home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Business Shareware
/
Business Shareware.iso
/
start
/
finance
/
coms13
/
manual.doc
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1993-01-03
|
49KB
|
1,519 lines
Customer Order Management System
User's Guide
(C) Copyright 1991-93 Bill Beshears
Beshears Software Associates
All Rights Reserved
DISCLAIMER
THIS SOFTWARE IS SUPPLIED TO YOU "AS IS". THE AUTHOR MAKES NO
REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTY WITH RESPECT TO THE SOFTWARE, AND
SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY
OR FITNESS OF THE SOFTWARE FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. YOU MUST
ASSUME ALL RISK FOR THE INSTALLATION, USE, AND RESULTS OBTAINED
FROM THE SOFTWARE. THE AUTHOR SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY ERROR
CONTAINED HEREIN OR FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
RESULTING FROM THE FURNISHING, PERFORMANCE, OR USES OF THIS
SOFTWARE.
This copyrighted software is not a free program. You are granted
a right to use the software for an evaluation period not to
exceed 60 days. You may also freely copy and share the
distribution disk to allow others to try out the software. (See
VENDOR.DOC file).
If you find the software useful and continue to use it beyond the
evaluation period, you must pay the registration fee. Registered
users receive:
- The latest version of the software.
- A printed user's manual.
- A stand-alone utility to compress your COMS database
files.
- Free software updates for one year.
- Free letter or phone support.
The registration fee is $69.00 plus $5.00 shipping and handling
charges. Telephone orders are accepted.
Thank you for evaluating the software, and we would sincerely
appreciate your comments or suggestions.
Beshears Software Associates
5710 Rita Street
Southside, AL 35903
(205) 442-6630
_______
____|__ | (R)
--| | |-------------------
| ____|__ | Association of
| | |_| Shareware
|__| o | Professionals
-----| | |---------------------
|___|___| MEMBER
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 are 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 members' 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.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
GETTING STARTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
DISK CONTENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
COPYING THE DISTRIBUTION DISK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
UP AND RUNNING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
COMS USER INTERFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
USING PULL-DOWN MENUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
KEYBOARD TECHNIQUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
KEYBOARD ARROW KEYS TECHNIQUE . . . . . . . . 4
USING SHORTCUT KEYS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
MOUSE TECHNIQUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
CLOSING THE MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
USING WINDOWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
INFORMATION WINDOWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
DATA ENTRY WINDOWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
USING HELP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
COMS PRIMARY WINDOWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
CUSTOMER WINDOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
CUSTOMER ORDER WINDOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
ORDER LINE ITEM WINDOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
DELIVERY DETAIL WINDOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
EDITING INFORMATION IN A WINDOW . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
DELETING INFORMATION IN A WINDOW . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
CHANGING DATA DRIVE AND DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . . . 12
VIEWING INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
VIEW CUSTOMER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
VIEW ORDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
VIEW LINE ITEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
VIEW SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
VIEW ALL ORDER LINE ITEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
VIEW PART - ORDER CROSS REFERENCE . . . . . . . . . 14
VIEW JOB - ORDER CROSS REFERENCE . . . . . . . . . 14
VIEW SYSTEM INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
PRINTING INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
PRINT ORDER STATUS DELIVERY SUMMARY . . . . . . . . 15
PRINT ORDER STATUS DELIVERY DETAIL . . . . . . . . 15
PRINT ALL ORDER LINE ITEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
PRINT PART - CROSS REFERENCE . . . . . . . . . . . 16
PRINT JOB - ORDER CROSS REFERENCE . . . . . . . . . 16
PRINT SHIPMENT FORECAST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
USING THE POP-UP CALCULATOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
USING THE POP-UP CALENDAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
EXITING THE PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
INTRODUCTION:
In today's business world, most companies stringently manage
inventory levels to conserve cash and reduce inventory carrying
costs. In fact, when evaluating potential suppliers, many
companies rate a supplier's ability to deliver products on time
or just-in-time (JIT) of equal importance with price and quality.
With this high level of emphasis placed on a supplier's delivery
performance, a systematic approach to managing customer orders is
essential. The goal of this software is to fill that need.
