Monster Media 1994 #1

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********************************************************************** * * * Around The House - Version 2.0 * * Copyright (c) 1993 by BlueCollar Software * * * * Published exclusively by: * * RMH Computer Services * * PO Box 657 * * Beech Grove IN 46107-0657 * * (317) 782-9903 * * * ********************************************************************** _______ ____|__ | (R) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER RMH Computer Services is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442-9427 USA, FAX 616-788-2765 or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. WARRANTY -------- Neither BlueCollar Software nor RMH Computer Services make warranty of any kind, express or implied, including without limitation, any warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. Neither BlueCollar Software nor RMH Computer Services shall be liable for any damages, whether direct, indirect, special or consequential arising from a failure of this program to operate in the manner desired by the user. Neither BlueCollar Software nor RMH Computer Services shall be liable for any damage to data or property which may be caused directly or indirectly by use of the program. IN NO EVENT WILL BLUECOLLAR SOFTWARE OR RMH COMPUTER SERVICES BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS OR OTHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY. TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Registration Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 ALL MY FILES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Who I Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Christmas Label Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Birthday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Wedding Anniversary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 What I Have . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 My Appointments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 All My Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Letters & Stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Grocery List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 To Do List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 WHERE MY MONEY GOES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 What I Make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Money Going Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 What's Left? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 My Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Maintenance File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Repair File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 View report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 View Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 View Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Print Vehicle Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Print Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Print Repair Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 My House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 House Maintenance File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Remodeling Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 View House Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 House Maintenance Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 View Remodeling Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Print House Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Print House Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Print House Remodeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Cost of Groceries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Contributions & Donations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 PRINT REPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Who I Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Phone Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Address List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Christmas Card Mailing Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Birthday List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Anniversary List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 What I Have . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Serial and Model Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 All Items/Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 All Items/Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Where My Money Goes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 All Monthly Expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Due Dates for Bills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Groceries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Contributions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Grocery List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 To Do List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Printer Set-Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 User-Defined Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 UTILITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Sort Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Color Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Edit Pop-Ups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 User's Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Registration Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 HOT KEYS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 ESC - Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 F1 - Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 F2 - Help Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 F9 - Calculator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 F10 - Change Indexing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Ordering Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Product Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Australian/British Versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to Around The House Around The House is a home-oriented database program containing many useful modules. Maintain names, addresses, phone numbers, birthdays, Christmas card lists, etc. Print mailing labels from the database. Track household inventory, model and serial numbers, value, location and type of item. Keep notes - anything from recipes to a personal diary. Track vehicle maintenance and repair. An appointment calendar provides a variety of print-outs. A "word processor" allows the user to write mail-merged letters or edit files on the disk. Another module shows income, and another lists expenses, with a "What's Left?" option. A variety of print-outs and pre-defined reports are provided, and also allows for user-defined reports. On-Line context-sensitive Help. Three major things to remember: [INS] - The [INS] key will add a record. [ENTER] - The [ENTER] key will edit a record. [DEL] - The [DEL] key will delete a record. Other stuff: Press [ESC] to exit any screen or keep pressing [ESC] to exit the program. Press [F1] or [F2] for Help inside the program. An explanation of the reports: Some of the reports are viewed and printed while you are in the screen of that file (such as 'My Vehicles' and 'My House'). The reason for this is they are printing only that particular record. Others (such as 'Cost of Groceries') are in the 'Print Reports' menu. There reports print many records, tally up, and so forth. I hope you enjoy and use "Around The House" And Have Fun! That's important too! --------------------- REGISTRATION BENEFITS --------------------- The shareware copy of Around The House that you have is fully- functional. However, upon registering your copy, you will receive: 1) A disk containing the most current version of the program. 2) A lifetime license to use the product. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) Registered copies of Around The House will display the owners name on the main program screen. 4) Registered owners will also receive a copy of "My VCR Tape Library" program. Nice for tracking your video tapes, and who you lent them to. 5) Support via the phone, BBS, mail, CompuServe email, and email via various other message networks. 6) A 30 day money-back guarantee. 7) Special discounts and online credits for CompuServe. 8) Special discounts on magazines, newsletter, and products from Public (software) Libraries. 9) Special discounts on Shareware Magazine, one of the industry's foremost publications, by Mike Callahan (alias Dr. FileFinder) And apart from all that, the knowledge that you are helping to support the Shareware concept - a distribution system that brings you quality software at realistic prices. ------------------- SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ------------------- Around The House will run on most any IBM-Compatible computer system which has DOS version 2.1 or greater, and a hard disk drive. The program requires that the operating system have 512k of RAM memory, and a minimum of 2 Megabytes of free hard drive space (3Mb recommended). ================================================= ALL MY FILES ================================================= Use the [DownArrow] to make a selection of the file you want to access. Or use the [Right or LeftArrow] keys to move across the top of the menu. The [ESC] key is used to "back out" of the screen you are presently using. If pressed here, you will be asked if you want to exit the program. If you select 'Yes', you're back to DOS. 