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AutoTrac for Windows 1.40
=========================
Copyright (c) CR Software, 1995
All Rights Reserved
CR Software
591 Cypress Ave.
San Jacinto, Ca. 92583
_______
____|__ | (R)
--| | |-------------------
| ____|__ | Association of
| | |_| Shareware
|__| o | Professionals
-----| | |---------------------
|___|___| MEMBER
The Association of Shareware Professionals, Shareware, AutoTrac
---------------------------------------------------------------
and you!
-------
CR Software is a member of the Association of Shareware
Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware
principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a
shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the
member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can
help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but
does not provide technical support for members' products.
Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road,
Muskegon, MI 49442-9427 USA, FAX 616-788-2765 or send a CompuServe
message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536."
Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software
before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue
using it, you are expected to register. Individual programs
differ on details -- some request registration while others
require it, some specify a maximum trial period. With
registration, you get anything from the simple right to continue
using the software to an updated program with printed manual.
Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software,
and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific
exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished
programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are
of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are good programs
and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of
distribution. The author specifically grants the right to copy
and distribute the software, either to all and sundry or to a
specific group. For example, some authors require written
permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy their
Shareware.
Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You
should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook,
whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes
fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy.
And because the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware
has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the
product, you don't pay for it.
DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT
----------------------
Users of AutoTrac must accept this disclaimer of warranty:
"AutoTrac is supplied as is. The author disclaims all
warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation,
the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose.
The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or conse-
quential, which may result from the use of AutoTrac."
AutoTrac is a "shareware program" and is provided at no charge
to the user for evaluation. Feel free to share it with your
friends, but please do not give it away altered or as part of
another system. The essence of "user-supported" software is to
provide personal computer users with quality software without
high prices, and yet to provide incentive for programmers to
continue to develop new products. If you find this program
useful and find that you are using AutoTrac and continue to use
AutoTrac after a thirty day trial period, you must make a reg-
istration payment of $25.00 to CR Software. The $25.00
registration fee will license one copy for use on any one
computer at any one time. You must treat this software just like
a book. An example is that this software may be used by any
number of people and may be freely moved from one computer
location to another, so long as there is no possibility of it
being used at one location while it's being used at another.
Just as a book cannot be read by two different persons at the
same time.
All users of AutoTrac must register and pay for their
copies of AutoTrac within 30 days of first use or their license
is withdrawn. Site-License arrangements may be made by con-
tacting CR Software.
Disk Vendors, CD-ROM Vendors, BBS Sysops - see the VENDOR.DOC
file for more information.
You are encouraged to pass a copy of AutoTrac along to your
friends for evaluation. Please encourage them to register their
copy if they find that they can use it. All registered users
will receive a copy of the latest version of the AutoTrac
system.
Registration of AutoTrac additionally provides you with the
following benefits:
1). The registered version of AutoTrac for Windows.
2). Both DOS and Windows versions of the MaintMinder utility
program. (See Sections 7 and 8)
3). Telephone support for a minimum of 3 months. Phone number
provided upon registration.
4). A printed copy of this manual.
5). Reduced price on future upgrade versions of AutoTrac.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
=================
1.) Introduction to AutoTrac
1A). Installing AutoTrac
1B). Uninstalling AutoTrac
2.) File Operations
2.1 New Files
2.2 Opening AutoTrac Files
2.2.1 Switching between multiple AutoTrac files
2.3 Saving Files
2.4 Saving Files under a new name
2.5 Printing Files (Sending to Word Processors)
2.5.1 Selecting a Word Processor
2.5.2 Adding Word Processors
2.5.3 Choose Document Dialog Box
2.6 Exit AutoTrac.
3.) Editing Files
4.) Entering and Editing Expense Information
4.1 Editing the Expense File
5.) Entering and Editing Maintenance Information
5.1 Using Expenses and Maintenance together.
6.) Creating a Service History File
7.) MaintMinder for DOS.
8.) MaintMinder for Windows - Windows version of MaintMinder
for DOS
9.) Registering AutoTrac / Contacting CR Software
1) Introduction
============
Welcome to AutoTrac! AutoTrac is a powerful new program that
allows you to track vehicle expense and maintenance information,
and a complete service history for each vehicle you own. With
AutoTrac you will be able to track expenses as personal or
business expenses. You may work on several different files in
the same session.
