Media Share 9

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Media Share 9 / MEDIASHARE_09.ISO / business / scbabt14.zip / MANUAL.DOC < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1992-06-22 | 40KB | 1,139 lines

S C B A B O T L I N S T R U C T I O N M A N U A L Version: 1.4 June 22, 1992 This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at: 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. Written by: Raymond A.J. Pesek 4706 Cottonwood Lane Brunswick, Ohio 44212-2412 CompuServe Mail: 72270,650 LICENSE INFORMATION: -------------------- Raymond A.J. Pesek will be referred to as LICENSOR. You or your organization will be referred to as the LICENSEE. The SCBABOTL computer program will be referred to as the SOFTWARE. This program remains my property. Users of the unregistered version are granted a thirty (30) day license for evaluation purposes only. Registered users are granted a license to USE the SOFTWARE for perpetuity on only one computer at a time, although it may be INSTALLED on as many computers as needed. DISCLAIMER: ----------- LICENSOR HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES RELATING TO THIS SOFTWARE, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. LICENSOR WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT OR SIMILAR DAMAGES DUE TO LOSS OF DATA OR FOR ANY OTHER REASON, EVEN IF LICENSOR OR AN AGENT OF LICENSOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN NO EVENT SHALL LICENSORS LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE LICENSE TO USE THE SOFTWARE, REGARDLESS OF THE CLAIM. THE PERSON USING THE SOFTWARE BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE. THIS PROGRAM IS OFFERED "AS IS" ONLY! Some states do not allow the exclusion of the limit of liability for consequential or incidental damages, so the above limitations may not apply to you. This agreement shall be governed by the laws of The State of Ohio and shall inure to the benefit of Raymond A.J. Pesek and any successors, administrators, heirs, and assigns. Any action or proceeding brought by either party against the other arising out of or related to this agreement shall be brought only in a STATE or FEDERAL COURT of competent jurisdiction located in Medina County or Summit County, Ohio. The parties hereby consent to in personam jurisdiction of said courts. YOUR USE OF THIS PROGRAM CONSTITUTES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS. i TABLE OF CONTENTS - 1 ------------------------- License And Disclaimer Information ................... Page i Equipment Requirements ............................... Page 3 Installation ......................................... Page 3 General Screen Navigation ............................ Page 5 -------------------------------------------------------------- Add New SCBA Bottles To Our Inventory ................ Page 6 Browse/Edit All SCBA Inventory Records ............... Page 7 Search For/Edit An SCBA Inventory Entry By Serial Number Or I.D. Number ...................... Page 7 Copying SCBA & PASS Inventory & Fill Log Files To A Floppy Disk ............................... Page 7 Go To SCBA Bottle Inventory Reports Menu ............. Page 8 Report A Summary Of The Inventory By Bottle Type ..... Page 8 Print Out A Listing Of The Entire Bottle Inventory ... Page 8 Print Out The Maintenance History Of Each Bottle ..... Page 9 Print Out The Maintenance History Of One Bottle ...... Page 9 Report On All Bottles Requiring A Hydro Test Within Sixty Days ........................................... Page 9 Report On All Bottles Requiring Hydro Test Or Refilling ......................................... Page 10 Report On All Bottles Requiring A Hydro Test Between Selected Dates (for budgeting purposes) .............. Page 10 Go To The Record Deletion Menu ....................... Page 11 Page 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS - 2 ------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- Fill Log Instructions ................................ Page 11 Enter Info About Newly Filled Bottles ................ Page 11 Browse/Edit All Fill Log Records, From The Bottom Up . Page 12 Program Bottle Owner Or Organization Names To Function Keys ..................................... Page 13 Report On Records Of Bottles Filled For One Specific Organization ................................ Page 13 Report On All Bottles Filled Between Two Specific Dates ....................................... Page 13 Summary Report Of Bottles Filled Between Two Specific Dates ....................................... Page 13 -------------------------------------------------------------- Add New PASS Units To Our Inventory .................. Page 14 Browse/Edit All PASS Inventory Records ............... Page 14 Search For/Edit An Inventory Item By Serial Number Or I.D. Number ................................ Page 15 Report On All PASS Units Due For A Battery Change ............................................... Page 15 Print Out The Maintenance History Of Each PASS Unit ............................................ Page 15 Print Out The Maintenance History For One PASS Unit ............................................ Page 16 -------------------------------------------------------------- Misc. Info ........................................... Page 16 Error Handling ....................................... Page 17 Registration ......................................... Page 17 Page 2 EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS ---------------------- This program will run on any IBM compatible computer with at least one high-density floppy drive. A hard drive is not required, but highly recommended. The program makes use of temporary files during its' operation, and running it from a floppy disk will produce very slow operation. A color monitor is also recommended, but not required. At least 384K of free memory is required. INSTALLATION ------------ Nothing to it. Just copy all of the files into a directory (I suggest SCBABOTL) , type SCBABOTL and press Enter. The minimum files needed are: 1. Scbabotl.exe the program file 2. Scbabotl.dbf the SCBA bottle inventory file 3. Fill_log.dbf the fill log file 4. Scbabotl.dbt the "maintenance notes" file for the bottle inventory 5. Deptname.dat the file which holds the "F" key programming 6. Passunit.dbf the PASS unit inventory file 7. Passunit.dbt the "maintenance notes" file for the PASS units When the program starts for the first time, "index" files are created. These files end in (.NTX) and are used to keep track of where the information in the (.DBF) files is stored, for quicker access. These index files are critical. If the program should terminate "abnormally", as in a power failure or a Ctrl-Alt-Del, the program will automatically create new index files the next time it is used. If one or more of the index files are accidentally or deliberately deleted, new ones will be created the next time the program is used. If the program is acting "weird", like it can't find a bottle you know is entered, one of the index files may have been damaged. Simply delete all of the files ending with (.NTX) and restart the program. If you copy the (*.D*) data files via DOS to another computer, you must also copy the (*.NTX) files. If you forget to do so, simply delete all the (*.NTX) files and the program will re-create them the next time the program is used. If you copy the files using the SCBABOTL Menu selections, this is handled automatically. Page 3 The program also supports two command line switches. If you experience "electronic snow" on your monitor when the display changes, start the program with the command: SCBABOTL /NS . This is only required if you are using an older CGA monitor. If you are using a non-color monitor, start the program with the command SCBABOTL /BW . This changes the display of menus, etc. for enhanced readability on monochrome monitors. The /BW and the /NS switches can be used at the same time as long as they are separated by a single "space"; i.e. SCBABOTL /NS /BW . Because of the temporary files used in this program, your CONFIG.SYS file should have a FILES=20 statement or the program may not run. Page 4 INTRODUCTION ---------------- This program was written to allow easy record keeping of Self Contained Breathing Apparatus bottles and PASS units. It is comprised of three distinct parts, one for keeping inventory and maintenance records for bottles you own, one for keeping records of all bottles you fill, whether for your organization or for someone else, and one for keeping track of your PASS units. Some of the information you enter in the "fill log" will be automatically transferred into your inventory file to keep your records up to date. GENERAL SCREEN NAVIGATION: -------------------------- To move the cursor around the screen, you use the "up" and "down" arrow keys. The "up arrow" will take you backwards to the previous item while the "down arrow" will take you to the next item. This holds true even if the next or previous item is on the same line. You cannot use the "left/right" arrow keys to move around the screen. Pressing the PgUp or PgDn keys will take you from any item on a data entry screen to a menu. Pressing the Esc key will do the same BUT if you have entered new information into a particular block, and the cursor is still in that block, pressing the Esc key will cause the new information to be erased and the old information replaced (if any), before it returns you to the menu. The program has been written to minimize the number of times the Enter key needs to be hit. If an entry accepts a certain number of characters and you type that many characters, the cursor automatically advances to the next item. Example: the PRESSURE entry accepts four digits. When you type the fourth digit the cursor moves to the next item. If you type less than four digits, you must press the Enter key to continue with the entries. When viewing the listings of different bottles, you can press the Ctrl+PgUp key combination to be taken to the beginning, or the Ctrl+PgDn key combination to go to the bottom of the list. Page 5 ADD NEW SCBA BOTTLES TO OUR INVENTORY: -------------------------------------- This selection allows you to add new bottles into your inventory. You must enter a PRESSURE. If the PRESSURE is 0 , the bottle will be automatically erased from the inventory. The I.D.