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CheckMate Plus (tm) is copyright 1990,91,92,93,94 by CTech, Inc.
July 31, 1994
This is version 1.60A of CheckMate Plus. If you have been using
any earlier version, read through this file before using v1.60A.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT CHECKMATE PLUS
CheckMate Plus is a full-featured, easy to use, checkbook-based
accounting package. It is a REAL accounting package, with REAL
double-entry transactions. Unlike packages such as Quicken, you
can produce true balance sheets and income statements as well as
numerous budgeting and graphical reports.
CheckMate Plus is SHAREWARE, which means you are free to copy the
ORIGINAL distribution disk (or file, if you got it from a BBS)
and share it with whoever you please. If you find CheckMate Plus
to be useful and you use it beyond a reasonable evaluation
period, we expect you to REGISTER your copy.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
HOW TO EVALUATE CHECKMATE PLUS
CheckMate Plus is intuitive, easy to use, and has extensive
on-line help. It is quite sophisticated, however, and you'll
need the User's Guide to fully exploit its power.
CheckMate Plus comes with a "disk-based" Introductory User's
Guide to aid you in evaluation. The Introductory User's Guide is
quite large (150 pages).
If you got CheckMate Plus from a shareware vendor, you should have
received the documentation disk as part of the package. If you
downloaded CheckMate Plus from a BBS, the documentation file should
have been included in the download. When you register, you'll receive
the complete, 200+ page, illustrated User's Guide from us.
If you have problems running CheckMate Plus, you can call our
Technical Support line at
(206) 698-7754 (before January 15, 1995)
or
(360) 698-7754 (after January 15, 1995)
Technical support is ordinarily reserved for registered users.
We will, however, help you on a ONE TIME basis and only with
general questions in order to get CheckMate Plus up and running.
The support technician can take your registration order at the
time of your call if you require more assistance.
**** REGISTER ON-LINE ON COMPUSERVE! *****************************
* *
* CompuServe users can now register CheckMate Plus on-line! *
* Just type "GO SWREG" at any "!" prompt. Select menu choice *
* #2 (Register Shareware). CheckMate Plus' product ID is 194. *
* *
******************************************************************
-------------------------------------------------------------------
IF YOU'RE CURRENTLY USING CHECKMATE AND/OR CHECKMATE-GL
CheckMate Plus is designed to completely replace CheckMate AND
CheckMate-GL. The file format for CheckMate Plus is radically
different from the older programs, however.
When you register CheckMate Plus, you'll get a special
"utilities" disk to convert the older file formats to CheckMate
Plus' format. If you've previously registered CheckMate and/or
CheckMate-GL, call us for a special upgrade price. If you
haven't yet registered, you'll need to register CheckMate Plus to
get the special conversion program.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
HOW TO REGISTER CHECKMATE PLUS and WHAT YOU GET
Registration costs $60 (plus $5 shipping and handling)... but see
special offer below!
In return, you'll receive the latest copy of CheckMate Plus on disk,
a 200+ page professionally produced User's Guide, one year of
technical support by phone, fax, mail, or CompuServe, information
on ordering computer form checks designed specifically for
CheckMate Plus, a special "utilities" disk, and some special free
offers.
The "utilities" disk contains a program to convert the old data
formats (from the original CheckMate and/or CheckMate-GL) to
CheckMate Plus format. It also contains a small program you can
call from your "autoexec.bat" file to check transactions that are
due. (You can tell CheckMate Plus to remind you to pay your
rent, for instance).
***********************************************************************
* SPECIAL!! -- The Great "Mail-Order-Match" Offer *
* *
* For a limited time, we're offering complete registration of *
* CheckMate Plus for only $30 (plus shipping). That's HALF PRICE! *
* Plus, we'll send you FREE a copy of Mike Black's "Couch Potato *
* Trivia" game... a competitive and addictive computer game! *
* *
* We're doing this to match (and better) the mail order price of *
* products such as "Quicken", our primary retail competition. This *
* offer may end without notice. *
***********************************************************************
You may register by mail, telephone, or FAX. To register by
phone, call
1-800-541-6234 (US and CANADA only)
or
(904) 271-0316 (worldwide)
To register by FAX, send your name, address, quantity desired,
and method of payment to
(904) 271-0317 (9600 bps, group 3)
To register by mail, send your name, address, and quantity
desired along with a check, money order, or credit card number to
CTech, Inc.
PO Box 10551
Panama City, FL 32404-1551
We accept checks and money orders drawn on a US or Canadian bank
in US FUNDS ONLY! International money orders are OK as long as
they are denominated in US funds. We also accept MasterCard and
VISA worldwide. Sorry, we no longer accept CODs.
Shipping is PRIORITY MAIL in the US (2-3 days, coast to coast).
