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Text File | 1993-04-17 | 33KB | 719 lines

AutoChk - AUTOMATIC CHECK BOOK Version 3.65a USER'S GUIDE (c) COPYRIGHT April 1993, HENRY CHOW USEFUL SOFTWARE ENTERPRISES Released as Free Shareware Software Users of this program need NOT submit a fee for the use of this program. I am dedicating this program to all those who create good, affordable software as Shareware. You are ENCOURAGED to copy and distribute this program provided that 1. this program is not distributed in connection with any other product, 2. no fee is charged, and 3. the program is not modified in any way. *** Notice *** This program is distributed "AS IS" without any warranty as to its performance. You assume the entire risk as to the results and performance of the program. If you find any bugs or have any comments, you can contact me via CompuServe Mail (Id: 74010,3002). Do not send comments via any forum that you should find the program. Include details about any bugs, DOS version, computer or printer type (if applicable), and don't forget the version number of Autochk. I will try to reply as necessary. **************************** *** Revisions at the end *** **************************** Introduction/History -------------------- This program has been developed as an aid to the common check book update blues. I'm sure you have found yourself, from time to time, frantically punching the keys on a calculator trying to balance your check book. Each time, the final number appears different. With this program, you can accomplish that task effortlessly. At the touch of a key, the checks that have cleared the bank will be totalled and displayed. I tried to write AutoChk to be as flexible to the user as possible. In fact, this program simulates the looks of your check book, providing you with the ability to enter a check or deposit anywhere in the book you desire (just like the check book you might be using now. And if you are not using one, you should). Of course, it makes more sense to start at the top and go down, but you don't have to. You can also fill in any one column or all the columns for each entry. You may enter each check using one row, or to allow for detailed description, using multiple rows. Originally I started to develop this program as a simple tool for my own use. The difference between this program and other check book programs is not so much in its functionality, but rather in its appearance and its small size. I wanted my computer screen to resemble my bank's check book. With this format, it is much easier to glance at the screen and see my account right in front of me, or to scroll through to find a certain entry. Autochk was never intended to be a financial expertise program; however, it does serve as a simple and easy-to-use tool for the average home. As I got further into software development, a colleague of mine suggested additional features that might warrant the effort of typing in all those checks into a computer. Specifically, each check can carry a KEY that places it in a certain category that the user can specify. At tax time, you can print out checks that fall in each category, along with the total. During the development of Autochk, I received a statement from my bank. I went over to my computer, look down the statement, and checked off each entry that has cleared. At the end, I entered the interest into Autochk and pressed one key. The total amount of money that cleared the bank appeared, and I balanced my checking account in no time! By keeping the check book up-to- date, entering data into Autochk is no more difficult than entering it into a check book, especially if you use your computer with any regularity. You are allowed 1000 lines in which you may enter you account. Beyond that, you will have to start a new file. In my humble opinion, keeping too much (i.e. more than 1000 entries) in one file may be risking losing important data should the file become corrupt. Especially if you use the categorie function for taxes, starting a new file annually makes a lot of sense. Getting Started --------------- Although I have not tested this program on every possible combination of machines, printers, and DOS versions, Autochk should run on any DOS 2.x+ IBM PC/XT/AT 8088+, PS/2 or compatible with a Monochrome Adapter, Hercules Graphics Card, Color Graphics Adapter (CGA), Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA), or Video Graphics Array (VGA). Autochk needs LESS THAN 256K of available RAM, very unusual for programs nowadays. Because video displays differ in characteristics, Autochk will automatically adjust to the type you have on your system. You will notice a somewhat slower screen update on the CGA (to avoid snow) compared to either the monochrome, the EGA or the VGA. The only file you need is AUTOCHK.EXE. And since you are reading it, you should know that AUTOCHK.DOC is the corresponding documentation. Also included in ACHKxxx.ZIP is a sample account ( SAMPLE.{$} and SAMPLE.{C} ). Autochk will create two file (with extensions .