AutoTrac allows you to transfer information to your favorite
Windows word processor for final touches before printing.
AutoTrac even allows you to transfer this information to a word
processor having several documents open!.
(See Section 2.5 through 2.5.3)
The registered version of AutoTrac also comes with both a DOS and
Windows version of MaintMinder, a program that allows you to see
which vehicles have upcoming maintenance items due, without the
need to run AutoTrac. (See Sections 7 and 8).
AutoTrac uses enhanced dialog boxes and controls. These have
been made possible with the following excellent programming
tools:
Borland Windows Custom Controls (BWCC) by Borland
International;
Please note that the file BWCC.DLL must be present either in
the AutoTrac directory, in your PATH, or in the Windows\System
directory for AutoTrac to properly operate.
1A) Installing AutoTrac
-------------------
You must install AutoTrac prior to being able to run the program.
To install AutoTrac is simple!
1.) Start Windows 3.1. From the File menu, select Run, and
type a:\install (or b:\install).
2.) Select the drive and directory where you want AutoTrac installed.
The default suggested directory is "AutoTrac". However, you may
change this if you like.
1B) Uninstalling AutoTrac
---------------------
To uninstall AutoTrac simply remove the files from the AutoTrac direc-
tory, and remove the AutoTrac directory. AutoTrac does NOT modify or
add any files in your working Windows directory or subdirectories.
2) File Operations
===============
2.1) Creating a new AutoTrac File
----------------------------
To begin a new AutoTrac file, choose File | New from the menu.
This will display the Vehicle Information dialog box. Here you
may enter any or all of the information requested. This is
simply for your records. However, AutoTrac will use the Year,
Make, and Model information, if provided, when displaying the
Expenses and Maintenance Schedule dialogs boxes. If not, the
file name will appear in these dialog boxes (See Section 4 for
Expenses and Section 5 for Maintenance Schedule).
Upon completing the desired information, choose the Ok button,
or if you wish to cancel, choose the Cancel button. If you have
entered any information, and choose Cancel, you will be asked
if you wish to save the information. Choosing Yes or Ok will
present the information you entered in the Vehicle Information
Window.
Once the Vehicle Information Window is open, the menu changes
to allow selection of the Expense, Maintenance Schedule, and
Send options. (See Section 2.5 for Send dialog Box).
2.2) Opening AutoTrac Files
----------------------
AutoTrac files may be opened by choosing File | Open from the
menu, or using the Shortcut Key F3, or the Open speed button
from the button bar. (AutoTrac automatically displays the
command of the button being pointed to, at the cursor location,
as well as the status bar at the bottom of the Main Window).
The File | Open command displays the Open File Dialog Box that
allows you to select a file to open. (See following Section
for Saving Files).
By default, the Open File Dialog Box displays all files in the
working directory with the default extension of ".alg". If you
saved your file with a different extension, you will need to
type in the correct filename in the entry field. For example
"mycar.bob".
Select Ok to open this file. If the file you attempt to open is
not an AutoTrac file, you will receive the error message "Not
an AutoTrac File!"
AutoTrac can automatically open single or multiple files in a
number of ways:
1) Starting AutoTrac with the files listed as command line
arguments. For example, to start AutoTrac, and
automatically open the files "mycar.alg" and "mytruck.alg",
using the Windows File | Run menu command, type
[pathname]AutoTrac.exe mycar.alg mytruck.alg. If the
AutoTrac directory is in your PATH statement, you may start
Windows, start AutoTrac and open files with the command :
win AutoTrac mycar.alg mytruck.alg.
2) A much easier way is to start AutoTrac , then start Windows'
File Manager. Select the AutoTrac file(s) you wish to open
from File Manager, and simply drag and drop them into the
AutoTrac Main Window, or the AutoTrac icon, if minimized..
3) An alternative approach is to use File | Associate from
Windows File Manager, and associate files with the ".alg"
extension with AutoTrac. Then, by simply selecting the file
and pressing Enter or double-clicking with the mouse,
AutoTrac will be started, and the file will be opened
automatically. (See your Windows manual for details on
associating files.)
