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Checkbook Management Program
Pressing <P> here will print the report with each category starting a
fresh page.
The program then asks about page numbers. If you do not want the pages
numbered, press <N>. This was requested by some users who wanted to
distribute selected pages but not all pages. If the page numbers were
printed, the recipients of the report wondered what happened to the
missing pages.
Since this report does not appear on the screen, but is only for the
printer, the program then asks you to verify your printer is on and
positioned properly, then press any key except <Q>. If you have no
printer, or if you decide to stop here, press <Q> and you will return
to the Report Menu. If you have no printer and you press anything but
<Q>, your system will die and you will have to reboot.
Your report now appears on the printer. The report starts a new page
after 27 transactions have been printed. Each category starts on a new
page unless compact printing is selected. The categories are printed
in alphabetical order. The total deposits for this category and the
total withdrawals for this category will appear at the end of each
category.
Heading explanations:
Check # - The check number or transaction type identifier.
Date - Date of the transaction.
To Whom - Recipient of a check, or explanation of other transaction
types. If the memo area of a non-check transaction is not blank,
the memo information is printed on the first line instead of the
second.
Amount - Amount of the check, deposit, etc.
Category - Budget category (these will be the same for each section of
the report).
Clr - If any character appears, the transaction has cleared the bank.
If not, then it hasn't.
The second line for each check is the information entered in the memo
field for that check.
If there are no transactions in the data file for the dates requested,
the message "None found" will appear.
Only the first fifty (50) categories found in any given time interval
will be printed. Categories omitted will be listed on the screen. The
Transactions in a Category Report can be used to fill any gaps.
- Page 40 -
Checkbook Management Program
Annual Expenditure Report
This report produces a table of the total amounts spent per month for
every budget category. Totals are given for each month and each
category. Budget categories are displayed in alphabetical order. You
will be asked to supply the last two digits of the year the report is
to cover. This report can be printed or displayed.
When this report is chosen, the program asks for the year to report on.
Enter the year the report is to cover. (If you have defined a fiscal
year other than the calendar year, the month appearing here will be the
first month of your fiscal year. Enter the year for that month.) You
have a choice of three things to enter here. These are:
Q <enter> - Quit - Return to the Report Menu.
The four digits of the year. For example, 1985. You must then
press <enter>.
The last two digits of the year, for example, 85. You must then
press <enter>.
The program will then search for the components of the report. One of
three messages will appear on the screen next. These are:
1. More than 50 categories. Some will be omitted.
If this message appears, your report will be incomplete. The category
(or categories) listed will not appear on the report. However, the
program will continue and will eventually display the third message
below.
2. Nothing to report.
If this message appears, your data file has no debit transactions
(checks, AutoTeller Withdrawals, or bank charges) for this year. Press
any key to continue. The Reports Menu will then reappear.
3. Print or Display the report.
Press one of three letters (case makes no difference):
S - Display the report on the screen.
P - Display the report on the printer.
Q - Return to the Report Menu.
If you press <P>, you have one more task before the report begins.
Verify your printer is on and positioned properly, then press any key
except <Q>. If you have no printer, or if you decide to stop here,
press <Q> and you will return to the Report Menu. If you have no
printer and you press anything but <Q>, your system will die and you
will have to reboot.
Your report will now appear. Page one covers the months January
through July, while page two reports on the rest of the year, the
- Page 41 -
Checkbook Management Program
annual totals, and the monthly average. The budget categories down the
left-hand column are in alphabetical order. The monthly average is
calculated for the number of months for which there is information. If
you have entries for July through September only, the average is
calculated over those three months, not twelve.
If you have requested a fiscal year other than the calendar year, the
order of the months will reflect your fiscal year.
Totals for each month/category combination represent the total of the
amounts on all checks, Automatic Teller Withdrawals, and bank charges
which have dates for that month/year combination and which have that
category. Totals for each month (at the bottom of each page) are a
summation of the numbers appearing in the column directly above them.
That is, it is the total amount of money spent for all categories for
that month of that year.
Totals in the next to last right-hand column of the second page are the
summation of amounts for all outlays for that budget category for the
year. If you total all amounts for a particular budget category across
both pages, you will get the total in this column.
The final figure on the second page, bottom row, next-to-last column is
the total amount of money drawn from this account for one reason or
another for the entire year.
