AOL File Library: 4,101 to 4,200/aol-file-protocol-4400-4101-to-4200.zip/AOLDLs/Business Management/VLO_ V98 Virtual Law Office/FREEVL~1.exe/_SETUP.1/README.txt

Text File | 1999-03-13 | 15KB | 463 lines

               WELCOME TO
The Virtual Law Office

Thanks for trying this product.  What
follows are a few tips for getting started.

GETTING STARTED (you should already
have WP Suite 8 Professional installed,
including Paradox 8)

1) Click the 'Setup" icon on the install disk.
Please install to the default folders.  If you
install in another location, you'll have to
make changes to the Program Icon and to
the
VLO.INI file.  UNInstall is through the
normal Win95 Remove tab.

2) There is a Shortcut (a .lnk file) in the
VLO folder.  Copy it to your Desktop.
(Note:
the shortcut starts Paradox 8 with
command-line parameters.  If you've installed
Paradox in another location, you'll have to
make the appropriate changes manually .  If
you've installed VLO to other than the
default C:\VLO directory, you'll also have to
change entries in the VLO.ini file using
Notepad).

Shortcut target property string -
C:\Corel\Suite8\Programs\PDXWIN32.exe
-q -wC:\VLO -pC:\VLO\Private
-fVLO98.sdl

(assumes you've installed everything in the
default drives and directories)
          -q =      "Quiet" mode.  Starts Paradox
'hidden'.
          -w =      ":WORK:" alias for Paradox -
should always be set to the folder with the
screens
          and programs.
          -p =      ":PRIV:" (Private) alias for
Paradox.  Used to store query results, etc.
EVERY  USER MUST HAVE THEIR
OWN, UNIQUE PRIVATE DIRECTORY
ON THEIR  LOCAL DRIVE.
     -f = Designates the program for Paradox
to run after Paradox loads.

3) Try the VLO 98 Shortcut.  You should
see a Splash screen and a Sign-On screen
asking for your User Initials ('FIRM') and a
password, which is 'unassigned'
(unassigned is the default password).  Note:
VLO may change certain Preferences in
Paradox.  It notifies you of any changes
(except the background Paradox bitmap) -
just click 'OK' if you get any such messages.

4) You can also start VLO by
double-clicking on VLO98.sdl.  Do not try
to run any other files without logging on -
you'll just get error messages.

5) Once you've signed-on, you'll see the
Main Screen, the toolbar, etc.  Naturally,
everything's blank.

6) STOP!  On the Menu is a System entry.
Click that, then User Info.  You'll see the
System Information screen.  IT IS
IMPORTANT THAT YOU CUSTOMIZE
THIS INFORMATION BEFORE
PROCEEDING ANY FURTHER.  You
only have to do this once.

7) Customize anything except your User
Initials.  You should change your password
at this time.  Multi-Line fields can contain
font formatting by Right-Clicking and
selecting Properties.

     Then, customize the other information:

     Office tab
                    Enter your Office Address,
replacing the existing text.

     Envelopes tab
                    Customize the Return Address
(Right-Click for Properties of the font,
typeface, etc) by entering your return
address info.  This is printed on
envelopes.  If you are using pre-printed
envelopes, enter a space here, without
formatting.  MAKE SURE THERE'S AT
LEAST A SPACE IN THIS FIELD.


Customize the Sample Text for the addresses
on envelopes.  Of course, 'Sample Text' does
not actually print, but this field tells VLO the
font, size, and typeface you want to use for
addresses on envelopes.  Leave some text in
this field, too, formatted as you'd like
addresses to be printed.  The properties are
applied on the whole address.

     Labels tab
 VLO uses Avery 5163 (or equivalent) labels
for printing addresses, and combines the
return address and the Addressee's address
on one label, separated by a green line.
Therefore, your return address should not
exceed 2 lines.  Once again, right-click for
properties.   Then, customize the Address
properties if you wish.

     Billing Info tab
 Enter your default hourly billing rate.
(Standard version only)

     Prototypes tab
 This is a unique feature of VLO.  You can
use any document as a prototype, but four
are provided - a Blank Document, a Bill, a
Pleading, and a Letterhead.  Use the arrow
bar to move among the prototypes.
 Right-Click on the Prototype you want to
customize, and you'll see 3 options: Delete;
Create From File; and Use WordPerfect to
Edit.  Choose 'Use WordPerfect to Edit'.  If
you've installed correctly, WP will open (BE
  PATIENT) with the selected Prototype
displayed, and a dialog box will come up in
WordPerfect that allows you to 'Paste' a field
designator where ever you want VLO (or
user-entered) information to appear, or, to
 return to VLO.  Inspect all/any of the
Prototypes, and make any changes you wish.
 To return to VLO, USE THE BUTTON
ON THE DIALOG BOX, OR CLOSE THE
DIALOG BOX.
 Note: The Letterhead prototype has a
header that contains the date, addressee
name, and page number.  The Header is
suppressed on the first page.  If it should
somehow re-appear on page 1, just use the
Format/Page/Suppress options in WP to hide
it again.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT HERE!

