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..HEAD01CSTOCK CHARTING SYSTEM USER'S GUIDE Page A-## HOW TO GET THE STOCK CHARTING SYSTEM RUNNING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE The first and most important thing for you to do is to MAKE A BACKUP COPY OF THE PROGRAM DISKETTE. For a detailed description of this procedure, see page A-2. I suggest you make a couple of working copies of the program diskette and then put the master copy in a safe place other than where your computer is - such as a safe deposit box. In addition, you must format a blank diskette for stock volume and price data. This procedure is described on page A-5. However, if you received a data diskette with the stock charting system, it contains sample files which may be used to observe how things work, and does not require formatting. The sample data files do not constitute recommendations to buy, sell or hold. Now you're ready to get the stock charting programs running. Make sure your DOS diskette is in drive A (the left-hand drive) and the prompt A> is present. The DOS diskette must contain the file BASICA.COM. You can enter the command DIR to look at all the names of files on drive A: to see if BASICA.COM exists. Now type in the command BASICA and press the ENTER key. After a few seconds a copyright message will appear, followed by the prompt OK. BASICA is the interpreter program which will interpret and execute all the instructions in the stock charting programs. Note: There is also a similar program called BASIC.COM; it will not work correctly with the stock charting system. Remove the DOS diskette from drive A:, and insert a working copy of the stock charting program diskette. Now enter the following command, just as it appears: RUN "SMCONFG1" Note the double quote marks surrounding SMCONFG1. The space right after RUN is optional. The ending quote mark can be left off and the command will still work. Also the command will work in lowercase (small) letters. In just a moment, the initial screen for the stock charting system will magically appear! Once the stock charting system is running, all instructions on how to operate it are available within the individual programs themselves (the system consists of several individual programs, each of which performs specific functions). The programs expect the data diskette in drive B:, so insert your newly formatted data diskette (or the sample data diskette) in drive B: now. Refer to the information on the screen. Remember the ENTER key is the one with the hooked left-arrow, the same one that activates commands in DOS. ..PAGE HOW TO MAKE A BACKUP COPY OF A DISKETTE We will copy from the "source" in drive A: (the left-hand drive) to the "target" in drive B: (the right-hand drive). Make sure the DOS prompt A> is present. Insert the target diskette in drive B:. It can be either a new or used diskette. Warning: whatever may be written on that diskette is about to be erased! Make sure your DOS diskette is in drive A:. If you are copying from a SINGLE-SIDED diskette to a DOUBLE-SIDED diskette, or vice versa, a special procedure must be used which is described on page A-3. See also page A-4 for more information about single- and double- sided diskettes. Otherwise, from the DOS prompt A>, enter the following command: DISKCOPY A: B: Leave at least one space after DISKCOPY and between A: and B: It doesn't make any difference whether capital letters or small letters are used. Press the ENTER key (the key with the funny hooked left-arrow) after typing in the command. This tells the computer to execute it. You will then see some messages similar to the following: Insert source diskette in drive A: Insert target diskette in drive B: strike any key when ready Remove the DOS diskette from drive A: and insert the source diskette which you want to make a copy of. MAKE SURE THE CORRECT DISKETTES ARE INSERTED IN BOTH DRIVES; then press a key. The disk copy process will take about half a minute. Then the DISKCOPY program asks: Copy another (Y/N)?_ You are to reply "yes" or "no" by typing Y or N respectively. Press N (unless you want to make another copy). When you have finished copying, remove the source diskette from drive A:. You can verify that the diskette was copied correctly by repeating the above procedure with DISKCOMP in place of DISKCOPY. ..PAGE When copying from a DOUBLE-SIDED diskette to a SINGLE-SIDED diskette, first make sure there is enough room on the latter. Do this by using the CHKDSK (check disk) command (see page 3-19 of the IBM DOS 1.1 manual) on the double-sided diskette. There should be at least 160,256 bytes available. When copying from a SINGLE-SIDED diskette to a DOUBLE-SIDED diskette, this is not a problem. Now, format the target diskette in drive B: using the FORMAT command described on page A-5 of this document. After formatting the target diskette, insert the source diskette in drive A:. MAKE SURE THE CORRECT DISKETTES are inserted. Then type in the following command, being careful to leave spaces exactly where shown: COPY A:*.