Shareware Overload/ShartewareOverload.cdr/database/pt100.zip/PT.DOC

Text File | 1989-08-14 | 22KB | 476 lines

                         PT SCOREKEEPER

                          Version 1.00

                               by

                      2LT Michael P. Kelly

                     U.S. Army Signal Corps

                       Copyright (c) 1989.

                      All Rights Reserved.
1.  COPYRIGHT

     This program is copyrighted to protect my time and efforts,
however, you may freely pass it around to your co-workers, other
offices, and anyone you think would benefit from using it.  This
software is provided "as-is" with no guarantee as to its
performance.  Extensive testing has proven that it works very
well with no documented bugs.  It is provided at no cost to make
your PT test management a little easier.
     You are NOT authorized to change or modify any part of this
program or the accompanying files in any way.  This specifically
includes such things as changing or adding to the documentation
or replacing the author's name with another persons name, etc.
So just keep these simple rules in mind:

     a.   Always give copies of this program to anyone.
     b.   Do not modify/change the program in any way.
     c.   Do not charge any money for this program.

2.   INTRODUCTION

     PT Scorekeeper came about due to a request by a fellow SOBC
student.  He was the PT officer for our section and wanted a
program or spreadsheet template to make his job of tallying our
scores a little less burdensome.  I looked around for such a
utility in the Fort Gordon software archives and the C2MUG
(Command and Control Military Users Group), yet I only found a
few hastily written spreadsheet templates that were basically
ineffectual.  A template requires a spreadsheet such as Lotus 1-
2-3 or Enable in order to work.  Unfortunately, not every U.S.
Army office has a spreadsheet program much less the specific one
required by the particular template.  So I took it upon myself to
write a program in Clipper Summer '87 to solve this problem and
then make it publicly available for FREE to any person, unit, or
organization.  PT Scorekeeper requires no other programs to run,
since it is an .EXE executable file.  Here are some of the
features of PT Scorekeeper:

     -    Ability to store all PT information on disk files for
          instant recall.
     -    Ability to enter as many PT scores per soldier as you
          like limited only by your physical disk capacity.
     -    Instantly view Soldier Information or any individual PT
          test results.
     -    Ability to search for soldiers by name, unit or sex.
     -    Ability to search for PT scores by SSN or date of test.
     -    AUTOMATIC calculation of the soldiers PT score based on
          the soldiers personal information that you enter only
          once!
     -    PT score is calculated based on the date of test, age,
          etc., at the time of test so you need not worry about
          adjusting old score results.
     -    Browse through all the soldiers personal information as
          well as all the PT tests taken.
     -    Context-sensitive help for data-entry screens to help
          the user in entering data.
     -    Data validation to assure that the proper information
          that is crucial to the program's operation is entered.
     -    Quick looks at a soldiers personal information or PT
          score during searches to aid in the searching process.
     -    Globally recalculate all PT scores for all soldiers at
          the touch of a key.  This is not necessary because
          scores are always kept up-to-date.  However, a friend
          requested it just to be sure.  Kind of a fail-safe!
     -    While editing a previously entered score, the score is
          updated AUTOMATICALLY to reflect any changes to it.
     -    Ability to print various reports based on the data
          entered.
     -    Print a master soldier roster containing all the
          soldiers entered into the database.
     -    Print all soldiers grouped by unit to aid upper-level
          offices to maintain a distinction between units.
     -    List all PT tests by the soldiers in alphabetical
          order.
     -    Print a list of all soldiers who are overdue as of the
          current date.
     -    Print a list of all soldiers who failed their last PT
          test and what events were failed.
     -    When a solider is deleted all his PT test scores are
          also deleted to save you the effort of deleting each of
          them.  For example, 1 soldier may have 15 PT tests.
     -    Maintains data integrity by not allowing PT test scores
          to be entered if there is no information in the
          database pertaining to that soldier.
     -    Uses the standard PT tables and every possible
          combination of raw scores to calculate total scores.
     -    Takes into account the fact that you must pass every
          event to pass the whole test.  Failing one event means
          failing the test, regardless of the other two events.

