CP/M/CPM_CDROM.iso/cpm/database/chekbook.ark/CHEKBOOK.DOC

Text File | 1990-01-31 | 10.3 KB | 184 lines

C H E C K B O O K
-----------------

To celebrate the entry of CP/M into the 90's, I submit this program to
the public domain.  This is only the first level of a set of programs
which include budget planning, personal accounting, and income forcasting,
among other things.  If you like CHECKBOOK and would like to know more
about other programs that I offer, write me at:

                      Jason Nemrow
                      Nemrow Family Partnership
                      111 South Boston Avenue
                      Portales, NM 88130

I am committed to offering quality CP/M programs well into the 1990's!


Directions
----------

When the program begins, it askes for the drive you will use.  It will
accept a single-letter response, such as: A, B, C, or so on.  This program
is not configured to work with ZCPR3 and you will have to choose the USER
number outside of the program.  You are then asked for the data file name,
which should only be 8 characters long.  The file type ".CKB" will be added
onto the file name.  If this is a new file, the program will tell you so.

The main menu gives you five choices to make:
    1) to ADD new entries to the checkbook file.  This lets you write in
       your newest entries at the end of the file, the same way you would
       write in checks and deposits in your Register that comes with your
       checks.
    2) to EDIT existing entries in the checkbook file.  In case you typed
       that Check # 101 was written to DumBo SoftWare and later realized
       that it should have been to Jumbo Hardware.  You can edit any part
       of the entry, including the check number and the amount.
    3) to VIEW the Checkbook.  This lists your entries in basically the
       same way you will find them in a regular account Register.  In order
       to save space, I combined the separate columns for checks and
       deposits.  This made more room available for the Book Balance, which
       is what you are used to seeing in the Register (the little record
       book that came with your checks) and also a Bank Balance, which is
       something your bank normally keeps track of.
    4) to VERIFY entries in your Checkbook.  I say VERIFY for the lack of
       any other word to describe it.  This option is used when your bank
       statement is sent to you in the mail, to verify which checks and
       deposits they have recieved and recorded.  The fact of whether your
       entries are verified affects if they are included in the Bank Balance.
    5) to RETURN to CP/M.  I wouldn't want to to have to turn off your
       computer just to quit the program.  This option will update your
       Checkbook with any changes you have made during the session, so
       if you really hate retyping a lot of work, please remember to use
       this option to finish the session.


Procedures
----------

I am lucky in that I just moved and I don't have very many checks written
out to begin with.  The major part of the job will be to enter all your
checks into the Checkbook, by choosing Option 1 from the main menu.  You
will first be asked what account this is to be entered in.  This is a
feature that is not really used on this particular program, but is used
by other programs I offer that use your Checkbook files.  Contact me at the
above address if you are interested.

You are then asked for the Type of Transaction, the choices of which are
listed below:

     1) Unverified Check          2) Verifed Check
     3) Unverified Charge         4) Verified Charge
     5) Unverified Deposit        6) Verified Deposit
     7) Unverified Credit         8) Verified Credit

"Unverified" means that your bank hasn't informed you that it has recieved
that transaction and recorded it on their records.  "Verified" means that
the bank has sent you a statement which tell you that it has recieved a
transaction and recorded it.  "Check" is that little piece of paper you
write on that makes you poorer, and a "Deposit" is a wonderful thing that,
when given to your bank, makes you richer!  "Charges" or "Credits" are
transactions that the bank makes behind your back, basically charging you
for services it renders, or crediting you if you were fortunate enough to
get a little interest off of your money.  I've never heard of "Unverified
Charges or Credits" because you really can't gauge these things ahead of
time, but they are included to retain the logic of the numbering system I
chose to use.

After the Type of Transaction, you will be asked for a description of your
entry.  I usually put the name of the company I wrote the checks to, or say
that I got a nice interest credit from the bank.  Please note that if you
said that this was a deposit, you will not be asked to give a description,
it will be entered in automatically.

Next, you will enter the amount of the transaction, which is how much your
check was made out for, or how much you deposited in the bank.  It will then
ask if it is all correct and if not, allow you to enter it all over again.
If you indicate that everything is correct, then you will be returned to the
Main Menu.

