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Text File | 1997-01-01 | 23KB | 495 lines

LOTTERY.TXT - DIY Lottery v1.00  (1/1/1997)

Please note that the following instructions apply to the REGISTERED version
of DIY Lottery.  Therefore a few features may not apply to the unregistered
distributable version.  If you are using the unregistered version and would
like to know more about how to get the full version, read the section called
"Registering this Program" later on in this document.


 ========
 Overview
 ========

Unlike possibly all other "Lottery" programs, this program is NOT designed
to help you play your favourite lottery or to "help" you win.  Instead, it
allows you to operate your very own complete computerised lottery system
using a standard PC and printer.  It is ideally suited for fundraising
events, making an entertaining and potentially profitable addition to the
usual selection of raffle, prize draw, tombola and so forth.  The program is
easy to use and has a very low minimum-hardware-specification, so may be used
inexpensively and effectively.

Players choose several numbers within a predetermined range.  The lottery
system stores their selected numbers and issues a detailed receipt to each
player.  When enough tickets have been sold and the winning numbers have been
drawn, the lottery program identifies the winning tickets and produces a
report of the necessary prizes to be given to each winner.

Many features of the program are customiseable to suit your requirements.
These include:

>       Ticket Price
>       Ticket Price currency unit
>       Information printed on ticket
>       Style of printed ticket
>       Number of numbers players may choose (from 1 to 10 numbers)
>       Range of numbers from which numbers must be selected (from 1 to 99)
>       Proportion of ticket price allocated to prize money (from 1% to 100%)
        (Please check relevant legal requirements concerning this last item)

Other features available include:

>       Program password-protection options
>       Security-numbered tickets
>       Instant calculation of odds
>       Advanced and secure winner verification facilities
>       Automatic saving to disk of stored lottery games and all settings
>       Display of available memory level


 ===================
 System Requirements
 ===================

∙ Minimum Specification:

        512k, CGA, XT, floppy drive, DOS 3.0 or greater, dot-matrix printer.

∙ Recommended Specification:

        640k, EGA/VGA, 386 or better, hard disk, DOS 5.0 or greater, inkjet
        or laser printer, mouse or compatible pointing device.  (Mouse not
        essential but very strongly recommended)

The program can also be run through OS/2, Windows 3.x, 95 and NT, although
the use of DOS is strongly recommended instead of these operating systems.


 ============================================
 Getting Started - Guide for Computer Novices
 ============================================

(You are recommended to print this document (LOTTERY.TXT) and to follow the
step-by-step guide below if you are uncertain about using this program.)

When you first run the program (LOTTERY.EXE), you are shown the terms and
conditions under which the program may be used.  Once you have agreed to these
terms and conditions, the main program will start.  (You will not be asked to
complete this agreement procedure on subsequent uses of the program.)

The program will issue a warning that the file "Lottery Games.cfg" has not
been found.  In this instance this does not matter, it simply means that you
are running the program for the first time and that the program must reset all
program parameters to their default settings.  Click "Continue" with the left
mouse button.

You will be presented with the main program screen, a box with several red and
green buttons on it.  These are explained later.  To select a button, either
left-click and release the mouse on a button, or press the key on the keyboard
corresponding to the highlighted letter on the button, usually the first
letter of the button title.  If you are using a mouse, when you hold the mouse
clicked on a screen button you will see a short description of its function
appear at the bottom of the screen.  This area is called the Status Bar.


 ===================
 Main Program Screen
 ===================

At the top right of the screen is a percentage.  This shows the percentage of
available memory.  As you issue more and more tickets, this value will go
down.

In the middle of the screen is a grey box, containing several buttons:

"Issue Ticket"  - Allows you to enter a player's lottery numbers into the
                program, print a ticket and store the details.

"Ticket Records" - Selects the Ticket Records Menu, from which you can
                perform various operations on the stored ticket records
                created when tickets were issued.

"Finish Lottery" - Takes you to the "end of lottery" routines for identifying
                the winners.

"View Chances"  - Allows you to see how likely it is that someone will win
                the lottery with the current settings (set via "Configure"
                below) and, if tickets have been issued, to see how many
                people can be expected to win, given this probability.

"Configure"     - Allows you to customise aspects of the program's
                appearance, other program settings, including the price of
                tickets, details to be printed on each ticket, the range of
                numbers for players to choose from, the amount of each
                ticket's price to be allocated to prize money, passwords on
                various parts of the program and printer settings.

"About"         - Displays information about the program, including
                registration details, version numbers and what to do if you
                are having problems with the program.

"Quit to OS"    - Closes the program (and saves all information to disk
                automatically) and returns to your operating system.