3.   PACKING LIST

     I have distributed this file as a self-extracting archive
that was produced using LHARC v1.13 (an excellent archive program
by Yoshi (c) 1989).  You may have received it in its un-archived
form though.  So let us make sure that you have received all the
files necessary to run PT Scorekeeper properly.  Here are the
files you should have:

REP3.DBF       - database used during the reporting process
REP4.DBF       - database used during the reporting process
SCORES.DBF     - database containing the PT score information
SOLDIERS.DBF   - database containing the soldier information
PT.EXE         - PT Scorekeeper program
REP1.FRM       - used for printing reports
REP2.FRM       - used for printing reports
REP3.FRM       - used for printing reports
REP4.FRM       - used for printing reports
REP5.FRM       - used for printing reports
DATE.NTX       - index file
LAST.NTX       - index file
SEX.NTX        - index file
SSN.NTX        - index file
UNIT.NTX       - index file
PT.DOC         - users manual

     If you do not have all these files, you did not receive a
full copy of all the necessary files.  If you are missing the
.NTX files, that is OK.  They will be created again when you run
PT Scorekeeper if they are missing for some reason.
     Contact the person who gave you this copy and ask them for
all these files or send me a request via COMPUSERVE 73747,420
and we can arrange for you to get an original.


4.   REQUIREMENTS

     PT Scorekeeper runs on the IBM PC family of computers,
including the XT, AT and PS/2 along with all true IBM compatibles
and clones.  PT Scorekeeper requires DOS 2.1 or higher and at
least 512 K of RAM.  It will run on any 80 column monitor. The
program was written with a color monitor (CGA/EGA/VGA) in mind.
Monochrome monitors will suffice but color interpretations may
not look as aesthetically pleasing.  However, they will still be
readable.  A hard disk is not required but recommended for the
speed at which it can access records.  This program will work on
a single drive computer, either 360K or 720K 3.5" floppy drive.
Ideal for laptops and you can enter the data right at the PT
test!  An 80 column printer is needed for printing the reports.

5.   OVERVIEW

     Prior to running PT Scorekeeper, I would like to go over a
few of the underlying principles that the program uses during its
execution.  Knowing these will better help you to understand why
the program behaves as it does.

Principle One:

          A soldiers personal information must be entered first
     prior to any PT test scores being entered for this soldier.
     Any attempt to enter a PT test score for a soldier who does
     not as yet exist in the database will not be accepted (user
     will be warned too).  The reason is that there is no way the
     program can calculate the test score without the soldiers
     personal information being available.  I could have just let
     it be entered and then later the user could enter the
     soldiers personal data and perform a global recalculation.
     But this assumes that the user will remember to do it.  If
     the user forgets, erroneous reports will be printed due to
     the users mistake.  I try to prevent the user from making
     mistakes as best as possible.

Principle Two:

          When you delete a soldier from the database it is
     assumed that you also intend to delete his PT test scores as
     well.  Since those scores are only taking up room in the
     database and have no soldier personal data to recalculate
     on, they are effectively useless.  Therefore, when you
     delete a soldier, everything about him is deleted too.

Principle Three:

          After entering or viewing/changing a PT test, the score
     is AUTOMATICALLY updated or calculated based on the soldiers
     personal data and the PT test data.  This is done after you
     leave the input screen.  So you will not see the results of
     the changes until you view or edit the PT test again.  The
     reason for this is that it is much simpler to perform the
     final calculation when the user has confirmed the test
     information by saving the PT test data.  I have assumed
     that, for the most part, you will enter PT test data in mass
     after a test and then print a report with the results.  For
     the occasional glance at the score, simply search for the
     same test after entering it to see the calculated score.

Principle Four:

          All the necessary information about the soldier is
     available when entering personal information.  Each field in
     the record is necessary for calculations, maintenance of the
     records or printing reports.  Therefore, you must enter the
     information all at once.  This eliminates the possibility of
     the user entering everything but the birthday (for example)
     for a soldier and then trying to enter PT test results.
     This would cause errors since the soldiers age at the time
     of the test is calculated from his birthday.  You may
     think, "Oh, I'll enter that later, I do not know it right
     now."  It is much easier to avoid these simple mistakes
     right from the start.  The program will not accept half
     entered records for the soldier's personal information or PT
     test results.

Principle Five:

          You must perform a recalculation of all test scores if
     you have made a change to a soldier's personal data after
     entering some of his/her PT tests.  For example, you change
     a soldier's birthday because you made a mistake when
     entering it initially but you have already entered some PT
     tests for him.  The PT test results have already been
     calculated based on the mistake.  Luckily, all you have to
     do is to a global recalculation.  Everything will be up to
     date after that.