{$} and .{C}) for each account you specify. The file with .{$} is the check book itself. The latter stores the categories you define. These files are fixed in size are written in binary form for faster access and can not be TYPEd in DOS. The syntax to start Autochk is: AUTOCHK [ [d:][path]filename[.{$}] ] Everything following AUTOCHK is optional. If you do not enter anything else on the command line, Autochk will prompt you with a listing of its data files in the default directory. From there, you may change the default drive or path by selecting the appropriate option ([D] or [P], respectively) listed at the bottom of the screen. To load a particular file, press [L]. You can start a new file by loading the entry number marked "<New File>". [Esc] will exit Autochk. As with older versions of Autochk, you may enter the data file name directly from DOS, bypassing the startup menu. The drive and path are optional. If you do not enter them, the default directory will be used. You do not need to enter the extension (.{$}); just realize that Autochk will add on the extension automatically for you. For example, if you type AUTOCHK E:\ACCT\SAMPLE the SAMPLE.{$} and SAMPLE.{C} files will be loaded from the \ACCT directory on drive E. If the file you entered does not exist, a new one will be created. To save you the aggravation of not being able to save the check book when you are done, Autochk make sure that your file is not write-protected. And of course if you enter an illegal path, Autochk will also let you know. The data files require about 50K of disk space, and at startup, AutoChk will check to see if you have enough room on the disk drive to store any NEW accounts. Editing Keys ------------ You may use the arrow keys to move the cursor from row to row or column to column. When you reach the bottom of the screen, the check book will scroll up (and vice versa at the top). Hitting the [PgUp] or [PgDn] keys will scroll up or down one screen, leaving the cursor on the same line and column on the screen. The [Home] key returns the cursor to the top entry. Conversely, the [End] key will take you to the line after the last entry. A counter at the bottom right corner of the screen will tell you the line on which the cursor is located. In addition, [Del] will let you remove the entry at the cursor position. Don't worry, Autochk will confirm the deletion with you before it takes any action. And finally, [Ins] will add a blank line where the cursor is located, provided that an insertion does not push any entry past the maximum (1000th) line. Autochk will let you know if this happens. Entering Data ------------- To enter data, move the cursor to the appropriate column. After you enter something into a column, the cursor will move to the next column. This way, Autochk allows you to move across the page as you enter data without having to hit the arrow keys each time. The only exception is the "check mark" column. The cursor will remain in the same column; this way it is much easier to go down the column and clear the checks when you receive your statement. Finally, hitting [Enter] in ANY column will take you to the next. In the "Number" column, legal keys are 0 through 9. Any other keys will be ignored. As soon as you hit a numeric key, you will be prompted on the top line, similar to LOTUS-123(R). Type up to four digits and hit [Enter]. Use the [Back Space] key to edit any typographic errors. To clear an entry in this column, enter a 0. By entering nothing (not a zero) in any column, the previous entry remains unchanged. Legal keys for the "Date" column are 0 through 9. The expected format is MMDDYY (e.g. 030185 for March 1, 1985). You MUST include leading zeros. I didn't bother to check whether the dates are legal, so I guess you can enter any combination of numbers you want--of course that would defeat the purpose. Enter 000000 to clear the current entry. "Description" can take any alpha-numeric character (basically, any of the white keys in the center of an IBM keyboard). Enter up to 26 characters and hit [Enter]. From the description prompt at the top of the screen, you can determine how long your entry can be by comparing it to the width of the column directly below it. Just like your checkbook, you may use as many lines as you like to enter a description of a check. To clear the current description, enter a space (only one). Both "Credit" and "Debit" will accept any number key and the decimal point. Maximum value is 99999.99 (I wish I had that kind of money), i.e. you will not be able to enter a greater value. It is conceivable that a balance within an account may exceed the upper limit which will not fit in the column, and thus, will be represented by "Overflow". You may also enter a value in BOTH "Credit" and "Debit" columns. A zero will erase the current value. The "check mark" column is to indicate whether a check has cleared the bank. Legal characters are [space] and A through Z, if the appropriate category has been defined (see Defining Categories). A [space] will toggle between a blank or a check mark. After a category key is entered, it can be toggled from lower case (uncleared check) to uppercase (cleared check) to blank by pressing [space]. You will not be allowed to enter a key unless it has been previously defined. Additional Keys --------------- [F1] will bring up the help window containing a description of all the keys. [F2] will calculate the balance in you account and the balance of the checks/deposits cleared by the bank. When you scroll the current display screen, these numbers will disappear. However, changing a credit or debit will not erase these columns. This way you can make the changes, look at the balance columns, and hit [F2] again to compare the differences. Note: when calculating balances, a negative balance could occur. On color monitors, it will appear RED. On monochromes, it will appear BOLD. With monochromes, you may need to adjust the bold and/or contrast to have BOLD appear properly. [F5] will activate the search menu. See Searching. [F6] will trigger the search with previously set parameters (searching string and direction). [F7] or [F10] to exit the current check book. The program will prompt you for confirmation. Hit [Y] to save and exit, [N] to cancel exit command, and [Q] to quit without save. See saving a file. You will then be asked whether you would like to exit the program. If you answer [N], then a directory of check book files will be displayed. Otherwise, answer [Y] to get out of Autochk. [Alt-A] writes your check book (and categories) to an ASCII text file. The file will have the same name with a ".TXT" extension. This feature allows you to TYPE the file in DOS or import the file to another program. [Alt-C] for the category menu. See Defining Categories. [Alt-F] to display the check book file name you are editing. [Alt-P] for printer control. See Printing. [Alt-S] to save the current file without exiting program. See saving a file. [Alt-X] to activate a DOS Shell. A prompt will appear--press [Enter] to go to DOS. Once you are in DOS, type 'EXIT' at DOS prompt to return to Autochk. If the video mode has been changed while in DOS, it must be restored to 80-column text mode prior to returning to Autochk to ensure proper display. If it is necessary to restore video mode in DOS, type 'MODE CO80' before returning to Autochk. Saving a File ------------- When saving a file, either by pressing [Alt-S] or when exiting, Autochk will attempt not to overwrite your old check book. On the other hand, by making copies of original files, your disk could become quite cluttered with many backup files. Autochk does not exactly overwrite old files or make backup copies of the old ones. An intermediate solution is taken. If there is enough space on disk, Autochk will rename old files with extensions from .{$} and .{C} to .$$$ and .$C$, respectively. Instead of leaving backup files on disk, Autochk will then delete them. This way your directory is not littered with large backup file and the integrity of the original data is still maintained (as long as you do not write anything else on the same disk as the data files). These files may be retrieved with Norton's Utilities(R), or similar "undelete" programs found in newer versions of DOS. If you do not own such a utility, invest in one; it may save you hours of work some day. When [Alt-S] is pressed, Autochk will verify whether or not to save the current working file. Searching --------- By pressing [F5], a Search Menu will appear. As usual, [Esc] will exit the menu. A string to search is displayed in the menu. To change the search string, press [Del] to erase the old string and type in a new one, followed by [Enter]. Uppercase and lowercase letters will be treated the same. In fact all letters will be converted to uppercase. Obviously if no string has been set, a search will not be very fruitful. Elements of the search string may consist of any alpha-numberic character. Once a string has been entered, it will be remembered throughout the current session. The direction to search (up or down from current cursor position) is also remembered for the duration of the session. Default at startup is FORWARD search. It may be changed in the Search Menu by pressing [PgUp] or [PgDn] for BACKWARD or FORWARD search, respectively. After entering a string followed by a [PgUp] or [PgDn], Autochk will perform the specified search. If it is found, the screen will move to the appropriate position. If no match is found, a message will be displayed. Often, multiple entries with the same string exist. Rather than having to activate Search Menu each time, pressing [F6] will automatically perform a search for the next match with same parameters. Of course, changing the string or direction needs to be done through Search Menu. Defining Categories ------------------- Whenever [Alt-C] is invoked, the category submenu will appear. First, a list of KEYs will by displayed along with their definitions. A dot represents an undefined key. You may clear or revise a definition. Each