home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Shareware Overload
/
ShartewareOverload.cdr
/
busi
/
log30dos.zip
/
LOG.DOC
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1990-05-08
|
59KB
|
1,471 lines
───────────────────────────────────────── ─────────────────────────────────────────
LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility
Version 3.00 Version 3.00
───────────────────────────────────────── ─────────────────────────────────────────
Copyright (c) 1990, Chris Laforet Software
Copyright (c) 1987-1989, Chris Laforet
April 1990
_________________________________________________________________
Chapter 1 Chapter 1
Introductory Material Introductory Material
_________________________________________________________________
LOG is a program which was created to handle the time logging and
billing requirements of a small consulting firm. LOG is now in
its third generation, having started as a humble program which
kept track of my billing back in 1987. Throughout the years
there have been a myriad of changes and additions to the basic
program. Some of the features of this new version of LOG are:
■ "Unlimited" (64,535) clients and/or projects are
supported.
■ Each client and/or project can be billed at a different
rate.
■ Expenses can be billed to any client.
■ Full-screen user interface with configurable colors.
■ Essential command line parameters are supported for
batch files.
■ DOS version now has a TSR version to enable logging at
any time.
■ User defined message will print on bills.
■ User may define an invoice number for each bill.
_________________________________________________________________
Chapter 2 Chapter 2
Licensing Agreement Licensing Agreement
_________________________________________________________________
LOG is a shareware product, that is to say, you are granted a
limited license to use it to determine if it will meet your
needs. While it is impossible to ensure your honesty, I urge you
to register LOG if you find that you use it for more than 1
month. Doing so will place you on our update mailing list
(updates within the same major version number are normally free
of charge, updates from one major version to another are offered
at a nominal charge), allow you access to Chris Laforet Software
to provide bug reports and/or suggestions, provide you with the
data structures of the program, and will remove the annoying
message and beep when you start LOG!!
While there is no way to compel you to register LOG, you really
will be hurting the shareware concept by not doing so. LOG is
one of the many fine programs which are developed by programmers
on a try-before-you-buy basis. If you do not pay for these
products (pirate them), you only prompt these software developers
to stop providing software on these terms. What will remain will
be commercial software packages which will be:
■ more expensive because of the increased marketing
costs.
■ inaccessible because you wouldn't be able to try them
first.
It is therefore my hope that you will register this and other
shareware products so that you will keep the Shareware ideal
alive and well.
Permission is granted for the transfer of the LOG package by any
means under the condition that the programs, this document, and
the Licensing document are together on the transfer medium. What
this means is that you are granted permission to transfer this
program as long as it is accompanied by this documention and the
Licensing document to electronic bulletin boards (BBS's),
commercial communications services, shareware libraries, CD-ROM
libraries, or to your friends. You are not permitted, however,
to make any changes to any of the documentation or programs
contained in the original LOG package. You are also not
permitted to charge money for the LOG program except for a
LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's
Manual Manual
Page 2 Page 2
nominal charge to cover distribution materials (e.g. diskettes)
which may not exceed the sum of $5 (US funds). Should you have
acquired LOG through purchase from any source other than Chris
Laforet Software, then you are required to register your copy and
pay the specified registration fee.
LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's
Manual Manual
Page 3 Page 3
_________________________________________________________________
Chapter 3 Chapter 3
Registration of LOG Registration of LOG
_________________________________________________________________
In order to register LOG, please print and fill out the
accompanying file REGISTER.DOC and enclose your payment ($25 (US
funds) for each copy that you are registering) payable by check
or money order to Chris Laforet Software. Residents of North
Carolina must add a 5% sales tax ($1.25) to this amount. Remit
your payment and registration information to:
Chris Laforet Software
511-D Poplar St
Graham, NC 27253
Once your payment has been received and processed, you will be
sent a new diskette containing a serialized copy of LOG. In
order to facilitate processing of your order, please write your
address information legibly.
LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's
Manual Manual
Page 4 Page 4
_________________________________________________________________
Chapter 4 Chapter 4
Other Legalistic Mumbo-Jumbo Other Legalistic Mumbo-Jumbo
_________________________________________________________________
LOG (v 3.xx) is copyright (c) 1990 by Chris Laforet Software.
