Your Choice 3/Your Choice Software Collection 3.iso/os2/etelr21/e-teller.inf

OS/2 Help File | 1994-09-18 | 120KB | 2,667 lines

ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Introduction ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

E-Teller is a bank and credit card account management utility which offers,
among other features, the ability to print cheques using user-designed layouts,
password protection, and an internal calendar.

E-Teller is not free.  Please see the Registration topic for information on
registering E-Teller.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. IMPORTANT NOTICE ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This is likely to be the last VX-Rexx version of E-Teller (providing I can
convert the program to C++ as I would like to do).

Exceptions are:  my inability to convert E-Teller or bug fixes.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. What's New ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1. Version 2.1 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

New Features:

 1. E-Teller now sports a calendar, accessible by clicking on the Display |
    Calendar menu item.

 2. User can now set the next cheque number manually by clicking on the Options
    | Next cheque... menu item.

 3. It is now possible to create a multi-category transaction without first
    having entered a credit or debit amount.  The total of all multiple
    categories can be used as the credit or debit. (see the Multiple category
    topic).

 4. E-Teller is now able to print cheques (never having printed cheques myself
    and never having used printable cheques, this version of the Cheque Printer
    may fall short of desired expectations, but it's not the final word).

 5. Users can now get a balance of all accounts -- total of all bank account
    balances minus total of all outstanding ccard expenditures -- by  selecting
    the Global balance... item from the account window's 'Utilities' menu.

 6. User is no longer restricted to the yy/mm/dd date format.  He/she can
    select one of three choices from the 'Options | Date Format  | <format>'
    menu in the ledger window:  1) European (dd/mm/yy); 2) Ordered (yy/mm/dd);
    3) US (mm/dd/yy).

    Note:  I haven't changed any of the sorting code, since it seemed to work
    well the way it was in all 3 formats.  If your experience is different, let
    me know.  The program defaults to the  Ordered format.

 7. User can now enter new transactions directly in the ledger (by pressing
    Ctrl+N to initiate the process and <Tab> or <BackTab> to manoeuvre between
    fields).  (see the Create new... and Append new topics).

 8. Ledger windows now show the account's icon above the system menu.

 9. Added a 'Font...' item to the account window's 'View' menu, which invokes a
    standard font dialog.

10. Added a 'Font...' item to the ledger window's 'Display' menu, which invokes
    a standard font dialog.

    Note:  there seems to be a problem with VX-Rexx 2.1. Sometimes, it
    mistakenly identifies the account container's font before destroying the
    window, in which case the selected font type/size is not restored at next
    invocation. To remedy this situation, the account container's font is saved
    whenever a font selection is made rather than before the window closes,
    and, as a result, the value is saved to its own key in the INI file, unlike
    previously, which means that the current 2.0 font selection will not be
    recognized.

11. E-Teller comes with its own calculator (in case the next version of OS/2
    omits the calculator applet).

12. Limited password protection for individual accounts.

13. It is now possible to drag transactions from one ledger to another.

14. E-Teller now traps such things as syntax errors and the like by displaying
    some relevant information in a dialog box.  If you get one of these, I
    would appreciate hearing about it, particularly the information contained
    in the dialog.

15. The button-bar icons have either changed or been made more visually
    appealing -- I think I've finally tapped into my artistic abilities. :)

16. A new Express report has been added to the Ledger menu which sends the
    contents of the current ledger to the printer (except for the memo,
    category, and multiple category columns).

Fixes:

 1. User-defined account icons were not being displayed.  (reported by Glenn
    Davies)

 2. ET_Month.exe was not regenerating the et_fix.dat file properly.

 3. Recalculation would terminate when attempting to format a one-digit number
    in accordance with international currency settings.  (reported Gordon
    McFee)

 4. Returning from a cleared transaction display would not format the balance
    correctly. (reported Gordon McFee)

 5. Cursor would not return to bottom of MLE when editing multiple categories
    directly in the Multi-Category Transaction dialog box (reported Timur Tabi)

 6. The mini icon size menu item was not being checked during initialization if
    this option was selected.

 7. When pausing a reconciliation and changing the credit/debit value, the
    balance would not be updated.  (reported by Timur Tabi)

Changes:

 1. Fixed Transactions are now created by selecting an existing ledger
    transaction.

 2. Much of the initialization code for the main accounts window and the ledger
    window has been moved into separate threads.  As a result, loading is a
    little snappier.

 3. Moved the 'Options' item from the Transaction menu to the menu bar.

 4. 'Ctrl+F4' accelerator in the accounts window to close opened ledgers has
    been changed to F3 in accordance with the similar accelerator in the ledger
    window.

 5. Removed the 'Highlight' item from the 'Options' menu in the ledger window
    -- no longer relevant.

 6. Removed the 'Auto dropdown' item from the 'Options' menu in the ledger
    window -- not longer relevant.

 7. Removed the 'Enter key tabs' item from the 'Options' menu in the ledger
    window -- VX-Rexx accepts only the <Tab> and <BackTab> keys.

 8. Icons in ledger window have been made smaller.

 9. The way in which a font is selected for the ledger (see above).

10. The calculator menu (clicking on it invokes the calculator from the ini
    file; clicking on the 'Select...' invokes a file dialog box.)

11. Account items in the particulars list are no longer preceded by an
    asterisk; rather they are enclosed within square brackets.

12. Auto-sorting has been re-enabled so appended transactions are automatically
    repositioned if the 'Sort' menu item is checked.

    Note:  European format doesn't seem to want to sort for some reason,
    although both Ordered and U.S. do.

13. Increased the numbers limit from 5 to 10 (I received mail about one Eastern
    country having cheque numbers as high as 8, and soon to be 9).

14. The behaviour of the 'piggy-bank' button has changed -- click once to
    create a new transaction (equivalent to Create new in the Transactions
    menu); click a second time to confirm the addition or emendation.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.2. Version 2.0a ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Fixes:

 1. Two bugs in installation routine:  1) one of the macro files was not copied
    into the macros\ directory; 2) an error would occur when the final message
    about international currency support was to be inserted into the MLE.
    (reported by Timur Tabi)
 2. Bug in the rebaccts.vrm macro-a new installation would go into an endless
    loop.
 3. Bug when creating a new account.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.3. Version 2.0 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

New features:

 1. Resource icons contained in the new et_dll.dll file rather than being bound
    to the .exe.  ET_dll.dll also contains some functions; and so it's as
    necessary as vrobj.dll.
 2. E-Teller, the Report, and Budget utilities can now use their own
    user-defined directories-each has a Directories... menu item to allow this.
 3. User can now change the column order of reports.
 4. Reports now contain a clear/uncleared column.
 5. Reconciliation pause toggle button for adding/editing transactions while
    reconciling.
 6. It is now possible to have E-Teller display cleared transactions
    automatically for individual accounts by closing it while the cleared
    transactions are displayed.
 7. International currency support for E-Teller and its utilities.  In other
    words, users are no longer restricted to the North American $1,000.00
    format.  E-Teller now uses the values in the OS2.INI file to determine
    currency symbol/location, thousand/decimal separator, etc.  So, DM
    1.000,30; 1,000.00 $; $1 000.300 are all perfectly acceptable, as long as
    you've told OS/2 to treat currency numbers this way (in the System folder).
    The program defaults to $1,000.00
 8. Cancel button in the ledger save prompt.
 9. It is now possible to delete cleared transactions from within E-Teller.
10. If the date field is visible, but no date is entered when appending a
    transaction, E-Teller asks user if he/she would like to use the default
    system date rather than generate an error prompt.
11. Accounts window now keeps track of improperly closed ledgers, i.e. the
    cross-hatch is removed if the ledger's thread can't be found.
12. Some commonly/infrequently used routines moved to external VX-Rexx macros
    (in the \macros subdirectory).
13. New parameter switch for debugging those mysterious abrupt closures of
    ledgers-add the con switch to the parameter line and the VX-Rexx console
    will be active.
14. A small little utility called VX-Rexx Sleep that is intended to do nothing
    major except to preload vrobj.dll, which significantly decreases E-Teller's
    loading time.  When the VX-Rexx Sleep window is active, the system date and
    time is displayed, and the time is updated every minute.  When the window
    is minimized and another window is activated, VX-Rexx Sleep does what its
    name suggests.  Right-click on the window for options.

Fixes:

 1. Clicking on the QIF converter item in the Utilities menu would generate a
    file-not-found error, even though the file was in the working directory.
    (reported by Timur Tabi)
 2. Invoking the 'Category' window from within the Search dialog box before the
    contents of the 'Category' drop-down combobox could be filled resulted in
    an empty list box in the former.
 3. Adding a new transaction would call on the budget update routine twice.
 4. Some transaction values were set to NULL before creating a fixed
    transaction.
 5. Bug in E-Teller Report when a tabulation was attempted on a non-numeric
    value (my type, not an accout error).  (reported by Timur Tabi)
 6. Bug in E-Teller Report if the user clicked 'Cancel' in the report-file
    exists prompt.
 7. Bug in Sort menu item-clicking would have no effect where sorting was
    concered.  (reported by Carl Graham)
 8. Arithmetic error when reading cleared transactions. (reported by Kevin
    Quinn)
 9. Bug when adding a fixed transaction from an editing session-some of the
    values were not being written to file.
10. Calculator was not getting the focus after invocation. (reported by Timur
    Tabi)
11. Double-clicking on a monthly budget item could halt the budget utility.
12. Date, Number, Particulars, Credit, and Debit entry fields are disabled if
    the associated ledger fields are hidden since these are useless if the
    ledger field is not visible.  (reported by Timur Tabi)
13. Menu items and push/toggle buttons were not enabled after adding the first
    record to an account.

Changes:

 1. Minimize button in ledger to a Hide button.  For some inexplicable reason,
    minimizing and then restoring the window would hide transaction records.
    Hiding and then restoring the window eliminates this problem.  (reported by
    Timur Tabi)
 2. Abort transaction accelerator to ESC from Ctrl+Backspace.
 3. Moved pushbuttons from some windows to a menu (produces a less cluttered
    appearance).
 4. Removed the warning message when editing cleared transactions.
 5. Fixed Monthly checkbox in the Transaction Options dialog box is disabled if
    the date field is empty.
 6. Transaction Options dialog box is now modal to prevent user from clicking
    on one of the ledger buttons or menu items.
 7. A transaction date is no longer required.
 8. Double-clicking on a hatched ledger icon no longer prompts user to refresh
    contents.  Instead, it restores the window if minimized and sets the focus
    to the ledger container.
 9. Removed 'Close all' item from the Accounts menu since it is redundant.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4. Version 1.9 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

New features:

 1. Budget utility for building weekly, monthly, and yearly budgets.
 2. Q2ET now builds a category.dat category list based upon the categories
    found during the conversion of a QIF file.
 3. Added a Refresh now item to the popup menu for the Number, Particulars, and
    Category comboxes to refresh the contents of the respective lists after
    manually editing or adding to the file.
 4. User-select descriptive text highlighting for the various transaction
    fields.
 5. Pressing <Enter> in the Number, Particulars, or Category field expands the
    entered prefix string to the first entry matching that prefix.
 6. User can now turn automatic combo box drop down on and off by clicking on
    the new Auto dropdown item in the Transactions | Options menu.
 7. Pressing <Tab> from the Categories field now signals the routine for
    appending a new transaction.
 8. Small error-checking routine for direct edits, in case a non-numeric value
    is entered in either the credit or debit column.

