How do you use CatBase?

We've created lots of Tutorials - many with videos included - to show you how to use CatBase and explain the program's features.

What is Database Publishing?
Database 101: A basic introduction to databases. Learn the basics about how databases work, or brush up on your knowledge.
Getting to know the CatBase interface
Starting a new database project: a step-by-step guide to setting your project up from scratch.
- Table Structure: How to decide on the tables you'll need
- Field Properties: Adding or modifying the fields in your tables and choosing their behaviours
- The Form Design Wizard: Designing your data entry forms
- Setting up Categories
Sorting your data
Setting up an automated backup schedule
Adding data manually
Importing Data (overview)
- From an Excel spreadsheet
- Setting up a Database Connection
- Updating data using an update file

Finding and Editing data
Editing Data in spreadsheet mode
Create Sets to define and maintain groups of data
Entering and publishing related data
Creating Quick Reports
Send emails to contacts in your database, and receive emails sent to a designated email address.
Use the Event Scheduler to perform tasks at specified time intervals
Run scripts to perform special processing on your data when records are imported, modified, or saved.
Create Memos to set remiinders for yourself
Maintain an audit trail - a log of all changes that are made to your data.

An overview of the publishing process
How CatBase and your page layout program work together
Publishing Projects: Tell CatBase which set of data to publish and which Publishing Style Sheet to use, then just press a button to publish your data!
Creating Publishing Style Sheets: these are what tell CatBase what data to publish and how to sort and format it
- Creating Rules to tell CatBase how to make decisions about what to publish and/or how to format it
- Conditional Formatting: How to get CatBase to make text styling decisions
- Automatically creating hyperlinks and cross-references in your InDesign documents
- Publishing your data as InDesign tables. With CatBase and InDesign you can create all kinds of simple and sophisticated tables.
- Exporting data to a delimited text file (csv, tab-delimited, etc.)
- Creating an Excel Spreadsheet from your database
- Publishing Unique data: How to publish duplicated data uniquely
- Managing Line Lengths: Tips on how to manage line breaks in your published data.
- Adding Indexes to your publications
- Using the Layout Manager to organise your data into individual text frames
Updating data such as prices in an InDesign or QuarkXPress document
Updating your Website with CatBase data
Get an instant preview to see how a record will look when it's published.
Publish directly to PDF and/or Word document
Quick Letter: the full-featured built-in word processor
Publishing to your Web Site

For CatBase
- Publishing Unique data: How to publish duplicated data uniquely
- Managing Line Lengths: Tips on how to manage line breaks in your published data.
For InDesign
InDesign is a terrific page layout program that integrates perfectly with CatBase. We've put together a collection of tips to help you make your publications the best they can be. Go to the InDesign Tips & Tricks Page