Outside the US shipping is by small packet AIR MAIL. Outside
North America add an additional $5 for a total of $10 shipping.
Florida residents must add appropriate sales tax.
****************************************************************
NOTE: One problem with shareware is that we can't completely
control distribution of older files. Consequently, our address
and/or phone numbers are subject to change over time and the ones
listed above may not be correct.
Although not planned at the moment, we may relocate our business
as we continue to grow. Our "800" order line should remain in
effect wherever we set up business. If you attempt to reach one
of our commercial lines and find them no longer in service, call
our 800 line for current phone numbers. If you can't call
toll-free, then write to us (we'll keep our PO box open and
arrange forwarding of the mail).
****************************************************************
REVISION HISTORY
July 31, 1994 -- Release of version 1.60A
Bug fixes, corrections, and enhancements since version 1.50B:
1) We've officially changed our name since the last release of
CheckMate Plus. "Custom Technologies" is now "CTech, Inc.",
with offices in Panama City, Florida and Bremerton, Washington.
2) You may now use variables defined in "calculation lines" (in the
custom reports) as parts of expressions in subsequent calculation
lines (as well as print the variables directly). This makes
designing custom reports MUCH easier.
3) We fixed a bug in the WKS file generation that caused some users
to see all "zeros" for numbers (regardless of what their real
values should be).
4) We enhanced the WKS file generation of some of the reports. In
previous versions of CheckMate Plus, "dates" were always exported
as "labels" (making them difficult to manipulate inside the
spreadsheet). CheckMate Plus now exports dates as date fields
(in the dd-mmm-yy format).
5) We updated CheckMate Plus' source code to compile under Borland
Pascal v7.0. This also allowed us to use a much newer version of
the database kernel (BTree Filer from TurboPower Software). These
newer versions should mean increased performance and fewer
(hopefully *none*) "ISAM Errors".
6) We fixed a bug (inadvertantly introduced in v1.50A) that stopped
the "HOME" and "END" keys from operating properly in edit fields.
7) Earlier versions of CheckMate Plus' "search and filter" function
didn't properly find records (other than checks) when using the
"Vendor Account Number" as a search criteria. It's fixed.
8) Eariler versions of CheckMate Plus' WKS generator had slight
"conversion errors". For instance, the number 102.25 may appear
in your spreadsheet as 102.24999999995. Version 1.60's revamped
WKS generator eliminates that effect.
9) We fixed a bug in the graphics reports that sometimes caused the
last month in a fiscal year to show revenue for an entire year.
10) We added "visual cues" in the transaction entry and edit screens
that indicate whether or not the selected transaction has any
data entered in the "stub" or "notes".
11) We added many period options to the Income Statement report module.
You can now generate standard income statements that include
current month and year to date totals on the same report. You
can also generate "current month/current quarter" and "any three
successive months" on the same report.
12) We fixed a bug that caused the word "Balance" (on the header of the
Transaction Report) to be truncated (with some length settings).
NOTE: The balance is not displayed by default... you tell
CheckMate Plus to display the balance by pressing <F3> in the
Transaction Report window.
13) Because the vast majority of PCs sold today have >1M of RAM and
ample hard drive space, we're no longer supporting the option of
running CheckMate Plus in a "floppy only" mode. That is, a
hard drive is now required. Also, you must have a minimum of
640K of DOS memory. These changes free us to add more features
and options to CheckMate Plus.
14) We've added "Budget Reports" (for both revenue and expenses).
These reports compare actual values to those budget values you
entered while creating (or editing) the accounts.
15) You can now specify "period offsets" in custom reports (these
allow you to design reports that "compare" performance of
accounts from period to period). You can also specify offsets
and print dates based on the starting month of the report.
NOTE: These changes are applicable to custom Income Statements
only.
16) We completely revamped the "Reconciliation Procedure". You'll
find the routines much more intuitive and easier to complete.
They're also MUCH faster.
17) You can now tell CheckMate Plus how far back to search for
"uncleared" transactions (while reconciling). You set this
option in the "General" window (under the "Setup" menu). This
feature significantly speeds up the reconciliation process.
18) CheckMate Plus has all new graphics routines with many more
display options. You can now display Bar Charts, 3D Bar Charts,
Layered 3D Bar Charts, Horizontal Bar Charts, Line Charts, Pie
Charts, and 3D Pie Charts.
19) CheckMate Plus now supports VESA Super VGA cards and monitors
for displaying graphics. Supported modes (beyond standard VGA)
are 800x600 and 1024x768.
20) You can now "print" graphics reports to any of several hundred
printers supported by CheckMate Plus' graphics print routines.