"Order Program" - Helps you create an order form for purchasing the full
[Unregistered   version of DIY Lottery.  See "Registering this Program"
version only]   later in this document.

Below this box is a small blue box.  This shows the current ticket price,
the number of tickets sold, the percentage of the ticket price allocated to
prizes, and the amount of money currently in the prize fund.  The prize fund
is the amount of money that will eventually be shared out among the winners
at the end of the lottery.


 ========================
 Quick Step-by-step Guide
 ========================

(This guide is recommended to be used while running the program.  Therefore
it is advised that you print this document, then sit at the computer with the
program running while you follow it through carefully.)

This guide does not explain the use of every feature of this program, instead
it describes how to use all the fundamental ones.  Once you are competent at
using these controls, you should be able to figure out the others in no time!

Stage 1 - Set your own main screen title....
--------------------------------------------

Load the program.  You will see the main screen, as described earlier.
The title of the grey box will be "Untitled".  Either click the mouse's left
button on the red "Configure" button or press "C" on the keyboard.  This
selects the " Configure " menu.

Next , select "Customise Program" from the menu, either by moving the blue bar
with the cursor keys and "Enter" or by moving and left-clicking the mouse.
Another menu will pop up - select "Main Screen Title".  A box will appear with
two buttons, "OK" and "Cancel".

Type the desired title with the familiar keys on the keyboard.  If you are
happy with your new title, select "OK".  If you want to abandon your latest
changes, select "Cancel".  After selecting "OK", the program will update the
main screen to include your title.

Stage 2 - Setting the rules of the lottery: Numbers and Ticket Price
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Select "Configure" from the main screen.  Next, select "Ticket Sale Rules"
from the menu.  You will be presented with a box describing the current game
rules, with the familiar "OK" and "Cancel" buttons.  As before, use "OK" to
indicate your acceptance of the settings shown, and "Cancel" to abandon any
recent changes.  The first statement should read as follows:

  A lottery player chooses 6 different numbers from 1 to 10.

  He/she pays £1.00 to the lottery operator ...

You will see that some of the text is printed in red.  Red text indicates that
you can modify it by left-clicking it with the mouse.  We will change the
rules to these:  A player must choose 4 numbers from 2 to 12, and will set the
price to £2.00.

First, click on the red 6.  It will turn white and red with a flashing cursor.
Now simply type 4 and press "Enter".  If you did this correctly, the 4 will
replace the 6 and the numbers shown at the bottom of the box (marked "Chance
of Jackpot") should change.  Do the same for the red 1 and 10, and once again
notice how the probability adjusts.

Click on the red price, and a box should appear, asking you for the new ticket
price.  Type it in, and press "OK" or "Enter".  (Do not type the £ sign, just
the numbers, i.e. 2 for £2 or 2.5 for £2.50, etc.)

By now, the text in the box should suit your new rules.  If you are happy with
these settings, click on "OK".  To cancel these changes, click "Cancel."

Stage 3 - Setting the rules of the lottery - Prize Money
--------------------------------------------------------

You will notice that in the blue box near the bottom of the main screen, the
program shows "Prize Money:  50%".  This means for every ticket sold, 50% of
the price (as set just now) is added to the prize fund, also shown in the blue
box.  From the main screen, select "Configure".

Next, select "Prize Allocation Rules" from the menu.  The functions available
are very similar to those in the previous section; "OK" and "Cancel" keep or
abandon changes, and red text indicates you can change it with the mouse.
Click on the red "50 %", and see that a cursor appears.  Type the new
percentage, and press "Enter".  If it is a valid number (1 to 100) the cursor
should disappear, and your new percentage will be shown.

Click on "OK", and this new percentage should appear in the small blue box on
the main screen.  Simple.

Stage 4 - Customising the ticket details
----------------------------------------

As before, select "Configure" from the main screen.
Now choose "Ticket Details".  A box should appear, with four lines of red and
white text and a cursor, and two lines marked 1: and 2: near the top of the
box.

Press F2 repeatedly to change the time/date settings for the tickets. Pressing
F3 brings up a menu of line styles.  This allows you to choose the style of
lines used on your printed tickets.  Use "Print Preview" to see the effects
of changing these two options.  This shows on-screen how a printed lottery
ticket will look with these settings.

You can move the flashing cursor around the red box using the cursor keys and
"Enter".  Type text here that you want to be printed on all your lottery
tickets.  Again, to see the effects of changes, use "Print Preview."  As
before, "OK" keeps things how they are and "Cancel" abandons your recent
modifications.