Annual Income Report
This report produces a table of the total amounts deposited per month
for every budget category. Totals are given for each month and each
category. Budget categories are displayed in alphabetical order. You
will be asked to supply the last two digits of the year the report is
to cover. This report can be printed or displayed.
When this report is chosen, the program asks for the year to report on.
Enter the year the report is to cover. (If you have defined a fiscal
year other than the calendar year, the month appearing here will be the
first month of your fiscal year. Enter the year for that month.) You
have a choice of three things to enter here. These are:
Q <enter> - Quit - Return to the Report Menu.
The four digits of the year. For example, 1985. You must then
press <enter>.
The last two digits of the year, for example, 85. You must then
press <enter>.
The program will then search for the components of the report. One of
three messages will appear on the screen next. These are:
1. More than 50 categories. Some will be omitted.
If this message appears, your report will be incomplete. The category
- Page 42 -
Checkbook Management Program
(or categories) listed will not appear on the report. However, the
program will continue and will eventually display the third message
below.
2. Nothing to report.
If this message appears, your data file has no credit transactions
(deposits, AutoTeller Deposits, or bank interest) for this year. Press
any key to continue. The Reports Menu will then reappear.
3. Print or Display the report.
Press one of three letters (case makes no difference):
S - Display the report on the screen.
P - Display the report on the printer.
Q - Return to the Report Menu.
If you press <P>, you have one more task before the report begins.
Verify your printer is on and positioned properly, then press any key
except <Q>. If you have no printer, or if you decide to stop here,
press <Q> and you will return to the Report Menu. If you have no
printer and you press anything but <Q>, your system will die and you
will have to reboot.
Your report will now appear. Page one covers the months January
through July, while page two reports on the rest of the year, the
annual totals, and the monthly average. The budget categories down the
left-hand column are in alphabetical order. The monthly average is
calculated for the number of months for which there is information. If
you have entries for July through September only, the average is
calculated over those three months, not twelve.
If you have requested a fiscal year other than the calendar year, the
order of the months will reflect your fiscal year.
Totals for each month/category combination represent the total of the
amounts on all deposits, Automatic Teller Deposits, and interest which
have dates for that month/year combination and which have that
category. Totals for each month (at the bottom of each page) are a
summation of the numbers appearing in the column directly above them.
That is, it is the total amount of money deposited for all categories
for that month of that year.
Totals in the next to last right-hand column of the second page are the
summation of amounts for all income for that budget category for the
year. If you total all amounts for a particular budget category across
both pages, you will get the total in this column.
The final figure on the second page, bottom row, next-to-last column is
the total amount of money deposited to this account for one reason or
another for the entire year.
- Page 43 -
Checkbook Management Program
Summary Report
This report produces a table of the total amounts spent and deposited
per month. Totals are given for each for the year. You will be asked
to supply the last two digits of the year the report is to cover. This
report can be displayed on the screen or printed on a printer.
When this report is chosen, the program asks which year the report is
to cover. Enter the year the report is to cover. (If you have defined
a fiscal year other than the calendar year, the month appearing here
will be the first month of your fiscal year. Enter the year for that
month.) You have a choice of three things to enter here. These are:
Q <enter> - Quit - Return to the Report Menu.
The four digits of the year. For example, 1985. You must then
press <enter>.
The last two digits of the year, for example, 85. You must then
press <enter>.
The program will then search for the components of the report. One of
two messages will appear on the screen next. These are:
1. Nothing to report.
If this message appears, your data file has no transactions for this
year. Press any key to continue. The Reports Menu will then reappear.
2. Print or Display report.
Press one of three letters (case makes no difference):
S - Display the report on the screen.
P - Display the report on the printer.
Q - Return to the Report Menu.
If you press <P>, you have one more task before the report begins.
Verify your printer is on and positioned properly, then press any key
except <Q>. If you have no printer, or if you decide to stop here,
press <Q> and you will return to the Report Menu. If you have no
printer and you press anything but <Q>, your system will die and you
will have to reboot.
Your report will now be printed out. Each line pertains to one month
and shows the total amount deposited to the account and the total
amount withdrawn from the account for that month of that year. The
totals for the year appear at the bottom of the report.
If you have requested a fiscal year other than the calendar year, the
months will be in order beginning with the initial month of your fiscal
year.