'No' leaves you where you are. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- WHO I KNOW ---------- Selecting this menu option brings up a browse window into "Who I Know" list. If the file is empty, you will automatically be put into a screen for adding your first record. From the browse window thereafter, your choices are as follows: [INS] Press the insert key to add a record. [DEL] Press the delete key to delete the currently highlighted record. [ENTER] Press the [ENTER] key to edit the currently highlighted record. The Who I Know edit screen will come up, and you will be able to change the name, address, city, and all the rest of the information. [ESC] Press the [ESC] key to return to the main menu. You may navigate through the list using the cursor navigation keys, page up, and page down. Pressing Home moves you to the top of the file, pressing End moves you to the end of the file. Pressing the left and right arrows shifts the fields being displayed left and right. You may also navigate through the file by entering a key expression. You can search the database in the following ways; Type in the first few letters of the last name, Type in all of the last name, Type in all of the last name, a space, and all or some of the first name. Tips & Tricks ------------- If one of your friend's families has eight kids (more or less, doesn't matter). You'd like an address list for them and include them in the phone directory. And you want their anniversaries listed, along with all the kid's birthdays. But you don't want everyone of them to show up on the address list and phone directory. Here's how to do it; Pick one family member. Make a complete entry for that person, i.e. fill in all the blanks (address, phone numbers, etc.). For the rest of the family, fill in the 'names' fields. Leave everything else blank, except the 'Birthday' field. The "Address, Phone, Anniversary, and Birthday" list will only include a person if something was entered in the respective field. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 4 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Name --------- Type in the Last Name and press the Enter key. First Name ---------- Enter the First Name. This space may be left blank if this is a business or you just don't know the person's first name. Middle Initial -------------- Enter a Middle Initial or leave it blank and press Enter. Street ------ Enter the Street Address. City ---- Enter the name of the City. State ----- Use the up or down arrow, make a selection (highlight it), and press [ENTER]. Or you can type in the first letter to get you in the vicinity of the State you want. Then select it. The abbreviations for the USA, Canada, and Australia are included in this pop-up. But, if you want to include provinces, territories, or counties of a different country, it can be easily accomplished. Go to the "Utilities" menu and select "Edit Pop-Ups". You can add new entries (up to three-hundred total), or delete entries you don't need. Zip Code -------- Enter the Zip Code. Country ------- Type in the Country. If it is the same as the Country you live in, leave it blank. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 5 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Phone Number ------------ Enter the phone number - don't worry about the "(,),-" characters, I'll get them. It's the least I can do. <grin> Fax --- Enter the number of this person's Fax Machine, if applicable. Work Phone ---------- Enter the phone number for where this guy works (or any other phone number where he (she, it, or they) might be reached, don't worry about the "(,),-" characters. Again....I'll get them. Extension --------- If there is an extension to the business phone or work phone, type it in. You don't have to enter anything if you don't want to. In fact there are only a few fields that must contain data. And when you don't type something there, I'll let you know. Why Here -------- CHRISTMAS LABEL NAME -------------------- This will be the way you set up your label for printing. Card Name --------- Type in the name as you want it to appear on the label. Examples: Mr. & Mrs. Robert Jones The Jones Family Bob Jones Or whatever you want If you don't want to send a card, leave this field blank and press [ENTER]. Card Addendum ------------- This is where you type in an addendum to the name. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 6 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Examples: & Family & The Guy in the Rented Room & Their Rotten Kids Leave it blank for no card, and press Enter. BIRTHDAYS --------- If you want a print-out to keep track of the birthdays of friends and relatives (or your doctor, favorite rock star, or anyone else you have entered into your files) enter it here. Type in the Date and press [ENTER]. Birthday date ------------- If you want a print-out to keep track of the birthdays of friends and relatives (or your doctor, favorite rock star, or anyone else you have entered into your files) enter it here. Type in the Date and press [ENTER]. WEDDING ANNIVERSARY ------------------- If you want a print-out to keep track of the anniversaries of friends and relatives (or your doctor, favorite rock star, or anyone else you have entered into your files) enter it here. Type in the Date and press [ENTER]. Anniversary Date ---------------- If you want a print-out to keep track of the anniversaries of friends and relatives (or your doctor, favorite rock star, or anyone else you have entered into your files) enter it here. Type in the Date and press [ENTER]. ----------- WHAT I HAVE ----------- This option will list all of the items you have around the house. It will keep track of the serial numbers and model numbers, if applicable. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 7 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- It will also print out your entire file from the report menu, and give you a total of "how much" you've invested in all the stuff in your house. That will surprise the daylights out of you. Keep this up to date and it will be very useful if you have a loss due to theft or fire. It would be advisable to keep a back-up disk of ALL your files at another location, your mother's, brother's, sister's or somewhere other than your own home. This works just like the other file entries. Press [INS] to add a record. Highlight an existing record and press [ENTER] to Edit that record. Highlight the record and press [DEL] to get rid of it forever. Use the [F10] key to change the indexing. Item Description ---------------- Type in a brief description. Example: Stereo Receiver, Sofa My bed Knives, forks, spoons, etc. Brand Name ---------- Type in the brand name, if you want. If you don't want to, don't do it. Date Purchased -------------- Type in the date you bought this item. You must put something here. This will be one of the items you will index on, so,.. if you can't remember when you got it, make something up. But, it must be a valid date, even if it's 01/01/01. Don't worry about the "/", I'll do that. Model Number ------------ Type in the model number, or leave this blank. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 8 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Serial Number ------------- Type in the serial number, or leave it blank. Value ----- Just remember, whatever you enter here might someday (but, I hope not) be given to your insurance company. So enter what you paid for the item or the estimated value. Or any other figure you want. This is the figure your printed report will be totalled on. Classification -------------- Antique Appliance Clothing Collectible Electronic Equipment Jewelry Furniture Tools Other Stuff Location -------- Pick the location that best suits your location and press the [ENTER] key. --------------- MY APPOINTMENTS --------------- This is a multi-user calendar with an appointment tracker. You can point and shoot at any date and add, edit, and delete appointments for that date. You may also print and delete appointments for any range of dates. More advanced featured allow you to add periodically recurring appointments, and to view days and weeks at a glance to determine when you have free time to schedule an appointment. When you first enter the calendar, the current month will be displayed along with the first two weeks of the next month. The current day will blink. If there are any appointments for the current day, the first seven will be displayed in a window at the bottom of the screen. Any other days that have appointments will be displayed in reverse video on the calendar. