Shareware Overload/ShartewareOverload.cdr/database/cars16.zip/CARS.DOC

Text File | 1990-12-29 | 17KB | 486 lines

                      C.A.R.S. USER MANUAL

























                                        BY Joel Kurasch


                        Table of Contents


Welcome to C.A.R.S.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  1
     Registration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  1
     Correspondence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  1

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2
     The Package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2
     The System Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2

Starting C.A.R.S.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4

The Main Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5

Category Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7

Opening a Car File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  8

Add Car Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   10

Edit Car Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   12

List Car Detail & Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   13

Sort Car File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   13








                       Welcome to C.A.R.S.

Welcome to C.A.R.S., the Complete Automobile Reporting System.
With this package, you can track your auto expenses in any of up to
26 user defined categories, and watch your milage and costs.

                          Registration

This program is provided on a shareware basis.  You are free to use
the program, as is.  You are encouraged to share it, provided it is
done free of charge and with all files intact.  Please remember
that this program is copyrighted.

Those who find this program useful are encouraged to register.  For
the $40 (US) registration fee, you will receive:

     1.   An up-to-date version of the complete program.

     2.   A printed and bound copy of the User Manual.

     3.   An 800 number for customer support.

     4.   Notification of improvements and enhancements.

     5.   One future update at a time of your choice.

     6.   Further updates at the cost of $4.

                         Correspondence

Please!!!  Write with your comments, questions, criticisms,
(hopefully constructive,) and, (also hopefully,) registrations to:

     Cybernetic Software
     P. O. Box 3594
     Skokie, IL   60076  (USA)

Thank You.
                         Introduction

The program is, I hope, self-explanatory.  As I receive feed-back
from users, both registered and otherwise, I will enhance these
instructions as needed.

                           The Package

Included on this disk are the following files:

        CARAVAN.CAR     A sample data file. Use it to become familiar
                        with the system.  List it.  Modify it.  Make
                        additions to it.

        CARS.CTL        A sample control file.  It contains the
                        default categories into which your automobile
                        expenses are placed.  It can be modified by
                        selecting "Category maintenance" from the main
                        menu.

        CARS.DOC         The file that you are now reading.

        CARS.EXE        The actual program that you will run. See
                        start-up instructions, below.

        CARS.REG        The registration and comments form.

        EXPCHART        A sample form for logging expenses.


                      The System Components


Now for a brief explanation of the workings of the two main
components of this system.
                           Categories

There can be up to 26 categories, labeled A through Z.  These are
kept in a file, CARS.CTL, and can be updated from the category
maintenance selection of the main menu.  There are seven predefined
categories that are supplied with the system: Accessories, Fees,
Gas, Insurance, Maintenance, Purchase, and Repairs.  These have
purposely been given the same letter designation as their initial.
This is not mandatory, but you may find it is easier to remember
that way.  You may add, change or delete from this group as you
choose.  The one that refers to fuel, be it Gas, Diesel, Petrol,
Fuel, Motion-lotion, or Zoom-stuff, must be defined when you create
a car file.  (More on this subject later.)
                            Car Files

Information on each vehicle is kept in a separate file.  It is
called by a name of from 1 to 8 characters.  When operating on a
specific car, the file must first be opened, or selected.  Each
file has a descriptor record which contains (1), a 25 character
description of the car, (2), the category it will use for fuel,
(3), whether the odometer reading is in miles or kilometers, and
(4), whether the fuel is to be measured in gallons, imperial
gallons, or liters.  All of these items can be changed in the data
edit routines.
                        Starting C.A.R.S.

To start the program, CARS.EXE must be in the current directory,
any directory defined within the PATH variable, or the drive and
directory may be explicitly stated.  Type in:

                    [d:][path]CARS [car_name]

The [car_name] portion of the command is optional.  If used, it
tells the system which car file to open first, instead of the
default (if any).

Two words of warning before we proceed.

First, there is a data processing principle, "garbage in, garbage
out."  The numbers that this program will report to you will only
be as good as the data you supply to it.  If you forget to make
entries, estimate figures, or enter erroneous data, the accuracy of
the report will suffer.

Warning number two: nothing is as fleeting as data on a disk.  Back
up your data files often.  If possible, keep a copy of the files at
a different location.  In addition, keep a printout of the latest
detail listing in a safe location, if all else fails, it can be
re-entered.

