FLV is a Flash video format, popular on streaming video websites. While there are some media players that can read FLV files, it is not a ubiquitous a file type as AVI. Converting FLV to AVI is fairly simple using free programs.
MediaCoder
MediaCoder is a simple media converter designed for Windows; it is usable in Linux, however, with use of the Wine Windows emulator. To convert FLV to AVI, load the FLV video into the MediaCoder program, select "AVI" from the formats under the Container tab, and start the conversion process.
Any Video Converter
Any Video Converter is designed for Windows, and does not work in the Linux environment. The program is minimalistic, offering just a few large buttons that are easy to locate and understand. Click "Add Video" to select your FLV file, and click "Convert." The program uses AVI as the default output type.
Media-Convert
Media-Convert is an online service that allows conversion between file types. While a bit slower and a little harder to navigate than a dedicated program, it has the advantage of being usable on any computer that can access the Internet. To convert your video select the FLV file, choose "Audio Video Interleave (.avi)" from the output format, and click "OK."
Over the years, peer-to-peer, or P2P, websites have shut down because of strict rules by the Federal Communications Commission. Many of these P2P websites operated via users downloading music illegally. Since 2006, Bear Share allows users to legally download music.
Features
Like Limewire and the now-defunct Kazaa, Bear Shareware is a peer-to-peer file sharing program that allows users to download video files and music. According to the Bear Shareware website, the basic program is free to use because it is an ad-supported program, whereas the premium program is void of advertisements but requires a monthly payment. The downloads are 100 percent legal and the site does not have adware or spyware.
History
Originally, Bear Shareware was a product of Free Peers Inc. After court proceedings in 2006, Free Peers sold the rights to Bear Shareware to iMesh, one of the only file-sharing services that has deals with several major record companies to make downloading music legal.
Function
Users need to create an account with a username and password to use BearShare. With BearShare, users can download music, create friend lists containing favorite peers, and engage in community chat rooms to discuss music and videos. While creating a public profile, users can also create music libraries and playlists to share with friend via instant messaging programs and social networking sites.
Shareware, originally called Freeware, refers to computer software programs that are distributed free of charge, only asking for a small donation from users if they continue using the program. This is not required though, so only the user's conscience dictates whether anything is paid. However, one of the most successful shareware programs, PC-File, grew into a huge operation with one million users.
History
According to the Association of Shareware Professionals, the idea began in 1982 with a program called PC-File by Jim Knopf and PC-Talk, created by Andrew Flugelman (See Additional Resources).
Significance
Shareware now accounts for many innovative and useful utilities and application software. It is also used to entice buyers to upgrade to full versions of the same program.
Features
Shareware developers distribute software at no cost. Developers encourage users to share it with others, but include a request to make a donation to the creator if they use the program.
Benefits
Users benefit by being able to try out software extensively at no charge. If they make a donation it is minimal. Software developers are spared large development costs.
Warning
Because certain software may be free or simply request a donation to use, this does not mean the creator has given up intellectual rights. Usually there will be some stated requirements as to how the program can be used and/or modified.
Open Microsoft Access (2000 or later) and create a new database called Contacts. Create a table tblContacts and add two text fields, FirstName and LastName. Enter a few names in the table, then close Access.
Open Visual Basic.Net (any version) and create a new console application. Add the following line before the Module statement
imports System.Data.OleDb
Module Module1
The OleDb namespace provides references to the database access objects.
Add the following line before the Module statement
imports System.Data.OleDb
Module Module1
The OleDb namespace provides references to the database access objects.
Insert a connection string after the module declaration.
Private connString As String = "Provider=Microsoft.Ace.OLEDB.12.0; Data Source=d:\contacts.mdb;"
The connection string describes how OleDb will communicate with the database. Tthis example uses the Microsoft ACE provider to communicate with the Access
database d:\contacts.mdb. Change the location to reflect the database you created in step 1.
Copy the code listed below into the Main method. Start by declaring the variable searchString, which contains the SQL command to select the data.
Sub Main()
Dim searchString As String = "Select FirstName, LastName From tblContacts "
searchString &= "Order by LastName, FirstName;"
Establish a connection to the Access database using the OleDbConnection object.
Dim conn As New OleDbConnection
Try
conn.ConnectionString = connString
conn.Open()
Catch ex As Exception
Console.WriteLine("Cannot open the database")
Console.WriteLine(ex.Message)
Return
End Try
Always use structured exceptions (try / catch) to trap and report errors thrown by the data access objects.
Create command and data adaptor objects and use them to retrieve the search results into a new DataSet structure.