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 9 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ACTIVE KEYS: ACTION: ------------------------------------------------- [LEFTARROW] Go backward one day [RIGHTARROW] Go forward one day [UPARROW] Go backward one week [DOWNARROW] Go forward one week [PgUp] Go back one month [PgDn] Go forward one month [HOME] Jump to first day of month [END] Jump to last day of month [ENTER] Add/Edit/View appointments [P] Print appointments [D] Delete appointments [T] Daily time block [W] Weekly time blocks [C] Jump to current date (system) [S] Search for text in either description or notes of an appointment [ESC] Exit calendar ADDING, EDITING, VIEWING APPOINTMENTS ------------------------------------- Use the navigation keys to move to the desired date, the press [ENTER]. A browse window will appear near the bottom of the screen showing the time and description for all appointments. If there are no appointments for that date, you will automatically be placed in the Add mode. The following options are available at this point: KEY: ACTION: ------------------------------------------------------ [A] Add new appointments [E] Edit highlighted appointment [D] Delete highlighted appointment [M] Move highlighted appointment [R] Recurring appointment [N] edit Notes for highlighted appointment [ESC] Exit calendar To add a new appointment press [A]. Enter the user ID (This is who the appointment is for, not who it is with), along with the starting and ending time and a brief description of the appointment. ******** * NOTE * ******** The TIME is a twenty-four hour clock. 3:00 PM would be 15:00, 9:00 AM would be 09:00 (You have to add the preceding '0' before 9:00. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 10 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The ending time cannot be earlier than the starting time. In addition, if you try to enter an appointment that creates a time conflict with an already existing appointment, you will get an error message to that effect. Press [CTRL]-[W] to save the new appointment or [ESC] to exit without saving. To edit a highlighted appointment, press [E]. Make your changes, but the same rules apply from the Add mode. Press [CTRL]-[W] to save the new appointment or [ESC] to exit without saving. To delete a highlighted appointment, press [D]. You will be asked to confirm your request, respond by pressing [Y]es or [N]o. You may move appointments from one day to another by pressing [M]. A window will appear and ask you for the new date for this appointment. To add a recurring date, press [R]. Follow the same steps as when adding a single appointment. After you press [CTRL]-[W], you will be given the following options: i Every day of the week (Mon, Tues, etc.) ii Every other day of week iii Every...day of the month (1st, etc.) iv Every day v Every...day-of-week (e.g. 3rd Monday, etc.) vi Every weekday Highlight the desired option and press [ENTER]. To add or edit notes for the highlighted appointment, press [N]. A window will open below the appointment window, into which you may type away to your heart's content. Press [CTRL]-[W] to save your edits, or [ESC] to exit without saving. Appointments that have notes attached to them will have a checkmark displayed to the right of the description. To exit back to the calendar, press [ESC]. PRINTING APPOINTMENTS --------------------- To print an appointment, press [P]. You then have the option of printing for the current week, or for a range of dates. If you print for a week, you will be asked for a specific user ID (or "ALL" if you print for all users). If you print for a range of dates, you will be prompted to enter the starting and ending dates. If there are no appointments in that range, you will be informed. Otherwise, you will be asked if you want to include the Notes. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 11 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DELETING APPOINTMENTS --------------------- To delete all appointments for a range of dates, press [D]. You will be asked to enter the starting and ending dates. The number of affected appointments will be displayed, and you will be asked to confirm your request. Press [Y]es if you want to delete them, or [N]o if you chicken out. TIME BLOCKS--DAILY ------------------ As previously mentioned, when you are in the calendar and appointments exist for the current date, they will be displayed in a window near the bottom of the screen. However, let's say your in a hurry and need to know what times are available during the day. Press [T]. A graph showing available and used time blocks will be displayed. The graph starts at 06:00 and ends at 22:00. Each block represents a fifteen minute interval. There will be one row for each person who has an appointment on this date. TIME BLOCKS--WEEKLY ------------------- Weekly time blocks are similar to daily time blocks, but not as detailed. When you press [W], you will be presented with a daily breakdown of appointments for the current week. In this display, each daily graph begins at 06:00 and ends at 17:00, and each block represents an interval of one hour. ------------ ALL MY NOTES ------------ This can be used for almost anything your heart desires. You can use it as an electronic diary, a place to keep all your recipes, somewhere to talk about the people you don't like, or you can use your imagination. The screen that you type in is a memo field. Each of them will hold about twenty pages of type-written text, so you can ramble on and on. Just start typing. [PgUp] and [PgDn] will navigate you between the screens. [HOME] and [END] will take you to the top and the bottom of the text. [INS] will allow you to select the insert or type-over mode. [BACKSPACE] will erase the last letter. [DEL] will erase the letters in front. When you are finished, press [ESC], Accept your entry. And you're done. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 12 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Thoughts Date ------------- Enter the date of this session. Main subject ------------ This will be used so that you will be able to search through these files to find a certain topic. Type in anything that might help you identify the most significant subject matter. If it was your birthday, type in birthday. If your great uncle died and left you a lot of money, type in inheritance. Get the picture? Thoughts -------- Type away. --------------- LETTERS & STUFF --------------- The bad news is this is not WordPerfect. The good news is this is not WordPerfect. <grin> Hopefully, this will be a lot easier to master. Theoretically, this program can write files up to 64K. But, and this is a big BUT, you must have enough memory in your RAM to do it. You must have enough available RAM equal to twice the size of the file you are editing. In most cases this will never be a problem. But you might not be able to write THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL. ACTIVE KEYS ----------- KEY: ACTION: ----------------------------------------------------------------- [F1] Help screen listing all commands [ALT]-[A] (A)ppend a file to current file [ALT]-[B] Place block marker (or execute block command if both block markers have already been placed. [ALT]-[F] Insert (F)ield (for merge mailings) [ALT]-[G] (G)o to line number [ALT]-[L] Page (L)ength for printing [ALT]-[M] Change (M)argins [ALT]-[N] Edit (N)ew file [ALT]-[P] (P)rint file [ALT]-[Q] (Q)uit but save edits [ALT]-[R] Search and (R)eplace [ALT]-[S] (S)ave file and continue Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 13 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [ALT]-[T] (T)oggle word wrap on/off [ALT]-[W] (W)rite to new file [ALT]-[X] E(X)it immediately without saving [ALT]-[Y] Change director(Y) /wildcard EDIT WINDOW / STATUS LINE ------------------------- When you enter this option, the edit window takes up nearly the full screen. You will be prompted to enter the name of the file you wish to edit. There is a status line at the bottom of the screen, which displays the name of the file being edited (minus the directory), the current line and column position of the cursor, the left and right margins, and the status of the word wrap and insert modes (displayed when active as "<Wrap>" and "<Ins>", respectively). When a file has been edited, an asterisk will appear at the right side of the top row next to the "[ALT]-[H] = Help" message. FILES - CHANGING, NEW, DEFAULT ------------------------------ When you press [ALT]-[N] to edit a new file or [ALT]-[W] to write to another file, a scrolling window will appear containing all files that match the current directory and wildcard mask. The directory and wildcard mask will be shown at the top of this window for reference. To select a file, move the highlight bar to it and press [ENTER]. To create a new file, select the option "NEW FILE", then enter the new file name. Pressing [ESC] will abort the file selection process. If you attempt to write to a file that already exists, or append from a file that does not exist, you will get a message to that effect. ALT-B: BLOCK COMMANDS --------------------- Blocks of text may be deleted, copied, moved, printed, or case converted. You must first mark a block of text by pressing [ALT]-[B] at the beginning, move the cursor to the end of the block and press [ALT]-[B] again. If you wish to move or copy this block of text, move the cursor to the target position, then press [ALT]-[B] again. You will see a pop-up menu of block commands ("Move", "Copy", "Kill", "Print", "Uppercase", Lowercase", "Erase Markers"). Select one of them by moving the highlight bar to it, and press [ENTER]. ALT-F: FIELD INSERTION FOR MAIL MERGING --------------------------------------- You can easily insert fields from the "Who I Know" database into your documents to create merge mailings. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 14 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- First move the cursor to the location where you wish to insert the field. Then press [ALT]-[F] to display a window containing all available field names. Move the highlight bar to the desired field name and press [ENTER] to insert it, or press [ESC] to exit without inserting a field. Notice that the field name is surrounded by curly braces "{"Smith"}". When the document is printed, anything surrounded by the curly braces will be replaced by the actual contents of the field. If you have inserted fields into your document for Mail Merging and press [ALT]-[P] to print, you will be asked if you want to print more than one document. Pressing [N] will print the first record in the database, whoever that might be. Pressing [Y] will call the "File Filter" program. This program is discussed later in this help screen. Or see the Appendix in the User's manual for more information. ALT-T: WORD WRAP ----------------- The Word Wrap mode is "on" when you enter this option. To turn it off press [ALT]-[T], turn it back on by pressing it again. INSERT MODE ----------- To change from Insert to Typeover mode and back again, press [INS]. ALT-L: PAGE LENGTH ------------------ The page length is set at 60 lines when you enter this option. You can change it at any time by pressing [ALT]-[L]. ALT-M: MARGINS -------------- The start up margins for the printer are set at left column 1 and right column 80. However you can change these by pressing [ALT]-[M] and entering the desired settings. When you change them the on-screen display will adjust to reflect the changes. You may use larger values than would appear on the 80 column screen. In such instances you should toggle word wrap "off" and scroll to the right to display text beyond the on-screen right margin. The current values of the margins appears on the status line. ALT-P: PRINTING --------------- You may print the current file at any time by pressing [ALT]-[P]. Printing may be aborted at any time by pressing [ESC]. The format of the printed page is determined by the current settings of the page length and margins. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 15 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- If you have inserted field in this document and wish to print a mail merging, a filter will appear here to allow you to select which records will be printed. (It is explained later in this chapter. (See "FILE FILTER") ALT-R: SEARCH AND REPLACE ------------------------- You can search for all or only specific occurrences of a character string. When you press [ALT]-[R], you will be prompted to first enter the search string, then the replacement string. You will then be asked if you want to replace all occurrences of the search string. If you select "No", you will be prompted to enter the number of occurrences to replace. Please note that the search begins at the top of the file and continues either to the end of the file or until the number of occurrences you specified has been replaced. ALT-Y: CURRENT DIRECTORY / WILDCARD ----------------------------------- This little word processor gives you the ability to change the working directory or filemask at any time. When you first enter it, the current directory will be set to the default DOS directory, and the wildcard will be set to "*.*". If you would like to change either the directory where this program looks for files or the wildcard used (e.g., "*.txt", "*.doc"), press [ALT]-[Y] and enter the new information. You do not have to enter slashes ("\") in front or back of the directory UNLESS you include a wildcard. For example, to change the current directory to "\MYSTUFF\", you only need to enter "MYSTUFF" (no quotes). However, if you want the program to only look for ".LET" files in the MYSTUFF directory, you must enter "\MYSTUFF\*.LET". FILE FILTER ----------- This is a utility with muscle. It allows you to create and save complex queries (filters) for your "Who I Know" database. VIEWING AND SELECTING A QUERY ----------------------------- When you enter you will see a window containing descriptions of all available queries, along with the database aliases to which they correspond. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 16 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ACTIVE KEYS ----------- KEY: ACTION: -------------------------------------------------- [UPARROW] Move highlight bar up one query [DOWNARROW] Move highlight bar down one query [F7] Counts records matching current query [F8] Delete current query [F9] View criteria for current query [F10] Create a new query [ENTER] Run current query [ESC] Exit the query module CREATING A NEW QUERY -------------------- VIEWING FIELD NAMES AND DESCRIPTIONS ------------------------------------ Pressing [F10] from the query window will bring up the criteria screen. A scrolling window containing field names of your database will appear on the right of the screen. The following commands are available: [ENTER] Select current field [UPARROW] Move highlight bar up [DOWNARROW] Move highlight bar down Letters(A-Z) Move to the next field beginning with that letter SELECTING AN OPERATOR --------------------- Pressing [ENTER] will bring up the operators window, which contains the following choices: a) Equal to b) Less than c) Greater than d) Less than or equal to e) Greater than or equal to f) Not equal to g) Contains h) Sounds like Use the [UPARROW] and [DOWNARROW] to select the desired operator, the press [ENTER] to continue. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 17 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SELECTING A VALUE ----------------- When you have selected an operator, another window will appear below the operators window. This window will contain the field name and the operator. Type in the desired value for this field, then press [ENTER]. If you wish to see all the available values in your database, press [ALT]-[V] to pop up a scrolling window of the values. You may select one of these by highlighting it and then press [ENTER], or you may press [ESC] to exit without selecting anything. SELECTING A BOOLEAN OPERATOR ---------------------------- When you have entered the value, another window will appear below the value window. This window contains the following choices: a) "Discard" b) ".AND." c) ".OR." d) ".AND(" e) ".OR(" f) ").AND." g) ").OR." h) "<<DONE>>" Move the highlight bar to the desired selection, and press [ENTER]. You will note that option f) and g) will not be available to you until you have embedded an open parenthesis in your query. ENDING THE QUERY ---------------- When you are finished building the criteria for this query, select <<DONE>> from the Boolean operator window. You will then be asked to enter a description for this query for future reference. The description may contain up to fifty characters. Press [ENTER] when you are finished entering the description, and you will be returned to the query window. If you want to exit without saving this query press [ESC]. If you wish to run this query immediately without saving it for future use, simply leave the description empty and press [ENTER]. ------------ GROCERY LIST ------------ This option will help you make your grocery list each week. It will keep track of the items you purchase, your coupons, taxable items, and show you a 'guestimate' of the amount you will spend. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 18 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Once you have made entries to this list, they will always be there, whether you choose 'New List?' or 'Edit Present List?'. [INS] to add a new item. The first time you use this option, you will need to add all the items you wish to purchase. [ENTER] to edit an item. Once you have added items to your list, they will remain in the database. An option is provided to 'clear' all the items if you want to start a new list. This option will re-set all the 'Quantity' fields to "0". To make a new list, highlight the 'item' and press [ENTER]. Move the arrow to the 'Quantity' field, press [ENTER] to open the field, then enter the quantity of that item you want. This will add it to the new list. If you have a coupon, move the arrow, press [ENTER], and type in the amount of the coupon. You can also change the cost of the item, if you know it is on sale, or something. [DEL] to delete an item from the list. DO NOT do this to start a new list, if you have already made your first one. Just use the 'New List' option. It will clear the 'Quantities' field. After you have created your 'Grocery List', go to the "Print Reports Menu", select "Grocery List" to print out your new list. Item ---- Type in the item you want on your list. It would be a good idea to also include a short description of the volume or amount of this item. For instance; Milk (Gallon) Milk (1/2 Gal.) Hamburger (Lbs) Bread (Loaf) Quantity -------- Type in the quantity you want. It won't matter if it's '3' pounds, or '2' gallons, or '4' boxes, so long as the 'Cost' field is the price per 'pound', or price per 'gallon', or price per 'box', respectively. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 19 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Aisle Number ------------ This field will allow you to print your grocery list in the same order as the aisles in the store where you shop. If an item is in the first aisle of the store, enter a '1' here. And so it goes. There is no set manner in the way you may do this. This field is just here to make it a little easier on you to find the items in the store as you go along. Cost ---- Type in the Cost of this item. Don't worry if it is the cost in gallons, pounds, or boxes. Coupon ------ Enter the amount of the coupon, if you have one. Taxable Item ------------ If this item is taxable, use the Down Arrow key to select 'Yes", and press [ENTER]. ---------- TO-DO LIST ---------- This option will keep track of everything you need to do (a honeydo list). Make your list, then check it off when it is done. You can print or view a report from the "Print Reports" menu. Starting Date ------------- This is the date you plan to start the project. Type it in here. Project ------- Type in a brief description of the task you need to do. Estimated Cost -------------- Type in the estimated cost of this project. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Done It ------- Select whether or not you've finished this project and press [ENTER]. Completed Date -------------- Type in the date this project was completed. Actual Cost ----------- Type in the actual cost of this project. ================================================= WHERE MY MONEY GOES ================================================= This option will help you keep track of the money coming in and the money going out and how much is left in between. Use the [DOWNARROW] to make a selection of the file you want to access. Or use the [RIGHT/LEFTARROW] keys to move across the top of the menu. The [ESC] key is used to "back out" of the screen you are presently using. If pressed here, you will be asked if you want to exit the program. If you select 'Yes', you're back to DOS. 'No' leaves you where you are. ----------- WHAT I MAKE ----------- You will not be allowed to add or delete records in this database. It will only contain one record. This will be editable. When any income you have changes, just go into this option and change the values of the fields. Press [ENTER] to make changes. Weekly wages ------------ If you are paid by the week, enter the amount here. The value will be multiplied by 4.33 (this will be the amount of monthly income) and it will be inserted in the monthly field, automatically. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 21 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Monthly wages ------------- If you didn't enter a weekly wage, enter your monthly wage here. Other income ------------ Enter all of your other income here. Total it to reflect the monthly amount. --------------- MONEY GOING OUT --------------- This list all your bills. This Expense ------------ Type in a description of the expense, or the name of the mean, old creditor. Due Date -------- If this is a creditor, type in the day of the month this bill is due. This is necessary for one of the report print-outs that you might find helpful. If this expense is groceries or something like that, skip this field. Just press Enter and go to the last entry on the screen. Weekly Amount ------------- If this is a weekly expense like groceries, put the amount here and I'll figure the monthly total for you. If this is a monthly bill, skip this field and enter the amount in the monthly field. Monthly Amount -------------- If this bill is paid monthly, type in the amount here. If this is a weekly bill, I already have the monthly amount figured. Then, just press [ENTER] and we'll go to the next record. ------------ WHAT'S LEFT? ------------ Take a look at what you have left each month. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 22 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------- MY VEHICLES ----------- This option will keep track of all maintenance and repair of your vehicles. Year ---- Type in the year of this car. Make ---- Type in the make of this car. Model ----- Type in the model of this car. Serial Number ------------- Enter the serial number of this vehicle. Purchase Date ------------- Enter the date you purchased this vehicle. Milage at Purchase ------------------ Enter the mileage of this vehicle at the date of purchase. Purchase Price -------------- Enter the purchase price of this vehicle. Owner ----- Type in the name of the person on the title. Principle Driver ---------------- Enter the principle driver of this vehicle. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 23 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Maintenance File ---------------- This option will add maintenance records for this vehicle. Date ---- Enter the date this maintenance was done. Mileage ------- Enter the mileage at time of maintenance. Cost ---- Enter the cost of this maintenance. Description of Maintenance -------------------------- Enter a brief description on the maintenance performed. Repair File ----------- This option will add repair files for your vehicle. Date ---- Enter the date this remodeling was done. Mileage ------- Enter the mileage at time of repair. Cost ---- Enter the cost of this remodeling job. Repair Description ------------------ Enter a brief description on the remodeling job. View Report ----------- View report on screen. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 24 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- View Maintenance ---------------- View Repair ----------- Print Vehicle Report -------------------- Print Maintenance ----------------- Print Repair Log ---------------- -------- MY HOUSE -------- This option will allow you to keep track of all the money you spend to maintain your house, and costs of remodeling. It can be used to track more than one house. To ADD 'Maintenance or Remodeling Costs' after you enter the information about the house. Highlight the "Address" in the Browse screen and press [ENTER]. Use the arrow keys to move the Arrow to 'Maintenance' or 'Remodeling' and press [ENTER]. [INS] Add a new record. [ENTER] Highlight the 'Cost' you want to edit and press [ENTER] again. [DEL] Delete a present record. Address ------- Enter the Street Address. City ---- Type in the city. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 25 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- State ----- Either type in the two letters of the State, or press the [DOWNARROW] until the state you need is highlighted, and press [ENTER]. Zip --- Enter the Zip Code. Purchase Price -------------- Enter the purchase price of your house. House Maintenance File ---------------------- This will track all the maintenance you do at this address. Date ---- Enter the date this maintenance was done. Cost ---- Enter the cost of this maintenance. Description of Maintenance -------------------------- Enter a brief description on the maintenance performed. Remodeling Log -------------- This will keep track of all your remodeling and costs. Date ---- Enter the date this remodeling was done. Cost ---- Enter the cost of this remodeling job. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 26 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Description of Remodeling ------------------------- Enter a brief description on the remodeling job. View House Report ----------------- House Maintenance Report ------------------------ View Remodeling Report ---------------------- Print House Report ------------------ Print House Maintenance ----------------------- Print House Remodeling ---------------------- ----------------- COST OF GROCERIES ----------------- This option will keep track of the money you spend at the grocery each week, month, or whenever. It will also keep track of the money you save with your coupons. And as always,.... [INS] will add a record [ENTER] will edit a record [DEL] will delete a record. A print-out is available in the "Reports" option. If you need help, remember to press [F1]. Date ---- Enter the date of this trip to the grocery. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 27 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Grocery Cost ------------ Enter the total cost of the groceries, before coupons were deducted or tax was added. Coupons ------- Enter the amount of coupons you used. Tax --- Enter the amount of tax you paid on the taxable items. ------------------------- CONTRIBUTIONS & DONATIONS ------------------------- Use this option to list all tax-deductible items paid out. Then go to the 'Print Reports' menu, push a button and print them for your tax man. This option can be used for any tax-deductible item you want to track. Date ---- Enter the date this contribution or donation. Cost ---- Enter the amount of this contribution or donation. Description ----------- Enter a brief description of this contribution or donation. ================================================= PRINT REPORTS ================================================= These options will enable you to print out many different reports of the files in your "Around The House" databases. Use the [DOWNARROW] to make a selection of the file you want to access. Or use the [RIGHT/LEFTARROW] keys to move across the top of the menu. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 28 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The [ESC] key is used to "back out" of the screen you are presently using. If pressed here, you will be asked if you want to exit the program. If you select 'Yes', you're back to DOS. 'No' leaves you where you are. ---------- WHO I KNOW ---------- This option will print out all the reports that have been generated from the "Who I Know" files. PHONE DIRECTORY --------------- This option will print a directory of all the names and phone numbers in your "Who I Know" files. ADDRESS LIST ------------ Press [ENTER] to print out an address list. CHRISTMAS CARD MAILING LABELS ----------------------------- Put your mailing labels in the printer. This option will print out all the mailing labels for your Christmas cards. This is dependent on the on the entries you made when the "Who I Know" screen asked you if you wanted to send a card to this person. This is set up to print on 15/16" X 3 1/2" (one across) standard labels. BIRTHDAY LIST ------------- This option allows you to print out a list of everyone in the "Who I Know" database for which you entered a date in the Birthday field. ANNIVERSARY LIST ---------------- This option allows you to print out a list of everyone in the "Who I Know" database for which you entered a date in the Anniversary field. ----------- WHAT I HAVE ----------- This option prints the reports from the "What I Have" database. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 29 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SERIAL AND MODEL NUMBERS ------------------------ Prints out all items that you assigned a serial or model number to in the "What I Have" screen. ALL ITEMS/LOCATION ------------------ This option prints and totals all items in your household. It is dependent on the location and the value you entered in the "What I Have" screen. ALL ITEMS/TYPE -------------- This option will print out all items you entered in the "What I Have" screen and group them by type. ------------------- WHERE MY MONEY GOES ------------------- This option will print reports from the databases in the "All My Files" option under "Where My Money Goes". ALL MONTHLY EXPENSES -------------------- This option will allow you to view or print all your monthly expenses. DUE DATES FOR BILLS ------------------- This option will allow you to view or print all your due dates for your bills. It will not print the items that a 'Due Date" has not been assigned in the "Expenses" screen. GROCERIES --------- This option will allow you to enter a date range (from one date to another), show you the money you spent for that period, and total and average all the money you spent. Starting Date ------------- Enter the starting date of the range you want to look at. For example, if you wanted to know how much you spend in 1993, you would enter 01/01/93 in the Starting Date and 12/31/93 in the Ending Date. The report would then calculate everything between those two dates. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 30 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ending Date ----------- Enter the ending date of the range you want to look at. For example, if you wanted to know how much you spend in 1993, you would enter 01/01/93 in the Starting Date and 12/31/93 in the Ending Date. The report would then calculate everything between those two dates. CONTRIBUTIONS ------------- This report will print all your contributions and donations. You may set a filter here for a range of dates. Starting Date ------------- Enter the starting date of the range you want to look at. For example, if you wanted to know how much you spend in 1993, you would enter 01/01/93 in the Starting Date and 12/31/93 in the Ending Date. The report would then calculate everything between those two dates. Ending Date ----------- Enter the ending date of the range you want to look at. For example, if you wanted to know how much you spend in 1993, you would enter 01/01/93 in the Starting Date and 12/31/93 in the Ending Date. The report would then calculate everything between those two dates. ------------ GROCERY LIST ------------ This option will view or print the 'Grocery List' you created in the "All My Files Menu". State Tax --------- This field will store the amount of tax your state expects you to pay them. If you want to change it, (It is initialized at 6.5%, that's what Ohio charges), you may do so. Move the arrow to the field, and press [ENTER], type in the new tax, then press [ENTER]. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 31 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- TO-DO LIST ---------- This option will view or print your 'To Do List'. You can select whether you want to see the things you yet need to do, the things you've already finished, or be overwhelmed by them all. To Do Filter ------------ Select the way you want to do the report. -------------- PRINTER SET-UP -------------- The Printer Setup Utility will allow you to define your own printer configurations for this application. NOTE that the configuration here pertains to ONLY the User-Defined Reports Utility. Four standard printer configurations have been provided for your convenience. The Printer Setup Utility is to be used in conjunction with the built-in Report Generator. This utility enables you to define an unlimited number of printer configurations for each report. When you are ready to use this utility, highlight Printer Setup, then press [ENTER], or Press the letter [S]. Once selected, the 'List of Printer Configurations' will appear. This browse window will contain the four standard printer configurations that are provided with this applications. To add a new configuration, press [INS] from this browse window. The Report Generator uses three different Setup Strings to determine how to layout the lines of text before printing begins. These strings also determine when to skip to the next page, and what escape sequence should be sent to the printer. The Report generator automatically selects the setup string and the page size that best fits the report. If one line of the report will fit in the width specified in Width 1, the Level 1 setup string will be used. If the line of the report is too wide for Level 1 Width, but is less than or equal to the Level 2 Width, the Level 2 setup string will be used. If the report is too wide for the Level 2 Width, but is less than or equal to the Level 3 Width, the Level 3 setup string will be used. If the report is still too wide, the report generator will utilize more than one line of the page per record printed, and will print on one line as many fields as will print without breaking, and will then wrap to the next line. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 32 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- **** TIP **** You can force the report generator to use the same setup string, width and line all the time by setting all three levels to the same value. This is a good idea when you are using 80 column paper in a 130 column printer. ************* Explanation of each of the fields used to define Printer configurations are listed below. CONFIGURATION ID ---------------- Assigns Identification Number To Configuration Configuration ID is a unique identifier that you assign to each new configuration. When you want to print reports, simply add the Configuration ID Number that corresponds to the printer that will be used to print the report. Don't use the numbers 1 - 4 since these numbers have already been assigned to the standard printer configurations. PRINTER DESCRIPTION ------------------- Provide Brief Description Of Printer PRINTER DESCRIPTION is where you enter a brief description of the printer that this configuration will be set for. The easiest description is the brand and type of printer. If there are several printers of the same brand and type, you need an additional identifier such as an extra number or letter appended. NETWORK PRINTER NUMBER ---------------------- Printer That Reports Are Routed TO NETWORK PRINTER NUMBER is the printer number that all reports with this configuration should be routed to. If the program is running on a Novell network, this number should correspond to the network-assigned printer number, where the first network printer is number 1, the second network printer is 2, and so on. If the program will be running on a stand-alone PC, or if the reports with this configuration are to be routed to a printer connected to the first parallel port on the PC, the Network Printer Number should be set to 0 (zero). RESET STRING ------------ Printer Escape Sequence Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 33 