# block is for the organizations using those small embossed stick-on property tags. The DURATION IN MINUTES entry mainly allows you to differentiate between the 4500 PSI 30 and 60 min. bottles. This entry must be in two digits. It also allows you to exclude a bottle from the "NEEDS REFILLED" report. Any bottle with a DURATION less than 30 minutes or equal to 99 minutes will only show up on that report if it needs a hydro test. All "bank" bottles could be entered with a DURATION of 99 , if you did not want to keep track of their filling. To prevent a bottle from showing up on the "OVER TWO AND A HALF MONTHS SINCE LAST FILLED" report, just set it's DURATION to less than 30. This is a good trick for the old 1800 PSI bottles used only for air tools, air bags, etc. Note that the DURATION entry must be two digits. The LAST KNOWN TO BE ON entry is strictly used as an aid in locating a specific bottle. It's use is optional. Bottles which are listed as needing refilled or a hydro test have this information shown. The ENTER NOTES selection pops up a window allowing you to enter maintenance info, such as gauge replacements, etc. Page 6 BROWSE/EDIT ALL SCBA INVENTORY RECORDS: --------------------------------------- This selection allows you to look through the inventory bottle by bottle. Use the PgUp, PgDn, and arrow keys to find the bottle you are looking for. The NOTES? column shows the number of lines of notes which were previously entered. Pressing the ESC key will return you to the main menu. Pressing the Enter key will bring up all the details on that bottle. Select any line to edit using the up/down arrow keys. Change if necessary, then press the Enter key repeatedly or the PgDn key once to return to the main menu. The LINES OF NOTES: block will be blank if no notes have been entered. SEARCH FOR/EDIT AN SCBA INVENTORY ENTRY BY SERIAL NO. OR I.D. NO. ----------------------------------------------------------------- This selection allows you to type in any portion of the SERIAL NUMBER or I.D. NUMBER and the program will search for that sequence of characters. If more than one match is found, a list of all bottles matching the search criteria will be displayed. Use the "up arrow", "down arrow", or the "PgUp" and "PgDn" keys to highlight the bottle you want from the list, and press Enter. If you type in the entire serial or ID number, the search is several times faster than if you only type part of the number. COPYING SCBA & PASS INVENTORY & FILL LOG FILES TO A FLOPPY DISK: ---------------------------------------------------------------- The data files can be copied to floppy disks easily for backup and for transferring the information between computers. Place the floppy disk in the disk drive, close the door, and select item "E" or "F" as desired. "E" copies the data files on to the floppy while "F" copies the data files off the floppy and on to the current drive. Just follow the instructions on the screen. Page 7 GO TO SCBA BOTTLE INVENTORY REPORTS MENU: ----------------------------------------- This selection takes you to the menu for inventory reports. REPORT A SUMMARY OF THE INVENTORY BY BOTTLE TYPE: ------------------------------------------------- This report scans your inventory picking out each different combination of pressure and duration, and then totals them. For example, the report will show how many 4500 psi/30 minute bottles you have, how many 4500 psi/45 minute bottles you have, etc. Up to nineteen different combinations of pressure/ duration can be displayed. If you have more than that, the remainder will be lumped together under "OTHER:" . PRINT OUT A LISTING OF THE ENTIRE SCBA BOTTLE INVENTORY: -------------------------------------------------------- This report is simply a listing of every bottle you have in your inventory. The program displays how many pages will be printed, with forty five bottles per page. Pressing Esc anytime during the printing will give you the option of aborting the printout. Normally, this report would be printed rather infrequently, just when you have made major additions to or deletions from your inventory. The bottles are listed in this order: 1. Pressure, from lowest to highest. 2. Duration, from lowest to highest. 3. Last Hydro Test Date. from earliest to latest. Example: 4500 psi/30 minute bottles are always listed before 4500 psi/60 minute bottles, and the first 4500 psi/30 minute bottle on the list will be the 4500 psi/30 minute bottle with the earliest hydro date. Page 8 PRINT OUT THE MAINTENANCE HISTORY OF EACH BOTTLE: ------------------------------------------------- This selection prints out a separate page for each SCBA bottle. The printout has all of your "maintenance notes" shown. Normally, you use this only once, after you had entered all of your bottles into the program. You would then place the printouts in a notebook, adding the maintenance notes by hand. After a bottle had some handwritten notes written on it's page, you could go into the program and enter the notes. You would then use the next menu selection to print out a new page for your notebook. PRINT OUT THE MAINTENANCE HISTORY OF ONE SCBA BOTTLE: ----------------------------------------------------- This