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1992-04-19
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581 lines
C h e X, Version 2.42
Copyright (c) Rich Young, 1987, 1988, 1989
CheX is an easy-to-use checkbook program for your IBM PC or compatible
computer. It assists in balancing your checkbook and can also be used
for credit cards, savings accounts, and other types of debit / credit
bookkeeping.
INSTALLATION
Install CheX by copying its files to a floppy disk or to a directory on
your hard disk. If you use a hard disk, you should change to the CheX
directory before starting the program. This enables the program to find
its data files.
RUNNING CHEX
To START a new checkbook, type "CheX" and press <Return>. Respond with a
"Y" or "y" to create a new checkbook. Enter the date and the existing
balance prior to your first non-posted entry, then enter all check
entries that have not cleared the bank.
Use <F2> to sort the items that appear on the screen. This keeps items in
date order. <F7> is used to print your checkbook, and <Escape> or <F10>
exits the program.
Please feel free to copy and distribute this program complete with this
document. If you are using this program, please send a $20.00 contribution
to the address at the end of this document. By using this program you
accept full liability; there is no warranty stated nor implied.
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
Screen Screen
I. Control Keys....... 3.01 VII. Check Printing.......... 19.15
II. Function Keys...... 5.01 VIII. Format Check Options.... 21.03
III. Fields............. 8.13 IX. Graph & Total........... 23.16
IV. Balancing......... 11.17 X. Password Options........ 27.11
V. Custom Options.... 14.08 XI. Errors.................. 29.15
VI. Print and Audit... 18.02 XII. Program Information..... 30.08
I. C O N T R O L K E Y S:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Home - Top of checkbook. | Return - Next column. |
| End - Bottom of checkbook. | Right Arrow - " " |
| Page Up - Up one screen. | Tab - " " |
| Page Down - Down one screen. | Left Arrow - Previous column. |
| Backspace - Back up one space. | Shift Tab - " " |
| Escape - Exit. | Up Arrow - Up one line. |
| "0" (zero) - Clears date; Check # | Down Arrow - Down one line. |
| "." - Decimal or "00". | |
| (option dependent) | |
| | |
| Alt-C - Copy item cursor | Ctrl-PgUp - Top of screen. |
| is on. Ctrl-K | Ctrl-PgDn - Bottom of screen. |
| Alt-I - Insert line. Ctrl-N | Alt-P - Print check hotkey. |
| Alt-D - Blank item. Ctrl-Y | Alt-D Alt-D - Delete item. |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
While entering numeric fields, the alphanumeric keyboard will emulate a
ten-key calculator in the following manner:
----------- ------------
\ 7 8 9 \ \ 7 8 9 \
\ U I O \ same as \ 4 5 6 \
\ J K L \ \ 1 2 3 \
\ M . \ \ 0 . \
---------- ------------
Note: If you start an entry in error, backspacing to the beginning of the
field will restore the original field. Once you move off the field,
you can use <F3> to undo any changes made to the item. Undo has a
limit of 40 items and is cleared when you go to another checkbook,
<F9>.
II. F U N C T I O N K E Y S:
F1 - HELP. Displays this document, "CHEX.DOC". Available at any prompt.
Press <F4> or "F" to search for a specific subject or string. Press
<F5> or "N" to find the next occurrence of the string.
F2 - SORT items that appear on the screen. For larger sorts, use <F6-S>.
[F3] - UNDO any changes made to the item the cursor is currently on. The
old item will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. Press "Y"
to confirm. Undo limit is 40 items. Undo information is cleared
when you go to a different checkbook level, <F9>, or by deleting an
item, <Alt-D> <Alt-D>.
[F4] - FIND an alpha string. Starts at end and works back to the beginning
of the book. FIND is not case sensitive. Use "|" for vertical
lines. When a string is found, you will have the following options:
(E)nd find - return to checkbook.
(G)raph - graph all occurrences. (section IX.)
(M)ove to item - moves the cursor to the actual item.
(N)ext item - search for next occurrence of string.
(P)rint & next - print item, display next occurrence and total.
[F5] - FIND NEXT occurrence of an alpha string. Used after F4, FIND.
[F6] - RECONCILIATION functions:
(B)alance - balance bank statement. (section IV.)
(L)ock - locks the checkbook so that posted items can not be
altered. Exiting the checkbook will do the same thing.
(P)ost - move the cursor to the first non-posted item.