Fixes:

 1. Hint text for the piggy-bank button wrongly stated that the calculator
    would be loaded.  (Reported by David Weston)
 2. Display | Memos, Categories, and Multiple categories items were not
    initially checked as they should have been.  (Reported by Timur Tabi)
 3. Accounts | View item checkmarks were not being properly set (actually, my
    ignorance and not a bug).  (Reported by Timur Tabi)
 4. Cheque numbers weren't being properly incremented. (Reported by Carl
    Graham)
 5. Ledger container was being repainted for every new balance when
    recalculating from the current transaction as opposed to the entire ledger.
 6. A bug in E-Teller Report would cause it to crash if it didn't find any
    accounts at startup.

Changes:

 1. Put the system menu back for ledger windows.
 2. Assigned 1.8's Alt+F4 for closing all ledgers and E-Teller to Alt+F3 (a
    result of the above change).
 3. Number, Category fields (and their associated listboxes), and Particulars
    field (and its associated container) have been replaced by comboxes.
 4. Field highlighting removed (see above).
 5. Memo and Category fields are now on a separate line (allows greater room
    for displaying information).
 6. Ctrl+Ins for appending new or confirming edited transactions changed to
    Ctrl+Enter.
 7. Changed Print... item in the account window's Utility menu to Report....
 8. Changed the Ctrl+P accelerator for the Report... menu item in the account
    window's Utility menu to Ctrl+R.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.5. Version 1.8 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

New features:

 1. Improved report feature (easier to use with a more versatile search/report
    option).
 2. E-Teller Report now treats multiple-category transactions as individual
    transactions.
 3. Complex searches in E-Teller with and/or operators.
 4. A Close (F3) menu item in the ledger Ledger menu to close the current
    ledger only.
 5. An Exit (Alt-F4) menu item in the ledger Ledger menu to close all accounts
    and exit E-Teller.
 6. Added the ability to change the order of the ledger columns (or fields) on
    a per ledger basis.
 7. Added the ability to hide the various fields on a per ledger basis.
 8. Removed the credit/debit window.  Transactions are added directly from the
    ledger window in transaction fields.
 9. Right-clicking on the Number, Particulars, and Category entry fields now
    brings up a menu for editing/adding or deleting items.  The former invokes
    e.exe.
10. Added memo field to multiple-transaction window.
11. Added a View item to the Accounts menu to select either Icon, Name, or Text
    view, in addition to Mini or Regular icon size.
12. Q2ET now preserves split transaction memos which E-Teller can use.
13. New categories added to the multiple-category combobox are now saved as
    they are for regular transactions.
14. Tax related checkbox in the multiple-category dialog box.
15. Ability to edit multiple categories directly.
16. Multiple categories are no longer restricted to the string <Multi> as the
    parent category.

Fixes:

 1. Intermittent problem in opening ledgers - stream would return NOTREADY.
 2. A few inconsequential and not-so-inconsequential typos.
 3. A few major and minor bugs in Q2ET.

Changes:

 1. Category, multi-category, and memo fields can now be made visible or
    invisible on a per ledger basis.
 2. Removed the system menu from the ledger window.
 3. Fixed transactions are now edited in two separate multi-line entry fields
    in one notebook.  On-line help is available for syntax, etc.
 4. It is now possible to select multiple transactions for deletion.
 5. Refresh item in the Accounts menu changed to Refresh now.
 6. Incorporated the Credit/Debit menu items and pushbuttons into one.

    Note:  Both the menu item and pushbutton serve a different purpose in
    version 1.8 - they add a transaction rather than invoke a window.
 7. Editing a transaction (either through double-clicking or direct
    manipulation) now recalculates from that transaction rather than the entire
    ledger


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.6. Version 1.7a ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

New features:

 1. Context-sensitive on-line help for virtually every aspect of E-Teller in a
    genuine OS/2 HLP file.
 2. Added the missing <Multi> entry in the Category selection listbox in
    E-Teller Report.

Fixes:

 1. A bug in the installation/conversion utility.

Changes:

 1. The No. field name in the credit/debit window to Number.
 2. Reenabled the field check following a direct edit (Alt+left-click) so that
    editing the credit or debit field automatically invokes the recalculation
    (was disabled due to a bug in VROBJ.DLL 2.0a)


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.7. Version 1.7 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

New features:

 1. User-defined account icons (E-Teller no longer defaults to bank.ico and
    ccard.ico)
 2. Multiple categories for a single transaction and a corresponding SEND
    parameter in E-Teller Report.
 3. Installation utility (required, since file format has changed to
    accommodate multi-category).
 4. E-Teller Report automatically selects a script called default.fmt.
 5. Save last date option in Transactions | Options (either use the current
    system date for first transaction entered in a new session, or the last,
    latest date of a transaction during a previous session).
 6. ET_Month is now able to resolve five instances of a given weekday within a
    month thereby eliminating a second spurious weekday transaction with
    monthly frequency.

Fixes:

 1. Bug for tax-related transactions whereby <tax> would be added a second time
    if the transaction appeared in info.dat and was used again.
 2. Ledger windows were not being properly cascaded when opened.
 3. When closing the main window and a ledger required saving, E-Teller would
    close it anyway without waiting for the user's response.
 4. When editing a fixed transaction with a single-digit date, that date would
    not be properly displayed in Begin on:.
 5. Ledger container would not repaint when undeleting transactions.
 6. A miscalculation when displaying cleared transactions.

Changes:

 1. Sort item in the Transactions menu is no longer saved to e-teller.ini (it
    was causing unpredictable results when recalculating).  Instead, click Sort
    and the records are sorted, after which you are asked if you want to save
    the sort order to file, which is the order in which E-Teller will read the
    transactions in the future.
 2. Fixed transaction checkbox disabled until amount is entered.
 3. Menu structure in E-Teller Report to reflect more accurately the items
    contained in each.
 4. Q2ET is now more reliable and automated.
 5. Q2ET now calls upon epm.exe rather than e.exe for error correction (easier
    to locate line numbers).
 6. Q2ET now preserves split category data when converting Quicken (c) QIF
    files.

Important notice: Registration fee and payment schedule has changed as of
version 1.7. Additional payments for subsequent major releases is no longer
required.  Instead, the initial registration fee has been raised to $25 US ($30
CDN) and represents a one-time payment which covers all subsequent releases for
both current and future registered users.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.8. Version 1.6 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

New features:

 1. Moved ledger to separate window so that multiple accounts may be opened
    simultaneously.
 2. Added checking routine to ET_Month to ensure that et_fixed.dat isn't
    processed more than once at the start of a new calendar month (in case the
    system is booted twice on the first).
 3. Added a routine to ET_Month to ensure that et_fix.dat is generated for each
    new month, in case the user doesn't boot OS/2 (c) on the first of the
    month.
 4. Added accelerators for the Reconcile and Delete menu items in the ledger
    window.
 5. Added user-defined digits support (see Command line parameters).
 6. INF-like help (crude, but effective) with semi-context-sensitive help.
 7. Fields in the credit/debit window now change their background colour
    whenever a field has the focus.
 8. User-defined behaviour for the <Enter> key in the credit / debit window
    (either selects OK or tabs to next field).
 9. Added an Income tax category checkbox in the credit / debit window.
10. E-Teller Report can now create reports of income-tax related transactions
    only.

Fixes:

 1. Potential bug in selecting balance adjustment in reconciliation if there is
    only one transaction in the ledger.
 2. Typo in reconciliation dialogbox.
 3. The reconciliation toggle button would not return to its depressed state
    when selecting Cancel from the discrepancy dialog box.
 4. The fixed day-of-week transactions may have been inadvertently removed from
    et_fixed.dat when adding a fixed date-of-month transaction.
 5. A potential et_month problem in updating cheque numbers on transactions
    which occur more than once a month.

Changes:

 1. Rewrote comma code to support unlimited commas.
 2. Integrated progress bar into the ledger window (separate window was too
    obtrusive)
 3. Cleared toggle button is depressed if user chooses not to save after
    reconciliation.
 4. Removed the back/forecolor window.  Neat, but took up too much valuable
    code real estate to warrant its existance.  User can still set the
    background colour only of the ledger and accounts containers only.
 5. Removed the set ledger font window, but it is still possible to set the
    font of the ledger container.
 6. Cycling through the date in the credit/debit window now recognizes leap
    years.
 7. Removed the window associated with et_month (messages went by far too
    quickly to be of any real use).
 8. Changed the Entries menu item in the ledger window to Transactions


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.9. Version 1.5 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

New Features:

 1. More intelligent and dependable Quicken (c) file conversion program (now an
    .exe).
 2. Added comma support for amounts (stops at 999,999,999.00 since Rexx begins
    to use exponents after that).
 3. Fixed transactions are now more intelligent and can be set for specific
    weekdays and one of four frequencies - weekly, biweekly, triweekly, and
    monthly.
 4. ET_Month now keeps track of the last cheque (if applicable) and prompts the
    user to enter the next cheque number at the start of each calendar month if
    the Prompt for next cheque number checkbox is checked in the Fixed
    Transaction window
 5. Added progress bar for reading, and saving transactions.
 6. Added a Recalculate. item in the Entries menu to force a recalculation.
 7. Added mnemonics to the accounts and ledger groupboxes for quick switching.
 8. Various *.dat files are now reduced to three:  number.dat, info.dat, and
    category.dat (unchanged).
 9. Editing et_fix.dat and et_fixed.dat is now handled separately.
10. Added an error handling routine in case something goes wrong when reading
    account files.in
11. Dispensed with the transaction count when reading cleared and uncleared
    transactions to speed up the reading/formatting process.
12. The recalculation routine is called when reading uncleared transactions
    rather than having the running balance updated for each record read -
    speeds up the reading/formatting process.