2.2.1) Switching between multiple AutoTrac Files
-----------------------------------------
AutoTrac is a multiple document interface program that allows
you to open and work with many files at once. The currently
active vehicle is the vehicle displayed in the active Vehicle
Information Window (with the title bar or icon highlighted).
There are several methods to switch between multiple vehicles:
1. Press Ctrl-F6 to make different vehicles active in turn ;
2. Click with the mouse in the Vehicle Information Window of
the vehicle you wish to work with ;
3. Choose the Window option from the menu. A list of the
currenly open files is at the end of the drop down menu.
Select the desired file.
2.3) Saving AutoTrac Files
---------------------
To save a currently open file, choose File | Save from the menu,
use the Shortcut Key F2, or click on the Save speed button from
the button bar. (AutoTrac automatically displays the command of
the button being pointed to, at the cursor location, as well as
the status bar at the bottom of the Main Window).
This saves the document in the active Vehicle Information Window
to disk. If the document is unnamed (the title bar will display
"Untitled.alg"), the Save File As Dialog Box is displayed so you
can name the file, and choose where it is to be saved. The
default extension is ".alg". This means that the file will
automatically be saved with the ".alg" extension unless you
specifically type a different extension. For example, if you
enter "mycar" (without the quotation marks), your file will be
saved as "mycar.alg". However, if you enter "mycar.mom" (without
the quotation marks), your file will be saved under that name.
(Please note, however, that the File Open dialog box automatically
displays only files with the default extension - See Section 2.2.)
Once a file has been saved, the title bar in the Vehicle
Information Window will display the new filename.
2.4). Saving Files under a New Name
-----------------------------
If you wish to rename a file, or save a file under a new name,
choose File | Save As from the menu. The File Save As dialog box
is displayed. Follow the steps in the previous section for saving
the file.
2.5). Printing Files (Sending to Word Processors)
-------------------------------------------
Because there are so many ways to present information about a
vehicle, including expenses, maintenance schedules, etc. it was
a deliberate design decision not to incorporate a printing option
into AutoTrac. Instead, AutoTrac lets you select a Windows word
processor to send the information to, allowing you complete
freedom as to how to print the information.
To send information to a word processor, choose File | Send from
the File Menu, use the Shortcut Key F7, or click on the Send
speed button from the button bar. (AutoTrac automatically
displays the command of the button being pointed to, at the
cursor location, as well as the status bar at the bottom of the
Main Window).
This will display the Send dialog box. Simply select the
information that you desire to have placed in the word processor
(See 2.5.1 - Selecting a Word Processor).
When selecting expenses, AutoTrac offers you the option of
sending all the expenses incurred for a vehicle, or selectively
choosing expenses by year, month, and type (business, personal,
or both). If you wish to send all expenses, choose the Send
All option under the Expenses section. If you wish to selectively
choose expenses, select the Choose button. This displays the
Expense Options dialog box. Here you must enter the expense year
desired. Select the month(s) from the Expense Month(s) section,
and the type (business, personal, or both) from the Type section.
Choose Ok to close the dialog box.
If more than one instance of the selected word processor is
running (i.e., two Notepads each with a different document), or
if your word processor has multiple document capabilities and
more than one document is loaded, AutoTrac will present you with
the Choose Word Processor Document dialog box (See Section 2.5.2).
Here you may select which document to send the information to,
even in a multiple document word processor! Note: if the document
you wish to send information to is part of a multiple document
word processor, it does not have to be the active document.
AutoTrac will still send the information to the correct document.
2.5.1) Selecting a Word Processor
--------------------------
AutoTrac places the two standard Windows word processors, Notepad
and Write in the Send To drop-down box. Type Alt-S , or click on
the down arrow to highlight this box.
Use the up or down arrow keys to select which word processor to
send the information to. If you wish to add another word
processor of your choice to this list, see the next section
(2.5.2 - Adding Word Processors)
Important! The word processor you select must be currently
running prior to sending information.