The EDIT commmand, Option 2 from the Main Menu, lets you fix a faulty entry.
It works basically the same way as entering the new entry, but askes you
some questions so that it can FIND the right entry to change.  If you are
trying to find a check, take option 1 of the Edit Menu and type in the check
number as instructed.  If you are trying to find a deposit, charge, or a
credit, choose Option 2 and follow the directions.  **NOTE ON DATES**-- I
didn't really feel the desire to make a really complex finding section on this
program, so you must type in the date EXACTLY as it was typed in as a new
entry.  I make it a habit of always filling all the space alloted, like
typing "04JAN90" instead of just "4JAN90".  This way, I never have to figure
out how I typed it so I can find it later--my system is already set up.  Oh,
you don't have to remember if you typed the month in CAPS--the program will
find it as long as all of the numbers and letters are in the same order.
Each part of the entry is shown and you are given the opportunity to change
any part.  It askes if all is CORRECT, and proceeds accordingly.

It would have made sense if VERIFY had come before VIEW, but I really didn't
feel like being very sensible!  Ok, VIEW is Option 3 and probably the most
useful part of the program.  It pages through all of your entries, in the
order that you entered them.  If you keep a Register along with this program,
you can check your math (As I do).  The amounts in the "Book Bal." column
should match up very nicely with the running balance in your Register.  Now,
There is some things different here.  There are three columns that you may
not be familiar with.

The "Ac" column tells you which account this entry should be grouped with.
As I said before, this portion serves no useful purpose in this program, but
is used with other programs that will use your Checkbook files.  Again,
contact me for more info.  If it makes you feel any better, I really think
it is software piracy to charge over $15 for a program, so you can rest
assured that I'm not here to squeeze your radishes.  I usually just put a
"1" in the account part and let it go at that.

The "T" column lets you know the type.  I would have actually had the program
write out the types here, but my screen (and probably yours as well) was too
small.  These numbers are the same as the ones above (in the ADD section) and
you can interpret them that way.

The "Bank Bal." column is really the one that gives this program some flavor!
My wife always asks me why the balance the bank statement gives is always
different from the one in her checkbook Register.  It has a lot to do with the
fact that the bank has all of your money and really doesn't feel it needs to
work quickly on keeping things up-to-date.  There are other reasons (which
make more sense), but the bank typically hasn't recieved all of the checks
you've written when it tells it's computer to print out your statement.
Therefore, your "Book Bal." will almost never be the same as your "Bank Bal."
If everything is entered in properly and verified correctly (as I will explain
next), your "Bank Bal." should equal the amount that your bank statement says
you have in the bank.

The VERIFY section, option 4 from the Main Menu, is a specialized EDIT routine.
Instead of letting you change any part of an entry, it only alters a flag that
indicates whether the entry has been recorded by the bank or not.  VERIFY
finds each entry in the same manner that EDIT does and then changes it from
"Unverified" to "Verified".  I put this section in at the last moment to
save everyone a lot of grief from having to wade through a whole entry just to
change a flag.  It will tell you if you are trying to verify an entry which
has already been verified, which might tell you that you are altering the wrong
entries.  This basically covers all of the options available in this version.


How to Use It
-------------

You should ADD checks to the Checkbook just after they are written out (I
usually enter everything in at the end of each day).  You can VIEW the
Checkbook periodically to see just how poor you are.  When a bank statement
comes in, you will need to VERIFY which checks and deposits the bank has
recorded.  You will also need to ADD any charges or credits the bank has seen
fit to give to (or take from, more likely) you.  VIEW the Checkbook again to
see if the bottom line of your bank statement equals the last number in the
"Bank Bal." column.  If it doesn't, you'll need to check through each entry
to be sure you typed them correctly.  If you find any errors, you should EDIT
them.  If you have check through and can find no problems and the numbers
just don't match, GO TALK TO YOUR BANKER!  If you are lucky, he will have
an IBM computer doing the books and you can mention that this could be half of
his problem!  He should have stuck with CP/M!!

Parting Shot
____________

Let me know of what changes need to be made on CHECKBOOK.  I will send any
updated versions through the grapevine and will target certain BBS who want
to be kept up to date.  It's 1990.  Let's not allow CP/M to die.