- Page 44 -
Checkbook Management Program
Utilities
When the Utility Menu first appears, the first option (Quit) is
highlighted in reverse video. Use the arrow keys to move up and down
the list until the function you wish to use is highlighted. Press
<enter> to select that option. An alternate form of selecting an
option on this menu is to press the number which appears inside the
parentheses (2 for Category Maintenance, for example).
Quit - Return to the Main Menu.
Name or Bias Change - This option allows you to change the account name
and/or the bias amount for this account.
Category Maintenance - This option allows you to change every
occurrence of a specified category name to something else. The
new name can be a completely new one or an existing one. This
allows you to readily change misspellings, combine two categories
into a single one, or change a name to something more meaningful
to you.
System Customization - This option allows you to customize the program
to work the way you want it to. Items which you may change
include the colors the program uses for a color monitor, defining
a fiscal year to begin at a date other than January 1, and
redefining the number of printable lines per page.
Find by Contents - This option allows you to print or display all
transactions having some specified combination of characters in
either the "To Whom" field or the "Memo" field.
Sort Transactions by Date - This option allows you to rearrange the
order transactions are displayed. Once sorted, the transactions
cannot be placed back in their original order. This sort is by
the date entered on the transaction. If two transactions have the
same date, they will be further sorted by check number, then by
transaction type.
Sort Transactions by Check Number - This option allows you to rearrange
the order transactions are displayed. Once sorted, the
transactions cannot be placed back in their original order. This
sort is by the check number entered on the transaction. If two
transactions have the same check number (or are the same
transaction type), they will be further sorted by date.
Name or Bias Change
This option allows you to change the account name or the bias amount
entered in the initialization process.
When this option is selected, the screen displays the current account
name in reverse video. Make any changes you feel are necessary to the
name. When you are satisfied with the way it looks, press <enter>.
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Checkbook Management Program
The old bias amount will then be displayed. Make those changes you
feel necessary. If none is needed, press <enter>. Press <enter> when
the amount is satisfactory.
The program will make the needed changes to the balance to reflect any
change in the bias amount and will use the new name and bias amount
from now on. You will next see the Utility Menu again.
Category Maintenance
This option allows you to change every occurrence of a specified
category name to something else. The new name can be a completely new
one or an existing one. This allows you to readily change
misspellings, combine two categories into a single one, or change a
name to something more meaningful to you. This function also corrects
the file which keeps the current categories.
When this option is selected, the screen changes to display your
categories, which will appear on the screen in alphabetical order. The
number preceding each category name is its code number. Type the code
number of the category being replaced and press <enter>. To stop at
this point, press <0>, then press <enter>.
If you enter zero, you will return to the Utility Menu. If you enter
a valid number, the screen asks for the new contents. Carefully type
the new category name. This new name can be a completely new category
or any of the existing category names. When it is complete, press
<enter>. If you change your mind and decide not to change it at all,
press <enter> or enter a string of blanks. In this case, you will
return to the Utility Menu. Or, you can press <F10> to pop-up a
picklist of current categories.
Once you enter the new name, the program goes to work. The program is
now searching your data file to find every occurrence of the category
you chose. Each occurrence will be replaced with the new category
name.
When all transactions have been examined, the screen displays the
number of transactions having the old category.
To replace other categories, press <M> and the first screen of this
section will reappear. To return to the Utility Menu, press any other
key.
System Customization
This option allows you to customize the program to work the way you
want it to. Items which you may change include the colors the program
uses for a color monitor, defining a fiscal year to begin at a date
other than January 1, and redefining the number of printable lines per
page. Default values for these are:
Regular video: White letters on Blue
Reverse video: White letters on Red
- Page 46 -
Checkbook Management Program
Printable lines per page: 55.
Fiscal year begins in January.
Default categories: Checks none
Deposits INCOME
AT Withdrawals CASH
Bank Transactions BANK
When this option is chosen, the screen shows the current values. The
current assignments for the various print colors will appear on the
appropriate lines. The two "Examples" will demonstrate the color
choices as you rotate through them. When in the field for number of
printed lines per page, type the new number, then press <enter>.
Use the following keys to navigate this screen:
space bar - Rotates the next selection for the cursor's field into
view. If changing colors, the appropriate Example will change to
reflect the effect of this color change.
enter - "Selects" the currently displayed value. When <enter> is
pressed while the cursor is in the box following "Satisfied?", the
changes appearing on the screen are incorporated into the program.