(S)ort - sort the last #### items in the checkbook.
(U)nlock - unlocks the checkbook for modifying posted items.
[F7] - PRINT functions:
(C)heck - print an individual check. (section VII.)
(D)isk - print to disk. Filename: CHEXPR## (section VI.)
(E)xport - create a comma delimited export file for 1-2-3,
dBase, and other programs. Filename: CHEXPR##.PRN
(A)ll fields or (N)umeric fields only.
(F)eedback - display/print optional CheX FEEDBACK form.
(G)raph - graph or display totals by month, by year,
or by category. (section IX.)
(P)rint - print checkbook to printer. (section VI.)
(T)ypewriter - use your printer as a typewriter.
[F8] - OPTIONS settings:
(C)ustom options - setup and color options. (section V.)
(F)ormat check - custom check print formats. (section VIII.)
(P)assword options - passwords and encryption. (section X.)
[F9] - OPEN AUXILIARY checkbook. The current book number is displayed in
the headings in column "To:". From DOS, you can go directly to an
auxiliary book by typing CheX ## at the DOS prompt, ## being a value
of 1 through 99.
F10 - EXIT directly to DOS from any and all prompts. Clears the screen.
ESCAPE - EXIT current checkbook or exit function.
III. F I E L D S:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
| TITLE | DESCRIPTION |
|---------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| P | POSTING CODE. Used by balancing to determine which items |
| | have cleared the bank. If an item appears on your statement, |
| | enter the first letter of the month that the statement is |
| | dated. These items will be highlighted. You can also |
| | highlight non-posted items by entering an asterisk. Valid |
| | entries are; J, F, M, A, Y, U, L, G, S, O, N, D, or *. |
| | Y, U, L, and G are for May, June, July, and August. |
|---------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| Date | DATE WRITTEN. Default is today or date last entered. Can be |
| | entered as DD, MMDD, MMDDYY, MM/DD, or MM/DD/YY. This is |
| | CheX's primary sort key. Valid entries: 1/1/50 - 12/31/99. |
|---------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| Ck# A/_ | CHECK NUMBER. Default is last number entered plus one if the |
| | check is not future dated. Entering a zero will turn off |
| | automatic check numbering. "Ck#A" in the heading indicates |
| | automatic check numbering is on, "Ck#_" indicates that it |
| | has been turned off. Note: CheX print will display a warning |
| | message if a check number is out of sequence. |
|---------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| Debit | CHECK DOLLAR AMOUNT. (max = 99,999.99) |
|---------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| Credit | DEPOSIT DOLLAR AMOUNT. (max = 99,999.99) |
|---------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| To: | ITEM DESCRIPTION. The person the check is written to or the |
| | source of the deposit. (max = 20 characters) |
|---------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| Note | NOTES. (max = 12 characters) |
| | a. On item # 1, the note is used as a checkbook title. |
| | b. Can be used to continue an item description. |
| | c. "-" or "=" are personal and will not print on checks. |
| | d. "=" is an audit figure for the running balance. |
|---------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| Cat | ITEM CATEGORY. The first letter is converted to upper-case |
| | and can be graphed by pressing F7 - "G" option "C". It is |
| | preferable to use unique characters. (max = 3 characters) |
| | The following list is what I use; feel free to change it. |
| | |
| | Aut - auto Ins - insurance Qry - quarry/yard |
| | BC - bank card Job - job/work Ren - rent |
| | Cas - cash Knw - knowledge Sav - savings |
| | Dre - dress Ln - loan Tax - taxes |
| | Exp - expenses Md - medical Ut - utilities |
| | Fun - fun/friend New - newspaper Vac - vacation |
| | Gro - groceries Org - organization |
| | Hom - home Pay - income |
| | |
| | Note: Characters W, X, Y, Z, and any special characters will |
| | be totaled together. See section "IX. Graph & Total." |
|---------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| Balance | RUNNING BALANCE. Computed. (-999,999.99 thru 9,999,999.99) |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
IV. B A L A N C I N G: F6-B
To balance your bank statement, press <F6> and option "P". This will move
the cursor to column "P" on the first non-posted item. The item will be
highlighted. If the item appears on your bank statement, enter the first
letter of the month you are posting. (Letters Y, U, L, and G can be used
for May, Jun, Jul, and Aug.) The system will then move the cursor down
to the next entry. Use the down arrow key to skip entries that do not
appear on your statement. (I alternate between upper and lower case
letters to help differentiate months.)