* B: /V The /V parameter will verify that the copy process was performed correctly. Press the ENTER key and the copy process will begin immediately. This process can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes; it depends on how much data is on the source diskette. When it is finished, the A> prompt will re-appear. Remove the source diskette from drive A:. The difference between COPY and DISKCOPY is that COPY operates on one file at a time and and copies only the contents of files that are listed in the source diskette's directory; while DISKCOPY copies the entire diskette without regard to contents. For further information refer to your DOS manual. For IBM DOS version 1.1, COPY is described on pp. 3-23 through 3-31 and DISKCOPY is described on pp. 3-42 through 3-44. See also page 3-39 for a description of DISKCOMP, which can be run after DISKCOPY to verify the results. ..PAGE SINGLE-SIDED OR DOUBLE-SIDED?? A single-sided diskette is recorded on only one side and has a capacity of about 160,000 characters. A double-sided diskette is recorded on both sides and has a capacity of about 320,000 characters. They both look almost identical; in fact some single-sided diskettes can be recorded on the opposite side, but not reliably. The main difference is usually that a double-sided diskette is certified and tested on both sides. So how do you know if a diskette is double- or single-sided? First, you might know because you specify one or the other when you buy diskettes. Second, you might be able to tell by the part number, if there is one. Check with the dealer where you bought it, or call up the manufacturer. Third, if the diskette has any data on it, insert it in drive B: and from the DOS prompt A> type in the command CHKDSK B: and press the ENTER key. The computer will tell you the capacity of the diskette. If that doesn't work, try to format it as a double-sided diskette. If THAT still doesn't work, or there are errors, format it as a single-sided diskette. The computer determines whether a diskette is single-sided or double-sided by the way it is originally formatted. ..PAGE HOW TO FORMAT A DISKETTE The formatting process initializes the diskette to a recording format acceptable to DOS, erases any data on it and sets up a new directory. Make sure the DOS diskette is in drive A:, and insert a new diskette (or a used one to be erased and re-formatted) in drive B:. The data (if any) on the diskette in drive B: is about to be erased, so be sure you insert the correct one! Enter the following command for a DOUBLE-SIDED diskette: FORMAT B: If the diskette in drive B: is SINGLE-SIDED, enter this command: FORMAT B: /1 Leave blank spaces where shown. Press the ENTER key. The following message will appear: Insert new diskette for drive B: and strike any key when ready Press any key. The formatting process takes about half a minute, after which more messages similar to these will appear: Formatting...Format complete 320560 bytes total disk space 320560 bytes available on disk Format another (Y/N)?_ Press N (unless you want to format another diskette). For more information, refer to the description of the FORMAT command in your DOS manual. It starts on page 3-50 of the manual for DOS 1.1. ..HEAD01CSTOCK CHARTING SYSTEM USER'S GUIDE Page B-## ..PGNO0 ..PAGE HOW TO SIMPLIFY START-UP PROCEDURES So far, getting the stock charting system running from a "cold start" (with the computer off) has involved inserting the IBM DOS diskette, turning the machine on and getting DOS running, loading the BASIC interpreter, changing diskettes, and finally running the stock charting system. What you should do is prepare a diskette in such a way that all that is needed to start the stock charting system is to insert that diskette and turn on (or re-start) the computer. The goal here is to have DOS, BASIC, all the stock charting programs and text files, and any needed system utilities all on the same physical diskette. There are two ways to do this; one is to copy DOS and BASIC onto the stock charting program diskette; the other is to prepare a DOS diskette with just BASIC and any needed utilities and then copy the stock charting modules onto that. In this document, the latter approach will be followed. Proceed as follows: Make sure your DOS diskette is in drive A: and the DOS prompt A> is present. Then, insert a new diskette in drive B:. This diskette is to be formatted as described on page A-5, except we will modify the command slightly as follows: FORMAT B: /S That is for a DOUBLE-SIDED diskette. For a SINGLE-SIDED diskette, enter this command instead: FORMAT B: /S /1 The /S parameter causes the disk operating system files to be copied onto the new diskette after it is formatted. ..PAGE You should now copy a few needed utility programs over to the new diskette. In addition, you need the BASIC interpreter program. The following commands are suggested: COPY CHKDSK.COM B: /V COPY DISKCOMP.COM B: /V COPY DISKCOPY.COM B: /V COPY BASICA.COM B: /V Note that the BASIC interpreter is called BASICA.COM, not BASIC.COM. The BASIC.COM program will not work. The COPY command is a part of DOS itself so it was already transferred when the new diskette was FORMATted with the /S (system) option. The /V option causes the data to be verified after it is copied. For further information refer to pages 3-23 through 3-31 of the IBM DOS 1.1 manual. Now remove the DOS system diskette from drive A: and insert an original copy of the stock charting program diskette. From the A> prompt enter the following command, with spaces as shown: COPY A:*.