All rights are reserved by the copyright owner. This
documentation is copyright (c) 1990 by Chris Laforet Software.
All rights are reserved on this documentation by the copyright
holder. No part of LOG or this documentation may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic mechanical, photographic, magnetic, or
otherwise except in accordance with the Licensing Agreement
contained in this document, or without the express written
consent of Chris Laforet Software.
LOG is provided on an "AS IS" basis. What this means is that if
you decide to use LOG, it is at your own risk. In plain English,
this means that if you use LOG and your machine blows up, the
developers and distributors of LOG are not responsible in any
fashion. If you use LOG and it loses all of your billing
information, once again the developers and distributors of LOG
are not to be held accountable. While these scenarios are rather
extreme in nature, they serve to indicate that Chris Laforet
Software does not warrant, guarantee, or make any other
representations regarding the use, or results of use, of LOG or
its documentation in terms of accuracy, reliability, correctness,
currentness, or otherwise.
Chris Laforet Software will not be held responsible for any
direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages including,
but not limited to, damages for loss of business profits,
business interruption, loss of business information, or otherwise
arising from the use or inability to use LOG, even if Chris
Laforet Software has been advised of the possibility of such
damages.
LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's
Manual Manual
Page 5 Page 5
_________________________________________________________________
Chapter 5 Chapter 5
Installing and Using LOG Installing and Using LOG
_________________________________________________________________
The following sections describe the process of using the LOG
program. Please note that there are two distinct versions of
LOG, one of MS-DOS and one for OS/2. Previous versions of LOG
were "bound" so that the same executable file worked in DOS and
OS/2. This is no longer the case. Also, bear in mind that the
DOS version of LOG has a TSR utility (RLOG) to facilitate logging
in and out while using other programs. The OS/2 version does not
since OS/2 is multitasking and it is a simple matter to switch to
another session to run LOG.
5.1-Installing LOG 5.1-Installing LOG
_________________________________________________________________
LOG consists of a program called LOG.EXE which must be installed
somewhere along your system path so that DOS or OS/2 can find and
load it when you type LOG at the command line. Many folks have
their systems with a special directory for their executable
files, one which is on the path. If this is the case with your
machine, then merely copy LOG.EXE into this directory. On my
system, my special executable directory is E:\BIN in DOS and
C:\BIN2 in OS/2. Hence, the DOS-mode copy of LOG.EXE ended up in
the E:\BIN directory and the OS/2-mode copy of LOG.EXE ended up
in my C:\BIN2 directory. Notice also in the DOS-mode LOG, you
have the TSR (Memory resident) program called RLOG.EXE. If you
want to use this program, then copy it into the same directory as
LOG.EXE.
Notice for OS/2 Users: If you used the bound version of LOG Notice for OS/2 Users: ______ ___ ____ ______
and had it in a common subdirectory for access by DOS and
OS/2 (e.g. on my system I have a common subdirectory on DOS'
and OS/2's paths called c:\BBIN where bound executables are
kept), you need to delete it or rename it so that it doesn't
conflict with the new version of LOG.
LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's
Manual Manual
Page 6 Page 6
Once you have done this, please check your AUTOEXEC.BAT file (for
DOS) or your CONFIG.SYS (for OS/2) to make sure that the
directory that you copied the executables to is on the path. If
there is no path statement in the files, then using a text editor
(or non-document mode on your word processor), add the following
line to the respective file:
PATH drive:\directory
where drive is the letter of the drive containing LOG.EXE and
directory is the directory on that drive where LOG.EXE resides.
In my case above, I have the following line in my AUTOEXEC.BAT
for DOS:
PATH E:\BIN
and in my CONFIG.SYS for OS/2 it reads:
PATH C:\BIN2
so that my system can find and load LOG (and RLOG if I am in DOS)
without me having to be in its directory.