6.   PC-DOS/MS-DOS

     It is not the purpose of this documentation to give you an
education concerning the Disk Operating System and its commands.
Any questions concerning it should be referred to your DOS
manuals for such things as copying, deleting, formatting, etc.

7.   INSTALLATION

     PT Scorekeeper is distributed as a self-extracting archive
file.  It should be named PT100.EXE and nothing else.  Run this
program by typing 'PT100' and hitting return.  It will un-extract
all the files as you watch.  You no longer need PT100.EXE and can
erase it or copy for backup purposes, etc.  Check the packing
list in the previous few pages to be sure all files are present.
First print up the documentation, which you are now obviously
reading.  I assume you are reading this from a text editor the
first time as most people do.  You are now ready to go.

8.   EXPERIMENTING

     Run PT Scorekeeper by typing 'PT' and hitting return.  You
will be able to enter data into the program to experiment and
follow along with the rest of the manual.  When you feel
confident that the program works and you understand the
principles that guide it, choose the 'Clear the databases' menu
selection from the main menu.  This will allow you to delete all
the information in the databases so that you may start from
scratch!  So play around with the program and get comfortable
with it and then delete all your experimental data.  Then you can
start out fresh with all your soldiers and their PT tests.

9.   TITLE SCREEN AND CREDITS

     The first screen you should be looking at is the title
screen.  It has the version number which shows you which version
of the program you are currently running.  Newer versions have
more features and any discovered bugs worked out of them.  So if
you see a more up-to-date version floating around, grab it and
read the manual to see how to properly install an UPDATED
version.  This is the first version distributed so you need not
worry about that.  The usual disclaimer that all software
programs have is displayed at the top of the screen so that there
is no way you can say you did not see it.  I always ignore them
too, but you should read it anyway.  Hit any key to continue to
the main menu.

10.  MAIN MENU

     Now you should be looking at the main menu.  Selections are
grouped logically by category for your convenience.  You make a
choice by either placing the lite-bar over your selection and
hitting return or simply hit the key associated with your
selection.  We will now examine all the possible main menu
choices.

     A.   Add a solider

          This is the option you chose when you wish to add a
     soldier's personal information to the database.  Only enter
     the information once.  From then on, you should only view,
     change, or delete the information.  Never enter information
     for the same soldier twice using this option.  If you do,
     the program will use the first record it comes to when it
     calculates his/her PT test scores.  Enter all the
     information requested.  Hit enter on the last field or hit
     PgDn/PgUp to exit, saving the data.  Hit the ESC key at any
     time to exit without saving the data.  Hit the F1 key while
     on any field for help.

     B.   Delete a soldier

          Select this option when you want to delete a soldier
     and all his/her PT test records.  You may search for the
     soldier to delete by last name, unit or sex.  A preview box
     will display some quick information about the soldier and
     ask for confirmation of the deletion.  You may cycle through
     a whole unit, for example, deleting at will in this manner.
     Remember, deletions are permanent!

     C.   View/Change a soldier

          Select this option when you want to examine or change a
     previously entered soldiers personal data.  You may search
     just like delete, by last name, unit or sex.  A preview box
     will display some brief info and ask if that is the one you
     were looking for.

     D.   Add a score

          This option will allow you to enter a soldier's PT test
     result.  You must enter all the information requested.  The
     link to the soldier is the SSN.  This saves you from having
     to enter all the soldiers personal information each time
     that you enter a PT test.  The SSN link is critical.  It may
     seem like a hassle to enter it each time, but would you
     rather enter the personal information every time or a simple
     SSN?  The PT test results, individual event points and total
     score, are calculated after you save the record.  Help is
     available by hitting the F1 key.

     E.    Delete a score

          Selecting this option permits you to delete PT test
     data.  As with deleting a soldier, you can search first by
     SSN or date.  A preview box will display some info and ask
     for confirmation.  This operates similar to B above.

     F.   View/Change a score

          Same as C above but you may search for PT tests by SSN
     or date.  If you change any of the data, the PT test score
     will be automatically recalculated based on the changes made
     to the data.

     G.   Clear the databases

          Select this option when you want to delete all soldiers
     and scores.  This is handy if you wish to start over again
     for some reason.

