing data
- **Find** - jump straight to the next record containing the text
you're
  looking for, in one field or across the whole record.
- **Query** - filter your view down to records matching up to three
  conditions, combined with And/Or.
- **Sort** - reorder your view by up to three fields, ascending or
  descending, with **exact numeric ordering** - no size limits, no
  rounding, your sort order always matches your real data down to
the
  last decimal. Choose to keep the new order as a view-only
convenience,
  or make it permanent with a one-step **file rewrite**.
- **Index** *(new)* - build a fast, persisted sort order on any
field
  that's remembered on disk and reapplied instantly the next time
you
  need it - no more re-sorting the same field every time you reopen
a
  database.

### Rich data types
- **Character, Numeric, Logical, and Date** fields, exactly as PC-
FILE
  III users would expect.
- **Memo fields** *(new)* - store open-ended notes and free text of
any
  length, right alongside your structured data, edited in a
dedicated
  full-screen memo editor.
- **Wide-field scrolling** *(new)* - Character fields wider than the
  screen now scroll smoothly during editing, so no data is ever out
of
  reach, no matter how wide the field.

### Reporting
- **Report Generator** - pick columns, headings, and widths; preview
on
  screen or write a clean, plain-text report file, complete with
  automatic totals on numeric columns. Reports always honor your
current
  sort order and query filter.

### Built for teams
- **Multi-user support** *(new)* - open the same database from more
than
  one computer at once. PowerFile locks each record only while it's
  being edited, so your team can work the same database
simultaneously
  without stepping on each other's changes.

### Compatibility
- **dBase III file format** - every database PowerFile creates is a
  standard `.DBF` file (with a companion `.DBT` for memo fields), so
your
  data is never locked into PowerFile alone.

---

## What's new in this release

This release rounds out PowerFile's first-pass feature set with five
significant additions on top of the original design:

1. **Memo fields** for open-ended notes and long text, with their
own
   full-screen editor and companion `.DBT` storage.
2. **Index files** for instant, persisted sort order on any field,
   without re-sorting every time you reopen a database.
3. **Multi-user locking**, so a small team can safely share one
   database at once.
4. **Exact, decimal-preserving numeric sorting**, with no size cap
and
   no rounding.
5. **Permanent "rewrite file in sort order"** option, and full
   horizontal scrolling for wide Character fields during editing.

See `USERGUIDE.md` for a complete walkthrough of every feature, and
`README.md` for build and technical details.

---

*PowerFile/Win32 Version 1.00 - Database Manager Based on PC-FILE
III for
DOS. Programming by Robert Wolfe <rwolfe@twc.com>. (C)opyright 2026,
by
Robert Wolfe Software. All Rights Reserved.*

.... In /dev/null no one can hear you scream.
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