The Utility Menu reappears displaying your new colors. The
choices are also recorded in the file CUSTOM.DAT so that they will
be in effect the next time you run the program.
tab - For most of the fields, the <tab> key operates exactly as the
<enter> key does. It selects the current value for the cursor's
field and moves the cursor to the next field. However, if <tab>
is pressed while the cursor is in the "Satisfied?" field, the
cursor moves to the first field on the screen (Regular video
background).
Q,q - Leaves the screen and makes any changes appearing on the screen
permanent.
back tab - Moves the cursor to the previous field.
home - Moves the cursor to the first field (Regular video background).
end - Moves the cursor to the last field on the screen (Satisfied?).
down arrow - Moves the cursor to the next field.
up arrow - Moves the cursor to the previous field.
When the values on the screen are the way you want them to be, move the
cursor to the box following the word "Satisfied?" and press <enter>.
This exits the screen, writes the new values to the file CUSTOM.DAT,
and activates any changes. When the Utility Menu reappears, it will be
displayed in the new colors. If the program detects a monochrome
monitor in use in monochrome mode, the colors are ignored.
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Checkbook Management Program
Find by Contents
This option allows you to print or display all transactions having some
specified combination of characters in either the "To Whom" field or
the "Memo" field.
Enter the string of characters you wish to search for. Up to 40
characters may be entered (this is also the maximum size for the two
fields being searched - "To Whom" and "Memo"). You do not need to
enter the full forty characters. In fact, you do not have to enter any
complete words. Whatever characters you enter are the ones it will
search for.
If you enter ter as your string, possible matches would include
"terminal", "computer", "water", and "sternwheeler". However, if you
had entered a blank before the ter , only " terminal" would have
matched, from the same list of possible fields. Be careful of case, as
water and Water will not match.
Once you have entered your string, the program asks for the report
destination. Press one of three letters (case makes no difference):
S - Display the report on the screen.
P - Display the report on the printer.
Q - Return to the Report Menu.
If you press <P>, you have one more task before the report begins.
Verify your printer is on and positioned properly, then press any key
except <Q>. If you have no printer, or if you decide to stop here,
press <Q> and you will return to the Utility Menu. If you have no
printer and you press anything but <Q>, your system will die and you
will have to reboot.
Your report now appears, either on screen or on paper, depending on
the option you chose. The screen version will pause after displaying
8 transactions, to continue once any key is pressed. The printed
version starts a new page after 27 transactions have been printed. The
total amount of the deposits for this report and the total amount of
withdrawals for this amount will appear at the end of the report.
Heading explanations:
Check # - The check number or transaction type.
Date - Date of the transaction.
To Whom - Check payee, or transaction explanation.
Amount - Amount of the transaction.
Category - Budget category.
Clr - If any character appears, the transaction has cleared the bank.
If not, then it hasn't.
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Checkbook Management Program
If there are no transactions in the data file with the requested string
of characters, the phrase xxxxxxx not found will appear (where xxxxxxx
is the requested search string).
Sort Transactions by Date
This option allows you to rearrange the order transactions are
displayed. Once sorted, the transactions cannot be placed back in
their original order. This sort is by the date entered on the
transaction. If two transactions have the same date, they will be
further sorted by check number, then by transaction type.
When this option is selected, the program warns you not to interrupt
the process. You are also urged to make a backup before continuing
with this option.
The larger your data file is, the longer this process will take. If
your transactions are very scrambled (by date), this will also slow
down this process. It took ten minutes to sort a 1000 record file with
records almost in order. Once you begin this process, let it run
UNINTERRUPTED to its conclusion. If you interrupt it, it is extremely
likely that your data file will be unusable.
If you decide to stop the process at this point, press any key other
than <Y> and the Utility Menu will reappear. If you decide to proceed,
press <Y>. The message "One moment please..." will appear. An
additional period will appear at the beginning of each pass through the
data file. When the file has been completely sorted, the Utility Menu
will reappear.
Sort Transactions by Check Number
This option allows you to rearrange the order transactions are
displayed. Once sorted, the transactions cannot be placed back in
their original order. This sort is by the check number entered on the
transaction. If two transactions have the same number (or are the same
transaction type), they will be further sorted by date.
When this option is selected, the program warns you not to interrupt
the process. You are also urged to make a backup before continuing
with this option.