Fixes:

 1. Fixed an erroneous (and harmless) message about an account not having a
    filename associated with it when saving the account after reconciling.
 2. The balance column was not made visible after successfully reconciling the
    account.
 3. If deleted transactions are displayed and user saves account, the undeleted
    transactions are first displayed (to prevent only the deleted transactions
    from being saved).
 4. Fixed an error whereby the string 'day' would be saved for fixed
    transactions rather than the actual date.
 5. Fixed a bug whereby coming back from undeleting would not recalculate the
    balance.
 6. Fixed a mysterious bug in editing fixed transactions.
 7. Think I fixed a mysterious lockup in credit/debit window
 8. Fixed a buglet in the pre-reconcilition routine. (reported by S. John
    Banner)
 9. Fixed a bug whereby bogus pay to.../details data would be saved to the
    number.dat file.
10. Tabbing from the Number combo-box in the credit/debit window now fills in
    all of the various fields with previously saved data.
11. The amount field in the credit/debit window now has the descriptive text
    'Amount' attached to it, so pressing Alt+A moves user directly to that
    field.
12. The balance would not be recalculated when going from a non-sorted to a
    sorted display.
13. Routines have been added to ensure that multiple instances of the same
    window aren't loaded.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Installation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This section explains how to install E-Teller 2.1.

By now, it is assumed that previous users of E-Teller no longer require that
their files be converted to work for versions 1.7 and up, and so no conversion
utility is included in the installation utility.

If you are a new user, simply run the install.cmd file which, in turn, invokes
the _install.exe utility.  The sole reason for install.cmd is to ensure that a
VX-Rexx application is not run with two copies of VROBJ.DLL on the drive
(VX-Rexx may get confused and perform unpredictably).

In all cases, you are requested to enter a target directory.  If you are a
previous user of E-Teller and do not want to install over your existing copy,
select a different directory.  After installing in a new directory, you should
copy your e-teller.ini file to the new location since it holds, among other
things, your registration key (if you've registered), and the location of your
account, report, icon, and budget files.

A manual installation is possible.  You must copy VROBJ.DLL to a location in
your libpath statement; copy all but the *.vrm and *.vrw files to your proposed
directory; and copy the *.vrm and *.vrw files to a directory named macros
beneath the E-Teller directory.

A complete list of all the files which should have been in the directory is
contained in the read.me file.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Accounts Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This section describes the operations specific to the Accounts window and its
various menu items.

Available Accounts menu topics are:

New
Close
Edit...
Delete
Password protect...
Set icon...
New fiscal year...

Available Options menu topics are:

Auto open
Backup on exit
Refresh now
Date format
Directories...
Font...
Icon size
View

Available Utilities menu topics are:

Budget...
Report...
QIF converter...
Global balance...

Additional help is available for:

Opening regular accounts
Opening fixed accounts


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.1. Creating a new account ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Select the New item from the Accounts menu to create a new account.

When creating a new account, you supply a minimum of four pieces of information
from an available six:

o Name
o Number
o Balance
o Date
o Type
o Icon

Name (required)
          is the name which appears in the Accounts window and in the Report
          Accounts notebook page.

Number (optional)
          is an optional account number

Balance (required)
          is used by E-Teller when you first reconcile your account.  Before
          the account is first balanced, your starting Balance is, in fact, the
          Ending Balance.

Date (required)
          is used by E-Teller in searching for transactions and in printing
          reports. Dates must adhere to the yy/mm/dd format which E-Teller uses
          in order to sort transactions.

Type (required) is used by E-Teller to decide upon an appropriate action when
crediting and debiting an account.  There are only two types of accounts:

    1. Bank (bank book icon)
    2. Credit Card (credit card icon)

Icon (optional)is an .ICO file of your choice which will act as a visual
representation in E-Teller's accounts container and as the icon above the
ledger's system menu.  This .ICO file can reside anywhere on your hardrive.
For simplicity's sake, an \Icon directory was created beneath E-Teller's if you
used the installation utility.

There are two ways you can specify an external .ICO file:

    1. clicking on the Find Icon... pushbutton
    2. dragging an .ICO file to the square next to the Icon: label

          Note:  The only limitation is the Fixed Transactions item in the
          accounts container whose icon cannot be set.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.2. Closing account ledgers ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Click the Close menu item to close all of the currently opened ledgers or, by
right-clicking on a specific ledger, only that ledger from the account window.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.3. Refresh now... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Click the Refresh now... menu item to refresh the records in the accounts
window. What this item does is, basically, delete the interpretable macro file
(see below), fetch the account directory from e-teller.ini, and rebuild the
macro file.

A word of explanation is in order.  E-Teller loads the accounts into the
container by interpreting an external file which is located in the macros
directory beneath E-Teller's.  When the program is first started, it looks for
this file.  If it finds it, it interprets each line in order to save time in
filling the container (otherwise, it would have to sniff out the data from each
of the account *.clr files).  If the lstaccts.etm file is not found, E-Teller
builds it.

This is fine if a user doesn't move his/her account files to a different
directory manually, i.e. without going through the Directories... menu item.
If a user does move the accounts manually, then the lstaccts.etm file is not
updated as it should be, although it appears that the accounts have been
successfully located.  Problems begin when an account icon is double-clicked.
E-Teller can't find the *.clr and *.ldg files, so it is unsuccessful in opening
the account.  In other words, if you move the account files manually, specify
the new account directory by clicking on the Directories... item, delete the
lstaccts.etm file, and restart E-Teller.  This way, the program will be forced
to look for the directory in e-teller.ini and to rebuild the interpretable
file.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.4. Date Format ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the Date Format menu item.

This menu item permits you to select one of three date formats from the
accounts window.  These are:

o European (dd/mm/yy)
o Ordered (yy/mm/dd)
o U.S. (mm/dd/yy)

Note:  This menu item is disabled while a ledger is opened to prevent a user
from changing the format without the ledger being notified.  For further
information on the date format feature, please see the ledger Date format
topic.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.5. View ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic describes the various options beneath the View menu item.

This cascaded menu permits you to select one of three container views for the
accounts window.  These are:

Icon
          Selects an icon view for the account container in which the account
          names are located beneath the icon.

Text
          Display the container records without their icons.

Name
          Selects a name view for the account container in which the account
          names are located to the right of the icon.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.6. Edit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Edit menu item.

The Edit item permits a user to edit all but the starting balance of an
account.  For a description of the various fields in the Edit Account window,
see the New topic.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.7. Delete ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Delete menu item.

Select the Delete item to delete an account, which essentially removes the
account's .clr and .ldg files, as well as the account's entry in the
e-teller.ini file.

If you select this item from the pull-down menu, then the first selected
account will be considered the one you want deleted.  Alternatively,
right-click on the account you want to delete and select Delete from the popup
menu.

Note:  In all cases, a dialog box prompts you to confirm that the account is to
be deleted.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.8. Password protect... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains how the password protection feature.

When you click on this item and the account is not password protected, then a
dialog box will be displayed in which you enter the new password for the
account in one field and enter an identical password in the verification field.
If both match, the account will be password protected, and will be opened only
if the valid password is entered.

If the account is already password protected, you can change its password by
clicking on the Password protect... menu item.  In order to change the
password, you must first enter the valid old password.

To clear an existing password, click on the Password protect... item, enter the
valid password when prompted, and leave the Password and Verify fields blank.
E-Teller will then ask you if you wish to clear the password for the current
account.  Once cleared, the account can be opened without the necessity of
entering a password.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.9. Set icon... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Set icon... menu item.

All but the fixed transaction account can display a user-defined .ICO icon
file. This menu item exists in order to permit quick changes to the account's
icon.  Alternatively, you can change the account's icon by selecting the Edit
menu item.

Note:  If no icon has been selected, E-Teller will default to a bank book for
bank accounts and to a credit card for credit card accounts.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.10. New fiscal year... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the purpose of the New fiscal year... menu item.

What essentially occurs when you select this option is that all of the cleared
transactions in the *.clr file are deleted.  If you are absolutely certain that
this is what you want to do, then click on the Proceed button in the
confirmation dialog box.  If you change your mind while in the entry window,
you can click Cancel to abort the operation.  Once you click OK then the
cleared transactions will be removed and the balance in the Balance entry field
will become the new starting balance.

Note:  It is highly recommended that you not change the value of the Balance
entry field, since this represents the ending balance of the last
reconciliation process.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.11. Directories... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the Directories... item common to some of E-Teller's
applications.

When you select this item, a dialog box appears containing four fields:

 1. Accounts
 2. Budgets
 3. Icons
 4. Reports

Depending on the application from which the dialog was invoked, various fields
will be disabled.  For example, invoking from within the accounts window
disables the Budgets and Reports, invoking from within the report application
enables on the Reports field, and from within the budget application enables on
the Budgets field.  This is to prevent the given application from not knowing
that its files have been moved in the event that it is opened at the same time
as the one which has changed the directories.

The only application which requires special attention is E-Teller itself.  When
you move the account files, you are, in essence, invalidating the file name
lines in the et_fix.dat and et_fixed.dat fixed transaction files, which is why
it is important that you edit the file paths in these files.  E-Teller will
automatically invoke the fixed file notebook for you when you've changed the
directories so that you can make the alterations before proceeding on to other
things.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.12. Font... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic describes the purpose of the Font... menu item.

Clicking on this menu item invokes a font dialog box in which you may select a
font type and size for the accounts container only.  To change the font display
for the ledger container, see the Font... topic.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.13. Icon size ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Icon size menu item.

This cascaded menu permits you to select one of two icon size displays:

o mini
o regular


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.14. Auto open ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This section describes the purpose behind the Auto open menu item.

If this item is checked when E-Teller exits, then the last closed account will
be automatically opened the next time E-Teller is started.  In other words, if
you're concerned which ledger gets opened when you have Auto open enabled, then
ensure that you close that ledger window last.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.15. Backup on exit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explain the purpose of the Backup on exit menu item.

If this menu item is checked when E-Teller exits, then you will be prompted to
insert a floppy diskette into a drive and to click on it's corresponding
button, i.e. A: or B:, after which all of the account *.clr and *.ldg files, in
addition to the various *.dat files located in the accounts directory (see
Directories...) will be copied to the diskette for backup purposes. If ever you
need to restore a backup copy of these files, simply copy them from the floppy
diskette to the accounts directory.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.16. Budget... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the purpose of the Budget... menu item.

Clicking on this menu item invokes E-Teller Budget, a utility which permits a
user to defined weekly, monthly, and yearly budgets.  For additional help on
the budget feature, see the Creating a Budget topic.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.17. Report... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic describes the purpose of the Report... menu item.