key description is truncated after 20 characters. Type [C] to clear a previously defined category. You will then be prompted for a key to erase. Type [Esc] to return to the revision menu. If the key you entered is defined, Autochk will ask you to confirm the deletion. Type [R] to revise a category. Once you are prompted for the new definition, simply enter the new category definition, or press [Return] to make no changes. Printing -------- An [Alt-P] will invoke the print option submenu. You may print your check book in one of many ways. Press [A] to print all entries, i.e. the entire check book. Press [P] to print the display screen. Press [F] to print from a certain page to the end of the check book. You will be told how many pages there are in the file and be asked to enter which page to start printing. Of course it is illegal to start printing from past the end of the last entry. If no entries exist, AutoChk will assume that you can print 1 page (in case you would like to see what a blank page looks like). Press [Enter] to return to the print option menu. Press [C] to print all the checks that fall into a particular category. You will be asked to enter the key for that category. Press any legal (pre-defined) key, or [Esc] to return to the print option menu. Since a change in the middle of the check book will affect the rest of the balances, no option to print pages in the middle has been provided. This is to prevent accidentally printing certain pages in the middle without updating subsequent pages, thereby having a hardcopy with incorrect balances at the end. If you make a change, use the [F] option to get an up-to-date printout. The name of the file will be included at the top of each printed page to help you identify the account. Date, time, and page number will also appear at the top of each printed page. Printing may be aborted at any time by hitting [Esc] (which will also return you to your check book). Without getting too fancy, Autochk assumes that your printer handles 66-lines per page. So, if your printer varies from this, the page alignments may be off, notably with printers that are set to skip perforations. When Autochk reaches the end of a page during printer output, it will send a "form feed" command to your printer. Therefore, it is very important that the paper is aligned properly. *** IMPORTANT NOTE -- READ CAREFULLY *** You should align the paper at the TOP of the page then turn the printer ON and set it ON-LINE. Every attempt has been made to check your printer status before printing. However, due to the unpredictable nature of different devices, spoolers, or print buffers on the market, it is impossible to test the program on every combination. If Autochk is unable to engage your printer, your computer may appear to freeze. Autochk will continue to try to engage the printer. Make sure the power to your printer is ON and set ON- LINE. Printing should resume normally. If after about 20 seconds Autochk is unable to engage the printer, you will be notified and returned to the checkbook. Help preserve the Shareware concept. Feel free to share this program (AUTOCHK.EXE and AUTOCHK.DOC) with others. Revisions in Version 3.00 ------------------------- 1. You do not need to type in the data file name to start Autochk. If you do not enter a name, a list of data files will appear. You may change the default drive or the default path. The file can then be directly loaded into Autochk from the startup menu. However, you may still enter the file name as before to bypass the menu. 2. Instead of overwriting the screen, Autochk will now scroll when you hit PgUp or PgDn. 3. Whenever you print a check book, the file name will also be included with the header. 4. Autochk is now capable of writing your check book (including the category definitions) to an ASCII file; such feature may be useful if you would like to import your account into a spreadsheet program. The file will have the same name as the check book, except with a ".TXT" extension. 5. You will now be unable to insert an entry if the 1000th line (the upper limit) of the check book is filled. This should prevent any accidental erasures. Revisions in Version 3.01 ------------------------- 1. Whenever you have a negative balance, rather than displaying a negative number, Autochk will show the amount in RED on a color display or bold on a monochrome display. 2. The problem with recalculation not working properly in certain places within the checkbook has now been fixed. Revisions in Version 3.50 ------------------------- 1. Autochk has been compiled with a new compiler to run much faster than in previous versions. The major speed difference will be noticed in screen updates. By accessing the graphics card directly (rather than through the BIOS), the speed output to the screen has been increased up to ten fold. 2. The executable file has been changed from AUTOCHK.COM to AUTOCHK.EXE. 3. Rather than pressing [Space] to exit certain submenu, Autochk will now require [Esc]. This change has been made to conform to the "de facto" standards of the computer world. 