The larger your data file is, the longer this process will take. If
your transactions are very scrambled, this will also slow down this
process. It took ten minutes to sort a 1000 record file with records
almost in order. Once you begin this process, let it run UNINTERRUPTED
to its conclusion. If you interrupt it, it is extremely likely that
your data file will be unusable.
If you decide to stop the process at this point, press any key other
than <Y> and the Utility Menu will reappear. If you decide to proceed,
press <Y>. The message "One moment please..." will appear. An
additional period will appear at the beginning of each pass through the
- Page 49 -
Checkbook Management Program
data file. When the file has been completely sorted, the Utility Menu
will reappear.
Print Checks Menu
This option presents the Check Printing Menu, which enables the user to
select checks for printing, set the lines and columns for the check
information, or print a grid which can be used to determine the proper
row and column numbers to use in the set-up process.
When selected, the screen displays the Print Checks Menu. When this
first appears, the first option (Quit) is highlighted in reverse video.
Use the arrow keys to move up and down the list until the function you
wish to use is highlighted. Press <enter> to select that option. An
alternate form of selecting an option on this menu is to press the
number which appears inside the parentheses (2 to set printer options,
for example).
Quit - Return to the Main Menu.
Print Checks - This option allows you to select the checks to be
printed, do an optional alignment check, then print them.
Set Printer Options - This option allows you to select the exact
placement of items to be printed on checks, which items to leave
off the checks, specify whether the stub of the check precedes,
follows, or is next to the check or not to be printed at all,
specify a single printer set-up command, and indicate if a laser
printer is being used. Additional information on this option
follows.
Print Grid - This option allows you to print a sample grid on your
printer to see exactly where each row and column is. This will
help you decide the row and column placement for each item which
is to appear on the check or stub. Additional information on this
option follows.
Print Checks
This option allows you to select the checks to be printed, do an
optional alignment check, then print them. When selected, the program
will ask for the checks to print.
You have two ways to enter check numbers of the checks to be printed.
You can have the program print all checks within a range or you can
select individual checks. These can be mixed any way you want.
To have the program print all checks in a range of check numbers, enter
the lower check number in the first blank and the higher check number
in the second blank. The program will search the file and select all
checks with numbers in that range (the end numbers are included in the
printed set). Use this option with care, as a check which has been
split for more than one category will issue a separate check for each
category. The program will tell you how many checks it found to print.
- Page 50 -
Checkbook Management Program
To have the program print individual checks, enter the desired check
number in the first blank and leave the second blank empty. The
program will search for that check number only. If multiple
occurrences of the check number appear, the program will total all
amounts to reach a single check amount. This could happen if a check
is split between two or more categories. When the program has
assembled the information for this single check, the check will appear
on the screen and you will be asked to verify that this is the check
you want printed.
When you have specified all the individual checks and ranges of checks
to be printed at this time, leave both spaces blank, pressing <enter>
twice.
At this time, the program asks if you want to print an alignment check.
If you would like to print an alignment check to verify that the checks
are lined up correctly in your printer, press <Y>. You will be
prompted to turn on the printer and press any key to continue. This
message will repeat until you answer <N>.
If you are completely satisfied that everything is set correctly for
printing checks, press <Y> and the selected checks will be printed on
the printer. Press <N> to stop the process here.
If you press <Y>, the program asks you to verify the printer is ready.
Press <Q> to abort this process. Press any other key to print the
checks.
If <N> is selected above or when the checks have finished printing, the
program returns to the Print Checks Menu.
Set Printer Options
This option allows you to select the exact placement of items to be
printed on checks, which items to leave off the checks, specify whether
the stub of the check precedes, follows, or is next to the check or not
to be printed at all, specify a single printer set-up command, and
indicate if a laser printer is being used. When selected, the program
displays the current settings.
Customize them to suit your circumstances. Fields are as follows:
Check is XX lines long - This is the total number of lines between the
top of one check and the top of the next. Most printers print 6
lines per inch, so the program is set up for checks which measure
7 inches from top to bottom.
Stub is XX lines long - This is the total number of lines for the stub
portion of a check. Most printers print 6 lines per inch, so the
program is set up for checks for which exactly half of the check
(horizontally) is devoted to stub information.
Stub (precedes check) - This informs the program on the placement of
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Checkbook Management Program
the stub relative to the check. Press the space bar to rotate
through the four options. The four options are:
Precedes check - The stub is printed before the corresponding
check information. This is the program default.