Clicking this menu item invokes E-Teller Report, a utility designed to create
reports which currently accept only two formats (I'm still waiting for
suggestions on other formats).

For additional help on the report feature, see the Creating Reports topic.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.18. QIF converter... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the purpose behind the QIF converter... menu item.

Clicking on this menu item invokes the Q2ET utility which converts Quicken (c)
QIF files to E-Teller format.  For additional help on the QIF converter
utility, see the Converting Quicken Data topic.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.19. Global balance... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the purpose of the Global balance... menu item.

Clicking on this menu item invokes the global balance feature of E-Teller.
What this feature essentially does is sniff out the balances of all the account
.clr and .ldg files in order to arrive at a net worth.  Simply put, all bank
account balances are added; all outstanding credit card balances are added; the
latter is subtracted from the former, e.g.

     Bank Accounts - CCard accounts = Global Balance


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.20. Opening accounts ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains how to open an account (or ledger).

To open an existing account, double-click on its icon.  If the account is
password protected you will be prompted to enter the account's password.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Ledger Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This section describes the operations specific to the Ledger window and its
various menu items.

Available Ledger menu topics are:

Reconcile
Save
Express report
Fields...
Close
Exit

Available Display menu topics are:

Cleared
Memos
Categories
Multiple categories
Find...
Calculator
Calendar
Item lists
Font...
Save settings

Available Transactions menu topics are:

Create new...
Create fixed...
Append new
Abort new/edit
Multiple category...
Edit...
Delete
Undelete...
Recalculate
Sort
Print cheque(s)...

Available Options menu topics are:

Beep on transaction
Date format
Save particulars
Save memos
Save last date
Next cheque...


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.1. Reconcile ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic describes how to reconcile an account.

Reconciling an account is simply balancing the ledger with a bank or credit
card statement.

To reconcile the account, either click on the  toggle button or select the
Reconcile... menu item.

To end the reconcilation process, click on the toggle button or menu item a
second time.

To reconcile an account, proceed as follows:

 1. click on the toggle button
 2. enter the new balance
 3. enter any interest payments/charges
 4. enter any service charges
 5. click OK
 6. double-click on the ledger entries that are to be cleared
 7. click on the scale button again

If the account has been balanced (based upon the previous month's ending
balance, the current month's new balance, and the cleared debits/credits), then
you will be asked to confirm that you want to save the account to disk.  If you
elect to save, only the uncleared items will be displayed.  If you elect not to
save, then you will be prompted to save the account before leaving E-Teller.

If the account has not been balanced due to a discrepancy in totals, you will
be prompted to select one of four push buttons in the Reconciliation Error
dialog box:

o Yes
o No
o Cancel
o Ignore

Yes       instructs E-Teller to fill in the appropriate transaction entry
          fields where you may make any necessary changes for the balance
          adjustment entry.

No        instructs E-Teller to make no further attempt at reconciliation (in
          other words, your account will remain unbalanced).

Cancel    instructs E-Teller to return to the reconciliation process.

Ignore    instructs E-Teller to fake the balance, i.e. adjust the ending
          balance as though the account had actually been reconcile.

You can pause the reconcilation at any time to add or edit transactions by
clicking on the  toggle button.  To resume reconciling your account, click on
the  button.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.2. Save ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic describes the purpose of the Save menu item.

Clicking on this item saves the contents of the current ledger to the file.
Ordinarily, it is not necessary to save newly created transactions, since these
are save to file as soon as the Append new item is clicked (or Ctrl+Enter is
pressed). There are two exceptions to this rule, however:

 1. Editing a transaction
 2. Deleting a transaction

In both cases, the changes are not immediately written to file.  If, after
making extensive changes to the account, you forget to save those changes,
E-Teller will prompt you before actually closing the ledger.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.3. Express report ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Express report menu item.

When you click this item, the contents of the current ledger are sent to the
printer, with the exception that the memo, category, and mulitple category
columns are not included in order for the ledger to fit comfortably on an 8.5"
x 11" sheet of paper.

Because the length of the Numbers column has been increased from 5 to 10, both
the Date and Numbers items appear on a line by themselves; all subsequent
information is printed on the adjacent line.

The purpose behind the Express report feature is primarily for those situations
in which you want a quick hard copy of the ledger.

Note:  The temporary file is sent to the default printer, so ensure that your
default printer isn't a fax modem or anything of that sort.

Note:  If you wish to omit a column from the report, simply hide it before
clicking on the Express report menu item.  For help on hiding columns, see the
Fields... topic.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.4. Fields... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic describes the purpose of the Fields... menu item.

When you click on this item, a dialog box is invoked in which are listed the
various ledger field names in the order in which they are currently displayed
for the current ledger, in addition to either visible or hidden

To change a field's visible status to hidden, or vice versa, double click on
its name.

To change the field order, press and hold the right mouse button, and drag the
field to a different location within the container.

Once you are satisfied with the settings, click either the Set or Save item in
the Order menu.  Set merely sets the visibility attribute of the ledger fields
for the current session; Save both sets the visibility attribute and saves the
layout to the account's .clr file.  To return to the default field order and
visibility, click on the Default menu item.

Note:  Only the visibility will be immediately displayed.  In order for the new
field order to be displayed, the ledger must first be closed and then reopened.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.5. Close ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic describes the purpose of the Close menu item.

Click this menu item or press the corresponding F3 accelerator to close the
current ledger.  If you wish to exit E-Teller altogether, you may either click
the Exit item or close the account window, which will then ensure that each
ledger thread is notified that a shutdown request has been received.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.6. Exit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Exit menu item.

To exit E-Teller (that is, close all the currently opened ledgers in addition
to the accounts window), either click on this menu item or press the
corresponding Alt+F3 accelerator.  Alternatively, double-click on the account
window's system menu.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.7. Cleared ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Cleared menu item.

By default, the cleared transactions (those contained in the *.clr) file are
not loaded into the ledger container.  You can display these transactions
either by clicking on the Cleared menu item, or on the  toggle button.

To remove the cleared transactions from the ledger, either click on the Cleared
menu item again or on the  toggle button.

If you close the ledger with the cleared transactions displayed, then the next
time you open that ledger, the cleared transactions will be automatically
loaded.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.8. Memos ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Memos menu item.

You can hide or display the memo column easily by clicking on the  toggle
button. This, along with the category and multiple category are the only
columns which can be easily displayed and hidden.  All others must be set by
clicking on the Fields... menu item.

To display the memo column, click on the Memos menu item again or on the
toggle button.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.9. Categories ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Categories menu item.

You can hide or display the category column easily by clicking on the  toggle
button. This, along with the memo and multiple category are the only columns
which can be easily displayed and hidden.  All others must be set by clicking
on the Fields... menu item.

To display the category column, click on the Categories menu item again or on
the  toggle button.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.10. Multiple categories ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Multiple categories menu item.

You can hide or display the multiple category column easily by clicking on the
toggle button. This, along with the category and memo are the only columns
which can be easily displayed and hidden.  All others must be set by clicking
on the Fields... menu item.

To display the memo column, click on the Multiple category menu item again or
on the  toggle button.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.11. Find... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of Find... menu item.

Clicking on this item invokes the Search utility.  For additional help on using
this feature, see the Search feature topic.

The search feature is also accessible by clicking on the  pushbutton.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.12. Calculator ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of Calculator menu item.

If you simply click on the Calculator menu item, then the currently selected
calculator (if any) will be invoked.  You can select a different calculator at
any time by clicking on the Select... menu item beneath the Calculator item and
by selecting the calculator applet in the file dialog box.

The calculator is also accessible by clicking on the  pushbutton.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.13. Calendar ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of Calendar menu item.

A simple calendar is accessible at all times by clicking on this menu item or
by pressing its corresponding Ctrl+L accelerator.

The calendar is quite easy to use.  When first invoked, it displays the current
month with the current day highlighted in yellow.  Pressing the button labelled
 turns the calendar back one 'page';  advances the calendar one 'page'; and
 jumps to the current month.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.14. Item lists ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of Item lists menu item.

Number, Particulars, and Category lists are maintained globally, whereas, in
versions previous to 2.1, each ledger had its own list.  I strongly suspect
that the case of the disappearing list items was partly due to this.

The lists are all contained in one window which is accessible at all times from
within any ledger window by clicking on the Item lists item or its
corresponding F5 accelerator.

To insert a list item within a new transaction or an existing one, you must
have selected either the Create new or Edit items first; otherwise,
double-clicking on the list item will have no effect.  If you are currently
adding a new transaction or editing an existing one (not by Alt+LMB), then
double-clicking on a list item automatically fills the appropriate fields with
the data displayed in the list.

Althought the list items window contains a Save menu item, you need not save
the lists whenever you've deleted, edited, or added an item.  E-Teller
automatically updates the appropriate file if it finds that the contents of any
given list has changed.

You cannot add items directly to the list.  This is done automatically if the
Save particulars and Save memo menu items are checked.

If you enter a new category in a transaction, E-Teller will first prompt you if
the new category is a taxable item.  If it is, then the category will have the
string <tax> appended to it, and then it will be added to the category list.

In the particulars list you will find items enclosed within square brackets.
These denote available accounts which appear in the account container.
Selecting any of these items automatically adds a mirror copy, as it were, of
the transaction to the other account.  For more information on this feature,
see the Adding transactions to two files topic.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.15. Font... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Font... menu item.

When you click this item, a font dialog box is invoked in which you select the
font type and size for the ledger container only  The value is immediately
saved to the e-teller.ini file and is used for all ledger containers.

To change the font of the accounts container, see the View topic.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.16. Save settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic describes the function of the Save settings menu item.

Because each ledger shares the same resources, it would be both impracticle and
time consuming if each were to save such information as window size and
container fore/background colour to the e-teller.ini file.  For this reason,
the Save settings menu item must be selected whenever you wish to save such
information.  Otherwise, the new ledger size, for example, will not be in
effect the next time a ledger is opened.  This is not the case for the accounts
window, however.  It saves its position, size, etc. automatically when it is
closed.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.17. Create new ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic describes the function of the Create new menu item.

To add a new transaction to the ledger, you must either click on this item or
on the  button.  It initiates the process by creating a new record for you and
automatically opening the first visible field for direct editing.  You then
proceed to enter the data for the new transaction, upon completion of which you
select the Append new item (or press the corresponding Ctrl+Enter accelerator
or  button).

You can abort the new transaction at any time during its creation by pressing
either the Abort new/edit menu item or by pressing the Esc key.

