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README.DOC
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1990-06-26
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Magic Gradebook Manager
Shareware Version 3.05
(c) Copyright 1990 by Charles F. Monroe
All Rights Reserved
Documentation
PROGRAM BACKGROUND
The original version of this program won First Place in the Third Annual
Great Computer Challenge Teacher Programming Contest, April 1987, sponsored
by WHRO Consortium for Interactive Instruction, 5200 Hampton Blvd.,
Norfolk, VA 23508, and Old Dominion University. It was programmed by
Charles F. Monroe, Computer Math Teacher, Ferguson High School, Newport
News, VA.
Magic Gradebook Manager is designed by a teacher who needed a good,
flexible, and affordable computerized gradebook management system.
The current version of this program was written in Turbo Pascal 5.5.
Its source code is entirely written by the teacher programmer, including
the interrupt handlers.
The program is menu driven and designed to be "user friendly" with
on-line, context-sensitive help screens available from four menus
and while editing the gradebook using the full-screen, spreadsheet-
style gradebook editor, called the "edit grid".
DISCLAIMER
The programmer specifically disclaims responsibility for any loss of data,
or any other kind of loss, financial or otherwise, due to use or misuse of
the Magic Gradebook Manager program. You use this program at your own
risk!
CONFIGURATION REQUIREMENTS:
Computer: IBM PC or Compatible
Operating system: PC-DOS or MS-DOS, versions 2.0 or higher
(version 3.0 or higher recommended for print spooling),
Disk drives: Two 360K disk drives or a hard disk
Memory: 256K or more
Printer: IBM Proprinter, IBM Graphics Printer,
Panasonic KX-P1080i, or their compatibles
C. Itoh ProWriter
Customizable to any other printer
Monitor: Color, or Non-color
Monitor Adaptor: Color Graphics Adapter or Monochrome Adapter
EGA and VGA
Magic Gradebook Manager Manual Page 2
FILES INCLUDED
GRADEBK.EXE { the compiled, ready-to-run gradebook program }
GRADEBK.OVR { program's overlay file }
GBHELP30.DAT { on-line help data file }
README.DOC { documentation }
GRADING.DOC { documentation explaining MGM's method of
grade computation }
SAMPLE { a sample data file whose password is PASS }
HOW TO PRINT A COPY OF THIS MANUAL
From the DOS prompt, type
A>copy readme.doc prn [Enter]
HOW TO RUN MAGIC GRADEBOOK MANAGER
From the DOS prompt, type
A>gradebk [Enter]
If you don't have a color monitor, but your computer has a Color
Graphics Adapter, type
A>gradebk -bw [Enter]
This will force MGM to start up in black and white instead
of the color you can't see with your monitor anyway.
To force MGM to start up in color, type
A>gradebk -c [Enter]
If your computer has a Monochrome Adapter, MGM will know it and
always start up in black and white.
WHAT MAGIC GRADEBOOK MANAGER KNOWS ABOUT DISK DRIVES
When MGM is run from Drive A, it always checks to see if a formatted
diskette has been inserted in Drive B. If it finds one, it changes
the default drive to B and expects data files to be loaded from there.
In any other drive, MGM doesn't check drive B and doesn't change
the default drive.
When MGM terminates, it always returns to the original drive.
Magic Gradebook Manager Manual Page 3
MAGIC GRADEBOOK MANAGER'S HELP FILE
All the information needed for the Help Windows to work while using
Magic Gradebook Manager, are contained in the file GBHELP30.DAT
supplied on your Program Diskette.
MGM always expects this help file to be located in the original
drive and directory. So it's a good idea to place a copy of
GRADEBK.EXE, GRADEBK.OVR and GBHELP30.DAT in the same drive and
directory and always start from there to run the program.
HOW TO INSTALL MAGIC GRADEBOOK MANAGER ON A HARD DISK
First, change to the directory on drive C where you wish to place
your Magic Gradebook Manager Program. If you don't have a directory
ready, you'll have to create one. If you don't know how, see
your DOS Manual or your local computer expert.
Then place your Magic Gradebook Manager Program Diskette in Drive A,
and type:
A>copy a:*.* [Enter]
DOS will do the rest! You can now run the program as described
previously in this manual. There's no copy protection, so everything
should run smoothly.
PASSWORDS
If you forget your password for a file, there is one master
password that will "unlock" any file. It is "GBF1.0UNLOCK".
Using this master password lets you use the file and changes
the password to "PASS" the next time you use the file IF you
save it.
Magic Gradebook Manager Manual Page 4
EDITING FEATURES NOT MENTIONED IN "HELP"
1. While entering grades from the edit grid, you may type an "E"
(for "excused") and after pressing Enter, it will immediately
be changed to an asterisk (*). You may type a "Z" and after
pressing Enter, it will immediately be changed to a zero (0).