Customer Order Management System ("COMS") is a comprehensive
software package designed for manufacturers, distributors, or
anyone that needs to manage customer orders. COMS supports
multiple orders for customers and multiple line items for
customer orders. The system records customer delivery schedules
and actual shipment information, then tracks each shipment to the
delivery schedule with a running schedule balance. Summary
information for orders, shipments and backlog can be viewed or
printed by customer, by order, by order line item, and for all
customers. Shipment forecasts with user defined date ranges can
also be printed.
The COMS user interface features pull-down menus, well laid-out
information windows with dialog boxes and command buttons,
context-sensitive help, pop-up calculator and calendar, and full
mouse support that make it intuitive and easy to learn.
1
GETTING STARTED:
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
COMS is designed to work with any IBM-compatible personal
computer with at least 512k of memory and DOS version 2.1 or
later. You need only one 3.5 inch or high capacity (AT type)
5.25 inch disk drive, although COMS can also work with multiple
disk drives, and work better with a hard disk.
DISK CONTENTS:
Normally, the distribution disk will include two files:
README.COM - Instructions for using COMS12.EXE.
COMS12.EXE - Self-extracting installation program.
The COMS12.EXE program extracts and installs the following files
to the disk drive and directory you specify:
COMS.EXE - The COMS executable program.
MANUAL.DOC - This User's Manual.
OMBUDSMN.DOC - ASP Ombudsman Information
PACKING.LST - Packing list of the COMS files.
PRINTMAN.BAT - Batch file for printing User's Manual.
REGISTER.DOC - Registration document.
VENDOR.DOC - Information about distributing COMS.
SAMPLE.MDB - Database of sample data.
ISAMREPR.EXE - Utility for repairing corrupted databases.
ISAMREPR.DOC - Instructions for using ISAMREPR.EXE.
If any files are missing, please contact us.
COPYING THE DISTRIBUTION DISK:
Before using COMS, you should make a back-up copy of your
original disk. See your DOS documentation if you need help
copying the disk.
2
UP AND RUNNING:
The initial screen displayed in the unregistered version of COMS
provides information about Shareware and registration of the
program. If you find the software useful, please become a
registered user. At the bottom of the initial window are three
command buttons (commands surrounded by angled brackets). The
first command button is used to start the program. The second is
used to start the program using sample data. The third is used
to exit the program. Use the Tab key to toggle the command
buttons to the desired action, then press the Enter key.
COMS USER INTERFACE:
COMS uses a pull-down menu interface for choosing commands. A
window environment is used for displaying information. Although
each window displays different information, the pull-down menu
interface is the same.
The COMS screen is divided into three parts:
1. The bar across the top of the screen shows the names of
the pull-down menus and the current date.
2. The center area of the screen is used for information
windows.
3. The key definition line at the bottom of the screen
serves as a reminder of the keys that perform basic
operations.
USING PULL-DOWN MENUS:
The horizontal bar across the top of the screen shows the names
of the pull-down menus. Menu commands may be chosen using the
keyboard or using a mouse.
KEYBOARD TECHNIQUE:
1. Press the Alt key to activate the pull-down menu
system.
2. Press the highlighted letter in a menu name to pull
down the menu and display the commands.
3. Press the highlighted letter in a command name.
For example, to select the Add Record command from the File
menu, press Alt to highlight the menu names, then press F to
pull down the File menu, then press A to choose the Add
Record command.
3
KEYBOARD ARROW KEYS TECHNIQUE:
1. Press the Alt key to activate the pull-down menu
system.
2. Use the Left/Right arrow keys to highlight a menu name.
3. Use the Down arrow key to pull down the highlighted
menu.
4. Use the Up/Down arrow keys to highlight a command.
5. Press the Enter key to choose the command highlighted.
CHOOSING MENU COMMANDS USING SHORTCUT KEYS:
Shortcut keys are used to reduce the key strokes necessary
for selecting menu commands by allowing you to bypass the
top row menu. For example, to add a record, you can select
the Add command from the File menu, or you can bypass the
menu by using the shortcut key combination Ctrl+A. Shortcut
keys are listed on the pull-down menus to the right of the
command.
MOUSE TECHNIQUE:
1. Position the mouse pointer to a menu name, and click
the left button to pull down the menu.