IMPORTANT NOTE 1:  To manoeuvre between fields, press either the Tab or Backtab
keys.  Occasionally, the program will fall out of direct edit mode.  If the key
prompt is still displayed in the status text area of the ledger, then E-Teller
will still consider you to be in direct edit mode, and so pressing either the
Tab or Backtab keys will bring you back into direct edit.

IMPORTANT NOTE 2:  Unlike previous versions of E-Teller, the number,
particulars, and category lists may not appear to be available.  In fact, they
are by pressing the F5 key.  For additional help on the list items, see the
Item lists topic. p.Each transaction requires a minimum of two pieces of data,
namely, a Date and an amount in either the Credit/Payment or Debit/Charge
column.  There are, as well, a few restrictions:

o Regardless of the date format you prefer, you must separate the elements by a
  forward slash.
o Linefeeds are not permitted in any of the columns with the exception of the
  multiple category column, because that one is handled differently.
o Your Numbers item cannot exceed 10 characters (anything longer will be
  truncated).
o Your Particulars item is not limited in size, but be aware that anything
  longer than 25 characters will be truncated in all reports.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.18. Create fixed ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Create fixed menu item.

Early versions of E-Teller gave the user the option of creating a fixed
transaction immediately after a new transaction was added to the ledger.
Because the secondary window was found to be obtrusive, this is no longer the
case as of version 2.1.  Instead, to create a new fixed transaction, the user
must first select the transaction which is to be added to the fixed transaction
file and then select this menu item, which will invoke the Fixed Transaction
dialog box.

For additional help on creating fixed transactions, see the Working with Fixed
Transactions topic.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.19. Append new ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic describes the function of the Append new menu item.

When creating a new transaction or editing an existing one, you must click on
this menu item (or the  icon or press the Ctrl+Enter key) in order to confirm
the addition or emendation.  Failing to do so is likely to have undesirable
results.

Although the menu says Append new the status of the Sort will decide the
transaction's final placement within the ledger.  If sorting is checked, then
the transaction will be moved according to its date first.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.20. Abort new/edit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Abort new/edit menu item.

Depending upon the type of operation, clicking this item or pressing the Esc
key has two different functions.

 1. If you were in the process of adding a new transaction, aborting removes
    the newly created record and clears the status line.
 2. If you were in the process of editing an existing transaction, aborting
    replaces the old field values and clears the status line.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.21. Multiple category... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Multiple category... menu item.

If you wish to assign various portions of a transaction's amount to different
categories, then click on this menu item which will invoke the Multi-Category
Transaction dialog box.

If you invoke this dialog with an amount in either the credit or debit fields,
then the base amount will be displayed, and each new category you specify with
each new total will be subtracted from the base amount.

If you invoke the dialog without any amount, then each new category and amount
will be added to form the base amount which you can then apply either to the
credit or debit fields.

Creating a multiple-category transaction is fairly straightforward:

 1. select a category from the Category combobox.
 2. enter the desired amount in the Amount entryfield.
 3. click the Tax related checkbox if appropriate.
 4. enter an optional memo in the Memo entryfield.
 5. click the Add button.

If you have made an error, you can do one of two things:

 1. click the Reset button or
 2. check the Direct edit checkbox

The first option will clear the list of defined categories and return you to
the beginning.

The second option will allow you to edit the defined categories directly.  If
you select this option, it is your responsibility to ensure that the totals are
accurate.  Once you're done editing, remove the checkmark from the Direct edit
checkbox.

To confirm the contents of the multiple categories, click the OK button.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.22. Edit... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Edit... menu item.

To edit an existing transaction, either select this menu item, double-click on
the transaction, or scroll to it and press Enter

Make the necessary changes, and click either the Append new item, or press the
Ctrl+Enter key combination.  To abort, either press the Abort new/edit item or
press the Esc key.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.23. Delete ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Delete menu item.

To remove transactions from a ledger, select them and either click on this menu
item or press the Ctrl+D key combination.  The transactions are not actually
deleted; rather they are hidden to allow the user to undelete any or all of the
deleted transactions.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.24. Undelete... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Undelete... menu item.

To undelete previously deleted transactions, click on this menu item, after
which the current transactions will be hidden, and the deleted ones displayed.
Undeleting transactions is simply a matter of double-clicking on those you want
restored.  When you're done undeleting, click on the Undelete... menu item once
again, and the transactions will be displayed.

The Undelete... menu item is disabled as long as there are no deleted
transactions available to be undeleted.

Note:  Deleted transactions are available until the ledger is either closed or
you click on the Cleared menu item to remove the cleared transactions from the
ledger and to display only the uncleared transactions.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.25. Recalculate ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Recalculate menu item.

Ordinarily, it isn't necessary to force E-Teller to recalculate the balance.
This option is present only in the event that something wrong occurs (which
isn't at all unlikely), and that your balance does not correspond to the
debits/credits.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.26. Sort ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Sort menu item.

If this item is checked, then all transactions which are added to ledger will
be sorted after the user presses the Append new item.  Sorting is done based
upon the date alone.  If the item is not checked, then appended transactions
will be added to the end of the ledger.

Note:  For some reason, sorting isn't reliable on the European date format.  I
can't figure out why.  If ever I do, I'll be sure to fix it.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.27. Print cheque(s) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Print cheque(s) menu item.

Clicking on this option invokes the cheque printer feature and passes to it the
currently selected transactions.

The cheque printer is still in its infancy, so it's not likely to meet with
everyone's acceptance.  Basically, this is how it works:

     The first cheque passed to the cheque printer is displayed in the fields.
     You can make any changes you desire at this stage.  You must enter an
     amount in the field in which you would normally enter a written amount,
     i.e.

               one hundred fifty dollars & 0/00

     When this field loses focus, it fills the remaining space with asterisks.

     Once you are satisfied with the appearance of the cheque, press the Ctrl+P
     key combination, at which point the cheque will be written to a temporary
     file and the next queued cheque will be displayed. Follow the procedure
     outlined above for every queued cheque.

     If you change your mind about printing a cheque, press the Ctrl+S key
     combination in order to skip the currently displayed cheque and to load
     the next one in the queue.

     Once there are no cheques waiting in the queue, you will be prompted
     either to print the cheques or to invoke the printer jobs dialog box.
     Once you elect to print the cheques, the constructed temporary file will
     be sent to the printer as is.

 You can also design your own cheque layouts.  You do so by:

  1. selecting the Design... item from the Options menu,
  2. selecting the field either from the Field drop-down combobox or clicking
     on the field in the cheque window,
  3. ensuring that the Print this field checkbox is checked if you want the
     field to be printed,
  4. clicking on the Horizontal and Vertical spin buttons to move the fields to
     a new location,
  5. specifying the linefeeds between cheques (if necessary),
  6. specifying the top margin (if necessary),
  7. clicking on the Save pushbutton.

 If you want to test the design of your cheque layout, click on the Print test
 button and one demo cheque will be sent to the printer.

 To select or edit an existing design, click on the Designs... pushbutton, and
 double-click on the desired design in the listbox.

 Note:  The last design you used is the one the cheque printer will use when it
 is first invoked, so it is not necessary to select the design everytime you
 want to print cheques (unless you use multiple designs).  You can determine
 which design is currently active by looking at the status area of the cheque
 window.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.28. Beep on transaction ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Beep on transaction menu item.

When this menu item is checked, a double audible tone will sound from the
computer speaker whenever a transaction is added to the ledger or an existing
one is edited. To disable the beep, simply uncheck the menu item.

Note:  The beep cannot be disabled in the non-registered version.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.29. Date format ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Date format menu item.

E-Teller accepts three possible date formats:

 European  dd/mm/yy

 Ordered (default) yy/mm/dd

 U.S.      mm/dd/yy

 If you select a different date format, E-Teller will ask you if you would like
 the dates in the ledger changed to reflect the new format. It is recommended
 that you load the cleared transactions before changing the date format, so
 that the new format will be applied to all of your transactions.

 Regardless of the format you select, you must use the same date format
 consistently throughout a ledger, and you must use forward slashes to separate
 the three elements of the date.  Failing to comply to the former will result
 in unpredictable sorting if the sort menu item is checked; and failing to
 comply to the latter will result in an error message.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.30. Save particulars ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Save particulars menu item.

When this menu item is checked then adding or editing a transaction by
selecting the Append new menu item automatically updates the Particulars list
to include the new transaction information, specifically the particulars,
amount, optionally the memo, and the category items.  If this menu item is not
checked, then the above-mentioned data are not saved, and so the information is
not available for insertion into future transactions.

For additional help on the list items, see the Item lists topic.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.31. Save memos ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Save memos menu item.

If this item is checked, and the Save particulars item is also checked, then
the memo which has been entered in the memo column of a new or edited
transaction will be saved in addition to the other data mentioned in the Save
particulars topic.  Otherwise, the memo will be excluded from the item list.

For additional information on the item lists, see the Item lists topic.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.32. Save last date ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Save last date menu item.

Ordinarily, when you first open a ledger and add the first transaction,
E-Teller defaults to the current date reported by the system.  All subsequent
transactions use the last date entered.

If you prefer to have the last date carried over between sessions, check this
menu item.  If the item is checked, then the first transaction of a new session
will default, not to the current system date, but to the last, latest date of
the previous session.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.33. Next cheque... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the function of the Next cheque... menu item.

Whenever a transaction with a numeric value in the Number column is added to to
a ledger, if that number is greater or equal to the previous cheque number,
then that number will be next cheque number in the Number list.  This is fine
if you cycle through all 99,999 available cheque numbers, which is unlikely.
To reset the next cheque number, select this menu item and enter the next
number in the prompt box.  The value you enter will replace the one contained
in the e-teller.ini file, and will become the starting number for subsequent
cheques.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. Miscellaneous Items ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This section provides help on miscellaneous aspects of using E-Teller

Available topics are:

 Adding transactions to two files
 Command line parameters
 Setting container colours


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.1. Adding transactions to two files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains how to add a transaction to two files simultaneously.

Occasionally, it will be desirable to update a second ledger or its .ldg file
when you add a new transaction to a ledger.  There are two ways to achieve this
goal:

  1. dragging the newly created transaction to the other opened ledger
  2. entering the name of the other account in the Particulars column of the
     current ledger.

 The first option adds a shared record to the second ledger, and does not
 attempt to convert any of the data.  In short, rather than add a 'mirrored'
 copy of the transaction, this option adds a carbon copy.

