Downloading the Cardbox Client
What is the Client Edition of Cardbox?
The Client Edition, also known as the Cardbox Client, is a version of Cardbox that is available for free download. It allows you to:
- Access databases that are stored on a Cardbox Server, whether on the Internet or on your local area network. What you are able to do with these databases depends on the access you have been granted by the creator of the database and the owner of the Cardbox Server installation. Note that although the Cardbox Client is free, the Cardbox Server in question has to have sufficient user licences installed to cover the maximum number of Cardbox Clients that are connected to it at any one time.
- Access, in a read-only mode, databases stored on your own computer's hard disk or on a CDROM. Read-only access means that you can search, view, sort, and print data (subject to any restrictions that may have been imposed by the creator of the database) but you can't add or delete records or make other changes.
If you already have the Home Edition or Professional Edition of Cardbox then you can already do all of these things and you don't need to install the Client Edition as well.
How do I download the Client Edition?
Click on the link below. The downloaded installer file is about 4.5MB in size.
| Cardbox 3.0 installer | For Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, XP, and Vista. |  |
| If for any reason you want
to download using the FTP protocol instead of the usual HTTP, press the
symbol next to the description of the file you want. Some firewall configurations
may need adjusting before you can use FTP. |
||
| Note: Web browsers are variable and they change constantly, especially where security settings are concerned. The messages and procedures shown here may be slightly different on your system, but the principles remain the same. | |
Internet Explorer: you will be asked what to do with the Application file called instcli.exe. Whether you choose Run or Save is up to you. Since you only need to install Cardbox once, Run is perfectly adequate; but we ourselves prefer to keep copies of the installers for all the software we download, so we normally use Save. Another reason for using Save would be if you wanted to download the installer once and then run it on multiple computers. If you choose Run, Internet Explorer will save instcli.exe to a temporary folder. It will then ask you for further confirmation before it runs instcli.exe for you. If you choose Save, Internet Explorer will save instcli.exe to a folder of your choice. Remember to make a note of which folder you have chosen! After the file has been saved, Internet Explorer may offer to run (or open) instcli.exe for you: if you want to install Cardbox on this computer, accept the offer. |
 |
Mozilla Firefox: you will be asked what to do with the Application file called instcli.exe. Accept the default option, which is 'Save to Disc'. Make a note of the folder where Firefox is saving the file, so that you don't need to search your hard disk for it afterwards. If you want to install immediately after the download, click on the Open link in Firefox's Downloads window. If a warning appears saying that instcli.exe is an executable file, press OK to accept it. |
 |
Opera: you will be asked where to save the file instcli.exe. Make a note of the folder where Opera is saving the file, so that you don't need to search your hard disk for it afterwards. The Transfers window will show you how far the download process has progressed. Once the download has completed, you can double-click on the filename instcli.exe to start the installation. |
|
How do I install the Client Edition?
To start the installation process
Depending on the details of how you downloaded the Cardbox installer, your web browser may have started the installation automatically. If it hasn't, then:
- Locate instcli.exe on your hard disk (if you made a note of where it was saved, this is easy, otherwise you will have to use the search facilities of Windows).
- Double-click on it.
What happens next
Follow the instructions given on the screen. You will be asked to agree to the licence agreement (you can print it out first if you want) and to say where you want Cardbox to be installed - unless you have strong opinions about this, accept the location that the installer suggests.
If you have saved the installer under a name other than instcli.exe then it will present you with a "Licence Location" page asking you where to put the licence. If you see this page then select "I have no licence: rely on the built-in Client licence" and on the following page simply press Next without turning on licence borrowing.
How do I open a database using the Client Edition?
The installer will have created shortcuts for you on the Desktop and/or the Start menu: use one of these.
To open a database on a Cardbox Serrver, use the command File > Open and then select the Server tab. On the left-hand side, select the name of the server you are connecting to, or type it in if it's not in the list; then press View. You will see a list of databases on the right-hand side of the Open window. For more details, press the F1 key to get help.
To open a database on your own computer's hard disk or a CDROM, use File > Open and then select the My Computer tab. This works just like any other Open box in Windows, but you can press the F1 key if you need help.
It is also possible for the publisher of a Cardbox Server database to create a link in a web page that will open the database in Cardbox directly, without you having to open Cardbox yourself first. How well this works depends on your web browser and your version of Windows: here is a sample link for you to try out.
Where can I get more information?
The Cardbox help files are detailed and informative: use the Help menu in Cardbox, or press F1 to get help appropriate to the current context.
As for printed documentation, the 300-page Cardbox Book is the definitive reference for Cardbox.