Which version are you using now?________________________________
I got it from ________________BBS ________________Vendor __Other
I saw a review in_______________________________________________
Upon receipt of this paid invoice the latest Registered Edition
disk and any options ordered above will be sent. Mail with your
cash, check, or money order in U.S. funds (Canadian cheques and
foreign cash are okay). Put comments on back. Allow 1-4 weeks
for delivery. Thank you for registering!
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What Vehicle History? _____________________
VI. WHAT DOES THIS SOFTWARE DO?
What Vehicle History? (WVH) was originally designed in _____________________
October 1991 to track maintenance records for construction
equipment. Over the years it has been expanded to track the
maintenance history of just about any ground-based mechanical
devices - cars, trucks, tractors, motorcycles, big rigs, power
generators, or anything else that is tracked by miles or hours.
(An aviation version is being researched - please write if you
are interested in this.) Each "vehicle" has an owner, division,
or department identified with it, which makes WVH perfect for
companies who own many vehicles or shops who maintain other
people's vehicles.
WVH will track parts, labour, and comments pertaining to
each service incident for a vehicle. In addition, you may enter
your parts inventory and WVH will track stock levels and sales
history (including profit margin) on parts.
VII. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
You will need:
* An 8088 or faster PC (a 286 or faster is recommended)
* At least one disk drive with at least 720k storage
capacity (a hard disk is recommended)
* MS/PC-DOS 3.1 or higher (v3.3, 5, or 6.x recommended)
* At least 400k free RAM
* A dot matrix or laser printer if you wish to print
reports
A. Storage Requirements
Although the system is capable of handling 5.5 millions
entries per file, you would need a super-computer or a lot of
time to manage it. Here are some practical guidelines for your
computer system:
PC/XT (8088 or 8086) - perhaps 10 vehicles
80286 - 10 to 20 vehicles
80386 - 20 to 50 vehicles
80486 - Over 50 vehicles
These are just recommendations, though. You can track a
thousand vehicles on a 4MHz XT if you want to; it'll just make
molasses look fast...
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What Vehicle History? _____________________
B. Using on a Network
With version 2.2 of WVH I have installed network file locks
for networks that use the DOS SHARE.EXE file sharing method. I
only have one computer so I am unable to test how WVH will work
on a network, so if you have a network and experience problems
(such as error 70), please give me your input. I will gladly
send a free update in return for useful information.
C. Using with MS Windows
WVH can be run as a DOS application under Windows 3.1
although it is not a Windows application (in other words, it runs
the same in DOS or Windows). If you don't use Windows or use it
only occasionally (as I do), then use WVH from DOS since it will
work faster without Windows' overhead. If you normally have
Windows loaded, however, then go ahead and set up an icon for
WVH. To do this, highlight or create a group, then use File/New
to create a program item and define it as C:\WVH\WVH.EXE (or
whatever directory you are using) and set the data directory to
C:\WVH or some other, as you desire.
D. Using with 4DOS
WVH has been successfully tested on 4DOS versions 4.0 and
5.0 - there are no special considerations or procedures
necessary.
VIII. FILES WHICH MAKE UP THE PACKAGE
What Vehicle History? consists of the following files: _____________________
WVH.EXE Main programme
WVH.HLP Help file
WVH.SCN Screen definitions
WVH.TXT * The ASCII text file of this document
WVH.WP * The WordPerfect file of this document (so you
can format it for your printer)
PRINTER.DAT Printer definitions
FKEY.LST Function key definitions
READ.ME * A file containing late-breaking news
ORDER.FRM Order form for all of my software
FILE_ID.DIZ * BBS description file
DESC.SDI * BBS description file
SYSOP.DOC * Information for BBS sysops
VENDOR.DOC * Information for Shareware vendors
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What Vehicle History? _____________________
These are the files which make up WVH. If you distribute
evaluation copies to friends and bulletin boards please be sure
to include all of these files. However, additional files will be
created by WVH which contain your data and should not be
distributed (unless you intend to share your data files). The
files marked with an asterisk (*) can be deleted if disk space is
a premium.
Registered users: Be sure to delete the file CONFIG.WVH
from copies you share with others since it contains your
registration stamp, serial number, your name, and some historical
information pertaining to your data.
IX. RUNNING What Vehicle History? FOR THE FIRST TIME
A. Quick Start
To get started in a hurry just type "WVH" from the DOS
prompt and set each of the Preferences screens. Most importantly
set the Sales Tax and Inventory preferences. All Preference
information can be changed as needed.
B. Installation
Before you can use WVH you will have to install it on your
hard disk or create a working floppy disk. Since almost no
business uses dual floppy disk systems anymore I won't bother to
explain the procedure here. If you have a lap-top computer with
dual floppy disks simply place the necessary files (as listed
above) on one disk and use the other one for data files. The
full Printed Manual contains details on this. Contact me if you
need help with this in order to evaluate WVH before registering.
If you received your copy of WVH on floppy disk it came
with an INSTALL programme. If INSTALL.EXE or any other of the
files which make up the software are not on your disk please
contact me so I can make the distributor aware of the problem.