The next thing that you have to do is to set up a directory for
LOG to use as its working directory. This is the place where LOG
will keep its files, and should be a special directory used for
nothing else. On my system I have a directory called C:\LOG
which is used for these files. Bear in mind if you use LOG under
DOS and OS/2 that even though the executable files are different,
they can utilize the same data files (does it make sense to do it
in any other way?). Once you have created this directory, copy
the LOG.HLP file into it. This file contains the help
information for LOG, information which is provided when you press
Alt-H. Also, you should set the environment variable LOGPATH to
point at this directory so that LOG knows where its files are.
To do this, edit your AUTOEXEC.BAT (in DOS) or your CONFIG.SYS
(in OS/2) and include the following line:
SET LOGPATH=drive:\directory
where drive is the letter of the drive containing the special log
directory and directory is the actual directory name. Please
notice that there are no spaces between LOGPATH, =, and the drive
letter. This is important! On my system, the line looks like
this:
SET LOGPATH=C:\LOG
so that all of the special files will be located in that
directory.
LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's
Manual Manual
Page 7 Page 7
Once all of these steps have been completed, you must reboot your
computer so that the changes will take effect.
5.2-Updating LOG Version 2.xx Files to Version 3.xx 5.2-Updating LOG Version 2.xx Files to Version 3.xx
_________________________________________________________________
If this is the first version of LOG that you have used, then
please skip this section. Otherwise, read on!
If you are using LOG version 2.00 through 2.06 and wish to
convert your files, then you need to use the program provided
with this version of LOG called CONV2TO3.EXE. It is not
advisable to copy the program to your hard drive since you only
need to use it once.
The conversion program (CONV2TO3.EXE) uses the LOGPATH
environment variable in order to know where to create the new
files. It also uses the old LOG 2.xx LOG environment variable to
locate the old log file, so do not remove this variable from your
AUTOEXEC.BAT (for DOS) or CONFIG.SYS (for OS/2) until you have
finished the conversion!
Please Note: The CONV2TO3 program will overwrite any files Please Note: ______ _____
in the new log directory. It should be run prior to ever
using LOG, and should never be run again!
To convert your version 2.xx log file over to version 3.xx log
files, invoke the CONV2TO3 program by typeing the following at
the command prompt:
C:> drive:\directory\CONV2TO3
where drive is the letter of the drive where the CONV2TO3.EXE
program is located and directory is the actual directory where it
is located. For example:
C:> A:\DOWNLOAD\CONV2TO3
will start the program if it is on A: in a directory called
DOWNLOAD.
LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's
Manual Manual
Page 8 Page 8
The CONV2TO3 program will then sign on with some information
about what it will and will not do and then prompt you if it
should continue. If you press "Y", the program will convert all
of your version 2.xx logs to version 3.xx format. Once this has
been done, you are ready to run the new LOG program. You may
also take the opportunity to remove the set LOG= and set
LOGFLAGS= information from your AUTOEXEC.BAT (in DOS) and your
CONFIG.SYS (in OS/2) and follow this with a reboot.
5.3-Using LOG.EXE 5.3-Using LOG.EXE
_________________________________________________________________
LOG.EXE has been written in such a manner to permit access to its
functions using a menu as well as direct access to its functions
using command line flags. The only difference between the two is
that when you use the command line flags, you will only access
the functions you explicitly requested and will exit the program
once you have finished with those functions. Hence, what is
described in this section as pertaining to the menu interface
will also pertain to the command line interface.
To start LOG, type LOG at the command line and press Enter. LOG
will load and you should be presented with the following menu (if
you haven't registered LOG, you will be prompted to press a key
after a message appears indicating that the program is
unregistered):
╒ LOG (v 3.00ß): Main Menu═════════╕
│ │
│ 1. Log In or Out │
│ 2. Edit a Logged Entry │
│ 3. Add a New Client │
│ 4. Edit a Client │
│ 5. Edit Self/Company Info │
│ 6. Bill an Expense │
│ 7. Show Current Billing │
│ 8. Print Current Billing │
│ 9. Export Billing Logs │
│ 0. Import Billing Logs │
│ C. Configure Colors │
│ X. Exit this Program │
│ │
╘══════════════════════════════════╛
Figure 5.1: LOG's Main Menu Figure 5.1
LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's
Manual Manual
Page 9 Page 9
To select any of the choices you may either move the "light bar"
up and down using the up and down arrow keys until it highlights
your desired choice and then press Enter, or you may press the
number or letter which corresponds to the desired choice. Take,
for example, the choice to Add a New Client. You may either move
the light bar to highlight the choice and press Enter, or you may
go directly into it by pressing the number 3. Once you are in
the desired choice, you may return to the main menu by pressing
the [Esc] key.