2. Position the mouse pointer to a command, and click the
left button to choose the command.
CLOSING THE MENU:
To close a menu without choosing a command, press the Escape
key, or move the mouse pointer outside the pull-down menu,
and click the left button.
USING WINDOWS:
COMS utilizes two type of windows: information windows; and data
entry or input windows.
INFORMATION WINDOWS:
Information windows are used for displaying and working with
information. Information windows have the following features:
SELECTOR BAR:
The horizontal bar, that highlights a line in a window in
reverse video, is the Selector Bar. This bar indicates the
4
current line that is the subject for editing, deleting,
viewing, and command button operations.
The Selector Bar is moved up or down using the keyboard
arrow keys, PgUp, PgDn, Home, or End keys or by pointing to
a line and clicking the left mouse button.
SCROLL BAR:
The vertical bar at the right of a window is the scroll bar.
The solid box on the scroll bar indicates the relative file
position of the information in a window. A mouse may be
used to scroll the information in a window by pointing to a
location on the scroll bar and clicking the left mouse
button. Click the mouse above the solid box to move up or
below the solid box to move down.
COMMAND BUTTONS:
At the bottom of each window will be one or more command
buttons. A command button is a command surrounded by angled
brackets which carries out an action according to its name.
The command button, that is highlighted in reverse video, is
executed if the Enter key is pressed. If more than one
command button is displayed, the Tab key is used to toggle
the buttons. If a command button is activated with a mouse
by pointing to the button and clicking the left mouse
button, that action will be executed regardless of the
command button that is highlighted.
DIALOG BOXES:
A dialog box is a box that appears over an existing window
when COMS needs additional information to carry out a
command or needs to send you a message. At the bottom of a
dialog box will be one or more command buttons for you to
use to select an action.
DATA ENTRY WINDOWS:
Data Entry windows are used for entering or editing information
in a window. Data entry operations are context-sensitive to the
window that is open on the screen. This simply means the
appropriate data entry form is displayed for the type of
information that is contained in a window. Data Entry windows
have the following features:
DATA ENTRY FIELDS:
Data entry fields are the areas in a data entry window where
information is typed in. Some data entry fields are
designated as numeric fields and can contain only numbers.
5
When the cursor is in a numeric field, it is positioned to
the right-most number position. Numbers are entered and
deleted from this position. If you make a mistake when
entering a number, use the Delete key to delete the number
and re-enter. Decimal numeric fields have fixed decimal
places and the decimal point is automatically inserted in
the field.
The Home, End, and arrow cursor movement keys are used to
position the cursor to the data entry areas on the form:
Home - moves cursor to the first field.
End - moves cursor to the last field.
Up - moves cursor to the previous field.
Down - moves cursor to the next field.
Left - moves cursor left within a field.
Right - moves cursor right within a field.
COMMAND BUTTONS:
At the bottom of a Data Entry window will be two command
buttons. The first command button <Save Information> is
used to save the information keyed into the Data Entry
window. The second command button <Cancel> is used to close
the Data Entry window without saving information.
The command button, that is highlighted in reverse video, is
executed if the Enter key is pressed. The Tab key is used
to toggle the buttons. If a command button is activated
with a mouse by pointing to the button and clicking the left
mouse button, that action will be executed regardless of the
command button that is highlighted.
USING HELP:
There are two ways to get help:
1. Context-sensitive help is always available simply by
pressing the F1 key. The help text displayed will
pertain to the current window that is open on the
screen.
2. Activate the Help pull-down menu by pressing the Alt+H
key combination, then select a help subject from the
menu.
6
If the help text does not all fit in the Help window, you can
scroll new text into the window using the keyboard or a mouse.
To close the Help window, press the Enter key or Escape key, or
use a mouse to point to the <Exit Help> command button at the
bottom of the Help window, and click the left mouse button.
COMS PRIMARY WINDOWS:
The typical customer order includes four types of information:
1. Information about the customer:
- Name
- Address
- Phone Number
- Customer Contact (person)
2. Information about the order for the customer:
- Order Number
- Order Revision Number
- Order Date
- Method or mode of shipment (air, truck, etc.)
- Freight Responsibility (FOB origin, destination, etc)
- Payment Terms (Net 30, 2/10/N30, etc.)