selection allows you to pick one bottle by it's serial number or I.D. number and print out the page with it's maintenance history. (see above) REPORT ON ALL BOTTLES REQUIRING A HYDRO TEST WITHIN 60 DAYS: ------------------------------------------------------------ This report searches your inventory for all bottles that have an expired hydro test or will need one within sixty days. It will display a listing of all such bottles. Pressing the Enter key gives you the option of printing the list. Page 9 REPORT ON ALL BOTTLES REQUIRING HYDRO TEST OR REFILLING: -------------------------------------------------------- This selection searches your inventory bottles for two conditions: 1. The LAST HYDRO DATE has expired or will expire within sixty days, or 2. The LAST FILLED DATE was more than two and a half weeks ago and the DURATION IN MINUTES is greater than 29 and less than 99. The LAST FILLED DATE cycle is based on the NFPA 1500 "three month maximum." Any bottle meeting at least one of these conditions will be displayed on the screen. Use the "arrow" or "PgUp" and "PgDn" keys to scroll through the listing. Pressing the Enter key will give you the option of printing the list. REPORT ON ALL BOTTLES REQUIRING A HYDRO TEST BETWEEN SELECTED DATES (for budgeting purposes) ------------------------------------------------------------- This report allows you to get some information for budget purposes. You enter a starting and ending date, plus a guesstimate of how much it costs to test/overhaul one bottle. The program scans the inventory for all bottles that will need a hydro test within the specified time period. A summary list of each combination of pressure/duration will be displayed, as well as an estimate of the total cost. The program can handle up to nineteen different combinations of pressure/duration, with anything over that displayed under the "OTHER:" heading. Several vendors charge different prices dependent upon the pressure or capacity of the bottle, so this makes a good summary report. Pressing the P key will print this summary. Pressing the Enter key will display the actual list of bottles. Pressing the Enter key again will give you the option of printing the entire list of bottles. The program makes the assumption that a bottle that was last tested in February (for example) will be retested in February again, not in January. The program will NOT report on any bottle that will need a hydro before or after the specified dates, even if the bottle is currently "out of date." Page 10 GO TO THE RECORD DELETION MENU: ------------------------------- After entering the password, this selection allows you to selectively erase records from the fill log by date, erase all of the fill log, erase all of the SCBA inventory file, erase all of the PASS inventory file, or erase one specific bottle from the inventory, selected by it's serial number. FILL LOG INSTRUCTIONS ===================== This section of the program allows you to enter the information about when each SCBA bottle was filled. The information is entered into a file separate from the file containing your inventory information. The use of separate files allows you to keep track of all bottles you fill for other organizations as well as your own. If you have entered any of your own bottles, the information in the "fill log" file is automatically matched against your inventory file. If the SERIAL NUMBER or I.D. NUMBER of a new entry exactly matches a bottle that had been previously entered into your inventory, the new LAST FILLED DATE, FILLED BY, ENTRY BY, DATE OF ENTRY, and LAST KNOWN TO BE ON data is transferred into your inventory file to automatically update your records. ENTER INFO ABOUT NEWLY FILLED BOTTLES: -------------------------------------- This is where you enter the information about all bottles your organization has filled for anybody, including your own bottles. The operation is similar to the inventory section when you are entering information about bottles owned by another organization. When you are entering information about bottles you own, a "short cut" data entry function is used. When you press the F1 key (which has your organization's name programmed to it), the data entry screen changes slightly. Because the Working Pressure, Serial Number, and Last Hydro Test Date are already stored in the inventory file, all you have to do is enter either the Serial Number or the I.D. number plus the information on when the bottle was filled. Page 11 After you fill in the "Entry By" block, the program will go into the inventory file and search for an exact match between the characters you typed on the "Serial No. or I.D.#:" line. If it finds an exact match, the Pressure, Serial Number, and Last Hydro Test Date are automatically filled in for you. After verifying the information is correct, press any key except Esc to accept the entry. If there was an error, press the Esc key and the entry will be erased. If no match can be found for either the I.D.