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Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 Copyright (c) 1987-1993 by SupremeSoft and Manu Singh All Rights Reserved Released January 6, 1993 Topics in this Manual: 1.......Introduction............................3 2.......Installing Bank Account Manager.........3 3.......Configuring Bank Account Manager........3 4.......Printer configuration...................4 5.......Color configuration.....................4 6.......Converting old data files...............6 7.......Starting Bank Account Manager...........7 8.......The SupremeSoft interface...............8 9.......Moving windows to new positions.........9 10......Data entry keys.........................9 11......About prompts...........................10 12......Keys in the interface...................11 13......About date formats......................12 14......The main menu...........................13 15......Adding a new account....................14 16......Adding a few new accounts...............14 17......Searching for an account................15 18......Sorting the accounts database...........15 19......Printing the accounts database..........15 20......Adding a new transaction................16 21......Adding a few new transactions...........17 22......Searching for a transaction.............17 23......Sorting the transaction database........18 24......Printing the transaction database.......19 25......Changing the current view screen........19 Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 1 Topics continued: 26......The transaction view screen.............20 27......Transfer funds function.................21 28......The account view screen window..........22 29......The category view screen window.........23 30......Loading new data files..................23 31......The check register function.............24 32......The bank statement computer.............25 33......The account breakdown function..........26 34......The calculator function.................26 35......The program information display.........27 36......Executing a DOS command shell...........27 37......Changing the default disk directory.....28 38......Exiting Bank Account Manager............28 39......General error messages..................29 40......File related error messages.............33 41......Printer related errors..................34 42......Registering Bank Account Manager........35 43......Several things of interest..............35 44......Warranty information....................36 Notation used in this manual: [ ] Indicates optional item. < > Indicates keystroke/keys to be pressed. Some keys to be pressed are indicated as <Alt-KEY> or <Ctrl-KEY> where KEY indicates some other key. In this case, you should press and HOLD DOWN the <Alt> or <Ctrl> key, and then press KEY. All keys within the < > notation are case independent, it does not matter whether they are entered in upper case or lower case. NOTE: Please be sure to read the file NEW.DOC in addition to this. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 2 Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 Checking and banking made easy! Bank Account Manager is a program designed to keep track of ALL your bank accounts, not only checking accounts. It is very easy to use, easy to learn, and very powerful in the features it offers. You have unlimited accounts, unlimited transactions, the ability to categorize your transactions, perform check reconciliation, and much much more. Installing the program: Use the supplied Install program to copy the program files to your directory, or disk. The program can also invoke the configuration utility automatically. You MUST run the configuration program before you actually run the program itself. In addition, the installation program can configure the appropriate environment settings for you. Configuring Bank Account Manager: Before you actually run Bank Account Manager for the first time, you MUST run the configuration program. The program is on the distribution disk as CONFIG.EXE. You are shown a menu with several options. Use the cursor up/down keys to move the highlight bar around, or press the key of a highlighted letter. Use <Enter> to choose the currently highlighted selection. If it is a color option, a color map will be displayed. Use the cursor keys to move the rectangular box around to the new color you desire. Press <Esc> to abort, or <Enter> to accept the currently selected color. Look at the color samples to see how each different color combination affects the display. Pressing <Esc> while moving around the main menu will choose the "Quit" option. This will NOT save your modifications! To save the modifications, choose "Save and quit". Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 3 Printer configuration: You should now set up the printer information, by choosing "Printer info". Here you may specify the printer type you are going to use with Bank Account Manager. The only possible choices are a 80 column printer, or a 132 column printer. In addition there is an option for a printer initialization sequence. Bank Account Manager will print all output based upon a 12CPI font. (That is 12 Characters per Inch) Some printers will not default to this upon power-up and need to be told to enter 12CPI mode. If you are familiar with the sequences your printer requires, type them in using the following format: #xx,#xx,#xx... Where xx is a valid ASCII code. For example, a printer may require the following: #27,#32,#27,#84. Most printers need an "Escape" sequence, which is the ASCII character #27 followed by a code. Thus in the above example, <#27> is the Escape character and <#32> the code which follows it. If you do not understand how to enter in the proper code sequences, do NOT attempt to make one up! Just leave this entry blank. Then, when it comes time to print, you must manually place the printer into 12CPI mode using its control panel. This procedure is described in your printer users manual and you should become familiar with it. If your printer is not capable of 12CPI font, and you are using a 132 column printer, specify the printer type as 80 column, and you may then print the output properly. Finally you may chose which output port should be used to direct the printer output to. Color configuration: You may change any of the default colors to colors of your own choice, including the colors used in the help screens. A color selection screen will be displayed for you and you may use the cursor keys to move the selector. Please see below for more information about display problems. There are exploding windows, shadowed windows, and sound capabilities within the program, any and all of which may be disabled. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 4 Notes: If you have a monochrome monitor system, you may still use CONFIG to change the color hues. We use a color mapping system to produce highlights and other types of visual display aids for the colors you select. CONFIG will display these changes for the colors you pick. If you have a composite color system, you should experiment with different color types as certain combinations do not display correctly on such a system. Setting the adapter type to anything but "Default" will FORCE Bank Account Manager to expect that type of adapter. However, if you are using a combination such as a B/W or composite monitor with a color adapter, you should then explicitly tell the program that it should configure itself for a monochrome adapter. If you have an EGA/VGA adapter, and wish to use the extended video line modes, you should set the adapter correctly and then specify the video height. You may also leave the adapter type as "Default", in which case the program will use whatever video line mode you are currently in. However, you may not have access to the 21 or 28 line mode unless you have a utility that can configure your adapter to these modes before running the program. Toggling the sound off will turn off the sound COMPLETELY. If you turn it on, not only will exploding windows explode with sound, but error messages will be accompanied by a short beep. If you receive a file error message, this indicates that the configuration program could not find/open BAM.CFG. Make sure you have not set the ReadOnly bit, and that at least 10K is free on the default drive. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 5 Converting old Bank Account Manager files to the new format: Bank Account Manager has dramatically changed its file format if you used a version prior to Version 3.51. This will cause the program to misinterpret old Bank Account Manager files, and refuse to load. All REGISTERED versions will automatically update your data files to the new format. Shareware users who have old data sets should register the program in order to update the files. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 6 Starting Bank Account Manager: The Bank Account Manager program itself accepts an optional command line parameter. This allows the user to specify the start up files to be used. The following is the syntax: BAM [filename] "filename" is the name of the Bank Account Manager files you wish to use. Bank Account Manager actually uses two data files, one that has an extension of TAC (the transaction file) and one that has an extension of ACC (the accounts file). Both have the same filename. The default files are BAM.TAC and BAM.ACC, and if you omit a start up parameter, Bank Account Manager will use that set of data files. Usually, you will only be using one set of data files, but you may wish to use another set for some reason, and this provides the ability to keep a different set. If the files do not exist, they will be created automatically for you. If you provided an extension, it will be ignored and the normal TAC and ACC extensions will be appended. You may include an environment variable to let Bank Account Manager know where it should look for itself and where to put its data files. You should include this statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. The following is the syntax you should use: Set BAM=[Drive]:[Directory] Ideally you would want to set this as follows: Set BAM=C:\BAM This implies that you are using a Hard Disk as C: drive and have installed Bank Account Manager in its own directory called BAM. Please refer to your DOS manual for further information concerning the use of environment variables. Once you have set up the environment variable, all data files will reside in that directory, even if you are outside of it when you invoke the program. When you first start Bank Account Manager, you will be shown an initial welcome screen, which will disappear momentarily. If you have a REGISTERED version , you may press any key in order to remove this window prematurely. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 7 After this screen removes itself, the menu will appear. The screen will look as follows: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Main menu options | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | | | | | | | | | | Transaction View Screen Area | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help is always displayed in this area. Check it any time you need Help The SupremeSoft interface: As you can tell from the above diagram, a big part of the screen is used to display information. This screen can be any of the three possible views. There are some additional areas which will come up from time to time and they are shown as follows: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Main Menu Options | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ===================|| | || || | || || | || || | || Window #2 || | ============================== || || | || Window #1 || || || | ============================== ||=================|| | | | =============================== ======================= | | || || || || | | || Window #3 || || Window #4 || | | || || || || | | =============================== ======================= | ============================================================================ Help is always displayed in this area. Check it any time you need Help Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 8 Window #1 is the error and confirmation window. You will see it appear if any non-fatal error occurs, or if your confirmation is needed for a task to complete. For example, when you activate the print option, you are asked where you wish to direct output to. Window #2 is the accounts and category window, where you may view/edit accounts and categories. Window #3 is the accounts data entry window where you will enter in account information. Window #4 is the transaction date entry window where you will enter in transaction information for edits and searches. All the windows may be moved at anytime during the program's operation, with a few exceptions. During any data entry, press <Alt-M>. Look at the bottom line of the screen. It should say "Press <Enter> to save new window position". If so, you may use the cursor keys to move the window around the screen. If it does not, then you may not move the window at this time. Try at another time. Press <Enter> to save the new window position. Now, every time the program starts, the window will appear in this new position. Data entry keys: Part of the beauty of the SupremeSoft interface is the use of consistent data entry keys. These keys are ALWAYS active when you are asked for a numeric/string entry. However, it should be pointed out that at some prompts, only certain strings or numbers may be accepted. <Esc> or <Ctrl-Break> Abort the entry. <Ctrl-D> Move right one character. <Ctrl-S> Move left one character. <Ctrl-Left> or <Ctrl-A> Move left one word. <Ctrl-Right> or <Ctrl-F> Move right one word. <Ctrl-G> Delete character at cursor. <Ctrl-Q><Y> Delete to end of line. <Ctrl-Y> or <Ctrl-X> Delete line. <Ctrl-R> or <Ctrl-Q><L> Restore line. Note: All the cursor keys are available as well and act as they should. E.g. Cursor right will move you right one character. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 9 About prompts: Bank Account Manager uses "tabbed" data entry forms allowing the user to move to any other prompt at will. You may use the following keys at any prompt: <Up>, <Shift-Tab> Moves you to the previous prompt. If you are at the first prompt, you are moved to the last prompt. Changes ARE kept. <Down>, <Tab> Moves to the next prompt. If you are the last prompt, you are moved to the first prompt. Changes ARE kept. <Enter> Accepts any changes made and moves you to the next prompt. <F10> Accepts any changes made, and exits the current input session. <Alt-F10> Invokes any special functions or features if applicable for the current data field. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 10 If you press <F10> at ANY prompt, it will save the changes for the current prompt AND exit the current input session. Any changes made during the input session are then updated on disk. Pressing <Esc> at ANY prompt will abort the current input session making NO changes. These keys are available every time you are prompted for more than one response. Certain prompts will display a default response which will be used if you press the <Enter> key. Therefore, "Confirm quit (Y/N) [N]" indicates you may press: <Y>, <N>, or <Enter>. No other keys are accepted. Pressing <Enter> is the same as responding <N>. If you input an invalid entry, the program will either emit a beep, or display "Invalid number". Naturally, you MAY enter in numbers for a string entry, but NOT vice versa. Keys used in the interface: There is a small collection of keys which work universally in the interface and they are as follows: <F1> Displays help. <Tab>, <F10> Switches to main menu <Del> Delete highlighted item. <Enter> Edit highlighted item. <Cursor Down> Highlights next item if possible. <Cursor Up> Highlights previous item if possible. <Page Down> Moves to next display page if possible. <Page Up> Moves to previous display page if possible. <Home> Moves to first display page. <End> Moves to last display page. <Esc> Aborts current operation and returns to previous operation/location. <Alt-X> Exits the program. Note 1: The <Esc> key will abort whatever you are doing and return to the location from where you chose the current operation. E.g. It will back you up one operation, aborting the current one. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 11 About date formats: Bank Account manager allows the user to use a number of date formats. The default format is taken from the current DOS country information (when using DOS version 3.51 or above). Therefore, you do not have to actually tell the program what format you wish to use, as it will automatically detect the format when it starts. However, in all cases, you may enter in the date in the form MM/DD/YY as used in the United States and several other countries. It is expected that users in foreign countries will have set up the DOS country information correctly since several popular programs depend on that information as well. For further information on the DOS country features, please refer to your DOS user's manual. You may use either slashes (/) or dashes (-) to separate items, or you may omit them altogether. For example, all the following are valid date's: 01/01/91 , 01-01-91, 010190. Note that a leading zero MUST exist! Should you ever enter in a date in a format that the program cannot translate, you will receive an "Invalid date entered" message. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 12 The main menu: This type of menu is called a "pull down" menu. Certain options have more choices underneath them, and you will notice this when you activate the top option. First, you should notice that a certain letter is highlighted. If you press this key (either uppercase or lowercase) it will select that function. You may use the cursor keys to navigate the menu. A highlight bar will indicate the current function. You may use the cursor right/left keys, and the home, end keys. In a sub- menu, you may use the cursor up/down keys as well. As shown previously, a small help line is displayed at the bottom of the screen. This will give you an idea of what the function does. If you need more help, press <F1> to bring up a CONTEXT-SENSITIVE help screen. Or, press <Alt-F1> to bring up the help index. Pressing <Esc> at any time within the program will always back up one action. (The true meaning of <Esc>... you "Escape" out of the current area). If you are at the main menu, <Esc> will automatically select the QUIT option. Pressing the <Tab> key will move you into the View Screen Panel. Depending on what the active View Screen is, you may or may not be able to move into the View Screen. (For more information, refer to the individual View Screen topics) Pressing <F4> will bring up the calculator, just as though you had chosen this option in other areas of the program. Pressing <F9> will execute a DOS shell, just as though you had chosen that option from the menu. Now, on to the actual options in the main menu and what they do. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 13 Add an account option: Here you will be asked to enter in information for a new account. Enter in the number of the account you wish to use. Should the number be used currently, you will receive a message to that effect, and you should then choose a different number. The program will present you with a default number which should normally be used. Valid numbers range from 1 - 999. Next you are asked to enter in the name for this account. You have up to twenty-five (25) characters to do this. Normally the name should reflect the type of account, and the account holder's name. For instance: "Jim's Savings Account", or "Little Rock Savings Account" Now you are asked to enter in the next check/ID number. This is useful for checking accounts, since the program will automatically increment the check number once it is used, easing the entry of checks. However, it can also be used for other account types, since each transaction should have a unique check/ID number assigned to it. Valid numbers range from 0 - 39999. Finally you are asked to enter in the account starting balance. This is the balance that you CURRENTLY have in the account, before you add any transactions. This allows the program to track your account as soon as it is entered. The value is used for check reconciliation purposes as well as others. Add a few accounts: This is essentially the same as adding one account, except the program will return you to a new blank account entry form for further additions. To stop adding accounts, press the <Esc> key at any time. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 14 Search for an account: Normally you would view accounts in the account view, however, sometimes you wish to search for an account by name. A window will open up, and you will be asked to enter in the account name. Enter in any part of the account name that you are sure of. The program will then search for that name in any of the accounts in the database. If the account is found, the account view window will be opened, and the found account will be highlighted. Note that the program will stop at the FIRST match it finds, and will not continue to look for another. Once in the account view, you may use any of the options available as described later in the account view section of this manual. Should the account not be found, you will receive an error message to this effect. Press <Esc> to clear the message and return to the main menu. Printing accounts: This option allows one to print out a listing of all the accounts in the account database. A window will open with the prompt "Output to file or printer (F/P/Esc)". Press <P> to cause the output to be directed to the line printer. Press <F> to cause output to be directed to a disk file. You will be asked to enter in the filename to use. Should the file exist, it will be appended to. Should you wish to abort the printing operation, press <Esc>. If an error occurs during printing you will receive the message "Output error.....Press <R> or <Esc>". Press <Esc> to abort the operation, or press <R> to retry the operation. Sorting the accounts file: When you choose this option you will sort the accounts database by account number. The sort will produce a listing of accounts in ascending numeric order. Since this is not done automatically by the program, you must request the sort whenever you wish to view the accounts in numeric order. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 15 Add a transaction: This is where you may enter in the information for one new transaction as follows: 1) The account number. This should be any valid account number. Press <Alt-F10> to bring up the account view window, where you may use the highlight bar to choose the account you wish to use. Valid account numbers range from 1 - 999. Should the account number not exist, you will receive an error message to that effect. Press <Esc> to clear the message and return to the prompt. 2) The check/ID#. This is already filled in with the next check/ID# information from the account. This should usually be correct, however, you may change the number to anything you desire. Valid ranges are 0 - 39999. 3) The date of the transaction. This is the transaction posting date, and NOT the date you are entering in the transaction. The program defaults to today's date, but can be overridden. Please refer to about date formats above for further information about entering date values. 4) The payee. This is where you should enter in the Payee for this transaction. For a check, the entry is rather obvious, but for other transactions it may be a description of where the transaction took place. You are limited to a twenty- five (25) character description. 5) The amount. This is the transaction amount, and should never be a negative value. Valid ranges are 0.00 - 99999.99 6) The memo field. This is a description you may wish to make to yourself concerning this transaction. You are limited to a twenty-five (25) character description. 7) The charge category. This is either a deposit or a withdrawal. Valid entries are "D","d","W","w". Nothing else is accepted, and would produce an error message. The program defaults to a withdrawal. 8) The reconciliation status. This is usually reserved for checking purposes, and indicates whether or not the bank has cleared the check. Valid entries are "Y","y","N","n"," ". The last item is a space, and should be used if this transaction is not a check and has no meaning. The default is "No". 9) The category code. This is used as a description of the type of transaction. For instance: "Checking", or maybe "Interest". You may enter in any category code from 0 -10. If wish to view a listing of valid codes, press <Alt-F10> and use the highlight bar to choose the code you wish to use. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 16 Add a few transactions: This is the same as adding one transaction, except the program will cycle to a new blank transaction entry form. To stop adding new transactions, press <Esc> and you will be returned to the Main Menu. Search for a transaction This option allows one to search the transaction database looking for a transaction that matches various possible search criteria. The transaction entry window will open up and you will see the same prompts that are available when you add a transaction. For each prompt, you may enter in a specific value, or use one of the following relational operations, followed by a value that is meaningful for the current prompt: < Indicates "less than" the following value <= Indicates "less than or equal" to the following value > Indicates "Greater than" the following value >= Indicates "Greater than or equal" to the following value <> Indicates "Not equal" to the following value ? Indicates "match all". There is no following value Each prompt will default to a "?" indicating that all items will match, no matter the value. For the memo and payee entries, you may use either a "?" or enter a part of a string. The other operators have no meaning for these entries. Once you have completed the form, or have pressed <F10>, the program will search for matches. If matches are not found, you will receive an error message to that effect. Press <Esc> to clear the message. If matches are found, you will enter the search view screen, where you may use all the options available in the regular transaction view screen. Should the search match the entire database, you will receive an error message. Press <Esc> to clear it. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 17 Sorting the transaction database: This option brings up a sub-menu with different sorting choices. Once sorting starts, it may take some time to complete, so please be patient. The sorting operation is performed in memory for speed, so it may be possible that a sorting error occurs due to lack of memory. In this case you will receive the message "Sort error....Press <Esc>". No update of the database occurs, and you should press <Esc> to return to the Main Menu. Here are the possible sorting options: Date sort This is the default sort order that is used by the program. Account sort This sorts the database by account number. Amount sort This sorts by the amount. Category sort This will sort by the category code. Check/ID sort This will sort by the check/ID number. Usually you should leave the sort order as date since it is the standard way to view transactions. However, the other options are available so that you may view the database in any order for whatever reason. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 18 Printing the transaction database: This option operates as the account printing function. You will be asked if you wish to send the output to a disk file or a printer. Press <F> for a file, <P> for a printer, or <Esc> to return to the Main Menu. When this option is chosen, the entire transaction database is printed. Should you wish to print only a part of the database, refer to the transaction print option within the transaction view screen later in this manual. Change view option: Here you may choose between the transaction view screen, the account view screen window, or the category view screen window. Once inside the actual view screen, you have several options, as described under each individual topic in this manual. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 19 The transaction view screen: You can determine if you are actually in the view screen by looking at the main menu itself. If no option is highlighted, and the words "View screen" just below the menu, have changed to the menu's selected item color, you are in the view screen. Each transaction is listed on one display line, and each screen has several transactions listed. A highlight bar is used to indicate the currently selected transaction. You may use the following keys to manipulate the view screen: <Enter> : Edit this transaction. <Del> : Deletes this transaction. <Cursor Right> : Toggles to the next screen. <Cursor Left> : Toggles to the previous screen. <Cursor Up> : Selects the previous transaction. <Cursor Down> : Selects the next transaction. <Page Up> : Moves to the previous page of transactions. <Page Down> : Moves to the next page of transactions. <Home> : Selects the very FIRST transaction. <End> : Selects the very LAST transaction. <Alt-S> : Search for a transaction. <Alt-T> : Performs an account transfer operation. <Ins> : Add a new transaction. <Alt-A> : Bring up account view screen window. <Alt-C> : Bring up category view screen window. <Alt-P> : Print the transactions. <Alt-O> : Sorts the transaction file by date. <F4> : Bring up the calculator. <F9> : Invoke a DOS shell. <Tab> : Returns to the main menu. <Esc> : Returns to the previous location. <F10> : Returns to the main menu. <F1> : Displays help. <Alt-X> : Exits the program. Editing a transaction is performed in exactly the same way as when you chose the add transaction option from the main menu, except information is already filled in. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 20 By using the <cursor right> and <cursor left> keys you may toggle the informational screens each of which displays different pieces of information from the transaction record. to return to the first screen, press <cursor left>. If you can not locate the transaction you need, you may press <Alt-S> to search for it. You should enter in the information as described under the search for a transaction menu option discussed above. You will then be placed in the search view screen. If you press <Alt-P> in the normal view screen, the entire transaction database is printed. If you press <Alt-P> when in the search view screen, only those transactions found will be printed. This allows for selective transaction printing. Transferring funds: When you invoke this option, you are requesting a transfer of funds among accounts. The first thing you need to do is fill out a transaction entry for the account FROM which you desire to transfer funds. You may not change the charge field, nor the category code. These are pre defined and must remain what they are. After you have filled out the transaction entry, you are asked which account you wish to transfer funds TO. If you are unsure about the account number, you may press <Alt-F10> to bring up a listing of accounts. Once you have chosen the account to transfer to, TWO transactions are then placed in the database. Should you ever wish to delete the transfer, be sure to delete BOTH of these transaction entries! Note that both transactions have a category code of zero (0). When searching for transactions, you may enter in a Category code of "0" to match all transferred funds. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 21 The account view screen window: When you invoke this view screen, a window will appear with a listing of accounts. They are listed one at a time, using a highlight bar to indicate the currently selected account. You may use the following keys to manipulate the database: <Enter> : Edit this account. <Del> : Deletes this account. <Cursor Up> : Selects the previous account. <Cursor Down> : Selects the next account. <Page Up> : Moves to the previous page of accounts. <Page Down> : Moves to the next page of accounts. <Home> : Selects the very FIRST account. <End> : Selects the very LAST account. <Ins> : Add a new account. <Alt-P> : Print the accounts. <Alt-S> : Searches for an account. <Alt-O> : Sorts the accounts by number. <F4> : Bring up the calculator. <F9> : Invoke a DOS Shell. <Tab> : Returns to the main menu. <Esc> : Returns to the previous location. <F10> : Returns to the main menu. <F1> : Displays help. <Alt-X> : Exits the program. Editing an account is performed just as if you were adding the account, except the information is already filled in. If you press <Alt-P> printing will commence as described under the printing accounts option discussed above. If you press <Alt-S> you will be able to search for an account as described under that main menu option. Pressing <Alt-O> will sort the accounts file as described under that main 2Menu option. When you delete an account, the transactions will all remain. However, when they are displayed, the account name field will be "Account not available". You will be asked if you wish to delete all the transactions for this account. Press <Y> to delete all the transactions, or press <N> to keep them in the database. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 22 The 2Category view screen window: When you invoke this view screen, a window will appear with a listing of categories. (The same window as the accounts window). They are listed one at a time, using a highlight bar to indicate the currently selected category. You may use the following keys to manipulate the database: <Enter> : Edit this category. <Delete> : Deletes this category. <Cursor Up> : Selects the previous category. <Cursor Down> : Selects the next category. <Home> : Selects the very FIRST category. <End> : Selects the very LAST category. <F4> : Bring up the calculator. <F9> : Invoke a DOS shell. <Tab> : Returns to the main menu. <Esc> : Returns to the previous location. <F10> : Returns to the main menu. <F1> : Displays help. <Alt-X> : Exits the program. Editing a category consists of adding a descriptive name to it. The name may be anywhere up to thirty (30) characters in length. When you delete a category, the name is cleared. Nothing further occurs. Load files: This option allows one to load in a new set of data files. A window will open, asking you to enter in the name of the set of data files you wish to use. If the data files do not exist, they will be created automatically. If you wish to view a directory of the current drive, press <Alt-F10> and you will be presented with a directory listing. Move the highlight bar over the file you wish to use and press <Enter>, and it will be loaded (along with its other associated file). Some entries will be in a different color, and have a "\" after them. These are directory entries, and you may move to them, by pressing <Enter>. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 23 Check register function: This is also know as the check reconciliation function. It is where you may view a listing of transactions posted for a checking account, and easily update the reconciliation status of a check. You are first asked to enter in the account you wish to use. Enter in a valid account number, or press <Alt-F10> to view a listing of accounts and choose from it. Should you enter an invalid account number, the program will inform you of this error. Press <Esc> to abort the operation. Next you are asked to enter in the category to use. Bank Account Manager does not force any specific category to be a checking category. Therefore, you should enter in the number of the category that is defined to be a checking category. Alternatively, you may press <Alt-F10> to bring up a listing of categories to choose from. Press <Esc> to abort the operation. Now the program will scan the transaction database looking for transactions. Once it has completed, you will see a grid listing of transactions. You may use the following keys within the register: <Enter> : Change the reconciliation status. <Cursor Up> : Selects the previous transaction. <Cursor Down> : Selects the next transaction. <Page-Up> : Selects the previous page of transactions. <Page-Dn> : Select the next page of transactions. <Home> : Selects the very FIRST transaction. <End> : Selects the very LAST transaction. <F4> : Bring up the calculator. <F9> : Run a DOS shell. <Alt-P> : Print a listing of the transactions. <Esc> : Returns to main menu. <F1> : Displays help. <Alt-X> : Exits the program. If you press <Enter> over a deposit, or non-check transaction, an error message will appear. Press <Esc> to clear the message and return to the register. Pressing <Alt-P> will print only those transactions that are displayed by the check register function. This allows for a selective printout of all checking activity. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 24 Note: The check register's balance computations are based upon the entered account starting balance, entered when the account was first added. If you have changed the account balance due to some error, this balance computation will be wrong. Therefore, you should keep the following in mind. Should you ever have any reason to change the account balance to reflect an error or other non-entered transaction, you should first delete the account and then correct all the information, ensuring that you reflect the non-entered transaction in the account starting balance. In general, should you have a need to change the account balance, you should be sure to enter in a transaction to correct the balance rather than actually changing the account balance directly. This preserves the data integrity, as well as keeps a correct log of account activity. The statement computer: This function allows one to quickly verify a bank statement balance against the Bank Account Manager balance for any account. You are first asked to enter in the account you wish to use. Enter in a valid account number, or press <Alt-F10> to view a listing of accounts and choose from it. Should you enter an invalid account number, the program will inform you of this error. Press <Esc> to abort the operation. Next you are asked to enter in the limiting date. This is the date that appears as your bank statement's closing date. Enter this using the correct format as described earlier. The program will then scan the transaction database, and once it has completed, it will report on what the Bank Statement's balance should be. You are asked if you wish to view the outstanding checks. Press <Y> to view these checks. Press any key to continue cycling through the checks. You may wish to verify these against paper records, or the bank statement itself. You may also press <N> or <Esc> to return to the main menu. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 25 Account breakdown: This option allows you to view the activity on an account between any specified period. A window will open up, asking you to enter in the account number you wish to use. As with the check register and statement computer, you may press <Alt-F10> to view a listing of possible accounts. Next you are asked to enter the starting date. This is the date the program should start looking at transactions. You will then be asked to enter in the end date. This is the date after which the program should ignore transactions. The report will list the number of deposits and withdrawals made on the account during that period, as well as the total amount of deposits and withdrawals that were made. Finally, the program will display the difference between the two amounts. The calculator: Bank Account Manager provides a very rudimentary calculator so that one may perform very simple arithmetic operations. The following are the valid operations (op) you may use: * Multiplication / Division + Addition - Subtraction Expressions may be entered as follows: <value><op><value><op><value> ... There is no limit to the number of operations you may enter at once, but keep in mind that the calculator has no parentheses or precedence rules. Therefore, all operations are performed as the expression is scanned, and the result may not be as expected. For example: 5+5*5-5 <Enter> is scanned as follows: 5+5 = 10 then 10*5 = 50 then 50-5 = 45 Answer is: 45 Following normal arithmetic precedence rules, the answer should really be: 25 evaluated as 5+(5*5)-5. The calculator is not full featured in order to keep program size and complexity down. This is not a money management program! Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 26 Program information: This option displays some information on the current data files, and the current program status. The following is displayed: 1) Amount of memory available 2) Size of the transaction database 3) Size of the accounts database 4) Status of exploding windows 5) Status of shadowed windows 6) Status of sound 7) Current directory 8) Free disk space on current drive 9) The current data file set being used You may find some of this information useful while running Bank Account Manager itself. The size of the data files is the most useful piece of information, since the program response time is directly proportional to the size of the data files. The larger the files, the slower the program, and vice versa. Keeping the size of the transaction file to 500 is advised. The DOS shell: This option will return you to the DOS command line. However, in order to make as much memory available as possible, the program will swap itself out to either EMS memory or disk. The decision to swap to EMS or disk is made depending on the amount of free EMS available. The program will swap out as much of itself as it possibly can, should it be swapping out to disk. The disk file it uses to swap to will not show up on a normal disk directory listing. The program will leave only .8K of itself in memory. You may receive an error message when the shell is attempted for either lack of free memory, or because the program cannot find COMMAND.COM. While in the shell do NOT run any Terminate and Stay Resident (TSR) programs or you might corrupt the program when it returns, and most likely a system crash will occur. Upon return from the shell, the original directory is restored. Therefore, you cannot go into a DOS shell in order to change the disk directory, use the main menu option instead. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 27 Changing directories: This option allows the user to switch the default directory. A window will open up and you will be asked to enter the directory to switch to. If the directory is not available, you will receive an error message, otherwise the change will take place. You may also change to a different drive by entering a drive specification such as "B:", or a drive and directory specification, such as "B:\temp". Quit option: This option is either chosen from the main menu, or through the use of the <Alt-X> key. Before the program exits, you are asked "Sort (Y/N).....Press <Esc> to return". The program will NOT sort the transaction file upon program exit, unless you answer <Y>. The sort order is in the default date order. Pressing <Esc> returns you to the main menu, and pressing <N> will exit the program. You do NOT have to sort the database every time you exit, unless you have entered new transactions that are out of date sequence. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 28 General error messages: As much as the program tries to recover from errors, some are unavoidable. The following is a brief, yet incomplete, list of possible errors generated. Some errors include a short description, error code, and an error address. If you wish to inform us regarding a problematic error, please include ALL of this information. Out of memory error - This is a particularly nasty error that may occur during a screen operation. The program can NOT recover from this error. It is suggested that you remove some TSR programs, and make more memory available to the program. Cannot find configuration file - The program could not locate/ access the file BAM.CFG. Make sure you have not renamed the file, or specified the ReadOnly attribute. This file can only be created by running CONFIG. Cannot access data file - The data file you wish to use cannot be accessed for some reason. You must have set the ReadOnly attribute since the program will create a non existent file, and no other error can usually cause this message except for a disk full error. Invalid date entered - You have entered in the date in a format that the program cannot recognize. The correct format is either determined by DOS or you may use the format of MM/DD/YY. Or, you have entered in an invalid date. Number already used - You have entered an account number that is currently being used by another account. Enter in a different number that is within the range 1-999. Account not found - There is no account with that number in the database. Choose a valid account number, or in most cases, pressing <Alt-F10> will bring up a listing of defined accounts. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 29 Account # not found - Same as above, but generated by the transaction entry routine. Invalid account number - A previously defined account number has now been deleted. Enter in a different number. Serious account error - The program's account database has been corrupted, and it has lost access to valid account numbers. Contact SupremeSoft should this occur. No Accounts to print - There are no accounts in the database, so nothing can be printed. No transactions to print - There are no transactions in the database to be printed. Matches everything - This error is produced by the transaction search. The search criteria entered matches the entire database, and you should move into the View Screen panel to view the transactions. No matches found - No transactions matched your entered search criteria. Invalid charge - You have entered in an invalid charge. Valid entries are "D", "d", "W", "w". Invalid reconciliation - You have entered in an invalid reconciliation entry. Valid entries are "N", "n", "y", "Y" or " ". (Space) Invalid amount - You have entered in an amount that is outside of the valid amount range. Invalid operators - You have entered in an invalid relational operator. Valid operators are "<", ">", "<=", ">=", "<>", "?". Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 30 No transactions available - There are no transactions in the database for you to manipulate. No accounts available - There are no accounts in the database for you to manipulate. Operation not allowed - The function you are attempting to use is not currently allowed. Some operations may not be available depending on where you are in the program. This is a deposit - You are attempting to reconcile a deposit. This is not allowed. This is not a check - You are attempting to reconcile a withdrawal transaction that was not defined with the checking category code. Nothing to report - There are no checks for this account to reconcile. Generated by the check register option. No checks to report - There are no outstanding checks to report for this account. Generated by the bank statement computer. Cannot run shell - The program cannot swap itself out and make more memory available, and can therefore not run the DOS shell. Error in shell execution - The program cannot find/load COMMAND.COM, and can therefore not continue correctly. Or, upon shell return, a program run during the shell has grabbed some memory and interrupts and has now corrupted the program. Error opening sort file - The program attempted to open up the sort file it uses to perform check reconciliation functions The reconciliation operation has been aborted, and the program will continue. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 31 Error erasing sort file - The program could not erase the sort file it uses for check reconciliation. Wrong file versions - The data files you are attempting to use are not correct for this version. Not enough memory - The operation needs more memory than is currently available. The operation is aborted, but the program can still run,. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 32 File related error messages: Bank Account Manager will attempt to recover from any non- fatal error if it is possible to do so. A window will appear with an error message and a solution. The following is a listing of the error messages and their solutions: Error : Data file access violation Cause : The file is marked with either its ReadOnly, Hidden, or System bit set. Solution: Use SupremeSoft's SETATTR to clear all the attributes. Or use the DOS ATTRIB program to do the same. Press <R> to attempt to reset the attributes. Error : Drive not ready error Cause : The drive door is open. Solution: Close the drive door. Error : Disk in default drive is write-protected Cause : The disk has its write protect tab on. Solution: Either change disks or remove the write protect tab. Error : Unknown disk format on default drive Cause : The disk in the drive is corrupt or a non-DOS disk. Solution: Remove the disk and insert a new one. Error : General failure error on default drive Cause : A non-DOS disk or a corrupted disk is in the drive. Solution: Remove the disk and insert a new one. Error : Disk write error on default drive Cause : The disk is full or has been changed. Solution: This is a fatal error. Error : Disk read error on default drive Cause : Either the disk is corrupted or has been changed. Solution: This is a fatal error. Error : CRC Error on default drive Cause : A corrupt disk or controller. Solution: This is a fatal error. Error : Seek error on default drive Cause : A corrupt disk or controller. Solution: This is a fatal error. Error : Sector not found Cause : A corrupt FAT table. Solution: The disk is hopelessly corrupt so this is fatal. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 33 Error : Disk error has occurred Cause : Unknown cause. Solution: This is fatal. Error : Fatal error has occurred Cause : Unknown memory or file error. Solution: This is fatal. For most of the above errors you are prompted to press either <R> to retry the operation, <A> to Abort the operation, or <Esc> to exit the program. For the most part, retry will be ineffectual, while aborting will return you to the main menu. However, if the error occurred during a file operation, this error will occur again, and under that condition you should exit the program to determine what is causing the error. Printer related errors: Printer error - Something went wrong with the printing operation, press <Esc> to Abort or <R> to retry the print operation. Common causes of printer errors: 1) Printer is not turned on. 2) Printer is off-line. 3) Printer is out of paper. Cautions about printer errors: 1) If you have a large printer buffer and a printer error occurs, the program will not inform you of an error until the buffer becomes full. 2) If you retry the print operation, you may duplicate a line of output if you have a printer buffer. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 34 Registering Bank Account Manager: If you are using Bank Account Manager on a regular basis, or for a period exceeding 20 days, you MUST register the program with SupremeSoft. When you do, you will receive the latest version with all the shareware restrictions removed, as well as a few utility programs. To register, send a check for $35.00 to the following address: SupremeSoft 105 Deerfield Drive Easton, CT 06612 Please include your name, address, telephone number, the version you have, and where you obtained your copy from. Better still, fill out the supplied ORDER.DOC. Things of interest: 1) Pressing <F1> at ANY time during the program will bring up a context-sensitive help screen for your specific area. 2) If you wish to view an index of all help topics, press <Alt-F1> when at the MAIN MENU ONLY! This will not work in any other area of the program. Within the Help system, you may return to the help topic index by pressing <F1> once again. 3) When running a DOS shell, the program will not allow you to start another second copy of itself, and will issue an error message should you attempt to do so. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 35 You are granted the right to distribute the exact archive you received to other bulletin board Systems and/or distribution houses. Under no circumstances are you allowed to modify the archive! Doing so will violate this agreement, and you will be liable for any damage done by such an action. You may NOT use this software beyond the 20 day trial period. Should you do so, you are in violation of this agreement. Disclaimer of Warranty: SupremeSoft provides this program "as is". All warranties either expressed or implied, are disclaimed as to the software and its quality, performance, or fitness for any particular purpose. You, the consumer, bear the entire risk relating to the quality and performance of the software. In no event shall SupremeSoft be liable for direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from any defect in the software. If the software proves to have defects, you, and not SupremeSoft, assume the cost of any necessary servicing or repair. Your use of this software acknowledges your acceptance of the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement. Bank Account Manager v3.51 Copyright (c) 1987-1993 by SupremeSoft and Manu Singh. All Rights Reserved. Bank Account Manager Version 3.51 36