2. If you hit the "=" key while editing, whether shifted or not,
a "+" results.
NOTES
1. This version of MGM will not read data files created by
versions 1.x. If you have a significant amount of data
that you find necessary to convert to the new file format,
you may contact the programmer at the address on the last
page for a free file conversion utility.
2. At several points in the program, you have the option of saving
certain information to disk for future use. This data is stored
in files in the same drive and directory as GRADEBK.EXE as
follows:
MGMCONF.DAT Saves any changes to the file mask,
Time Out number, and the Auto Save Number
MGMPRN.DAT Saves your custom printer codes
MGMSCALE.DAT Saves a custom set of grading scale values
MGMLVAL.DAT Saves a custom set of letter grade values
MGMCAL.DAT Saves a snapshot of the calendar setup
3. You may install print spooling by using the DOS PRINT command
prior to running the program--like this:
A>PRINT /D:LPT1 [Enter]
Please, please see your DOS manual for details about this
command. It allows you to adjust the printing speed as
well as the number of files that can be spooled at once.
Using the above command defaults to printing for 2 computer
clock ticks out of every 8 with a maximum of 10 files spooled.
Once print spooling is installed, Magic Gradebook Manager will
automatically spool all reports printed, unless you turn spooling
off using the Spooler Activate Switch on the Printer Setup Menu
(this switch appears only if spooling is installed). NO MORE
WAITING FOR THE PRINTER TO FINISH!
Magic Gradebook Manager Manual Page 5
Note: (1) You can interrupt the print spooler (in case of a
printer emergency) by pressing Ctrl C or Ctrl Break.
(2) If DOS's PRINT is active, but you don't want print
spooling, you can disable it with the parameter
NOSPOOL at the command line: A>GRADEBK -NOSPOOL
(3) Turning the spooler off using the Spooler Activate
Switch is recommended for printing short individual
reports because DOS's print spooler issues a form
feed at the end of every file it prints.
(4) You must use DOS version 3.0 or higher for the
print spooler to work. DOS version 2.x has a
print spooler, but has no provision for programs
like MGM to access it.
4. When assigning class rank, exact ties get the same rank.
Non-tied ranks are numbered as usual. Thus, if two people are
tied for rank 1, the third person would be ranked 3 and rank 2
would be skipped.
5. Percent averages are rounded to the nearest tenth. Letter grade
averages are computed to eleven significant digits.
Magic Gradebook Manager Manual Page 6
LICENSE AGREEMENT
Because of enthusiastic user response and ever-widening acceptance of
Magic Gradebook Manager as a practical and reliable means of using the
computer to manage grades, the current version is offered as Shareware
to insure it availability, and continued development into "The best
little gradebook program you ever had."
The License Agreement for Magic Gradebook Manager comes in two forms--
one for individuals and the other for school building sites.
Individual License
$20
Individuals remitting the Individual Registration Shareware Fee are
Registered Users, and as such are entitled to unlimited personal use of
the program, user-support, notification of future upgrades, and upgrade
discounts. Each individual may make as many personal copies of the program
as necessary for personal use, including backup and archival copies, as
well as additional copies for school or home use. Each individual is also
free to give copies of the program away provided that there is NO CHARGE
for doing so. An exception would be users groups, who may charge a nominal
fee for shipping and handling of software.
School Building Site License
$65 per school building site plus
$2 for each person using the program
A school remitting the School Building Site Registration Shareware Fee
is entitled to distribute copies of Magic Gradebook Manager and its
supporting files, as listed above under FILES INCLUDED, to each person,
teacher or not, who is an employee of that particular school and works in
the building owned by or directly used by the school, provided that person
is listed in a letter or other document accompanying the Shareware Fee and
provided that the Shareware Fee includes the additional amount required for
each person that is to use the software. Any individuals not correctly
included in such a list would need to register separately as individual
users. The school and each listed individual is considered a Registered
User, and is entitled to unlimited individual use of the program, user-
support, notification of future upgrades, and upgrade discounts.
Magic Gradebook Manager Manual Page 7
All persons are encouraged to distribute copies to others, but they
should let them know my shareware policy. (Thank you.)
It is understood that a School Building Site IS NOT a school district,
unless that school district has only one school building site. Each
elementary school, middle school or junior high school, and high school
within a school district is considered a separate building site, and a
School Building Site Registration Shareware Fee would need to be remitted
for each.
All Shareware fees should be remitted by check or money order to:
Charles F. Monroe
351 Ft. Worth Ave., #203
Norfolk, VA 23505
Again, thank you for very much. And may Magic Gradebook Manager free you
of the dread of grade averaging and provide you with another fine tool to
help you provide the very best instruction you possibly can for the many
young minds who deserve your very best!