Once all the posted items are marked, press <F6> and option "B". The
system will prompt you for the ending statement balance. Enter the amount
and press <Return>. The difference displayed should be zero, otherwise you
have entered an item incorrectly or have marked/not marked an item in
error. To change an item that has been marked as posted, you must "unlock"
the checkbook by pressing <F6> and option "U".
In the event your checkbook is out of balance, CheX can locate a possible
error. Please validate the suggestion prior to taking any action. CheX
limits the search to a single "current item," so CheX will not always find
an item posted in error. Also, multiple errors will not be found.
If CheX is unable to locate an error, it will tell you if your checkbook is
too high or too low. Use the following to know what to look for.
If your checkbook is too high, check the following:
1. Debits that require posting.
2. Posted credits that should not have been posted.
3. Posted debits that the amount entered is too low.
4. Posted credits that the amount entered is too high.
5. Entered statement balance is too low.
6. Running balance errors. (see section "XI. ERRORS").
If your checkbook is too low, check the following:
1. Posted debits that should not have been posted.
2. Credits that require posting.
3. Posted debits that the amount entered is too high.
4. Posted credits that the amount entered is too low.
5. Entered statement balance is too high.
6. Running balance errors. (see section "XI. ERRORS").
V. C U S T O M O P T I O N S: F8-C
Options are stored by checkbook. You can use different options for each
auxiliary book. Enter value to change and press <Return>. Use <Escape> to
exit. A prompt will appear confirming your desire to save changes. Press
"Y" to use the changes that you made.
1. thru 5. Color codes - Use codes 0 through 255. Codes 128 through 255
blink. The highlighted version of the color is
represented to the right of the selected color.
Use the right arrow key to update this value.
6. Test disk & printer - (0, 1, 2, 3) Disk and printer test.
0 = Perform no tests.
1 = Test if there is enough disk space. This
option will make CheX startup slower.
2 = Test if the printer is ready. (default)
3 = Perform both tests.
7. Fast screen mode - (Y or N) Some color monitors will produce "snow"
when the screen is being displayed. Press "N" to
suppress this snow. This will make the screen
display slower.
8. Form feed line # - Number of lines to do a printer page break,
0=off. There are 66 lines to a normal page.
9. Auto exit # minutes - If a key is not pressed after ### minutes, the
system will clear the screen, save all updates
and exit your checkbook for safekeeping. In the
event you were using SideKick, auto exit is
postponed to one minute after you return to CheX.
10. Save # minutes/chgs - Number of elapsed minutes or the number of
changes to do an automatic full save. A full
save also occurs prior to any print operation
that could hang the system.
11. Auto load help file - (Y or N) Specifies whether the help file should
be automatically loaded. Auto load works in
between key strokes.
12. Auto read # of items- (0 to 255) Number of items to be automatically
read into the input buffer. Like "Auto Load
Help," Auto Read works in between key strokes.
Use 255 to set to maximum items. The number to
the right is the number of items that will
presently fit in memory. Maximum is 6138. This
does not affect CheX's checkbook maximum of 9,999
items.
13. Check print LPT: - (1 or 2) Selects which printer the checks are
printed on. Does not affect checkbook printing.
14. Decimal entered - (Y or N) Specifies if decimal points are entered
on dollar amounts. For option "N", the decimal
point will produce double zero, "00".
15. Sound duration - (0 to 9) Zero turns sound off.
16. Size of cursor - Use <Page Up> and <Page Down> to change. Cursor
size format is TTBB, where TT is the top scan
line and BB is the bottom scan line.
VI. P R I N T and A U D I T: F7-D / F7-P
<F7> is used to print a check or your checkbook. For check print, see
section "VII. CHECK PRINTING:" below. You can print your checkbook to paper
or disk. The format is similar to what appears on the screen.
During the print process, the running balance, audit entries, check sequence
numbers, and item sort order are validated. Errors are indicated with a ">"
on the printout and by a message at the end of the run.
If the running balance is in error, the computed balance is inserted in the
"To:" column of the item in error. This error indicates loss of data and
should be reconciled. Data loss can be caused by turning the machine off
while the checkbook is being saved.
Audit entries are notes you insert that confirm the running balance. This
is done by typing a "=" in the first position of the note field. Then the
system will insert the current running balance for that item. Should the
running balance ever change, the print process would flag the entry as an
error.