When the program first begins, it looks for the CARS.CTL control
file.  If it cannot be found, it allows you to either change the
drive and/or directory that you are in, or to create a new control
file.

The program will next go to open a car file.  If you typed in the
name of one on the CARS command line, or if there is a default car,
it will open this file, then go to the main menu.  If you did not
enter a file name and there is no default, or the file typed in is
not present, the program will proceed to the open car file menu
(described below.)

                          The Main Menu

The main menu gives you a choice of several actions.  An action can
be selected by typing it's number, or by entering the letter within
parenthesis.  It also shows, at the bottom of the menu, which file
is currently open, or <none> if one has not yet been opened.

                        Item Description

1.(A)dd car data: Choose this selection to add new
information to an existing, open car file. It will take
you to a screen where you will be prompted for all the
pertinent data needed to create a new transaction record.

2.(C)ategory maintenance: This selection will display a
chart of all posible categories, and allow you to add new
ones, change the definition of those already established,
or delete unwanted categories.  This is also where you
specify a default car file for program startup.  The
control file is always open, separate and apart from the
car file.

3.(E)dit car data: Use this selection to correct any
information in the car file, either on the description
record or on the transaction records.

4.(L)ist car detail and summary: This selection will list
the transaction records and/or produce a summary of all
that has transpired.  The output can go to the screen,
printer, both, or neither.

5.(O)pen a car file: With this choice, a list of all car
files, if any, that reside in the current directory, is
displayed.  You are given the option of changing the
drive and/or the directory, creating a new file, opening
an existing file, or returning to the main menu.  You
will be able to tell the open was successful by the open
file indicator below the main menu. Choosing this
selection will close the current car file.

6.(S)ort car file: In order to produce detail and summary
lists or the reports correctly, it is necessary to have
the data sorted by odometer reading.  In most cases you
will be adding data as it occurs, and the sort will be
unnecessary.  Occasionally, when you forget to make an
entry for your car payment, insurance, or whatever, you
will have to sort the file after adding the tardy data.

7.e(X)it program: You've had your fun, now you want to go
on to other things.                      Category Maintenance

When you choose this selection, the program will display the name
of the default car and the categories as they currently exist.
Your four choices are:

1.(A)lter entry: This will allow you to change the name of
a category.  When you select this action, the system asks
which category you wish to change (A-Z).  If you have
changed your mind and don't really wish to alter any of
them, simply press the escape key.

After selecting a category, enter the new category name,
up to 20 characters.  If you wish to erase, or blank out,
a category, enter an asterisk (*), or you may decide that
things are just fine the way they are and just press the
enter key.

2.(C)hange default car file: This will allow you to enter
or change the car file that will be opened at start-up,
if you do not type a name on the command line.

3.(S)ave setup: When the chart of categories looks the way
you want it to be, this option will save it to disk.

4.(R)eturn to main menu: This option returns you to the
main menu.  If you have made changes, but forgot to save
them, it will ask if you want to do it at this time.
Even if you don't save it now, you can come back to
category maintenance and save it later, the new
categories will be safe in memory until you exit the
program.

                      Opening a Car File

This option will first tell you what your default drive and
directory are, and what .CAR files exist there.  It is possible to
move around your drive and directory structures without exiting the
program.  Your selections are:

1.(C)hange drive and/or directory.

A.  First you are asked if you wish to change the default
drive.  A yes response requires that you enter the letter
(A through Z) that designates the desired drive.  If the
drive you enter does not exist on your system, you will
remain on your current drive.

B.  You will then be shown the current default directory.
If you wish to change the default, you must enter the
directory name, either fully qualified, or relative to
the path of the current directory.  If that directory
does not exist, or is misspelled, you will be returned to
the open file menu.

2.(M)ake a New Car File: This selection will create a new
file in the current directory.

A.  Enter a car 1 to 8 character file name which, with an
extension of .CAR, will be the name of the file that will
hold the data for the new car that you are creating.  The
program will check that you enter only valid file name
characters.  Examples of valid names are: MUSTANG,
88CHEVY, GO_CART, etc.

