Category Archives: PK Tips

PK Tip: Avoiding Changing a Data File

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When browsing a Personal Knowbase data file — opening and closing articles while checking or looking for something — you can easily make changes accidentally.

If you realize you’ve made a change to an article that you didn’t want to change, you can immediately return the article to its last saved state. While the article window is still open, select the Undo Article Changes command from the Edit menu.

But if you know that you don’t want to make changes to a file before you open it, it’s safer to open the file in Read-Only mode to start with. In Read-Only mode, you have no risk of making unwanted changes. You will not be able to modify existing articles or create new ones.
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PK Tip: Typing in the Index Column

In Personal Knowbase, normally we locate keywords in the Index column by clicking them with the mouse. But we can also locate keywords using the keyboard. Typing to locate keywords can save you from constant scrolling in long lists of keywords.

When the highlighted cursor focus (when the highlight has a dotted outline) is in the Index column, you can type the first few letters of a keyword to move the highlight to that keyword in the list. So, for example, if you type “sm”, the highlight will move to the first keyword starting with “sm”.
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PK Tip: Using Personal Knowbase Where You Can’t Install It

If you want to use Personal Knowbase on a computer where you can’t install it, consider using the portable installation option.

Some companies do not allow you to install software on your work computer unless it’s on a restricted software list. Consultants can’t install their own software on clients’ machines. Or you may want to use a friend’s or relative’s computer without making any permanent changes to their system.
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The Find Dialog Box Is Non-Modal — So What?

In all Windows software, most dialog boxes are modal. That means that once you open the dialog, you can’t do anything else with that program until you close the dialog. You are forced to interact with the dialog box before returning to the main software window.

Personal Knowbase’s Find dialog box is non-modal. That means that you can leave it open while doing other work with the program. You can move the dialog to the side of the screen and leave it open while doing other work in Personal Knowbase. This also applies to the related Replace dialog box.
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