3. Information about line item(s) for the order:
- Line Item Numbers
- Description of the Item being purchased
- Customer's Part Number
- Unit Price
- Quantity Ordered
- Total Item Amount
4. Information about delivery schedule for the line item(s):
- Delivery schedule date
- Delivery schedule quantity
The four primary windows used by COMS to display and work with
these four types of information are:
- The Customer window.
- The Customer Order window.
- The Order Line Item window.
- The Delivery Detail window.
CUSTOMER WINDOW:
The Customer window is the first window to appear when COMS is
started. It lists the customers on file and summary totals for
7
ordered, invoiced, and backlog amounts. These amounts reflect
the totals for all orders for the customer.
When the Customer window is open you can:
- Use the File pull-down menu to add, edit, or delete
customer information in the window.
- Activate the <Work With Orders For Customer> command
button to open the Customer Order window for the
customer that the Selector Bar is on.
- Activate the <Quit> command button to exit the program.
ADDING A CUSTOMER RECORD:
To add a customer, select the Add Record command from the File
pull-down menu when the Customer window is displayed.
The Input Customer Data Entry window is used to record
information for a new customer. Fill in the information in the
window as follows:
NAME: Enter the customer's name.
STREET: Enter the customer's street address (optional).
CITY: Enter the city (optional).
STATE: Enter the state (optional).
ZIP CODE: Enter the zip code (optional).
PHONE: Enter the phone number for the customer
(optional).
CONTACT: Enter the name of the customer's contact person.
The individual's title could also be entered
(optional).
SALES PERSON:
Enter the name for sales person responsible for
the customer (optional).
DATE: Enter today's date.
COMMENTS: Enter any comments for the customer (optional).
To save the information, activate the <Save Information> command
button.
To close the Data Entry window without saving the information,
8
activate the <Cancel> command button or press the Escape key.
CUSTOMER ORDER WINDOW:
The Customer Order window lists the orders for the selected
customer and summary totals for ordered, invoiced, and backlog
amounts. These amounts reflect the totals for all line items for
the customer order.
When the Customer Order window is open, you can:
- Use the File pull-down menu to add, edit, or delete
customer order information in the window.
- Activate the <Work With Line Items For Order> command
button to open the Order Line Item window for the Order
that the Selector Bar is on.
- Activate the <Return To Customer Window> command button
to close the Customer Order window.
ADDING A CUSTOMER ORDER:
To add a customer order, select the Add Record command from the
File pull-down menu when the Customer Order window is displayed.
The Input Order Data Entry window is used to record information
for a new order or order revision for the selected customer.
Fill in the information in the window as follows:
ORDER NUMBER: Enter the customer's purchase order number.
REVISION NUMBER:
Enter the purchase order revision number.
ORDER DATE: Enter the date for the order or revision.
SHIP VIA: Enter the mode of transportation (optional).
FOB POINT: Enter the free on board point for freight
charges (optional).
TERMS: Enter the payment terms (optional).
To save the information, activate the <Save Information> command
button.
To close the Data Entry window without saving the information,
activate the <Cancel> command button or press the Escape key.
ORDER LINE ITEM WINDOW:
9
The Order Line Item window lists the order line items for the
selected customer and customer order with the item amount and a
summary of the invoices and backlog for each line item.
When the Order Line Item window is open, you can:
- Use the File pull-down menu to add, edit, or delete
order line item information in the window.
- Activate the <Work With Deliveries For Item> command
button to open the Delivery Detail window for the Line
Item that the Selector Bar is on.
- Activate the <Return To Order Window> command button to
close the Order Line Item window.
ADDING AN ORDER LINE ITEM:
To add an order line item, select the Add Record command from the
File pull-down menu when the Order Line Item window is displayed.
The Input Line Item Data Entry window is used to record
information for a new line item for the selected order. Fill in
the information in the window as follows:
ORDER LINE ITEM NO: Enter the number for the line item.
ITEM DESCRIPTION: Enter the description for the item.
CUSTOMER PART NO: Enter the customer's part number
(optional).
OUR PART NUMBER: Enter your part number (optional).
OUR JOB NUMBER: Enter your job number (optional).
UNIT PRICE: Enter the unit price for the item.