Dim ds As New DataSet
Try
Dim cmd As New OleDbCommand(searchString, conn)
cmd.CommandType = CommandType.Text
Dim dap As New OleDbDataAdapter
dap.SelectCommand = cmd
dap.Fill(ds)
Catch ex As Exception
Console.WriteLine("Cannot execute the search command")
Console.WriteLine(ex.Message)
Return
Finally
conn.Close()
End Try
Loop through the rows of the Dataset to retrieve the FirstName and LastName fields. Since accessing a null value causes an exception, always test for null values before retrieving them.
Console.WriteLine("Contacts:")
For Each row As DataRow In ds.Tables(0).Rows
If row.IsNull("FirstName") = False Then
Console.Write(row("FirstName") & " ")
End If
If row.IsNull("LastName") = True Then
Console.WriteLine("")
Else
Console.WriteLine(row("LastName"))
End If
Next
WriteLine("Found " & ds.Tables(0).Rows.Count.ToString & " contacts")
End Sub
End Module
Install Corel Snapfire Plus by following the instructions and installation prompts on the CD. After installation is complete, eject the CD and store it in its case.
Use the Snapfire User Guide, which is located in a pdf file on the CD, to familiarize yourself with the program. This guide contains complete instructions for all of the features.
Find the latest information about Corel Snapfire Plus by exploring the readme.html file, which can be found in the Program Directory. It explains how to use the Help system and explains Documentation Conventions.
Access the Help button to learn how to use Corel Snapfire Plus features. If you don't find what you need listed in its Index or Table of Contents, use the "Search" feature to find what you need.
Explore the Corel website. It explains Corel Snapfire features and also has training videos, movies and tutorials.
Learn about the enhanced features of Corel Snapfire Plus. One of the coolest is "Makeover" which allows you to whiten teeth, fix blemishes or apply a suntan. You can also change photos to black and white or sepia, or add picture tubes or frames.
Learn Access through the Microsoft Access software. Select "Help, Microsoft Access Help" from the toolbar. If you're familiar with other versions of Access, start with the "What's New" section to learn about new features that have been included in the program.
Peruse help topics in the Microsoft Access task pane to learn about keyboard shortcuts, converting Access files, Data Access Pages and XML support.
Learn Access online by selecting the "Microsoft Office Web Site" link in the Access help task pane or by going to http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx.
Select the "Help and How-to" tab and look for your version of Microsoft Office Access under "Browse Help and How-to by Product." Topics will include: "Access Demos," "Access Projects," "Adding Charts, Diagrams, or Tables," "File and Data Management," "Filtering and Sorting," "Forms and Reports," "Security and Privacy" and more.
Learn Access through the Microsoft Office community, discussion groups and MVPs. You'll find discussion groups at http://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspx?lang=en&cr=US&dg=microsoft.public.access and MVPs at https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/communities/mvp.aspx?product=1&competency=Access.
Utilize technical resources at Microsoft Office Online by visiting the Developer Center at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa905400.aspx or Office Resource Kit at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office/desktop/default.aspx.
Download Microsoft Access templates for your database by going to http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT101527321033.aspx?av=ZAC and selecting your version of Access. You can play with the template in Access, tweak it and learn Access through trial and error.
Utilize online tutorials to learn Access. You'll find websites with self-paced video tutorials, web casts and step-by-step instructions.
Borrow a book from your local library or buy one to learn Access at your own pace. Start from the beginning, or use the table of contents to find the topic you need to learn about.
Enroll in a class (online or at a community college) to learn how to use Access. You can learn from your instructor and even other students.
Download a free 60 day trial version of the program. If you are tech-savvy and self-motivated, you can use the hands on time to teach yourself basic functions of the program. The trial version includes all the functionality of the full version, but for a limited time.
Visit the help section at the Access website to follow basic tutorials that can help you get started with programming, understand macros and define table relationships. The online resources include 30 courses on various Access functions.
Take an online class from Microsoft. Microsoft Learning features comprehensive course curriculum from basic to advanced instruction in Access. The courses are self-paced, so they work well with someone whose schedule does not permit attending scheduled classes.
Watch a video. Websites that specialize in online video training allow you to watch someone use the program so you can quickly see how to perform basic tasks.
Read a book. A wide variety of textbooks devoted entirely to learning Microsoft Access are available online or at your local book seller.
Show up for class. If you need the motivation of being graded and marked tardy or absent if you don't' show up on time, a class at a local college or business school can provide a more disciplined approach to your training. Local businesses may also exist that offer certified Microsoft training in a classroom environment.
Search for Access training classes online. Microsoft provides a number of excellent tutorials covering everything from building your first table to advanced VBA programming. Many colleges and universities also make their Access training courses available online.
Use the sample databases Microsoft provides with Access to learn how the various data types are used throughout the program. In addition to the sample databases that come with Access, Microsoft provides additional practice databases as part of its online courses.
