I asked this question on other forums and asked other people, and I'm either not asking rght or it doesn't exist or it's impossible. I got one close answer but I couldn't connect. I don't want a recipe program with other recipes on it. Anyway, I was looking for a program to index at least a thousand recipe titles. I do not want to type the recipe out. I'd also like to cross-reference the titles, such as: Chocolate cake, under chocolate and cake, etc. Easily.

My neice suggested a spread sheet, and I tried it, but it's a little bit long doing it that way, I've written out quite a bit of it,I've indexed all my magazine articles that way, but I'd like to know can I make my own program, how, I know nothing about that. Can I put this on a disc? I would need basic hold my hand instructions.

Thanks for your help.

-- Cindy (S.E.IN) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), April 25, 2002

Answers

Hi Cindy,

I think I know what you are trying to do, so I'll offer my 2 cents. I would use either spreadsheet or database software to do what you're attempting. In a spreadsheet, like Excel, you would make three columns. Column one 1 would be the recipe title (example: Paul Bunyan wholewheat pancakes). In the next column, Column 2, you'd have the reference for the recipe (example: Countryside Magazine, July 1999, page 53) In Column 3 you would want to list "keywords," each keyword would be seperated by a space (example: breakfast pancakes wholewheat quickbreads) You can list as many keywords as you want for each recipe in Column 3. Each row in your spreadsheet would be a different recipe.

Now, when you are trying to find a recipe, all you have to do is run a "filter" on a selected word in the keyword column. For instance, if your filter (or search) is for the word "breakfast" all of your recipes that have the word "breakfast" in the keyword column would appear. You can also do filters (or searches) on two words (example: "wholewheat" and "quickbread") It's kind of like using a search engine on the web. The only difference is that the search takes place on the keywords in Column 3.

Hope this helps.

-- Cabin Fever (cabinfever_MN@yahoo.com), April 25, 2002.

What you want is a database not a spreadsheet. A database would allow you to cross referance items by names, type of food, color or what ever you like. For the PC there are a number of choices, Oracle and Microsoft access are both popular. Its going to take some understanding of what a database is to make full use of it but its the way to orgainzie data.

Spreadsheets are only good if your doing things with numbers but are often abuased into trying to be a database.

-- Gary in Ohio (gws@columbus.rr.com), April 25, 2002.

Gary, I'm not sure about other software for spreadsheets, but Excel works perfectly for searching and sorting text in the way I described. If Cindy was actually going to write entire recipes into a file, I would of also recommendaed a database, but she is just indexing titles and references. I agree with you that a database would be a better way to go especially if this was a large, complex file of information. But since Excel is already owned by many PC users and a databse program can cost $100 plus, I'll stick with my original recommendation.

-- Cabin Fever (cabinfever_MN@yahoo.com), April 25, 2002.

Cindy, be sure and read my response over at the Cooking and Crafts Forum. I know of a recipe database that sounds exactly what you are looking for. It is an actual database for recipes as opposed to a recipe box.

In my opinion, although you could use Excel, a database is what you want. You have so many more options and sorting capabilities and it is so much more flexible and quicker to enter your data once it is setup. I also think you would like the appearance of a database so much more when you do your searching and sorting. If you do a printout of your database you have so many more options as well.

-- Karen (mountains_mama2@hotmail.com), April 25, 2002.