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CPMTAX MANUAL 12-23-88 CPMTAX ABBREVIATED MANUAL Copyright SWComputing 1984, 1988 - all rights reserved This manual is an abbreviated version of the one supplied with the commercial versions of this system. The manual furnished with the commercial package is laser printed with subject matter annotations which are missing in this copy. CPMTAX uses the Wordstar (TM) commands for movement. To invoke CPMTAX, be sure the program CPMTAX.COM (CP/M) is on the logged drive and type: CPMTAX<ENTER>. The main menu should appear which displays all the forms and other utility programs you may select. Occasionally you may find yourself in a field or two beyond the first field of a form when initially loading or moving from screen to screen. To move back simply press the appropriate <MOVE LEFT> key(s). When you have finished a session, from the main menu type: Z<ENTER> 1<ENTER> to quit. This assures that all the data is saved properly. Do not end a session any other way. You may end a session any time you are at the main menu and resume it at another time if you wish. SELECTING FORMS Forms are selected by entering the letter or number preceding them (A...Z) followed by <ENTER> (When we use the term "forms", we mean either the tax schedules, tax forms or system forms). In the center of the menu, near the bottom, is a field marked "Select Form". This is where you select the forms you wish to use. "Select Form" is almost always set to a default value of "X". To select a form, type the letter or number opposite the form you wish to use and press <ENTER>. For example, typing: A<ENTER> selects "Basic Information", a system form. Forms are arranged in the sequence in which they should be selected starting with "Basic Information". You do not have to select any forms except the ones you need, but you should always follow the sequence shown to assure data is transferred among the forms correctly. CPMTAX.MAN 12-23-88 The next entry is "Select Copy" which is loaded with a default value of 1. This is the value you will normally use unless you have the taxpreparer's version and you have cloned more copies of a form. If you make an incorrect entry, you may use the cursor movement keys and the field editing keys identified in figure 1.1 to enter corrections. If you select an invalid form character or a copy number that is out of range, and edit message will advise you that this is an invalid selection and you will be repositioned at the field in error. If you find yourself in a form you did not wish to select, enter the command "/Q" and you will exit quickly to the main menu without saving the form. You will note that Form 1040 page 2 appears multiple times. The first time you select it, will compute your basic Federal tax liability. If you need to use other forms following this selection to adjust your tax liability, then you should select it, in its appropriate sequence again. If you do not select any forms after the first time you have selected the Form 1040 page 2, then you are finished. If you elect to revise a form you have previously completed, you may do so at any time. However, you should invoke and save all forms you have subsequently used to be sure data has been transferred correctly again. Most tax forms consist of 40 to 50 lines. These will not all fit on a single screen. In fact, each screen holds a maximum of 20 lines. Therefore, some tax forms may be comprised of two or more screens. You may use the <PAGE UP> and <PAGE DN> keys (See Figure 1.1) to move through the forms quickly. You cannot move above the first screen. If you try to move past the last screen, you will see the message: "Print, Save, Both or Neither:". This is the only place that you can print and/or save a form. In addition, if there are any values in the current form that need to be transferred to other forms, the values will be transferred when this message is displayed. We still haven't discussed how to enter data onto a form, but this will be covered in the section on working with the screens. LEAVING FORMS To leave a form, proceed through the form until the message "P)rint, S)ave, B)oth, N)either" appears on the message line. This means you have completed the form and all data on it has been updated. You are not finished until this message appears signifying that all of the commands have been executed to update and transfer any data. CPMTAX MANUAL 12-23-88 Type one of the letters P, S, B, or N. The system will not accept any other selections. If you select P or B, be sure your printer is turned on, paper is loaded and the paper is positioned at the top of the page. For more information, see the other sections on printing the forms and check your Annual Supplement. If you select S or B the file will be saved and you will be returned to the menu. If you are using the batch print option with the Taxpreparer's version and want to batch print at the end of the session, always use the S option to exit each individual form. If you select N the form will wrap around and you will be placed at the beginning of the form. Each form screen is composed of two sections. The first twenty lines are the data section. This section is separated from the data/status section by a dashed line. The status line is immediately