2.5.2) Adding Word Processors
----------------------
To add an additional word processor to the list of word processors
that appear in the Send To drop-down box, select the box by
typing Alt-S, or clicking on the down arrow with the mouse. Be
sure the displayed text is 'selected' i.e., is displayed in
reverse video. Then type the name of your word processor as it
appears in the title bar without the document name. For
instance Notepad - (Untitled) is entered simply as Notepad;
Write - Manual.wri is entered simply as Write, etc. The selected
text will be replaced with the text you type in. Then simply
choose OK to continue with sending the vehicle information.
AutoTrac automatically saves the word processor you enter, and
it will appear each time you run AutoTrac.
Note: There is currently no option to remove a word processor
from this list once it has been entered.
2.5.3) Choose Document Dialog Box
--------------------------
The Choose Document Dialog Box is displayed if you try to send
information to a word processor, and either of the following is
true:
1). More than one instance of that word processor is currently
running.
For example, there may be two Notepads running at the same
time.
2). The Windows Word Processor you have added has multiple
document capabilities, i.e., more than one document may be
opened at the same time (some examples are Microsoft Word,
Ami Pro, Microsoft Works, etc.), and you currently have more
than one document open.
The Choose Document dialog box will appear and ask you to choose
which document to send the information to. Select the correct
document (see examples below), and choose Ok.
Examples:
In the first case mentioned above, perhaps there are two
Notepads currently running. One has a file open called
"myfile.txt", the other is blank ( a new file - "Untitled").
You have chosen to send the information to Notepad. AutoTrac
needs to know which Notepad to send the information to. The
Choose Document dialog box will have the title "Select
Notepad Document" and will list both entries, "myfile.txt",
and "untitled". Use the Up / Down arrow keys to select the
one to send the information to and select Ok. AutoTrac will
now send the information to the correct Notepad.
In the second example, suppose you have chosen to send the
information to Ami Pro. Ami Pro is running with 3 documents
open: "one.sam", "two.sam", and "three.sam". The Choose
Document dialog box will have the title "Select Ami Pro
Document" and will list entries, "one.sam", "two.sam",
and "three.sam". Use the Up / Down arrow keys to select the
one to send the information to and select Ok. AutoTrac will
now send the information to the correct document inside Ami
Pro. Note: The document you choose does not have to be the
active document. It may even be minimized as an icon.
AutoTrac will still send the information to the correct
document.
The following Windows word processors have been tested with
AutoTrac without problems:
* Notepad
* Write
* Microsoft Word 1.0 and 2.0 and 6.0
* Microsoft Works 2.0 and 3.0
* Ami Pro 3.0
* PFS: WindowWorks 2.0
2.6). Exit AutoTrac
-------------
To exit AutoTrac, choose File | Exit from the File Menu, use the
Shortcut Key Alt-X, or click on the Exit speed button from the
button bar. (AutoTrac automatically displays the command of the
button being pointed to, at the cursor location, as well as the
status bar at the bottom of the Main Window).
If you currently have any unsaved documents, AutoTrac will
highlight the Vehicle Information window, and will ask you if
you wish to save the document. Select Yes to save, or No to
continue.
If you have run AutoTrac Help, it will automatically close when
AutoTrac exits.
3) Editing Files
=============
AutoTrac maintains three separate files for each vehicle :
1) The vehicle information file (the information displayed in
the Vehicle Information Window),
2) The expense file, and
3) The maintenance schedule file. To edit the expense and
maintenance files, see Sections 4 and 5. The following
describes how to edit the vehicle information file.
To edit the vehicle information file, choose Edit | Vehicle
Information from the menu, or if you have a mouse, right-click
the mouse anywhere in the Vehicle Information Window. This will
display the Vehicle Information Dialog Box, which will be filled
with the current information from the Vehicle Information Window.
Simply make the desired changes and choose Ok. The changes will
immediately be reflected in the Vehicle Information Window.
However, to make the changes permanent, you will need to save
the file. AutoTrac will prompt you to save the file before you
use the Expense or Maintenance Schedule, or before you attempt to
close the Vehicle Information Window, or exit AutoTrac
(See Section 2.3 - Saving Files ).
4) Entering and Editing Expense Information
========================================
AutoTrac allows you to enter and edit Expense information for your
vehicle.