 When you add a transaction to a ledger, E-Teller looks at the particulars
 value and looks at the account names in the accounts window to see if there's
 a match.  If there is a match, the account's *.ldg filename is fetched and the
 contents of the newly created transaction are appended to the other file,
 except for two items.  The particulars are not the value of the newly created
 transaction, but the name of the account in which the transaction was first
 added; the amount of the transaction is, in fact, mirrored in the second
 account file. For example, assume that the account to which you are adding the
 transaction is named Savings, and you are debiting that account to the amount
 of $100.00.  In the particulars column of Savings, you enter the name of the
 other account, whose name is Visa. When you append the new transaction,
 E-Teller will locate the Visa account and add the transaction to its .ldg
 file, except that the particulars will not read 'Visa' as it does in Savings
 but [Savings].  Similarly, the amount will not be a debit of $100 but rather a
 credit of $100.

 If you have difficulty remembering the exact name of the external account, you
 can invoke the list items window and double click on the appropriate item from
 the particulars list.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.2. Command line parameters ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains the available command line parameters.

There are two command line parameters which you can add when launching
E-Teller:

 o <digit>
 o con

 The <digit> is, in fact, a numeric value, preferably in increments of three.
 The purpose of this parameter is to delay the point at which Rexx begins to
 use exponents.  By default, Rexx stops formatting numeric values after nine
 digits, e.g. 999,999,999.  This is probably sufficient for the average (read
 impoverished) individual, but clearly is not for millionaires or those whose
 currency differs widely from the North American dollar.  If you require a
 greater threshold, simply specify a sufficiently large number, for example,
 18, which would expand the above number to 999,999,999,999,999,999.

 The con parameter is intended to activate the VX-Rexx console.  Ordinarily,
 you wouldn't gain much by doing this.  The purpose for this parameter is to
 identify abnormal program exits.  If any of E-Teller's programs end abruptly,
 activate the VX-Rexx console, and replicate the error.  The console should
 popup on the desktop and contain a brief description of what went wrong and
 where.  You can then copy that information and e-mail me so that I can track
 down the bug and fix it.

 Note:  As of version 2.1, E-Teller traps syntax errors and the like, so you
 may never have to activate the console.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.3. Setting container colours ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This topic explains how to set the account and ledger container background
colour.

In both cases, you must open the system folder, select a colour from the Color
Palette and drag it to the appropriate container.  In the case of the accounts
container, this is all that is required, since the colour is automatically
saved when the window is closed.  For the ledger container, however, you must
select the Save settings menu item.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. Creating Reports ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

E-Teller provides a fairly powerful report feature called E-Teller Report.
This section explains how to use the report feature.

Note:  E-Teller Report uses an external text editor/printer for editing and
printing the report.  To define an editor, click on the Select editor... item
from the Options menu. The editor you select is saved to the e-teller.ini file.
If, at startup, E-Teller Report is unable to locate such an entry in the .ini
file, the editor file dialog box will be automatically invoked.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1. Report Options Notebook ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Report Options notebook is where you define the various aspects of a
report, from the layout to category restrictions.

There are four pages to the Report Options notebook:

  1. Layouts
  2. Accounts
  3. Details
  4. Search

 When defining report options, you must choose options in at least 3 of the 4
 pages, namely Layouts, Accounts, and Details.

 When you have defined the report to your satisfaction, click on the Create
 report (Ctrl+C) item in the Options menu.  The status text at the top of the
 window (beneath the menu) will keep you informed of what's being done.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.1. Layouts ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Layouts notebook page is where you select the layout you would like to use.
Currently E-Teller Report supports two layouts, Transaction Ledger and Sorted
Category.

To select a layout, simply click on the desired name within the listbox, after
which its name will appear in the notebook's status area.  You may also wish to
change the default Title for the report, and to exclude the printing of the
account name and date/time in the title at this time.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.2. Accounts ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Accounts notebook page is where you select one or more accounts to be used
in creating the report(s).  You may also choose to exclude one of the two
account files from the report at this time, either the cleared or uncleared
transaction file. Obviously, at least one file must be selected to create a
report.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.3. Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Details notebook page is essentially the primary formatting page, in which
you select what information E-Teller Report should include in the report.
Depending on the type of layout you have selected, the Include listbox will
contain slightly different items.  Select the items you want included in your
report.  Any item not selected will be excluded.  In other words, if you aren't
particularly interested in keeping a record of the Memo for all the
transactions in the ledger, ensure that the item is not selected.

If you have selected the Transaction Ledger layout, then the listbox will
contain 6 items:

 o Date
 o Number
 o Particulars
 o Amount
 o Memo
 o Category

 Note:  A MultiCategory item is not included because E-Teller Report treats
 multiple categories as individual transactions.  In other words, whereas in
 the ledger you might have the following entry:

  Particulars    Debit    Category
  -----------    -----    --------
  Junk Food      10.00    Questionable Food

 in a report, the above would look like:

  Particulars    Debit    Category
  -----------    -----    --------
  Junk Food       3.00    Jelly Beans
  Junk Food       5.00    Chocolate
  Junk Food       2.00    Gum

 If you have selected the Sorted Category layout, then the listbox will contain
 9 items:

 o Date
 o Number
 o Particulars
 o Inflows
 o  Total Inflows
 o Outflows
 o  Total Outflows
 o Balance
 o Memo

 Note:  You will notice that there is no Category item in the list box.  This
 is because a category report is governed by the an alphabetical list of
 categories rather than a sequential list of transactions.

 Note:  Total Inflows prints a total of all of the Inflows per category, and
 Total Outflows prints a total of all of the Outflows

 You may also change the date range of the transactions which will be included
 in the report.  There are three options:

 All       transactions
           places no date restriction

 Current calendar year
           excludes all transactions which fall outside of the current calendar
           year

 Month     range
           excludes all transactions which do not fall within the months you
           specify in the two spin buttons, the first being from, the second
           to.

 If you do not want column headings in the report, uncheck the Print column
 headings checkbox.  Otherwise, column headings matching the names in the
 Include listbox are printed at the top of the report, beneath the title.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.4. Search ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Search notebook page permits you to specify exactly which transactions
should be included in the report.  For help in defining search criteria, see
the Search Feature topic.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. Creating a Budget ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

E-Teller Budget allows you to create a weekly, monthly, and yearly budget to
which E-Teller can refer when adding bank and credit card transactions to any
account.

Currently, only one budget is permitted for every account you have.  This may
seem odd to some, but E-Teller Budget is designed to make use of a your
estimated income for every expenditure you make.  If this still sounds odd,
don't hesitate to complain; after all, this is version 1.0, so E-Teller Budget
still has room to grow.

There are four windows to E-Teller Budget:

  1. Main window
  2. Weekly Budget
  3. Monthly Budget
  4. Yearly Budget

 The budget is broken into three sections (weekly, monthly, and yearly) for
 your convenience, although you are not restricted to using all three or only
 one, for that matter.  For help on creating global budgets, see the Global
 Budget topic.

 For the curious, whenever you charge a credit card account or debit a bank
 account E-Teller looks for the entered category for that transaction in the
 three files (weekly.bgt, monthly.bgt, yearly.bgt).  If it locates such a
 budget entry, it adds the total of the new transaction to the amount already
 used for the given category.  If the sum of your new transaction in addition
 to the amount already used is equal to the ceiling, E-Teller will inform you
 of the fact. If the sum of both exceeds the budgeted ceiling, you will be
 asked whether you want to Ignore Ceiling (update the used amount regardless of
 the ceiling), Adjust Ceiling (update the ceiling so that it matches the used
 amount), Ignore Budget (append the transaction without updating the budget's
 used amount), or Cancel the transaction, after which you can adjust the amount
 of the expenditure.

 E-Teller keeps track of the current day of the week, month of the year, and
 current year in e-teller.ini.  When it first starts up, it checks the values
 contained in the INI.  If it finds that the week, month, or year has changed,
 it recreates the appropriate budget file by resetting the used amounts to
 zero.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1. Main Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

E-Teller Budget's main window is where you create your budget.  When the
utility first starts, it searches for the category.dat file in the current
directory.  If found, it fills the main window's list box with the values
contained in the file.

To specify a category, you can either double-click on one in the list box or
enter it manually in the Category entry field.

The Ceiling entry field is where you enter the maximum amount you are
allocating for expenditures for the current category.

The Used entry field is primarily for editing existing budget items, but it can
also be used when creating a budget if you wish.  This field contains the
amount of expenditures already applied to the ceiling.

Note:  Do not use currency symbols or commas in any of the two above fields.
E-Teller Budget will reject the value if it is not numerically valid.

When you've entered the relevant data in the various entry fields, click on one
of the three push buttons along the bottom of the main window.  Click the
Weekly button to add the new budget item to the Weekly Budget container or to
update an edited item, the Monthly button to add the new item to the Monthly
Budget container or to update an edited item, the Yearly button for the Yearly
Budget container, or the Global... button to add the new or edited item to any
or all of the three budgets.

Note:  The Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly buttons are disabled if their related
window is not loaded.  For help on loading or destroying the windows, see the
topics on the various windows.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.2. Weekly Budget ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Before adding to or editing any weekly budget item, the Weekly Budget window
must first be loaded.  You can load or destroy the window by clicking on the
Weekly item in the Budgets menu.

To create a weekly budget item, follow the instructions outlined in the Main
Window topic and click on the Weekly push button.  Adding or editing entries
does not automatically update the weekly.bgt file.  To update this file, click
on the Save button at the bottom of the Weekly Budget window.

Note:  The button remains disabled as long as no changes have been made.

To edit a budget item in the weekly container, double-click on the desired
item.  The category, ceiling, and used values will be transferred to the main
window.  When done editing, click on the Weekly button.

You can also delete items from the budget by selecting them (one at at time)
and clicking the Delete button.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.3. Monthly Budget ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Before adding to or editing any monthly budget item, the Monthly Budget window
must first be loaded.  You can load or destroy the window by clicking on the
Monthly item in the Budgets menu.

To create a monthly budget item, follow the instructions outlined in the Main
Window topic and click on the Monthly push button.  Adding or editing entries
does not automatically update the monthly.bgt file.  To update this file, click
on the Save button at the bottom of the Monthly Budget window.

Note:  The button remains disabled as long as no changes have been made.

To edit a budget item in the monthly container, double-click on the desired
item.  The category, ceiling, and used values will be transferred to the main
window.  When done editing, click on the Monthly button.

You can also delete items from the budget by selecting them (one at a time) and
clicking the Delete button.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4. Yearly Budget ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Before adding to or editing any yearly budget item, the Yearly Budget window
must first be loaded.  You can load or destroy the window by clicking on the
Yearly item in the Budgets menu.