below the dashed line. Its parts are identified in Figure 2.2. The line immediately below it is the message line. The Status and Message lines are explained in the subsequent section. The data section contains the tax form. While the general layout is prescribed by the IRS regulations governing the submission of substitute forms, there is some variance in layout of this portion caused by the limitation of screens and most printers to 80 characters per line. Some of the fields have asterisks before the row number. Asterisks identify a field that is automatically updated from another form. With the exception of the form 1040, the system will not allow you to make an entry to these fields. At the bottom of each page is the status line. The first field of the status line tells you the current position of the cursor. The position is identified by a letter followed by a number. The second field of the status line tells you the type of field the cursor is is currently positioned at. The possibilities are: Text - You may enter any character on the keyboard (except control characters). The field will automatically be left justified when you move to another field . Numeric - You must enter either a number comprised of the digits 0-9, a decimal point or a minus sign. Do not include spaces, dollar signs, commas or percent signs. The field automatically will be rounded to the nearest integer value and right justified when you type <ENTER> (except for rare cases when decimal values are displayed). If a "VALUE ERROR" message is displayed, a character other than those allowed may have been entered. The field will be set to the default value "0". You should move back to the field and enter it correctly. CPMTAX MANUAL 12-23-88 Logical - Logical fields are responses to questions. The two permissible responses are "Y" for yes and "N" for no (lower case letters are also accepted). The letter should be followed by <ENTER>. This will be completed automatically as "Yes" or "No" respectively. The third field identifies the direction the cursor will move when you type <ENTER>. The default value is "Right". Because the information on some forms dictates a downward movement, the direction may change to "Down". Each form changes the direction automatically for you. The fourth field, "For Cmd List, Type /", is a reminder to type a "/" as the prefix for the major commands. The commands will then be listed on the message line. (See the section "Major Commands".) The last field shows the status of the adjustment switch used with the Form 1040, pages 1 and 2. It will display either "(Adjust: OFF)" or "(Adjust: ON)". This switch is toggled with the command: /A<ENTER>. - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - E19 Text Right For Cmd List, Type / (Adjust:OFF) This is the message line Figure 2.1 The Status & Message Line The message line is blank most of the time, but it is activated when the system needs to tell you something or when you enter a command. To enter a command, type a "/". (See the section "Major commands). The slash is used to alert the system that you are about to enter a command. The list of possible commands you can select is displayed on the message line. Messages are also displayed when the system needs to inform you about something, this is where "P)rint, S)ave, B)oth, N)either" is displayed. Messages are frequently followed by "Type any char" or "Type <ENTER>, so they will remain displayed for your convenience. Typing any character or <ENTER> respectively, clears the message. MAJOR COMMANDS Major commands are preceded by a slash "/". Since this symbol is not normally used in entering text and is not permissible in entering numeric or logical data fields, it is used to advise the system that the next symbol is the abbreviation of a command. Each command is of the form: CPMTAX MANUAL 12-23-88 MAJOR COMMANDS ARE NOT COVERED IN THE FREEWARE VERSION OF THE SYSTEM SINCE THEY ARE DESCRIBED IN ONLINE HELP BY ENTERING "?". The cursor normally moves from field to field pausing only at fields where data can be entered. The only exception is occasionally to permit you to view data before moving to the next screen or printing/saving the form. In these cases, an appropriate message will be displayed on the message line, such as "P)rint, S)ave, B)oth, N)either" or "Review screen before continuing, type any character". ENTERING DATA To enter data in any field simply begin typing. As soon as you type the first character, a horizontal line will extend to the maximum permissible length of the field. This does two things: it indicates that you are in the middle of entering data in a field and it shows you how big the field can be. When you have finished making an entry, type <ENTER> and the cursor will move automatically to the next field. When you exit from a field, the underlining to the right of your entries will be cleared and the field aligned to the left or right depending upon the type of field. If you have already made an entry in a field and your cursor is simply paused on it (no underlining extended), simply type <ENTER> to move to the next field unless you wish to make a change. If you get a value error message, a "0" (zero) will be entered in the field and you will be moved to the next field. You will have to use the