The command line interface works essentially as a shortcut means
of achieving a specific choice. If you wish to see the command
line options, merely type LOG /? at the command line and press
Enter. The following help screen should be shown:
╒ LOG (v 3.00ß): Command Line ═══════════╕
│ │
│ Command Line Options: │
│ │
│ -B Print Current Billing │
│ -E Edit Client Information │
│ -F Edit (Fix) a Logged Entry │
│ -I Import Log Entries from File │
│ -L Log in/Log out │
│ -P Bill an Expense │
│ -S Show Current Billing │
│ -X Export Log Entries to File │
│ -? or -H Show Option List │
│ │
╘ Press any key to continue ═════════════╛
Figure 5.2: Command Line Help Screen Figure 5.2
To invoke any of these options from the command line, type LOG -
option or LOG /option and press Enter. For example, if you wish
to Log In/Out with a client, type the following at the command
line and press Enter:
C:> LOG -L
This will take you directly to the login/logout screen. You may
string any number of commands on the line and they will be
executed in order. If you wish to log out from the current job
and then look at the current billing, you would type:
C:> LOG -L -S
which will execute the logout first and then take you to the show
billing screen!
LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's
Manual Manual
Page 10 Page 10
5.4-Keystrokes 5.4-Keystrokes
_________________________________________________________________
The toughest part of using the new LOG will be in learning the
keystrokes used. While some of these will be obvious, some will
not. Should you find yourself in trouble, pressing [Alt][H] will
summon forth a help screen with the keystroke commands that are
active for the current field.
Let us start with the obvious keystrokes. When you are in an
editing field, the [Left Arrow] moves you left by one character
position and the [Right Arrow] moves you right by one character
position. The [Backspace] key will delete the character to the
left of the cursor position and the [Del] key will delete the
character under the cursor. The [Ins] key toggles insert mode
off (cursor becomes an underline) and on (cursor becomes a
block). The [Enter] key signals that you are satisfied with the
input on the current field and advances you to the next field.
The [Esc] key aborts the current action and returns you to the
previous menu level ([Alt][Q] is the same as [Esc]). The [Tab]
key moves you to the next field but does not save the changes on
the current field. The [Shift][Tab] keystroke combination takes
you to the previous key and does not save the changes on the
current field.
Now for some of the not-so-obvious keystrokes. To clear a field
completely, use the [Alt][C] combination. To jump to the end of
a field, press [Ctrl][Right Arrow]. The converse operation,
[Ctrl][Left Arrow] will take you to the beginning of a field. To
save changes to a screen and exit, press [Alt][X] or [Ctrl][End].
Please note that you MUST press [Enter] after the LAST field that
you change before pressing [Alt][X] (or [Ctrl][End]) or else the
changes that you made on that field will be lost! This might be
a bit tricky at first, but it is insurance against you making
unwanted changes to a field.
On some screens, you are instructed to use the [PgUp] and [PgDn]
keys to scroll through different items. The [PgUp] key scrolls
backwards through the list and the [PgDn] key scrolls forwards
through the items.
LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's
Manual Manual
Page 11 Page 11
5.5-Using RLOG 5.5-Using RLOG
_________________________________________________________________
MS-DOS and PC-DOS users can now utilize a TSR utility called
RLOG.EXE which permits them to do a few major operations on LOG
files. RLOG is a program which will go resident and take about
40K of memory. If this is too much and you are using
Quarterdeck's QEMM-386, you may load it into high memory using
LOADHI. This will reduce the memory constraints somewhat.