Stage 5 - Checking everything is ready
--------------------------------------

Make sure your printer is plugged in correctly, is turned on and is ready.
From the "Configure" menu, select "Printers Menu".
Now select "Print Test Ticket."  If your printer is installed correctly, it
should leap into action and print a test ticket, with your settings from
Stage 4.  If it does not print, try correcting the fault reported on screen.

If doing this still does not work, read the section later on in this document
entitled "Printer Problems".  The "chosen" numbers on the ticket should all be
0.  If everything is working OK, the lottery is ready to start!  Move to
Stage 6.

Stage 6 - Issuing tickets
-------------------------

From the main screen, select "Issue Ticket".  An empty grey box will appear,
and you will be prompted for the first number.  If you do not want to issue a
ticket right now, press "Esc" to go back to the main screen.  If you want to
continue, type in the first number and press the "Enter" key.  If the number
is within your specified range (as set in Stage 2) you will be prompted for
the second number, then the third, and so on until you have typed in the
desired number of numbers.

A line marked "Contact:" will now appear.  This is where you can add optional
additional information about a player, if necessary, such as a name, 'phone
number or both.  (This information will be encrypted and stored securely in
the lottery system, and will not be accessible unless this player proves to be
a winner when the winning numbers are entered - see Stage 7)  Once this is
done, select "Print Ticket" to keep this lottery attempt and print a ticket.
(If at this point you press "Cancel", this entry will be cancelled and you
will return to the main screen.)

As before, if the printer is OK, the printer should spring to life and print
out a ticket with these chosen numbers.  It will also have an alphanumeric
security code on it, required later when checking if winning tickets are
authentic.  If the printer is not OK, the fault should be identified on
screen - correct it and try "Print Ticket" again.

Once a ticket is successfully printed, you will notice that information in the
small blue box will change to reflect this ticket sale.  Collect the money
from the lottery player, and give him/her his/her ticket.

Stage 7 - Continuing the lottery
--------------------------------

Repeat Stage 6 as many times as you like, issuing more and more tickets.
Please note that you can now no longer change any of the lottery rules or the
ticket details. (Stages 2, 3, 4)  If you quit the program, it will remember
all the program settings including the number of tickets sold, and so on.
When you reload the program it will continue as if you had never closed it.

Stage 8 - Finishing the lottery
-------------------------------

Once you (or whoever is meant to) have decided the lottery is finished, select
"Finish Lottery" from the main screen.  You must now choose the winning
numbers.  Note: The program DOES NOT do this for you - you must use good
old-fashioned numbered bingo balls or screwed up pieces of paper with numbers
on or any other method you think is sufficiently random.

You will be presented with a warning on-screen.  Make sure you read it.
Once you have told the program the winning numbers, you CANNOT go back and
issue more tickets, cheat, and make yourself or your best mate the jackpot
winner!  You have been warned!  In a similar way to the "issue ticket"
screen, type in the winning numbers.  You may cancel this procedure at any
point (and therefore NOT finish the lottery) by pressing the "Esc" key.

You will now be shown how many people have won.  If no tickets match ALL the
winning numbers, the program finds how many match one less number, and so on
until a winner or some winners have been found.  (If no tickets match any of
the winning numbers, the program will report this fact.)  The program will
also calculate and show the prize to be awarded to each winner.

Click on "Details" to see more information about the winning tickets.  Any
information entered in the "Contact" line (Stage 6) will also be shown here.
If there is more than one winner, click on "Back" or "Next" to change which
winning entry is displayed.  Select "Print List" to print a list of these
winners on paper. (This printout is handy to check off tickets as thousands of
excited winners rush towards you with their winning tickets to claim their
prize money)  Please note - the "Additional Information" shown on-screen will
not appear on the printout, as this may be players' confidential information.

That's it!
----------
If you have followed this guide carefully, you should have no problems in
operating a successful lottery.  If you have had problems following the guide,
go back to the section where you had problems, re-read it and practise with
the program running.



 ================
 Printer Problems
 ================

Several common problems are explained here.  If you have other problems that
are not mentioned here, read the troubleshooting section of your printer's
manual.  Also, make sure that your printer is compatible with DOS programs,
otherwise you cannot use this program.

"When I print a ticket, it takes ages for the printer to start."
----------------------------------------------------------------

This may happen if you are running the program through Windows.  This is
because Windows can buffer printer output from DOS programs, resulting
in programs thinking they have printed something when in fact Windows
has not yet got round to printing it.

If you are using Windows 3.x, quit to DOS (Do not use "MS-DOS Prompt") and
try the program again.