* B: /V This copies all the stock charting modules over to the new diskette. Now test your handiwork by removing the IBM DOS diskette from drive A: and inserting the newly created stock charting program diskette. Re-set the computer by pressing the Ctrl, Alt and Del keys simultaneously. This is equivalent to turning the machine off and then on again, but without the associated electrical stress. You should be asked for the date and time, after which the stock charting program should automatically start! MAKE A BACKUP COPY! You can now do this directly from the stock charting program diskette, as the DISKCOPY program should be present. ..PAGE ABOUT THE DATA DISKETTE The data diskette for the stock charting system contains its own index file plus one file for each stock for which volume and prices are maintained. The maximum number of stocks for which data can be kept on one diskette is limited to 110 for a double- sided diskette; that number could be less if data is kept for all stocks for the maximum time (90 days or weeks). On a single-sided diskette, the number of stocks is limited to 62. Each time the data for a stock is updated or changed, the associated files are over-written on the data diskette. Therefore it is very important to KEEP BACKUP COPIES! The backup procedure is described on page A-2. Use the Q=Quit function on any of the programs to get out of the stock charting system and back into DOS. After backing up, re-insert the stock charting program diskette (with DOS in it) into drive A:. Then, to return to the stock charting system, use the following command: BASICA SMCONFG1 The author suggests the following diskette backup scheme: Use three diskettes and label the three envelopes C (for current, or child), F (for Father), and G (for Grandfather). The envelope labelled C is of course the current, or working diskette. When a copy of the current diskette is made, copy onto the Grandfather diskette, which then becomes the new Current diskette. The old Current diskette becomes the new Father; the old Father becomes the new Grandfather. The diskettes are simply switched in their envelopes. The advantage of this scheme is that each diskette is always used in rotation so one diskette does not tend to wear out faster than the others. Also, there are always three generations of data. ..PAGE HOW TO COPY THE STOCK CHARTING SYSTEM FOR A FRIEND If you wish to share the stock charting system with a friend, you are encouraged to do so, but please use one of the following procedures. The reason is to avoid an infringement of the copyrights on the disk operating system and BASIC interpreter. Also, they might not work on someone else's machine, even though the stock charting programs would. And, it is important that the recipient has all of the modules in the system. The first procedure is to simply make a backup copy of THE ORIGINAL stock charting program diskette (the one WITHOUT the IBM disk operating system, etc.). Use the procedure on page A-2. The second procedure is to use a special copy module supplied with the stock charting system. This can be invoked from your working copy, the one with DOS on it. First, get into DOS by invoking the Q=Quit function in one of the stock charting programs. Remove the data diskette from drive B: and insert a new diskette. Anything written on this diskette is about to be erased, so make sure the CORRECT diskettes are inserted. Then, from the A> prompt, enter the command SPECCOPY (special copy). First, the new diskette is formatted; then the stock charting system files are copied over one at a time and verified. This procedure will take two or three minutes. After making a copy of the stock charting system for another person, please have this user guide copied too, so he or she will know how to install it. ..HEAD01CSTOCK CHARTING SYSTEM USER'S GUIDE Page C-## ..PGNO0 ..PAGE DESCRIPTION OF STOCK CHARTING SYSTEM MODULES RELv_r is the version/release number of the master diskette. The file itself has no purpose. AUTOEXEC.BAT is a batch file to be executed when the computer is first turned on or reset with the Ctrl Alt Del se- quence. This file may be altered to suit the user's requirements. AUTOSTRT.BAT is an original copy of AUTOEXEC.BAT which should not be changed. SPECCOPY.BAT is a special copy procedure for copying all modules in the stock tracking system, but without copying any other files such as the disk operating system, utilities, BASIC, etc. SMCONFG1.BAS is the program which displays the initial screen. It then looks for the index file INDEXFIL.SMX on the data diskette. If that file is present and not empty, the data entry program is invoked; otherwise the add/delete/change program is invoked. SMCONFG1.HS1 contains the Help screens for SMCONFG1.BAS. SMADDEL1.BAS is the add/delete/change program. It creates and/or modifies the index file, and initializes stock data files. A separate stock data file is created for each stock (or other security) for which data is to be maintained. The name of a stock data file is the stock symbol preceeded by D or W (daily or weekly) and appended by the extension .SMP. SMADDEL1.HS1 contains the Help screens for SMADDEL1.BAS. SMENTRY1.BAS is the data entry program. Volume and prices are entered here, and moving averages computed and stored on diskette. SMENTRY1.HS1 contains the Help screens for SMENTRY1.BAS when in stock select mode. SMENTRY1.HS2 contains the Help screens for SMENTRY1.BAS when in data entry mode. ..PAGE SMGRAPH1.BAS is the graphics display and print program. Also, moving averages can be computed here on a temporary "what-if" basis. SMGRAPH1.HS1 contains the Help screens for SMGRAPH1.BAS when in stock select mode. SMGRAPH1.HS2 contains the Help screens for SMGRAPH1.BAS when in data display mode. SMGRAPH1.HS3 contains the Help screens for SMGRAPH1.BAS when in graphic display/print mode. All files with the extension .BAS are BASIC program files stored in an internal format useable by the BASICA.COM interpreter program. All files with the entension .HS1, .HS2, etc., are standard text files. Files with the extension .BAT are batch processing files (refer to IBM DOS 1.1 manual, pages 3-14 through 3-16. If required, all files with extensions .HS1, .HS2, or .HS3 can be deleted if the diskette space is really needed. The consequence is that when the Help function is invoked there will be no Help; instead the message "Help screen not on program disk" will flash on the bottom line of the screen. But the program is still working; just press any valid key to get rid of the message.