To create a yearly budget item, follow the instructions outlined in the Main
Window topic and click on the Yearly push button.  Adding or editing entries
does not automatically update the yearly.bgt file.  To update this file, click
on the Save button at the bottom of the Yearly Budget window.

Note:  The button remains disabled as long as no changes have been made.

To edit a budget item in the yearly container, double-click on the desired
item.  The category, ceiling, and used values will be transferred to the main
window.  When done editing, click on the Yearly button.

You can also delete items from the budget by selecting them (one at a time) and
clicking the Delete button.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.5. Global Budget ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Global budgets allow you to create a budget item of one type (weekly, monthly,
or yearly) and to apply that item to some or all of the above types.  If, for
example, you prefer to have your grocery budget represented globally, then you
would first create an item, specifying a ceiling which is relevant to one of
the types and click the Global button along the bottom of the main window.  A
secondary dialog box appears where you select the type for the Ceiling amount;
that is to say, one of the three above-named types which E-Teller Budget will
use in order to tabulate the budgeted amount for the other two types.  After
deselecting any of the budgets to which you do not want the item to be added,
click OK and E-Teller Budget  will convert the ceiling if necessary and add the
item to the specified budget container.

Note:  If a budget window is not currently loaded, the related Apply to
checkbox will be unchecked and disabled.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.6. Estimated Yearly Income ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting the Income... item from the Budgets menu invokes a dialog box in
which you may enter your estimated or actual yearly income.  E-Teller Budget
uses the amount when you create a budget to warn you if your budget exceeds
your estimated yearly income.

There are three budget windows: Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly .  For the first of
these, E-Teller Budget divides the estimated yearly income to arrive at an
appropriate total for weekly and monthly budgets.  It then places the estimated
amount at the top of the respective container.  Obviously, this is not intended
to be a scientifically accurate tracking mechanism, unless, of course, your
estimated yearly income is, in fact, your actual income.

Note:  If you do not wish E-Teller Budget to compare budget expenses with your
real or estimated annual income, then leave the entry field blank, in which
case n/a will appear instead of an estimated income at the top of the
containers.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10. Search Feature ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This section describes how to define or build search criteria for both ledgers
and reports.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.1. Search Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Whatever appears in the Criteria multi-line entry field is what will be used to
search for transactions in both the ledger and in reports.  All search criteria
comprise, basically, three elements:

  1. Field
  2. Operator
  3. Value

 Field
           Specifies the field in which value is to be applied.
 Operator
           Is the operator to use when comparing value to field

    ?         indicates that field contains value
    !         indicates that field does not contain value
    =         indicates that field is equal to value
    >         indicates that field is greater than value
    <         indicates that field is less than value
    <>        indicates that field does not equal value
 Value
           Is the value for which E-Teller should search.

 You can build complex searches using the AND and OR buttons.  For example,

     CATEGORY ? "RENT" &
     CATEGORY ! "RENTAL"

 will find all transactions with a category which contains the string rent but
 exclude those which contain the string rental.  Similarly,

     CATEGORY = "RENT" |
     CATEGORY ? "RENTAL" &
     CATEGORY ! "CAR"

 will include all transactions which equal the string rent  or contain the
 string rental, but exclude those which contain car, such as Car Rental.

 If you are searching for a category but are unable to remember which category,
 click on the Categories... button to invoke a list of currently defined
 categories.  Double-click on the one you are looking for to insert it into the
 Criteria multi-line entry field.

 For objects specific to the search window in ledgers and reports, see Ledger
 Searches or Report Searches.

 Note:  In all cases, searches are case insensitive.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.1.1. Ledger Searches ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

There are two buttons which are distinct to a ledger search

  1. Search
  2. Undo

 Search
           First verifies the syntax of the Criteria multi-line entry field.
           If the syntax is correct, it will perform the search.
 Undo
           Undoes the search result.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.1.2. Report Searches ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Search notebook page in E-Teller Report contains a Syntax pushbutton.  You
must click on this button in order to verify the syntax and to confirm the
search. Failing to do so essentially ignores the value contained in the
Criteria multi-line entry field.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11. Converting Quicken Data ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This section describes how to convert Quicken (c) data to E-Teller format,
using the q2et.exe conversion utility.

Note:  As of version 1.7 of E-Teller, account files follow a similar format to
Quicken QIF files (but not identical). As a result, converting QIF files is
significantly more reliable.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.1. Creating a Quicken QIF File ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

To convert a Quicken (c) data file into QIF format, follow these steps:

  1. Start Quicken.
  2. Open the account register you want to convert.
  3. Select Export from the Print menu.
  4. Enter a filename for the exported data.
  5. In the Export window, ensure that ONLY "Export Transactions" is set to
     YES.  All other options must be set to NO.
  6. Ensure that the date range encompases all of the account transactions.
  7. Select Continue.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.2. Converting a Quicken QIF File ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Converting a Quicken (c) QIF file to E-Teller format is a completely automated
process, unless a syntax error is detected.

To convert the QIF file, follow these steps:

  1. Select File | Import Quicken File... (Ctrl-I).
  2. Select the newly created export QIF file.
  3. Once the data has been read, Q2ET will automatically verify the syntax.
     If an error is detected, Q2ET will start epm.exe and display the line
     number beneath the 'Message' text where the error has occurred along with
     some kind of indication of what the error is.  Use the line number in the
     status display in EPM to find the line and correct the error.  Once
     corrected, save and close the file and select the Verify syntax item in
     the File menu.
  4. Once the syntax has been verified and the q.tmp file found to be error
     free, Q2ET will automatically display the New Account window.  Enter the
     relevant data which is not supplied in the QIF file, e.g. account number,
     and/or make any appropriate changes.
  5. Click OK.

 Note:  It is strongly recommended that you not alter the starting balance for
 the newly created account file.  The amount displayed is, in fact, a total of
 all the cleared transactions which were found in the QIF file and which will
 be saved to the account's .clr file.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.3. QIF File Format ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Quicken (c) QIF files generally follow these conventions:

   !Type:Bank
   D12/ 1/94
   T1,000.00
   CX
   POpening Balance
   L[chequing]
   ^
   D 1/ 1/94
   N123
   T-700.00
   CX
   PJohn Doe
   MFirst and Last
   LRent
   ^
   D 1/ 2/94
   T-130.00
   PWithdrawal
   LGroceries
   SGroceries
   EJunk Food
   $-10.00
   SGroceries
   EGood Food
   $-90.00
   SPersonal
   $-30.00
   ....

 !Type
  can be "Bank", "CCard", or any other type of account. E-Teller uses only two
  types, "Bank" and "CreditCard". Q2ET will attempt to identy the account type.
  If it is unsuccessful, it will inform you and default to type "Bank".
 D
  is the prefix identifying the date
 T
  is the prefix identifying the total
 C
  is the prefix identifying a cleared transaction.  If the transaction has not
  been cleared, this line does not appear.
 N
  is the prefix identifying the cheque or code number.  If the transaction has
  no number, this line does not appear.
 P
  is the prefix identifying the particulars.  If the transaction has no
  particulars, this line does not appear.
 M
  is the prefix identifying the memo.  If the transaction has no memo, this
  line does not appear.
 L
  is the prefix identifying the category.  If the transaction has no category,
  this line does not appear. Q2ET takes the value of the first transaction as
  the account name.
 S
  is the prefix identifying a split category.  If the transaction has no split
  category, this, the optional memo, and the amount lines do not appear.
   E
    is the prefix identifying the memo of a split category.
   $
    is the prefix identifying the amount of a split category.
 ^
  is the transaction separator.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12. Working with Fixed Transactions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This section describes operations specific to fixed transactions

For help on creating fixed transactions, see the Creating Fixed Transactions
topic.

For help on editing fixed transactions, see the Editing Fixed Transactions
topic.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.1. Creating Fixed Transactions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Creating fixed transactions is similar to creating regular transactions, except
that they require one, possibly three, at most four extra steps.

If you check the Fixed transaction checkbox in the Transaction Options window
which appears after you've appended a new transaction, E-Teller will treat the
new transaction as a fixed transaction and bring up the Fixed Transaction
window after you click OK

The fixed transaction window is where you specify whether the transaction is a
Date-of-Month or Weekday one.  If you check the Fixed date of the month
checkbox in this window, then you need do nothing else.  If you want E-Teller
to prompt you for the next cheque number the next time ET_Month processes the
et_fixed.dat file, then check the Prompt for Next Cheque checkbox.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.1.1. Date-of-Month Transactions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Date-of-month transactions occur on specific dates within a month. An example
would be a rent cheque which is due on the first of the month.

If the fixed transaction occurs on the same date of the month, such as the 1st,
then click on the Fixed date of month checkbox in the Fixed Transaction window.

Unchecking this checkbox creates a fixed weekday transaction.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.1.2. Weekday Transactions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Fixed Weekday transactions occur at specific intervals during a month.  An
example would be a pay cheque which is deposited into your account every second
Friday.

If this is the case, then uncheck the Fixed date of the month checkbox in the
Fixed Transaction window.  You must select a weekday upon which a transaction
habitually takes place in addition to the frequency.  The weekday automatically
defaults to the current weekday reported by the system date, and the frequency
defaults to Monthly.  If either is incorrect, click on the appropriate radio
button.

There are four possible frequency settings:

    ┬╖ Weekly
    ┬╖ Biweekly
    ┬╖ Triweekly
    ┬╖ Monthly

 If, based upon the weekday and frequency settings, the transaction will
 reoccur more than once during the current month, then it will be added to both
 et_fixed.dat and et_fix.dat to be processed by ET_Month.

 In versions of E-Teller  previous to 1.7, there was a potential problem in
 weekday transactions with a monthly frequency if there were five of a given
 weekday in a month.  If such a transaction fell on the first of those 5 days,
 then a second transaction would be added to the ledger, which, of course, was
 incorrect.  As of version 1.7, ET_Month  ensures that only one such
 transaction is added to a ledger and verifies that the next transaction will,
 indeed, be added the following month when et_fix.dat is regenerated as opposed
 to the fifth weekday of the previous month.  If it is not, then the number
 which ET_Month  uses to calculate the transaction dates will be incremented by
 seven.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.1.3. Prompt for Next Cheque ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This checkbox in the fixed transaction window instructs ET_Month to prompt you
for the next cheque when it recreates et_fix.dat at the start of each new month
or when it regenerates et_fix.dat after you've edited a fixed transaction.
This is useful for post-dated rent cheques, for example.