With Windows 95, the procedure is slightly different.
If you have an icon for DIY Lottery on your desktop, right-click on it, and
select "Properties".  Click on the tab marked "Program" then the "Advanced"
button.  Check the box marked "MS-DOS mode" is ticked, and click on "OK".
If you do not have an icon for DIY Lottery, click on the "Start" button,
select "Shut down" and then "Restart the computer in MS-DOS mode".
Either way, when you next run the program it should use MS-DOS mode and the
printing problem should be solved.

"The program reports a problem whenever I try to print, even after I have
corrected the problem it reported."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

This may happen if the process used to check the status of the printer is
incompatible with your printer model.  Therefore, to correct the problem,
disable printer status-checking:

Select "Configure" from the main program screen.  Select "Printers Menu" and
then choose "Printer Settings".  If the line "1: Check printer status before
printing" is ticked (√) then click on this line with the mouse, or press '1'
on the keyboard.  The tick should disappear.  Now click the "OK" button or
press "Enter" on the keyboard.  Try printing again.  If other problems are
reported (such as "Write fault error writing device PRN") appear then
the problem is not with this program but your computer system.

"The printer whirrs through loads of blank paper after printing a ticket."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

By default, the program is set to eject a page after printing on it.  This
is intended for use with inkjet/bubblejet printers, so pressing FF is not
necessary.  If you are using a dot-matrix printer, you may not want the
page ejected with every printout, so you can tear off each ticket as it is
printed.  To switch off auto-ejecting, select "Configure" from the main
screen.  Next, select "Printers Menu" and then "Printer Settings".  You
should see that the line "2: Eject page after printing" is ticked.  Click
on this line with the mouse, or press '2' and the tick should disappear.
Next, Click "OK" and continue to use the program as before.


 ========================
 Registering this Program - See ORDER.FRM for order form
 ========================

I won't say the usual "if you like the program then you must register it" or
"you may only use this software for up to 30 days, after which you MUST
register" as is stated in so many shareware programs, since everyone knows
how many people "forget" how to count up to 30, or continue to use software
even if they like it.  You may use the unregistered version for as long as
you like.  If you like the unregistered version of this program and it does
all you need it to do, that's great.  Don't register.

However, if you have the unregistered version and you like using it, it is
more than likely that you would like the full, registered version EVEN MORE!

Registration gets you these:

>       A personalised copy of the very latest fully-working version of
        DIY Lottery posted to your door.  (Available on 3½" or 5¼" disks)
        Alternative E-mail delivery available at discounted price.

>       Notification of major updates in the future.

>       No more annoying "this feature is only available in the registered
        version" messages.

>       Printed Ticket Details can be customised.

>       Range and choice of lottery numbers may be changed to suit your
        requirements.

>       Proportion of ticket money allocated to prizes may be changed.

>       Number of tickets that may be issued is only limited by your PC's
        available DOS memory.  (may be up to about 6000 tickets)
        (unregistered version is limited to a maximum of only 100 issued
        tickets.)


Ordering from the UK
--------------------

If you would like to receive your copy of DIY Lottery on a 3½" or 5¼" disk,
please send a cheque or postal order for £15.00 (made payable to Joseph Aron)
to the following address:

        DIY Lottery v1.00 Registration
        9 Kettonby Gardens
        Kettering
        Northants
        NN15 6BT
        ENGLAND

This is the complete price, and it includes all postage and packing.
Credit/debit cards are not accepted.  The price is reduced to just £13.50
(a saving of 10%) if you choose to have the program delivered by E-mail
see below for details.


Ordering from outside the UK
----------------------------

Please send orders to the same address as above.  Prices in other currencies
are as follows:  (Prices include postage and packing)

        US dollars:     $28.00  3½" or 5¼" disk
        US dollars:     $25.00  E-mail delivery

I cannot yet accept payment in dollars in any form other than CASH.
Therefore, you must take great care to send me payment in an adequately
secure way.  Banknotes only, please.  NO coins, stamps, etc. will be accepted.


Requesting E-mail Delivery
--------------------------

If you have an E-mail address, you can choose to receive the registered
program via E-mail, although you will have to send payment in the normal way.
(Before you request E-mail delivery, please make absolutely certain that your
mail software supports UUencoded attached files, or that you have WinZip
6.2, otherwise you will not be able to receive the software by E-mail.)
If you choose E-mail delivery, the complete program and accompanying files
will be sent as a single .ZIP archive attached to an e-mail message.
The advantages of this are obvious - you pay 10% less, and will receive the
complete program sooner than you would with conventional delivery.

See file ORDER.FRM for more information.



 ==========
 Trademarks
 ==========

All trademarks used in this program and its accompanying files remain the
property of their respective owners.