appropriate <MOVE LEFT> key for your computer to move back and correct it. THE LINE EDITOR From time to time when entering data you may make a mistake. To correct it, simply backspace and it will be erased. If you backspace until all characters disappear, the cursor will quit moving. If you wish to leave the field, type <ENTER> . On the other hand, there is more power available to you to assist in editing the field. To move quickly to the first character of the field type the <HOME> character (See Figure 1.1 for more information on these characters). To move to the end of the field, type the <END> character. You will be moved to the last character position in the field. If you wish to erase the character under the cursor, use the <DELETE> key. If you wish to erase the character to the left of the cursor, use the <BACKSPACE> key. For short right and left movements you may use the <MOVE RIGHT> or <MOVE LEFT> keys. If you cannot type a character, the line is at its maximum length. Type <ENTER> to continue. CPMTAX MANUAL 12-23-88 The normal mode of moving on the screen has already been mentioned. When you have entered data in a field and type <ENTER> the cursor will move to the right and/or down to the next field where an entry can be made. This can be repeated moving from screen to screen until the "P)rint, S)ave, B)oth, N)either" message is displayed. FORM MOVEMENT COMMANDS There are, however, other movement commands that can be used whenever you are not in the middle of a line entry (there is no underline extension). You may use the <MOVE RIGHT> key to move exactly as you would with <ENTER>. You may use the <MOVE LEFT> key to backtrack in a leftward and/or upward direction. This includes moving back to an earlier screen if you reach the top field where data can be entered on the current one. You cannot move to a field above the topmost one in the form. The <MOVE LEFT> key is useful for correcting mistakes if you have moved to another field. There are also two movement keys that should be used with caution. These are the <MOVE UP> and <MOVE DOWN> keys. They should only be used to move in large columns on forms if you have no more entries to make. An excellent example is Schedule B where there is space to enter about fifteen different sources of interest or dividends. If you have one or two sources, then rather than move backward and forward through all the fields, you can use the <MOVE DOWN> key to get to the last row quickly. If you move beyond, the last row where you can make an entry, surprising things can happen. Movement is always in the same column. Therefore, if you move beyond a row where a valid entry can be made, the system moves to the next row in the same column. You may even find that you have moved back to the place where you just came from. For this reason, we recommend that you not use this feature until you are thoroughly familiar with the system. You won't do any harm by using it, but you may get lost for a while. GETTING HELP There are two kinds of help available to you when you are working with the forms. The first is obtained by typing: ? <ENTER> The question mark invokes a general help menu. An index of topics is displayed and you select a topic by typing enough characters to uniquely identify it. If you find yourself back in the form without displaying help, you may have made a typographical error. Simply repeat the process, it is very fast. You will find a number of topics at the end of the help menu of the form: _FIT<character>1. The "_" signifies a form and <character> corresponds to the form selection character on the main menu. The CPMTAX MANUAL 12-23-88 help provided is the same help you get when you type "/H" from within a form. If you want help about a form, you may note its menu selection character and simply type _FIT<character> to see it. The second kind of help is obtained by typing: /H <ENTER> This provides information concerning the form you are working with at the time. We do not attempt to provide tax advice, but tell you about specific conditions you should be aware of that relate to the computations. We recommend that you read this section every time you select a new form. Help also describes the edits embedded in each form. THE WORKSHEET CPMTAX has a built-in worksheet that can be used with any form. It is invoked with the command: /W<ENTER> The worksheet is associated with the specific form you are developing and the form name is on the first line. The worksheet will be printed automatically whenever you give the command to print its associated form if you have entered data in the worksheet or if it is a pre-formatted worksheet. There are two types of worksheets: free form and formatted. Free form worksheets are intended for you to develop notes and computations that you may want to keep for your own use as you complete the tax forms. Depending upon your version, you may have one or more pre-formatted worksheets. Worksheets have a limited set of commands. Like the forms, these are preceded by the symbol /. The commands are "/C", "/S" and "/Q". "/C" invokes the calculator from the worksheet, "/S"(ave) and "/Q"uit". "X" invokes the calculator from the worksheet, "S" saves the value being pointed to back to the calling form, if both are numeric fields, and "Q" exits the form without