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P C - F l o w
Personal Cash Flow
Forecasting & Budgeting
Version 2
User's Guide
DanlWare Systems Corp.
603-1320 Richmond Road,Ottawa
Ontario K2B 8L3 Canada
Voice & Fax: 613/726-9474
CompuServe: [70451,2312]
InterNet: dan.comeau@synapse.org
Copyright (c) 1987-1993 DanlWare Systems Corp.
All Rights Reserved
GENERAL INFORMATION
For information not included in this manual, such as last minute
changes, read the README.TXT file. View this file by typing the DOS
command TYPE README.TXT and pressing <Enter> to execute it.
The CHANGES.TXT file contains information about PC-Flow version changes.
Please note the following trademarks in this manual:
■ CA-Clipper and Clipper are trademarks of Computer Associates
International, Inc.
■ CompuServe is a registered trademark of CompuServe, Inc.
■ HP and LaserJet are registered trademarks of Hewlett-Packard Company.
■ IBM PC is a registered trademark of International Business Machines,
Inc.
■ MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
■ WordPerfect is a registered trademark of WordPerfect Corporation.
WARRANTY
THIS PROGRAM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHAN-
TABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
IN NO EVENT WILL DANLWARE SYSTEMS CORP. BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DAMAGES
(INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS OR OTHER INCIDENTAL OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE
PROGRAM) OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
PC-Flow User's Guide ii
Contents
════════════════════════════════
GENERAL INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
WARRANTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Installing PC-Flow on a Hard Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Installing PC-Flow on a Diskette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
Updating Your Data When You Upgrade Versions . . . . . . . . . vi
Shareware: Supporting and Distributing PC-Flow . . . . . . . . . vi
Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
PC-Flow Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Setting the Starting Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Adding Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Adding Transaction Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Running the Analysis Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
After the First Time -- Updating Your Forecast . . . . . . . . . 11
Using Transaction Classifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Daily Cash Flow Forecast Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Net Cash Flow Forecast Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Classification Breakdown Forecast Report . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Accounts & Balances Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Transaction Definitions Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Expired Transactions Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Tips and Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Using the Pop-up Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Deciding a Date Range for the Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Recurring Estimates -- Example: Regular Credit Card Use . . . . 21
Planning for a Big Expense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Reducing the Data File Disk Storage Requirements . . . . . . . . 22
Utilities & User Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Utility Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Redirect Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Expired Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
iii PC-Flow User's Guide
Contents
Index Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Delete All Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Preferences Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Printer Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Output Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Technical Things & Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Using a Monochrome Monitor With a Color Card . . . . . . . . . . 28
PC-Flow Execution Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
PC-Flow User's Guide iv
Introduction
════════════════════════════════
Overview
PC-Flow, the Personal Cash Flow Forecasting & Budgeting System, lets you
forecast and analyze your budget's cash flow. You define a proposed
budget based on a series of transaction definitions that define your
upcoming income and expense transactions. The analysis reports show
projected cash flow in as much detail as you want; that is, by day,
week, month, or year. In addition, breakdowns by budget classifications
can be produced. You are in control: your cash flow forecast and
analysis can be as simple or as complex as you want.
PC-Flow is not only easy to use, you can quickly set up your cash flow
forecast. That's because you don't have to use PC-Flow's advanced
features until you want to. And, if you need help, all PC-Flow
facilities and entry fields have detailed help available.
System Requirements
PC-Flow requires an IBM PC or compatible running MS-DOS 3.1 or higher
with:
■ a minimum of 512 RAM
■ a hard disk (recommended) or a high density 3 " (1.44MB) or 5 "
(1.2MB) floppy disk drive
Installation
Your computer's CONFIG.SYS file is used to set various operating param-
eters and drivers. Two of these parameters are FILES and BUFFERS. Set
the FILES to at least 45 and BUFFERS to at least 8 for optimum use. That
is, your CONFIG.SYS should have a couple of lines that look like this:
FILES=45
BUFFERS=8
Other software packages may require the FILES option to be set to a
higher value. Refer to your DOS manual for more information about the
use of the CONFIG.SYS file and how to edit it.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
v PC-Flow User's Guide
Introduction
Installing PC-Flow on a Hard Disk
Make a directory on your hard drive to store the PC-Flow files.
Then, copy all PC-Flow files to this directory. For example, to
make a directory called PCFLOW and to copy all files from drive A:
(use B for drive B:), use these two DOS commands:
MD C:\PCFLOW
COPY A:*.* C:\PCFLOW
Installing PC-Flow on a Diskette
All PC-Flow files will fit on a 3.5" (720KB or 1.44MB) diskette or
on a high density (1.2MB) 5.25" diskette. To install PC-Flow on one
of these diskettes, copy all PC-Flow files to a formatted diskette.
Updating Your Data When You Upgrade Versions
When upgrading to a newer version of PC-Flow, copy the PCFLOW.EXE
and PCF.BAT files to your existing PC-Flow directory. PC-Flow will
automatically handle the upgrade for the new version the next time
you execute it. Have a copy of the new version available on a
diskette since the upgrading process will request it.
Before you start, backup your files in case there is a problem with
the data conversion.
Shareware: Supporting and Distributing PC-Flow
PC-Flow may be copied and distributed to others. However, PC-Flow is not
a free program; it is shareware. As shareware, you are expected to
support this product if you find it useful after an initial trial period
not exceeding 30 days.
