Reached from: Main Menu -> Files and Folders Button
This is where you tell DanceMaster where on your computer to find various things it needs. These include the data file you want to use and the disk folders where you are keeping your sound and cue card files. It is best to leave these things in the default locations, otherwise it will make technical support more complicated than necessary. If you MUST move them for some reason, here's how.
For the purpose of this discussion we will consider a DanceMaster database to include the actual database file (DMRounds.mdb) PLUS the locations of the folders where music files, cue cards, etc. are kept.
DanceMaster comes knowing about two databases: Your Database (the "real" one where you keep your dances) and the Sample Database. This screen is where you can switch easily between them as you learn how to use DanceMaster.
You might want to have more than one set of dances - for instance, you might be a Caller as well as a Cuer (or your spouse might be). In that case, you would probably want to keep your round dance music (and everything else) separate from your square dance stuff. Here is how to do that:
If you click the "Specify Folder Locations" button, you will get the Files and Folders screen.
This screen shows you where DanceMaster looks for the files it needs. You can change these locations by clicking on one of the "Change..." buttons.
Then you get a screen that lets you select another database file or folder. When you have finished your changes you can either click "OK" to make this your "Your Database" setup, or you can click "Save This Folder Configuration". In that case, you will get yet another scren that asks for the name to save this configuration as. Such as "Calling". Once you have saved an alternate database configuration, you will get a "Load a previously saved configuration" button whenever you return to this screen. I think you can figure out what to do with that.
Database file: This is the file that contains all the information about your dances. You will probably use “DMRounds.mdb” for your data, but you can name the file whatever you want (as long as it ends with “.mdb”). I can’t imagine why you would want to, but if you can think of a reason, feel free.
To switch to a different database file click on “Change Database File”. That will open the usual Windows navigation window, where you can navigate to your database file (the default is C:\DanceMaster\DMRounds.mdb”). Double-click on the file you want to use.
Cue Card folder: DanceMaster requires that all your cue cards be in one folder. To tell the program where that folder is, click “Change Cue Card Folder”. The navigation window will open to let you find your cue card folder. When you have found it, double-click on the folder.
Music File folder: As above, DanceMaster requires that all your music files be in one folder. To tell the program where that folder is, click “Change Music File Folder”. The navigation window will open to let you find your music file folder. When you have found it, double-click on the folder.
Voice File folder: As you might have guessed, all your voice files should be in one folder. This could be the same as your music folder if you want, but it will probably be more convenient to keep them separate. To tell the program where you have stashed your voice files, click “Change Voice File Folder”.
Full Cues Folder: This is where you keep the full cues (fine prints, step cues) for your dances. They can be in whatever format you want ((PDF, DOC, XLS, etc) as long as your computer has the appropriate reader (Acrobat for PDF, Word for DOC, etc.) loaded.
When you are finished, click “OK” to close the menu and cause the changes to take effect. You might have to exit DanceMaster and restart it to see the changes.