B.  Next enter a 1 to 25 character description of the
vehicle.  You are free to be as creative as you wish.

C.  Then enter the default method of measuring gasoline.
The choices are (US) gallons, imperial gallons, or
liters.

D.  Indicate whether the odometer reading is in miles or
kilometers.

E.  Finally, you will be asked which category, A-Z, will
denote a gasoline purchase.

All of these items, except for the file name, can be
changed from the edit data menu. (The file name can be
changed with the DOS rename command.)

3.(O)pen an existing file: If one or more existing files
have been found, they will be displayed across the top of
this menu, and this item will be your third selection.
You will be asked to type in the file name (less the .CAR
extension.)

4.(R)eturn to main menu:  This will be the third selection
if there were no car files found in the current
directory, otherwise it is the fourth.

                         Add Car Data

This is the selection for adding transaction information to the car
file.  Examples of transactions include; payment on the car, an oil
change, a gas purchase, or payment for state registration.

If you make a mistake while entering an item, and have already
pressed the enter key, press the up-arrow to go back to the
previous entry. Enter the following items.

A.The odometer reading for the transaction.

B.The month, day, and year of the transaction.  The year
will default to the current year, and can be accepted by
just pressing the ENTER key, or type over it with the
correct entry.

C.The category (A-Z) of the transaction. The category you
selected as fuel will come up as the default. You may
accept it by pressing ENTER, or type over it with the
correct entry.  You must have already given a definition
for a category before you can add a transaction for it.

D.The cost of the transaction.

If the transaction is not a fuel purchase, the next two
items will not be required.


E.The unit of measure for the fuel purchase.  If it was the
default, all you need do is press enter. Otherwise, press
a key corresponding to the type of measurement.  I.e., if
you usually measure your gas in gallons, but happened to
stop at a station that pumped gas by the liter, press the
'3', 'L', or 'l'.  In this case the price per unit and
the number of units will be adjusted for the default
method, after you have entered them, and the new numbers
stored.

F.You are now asked if you wish to enter the number of
units purchased, or the price per unit. Whichever you
choose, the program will then request you to enter it.
You might enter 10.439 gallons, or $1.039 per gallon
(without the dollar sign). I recommend that unless you
have the amount you purchased down to three decimal
places, which most of the new digital gas pumps provide,
that you enter the price of the unit, up to, and
including the customary 9/10 of a cent.

G.Enter a 1 to 20 character description of the transaction.

You will then be asked if all of your response are
correct.  If you respond yes, the data is saved to disk,
otherwise, you are returned to the main menu.
Again, the up arrow will take you back through the items.Edit Car Data

This option will allow you to edit information on the
descriptor record or on any of the transaction records.

1.Descriptor: The descriptor record contains four pieces of
information: (1) a 25 character description of the
vehicle, (2) the unit of measure for the fuel, (3) the
unit of measure for the odometer, and (4) the category
for fuel.  If you choose to change the unit of measure
for the fuel, the program will offer to alter all fuel
purchase transactions so that the price per unit reflects
the new unit, it is strongly advised that you let the
program do so.  If you change the category for fuel
purchases, the program will offer to change all records
with the old category to the new one, again, it is
strongly advised that you do so.

2-6.These selections will allow you to choose the transaction
record to be updated in a variety of ways.  Number 2 will
get you the next record on the file, number 3 will get a
record by odometer reading, number 4 the previous
transaction record, and number 5 will get a record by
it's position in the file.  However you get to the
record, you will be shown it's data elements. You may
choose to update any one of them.  WARNING! If you change
the odometer reading of a record, it is most likely that
you will have to sort the file.

7.This will return you to the main menu.

There is currently no way to delete a record.  If you have a record
that you wish to eliminate, then use the edit function to place
legitimate information in the record the next time you have data to
add.  (Don't forget to sort afterwards.)
                   List Car Detail & Summary

When you select this option you will be asked if you want the
information on the screen, on a printer, both, or neither.  The
detail can be listed at any time.  HOWEVER, there must be at least
two (2) fuel purchases to get the summary data.

                          Sort Car File

Occasionally data will not be entered in odometer order, or the
sequence may be lost due to an edit on a record.  For whatever
reason, when the file is out of sequence, it must be sorted.

The program will attempt to do an in-memory sort, for speed and to
save wear and tear on your disk drive.  If there is not enough room
for a memory sort, then a disk sort is done.  (If you know that a
disk sort will be required, place the file on a ram disk, and sort
it there.  You wont believe how fast it will go!)
























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