Choose Log | Expenses, or use the Shortcut Key Ctrl-L, or click
on the Expense speed button from the button bar. (AutoTrac
automatically displays the command of the button being pointed
to, at the cursor location, as well as the status bar at the
bottom of the Main Window). This displays the Expense dialog
box. The year, make, and model of the vehicle, if present in the
Vehicle Information Window, is presented as the title. If not,
the file name is the title.
Note: If you have not saved any changes to the file, you will be
prompted to do so prior to being given access to the Expense
dialog box.
The fields in the Expense dialog box are shown below. Note that
two fields (Date and Total Cost) must be filled in, while others
contain optional information or default values.
Date :
----
This is NOT an optional field. A valid date must be entered.
The current system date is presented as the default date. If this
is not correct, enter the date the expense was incurred as
either of the following formats:
MM-DD-YY (01-27-94)
MM/DD/YY (01/27/94)
MM,DD,YY (01,27,94)
Month DD,YY (January 27, 1994)
Mon. DD,YY (Jan. 27, 94)
Unit Cost:
---------
This is an optional field
Enter the cost-per-item amount. Examples are dollars per gallon
of gasoline, price per quart of oil, etc.
Total Cost:
----------
This is NOT an optional field. A total cost must be entered.
Enter the total cost of the expense.
Description:
-----------
This is an optional field.
Enter a description of the expense if desired
Location:
--------
This is an optional field.
Enter the location where the expense was incurred. Suggested
ideas are: the store where an item was purchased; the service
station where expense was incurred, etc.
Mileage:
-------
This is an optional field.
If desired, enter the vehicle mileage at the time of the expense.
Note: If you will be adding the expense to the Service History
File, you will be required to supply a mileage.
Choose Expenses Box:
-------------------
Select the type of expense from the Choose Expense drop-down box.
The default selection is "Gasoline". If the type of expense you
need is not found, you may add a new expense type by selecting
the Add New Category button. This will display the Add New Category
dialog box.
Simply type in the new expense category, choose OK, and the
expense will be added to the Choose Expense box.
Expense Type:
------------
This is an optional field, the default being "Personal".
Choose either the "Personal", or "Business" button depending on
the type of expense. AutoTrac will keep track of your expenses
as either Business or Personal. When the expenses are sent to a
word processor, AutoTrac can send either type, or both, with
separate totals and descriptions for each. (See Section 2.5)
Add New Category:
----------------
As mentioned above, selecting this button will display the Add
New Category dialog box. Simply type in the new expense category
you wish, and it will be added to the Choose Expense box.
Total Expenses:
--------------
If no expense file exists for this vehicle, this button will be
inactive, otherwise it will be active. Choosing Total Expenses
will display the Total Expenses for this vehicle, displayed as
Total Personal Expenses and Total Business Expenses, plus the
combined total.
Select OK to close this box.
4.1) Editing the expense file.
------------------------
The following buttons allow you to edit the expenses for the vehicle:
View Previous:
-------------
Selecting this button allows you to view and edit previous
expenses. Once the first expense has been reached, this button
will be dimmed.
View Next:
---------
Used in conjunction with View Previous, View Next allows you to
view and edit the next expense.
Done :
----
If you are in the middle of viewing expenses, selecting Done
Viewing will clear the dialog box and allow you to begin entering
new expenses.
Add to Service History:
----------------------
This will add the applicable information to the vehicle's
Service History File. The following information will be added:
Date, Expense, and Mileage. The expense will appear as "Replace"
when viewing the Service History File.(see Section 6 - Creating
a Service History File)
5) Entering and Editing Maintenance Information
============================================
To enter and edit Maintenance Information, choose
Log | Maintenance Schedule from the menu, use the Shortcut Key
Ctrl - M, or click on the Maintenance speed button from the
button bar. (AutoTrac automatically displays the command of the
button being pointed to, at the cursor location, as well as the
status bar at the bottom of the Main Window).
This displays the Maintenance Schedule dialog box. The year,
make, and model of the vehicle, if present in the Vehicle
Information Window, is presented as the title. If not, the file
name is the title.
Note: If you have not saved any changes to the file, you will be
prompted to do so prior to being given access to the Maintenance
Schedule dialog box.
The fields in the Maintenance Schedule dialog box are shown below.