If ET_Month finds the string prompt next to a cheque number, then it will bring
up a prompt dialog box in which will be displayed the payee and last cheque
number.  After you enter then next cheque in the series and click OK, the
transaction will be added to the et_fix.dat file to be processed later and the
cheque number in et_fixed.dat will be updated with the number just entered into
the prompt box.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.2. Opening Fixed Transaction Ledgers ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If either or both et_fix.dat and et_fixed.dat exist in E-Teller's directory
when you first start E-Teller, then an extra account will be added to the
accounts window, named Fixed Transactions.

To open a fixed transaction ledger for editing purposes, double click on its
icon as you would for any other account. Unlike regular accounts, editing fixed
transactions is performed in a notebook, containing two pages, Daily File and
Fixed File. For help on editing fixed transactions, see the Editing Fixed
Transactions topic.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.3. Editing Fixed Transactions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Fixed Transaction notebook contains two pages, Daily File and Fixed File
The first contains the data found in the et_fix.dat file; the latter data in
the et_fixed.dat file.

In both cases, editing is done in much the same way as you would edit any text
file.  Each page has its separate Save push button.  Clicking on that button
saves the contents of the multi-line entry field to the appropriate file.

Note:  It is your responsibility to ensure that the format and data are correct
since E-Teller does not verify that what you have entered is acceptable.

For additional help on file formats, select one of the topics below:

 o Daily File Format
 o Fixed File Format

 At the bottom of the Fixed File page is a button labelled Regenerate.  This
 button is enabled only when you've made changes to the file and clicked the
 Save button. Regenerate invokes et_month.exe and recreates the et_fix.dat file
 based upon the information contained in the newly saved et_fixed.dat file.  It
 is necessary to regenerate only if you have made changes that would affect the
 automatic transaction inclusion for the remainder of the month, such as moving
 the date of a fixed weekday transaction back in order to have one such
 transaction automatically added to your account file.

 Note:  It is recommended that, after you click the Regenerate button, you
 return to the Daily File page and click on the Refresh button to omit any
 transactions that should not be automatically added to your account file next
 time et_month.exe is invoked.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.3.1. Daily File Format ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

A typical entry for the Daily File page is:

   [01]
   d:\e-teller\savings.ldg
   NDEP
   PPay Deposit
   T1,000.00
   LPay Income
   ^

All but the first two lines are identical to those found in regular account
files.  The first line represents the date of the month on which the
transaction is to be added to the account file found on the second line.  Thus,
if the first line contains [01], then the transaction between the filename
line, in this case d:\e-teller\savings.ldg and the transaction separator (^)
would be added to the savings.ldg file.

Note:  You must ensure that the data in the Daily File is accurate, since
E-Teller makes no attempt to verify its accuracy.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.3.2. Fixed File Format ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

There are two sections to most et_fixed.dat files depending on the options
which were selected when the fixed transaction was first created.

The first section is identical to that outlined in the Daily File Format with
the exception that at the end of this first section, the string <end> appears
on a line by itself, for example

   [01]
   d:\e-teller\savings.ldg
   NDEP
   PPay Deposit
   T1,000.00
   LPay Income
   ^
   <end>

The second section begins with a line containing the string [Weekdays].  There
are three exceptions to such fixed entries as opposed to those which appear in
the first section:

  1. Rather than a date of the month, the first line contains a day of the
     week.
  2. The last line of every transaction contains a four-character code which
     must begin with either a W, B, T, or M, representing a Weekly, Biweekly,
     Triweekly, or Monthly transaction respectively.  Following this one letter
     is an equals sign (=) and a two-digit date which represents the date upon
     which et_month.exe should begin calculating when it regenerates the
     et_fix.dat file at the beginning of the next month.  In other words, the
     number must fall upon the day of the week for which the transaction is
     supposed to occur.  It is pointless, for example, to assign a date of 14
     to a monthly Friday transaction whose starting date should be 12.  If you
     were to assign a starting date of 14, then the calculation for the next
     month would be incorrect, and the transaction would, in all likelihood,
     not fall on a Friday.
  3. The section is not terminated by an <end> string.

 A typical weekday section, then, may look like:

     [Weekdays]
     Friday
     d:\e-teller\savings.ldg
     NDEP
     PPay Deposit
     T1,000.00
     LPay Income
     B=08
     ^
     Wednesday
     d:\e-teller\savings.ldg
     NWIT
     PMortgage Payment
     T-750.00
     M=06
     ^


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.4. Using ET_Month ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

ET_Month generally works independently and in the background.  The exception to
this is if it encounters a transaction for which you've requested to be
prompted for the next cheque number.

For ET_Month to be effective, it should reside in your E-Teller directory, and
a shadow should be placed in your startup folder.

If a shadow of ET_Month is located in your startup folder, then it will look in
the et_fix.dat file for any transactions that require processing depending on
the system date.  If you haven't booted OS/2 in a few days, don't worry,
because ET_Month processes all the transactions it finds with a date earlier or
equal to the system date.  As transactions are processed, they are removed from
the et_fix.dat file so that they don't get processed more than once a month.

At the beginning of the month, ET_Month looks in the et_fix.dat file for any
unprocessed transactions.  If it finds any, it processes them.  It then
regenerates et_fix.dat based upon the information contained in et_fixed.dat,
first running through the date-of-month transactions and then the weekday ones.
If you failed to boot OS/2 on the first of the month, don't worry, because
ET_Month  ensures that the date for both the et_fix.dat and et_fixed.dat files
reflect the month reported by the system date.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13. Known Bugs/Limitations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

There are no known bugs, but I'm quite certain there are a number of anonymous
bugs. ;)


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 14. A Call for Suggestions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

I realize that E-Teller Report is still limited, particularly where layouts are
concerned.  If you would like a specific layout included in a later release,
then send your suggestion to me.  What I would need is:

  1. A list of headings.  If you have a heading which is not currently found in
     the two layouts, a somewhat detailed description of its purpose would be
     useful if not essential.
  2. Some idea of how the data should be organized, i.e. columns, lines, etc.

 Ideally, a bogus report would be nice with a brief explanation for those items
 which are not self-evident.

 If your layout gets included in a future release, your contribution will be
 duly noted.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 15. Warranty ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

E-Teller and its accompanying software and documentation are supplied with no
warranty whatsoever, either expressed or implied. Neither its author nor Watcom
International can be held directly or indirectly responsible for any loss
and/or damage to your data and/or system as a result of the use and/or misuse
of E-Teller. All software is supplied AS IS.

If you use this program, you understand that you do so AT YOUR OWN RISK.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 16. Copyright Notices ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

                         E-Teller (c) 1994 Paul H. Caron
                   VX-Rexx (c) 1993, 1994 Watcom International
                                  OS/2 (c) IBM
                               Quicken (c) Intuit


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 17. Contacting the Author ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Should you find a bug or have suggestions for improvements, I can be reached at

     [e-mail]


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 18. Registration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This product is released as Shareware.  Your are granted permission to use
E-Teller for a period not exceeding 30 days for evaluation purposes only.  If
you decide to continue using E-Teller, you are required to register the program
by sending a one-time registration fee of $25 US ($30 CAN) to:

    Paul H. Caron
    c/o Mr. J-P Caron
    A10-420 Westmount Avenue
    Sudbury, Ontario
    P3A 5V4
    CANADA

 Please print the supplied registration form and send it along with your cheque
 or money order.

 Previously, upgrades to major releases of E-Teller required additional
 payments.  As of version 1.7, this is no longer the case.  Your registration
 fee is a one-time payment which covers all subsequent releases of E-Teller.
 Current registered users are not required to make any further payments.  As a
 result of this change, the registration cost for E-Teller has risen by $5,
 which is still reasonable, I think.

 You are encouraged to distribute E-Teller as long as you maintain the
 integrity of the original archive and do not distribute any of the programs
 contained therein separately as individual applications.  You may omit
 VROBJ.DLL on condition that you provide clear instructions as to where a
 potential downloader may find the latest version of the DLL, and that you make
 it clear that the DLL is required.  Your are not permitted to charge a fee for
 the use of E-Teller.  You are permitted to charge a small fee to cover
 distribution and/or media costs, as long as that fee does not exceed $5 US.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 18.1. How Do I Register? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

To register E-Teller, fill out the attached registration form and send it along
with your cheque or money order to the address appearing on the form.

Once I've received your payment, I will e-mail or snail-mail your registration
number to you, after which you will select the Product information  item from
the Help menu in the accounts window, click on the Register button, and enter
the registration number provided into the entry field.

Note:  The registration number is written to e-teller.ini, so please keep a
hard copy of the number.  I will not provide replacement numbers.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 18.2. Registration Form ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

E-Teller v.2.1

Thank you for registering E-Teller.  Your registration
entitles you free upgrades to all future releases of
E-Teller.

Please take a minute to fill out the form below, and send it along
with your registration fee (cheque or money order only, please)
to:

      Paul H. Caron
      c/o Mr. J-P Caron
      A10-420 Westmount Ave.
      Sudbury, Ontario  P3A 5V4
      CANADA


Name ____________________________________________________________

Address _________________________________________________________

City ______________________________ Prov./State _________________

Postal/Zip Code _______________________ Country _________________

E-Mail Address __________________________________________________


   _______ Version Number
   _______ Number of copies
   _______ @ $25 US ($30 Canadian)
   _______ Enclosed payment


If you have any comments or suggestions, please jot them below:


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 Layouts are the way in which reports are written to file.  Currently, E-Teller
Report supports two layouts, Transaction Ledger and Sorted Category.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 Category restrictions limit or restrict the transactions that are written to
file.  In other words, any transaction which does not contain a category which
you select from the restriction list is omitted from the report.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 The Transaction Ledger layout is similar to E-Teller's ledger in which each
transaction is printed sequentially.  What is printed depends on the various
selections you make in the other Report Options notebook pages.  Its purpose is
primarily for a hard copy of your account(s) ledger(s).


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 The Sorted Category layout is slightly different from the Transaction Ledger
in that categories govern the final printed report rather than the sequential
order of the transactions within the various files.  It is useful primarily for
budget and income tax purposes since transactions which share a category are
grouped together.  Categories are first sorted alphabetically.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 The cleared transaction file, which always has a .clr extension, contains, in
addition to account-specific information, all of the transactions which have
been previously cleared through the


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 The uncleared transaction file, which always has a .ldg extension, contains
all of the transactions which have not been


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 Fixed transactions are those that remain constant from month to month or at a
pre-defined period within a month, such as rent cheques, mortgage payments, or
pay cheques that are automatically deposited into your bank account.

There are two different types of fixed transactions:

 o Date-of-Month
 o Weekday