21) CheckMate Plus now lets you pick your video option (for graphics
displays) directly (under the Setup menu). In previous versions,
you had to set your video option with the installation program.
22) You can now tell CheckMate Plus to substitute the spelling
"CHEQUE" for "CHECK" wherever it appears on the screen or while
printing. (For our international users).
23) CheckMate Plus can now "switch" the position of commas and the
decimal point in numbers. For instance, the number "1,023.45"
would appear as "1.023,45". (For some international users).
24) CheckMate Plus now has "built-in" backup and restore procedures
(with data compression). The routines are intended to protect
against data loss in the event of hardware problems or file
corruption.
25) We fixed a bug that caused the right-side "arrows" and the
vertical line of the "browse" and "reconcile" window to disappear
when you pressed <PgDn> or <PgUp>. The problem was video card
dependent and only happened on some machines.
26) CheckMate Plus now sets the "opening date" of accounts to the day
*before* your "purge" date (when you use the "Close Transactions"
option). Previously, the date was set to the exact purge date
(which could cause your accounting reports to merge balances into
the next month's statements).
27) We fixed a bug that caused CheckMate Plus to display "garbage" in
the "Transaction Edit" window when you used the "Jump To" option
and selected a date that's beyond the newest transaction in the
file. The Jump To function now operates properly.
28) CheckMate Plus now correctly saves the option to print totals at
the end of a transaction report. Some earlier versions would
"forget" that the option was set (even when you pressed F10 to
save the options to disk).
29) We restructured CheckMate Plus' decision tree for how it decides
when to "rebuild" balances. If the rebuild is going to be very
slow, CheckMate Plus will "wait" until you exit the function you're
in before automatically rebuilding. This means, for example, you
can enter lots of "old" transactions without having to wait for
a long rebuild between each one.
30) We improved the "Rebuild Accounts" function to delete any erroneous
references to non-existent accounts.
31) We fixed a bug that caused custom reports to "bomb" when a
non-existent account was referenced in the report definition. This
bug caused the program to crash. Now, such references will return
a value of "zero" when you run the report.
Jun 26, 1992 -- Release of version 1.50B
Bug fixes and corrections from version 1.50A:
1) While correcting the rare bug in version 1.50 (discussed below), we
inadvertantly introduced a new bug that can cause transactions to
"disappear" while doing a "complete rebuild". This has been fixed
in this version. We'll ship all registered users who received 1.50A
a free update.
Apr 21, 1992 -- Release of version 1.50A
Bug fixes and corrections from version 1.50:
1) We fixed a very odd (and rare) bug involving account number 20003
and transactions whose "payto" line begins with a capital "N". The
bug caused "bogus" transactions to appear in account number 20003.
Chances are you've never experienced this bug... but if you have,
it's fixed.
2) The "expense transactions" option incorrectly identified in-balance
transactions that used all twelve split lines as being out-of-balance.
That bug is fixed.
3) We modified the data entry routines to allow most extended characters
(including the British pound sign "£") to be entered via the
alt-"number" key sequence (and from remapped keyboards). This
primarily benefits our European users.
4) We fixed a bug in the Ledger Activity Report that truncated the date
while printing each account (the truncation only occurred for the
date formats starting with the "day" rather than the "month").
5) We fixed a small bug in the "sort by check number and type" feature
(while browsing or reconciling) that sometimes caused non-check
transactions to list out-of-date sequence.
6) We modified the report modules to always blank the page footer when
you first enter the report setup window. This prevents "lingering"
footers from report to report (especially from the reconciliation
report).
Feb 1, 1992 -- Release of version 1.50
Bug fixes, corrections, and new features:
1) We added a "data check" to warn you when you enter a transaction
that predates the creation of any accounts included in that
transaction. This will prevent some unexpected (although correct)
side effects in account opening balances.
2) CheckMate Plus will now warn you if you enter a transaction dated
in the future (that is, if the transaction date is later than the
system date). You can disable this feature with a command in
the CMPLUS.CFG file (see User's Guide or User's Guide addendum).
3) We fixed a bug that caused CheckMate Plus to "lock up" in the
detailed expense graph if you have more than 32 expense accounts.
(CheckMate Plus can only display the first 32 accounts).
4) We *significantly* sped up most account rebuilds in CheckMate Plus.
You should see dramatic improvements when you edit or enter trans-
actions within a few days or weeks of the end of your file.
5) Many reports can now be printed to a "WKS" file for importing to
most spreadsheet programs.
6) The "high-lighted bar" in the reconcile window now moves down
automatically after you press the <space bar>.
7) We added a feature that seeks out unbalanced transactions and lets
you correct them on the spot.
8) We added a "GL Analysis" report that analyzes your books and
suggests how to correct them (if they're out of balance).