To use the automated installation programme, go to the DOS
prompt (usually "C:\>" or something similar), and type
"d:INSTALL" where "d:" is the letter of the floppy disk drive
with the WVH disk (e.g., "A:INSTALL" to install from floppy A:).
You will be asked to supply the destination drive and directory.
If you have an existing version of the software on disk you will
be informed that it will be updated with the new disk.
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What Vehicle History? _____________________
After INSTALL is finished you will see some helpful
information for setting up your computer well, and directions on
how to run WVH. A batch file called WVH.BAT is created in your
root directory if you so permit, and your CONFIG.SYS and
AUTOEXEC.BAT files are not touched at all, not one little bit -- I
wouldn't invade your system that way.
While in the root directory you just type "WVH" to start
the programme. WVH is a batch file which merely changes to the
proper drive & directory then runs WVH. You can delete this file
if you are using a menu or would rather type the commands
yourself.
C. Using the Menus
WVH uses the familiar pull-down menus which are common to
QuickBASIC, Windows, and Macintosh applications. Basically,
there is a horizontal menu of choices -- File, Data Entry, etc.
Under each of the horizontal choices is a menu of functions
pertaining to that item -- it is a two-dimensional menu, in other
words.
There are two ways to select an item from the main menu:
1. Press the letter which is highlighted in the option
description
2. Use the Up/Down/Right/Left arrows to highlight the
option you want then press ENTER (a.k.a. RETURN or CR).
Some menus do not have highlighted options. On these menus
you must use the arrow keys to highlight your choice then press
ENTER.
If you want to cancel an operation you selected, just press
the Esc ("Escape") key.
X. MANAGING FILES
The choices under the File menu have to do with your system
set-up, file management, and ending the programme.
A. Making Back-up Copies of Your Files
Your computer is a machine and one day it will probably
break down. File/Back-up protects your information by making a
copy of it on another disk.
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What Vehicle History? _____________________
You must have a formatted disk ready. You can use the same
back-up disk over and over again (the new copy will over-write
the old one), but it is a good idea to alternate at least three
back-up copies just in case you have a problem while creating a
back-up, in which case you have two copies on which you may rely.
When the work you've done since your last back-up would be heart-
breaking to lose, it's time to make another back-up.
Using compression software packs more information in less
space (so you can use fewer floppy disks) but requires more
memory (RAM). The compression software WVH is programmed to use
and their memory requirements are as follows:
ARJ 2.41 needs at least 300k free
LHARC 2.13 needs at least 189k free
PKZip 2.04g needs at least 157k free
After you select File/Back-up a summary window pops open
and a menu of methods will be presented, starting with "DOS Copy"
and including each compression technique for which you have
enough free memory. Once you choose a method you are asked to
enter the back-up destination (which is typically a floppy disk
drive, such as A:, but you may decide to back-up to another hard
disk, a network drive, etc.). All WVH data files will then be
backed-up to the destination disk and directory using the method
shown in the window.
B. Restoring Files from a Back-up Copy
If you ever need to recover data files from a floppy disk
you made using the File/Back-up command (above), just place the
floppy disk in its drive and select File/Restore. The first
thing you will be asked is to specify the disk drive from which
to restore files. Once you highlight a drive and press ENTER the
list of files on that disk will be shown - individual data files
as well as any compressed archives. Highlight each file you wish
to restore and press the SpaceBar key; you will see an arrow
appear next to each file as it is selected. If you change your
mind, just press the SpaceBar again and the arrow will go away,
indicating that the file will not be restored. Alternately, you
may use the mouse and click the left button instead of using the
arrow keys and SpaceBar.
Once you have selected all the files you wish to restore
press the ENTER key or click on the "Ok" button with a mouse.
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What Vehicle History? _____________________
Each file will be copied into the current data directory.2 Any
compressed archives being restored will automatically be
expanded.
C. Formatting Floppy Disks
This option is for those times when you have decided to
make a back-up copy of your data but don't have a formatted disk
handy. File/Format Floppies lets you format a floppy disk to
your computer's standard density without exiting WVH. If you
have a high density drive you can only format high density disks
(in other words, WVH doesn't pass any parameters to DOS FORMAT).
If you have What Floppy Format? (WFF.EXE) available
somewhere in your search path WVH will automatically access it
for formatting floppy disks (so you can do whatever you want).
You will receive a complimentary copy of the latest version of
WFF with your WVH registration.
D. Re-Indexing Files
If you ever notice that information is missing or appears
in any way wrong, it is probably because something has damaged an
index file. WVH will automatically catch and fix most index
problems (like if power goes out in the middle of the programme),
but there are times when only you will know that the file indices
need to be re-built.
One common example would be if you restored files from a
back-up disk. When you make a back-up (using WVH's File/Back-up
option) you are only storing the data files. This saves space on
your back-up disk. However, it means that if you restore from a
back-up the index files may be mis-matched to the files. So you
would use the File/Re-Index option.
If you have large files (thousands of records) re-indexing
can take a minute or more, depending on your computer's speed.