saving anything. The worksheet consists of 20 lines formed into 4 columns, 2 Text & Value pairs. When you invoke it, you will be positioned at the first text column. The text columns are over 30 columns wide and are intended for text. You can place values there if you do not need to transfer them back to the form. The same line editor is used to enter information as is used in the forms and it obeys the same commands and rules. The Value columns of the worksheet are intended for numbers and are initially set to the value zero (0). Like the form, you will CPMTAX MANUAL 12-23-88 get a "Value Error" message if you attempt to enter text into this column. The only reason to differentiate the columns is to enable you to transfer information between the forms, worksheets and calculator. If the cursor is pointing to a value in the worksheet when you invoke the calculator ("/C<ENTER>"), that value will be loaded as the initial value used by the calculator (See next section). If you elect to save the value of the calculator when you exit from it (by using the "S", SAVE key) and are pointing to a value column, then that value will be transferred to the worksheet automatically. Finally, if you were pointing to a numeric field in the form when you invoked the worksheet and a value field in the worksheet, then if you elect to "save to the form (/S<ENTER>)", the worksheet value will be transferred back to the form automatically. THE CALCULATOR A simple four function calculator is always available for your use. You may invoke it from either a form or worksheet by typing the command: /C<ENTER> In addition to the normal arithmetic operators, there are four special keys, "C", "N", "S" and "Q". Simply type these letters on the keyboard to invoke the command - Do not precede them with a "/" since this is the division operator. "C" clears both the accumulated value and the current Entry. "N" changes the sign of the number in the accumulator "S" transfers the value in the accumulator at the time you exit the calculator and places it in the form or worksheet if you were pointing to a numeric field when you invoked the calculator. (Be sure to to type "=" before saving a value) "Q" quits the calculator and returns to the form or worksheet without saving any values. PRINTING AND SAVING Printing is normally done when you reach the bottom of each form. A prompt message will be displayed, "P)rint, S)ave, B)oth, N)either". If you select "Print", the form will be printed and you will be returned to the top of the form. The form will not be saved. "Save" writes the form to disk and returns you to the main menu. "Both" prints the form, saves it to disk and returns you to the main menu. "neither" simply moves you to the top of the form. CPMTAX MANUAL 12-23-88 The IRS requires that a line be printed on substitute forms, so you will be asked if you wish to underline. The answer should be yes unless your printer does not print this character correctly. If an entry has been made on the worksheet of a form, the worksheet will be printed automatically when you print the form. The form 1040 may be printed as any of the other forms discussed in the preceding section. However, the IRS requires that the Form 1040 be printed on their forms or an accurate facsimile of their forms. DO NOT SUBMIT THE WORKING COPY FORMAT TO THE IRS! PRINTING TO THE FORM 1040 The instructions to print to the Form 1040 are embedded in each page of the form. Just before reaching the bottom of the form, you will be queried whether you want to print in Form 1040 format. Proceed in the following manner: 1. Obtain copies of the OFFICIAL FORM 1040. This is the one you may obtain from the post office or any IRS office. 2. Tear off two pages of continuous form paper and fasten the appropriate page of the Form 1040 about 1-1/2 inch from the top of the form. We use stapes, but we recommend tape. Align the right hand side of the form with the right hand perforated edge of the pinfeed paper. 3. Feed the pinfeed paper into the printer and align the first line below the solid line at the top of the form as closely as you can with your estimate of where the print head will print. (The reason for the the 1-1/2 inch header on the pinfeed paper is to permit you to feed it under the paper guide before aligning the form). 4. Turn the printer on and answer "Y" in response to the question about printing the form. 5. The printer will print an "X" on the right hand side of the page. On page 1 this should be just to the right of "OMB No. 1545-0074". On page 2 this should be just to the right of line 32. The printer does not move to the next line, but returnes the print head to the left side of the printer. The system will then ask if this is OK? If it is not, make small adjustments and type "N" for no until it is aligned. Once you have it properly aligned, type "Y" for yes and the printer will then print the entire page you have selected. As we stated, the reason for the header is to enable you to place the paper under the paper guide before printing. The reason to use two pages of paper is that most printers turn themeselves off when they run out of paper and the second page of continuous form paper guarantees this won't happen before the entire page is printed. αREADME g RREADME COM g ÉEWSY MACHM╫¡C