QUANTITY ORDERED: Enter the quantity ordered for the item.
ITEM AMOUNT: Enter the order amount for the item.
To save the information, activate the <Save Information> command
button.
To close the Data Entry window without saving the information,
activate the <Cancel> command button or press the Escape key.
DELIVERY DETAIL WINDOW:
The Delivery Detail window lists the scheduled and actual
delivery detail information for an order line item by delivery
10
date with a running schedule balance for each delivery. The
schedule balance for each date is calculated by subtracting the
cumulative shipment quantity from the cumulative schedule
quantity. A positive schedule balance for a particular date
indicates that scheduled deliveries are, or will be, delinquent
as of that date. Conversely, a negative schedule balance
indicates that deliveries are ahead of schedule.
When the Delivery Detail window is open, you can:
- Use the File pull-down menu to add, edit, or delete
actual shipment or scheduled delivery information in
the window.
- Activate the <Return To Line Item Window> command
button to close the Delivery Detail window.
ADDING DELIVERY INFORMATION:
To add delivery information for an order line item, select the
Add Record command from the File pull-down menu when the Delivery
Detail window is displayed.
The Input Delivery Data Entry window is used to record delivery
information for the selected order line item. The same data
entry window is used for recording delivery schedules and actual
shipments. To enter a delivery schedule line, fill in only the
date field and the scheduled quantity field. To enter actual
shipping information, leave the scheduled quantity field blank.
If you have a scheduled delivery and an actual shipment on the
same date, they can both be entered on the same form if you
desire. Fill in the information in the window as follows:
DELIVERY DATE: Enter the date of the delivery.
ACTUAL DELIVERY QUANTITY:
Enter the actual quantity delivered.
SHIPPING DOCUMENT NUMBER:
Enter the shipping memo number
(optional).
INVOICE NUMBER: Enter the invoice number (optional).
INVOICE AMOUNT: Enter the invoice amount for the
shipment (optional).
SCHEDULED DELIVERY QUANTITY:
Enter the quantity scheduled for the
date.
To save the information, activate the <Save Information> command
11
button.
To close the Data Entry window without saving the information,
activate the <Cancel> command button or press the Escape key.
EDITING INFORMATION IN A WINDOW:
To edit information in a window:
1. Position the Selector Bar to the information to be
edited;
2. Select the Edit Record command from the File pull-down
menu;
The selected information will be retrieved from disk
and displayed in the appropriate Data Entry window;
3. Key in the changes in the Data Entry window;
4. Activate the <Save Information> command button.
DELETING INFORMATION IN A WINDOW:
To delete information in a window:
1. Position the Selector Bar to the information to be
deleted;
2. Select the Delete Record command from the File pull-
down menu;
A dialog box will appear for you to confirm the
deletion.
3. Activate the <Delete> command button in the dialog box.
BE SURE TO READ THE MESSAGE IN THE DIALOG BOX CAREFULLY
TO AVOID DELETING NEEDED INFORMATION.
CHANGING DATA DRIVE AND DIRECTORY:
You can change the disk drive and directory COMS uses to store
information. By default, COMS uses the drive and directory that
is current when the program is started.
This feature allows you to have multiple databases on the same
disk, but in different directories. This is useful if wish to
maintain a separate database for one or more customers. For
example, if your company has multiple locations, you could have a
separate database for each location. Also, you can have the
database on a different drive or directory from the COMS program.
12
To change the drive or directory, select the Set Data Path
command from the File pull-down menu.
The Change Data Path Data Entry window is used to enter the drive
and directory where your COMS database file is located. Type in
the information in the window as follows:
DRIVE: Enter the drive letter for the drive. On most MS-
DOS and PC-DOS systems, the letter "A" represents
the first floppy disk drive and the letter "C"
represents the first hard disk drive.
PATH: Enter the name for the disk directory where the
database file will be located. The name can be
the name for any directory or subdirectory name
that has been created on the specified disk drive.
Precede the directory and subdirectory name with a
backslash (\) character.
NOTE - The directory name entered must already
exist on the disk drive or an error message will
be displayed.
To log the new drive and path, activate the <Continue> command
button.
To close the Data Entry window without changing the drive and
path, activate the <Cancel> command button.