Sequence warning messages indicate that a check number was entered
incorrectly or used out of sequence. I suggest that you try to use your
checks in sequence so that the print process can help validate the
integrity of your checkbook.
Item sort sequence errors could indicate a date entered in error or that
your entries have not been sorted. This is just a warning and may not
require any action.
VII. C H E C K P R I N T I N G: F7-C
To print a check, move the cursor to the check you want printed. Press
<F7> and option "C". Align your check to the date line and press <Return>.
The check will be printed using the formatting information stored by
checkbook.
To help the alignment process, you can press "-", ".", or "_". These will
be printed on the check document. Pressing the left and right arrow will
move the carriage back and forth on some printers. This should not affect
where the next print field will be printed.
As an option you can press ALT-P as a print-check hotkey. This will print
the check the cursor is on without pausing for alignment.
If the name of the person you are writing the check to is longer than the
"To:" field, you can continue the name in the note column. To do this,
type over the vertical line between the "To:" column and the "Note" column.
Check print will then print the note field as part of the name.
Check formatting information can be changed by pressing <F8> option "F".
For more information see section "VIII. Format Check."
VIII. F O R M A T C H E C K F8-F
If you plan on using the check printing feature, you may need to change the
standard print format. Press <F8> and option "F" to change the standard
print format.
These options are stored by checkbook. You can use a different format for
each auxiliary book. Enter value to change and press <Return>. Use
<Escape> to exit. A prompt will appear confirming your desire to save
changes. Press "Y" to use the changes that you made.
1 - 15 Enter formatting information for each field you want printed.
Fifteen fields can be defined.
Line feeds - Number of line feeds prior to printing the field.
Note: Most printers use 6 line feeds to the inch.
Micro line feeds - Since some checks are not typewriter spaced, you
may need to do partial line feeds. Only use this
if you know how to make your printer do micro line
feeds. Use option #16 below to define the proper
escape sequence for your printer. Note: Epson
uses 12 micro feeds to a standard line feed.
Spaces - Number of spaces to print prior to printing the
field. Most printers use 10 or 12 spaces to the
inch. CheX's default format uses 12 spaces to the
inch.
Field Code - Alpha codes "a" through "z" and "0" through "8".
Used to define which field to print. These codes
are defined on the right side of the Format Check
window.
16 Escape sequence for micro feeds - The escape sequence your printer
requires to do micro line feeds. The sequence
needs to be followed with the commands to return
the printer to a normal print mode. Each
character is a decimal number from 0 to 255. Each
character is separated with a "/".
Note: Check printing does NOT require the purchase of continuous forms.
Most letter quality printers and some dot matrix will print checks
on your existing checks. This makes it possible to print the
envelope, too.
IX. G R A P H & T O T A L: F7-G
GRAPH TYPE:
(B)AR GRAPH - total debits, total credits, and average balance by month.
(C)ATEGORY - plotting of net dollar amounts by category code.
(N)UMBERS - display of actual values used by the above graphs.
GRAPH CALCULATION: (BY MONTH or BY CATEGORY)
(A)CTUALS - monthly totals of debits & credits.
(S)UM TOTAL - cumulative totals.
(T)HREE MONTH WEIGHTED AVERAGE - graph smoothing technique.
(D)ETAIL - detail plotting of each item.
BAR GRAPHS:
Totals are by month. Each month graphed is indicated on the bottom of the
screen. Up to sixty months can be displayed.
Scaling is based on the highest value and the zoom factor. Press "+" or
"-" to change zoom. Years are represented by different colors on the month
line. Both total debits (checks) and total credits (deposits) are graphed
together until one exceeds the other. Up arrows represent amounts that
exceed the scaling.
A single "B" is the average daily balance. Minus signs, "-", represent
negative balances. Down arrows represent negative balances that run off
the scale. The graph will not be accurate if the checkbook is not in date
order.
The far left margin displays the graph type. The far right margin contains
the checkbook title and today's date and time--the title being whatever is
entered in the note field of item number one.
Three month weighted average is a graph smoothing technique. Each month is
represented by taking the current month times three, the prior month times
two, and the month before that times one. Then the sum is divided by six.
On color monitors, debits are graphed using the checkbook's heading color.
The rest of the graph uses the detail line color.
You can also graph selected items using the "F4 FIND" command.