Follows check - The stub is printed after the corresponding check
information.
Is to left of check - The stub information is printed at the same
time as the check information, but on the left portion of the
form.
Is not printed - Stub information is not printed at all. Only
check information is printed in this case. All stub settings
will be ignored.
The center of the screen is divided into two identical halves. The
left half refers to the information to be printed on the check portion
of the check/stub combination and the right half refers to the
information to be printed on the stub portion. Lines refer to the
number of lines from the top of that portion of the check. Columns
refer to the number of characters from the leftmost print position. It
may take some experimenting on plain paper to see if the alignment is
correct before saving the values.
Date - The placement of the check date.
Numeric Amount - The placement of the amount in arabic numerals. The
maximum check amount for this program is $999,999.99.
Written Amount - The placement of the amount in English.
To Whom - The placement for the payee name.
Memo - The placement for the memo area.
If you want to suppress the printing for any of these fields, place a
zero (0) in the row portion of the data for that field. For example,
if you want the memo information to appear on the stub portion, but not
the check portion, enter a zero in the row column for the memo
information on the right half of the screen.
When printing checks - Pressing the space bar will toggle between the
two options for this: print checks continuously (the default) and
pause before printing each check. Select the first option if your
checks are on pin-feed, continuous paper. Select the second if
your checks are in sheet form. This will cause the computer to
pause before printing each check so that you can align the paper.
Printer set-up string - Most printers can accept set-up string commands
to override the conditions found at the time they are turned on,
such as a command to change the pitch from 10 to 12 characters per
inch. This line allows you to enter a single command string.
This string will then be used before any check printing. Enter
the string as a set of numbers, separated by commas.
- Page 52 -
Checkbook Management Program
For example, a command to change my IBM ProPrinter from draft
quality to near- letter quality print is <B>esc G<D>. This would
be entered as 27,71 The proper numeric (decimal) codes are
included in the manual that accompanies your printer.
Laser Printer? - Laser printers are more difficult to align than pin-
feed printers, as the first two or three lines and the last two or
three lines of each page are not accessible. The only laser
checks supported by this program are those which print two checks
per page. If you have a laser printer, answer yes. If you do not
have a laser printer, answer no.
Adjustment - This field appears only if the laser printer option is yes
(see below). Enter the number of lines at the top and bottom of
each sheet that are inaccessible. If the top 1/2 inch and the
bottom 1/2 inch cannot be printed on, enter the number 3 here.
When each field is defined properly, press <end> (or press <enter>
until you reach the end), and a new line appears on the screen, asking
if you want to print an alignment check.
Press <Y> to have a sample check print out showing how the fields will
line up. Press <N> to skip this step. Once you answer this question
no, the program asks if you are satisfied.
If you are satisfied with the numbers and alignment check, press <Y>
and the values will be written permanently to disk. Press <N> to abort
this process. Regardless of which answer is given, the Print Checks
Menu reappears.
Print Grid
This option allows you to print a sample grid on your printer to see
exactly where each row and column is. This will help you decide the
row and column placement for each item which is to appear on the check
or stub.
When selected, the program asks how many columns and lines to print.
The default values are 80 columns and 66 lines. Most printers print 10
columns per inch and 6 lines per inch, so these numbers represent an 8"
x 11" sheet of paper, completely filled. Enter the numbers for the
size grid you want printed.
The maximum number of columns that may be requested is 160. The
maximum number of lines is 99. The program will not allow larger
numbers to be entered.
After both numbers have been entered, the program asks if they are
correct. If the numbers are not correct, press <N> and the program
will ask for new values. When they are correct, press <Y> and the
program asks you to verify the printer is on.
Verify that the printer is turned on, on line, and has paper in it.
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Press <Q> to abort this process and return to the Print Menu. Press
any other key and the grid appears on the printer.
The first column will appear in the first column that it is possible to
print in. This would be column 1 to the printer options segment. The
grid will continue as far as requested across the page.
If the number of columns requested is larger than the number of columns
it is physically possible to place on a single row, one of three
circumstances will occur, depending on the individual printer. Either
the row will wrap around, the printer will attempt to print the rest of
the line in the last column, resulting in an overprinted mess at the
right side of the page, or, the printer will attempt to print the rest
of the line on the print roller, past the edge of the paper.