Click on the "Tables" tab on a sample database. Highlight one of the tables and choose "Design View." This will give you a look at the inner structure of the table. Look at each data type and how it relates to the nature of the data being stored. For instance, a field labeled "Price" might use the "Currency" data type, while a "Notes" field would most likely be a "Text" field.
Close the table in design view, then double-click it to open it in normal view. Look at each of the fields and how it is displayed. The data type used for the field will affect the way it looks when it is displayed.
Build your own simple table using the concepts you have learned. Create a household inventory, Christmas card list or other simple database, assigning the appropriate data type to each type of data. For your Christmas card list, the names and addresses of your recipients would be in "Text" format, while their ZIP codes would be stored as numerical data.
Enroll in a short-term computer class that offers Microsoft Access. Most technical or community colleges will offer short-term computer classes. Contact a college near you and enroll if it fits your needs, budget and schedule. Most courses are charged on a per-session basis.
Use an illustrated book about Microsoft Access to teach yourself how to create applications. These books can show you how to navigate Access's user interface as well as how to create a database, reports, produce forms and how to filter data.
Learn Microsoft Access online to get you up to speed. Online resources learning for Access include bulletin boards, instructional videos, training groups and quick reference guides. Interact with fellow Microsoft Access learners through the forums. Ask about any computer jargon you may be unclear about during your training.
Open Access and pull up a sample Access database file. If you do not have one on your computer, download a sample from the Microsoft website.
Select "Tables" from the "Objects" column.
Make a selection from the Tables category and double-click on it, for example: Customers, Employees or Product Details.
Select "Pivot Table View" from the "View" pull-down menu.
Drag-and-drop your desired items from the "Pivot Table Field List." To do this, left-click the mouse, then drag an item to either the Column area or the Row area. In the example shown here, some categories have been dragged and dropped to the Column area, and the "Ship and State" category was dragged and dropped to the Row area.
Find out the Ship State of another company. Clear all previous entries by double-clicking on "All" under the Company Name heading within the pivot table.
Click "OK." The Ship State of that particular company will appear.
Open your sample Access database file.
Select "Tables" from the "Objects" column.
Double-click on the "Customers" table.
Select "Pivot Table View" from the "View" pull-down menu.
Drag-and-drop the "Company Name" field taken from the Pivot Table Field List to the Row area.
Drag-and-drop the "Customer ID" field taken from the Pivot Table Field List to the "Totals and Details" center area on the pivot table.
Use the "Company Name" pull-down menu and select a company, then click "OK."
Observe that the Customer ID number will be displayed beside the chosen company name.
Determine the primary key for the foreign key. The foreign key is connected with the primary key of another table. For instance, a customer may have several orders, so the primary key of your customer table has a foreign key in the order table.
Create the table with the foreign key. In this example, the foreign key is created in the order table using the primary key from the customer table.
CREATE TABLE ORDERS
(OrderID integer primary key,
OrderDate datetime,
CustomerID integer references CUSTOMER(SID),
Amount double);
Alter a foreign key on an existing table. When new tables are created, the database administrator may need to create new foreign keys on existing tables. The example below adds a foreign key to an existing table.
ALTER TABLE ORDERS
ADD FOREIGN KEY (customerid) REFERENCES CUSTOMER(SID);
Open Microsoft Access and create a small table of sample data for testing in the conversion process.
Click the "External Data" link on Access' toolbar, then click the "PDF" icon. Select a file name for the PDF file, then press the "Publish" button on the dialog box that appears. Jot down the file name and its folder to locate it easily for the instructions to follow.
Close the Adobe Acrobat Reader that appears with your exported document. Open Internet Explorer or another browser's window, then navigate to brothersoft to download one of the PDF conversion sites.
Upload your PDF document using the page's "Browse" or related control, then click the "Convert" or similarly labeled button.
Wait a moment for the converted file's download link to appear on the Web page. Then download the file, which will have Word's "DOC" or "RTF" extension.
Navigate to the downloaded file in Windows Explorer and double-click its icon to open it in Word. Inspect the data for correctness as you compare it to the original table you made in Access. Make any corrections needed to restore the table's content to its original state.
Press "Alt-F" to display the "Save As" option, then select "Save As." Type a new name for the file, and select the "Plain Text" option in the "Save as Type" drop-down list. Click "OK" on the dialog box that appears to warn you of formatting losses.
Select the table data. Click on the "Layout" tab on Word's toolbar, then click the "Convert to Text" icon.
Select the "Tabs" option, then click "OK" to complete the conversion to a table with tab-separated fields. Close the document, clicking "Yes" to the prompt that asks whether you want to save the document before closing.