CATEGORY:
By pressing "C", graphing is by category net dollar amount--the category
being the first character in the "CAT" field. Lower case letters indicate
that more than one category was plotted. "@" represents categories that
were not "A" through "V." By pressing the letter "B", the graph is returned
to the standard bar chart format.
By pressing "N", the values that make up the graph are displayed. An
asterisk, "*", next to the category code indicates that the code usage has
more than one meaning--i.e. PAY and PC will display PA*. On the right
side of the screen, the category percentage and six month average is
displayed.
NUMBERS:
For each of the graphs, the actual values that are being plotted can be
displayed. This is done by pressing the letter "N" at any graph prompt.
Since this information will not fit on a single screen, the left and right
arrow keys are used to scroll through the results. In addition to the
plotted values, computed totals/averages are displayed.
X. P A S S W O R D O P T I O N S: F8-P
Passwords are optional. You can use different password options for each
auxiliary book. Enter value to change and press <Return>. Use <Escape> to
exit. A prompt will appear confirming your desire to save changes. Press
"Y" to use the changes that you made.
The first time you add password options, CheX needs to be started with the
"/P" option: CHEX [##] /P. Once a checkbook is password protected, the
password can be entered as the last parameter on the command line: CHEX
[##] [/P] PASSWORD. When you create a new checkbook, password options will
be turned off.
1. Primary password - Primary password for your checkbook. By entering
a password, you must REMEMBER one of your
passwords. Enter a blank in each of the four
fields to turn the passwords off.
Verification - Reenter the above entry for verification.
Backup password - A second password in case you forget the first
one. Both passwords should be entered each time
you make changes. They both work the same.
Verification - Reenter the above entry for verification.
2. Encrypt checkbook - (Y or N) By turning this option on, casual
browsing of your checkbook file is discouraged.
Since this option will only take affect for new
information stored, you will want to update every
item in your checkbook. An easy way to do this is
to change the dollar amount of the first item in
your checkbook. Then change it back to the
correct amount. Be sure to perform the same
operation after turning this option off.
WARNING: Use the above options with caution. You could lose valuable
information by forgetting your password or by damaging an encrypted
checkbook file. Also note that the above routines are not very secure.
XI. E R R O R S:
To exit the program, press <Escape> or <F10>. In the event that power is
lost or the system hangs prior to exiting, the checkbook could have serious
errors. Errors in the running balance will be flagged during the checkbook
printing process, <F7>. The running balance can be corrected by reentering
a dollar amount above the running balance error, but it is up to you to
determine which items have been lost. See section "VI. PRINT and AUDIT"
above.
XII. P R O G R A M I N F O R M A T I O N:
CheX will run in 200K but runs better in 256K or more. With more memory,
more items can be kept in memory. This minimizes disk access but has no
effect on the size of your checkbook. A checkbook file can contain up to
9,999 items. CheX does not support memory above the DOS 640K barrier.
CheX's FILES:
README. - Short description on how to get started. Can be deleted.
CHEX.EXE - The checkbook program. Dated 8/12/89; size 109169.
CHEX.DOC - This document. Used as a help screen. Can be deleted.
CHEX.FB - CheX FEEDBACK registration form. Please return.
CHEX.AD1 - Your name and address for envelope print. Can be deleted.
CHEX.PIF - Used for running under MS Windows. Can be deleted.
CHEXBK## - Checkbook. Created by CheX. ## = book number 01 thru 99.
CHEXPR## - Created by CheX on print to disk. Can be deleted. F7-D
CHEXPR##.PRN - Export file for transferring to Lotus or DB III. F7-E
CHEXPR##.OLD - Old copy of CHEXPR##. Temporary. Save this if you get a
disk error while printing your checkbook to disk.
CHEX.AD# - Free form text/binary files for check printing. # = 2 or 3
If you are using the CHEXBK## file with any other program, please note the
following: In this version of CheX, the carriage return at the end of each
record is replaced by the last two digits of the new category field. This
will require that programs using the CHEXBK## file use a random access
mode rather than a sequential access mode. Please contact me if you need
more information. Thanks.
Please send $20.00 to keep CheX alive and growing. As an option, you can
use the CheX FEEDBACK form. This form can be printed by pressing <F7> and
option "F". Thank you in advance.
Thanks to everyone who provided feedback and helped in the distribution of
CheX. Special thanks to Rick Mendosa.
----------------------------
| Richard Webb Young |
| 6060 Ashley Place |
| Goleta, CA 93117-1773 |
----------------------------