# or Serial Number, the program will beep once, and flash a message on the screen informing you that you will need to enter the remaining info manually. Although this might seem confusing, it is actually quite easy to use. The main advantage is that those organizations using I.D. numbers to track their bottles can now use them to enter the information without having to resort to "I.D.# TO SERIAL NUMBER" cross reference sheets. It has the advantage of reducing the number of total keystrokes needed to enter the data for all users. It also allows you to review some of the information in the inventory file. If you see that your newly filled bottle has a later hydro date than what the program shows, you know the inventory file needs updated. The first time you fill in the "Entry By:" block with your initials, they are temporarily stored in the computer's memory. They will then "pop up" on all subsequent entries, similar to how the "Entry Date:" block automatically "pops up" the current date. This eliminates even more redundant typing. BROWSE/EDIT ALL RECORDS, FROM THE BOTTOM UP: -------------------------------------------- This selection allows you to review all the records in the "fill log" file. It starts at the most recent "last filled" date. You have to use the "up arrow" or "PgUp" keys to get to older records. It will probably be used mainly to find records which need corrected, like the one you just put in. Page 12 PROGRAM BOTTLE OWNER OR ORGANIZATION NAMES TO FUNCTION KEYS: ------------------------------------------------------------ This selection allows you to enter the names of the different organizations whose bottles you fill. The names are assigned to one of the "F" keys. When you need to enter their name, just push the appropriate "F" key, and VOILA! The program requires that your organization's name be programmed to the F1 key, or the short cut entry function for adding bottles to the fill log will not work properly. REPORT ON RECORDS OF BOTTLES FILLED FOR ONE SPECIFIC ORGANIZATION: ------------------------------------------------------------------ This selection allows you to enter a name of an organization, a starting and ending date, and the program will display and/or print out the list. Useful for billing purposes, or to justify your time, etc. Organizations without their own compressors appreciate a year-end report showing which bottles you have filled for them. The name you enter here must match the name the bottle was entered with EXACTLY. REPORT ON ALL BOTTLES FILLED BETWEEN TWO SPECIFIC DATES: -------------------------------------------------------- This selection allows you to enter a starting and ending date, and the program will display and/or print a list of every such bottle. Useful for monthly reports & convincing the Chief you really do need a larger and faster compressor. SUMMARY REPORT OF BOTTLES FILLED BETWEEN TWO SPECIFIC DATES: ------------------------------------------------------------ This report shows only the total number of bottles filled for each organization on and between the two specified dates. The program can handle up to nineteen different names. If you have used more names than that, the remainder will be lumped together under the "OTHER:" heading. This is a particularly useful activity summary since it is not cluttered up with serial numbers, etc. Page 13 ADD NEW PASS UNITS TO OUR INVENTORY: ------------------------------------ The items on this screen are self-explanatory, with a few exceptions. The MANUFACTURER block is used only as a reference item. When you print out the inventory listing, the PASS units will be grouped according to this block, thus consistency is important. If you put some units in inventory with a MANUFACTURER of "THE PASS MAKERS INT'L CO." and some in with just "PASS MAKERS INT'L CO.", the inventory listing will have two separate groupings. It doesn't affect how the program operates, just how the printout looks. When adding new units to the inventory, the very first MANUFACTURER and MODEL NAME OR NUMBER entries will be stored in the computer's temporary memory. This allows them to "pop up" on all subsequent entries, eliminating a lot of redundant typing and potential misspelling. If you need to change them for subsequent entries, just type over them and the new names or numbers will replace the old ones. The LAST BATTERY CHANGE block allows a report to be generated which shows all PASS units having a battery that was installed more than eleven months previous. The OUT OF SERVICE blocks give you a quick look at whether a unit has been sent out for repair and how long ago that was. Each unit MUST have a SERIAL NUMBER or I.D. # entry or the unit will be automatically erased. BROWSE/EDIT ALL PASS INVENTORY RECORDS: --------------------------------------- This selection allows you to look through the inventory unit by unit. Use the PgUp, PgDn, and arrow keys to find the one you are looking for. Press the Enter key to bring up all the details on that unit. Select any line to edit using the up/down arrow keys. Change if necessary, then press the Enter key repeatedly or the PgDn key once to return to the main menu. If you delete all of the SERIAL NUMBER and I.D. # characters, the PASS unit will be automatically erased from the inventory when you leave the screen. Page 14 SEARCH FOR/EDIT AN INVENTORY