An explanation of the fields and buttons is as follows:
Miles Driven Per Month:
----------------------
The default value of 1,000 is presented. Alter this if necessary
for your vehicle. Use only whole numbers.
Category Box:
------------
Several Maintenance categories are presented in this drop-down
box. The months / miles numbers give suggested values for the
number of months or miles between scheduled maintenance. You may
alter these default values by selecting the Modify button.
Choose the category that described the maintenance performed on
the vehicle. If a category is not listed, you may add a new one
with the Add button.
Inspect / Replace:
-----------------
This field indicates whether the maintenance is an inspection of
the item, or a replacement. You may change this setting by
selecting the Modify Button.
Date Maintenance Last Performed:
-------------------------------
If no maintenance file is available for this vehicle, this field
displays the system date as the default. You may change this date
by selecting the Modify button ( see below). For information on
how you may enter dates, see Date under Expense (See Section 4).
Add:
---
This displays the Add New Maintenance Category Dialog Box.
Enter in the new category, the number of months and miles
required between maintenance, whether the maintenance requires
inspection or replacement of the item, and the date the
maintenance was last performed. If you leave the date field
blank, AutoTrac inserts the current system date. Choose OK to
save this information.
This new maintenance item will now be available for this vehicle
only.
Delete:
------
This will delete the chosen maintenance item(s) from the list box.
You will be prompted to confirm that the item(s) is (are) to be
deleted. You may select more than one item to be deleted. To
select continuous items: with the keyboard, hold down the Shift
key, while using the Up / Down arrows to select. With the mouse,
hold down the left mouse button, and drag the mouse to select.
To select non-contiguous items: with the keyboard, highlight
the first item, press Shift-F8, use the arrow keys to move to
each remaining item you want to select, press the Spacebar to
select each item, press Shift-F8 again. With the mouse, select
the first item, press and hold down Ctrl while you select each
remaining item. Release the Ctrl key.
Modify:
------
The Modify button brings up the Modify Dialog Box. Here you may
change the default values for the number of months and / or miles
between scheduled maintenance, whether you prefer the
maintenance to be replacement or inspection of the item, or to
change the date the maintenance was performed. You may select
one, or several items to modify at once. (See above paragraph
under "Delete" for steps to select several items ) When you
select several items to modify, the Modify Dialog Box displays
the selections as "First Item ... Last Item". The individual
controls are set to the last item selected. Changing the
values and selecting OK will change all the selected items to the
new values.
Upcoming:
--------
This will bring up a window displaying all the maintenance that
will be due in the next 30 days, including any overdue items.
Overdue:
-------
This will bring up a window displaying all the maintenance
currently overdue for this vehicle (as of the current system
date).
Add to Service History:
----------------------
This will add the appropriate information to the vehicle's
Service History File (see Section 6 - Creating a Service History
File)
5.1) Using Expenses and Maintenance together.
---------------------------------------
There will be instances where an expense incurred is a result of
maintenance due. For example, purchasing belts, oil, air filters,
etc. might be required if you are performing the maintenance
yourself. Or perhaps your mechanic has billed you for the
scheduled maintenance. In such cases, you would enter the cost
of the items, labor, etc. in the Expense box under the
appropriate category (or categories), and would then update the
'Date Maintenance Last Performed' section in the Maintenance
Schedule box. This way, you have an effective method for
categorizing and tracking vehicle expenses, while keeping track
of maintenance performed.
6) Creating a Service History File
===============================
By creating a Service History file, you will be able to print
out (via Sending the information to a Word Processor) all the
service, maintenance, repairs, etc. that have been performed on
your vehicle.
The Service History File records the following information :
The category of the service (i.e. Oil Change, New Tires, Tune-Up...
The date the service was performed;
The vehicle mileage when the service was performed;
The action taken (Replacement of part(s), or Inspection ).
Items may be added to the Service History file from three separate
locations:
The Expenses dialog box;
The Add Maintenance Category dialog box (using the Add button in
the Maintenance Schedule dialog box);
The Modify Maintenance Category dialog box (using the Modify
button in the Maintenance Schedule dialog box);
From all three locations, simply choose the Add to Service
History button in these dialog boxes. The appropriate information
will be added to the Service History File. When the Service
History File is viewed, or sent to a word processor, the items
are listed by mileage, with the lowest mileage entries appearing
first.