Since RLOG is a TSR program, it may conflict with other TSR
utilities in memory. Many steps have been taken to ensure that
RLOG is a well-behaved application. Here are a few of its
limitations and caveats:
■ RLOG will not pop up over a graphics screen.
■ RLOG will not uninstall itself if it detects that other
routines
which have loaded above it have changed interrupt
vectors that it
owns.
■ RLOG will not pop-up during DOS's non-reentrant moments
or during
disk accesses. It monitors the DOS busy flag and if it
cannot pop
up, it makes a noise to show it cannot pop-up at that
time.
■ RLOG will attempt to detect if LOG is active and if it
is, it will
refuse to pop-up to prevent the LOG files from being
damaged. It is
*
wise to not depend too heavily on this feature!
■ LOG and RLOG utilize the Intra-Application
Communications Area to
know about each others existence. This might stomp on
other
applications, but under DOS it is the price one must
pay. LOG will
_________________________________________________________________
* Of course, the program could have avoided this by using _
file sharing, but this would open another can of worms.
Everyone using RLOG would have to have DOS 3.0 or greater
and would have to ensure that SHARE is running, yet
another program to reduce active memory in DOS!
LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's
Manual Manual
Page 12 Page 12
always return the IAC to its original state when it
exits to
minimize the chances that it will stomp on another
application's
use of this area.
■ RLOG will keep servicing the Int 28h interrupt while
sitting idle.
This will make it more amenable to other pop-up
routines and thus
avoid "hogging" the spotlight!
To run RLOG, merely type RLOG at the prompt and press Enter (this
implies that you have installed RLOG along the path as was
described above). RLOG will sign on and then you will be led
back to the command prompt. To pop-up RLOG, press
[Ctrl][Alt][L]. If RLOG does not find itself in a situation
under which it cannot pop-up, it will show a menu similar to the
following:
╒ RLOG: Main Menu ════════════════╕
│ │
│ 1. Log In/Log Out │
│ 2. Add a New Client │
│ 3. Edit a Client │
│ X. Exit RLOG │
│ R. Remove Program from Memory │
│ │
╘═════════════════════════════════╛
Figure 5.3: RLOG's Main Menu Figure 5.3
Each of the options behave exactly as the ones in LOG.EXE. The
only option that needs some explanation is the one entitled
Remove Program from Memory. Selection of this option will make ______ _______ ____ ______
RLOG attempt to uninstall itself from memory and return its
memory to DOS. This operation will be successful unless either
of the following conditions is met:
■ another TSR is has been installed after RLOG,
■ RLOG is popped-up over a program which captures
interrupt vectors.
If this is the case, RLOG will open an error box and report that
it cannot uninstall at that time. Otherwise, RLOG will remove
itself from memory as commanded.
LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's
Manual Manual
Page 13 Page 13
_________________________________________________________________
Chapter 6 Chapter 6
Using LOG's Options Using LOG's Options
_________________________________________________________________
The following sections describe how to use some of the options in
LOG. Any of the options which are common to both LOG and RLOG
will work in an identical fashion.
6.1-Logging In 6.1-Logging In
_________________________________________________________________
To log in with a client, select the Log In/Log Out option from ___ ______ ___
the main menu. You will be presented with a log in screen. On
this screen you may select the client that you wish to log in
with by using your [PgUp] and [PgDn] keys. You will also need to
fill in a description of the project. You may also change the
log in date and time, although these default to the current date
and time which is most likely the desired login time. Once the
screen has been finished, it should look similar to the
following:
╒ Log In With Client ══════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ Name: Chris Laforet Software_____ <--- Page through │
│ Address: Internal Billing Account___ clients using your │
│ 511-D Poplar St__________ PgUp and PgDn keys │
│ City: Graham_______ State: NC Zip: 27253-____ │
│ Phone: ___-___-____ │
│ │
│ Project: Internal Projects_____________ │
│ │
│ Descrip: Preparing Documentation For LOG________________ │
│ In Date: 04/29/90 Time: 01:53 │
│ │
╘ Press Alt-H for Help ════════════════════════════════════╛
Figure 6.1: Filled-in Log In Screen Figure 6.1
Once you have completed this screen to your satisfaction, you can
go ahead and log in by pressing [Alt][X] or [Ctrl][End]. If you
wish to abort the log in, press [Esc].
LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's
Manual Manual
Page 14 Page 14
6.2-Logging Out 6.2-Logging Out
_________________________________________________________________
Once you have logged in, you can log out by selecting the Log ___
In/Log Out option again. You may change the log out date and ______ ___
time, even though it defaults to the current date and time. You
will have a screen similar to the following:
╒ Log Out With Client ═════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ Name: Chris Laforet Software_____________ │
│ Address: Internal Billing Account______ │
│ 511-D Poplar St_______________ │
│ City: Graham_________ State: NC Zip: 27253-____ │
│ Phone: ___-___-____ │
│ Project: Internal Projects_____________ │
│ │
│ Login: 04/29/90 Time: 01:53 │
│ Logout: 04/29/90 Time: 01:54 Total: ___0:01 │
│ Descrip: Preparing Documentation For LOG________________ │
│ │
╘ Press Alt-H for Help ════════════════════════════════════╛
Figure 6.2: Filled-out Log Out Screen Figure 6.2
You may then go ahead and log out by pressing [Alt][X] or
[Ctrl][End], or you may abort the operation by pressing [Esc] or
[Alt][Q].
6.3-Edit a Logged Entry 6.3-Edit a Logged Entry
_________________________________________________________________
Sometimes you might discover that you made a mistake in logging
in or out with a client. The most common mistake is in
forgetting to log out at the end of a day, a mistake which is
discovered the next time you decide to log in with a client! The
simplest solution is to correct the time and date information
before logging out, but sometimes the hand is quicker than the
eye. Hence, you can edit the log entry and correct the date and
time information manually.
Select the Edit a Logged Entry option from the main menu and use ____ _ ______ _____
your [PgUp] and [PgDn] keys to select the entry which you wish to
edit. Once it is on the screen, you can then edit the log-in
LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's
Manual Manual
Page 15 Page 15
date and time and/or the log-out date and time as you wish. You
may then save the corrections by pressing [Alt][X] or [Ctrl][End]
or abort the changes by pressing [Esc] or [Alt][Q].
6.4-Add a New Client 6.4-Add a New Client
_________________________________________________________________
Before you can log in with any clients, you need to add clients.
To do so, choose the Add a New Client option from the menu. Fill ___ _ ___ ______
in the necessary fields and it should look similar to the
following screen:
╒ Add a New Client ═══════════════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ Name: Chris Laforet Software_____________ │
│ Address: 511-D Poplar St_______________ │
│ ______________________________ │
│ City: Graham_________ State: NC Zip: 27253-____ │
│ Phone: ___-___-____ │
│ │
│ Project: Internal Projects_____________ │
│ │
│ Rate/Hr: ___0.00 │
│ │
╘ Press Alt-H for Help ═══════════════════════════════════╛
Figure 6.3: Add a Client Screen Figure 6.3
You may save the record by pressing [Alt][X] or [Ctrl][End]. If
you don't want to save it, press [Esc] or [Alt][Q].
6.5-Edit a Client 6.5-Edit a Client
_________________________________________________________________
The Edit a Client option permits you to correct any information ____ _ ______
about a client that you have previously entered. To use this
option, use the [PgUp] and [PgDn] to select the client that you
want to edit. You may then make the required changes to the
record and save it by pressing [Alt][X] or [Ctrl][End]. You may
abort changes by pressing [Esc] or [Alt][Q].
LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's
Manual Manual
Page 16 Page 16
6.6-Edit Self/Company Info 6.6-Edit Self/Company Info
_________________________________________________________________
Prior to printing out bills, you must provide some information
about yourself or your company, information which will be printed
at the top of the bills. To add this information you must select
the Edit Self/Company Info option from the main menu. ____ ____________ ____
Fill in the name and address information. If you provide your
telephone number and Social Security Number (required by some
companies), these will be printed on the bill also. You may also
include a special message which will be printed next to the total
on the bill. After you have finished, it should look something
like the following:
╒ Edit Self/Company Information ═══════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ Name: Chris Laforet Software_____________ │
│ Address: 511-D Poplar St_______________ │
│ ______________________________ │
│ City: Graham_________ State: NC Zip: 27253-____ │
│ Phone: ___-___-____ │
│ SSN: 999-99-9999 <--- included on bill if provided │
│ │
│ Billing Message (included next to total on bill): │
│ Please pay this amount promptly. Thank You --=>_____ │
│ │
╘ Press Alt-H for Help ════════════════════════════════════╛
Figure 6.4: Edit Self/Company Info Screen Figure 6.4
You may then go ahead and save it by pressing [Alt][X] or
[Ctrl][End], or you may abort the operation by pressing [Esc] or
[Alt][Q].
6.7-Bill an Expense 6.7-Bill an Expense
_________________________________________________________________
In order to bill a non-time expense to a client, you may select
the Bill an Expense option from the main menu. You merely need ____ __ _______
to select the client to bill the expense to by using your [PgUp]
and [PgDn] keys, type in the description of the expense, and the
amount of the expense. You may also change the date that the
LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's
Manual Manual
Page 17 Page 17
expense was incurred even though it defaults to the current date.
When you are finished, the screen should look somewhat like the
following:
╒ Enter An Expense For Client ═════════════════════════════╕
│ │
│ Name: Chris Laforet Software_______ <--- Page through │
│ Address: Internal Billing Account___ clients using your │
│ 511-D Poplar St____________ PgUp and PgDn keys │
│ City: Graham_________ State: NC Zip: 27253-____ │
│ Phone: ___-___-____ │
│ │
│ Project: Internal Projects_____________ │
│ │
│ Expense: Version 3.00 Of Log Program____________________ │
│ Date: 04/29/90 Cost: ___26.25 │
│ │
╘ Press Alt-H for Help ════════════════════════════════════╛
Figure 6.5: Expense Entry Screen Figure 6.5
Once you have completed this screen, press [Alt][X] or
[Ctrl][End] to save the record or press [Esc] or [Alt][Q] to
abort it.
6.8-Show Current Billing 6.8-Show Current Billing
_________________________________________________________________
At any time you may take a look at the state of the current
billing for any of your clients by selecting the Show Current ____ _______
Billing option from the main menu. You must select the _______
client/project for which you wish to see the billing by using
your [PgUp] and [PgDn] keys. Once you select the one that you
want to see, press [Enter], [Alt][X], or [Ctrl][End] to see the
billing.
6.9-Print Current Billing 6.9-Print Current Billing
_________________________________________________________________
When you are ready to print bills, select the Print Current _____ _______
Billing option from the main menu. You may use your [PgUp] and _______
LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's
Manual Manual
Page 18 Page 18
[PgDn] keys to select the client to bill (or to bill all
clients). You may also select where to print the bills. If you
select to print to a file, you must specify the filename to print
to. You may also select to delete the log entries after printing
the bills. You will most likely want to delete entries to avoid
multiple billing to your clients, however you might need to pull
multiple copies for your records. You may also select you own
invoice number even though it defaults to YYYYMMDD (YYYY is year,
MM is month, and DD is day). Each bill will add the record
number of the client to the base invoice number.
6.10-Export Billing Logs 6.10-Export Billing Logs
_________________________________________________________________
You can use the Export Billing Logs option to export log records ______ _______ ____
to a file in order to transfer them to another computer. This
option is useful for consultants who work on multiple machines,
or for people who use a portable computer.
All you have to do is select the client that you want to export
log entries for, enter the filename that you want to export to,
and select if you want to delete the entries once they have been
exported. Once you have done these things, press [Alt][X] or
[Ctrl][End] to export the log entries. Pressing [Esc] or
[Alt][Q] will cancel this option.