ENTRY BY SERIAL NO. OR I.D. NO.: ------------------------------------------------------------- This selection allows you to type in any portion of the SERIAL # or I.D. # and the program will search for that particular sequence of characters. If more than one match is found, use the "up" and "down" arrow keys to highlight the one you are looking for and press the Enter key. REPORT ON ALL PASS UNITS DUE FOR A BATTERY CHANGE: -------------------------------------------------- This selection displays a list of all PASS units that have not had a battery replacement within the previous eleven months. Pressing the Enter key from this screen gives you the option of printing this list. PRINT OUT A LISTING OF ALL PASS UNITS IN INVENTORY: --------------------------------------------------- Like it says... PRINT OUT THE MAINTENANCE HISTORY OF EACH PASS UNIT: ---------------------------------------------------- This selection prints out a separate page for each PASS unit. The printout has all of your "maintenance notes" shown. Normally, you use this only once, after you had entered all of your units into the program. You would then place the printouts in a notebook, adding the maintenance notes by hand. After a unit had some handwritten notes written on it's page, you could go into the program and enter the notes. You would then use the next menu selection to print out a new page for your notebook. Page 15 PRINT OUT THE MAINTENANCE HISTORY FOR ONE PASS UNIT: ---------------------------------------------------- This selection allows you to pick one unit by it's serial number or I.D. number and print out the page with it's maintenance history. (see above) MISC. INFO ========== 1. To erase a specific bottle from the fill log or SCBA inventory, simply change it's PRESSURE entry to 0 . Use menu selection "C" to find the bottle. After you change it's pressure to O and leave the data entry screen, the program will erase it before returning to the menu. For inventory bottles only, you can also use the main menu selection "H", Record Deletion Menu to erase specific bottles by entering their serial number. 2. To erase a specific PASS unit from the inventory, simply delete all of it's SERIAL NUMBER and I.D.# characters. After you leave the data entry screen, the program will erase it before returning to the menu. 3. The file FILL_LOG.FRM is a basic form you can use to log the filling of SCBA bottles, if you do not already have one. The layout is in the same order as you will enter information into the SCBABOTL program. If your printer supports IBM graphics, you can print it by typing at the DOS prompt: COPY FILL_LOG.FRM PRN and pressing Enter . If you have an older Epson printer (for example), all of the lines and borders will have italicized numbers instead of single and double lines. This is because the printer does not support extended ANSI graphics. Not too much you can do except make up your own form or use a different printer. 4. This file, MANUAL.DOC , can be printed with the same type of command: COPY MANUAL.DOC PRN and press Enter. The file has embedded form feeds so that the pages will be printed properly. Page 16 ERROR HANDLING -------------- Any serious errors in the program will cause a pop-up window to be displayed giving technical details on the problem. These errors include missing or corrupted files, screw ups when I wrote the routine, etc. If you can, use Print Screen to capture this data. A file with the name of CLIP?.ERR will also be written to your disk with this information. The "?" will be replaced by a number, starting with "zero." Each time a new CLIP?.ERR file is written to the disk, the "?" is increased by "one." Example: CLIP0.ERR CLIP1.ERR CLIP2.ERR Please be sure to send this information along with a description of how the problem was encountered when you complain. REGISTRATION ------------ This program is "user-supported" software, a.k.a. shareware. That means I will continue to improve it and offer it as long as I know people out there are using it and supporting my efforts. The registration price comes no where near to reimbursing me for my time, and it is not intended to. The price covers my costs of distributing the program, including postage and post cards telling of new versions. I hate software manufacturers who offer low initial prices, then zing you for upgrades every six months or so. When you register this program, you will receive instructions for deactivating the shareware commercial at program start up, and your name will appear on top of the reports. This means you can receive all the benefits of future improvements and new features for just the price of one copy. So, folks, please take the time to evaluate the program and offer any suggestions or criticisms. In this way, we both can profit. To print out the registration form, at the DOS prompt type: COPY REGISTER.DOC PRN and press Enter. I would appreciate a check sent with the registration. If that is impossible, I will accept purchase orders. I would prefer to avoid that route as it just raises my costs. Personal checks are fine; if you were going to "stiff" me, you wouldn't bounce a check, you just wouldn't register. Page 17