Aside from that, though, it is harmless to re-index as often as
you like.
____________________
2 The directory from which WVH is started is considered the
data directory - it is where the data files are stored. For
example, if you are in the C:\WVH\DATA directory and you run WVH
from there, then files will be created in, backed-up from, and
restored to this directory.
-13-
What Vehicle History? _____________________
E. Packing Files
Whenever you delete information from the files WVH marks
the "slot" (record) in the files as being "available" so that the
next new piece of information will use that slot. If you delete
a lot of information (for example, if you delete a vehicle that
had a lot of service history & parts information) there may be a
lot of disk space being used to store old information. This is
where pack comes in handy.
Packing makes a new copy of all of your files which does
not include deleted records. For every deleted record between
128 and 512 bytes of disk space will be freed.
XI. DATA ENTRY
This menu of What Vehicle History? lets you enter vehicles, _____________________
mechanics and other information into the data base. The Data
Entry menu is split into three sections:
1. Regular data entry for vehicle service information
2. One-time data entry for vehicles, mechanics,
departments, and service codes
3. Rarely needed data entry (schedule next maintenance) --
this function is run automatically after you enter service for a
vehicle, so you would normally not need to access the function
directly. This option is not yet completed.
All data entry screens use the same method of asking you to
choose a code (vehicle, service type, etc.). There are two
windows on the screen: the left-hand one showing the codes and
the right-hand one showing the details.
As you move through the codes in the left-hand window, WVH
shows you the details for the code which is highlighted. You
move with the arrow keys, PgUp and PgDn keys, or by pressing the
letter or number of a code. For example, if you press the "G"
key WVH will jump to codes beginning with the letter "G". If
there are no codes that begin with "G" the next code after "G"
will be highlighted.
You can back-up one step (cancel an operation) by pressing
the Esc key. Otherwise, just press ENTER to select the code
which is highlighted and continue with an operation.
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service information.
Once you select this option you will see the menu of
vehicle choices. To quit just press the Esc (Escape) key, have set up your vehicles, owners, etc. you can enter the actual This is normally the most used function in WVH. After you What Vehicle History? _____________________
A. Service Information
otherwise highlight a vehicle and press ENTER.
enter and press the ENTER key. Next you will see the menu of service types. Choose a
service type which describes the information you are going to
vehicle then you will see a menu of dates. The first item in the
menu is "New date." Highlight your choice and press ENTER. If there is already some service information for that
Finally you are on the service entry screen. There are
three windows here: One for parts, one for comments, and one for
save it.
When you exit the service screen you are back at the When you are finished entering information press the F7 key to (Jump) key. Within a window use the arrow keys to move around. everything else. You can jump between the windows using the F6
vehicle menu (as above) and the cycle starts over. Just press
the Esc key to stop entering service information.
B. Departments, Mechanics, Service Types, and Vehicles
right which has the details about the highlighted code. These data entry windows all work similarly. You will see
two windows: One on the left which has codes, and one on the
Highlight a code and press ENTER to edit it's information
and "AG05" are both valid codes, though "AG05" has room for 100 numbers, or symbols. Only upper-case letters are used. "AG-5"
variations while "AG-5" has room for 10 variations. It's a good (insert) key. To delete (erase) a code press the Del (delete) (in the right-hand window). To enter a new code press the Ins
key.
The codes you define can contain up to five letters,
idea to give some thought to your coding system before entering
all of your data!
-15-
What Vehicle History? _____________________
WVH sorts codes in typical ASCII fashion. One character at
a time is compared, going left to right. For example, here is a
list of codes in ASCII order:
1A
A001 It is best to pad your numbers
A002 with zeroes (like these three examples)
A015 so they come out in order.
A1
A100
A1000
A2
B001
Service Types examples: Use whatever works for you. If
you have an existing system, just use those same numbers or
letters. Perhaps you have abbreviations you use on invoices.
You can use "BR" for "Brakes", or you might just have service
type "1" for all types of service if you don't care to separate
the service history by service types. Avoid getting too detailed
because you will have to enter a separate service record for each
type of service you want to track. This might mean splitting one
service into two entries - perhaps you replaced a radiator and
replaced brake pads at the same time. If you want to print a
report in the future which shows just the brake work (or
whatever), then make a service type for it.
XII. REPORTS
Highlight the report you want and follow the instructions
on the screen. For reports which ask for dates - enter the date
in month-day-year order, entering just the numbers and using a 4-
digit year.
You can choose to print a report on the screen, on your
printer, or to a disk file. If your print to a disk file you
will be asked for a file name (which may include the drive and
path, if necessary) and the file will be created using the codes
for your printer. If you want a "raw" ASCII file without printer
codes then define your printer to be a "Generic/Daisy-wheel"
printer.
-16-
What Vehicle History? _____________________
XIII. PREFERENCES
The Preferences menu contains options which help you
customize the operation of WVH and set necessary parameters, such
as the type of printer you have.
Please check each Preferences screen before making full use
of WVH, otherwise something might seem wrong with the software
whereas it is due to the set of conditions under which WVH is