4. In the previous version of Autochk, [Alt-S] automatically saved the file without confirmation which could lead to unintended erasures of the old check book. You will now be able to confirm the action. 5. When balancing a check book, the total may become greater than 99999.99 which will not fit in the column. Since I do not expect anyone with that kind of money to be using this program, any number greater than the limit will be represented by "Overflow". 6. Due to an incompatibility with the new compiler, certain procedures previously implemented are now non-functional (such as checking whether the disk drive is ready or write protected, or whether the printer is ready). These problems are not expected to occur very often; however, the user should be aware of them and take steps to prevent them. They will be resolved in future releases. Revision in Version 3.51 ------------------------ 1. An error that occurs during the printing of the check book by category has now been fixed. Revisions in Version 3.52 ------------------------- 1. Previous versions of Autochk require the user to restart the program to access another account after editing one check book. After working with one check book, this version will now prompt whether the user would like go back to the startup menu. Answer 'N' to quit program or 'Y' to go back to the directory listing. 2. In addition to the time, the date will also be displayed at the bottom of the screen. Revisions in Version 3.53 ------------------------- 1. The previous version had a bug in the startup menu that would not allow any subsequent check books to be loaded properly. That problem has now been corrected. 2. To make exiting Autochk easier for WordPerfect(R) users, the function key [F7] (in addition to [F10]) will allow you to exit the program. Revisions in Version 3.54 ------------------------- 1. When you press [Esc] to exit Autochk from the startup menu, you will now see the same screen as you did when exiting directly from the check book. 2. The incompatible drive-error handling routine with the new compiler has now been fixed. If your disk drive is open when you attempt to load a file or change the default drive, Autochk can now handle this problem correctly. 3. The incompatibility of the new compiler handling error trapping routines for a write-protected disk has now been fixed. 4. The ability of Autochk to trap printer faults when the printer is off has been improved. See note under Printing. Revisions in Version 3.60 ------------------------- 1. A DOS Shell has been implemented and can be activated with [Alt-X]. 2. A search capability has been added. See note under Searching. 3. Previous versions did not "form feed" after the last page has been printed. Due to popular request, this has been added. 4. During printing, an aberrant blank space appeared in the heading of the leading page being printed. This minor bug has been fixed. Revisions in Version 3.61 ------------------------- 1. While creating DOS shell, an error in locating COMSPEC when it does not appear at the beginning of the environment variable list has been fixed. 2. Facilities to better intercept and report errors while creating DOS shell have been implemented. 3. An extra blank line that occurs after a "form feed" at the end of printing has been removed. Revisions in Version 3.62, July 1991 ------------------------------------ 1. By popular request, the [End] key will now take you to the line after the last entry. This way by pressing the [End] key, new entries may be added without also having to press the [Dn] key. Revisions in Version 3.63, February 1992 ---------------------------------------- 1. A new "printer ready" status checking routine has been implemented. This version should provide better error reporting when the printer is not ready. Revisions in Version 3.64a, March 1993 -------------------------------------- 1. The printer output routine has been modified. Some people have run into printing difficulties with previous versions. 2. Should the printer not be ready, a prompt will appear for you to press [ESC] to get out of attempting to print. If [ESC] is not entered, Autochk will continue to try to engage the printer. If the printer problem is corrected, this prompt will disappear and printing will resume normally. Revisions in Version 3.65a, April 1993 -------------------------------------- 1. While it works well for most people, some are still having printer errors despite no apparent problems. The bug was traced to the printer status routine itself. To try to make Autochk universally compatible, this routine has been rewritten. Now, when Autochk attempts to print and the printer is not ready, the computer may appear to freeze. At this time, Autochk is attempting to engage the printer. This will last about 20 seconds. By correcting the printer, the checkbook should resume printing. If the program is unable to engage the printer, an error message appears and you will be returned to the checkbook.