When the program is finished printing the grid, the Print Menu
reappears.
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Appendices
Appendix A: Pop-Up Category Notes
At any time that the cursor is in a field requesting a budget category,
the message will appear at the bottom of the screen.
You can continue to enter the category as usual or you can press
function key <F10> to make an alphabetical listing of your current
categories appear on the left side of the screen. Up to 14 will appear
at a time. The first one on the list will be highlighted.
This screen also specifies which keys are recognized by the pop-up
routine. These are:
<F10> - Pressing function key <F10> while the pop-up is on the screen
returns you to the typing function without making any changes to
the displayed category. You may want to use this key if the
category you want hasn't been defined yet and you want to add it.
<Enter> - Pressing the <enter> key will select the highlighted category
and insert that category into the proper portion of the screen.
<PgUp> - Pressing the page up key will display the previous set of 14
budget categories (if any). If you are currently viewing the
first set of 14 categories, then this key is ignored. The first
category of the column is highlighted.
<PgDn> - Pressing the page down key will display the next set of 14
budget categories (if any). If you are currently viewing the last
set of categories, then this key is ignored. The first category
of the column is highlighted.
<UpArrow> - Pressing the up arrow key will move the highlight up one
category. If the highlight is currently on the top category of
the column and the up arrow is pressed and the highlighted
category is not the first category, then the previous set of 14
categories is displayed and the last category in the column is
highlighted.
<DownArrow> - Pressing the down arrow key will move the highlight down
one category. If the highlight is currently on the bottom
category of the column and the down arrow is pressed and the
highlighted category is not the last category of all, then the
next set of 14 categories is displayed and the first category in
the column is highlighted.
<Home> - Pressing the home key will move the highlight to the first
category entry.
<End> - Pressing the end key will move the highlight to the very last
category entry.
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Appendix B: Cursor Key Movements
This appendix describes the use of cursor control keys for the Enter
and Correction screens.
Key Action
<Qq> Most of the time this will return you to the previous menu.
There are exceptions, and these are noted in the field
explanations under Enter. These exceptions are primarily the
"To Whom", "Memo", and "Category" fields.
<A-Z,a-z> These are the regular alphabetic keys. Unless you are in a
date or amount field, these will print as you expect them to.
In the data and amount fields, these keys are ignored.
<0-9> These are the numeric keys. They will print as you expect
them to in most circumstances.
Other printable characters - These behave as the letters above do. If
it would print on a typewriter, it will probably print on the
screen.
<Backspace> (the arrow to the left of the NumLock key) - This behaves
as you might expect it to. Most fields, it will delete the
character to the left of the cursor and move the rest over to
fill in the hole. There are exceptions. Most of the
exceptions just refuse to acknowledge the key.
<Tab> Move the cursor forward to the next field. If the cursor is
in the box following Keep, <tab> will move the cursor to the
first field on the screen. That is, it will "wraparound".
<Shift-Tab> - Also referred to as Reverse Tab. It moves the cursor
back to the previous field. If the cursor is in the first
field on the screen, this will move it to the last. To use
this key, hold down the shift key and press <tab>.
<Enter> For most fields, this operates as the <tab> key does. It
signals that you are finished with the current field and want
to move on to the next one. Pressing <enter> in the last box
on the screen has a different meaning. If <enter> is pressed
while the cursor is in the box following Keep?, the
transaction is permanently added to the data file in the form
on the screen.
<Home> Moves the cursor to the first field on the screen.
<End> Moves the cursor to the last field on the screen. In this
case, the box following Keep?.
<Up Arrow> - Move the cursor to the field directly above the current
field.
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<Down Arrow> - Move the cursor to the field directly below the current
field.
<Left Arrow> - Move the cursor to the left one position, but don't
leave the field it is currently positioned in. If the cursor
is at the beginning of a field, the key is ignored.
<Right Arrow> - Move the cursor to the right one position, but don't
leave the field it is currently positioned in. If the cursor
is at the end of a field, the key is ignored.
<Insert Key> - Toggles the insertion status on and off. If the
insertion status is on, the next character will be inserted
at the cursor position, moving the characters following it to
the right to make room for the new character. Pressing
<insert> one more time turns this ability off.
<Del Key> Deletes the character at the cursor position. For most
fields, the characters remaining to the right of the cursor
will move left one space to fill in the blank.