VIEWING INFORMATION:
The View pull-down menu is used to display summary information
about customers, orders, and order line items and to display
information about the computer's memory and disk space usage.
The View Customer, View Order, and View Line Item commands are
context-sensitive to the current window that is open on the
screen. These commands are deactivated until the window to which
they relate is displayed. An order cannot be viewed until the
Order window is displayed. A line item cannot be viewed until
the Line Item window is displayed.
To view information:
1. Activate the View pull-down menu;
2. Select a View command from the menu.
When a command is selected, a View window will open
over the existing window showing the information.
13
VIEW CUSTOMER COMMAND:
Displays information for a customer and summary totals of
ordered, invoiced, and backlog amounts for all orders for the
customer. If the Customer window is displayed when this command
is activated, the subject customer is the customer the Selector
Bar is on.
VIEW ORDER COMMAND:
Displays information for a customer order and summary totals of
ordered, invoiced, and backlog amounts for all line items for the
order. If the Customer Order window is open when this command is
activated, the subject order is the order the Selector Bar is on.
VIEW LINE ITEM COMMAND:
Displays information for a line item and summary totals of
ordered, invoiced, backlog, scheduled, unscheduled, and schedule
balance quantities and amounts for the line item. If the Line
Item window is open when this command is activated, the subject
line item is the line item the Selector Bar is on.
VIEW SUMMARY COMMAND:
Displays a summary of the records on file by type and summary
totals of ordered, invoiced, and backlog amounts for all
customers.
VIEW ALL ORDER LINE ITEMS COMMAND: Displays a list of all order
line items.
VIEW PART - ORDER CROSS REFERENCE COMMAND: Displays a part
number to order number cross reference.
VIEW JOB - ORDER CROSS REFERENCE COMMAND: Displays a job number
to order number cross reference.
VIEW SYSTEM INFORMATION COMMAND: Displays information about the
system software, hardware, and memory and disk space usage.
PRINTING INFORMATION:
The Print pull-down menu is used to print information about
customers, orders, line items, parts, and jobs.
To print information:
1. Activate the Print pull-down menu;
2. Select a Print command from the menu.
14
PRINT ORDER STATUS DELIVERY SUMMARY COMMAND:
Prints a summary report for each customer order line item showing
ordered, shipped, backlog, scheduled, and schedule balance
quantities and amounts.
When this command is activated, a dialog box appears over the
existing window for selecting the scope of the print activity.
The print options are:
1. All orders for all customers;
2. All orders for: <CUSTOMER>;
3. Order: <ORDER>;
4. Line item: <LINE ITEM>.
The dialog box print options are context-sensitive to the window
displayed when the Print command is activated as described below:
If the Customer window is displayed, the first two print
options are available, and the customer name that the
Selector Bar is on will appear in option two.
If the Customer Order window is displayed, the first three
options are available, and the order that the Selector Bar
is on will appear in option three.
If the Line Item window is displayed, all four options are
available, and the line item that the Selector Bar is on
will appear in option four.
Use the Up or Down arrow key to select the appropriate option,
and activate the <Print> command button in the dialog box, or
activate the <Cancel> command button to cancel the Print command.
PRINT ORDER STATUS DELIVERY DETAIL COMMAND:
Prints a detail report by date for each customer order line item
showing ordered, shipped, backlog, scheduled, and schedule
balance quantities and amounts.
When this command is activated, a dialog box is opened over the
existing window for selecting the scope of the print activity.
See PRINT ORDER STATUS DELIVERY SUMMARY COMMAND above for
information on how to use the dialog box.
After the print option is selected, a data entry form appears for
entering the date range for the report. Fill in the beginning
and ending dates on the form, and activate the <Continue> command
button, or activate the <Cancel> command button to cancel the
15
Print command.
The dates that are entered determine the scope of the delivery
detail that appears on the report as described below:
Delivery information on file dated before the Starting date is
summarized and printed on the first line with a line title of
"Past".
Delivery information on file dated after the Ending date is
summarized and printed on the final line with a line title of
"Future".
Delivery information on file dated within the Starting and Ending
dates is printed in detail by date.
If a Starting date is entered that is before or equal to the
first delivery date on file, the "Past" line will not appear on
the report.