     H.   Reports

          This option takes you to the reports menu.  That is
     where you will select the report that you wish to have
     printed.

     I.   Recalculate all scores

          This will perform a global recalculation of all PT
     scores.  This is handy if you think you may have change a
     soldier's personal information after already entering in a
     number of PT tests.  It is also handy to run every now and
     then just to be sure.  While I haven taken all reasonable
     precautions to insure that the PT scores are up to date,
     this will make all records 100 % correct.  This option may
     take some time, depending on the number of records in both
     databases.

     J.   Browse thru soldiers

          This option will allow you to browse through the
     soldiers information database.  You may look but you cannot
     change anything.  Use the arrow keys to scroll past the
     screen boundaries.  This is a full screen function.

     K.   Browse thru PT scores

          Select this option to browse through the PT test
     database.  Again, you may look, but not touch.  Arrow keys
     will scroll past the screen boundaries.  Please note:  the
     pushup raw points is actually stored in the PUSHUP column.
     While the calculated points are stored in the RAWP column.
     The same is true of fields for the situps and run.  This was
     an oversight of mine in the naming of the fields.  Please
     remember this when viewing the data.  A quick way to
     remember which is which, is that the calculated points are
     always greater than the raw points.  The program runs fine,
     I simply misnamed the 6 fields.  They are so embedded in the
     code at this point, that is not worth the effort to rename
     them.  Besides, they are only memory pointers to the program
     at the executable level anyway, so it does not matter
     anyway.

     L.   Exit to DOS

          This option will perform some maintenance operations
     and then quit the program.  You will then be back at the DOS
     prompt.  This option is the only valid way to exit the
     program.  Many people always like to just turn off the
     computer in the middle of a program if they are done.  Many
     programs keep files open constantly during their operation.
     By simply turning off the computer, you do not give the
     program or DOS the chance to properly close those files.
     This results in fragmented sectors, bad files and other
     problems.  PT Scorekeeper only opens files when needed and
     closes them right after it is finished with them.  But it is
     always good practice to exit gracefully from any program
     including this one.

11.  REPORT MENU

     This menu displays 5 possible reports that you may print.
More reports may be added by letting me know exactly what you
would like to see.  Contact me through COMPUSERVE 73747,420 if
you desire additional reports.

     A.   Master Soldier Roster

          This option will print an alphabetical list of all
     soldiers in the database along with their personal
     information.  Rank, unit, SSN, birthday and sex is also
     list.

     B.   Soldiers Listed by Unit

          Selecting this option will print a report of all
     soldiers grouped by unit.  Name, rank, SSN, birthdate and
     sex will also be printed.  This option is similar to the
     previous option except that you are looking at units first
     and then the soldiers in them.

     C.   PT Tests Listed by Soldier

          This option prints a report of all the PT tests in
     chronological order grouped by the soldiers in alphabetical
     order.  This report is handy for examining or tracing your
     soldiers progress in PT over time.  Prints test date, raw
     and calculated scores for the test, total score and whether
     the individual passed or not.

     D.   Soldiers Overdue for a PT Test

          This option prints a listing of all soldiers due for a
     PT test as of the current date.  This is assuming that your
     system has an up-to-date clock/calendar (which nearly all
     do).  Prints the name, rank, reason for being overdue, last
     test date and whether or not they passed it.

     E.   Soldiers Who Failed Last PT Test

          Selecting this option will print a list of all soldiers
     who failed their last PT test and why.  Prints name, rank,
     last test date, PT score and which events were failed.

12.  MISCELLANEOUS

     When the program is run each time, it checks for the
presence of the index (.NTX) files.  If they are missing or bad,
it will recreate them.  This insures that searches will be speedy
and using current information.
     When you exit the program, housekeeping is performed
internally.  This includes deleting invalid records, re-indexing
the databases just to be sure (redundancy) and the databases are
packed to free up the space used by deleted records.

13.  HOW TO CONTACT THE AUTHOR

     I can be reached at the Air Force Institute of Technology
until 19 DEC 89 (graduation).  My Email address on the AFITNET
network is [e-mail].  From there I will be
stationed at Fort Hood, TX.  I can always be reached on
CompuServe at 73747,420.
     Comments, suggestions for improvements, or bug reports are
eagerly accepted.  I would like to hear about your use of the
program and even suggestions for other programs.