Suggestions:
When adding information to the Service History File using the
Modify Maintenance Category dialog box and / or the Add
Maintenance Category dialog box, if possible, add the
information beginning with the oldest date, and working up to
the most recent. Although this will not affect the way the History
File is displayed, it will affect the date and mileage numbers
displayed in the Maintenance Schedule dialog box, once you
return. This, in turn, will cause the Upcoming and Overdue
selections to incorrectly report that the maintenance is
overdue, etc. when it may not be. Of course, you would only need
to Modify these categories to reflect the most current date and
mileage changes to correct this.
7) Maintminder DOS Utility Program
===============================
(Available to registered users).
Your AutoTrac directory contains the file Maintmdr.exe This is
the Maintminder program. Maintminder is a DOS program that does
the following:
* Displays the Year, Make, Model, and License # of vehicles that
have any maintenance items upcoming within 30 days of the current
date, or maintenance that is currently overdue.
* Prints individual maintenance items that are overdue or
upcoming are to the file MAINTMDR.TXT in the AutoTrac
directory. The items are listed by vehicle, with the Year,
Make, Model, and License # as the heading for each vehicle.
You may view this file using the commands "print maintmdr.txt",
"more < maintmdr.txt", or use any DOS text editor. If you
switch to Windows after running Maintminder, you can view
the file using Notepad by double-clicking (or pressing Enter)
on the file Maintmdr.txt from File Manager.
A sample output from Maintminder is shown below:
C:\AUTOTRAC > MAINTMDR
Maintenance due within 30 days for 1990 Honda CIVIC EX 2ABC123
Maintenance due within 30 days for 1995 MAZDA 123CBA
C:\AUTOTRAC > _
A sample printing to screen of a portion of MAINTMDR.TXT is
shown below:
Maintenance due within 30 days for 1990 Honda CIVIC EX 2ABC123
Anti-Freeze Last Done : 10 - 18 - 1993
Battery Last Done : 01 - 01 - 1994
Belts and Hoses Last Done : 07 - 11 - 1993
Brakes Last Done : 11 - 11 - 1993
Breather Element Last Done : 01 - 11 - 1993
Charging System Last Done : 01 - 11 - 1993
Check Fluid Levels Last Done : 11 - 11 - 1993
Cooling System Last Done : 01 - 01 - 1993
Differential Fluid Last Done : 01 - 01 - 1992
Engine Oil Last Done : 11 - 11 - 1993
Exhaust System Last Done : 01 - 01 - 1993
Fuel Filter Last Done : 01 - 01 - 1993
Lights and Bulbs Last Done : 01 - 01 - 1992
Lubricate Hinges Last Done : 11 - 11 - 1993
Oil Filter Last Done : 11 - 11 - 1993
Tire Pressure Last Done : 11 - 11 - 1994
Wheel Alignment Last Done : 11 - 11 - 1994
Wiper Blades Last Done : 11 - 11 - 1994
8) MaintMinder for Windows - Windows version of MaintMinder
========================================================
(Available to registered users).
MaintMinder for Windows is the Windows companion of MaintMinder
for DOS. MaintMinder for Windows updates the file MAINTMDR.TXT
and then displays the information seen above in Section 6.
To run MaintMinder for Windows, simply double-click the
MaintMinder for Windows icon, or select the icon and press Enter.
To quit MaintMinder, choose File | Exit, or press Alt-F4.
9) Registering AutoTrac / Contacting CR Software
=============================================
To register Autotrac, print the file REGISTER.TXT. This is the
registration form. Fill in the form, and send your check or
money order for $25.00 (US funds) to:
CR Software
591 Cypress Ave.
San Jacinto, Ca. 92583
Registration of AutoTrac provides you with the following benefits:
1). The registered version of AutoTrac for Windows.
2). Both DOS and Windows versions of the MaintMinder utility
program. (See Sections 7 and 8)
3). Telephone support for a minimum of 3 months. Phone number
provided upon registration.
4). A printed copy of this manual.
5). Reduced price on future upgrade versions of AutoTrac.
Thank you for trying AutoTrac.
CR Software