If an Ending date is entered that is after or equal to the last
delivery date on file, the "Future" line will not appear on the
report.
PRINT ALL ORDER LINE ITEMS COMMAND: Prints a list of all order
line items.
PRINT PART - CROSS REFERENCE COMMAND: Prints a part number to
order number cross reference.
PRINT JOB - ORDER CROSS REFERENCE COMMAND: Prints a job number
to order number cross reference.
PRINT SHIPMENT FORECAST COMMAND:
Prints a shipment forecast by customer based on scheduled
delivery information for all scheduled order line items. The
report shows past due, current period, and total quantities, unit
price, and forecast amount for each order line item with customer
totals.
When this command is activated, a dialog box is opened over the
existing window for selecting the scope of the print activity.
See PRINT ORDER STATUS DELIVERY SUMMARY COMMAND above for
information on how to use the dialog box.
After the print option is selected, a data entry form is
displayed for entering the date range for the report. Fill in
the beginning and ending dates on the form, and activate the
<Continue> command button, or activate the <Cancel> command
button to cancel the Print command.
16
The dates entered determine the scope of the delivery detail that
appears on the report as described below:
Delivery information on file dated before the Starting date is
summarized and printed in the "Past Due Quantity" column.
Delivery information on file dated within the Starting and Ending
dates is summarized and printed in "Current Period Quantity"
column.
USING THE POP-UP CALCULATOR:
The calculator operates like a standard desk-top calculator. It
can be activated from anywhere within the program by selecting
Calculator from the Top Row menu or by pressing the F2 shortcut
key. Use the keys on the numeric keypad or the number keys
across the top of the keyboard to enter numbers or operators.
Always enter the number first, then the operation. The key
operations are described below:
Operation Press
--------- -----
Addition +
Subtraction -
Multiplication *
Division /
Total Enter
Equal =
Clear C
To clear the calculator from the screen, press the Escape key, or
click the mouse outside the calculator window.
USING THE POP-UP CALENDAR:
The calendar can be activated from anywhere within the program by
selecting the Calendar command from the Top Row menu or by
pressing the F3 shortcut key.
Initially, the calendar will show the current month and year with
the day of the month highlighted.
Use the keyboard arrow keys to operate the calendar as follows:
Key Displays
---- -----------
UP Prior Month
DOWN Next Month
LEFT Prior Year
RIGHT Next Year
The calendar can also be operated with a mouse by clicking the
17
mouse on the scroll bars within the Calendar window.
To clear the calendar from the screen, press the Escape key, or
click the mouse on the <Exit Calendar> command button or outside
the Calendar window.
EXITING THE PROGRAM:
There are two ways to exit the program:
1. Activate the Quit pull-down menu, and execute the Exit
Program command.
2. Activate the <Exit> command button in the Customer
window.
You should avoid turning-off your computer or re-booting while
the COMS program is running. This could damage your database.
It is IMPORTANT that you frequently copy your database file to a
back-up diskette. If your database should ever become damaged,
you will have a back-up copy. The database file name is
"COMS.MDB". Use the DOS Copy command to copy the file. Refer to
your DOS documentation if you need help with this.
IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM:
The COMS software uses dialog boxes to notify you if it is having
a problem carrying out a command or action. Ordinarily, this
will only occur if a hardware error is detected such as:
- Disk not ready when you attempt to save or retrieve
information.
- Printer not ready when you attempt to print a report.
Should COMS displays the message "Too Many Files-Error Code 67",
this normally means the FILES and/or the BUFFERS parameter(s) in
your CONFIG.SYS file are set too low. To correct this error, try
changing the parameters to FILES = 30, BUFFERS = 20, and re-boot
the system. Consult your DOS documentation if you are not
familiar with the CONFIG.SYS file.
If your database becomes corrupted, COMS will display the error
message "Database Inconsistent". This could occur in the event
of a power failure, or if your computer is turned off or re-
booted when COMS was still running. To correct this error, try
running the repair utility, ISAMREPR.EXE, provided. Read the
file "ISAMREPR.DOC" for instructions for using the utility.
If you experience an error that you are unable to resolve, please
make a note of the error message and procedure being performed
18
when the error occurred, and contact us.
19