     You NEVER have to "Save" or "Save
As" a WordPerfect Document in VLO!
VLO synchronizes with WP by using dialog
boxes.  The 'Select and Paste' dialog
boxes only appear when you're
editing/creating prototypes; a simpler 'Return
to VLO' dialog box is displayed at other
times.  Whenever, ALWAYS use the 'Return
to VLO' button when you're finished with
any document.  If the dialog box
disappears from view (and it should if you're
working on the document), LOOK
ON THE TASK BAR.  Failing to follow this
rule will result in failures, crashes,
and/or data loss.

     About field designators: All field
designators are in the format
<FieldDesignator>.  VLO, of course, uses
specific designators, and fills them if
possible when a user is working with a
document.  You can create your own field
designators anywhere on the prototype, and
VLO will prompt the user to enter the
information.  VLO uses the field designator
text as the title of the prompt, so be
descriptive.  For an example, see the
Pleadings prototype.
You can use any character(s) as a Field
Designator, including spaces, EXCEPT:
less than, greater than, and a backwards
apostrophe ("<", ">", and " ` ").

     ALSO NOTE: WordPerfect has a
tendency to increase file size, e.g., WP
does NOT 'shrink' the file when you remove
a feature or element of the document.
Naturally, you want to minimize the size of
any prototype you create, which also
helps to keep the document management
database at a minimum size.
Therefore, you should periodically check the
size of prototypes by 'Using
WordPerfect to Edit' and doing a File|Save a
Copy As . . . and then using Explorer
to check the file size.  To create a smaller
prototype, create a new document in
WordPerfect and copy the elements from the
old prototype, one at a time.  After
all elements have been copied, Save the new
document, log on to VLO and
replace the old prototype on the user info
screen with the new file.  Keep this in
mind when creating new prototypes,
especially if you're adding graphics and
keep 'trying out' different looks to get the
right one.


Now, ADD a NEW User (Click the button
on the General tab) and create a USER for
yourself, using your initials.  You can only
create new users if you're logged-in as
'FIRM'.  This will be your normal Sign-on.
Don't forget the password.  All information
you entered for the FIRM user ID will be
'cloned'.  Each user can modify/add
prototypes
whenever they wish.

Click 'OK' and you'll return to the Main
Screen.  Click OK to return to the Sign-on
screen.  Log-on again using the new user ID
and password.

Click on the "?" on the Toolbar for
context-sensitive Help on the Main Screen.
Then,
enter a Name/address and open a case.
Explore.  Try.  Advise.  Note any problems
with a 'Bug" report (Button on the Toolbar).
Stumped?  Try to Right-Click on a field or
use the Help system.

Note on accessing a particular case - Cases
are accessed by the Name of anyone
involved in the Case.

Note on overall organization: VLO normally
places incoming scanned documents or in-
progress WP documents in your In-Box (just
as you would place them on your physical
desk).  To print a 'Full' WP document,
including copies and attachments, Right-click
on
the Document Description and select "Full
Print Job".  After printing/review of any
document, you can delete it from your
In-Box.  If the document is not already 'filed'
or
linked to a Person and/or case, you'll be
advised when you try to delete it.

VLO make extensive use of "Right-Click"
menus, instead of cluttering the screen with
buttons.  Generally, if you "Right-Click" on
an area of a VLO screen, you'll get a menu
that allows you to take specific actions with
that particular data set.


Known problems and suggestions:

     Many scanner drivers have a mechanism
that 'pops-up' the driver screen
whenever you lift the top of the scanner,
insert a sheet of paper, etc.  You should
disable this feature in your scanner software.
VLO accesses the TWAIN driver directly.

     A scan resolution of 200 dpi (standard
FAX resolution) seems to work OK for
Black&White scans, and provides a balance
between quality and file size.  Also, using
a scanner software setting of "Black & White
Line Drawing" instead of grayscale seems
to work better for printed matter, but try it
yourself.

     Don't forget to select your scanner before
scanning for the first time!

     In order to dial telephone numbers using
VLO, you must install and implement
the Win95 (or other) TAPI interface.

     FAXing capabilities require WinFax Pro.

     Occasionally, you'll get an 'Untranslatable
character' error message during
OCR.  This is not really an error, just a
warning that the OCR data contains special
characters that are not in the 'normal'
character set.  VLO replaces them with a box
character.  You can just click OK if you
happen to get this message.  (Note: OCR for
WP documents occurs whenever you alter a
document, without prior notice to you.)

     WordPerfect may sometimes seem to be
loading/working slowly.  Please be
patient, especially if you have less than 32K
RAM or a machine in the sub-133MHz
range.