6.11-Import Billing Logs 6.11-Import Billing Logs
_________________________________________________________________
Once billing logs have been exported, you may import them into a
log file by selecting the Import Billing Logs option from the ______ _______ ____
main menu. To use this option, you must provide the filename for
the file containing the exported information. When you press
[Enter] the program opens the file and shows you the source
client and project. You may then use your [PgUp] and [PgDn] to
select the client/project to which you want to import the logs.
Once you have set everything up to your liking, press [Alt][X] or
[Ctrl][End] to import the logs into your log files.
LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's
Manual Manual
Page 19 Page 19
6.12-The HISTORY.LOG File 6.12-The HISTORY.LOG File
_________________________________________________________________
Any transactions which remove information from the log database
(Billing or Export) create entries in a audit file called
HISTORY.LOG. This file is located in the default LOG directory.
It is in ASCII format and has a copy of all billing information
which has been deleted after bill printing or exportation.
Should you need a copy of any information that has been billed
and deleted, you can use a text editor to cut the relevant
section out of HISTORY.LOG and to paste it into your desired
file.
LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's
Manual Manual
Page 20 Page 20
_________________________________________________________________
Chapter 7 Chapter 7
Bug Reports and Suggestions Bug Reports and Suggestions
_________________________________________________________________
If you encounter bugs in your use of the LOG program, please
report them to any of the following sources. If you have
suggestions, feel free to send them to Chris Laforet Software via
any of the following means. They are rated according to
desirability:
The Programmer's Oasis BBS
919/226-6984
HST,2400,1200,300-N-8-1
Fidonet Mail
Chris Laforet at 1:151/402
Compuserve Email
CIS ID: 76120,110
Chris Laforet Software
511-D Poplar St
Graham, NC 27253.
BIX Email
ID: laforet
GEnie Email
ID: XTX74591
LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's LOG: A Time Logging and Billing Utility Version 3.00 User's
Manual Manual
Page 21 Page 21
____________________________________________________________
Table of Contents Table of Contents
____________________________________________________________
Chapter 1 Introductory Material 1 Chapter 1
Chapter 2 Licensing Agreement 2 Chapter 2
Chapter 3 Registration of LOG 4 Chapter 3
Chapter 4 Other Legalistic Mumbo-Jumbo 5 Chapter 4
Chapter 5 Installing and Using LOG 6 Chapter 5
5.1 Installing LOG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 5.1
5.2 Updating LOG Version 2.xx Files to Version 5.2
3.xx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
5.3 Using LOG.EXE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 5.3
5.4 Keystrokes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 5.4
5.5 Using RLOG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 5.5
Chapter 6 Using LOG's Options 14 Chapter 6
6.1 Logging In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 6.1
6.2 Logging Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 6.2
6.3 Edit a Logged Entry . . . . . . . . . . . 15 6.3
6.4 Add a New Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 6.4
6.5 Edit a Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 6.5
6.6 Edit Self/Company Info . . . . . . . . . . 17 6.6
6.7 Bill an Expense . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 6.7
6.8 Show Current Billing . . . . . . . . . . . 18 6.8
6.9 Print Current Billing . . . . . . . . . . 18 6.9
6.10 Export Billing Logs . . . . . . . . . . . 19 6.10
6.11 Import Billing Logs . . . . . . . . . . . 19 6.11
6.12 The HISTORY.LOG File . . . . . . . . . . 20 6.12
Chapter 7 Bug Reports and Suggestions 21 Chapter 7
i
____________________________________________________________
Figures Figures
____________________________________________________________
Figure 5.1: LOG's Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Figure 5.1:
Figure 5.2: Command Line Help Screen . . . . . . . .10 Figure 5.2:
Figure 5.3: RLOG's Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Figure 5.3:
Figure 6.1: Filled-in Log In Screen . . . . . . . .14 Figure 6.1:
Figure 6.2: Filled-out Log Out Screen . . . . . . .15 Figure 6.2:
Figure 6.3: Add a Client Screen . . . . . . . . . .16 Figure 6.3:
Figure 6.4: Edit Self/Company Info Screen . . . . .17 Figure 6.4:
Figure 6.5: Expense Entry Screen . . . . . . . . . .18 Figure 6.5:
ii