9) We fixed a bug that caused the balances in the transaction report
to be incorrect (for accounts other than checking accounts).
10) We added a new variable in the "search and filter" window. You
can now match "transaction type".
11) We fixed a bug that caused the control account to switch to "No
Account" when exiting graphics.
12) We fixed a major array index bug in the custom report module. Users
who defined more than two custom reports could experience unpre-
dictable problems.
13) The first line in a custom report definition now correctly prints
below the header information.
14) We fixed a line count error that could cause custom reports to
sometimes incorrectly paginate.
15) We fixed a bug in the custom reports that severely limited the
number of variables that could be defined (some variables would
incorrectly calculate to "0.00").
16) We added the option to sort the browse and reconcile windows by
check number and transaction type. You can also sort the reconcile
report.
17) We revamped the internal rebuilds to make them more rebust and
correct more potential problems and file corruptions.
Jan 6, 1991 -- Release of version 1.01A
Bug fixes and corrections from version 1.01:
1) We fixed a bug in the "past fiscal years" calculation on the
balance sheet. Prior to this version, transactions posted
on the last day of past fiscal years weren't picked up on
the balance sheet.
2) The "reconcile report" would incorrectly list "zero"
transactions (such as a voided check) as a "credit". We
fixed it.
3) We corrected the alignment of final totals on the "reconcile
report" (one total was one column off).
4) The "transaction report" would sometimes unnecessarily
search the database multiple times. This has been fixed.
5) We fixed a problem in the custom reports (when using
"calculation lines" and "Use Parentheses" was "YES"). This
bug caused CheckMate Plus to incorrectly evaluate negative
numbers.
Dec 18, 1990 -- Release of version 1.01
Bug fixes and corrections from version 1.00:
1) Some transactions were duplicated in the Ledger Activity
Report. We've corrected this.
2) We corrected balance computations in the Ledger Activity
Report.
3) We fixed the "Search and Filter" window (it could not find
check numbers).
4) We implemented debit and credit totals on the Transaction
Report.
5) We fixed a screen display problem when entering date
activated automatic transactions.
6) CheckMate Plus now correctly reports when the printer is not
ready (rather than crashing).
7) The calculator now automatically sets the "num lock".
8) We corrected alignment problems on the Reconciliation
Report (totals at the bottom).
9) We fixed the "between any two dates" option on many reports
(it wouldn't accept some "ending dates").
10) The "audit lock" password now works correctly.
11) Contra accounts are now fully functional.
12) We fixed a "menu overwrite" problem that sometimes occurred
while editing or deleting accounts.
13) We corrected the "Save Report Definition" screen (it used to
say "Save Check Layout").
14) The automatic rebuild when you start CheckMate Plus now
preserves the default account.
15) We reworked all three rebuild functions for better
reliability.
16) We fixed the Reconcile window so the <F10> key now takes you
back to the menu.
17) We removed the "beep" when an "EMS" driver isn't available.
18) CheckMate Plus now "remembers" the last date you entered on
each transaction (instead of starting with the DOS date each
time).
19) "Date Activated" transactions dated on the 31st now work
correctly.
20) The <F3> key now pulls the "memo" line in (while working in
the "split" window).
21) A very strange decompression bug has been fixed. This could
cause unpredictable results. (If you've had weird problems,
this could well have been the culprit).
22) "Delete Account" now works properly.
23) "Edit Account" now correctly updates the database.
24) CheckMate Plus now correctly handles the menu when all
custom reports have been deleted.
25) You can now edit the check layout while printing checks
(with the <F2> key).
26) The "INPUT" command (for printing checks) now correctly
inputs "real: numnbers.
27) You can now adjust the number of digits displayed after the
decimal point on checks, but it only works while commas are
turned OFF!
28) "Close Transactions" now correctly transfers balances to P/L
accounts.
29) CheckMate Plus now correctly updates account balances for
ALL accounts in the transaction (not just the default). No
more "zero" account balances!
30) You can now disable the shareware screen while running off a
floppy disk system. Refer to your original registration
letter for details.
31) The "screen-saver" feature has been fixed.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
IF YOU FIND ANY BUGS IN CHECKMATE PLUS
If you run across any bugs while using CheckMate Plus, we'd
appreciate hearing about them. Please let us know BY MAIL to:
CheckMate Plus Development Team
c/o CTech, Inc.
PO Box 10551
Panama City, FL 32404-1551
-------------------------------------------------------------------
ASSOCIATION OF SHAREWARE PROFESSIONALS STATEMENT
This program is produced by a member of the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the
shareware principle works for you. If you're unable to resolve a
shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the
member directly, ASP may be able to help.
The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with
an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for
member's products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover
Road, Muskegon, MI 49442-9427 or send a CompuServe message via
CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536.