Open Access and create a new database by pressing "Alt-F," then select "New," on the toolbar. Choose the "Blank Database" template from which to create the database.
Press "External Data" on the Access toolbar, then click the "Text File" icon in the "Import" group of tools. In the wizard that appears, navigate to and open the file you previously saved.
Click "Next" on each screen of the file import wizard to accept the default options. Select the "Tab" option for the window with the text, "Choose the delimiter that separates your fields."
Compare the converted table with the original one when the wizard completes. Make any changes needed to make the converted table match your original one.
Determine the column you need to use as the foreign key. The column, or attribute, you use as a foreign key should be a column that occurs in both of the tables you wish to join on the foreign key. The columns do not have to have the exact same name but should describe the same data.
Add this line to your code to simultaneously create the foreign key when creating a table: "column1 type FOREIGN KEY REFERENCES table2(column2)." "Column1" is the name of the attribute or column in the current table used as part of the foreign key; "type" describes the data type for the column such as integer or string of characters; "table2" is the name of the second table you want to connect to and "column2" is the name of the column or attribute in the second table that matches "column1."
Add this line to your code to alter an existing table to add a foreign key:
ALTER TABLE table_name
ADD FOREIGN KEY (column1)
REFERENCES table2(column 2)
Separate multiple column names with commas. You can also give the foreign key a name when you alter a table to add a foreign key:
ALTER TABLE table_name
ADD CONSTRAINT FK_foreignkeyname FOREIGN KEY
(column1,
column2)
REFERENCES table2
(column1,
column2)
Open the report to which you want to add the query values, or create a new report. If creating a new report, complete the "Report Wizard" and select the query you want to display in the report.
Click on the "View" button on the top, left-hand corner and select "Design View." This allows you to change the report's appearance, layout, and values.
On the "Design" tab on the ribbon on the top of the page, open the "Property Sheet." Make sure "Report" is selected from the drop-down box at the top of the property sheet. This allows you to change the properties of the entire report, as opposed to a particular control.
Click on the "Data" tab of the property sheet to view the "Record Source" field. Click on the "..." button to create a custom query. Alternately, you can select a query from the drop-down box, but that may lose references to any existing values on the report.
Click on the "Show Tables" box to add the tables or queries that contain the information you want to display on the report. Double-click on any lines between tables to change the "Join Properties" if necessary. When all tables and queries are displayed, drag the fields to the bottom of the screen.
Add criteria to the query by typing in values or expressions into the "Criteria" fields, or change the sorting to ascending or descending. When all fields are listed at the bottom, click on the "View" button and select "Query View" to see the complete information. Save and close query to return to the report.
Select the "Add Existing Fields" on the "Design" tab of the ribbon. All the fields that you selected in the query appear here. Drag the desired fields onto the report, and change the arrangement with the tools on the "Arrange" tab.
Click on the "Report View" button on the ribbon to see the finished product.
Work out what data you want to gain access to using the random function. Find out what tables and columns you need by examining your database structure. If you need access to more than one table to get the data you need, list all of the data items that you will need to retrieve. Consider the part of your website that you are planning to use the random data within, and make sure you have a clear idea of what records you will need.
Create your database query in SQL. For your data to be displayed on a website, you will need to use a server-side script in a language such as PHP, as in the following example. To pick a single random record in a column named "fileName" in a table named "Pictures" you could use the following syntax, changing the details to suit your own database and user account details:
//connect to and select the database
mysql_connect("your_host", "your_username", "your_password");
mysql_select_db("your_db_name");
//create your query
$random_query="SELECT fileName FROM Pictures ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 0,1";
Execute your query and get the results. In your server-side script, execute the query and process the results, as in this PHP example:
//execute the query and return the results
$random_result=mysql_query($random_query);
//loop through the results
while($random_row=mysql_fetch_array($random_result))
{
$random_pic=$random_row['fileName'];
}
mysql_free_result($random_result);
So far all your code does is put the random data entry in a variable. You will generally then want to use this data to either carry out another query or to display something within your Web page. (See References 2, 3.)
Present the results of your random query within your interface. For display within a website, you can use your server-side script to output the result to a Web browser. In this example, the "fileName" data is the URL for an image, which the code then displays by including it in an HTML structure:
//within the while loop
$random_pic=$random_row['fileName'];
echo "";
Selecting a random image is an effective way to create a different impression each time someone visits your page, but you can adapt this technique to pick any random element you wish from a database.
Give your application the ability to cope with errors. When you use the random function within your queries, there are a number of things that can go wrong. In case your query fails to fetch an appropriate item of data, consider including alternative code to present something else instead. Make sure the random functions you include on a website will not interfere with the functionality of a page if something goes wrong.