<F1> Display a Help screen related to what is going on at the
moment. Most of the other function keys are not used by this
program.
<F10> If the cursor is in a category field, then pressing function
key <F10> will activate the pop-up selection for categories.
Appendix C: Play Suggestions
I strongly urge you to take some time and play around with this program
before using it for your real checks. This will give you a feel for
how it works and a chance to decide if you really want to use it.
Start out by answering the initialization questions as they appear on
the screen. From here, the only thing you can do is enter transactions
(the other functions will tell you they have nothing to work with).
You have two courses you can take here. One is to just sit down and
make up the transactions as you think of them, and the other is to pull
some checks, deposits, etc., from a year or so ago and work with them.
Try entering each of the types of transactions - checks, deposits, and
automatic teller transactions. If your bank doesn't have automatic
teller capabilities, you may want to skip that part.
Once you have some transactions entered (I'd recommend 20-30 to start
out with), explore the other options. Try displaying and printing some
of the reports. Printing the check register will give you a hard copy
of what you have entered. This will come in handy on the Correction
and Deletion segments, when you must supply the check number or the
date of any other transaction to find the correct one.
Change the name of the account. It's easy with the Name or Bias Change
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option (Utility Menu).
Try changing the information on some of the transactions, using
Correct.
Try deleting an individual transaction.
Pull out an old bank statement and try reconciling the account to it
(try this if you entered some old checks, and this statement deals with
them).
Try deleting the first half of what you entered. You'll need a date
for that.
Try changing some category names using Category Maintenance (Utility
Menu).
Try looking up some transactions based on the content of the "To Whom"
and "Memo" options using the Find by Content option of the Utility
Menu.
When you feel comfortable with the program, delete the data files and
start over using real data. To delete the data files:
Return to the DOS prompt (A> or C>).
Place the disk with the data files in drive A (if you are keeping
the data files on a diskette).
Type del *.dat and press <enter>.
That's all there is to it. Enjoy the program.
Appendix D: To Change from Previous Versions
A) Be sure to replace your current copy of CHECKS.EXE with the enclosed
copy before attempting to use the converted data files.
From version 4.x to 5.x: No data conversion is necessary.
From version 3.x to 5.x: No data conversion is necessary.
From version 2.x to 5.x:
1) Make a backup copy of your existing data files (just in case).
2) Verify that the number of bytes remaining on the data disk is
at least 10% more than the number of bytes used by your
CHECKS.DAT file. If there is not, please contact M. P. Data.
I will immediately send you (at no additional cost) a different
conversion program. If you do not have sufficient room
remaining on the disk, DO NOT continue this procedure.
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3) Place the data disk in the default drive (A: or C:)
4) Place the new program disk in the other drive (B: or A:). If
you are using a hard disk, substitute A: for B: in the
directions below.
5) Type B:CONV and press <enter>. The conversion program
will change your data files to the new format.
6) When the program concludes (the DOS prompt will reappear), type
B:CHECKS and press <enter> to begin the program.
7) To verify the files converted correctly, please run one of the
reports that lists transactions (such as the check register) to
see if the information looks correct. If it does not, please
see the notes on "Double Precision" users below.
8) If the report looks correct, exit the program (through the
menus) and delete the file TEMP.DAT from your data disk.
From version 1.0 (1985) to 5.x:
1) Make a backup copy of your existing data files (just in case).
2) Verify that the number of bytes remaining on the data disk is
at least 10% more than the number of bytes used by your
CHECKS.DAT file. If there is not, please contact M. P. Data.
I will immediately send you (at no additional cost) a different
conversion program. If you do not have sufficient room
remaining on the disk, DO NOT continue this procedure.
3) Place the data disk in the default drive (A:).
4) Place the new program disk in the other drive (B:).
5) Type B:CONV and press <enter>. The conversion program
will change your data files to the new format.
6) When the program concludes (the DOS prompt will reappear), type
B:CHECKS and press <enter> to begin the program.
7) To verify the files converted correctly, please run one of the
reports that lists transactions (such as the check register) to
see if the information looks correct. If it does not, please
see the notes on "Double Precision" users below.
8) If the report looks correct, exit the program (through the
menus) and delete the file TEMP.DAT from your data disk.
Double precision users only:
Some of you have previously requested double precision (or big number)
versions of the program. Version 3.0 delivers this capability to
everyone. If you are in doubt as to whether you have a double
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