     VLO contains a rudimentary
Table-Repair tool (visible on the User Info
screen
when you're logged-in as "FIRM") that
attempts to repair the VLO tables, if
necessary.
THIS IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR
REGULAR BACKUPS!  Please, review the
Help
topic on this.  The Table-Repair tool uses 2
files from your Paradox install: you must
copy tutil32.dll from the IDAPI directory
and tuwwr32.dll from the Paradox program
directory to the VLO directory if you are
using a Database Engine (referred to as the
BDE) other than version 4.0 (the 4.0 files are
included in the installation).   You can
determine the version by reading the 'About'
help information in the BDE administrator
(Start|WP Suite 8|Tools|Database Engine).
These two files must match the version of
the BDE you're using, in order to use the
Table Repair tool.  BACKUP ALL TABLES
BEFORE USING THE TABLE REPAIR
TOOL!

You can also purchase a very sophisticated
table repair utility from Sundial Services
(http://www.sundialservices.com) called
ChimneySweep.  This is a very inexpensive
and more importantly, effective tool for table
repairs.

NOTES ON NETWORKING

Each network has its own quirks and
requirements.  It is therefore impossible to
give a 'cookbook' that results in a proper
VLO network setup.  If you are not an
experienced Network Administrator, then
you should probably get professional help in
setting up your network and configuring
VLO to operate under your setup.

VLO is designed to be Network-ready.
However, you must have WordPerfect and
Paradox installed and properly configured
AS NETWORKED APPLICATIONS for
VLO to work properly on a network.
Consult The WP Reference Center for
networking considerations.  Additional
information may be found on the Corel Web
site at http://www.corel.com. Prior to
attempting a networking plan for VLO, get
WordPerfect and Paradox running
satisfactorily on the network.

Some specific comments:

The DataBase Engine (look under Corel
WordPerfect Suite 8 | Tools) MUST have
the 'Local Share' property set to TRUE for
Paradox tables.  This must be performed
manually.

ALL Users must have full access (read,
write, etc.) to all folders that VLO uses,
including the Paradox folder.

THE PATH FOR :WORK: MUST BE
EXACTLY THE SAME FOR EACH
USER.
Paradox requires this for record locking
purposes.  You can 'map' drives and folders
using the MS-DOS 'LASTDRIVE='
command in the config.sys file and the
'SUBST' command in the autoexec.bat file.
See MS-DOS Help for additional
information on these commands.

Each workstation MUST have, ON THE
LOCAL DRIVE:
  -a C:\VLO folder;
  -a VLO Shortcut (usually on the Desktop);
  -a copy of VLO98.sdl in the C:\VLO
folder;
  -a copy of VLO98.ini in the C:\VLO folder;
  -a C:\VLO\Private folder

Paradox (and VLO) require that the
:WORK: and :PRIV: Aliases (see the
Paradox 8 help for more information on
Aliases) be set for each user.  VLO expects
this to be done by means of the Startup
command-line switches on the Shortcut (see
below).  Every User (workstation) MUST
have a unique :PRIV: alias, or they won't be
able to start Paradox - they'll get a 'BDE is
Busy' error message.  It is therefore strongly
suggested that you create the
C:\VLO\Private directory on each
Workstation's local drive and make the
appropriate changes to the Shortcut on that
drive, OR create unique private folders for
each workstation on the network drive.
Note: The :PRIV: alias is used for various
purposes by Paradox and VLO, such as
storing the results of Queries, printing
reports, etc.  Keeping the :PRIV: alias on the
network drive decreases network traffic, and
thus increases speed.

VLO has additional aliases defined in the
VLO98.ini file for the locations of the code
(:LOForms:), the data and tables (:LOData:)
and the Image files (:LOImages:).  They
should be modified for each Workstation to
reflect the proper network paths.  Use
Notepad to make the required changes in this
file.

Modifying the Workstation's local Shortcut
target property string -
Standard:
C:\Corel\Suite8\Programs\PDXWIN32.exe
-q -wC:\VLO -pC:\VLO\Private
-fVLO98.sdl

(assumes you've installed everything in the
default drives and directories)
       -q =   "Quiet" mode.  Starts Paradox
'hidden'.  Leave this alone.
       -w =   ":WORK:" alias for Paradox -
should always be set to the Network folder
with the
       screens and programs.
       -p =   ":PRIV:" (Private) alias for
Paradox.  Used to store query results, etc.
EVERY
       USER MUST HAVE THEIR OWN,
UNIQUE PRIVATE DIRECTORY.
       -f =   Designates the program for
Paradox to run after Paradox loads.  On a
       workstation, this should point to the
local copy of VLO98.sdl.

DON'T FORGET TO MAKE THE
NECESSARY CHANGES TO THE
LOCAL COPY OF VLO98.INI TO
REFLECT THE PROPER PATHS TO THE
NETWORK.  VLO98.INI MUST BE IN
THE SAME FOLDER AS VLO98.SDL.