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RESET STRING is the escape sequence that will be sent to the printer when the report is finished printing. This should be a string that will rest the printer to its default powerup condition. **** TIP **** You should refer to the User's Manual that came with the printer for the proper escape sequence string. ************* LEVEL1/WIDTH/LENGTH ------------------- Define Page Parameters LEVEL1/WIDTH/LENGTH is used to enter setup strings, line widths, and maximum lines per page. The number of lines per page should allow room for printing header information. Refer to the HP Laser Jet II example below for more information on these fields. LEVEL2/WIDTH/LENGTH ------------------- Define Page Parameters LEVEL2/WIDTH/LENGTH is used on a page when a report width does not fit in the width defined in Level 1. LEVEL3/WIDTH/LENGTH ------------------- Define Page Parameters LEVEL3/WIDTH/LENGTH is used on a page when a report width does not fit in the width defined in Level 2. When you are satisfied with the new Printer Configuration, press [A] to Accept your entries. The new configuration will be written to the Printer Setup File. If you need to make a change, press [R] and you will be able to make changes to the appropriate field.. Press [C] to cancel the entire entry. Repeat the above steps for each new Printer Configuration you want to add. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 34 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ******************** SAMPLE PRINTER SETUP ******************** To follow along with this example you need to select Configuration ID 'HP', Printer Name 'HewlittPackard Laser Jet II' from the List Of Printer Configurations. Once selected, read the following explanation of the Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Width and Length fields. Notice the \027 in each of the Setup strings and Reset strings. Any time you want to include a character in a string that cannot be entered through the keyboard, you must enter a backslash (\) followed by the character's ASCII value. You MUST use three positions for the ASCII value even if it is less than 100. On a HewlittPackard Laser Printer, the [ESC] key has an ASCII value of 27. \027 was entered because three positions need to be filled. This value (\027) tells the printer that the text to follow is not to be printed, but is to be interpreted as the configuration information. The Level 1 Setup String tells the report generator to set the printer to Courier font, that 80 characters will fit on one line and that no more than 55 lines of the page will be used. The Level 2 Setup Sting tells the report generator to switch to the 16.6 Pica font and that 130 characters will fit on one line. The Level 3 Setup String tells the report to stay at 16.6 characters per inch, but to switch to Landscape (sideways) printing. Now, 170 characters will fit on one line (Width = 170) and the page length will be reduced (Length = 40). -------------------- USER-DEFINED REPORTS -------------------- Each report is based on a primary database you select from a window. You select the fields you want in the report, specify upper and lower limits of field values to select for the report, and you select a printer configuration. If the configuration you want does not exist, you can add a new one. You can define as many reports as you want for each file. All reports print in a columnar format with headings. Based on the printer configuration you select, an effort will be made to print one record per line by switching between print sizes and types. If a complete record does not fit on one line, it will wrap to the next line between two fields. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 35 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- **************** * SAMPLE USAGE * **************** First, highlight "User-Defined Reports" and press [ENTER]. You will see a window with the heading "List of Files". These are all the databases in your application. For now, let's say you want a print-out of all the Due Dates for bills you pay each month. Highlight "Money Going Out" and press [ENTER]. The bottom of the screen will ask you to 'Enter report title or esc. to cancel', type in 'Due Dates' and press [ENTER]. It will then ask for the 'Printer Configuration ID for this report', type in any three-letter ID defined in the Printer Setup Utility (CIT will work with most Dot Matrix printers), then press [ENTER]. After doing this, your screen will be a list of reports for "Money Going Out". It should be the only on there, so highlight it and press [ENTER]. This will bring up a "List Of Fields" screen. These are all the fields in the "Money Going Out" database. Highlight "This Expense" and press [ENTER]. A "Field Definition" screen will appear. "This Expense" will be the only one there, press [ENTER]. The screen will ask you for the lower and upper limit. This is a way to filter out unwanted records. We will do the filtering with the "Due Date" field, so we won't need to enter anything here. leave these blank, and press [ENTER] two times. Now we're back at the "List Of Fields" screen, press [INS] to add a new field. Using the down arrow key, highlight "Due Date" and press [ENTER]. Now we're at the "Field Definition", select "Due Date" and press [ENTER] again. This is where we'll filter out the unwanted records. We don't want entries such as 'Groceries' or 'Gasoline Expenses' to appear here. All we want is the entries where we entered a due date for a monthly payment. Therefore, in 'Lower Limit' type 01, this will filter out all records where no entry was made in the 'Due Date' field. Since there are 31 days in the longest month of the year, type 31 in the 'Upper Limit', and press [ENTER]. UPPER AND LOWER LIMIT --------------------- If you wanted a report listing all the names in the files up to, and including, those starting with the letter 'P'. Type 'A' in lower limit and 'P' in upper limit. Or if you only wanted all the Smith's listed, type 'Smith' in both lower and upper limits. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 36 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Now back to the "List Of Fields", press [Ins] to add the last field we'll need. "Weekly Amount" won't be needed, so move the highlight to the field "Monthly Amount" and press [ENTER]. At the the "Field Definition" screen, highlight "Monthly Amount" and press [ENTER] again. We won't need to limit this field, so leave them blank and press [ENTER] two times. At 'Total?' press "Y". That's it, we're finished. Press [ESC]. The program will ask you if you want to print the report now. Highlight 'Yes' or 'No' and press [ENTER]. If you have reports already defined and want to print one of them. Select the database the report was defined from and press [ENTER]. Then select the report you defined and press [ENTER]. And at the "Field Definition" screen, press [ESC]. ================================================= UTILITIES ================================================= These options will allow you to do many things. You will be able to change the colors (if you don't like the ones assigned), you can select exploding or fixed screens, and you will be able to sort files. Sorting files might be the most important utility offered. If you are certain you have entered a record in your database, but it isn't showing up on the 'Browse Screen' or you get an annoying "BEEP" when you ask for a search, you probably have a corrupted index file. If you sort the files this will be corrected. 'Sort Files' will also 'Pack' your databases (permanently remove all the deleted files) and free up some of your disk space. Use the [DOWNARROW] to make a selection of the file you want to access. Or use the [RIGHT/LEFTARROW] keys to move across the top of the menu. The [ESC] key is used to "back out" of the screen you are presently using. If pressed here, you will be asked if you want to exit the program. If you select 'Yes', you're back to DOS. 'No' leaves you where you are. ---------- SORT FILES ---------- This menu option packs and re-indexes all files in the system. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 37 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------- COLOR SELECTION --------------- If you are using a color or composite monitor, this utility will let you change the color settings for the screens. You can also specify whether you want windows to explode and implode. Press [ENTER], a screen with various color combinations will appear. Selecting different colors for your program is simple. First, move the edit arrow next to the area you want to re-set the colors for (GRAPHICS, DATA FIELDS, ENHANCED, or SCREEN TEXT), then press [ENTER]. Using the arrow keys to select a color combination, move the edit arrow to the left of the color you want to select, then press [ENTER] again. A sample of the color combination will appear in the field for which it has been chosen. GRAPHICS -------- Graphics characters include menu boxes and screen borders. DATA FIELDS ----------- Data fields are the regions of data input(reverses video region). For example, aa data field has a field length of 10, 10 spaces of the color selected here will appear on the screen. It is in these 10 spaces that you will make your entries. ENHANCED -------- This changes the colors of the SELECTED menu choices and other highlight bar options. SCREEN TEXT ----------- All text displayed on the screen will use this color combination. EXPLODING WINDOWS ----------------- This is a YES/NO option. It is used to determine whether or not your application will have windows that explode onto the screen or sneak into view. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 38 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------ EDIT POP-UPS ------------ This option will allow you to add new information to all the pop-ups in your program. Highlight the option and press [ENTER]. Type in the pop-up you want to edit and press [ENTER]. STATE.POP Lists all the States in the "Who I Know" database. HERE.POP "Why are they here?" in the "Who I Know' database. LOC.POP The 'Location of Items' in the "What I Have" database. CLASS.POP The 'Classification of an Item' in the "What I Have" database. Use the [Arrow] keys to scroll down or up to the location you want to insert a line. [CTRL]-[N] (Hold down the [CTRL] key and press [N] at the same time.) will insert a blank line in the file. Add your data here. [CTRL]-[Y] will delete a line. Press [ESC] to "accept, re-try, or cancel". That's all there is to it. The next time you add a new record, your new entry will be in the pop-up field to choose. ------------- USER'S MANUAL ------------- This option will allow you to view the manual on the screen or print it out. When printing the manual, it is best to use tractor feed paper. It will take between thirty-five and forty pages to complete. ----------------- REGISTRATION FORM ----------------- This option will allow you to view the registration form or print it out. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 39 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ================================================= HOT KEYS ================================================= These "Hot Keys" are available virtually anyplace in the program. ------------- ESC - TO EXIT ------------- To exit any screen, simply press the [ESC] key. Likewise, pressing the [ESC] key from the main program screen will allow you to exit the program --------- F1 - HELP --------- Around The House contains context-sensitive help, which can be accessed at any time by pressing the [F1] key. ---------------- F2 - HELP TOPICS ---------------- Pressing the [F2] key will bring up a window which lists the various Help Topics that are available. Then, you can select the topic of interest by using the [UPARROW] or [DOWNARROW] keys to highlight the topic, and then press the [ENTER] key. The text of the help file for that topic will be displayed. --------------- F9 - CALCULATOR --------------- Pressing the [F9] key will bring up the Pop-Up Calculator. ACTIVE KEYS ----------- KEY: ACTION ------------------------------------------------------- [+] Addition [-] Subtraction [*] Multiplication [/] Division [^] Exponentiation [%] Percentage [C] Clear current total [E] Clear current entry [D] Change number of decimals displayed [R] Round to specific number of decimals Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 40 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [P] Print (adding machine mode) [M] Memory operations (see "Memory Functions") [=] Process operation [ENTER] Process operation [BACKSPACE] Erase last digit entered [ESC] Exit Calculator MEMORY FUNCTIONS ---------------- To access the Memory Functions, press [M]. KEY: ACTION: --------------------------------------------- [R] Recall number stored in memory [C] Clear memory (reset to zero) [+] Add current number to memory [-] Subtract current number from memory [*] Multiply memory by current number [/] Divide memory by current number PRINT--ADDING MACHINE MODE -------------------------- By pressing [P] for print, the calculator emulates an adding machine. This will be noted by a small 'p' next to the numbers window. Each calculation will be sent to the printer (if it is on-line). After all, if you've invested several thousands of dollars in PC hardware and software, why spend more for a ten-digit adding machine? Press [P] again to toggle adding machine mode off. OTHER STUFF ----------- The arrow keys will move the calculator around on the screen to get it out of the way of something you might want to look at. Pressing [ALT]-[F10] will bring up a screen that allows you to change the colors of the calculator. It works pretty similar to the color selection utility. I'm not typing out all the information about that again, I've been sitting here too long already. Play around with it, you'll figure it out. --------------------- F10 - CHANGE INDEXING --------------------- In any browse screen you may choose a different way to index that particular file by pressing [F10]. Use the arrow keys to select the desired index and press [ENTER]. The browse screen will sort the files the way you tell it to. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 41 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ================================================= ORDERING INFORMATION ================================================= To register your copy of Around The House, you can mail a check or money order directly to us. Simply print a copy of the registration for, which is supplied in the file REGISTER.TXT. This form may be printed from within the program by selecting the "Registration Form" option from the UTILITIES pull-down menu. Alternately, you can print it directly from the DOS command line by issuing the following command: COPY REGISTER.TXT PRN Then, just fill it out and mail it any your payment to the address shown on the form. CREDIT CARD ORDERS (VISA/MasterCard) may be placed by calling us at 317-782-9903. Have your card ready. COMPUSERVE users can register online by typing GO SWREG, and selecting Item #1594 (USA/CAN orders only). ================================================= PRODUCT SUPPORT ================================================= Registered users are entitled to full product support via mail or telephone for a period of not less than 90 days. Support may also be obtained via Compuserve email, and other electronic services. If technical problems in the software are discovered within 90 days of registration, RMH Computer Services will, at their option, either provide a workable solution to the problem or a refund of the registration cost. After the initial 90 days, RMH Computer Services is only obligated to make reasonable effort to supply a revised copy of the software. Support for unregistered users will be available in regards to product installation and basic program operation. Support via mail is available at RMH Computer Services, PO Box 657, Beech Grove IN 46107-0657 USA. Telephone support is available at 317-782-9903 between the hours of 08:00am - 06:00pm EST. Email support is also available via our BBS at 317-784-2147 24hrs/day (*). You may also direct email to Richard Holler via Compuserve [73567,1547], INTERNET:73567.1547@compuserve.com, FidoNet NetMail [1:231/290], and RIME private/routed email [->5056]. (*) When logging on to the BBS, using the name RMH COMPUTER, and a password of SERVICES will take you directly to the RMH Computer Services support/distribution area, and will bypass all of the 1st time caller questionnaires. Around The House - Ver 2.0 Page 42 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- =================================================== AUSTRALIAN/BRITISH VERSIONS =================================================== We offer 2 alternate versions of Around The House, in which we have made a few minor modifications in order to accommodate some of our overseas customers. AUSTRALIAN VERSION ------------------ This version of Around The House offers a different date format, as in DD/MM/YY (15/11/93 for 15 November 1993). Also, the screens display "Territory" and "Postal Code" rather than "State" and "Zip Code". BRITISH VERSION --------------- This version of Around The House offers the same date format as the Australian version, and the screens display "Town", "County", and "Postal Code" rather than "City", "State", and "Zip Code". In addition, the County "pop-up" allows 22-character entries rather than only 4, since the British do not use standardized abbreviations. The "pop-up" comes pre- configured with the counties in England (these can be modified by the user). OBTAINING ALTERNATE VERSIONS ---------------------------- We do not actively distribute the above versions of Around The House for shareware evaluation. However, we do make them available for downloading from our BBS at 317-784-2147 (USA). You can login to the BBS using the name RMH COMPUTER, and a password of SERVICES in order to bypass all of the new user questionnaires - you will be taken directly to our download area. ADDITIONAL CUSTOMIZED VERSIONS ------------------------------ If you would like to have similar modifications made to accomodate your specific country, please let us know what you would like. We are capable of making certain modifications, and we will attempt to accomodate requests (within reason).