When you register PC-Flow, you will receive the latest version and a
printed manual. Use the order form in the ORDERFRM.TXT file to register.
The registration fee is $40US. As a registered user, you will be
notified of all major program updates.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
PC-Flow User's Guide vi
Quick Start
════════════════════════════════
The basic steps to forecasting and analyzing your cash flow with PC-Flow
are:
1. Run PC-Flow from the DOS prompt using the PCF command.
2. Set the Starting Date (usually today's date) for your analysis
using the Modify Starting Date facility. Type in the date or use
the <F2> (Choice) key to pop-up a calendar to help you choose a
date.
3. Enter how much money you have available at the start of the
forecast. Use the Modify Accounts & Balances facility to do this.
To keep things simple, for now, you can enter account entries
with just a description and a starting balance.
╔════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Description : Checking Account ║
║ Starting Balance : 1000.00 ║
║ Minimum Balance : 0.00 ║
║ In Group 1? : No ║
║ In Group 2? : No ║
║ In Group 3? : No ║
║ In Group 4? : No ║
║ In Group 5? : No ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════╝
Later, for more advanced use, you can enter values for the
minimum balance and account group fields
After you have completed your entry, it will be displayed in a
list, which will show all your entries. To modify an entry in the
list, use the arrow keys to select (highlight) the entry and
press <Enter>. Other available commands are: <Ins> to add another
entry and <Del> to delete an entry. All PC-Flow lists use these
commands.
4. Define your budget transactions using the Modify Transaction
Definitions facility. Some transaction definitions will repeat;
others will occur once.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
1 PC-Flow User's Guide
Quick Start
For example, to enter a repeating expense transaction such as
paying your rent:
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Description : Rent For Apartment ║
║ When : ( ) Once (■) Every 1 ║
║ Repeat Period : ( ) Day(s) ( ) Week(s) (■) Month(s) ║
║ Starting Date : 1994.01.01 ║
║ Ending Date : . . ║
║ Amount : 678.00 ║
║ Classification : Expense -- General ║
║ Change Source? : No (Checking Account) ║
║ Change Target? : No () ║
║ Percent Change : 0.0000 Every 1 Period(s) ║
║ Estimate ? : No ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
For now, keep things simple by setting the Classification field
as either an expense (which is a cash Outflow) or an income
(which is a cash Inflow). Use the <F2> key to pop-up a list of
choices; or, type in the first three letters of a Classification.
(You can change the list of budget classifications using the
Modify Classifications facility.) Remember, you can press the
<F1> (Help) key to get detailed help about any field.
The choice of Classification type (example: Outflow) controls
whether the transaction has a source and a target account. Note
that the source and target accounts are accounts that you entered
in the Modify Accounts & Balances facility.
After you have completed your entry, it will be displayed in a
list, which will show all your entries.
5. Run the Daily Cash Flow Forecast Report with your choice of an
ending date. This report shows your forecasted cash flow using,
as the starting point: the Accounts & Balances entries and the
Starting Date. When you run this report, your transaction
definitions are transformed into forecast transactions. Each
forecast transaction is shown -- ordered by date -- in the Daily
Cash Flow Forecast Report.
You can output any report to the screen, printer, or to a file.
The format for each output destination will vary slightly.
6. Run other reports for further analysis.
7. Repeat these steps as needed.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
PC-Flow User's Guide 2
PC-Flow Basics
════════════════════════════════
Using PC-Flow to forecast your cash flow consists of:
■ setting the starting date,
■ adding accounts and balances,
■ adding transaction definitions, and
■ running the Daily Cash Flow Forecast report.
You then refine the details of the transaction definitions to adjust
your budget's cash flow forecast. Also, other reports are available for
analyzing your budget. These reports let you analyze and view your
projected budget's cash flow in different ways.
Setting the Starting Date
A starting date is required to forecast your cash flow. Use the Starting
Date menu item on the Modify pulldown menu to set the Starting Date.
Type in a date or press the <F2> (choice) key to use a pop-up calendar
to help you choose a date.
╔═══════════════════════════╗
║ August 1994 ║
╟───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───╢
║Sun│Mon│Tue│Wed│Thu│Fri│Sat║
╟───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───╢
║ │ 1│ 2│ 3│ 4│ 5│ 6║
╟───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───╢
║ 7│ 8│ 9│ 10│ 11│ 12│ 13║
╟───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───╢
║ 14│ 15│ 16│ 17│ 18│ 19│ 20║
╟───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───╢
║ 21│ 22│ 23│ 24│ 25│ 26│ 27║
╟───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───╢
║ 28│ 29│ 30│ 31│ │ │ ║
╟───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───╢
║ │ │ │ │ │ │ ║
╚═══╧═══╧═══╧═══╧═══╧═══╧═══╝
The default date format is MM/DD/YY. Example: 31 December 1994 is
entered as 31/12/94. Refer to System Preferences facility (on the
Preferences menu) for the current date format.
The Starting Date may correspond to the date of your last bank book
update. Or, you can use the current date as the beginning of the
analysis. All transaction definitions that are set to execute on or
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
3 PC-Flow User's Guide
PC-Flow Basics
after this date are used in the cash flow forecast. Later, you can
easily change the Starting Date to redo your forecast.
Adding Accounts
PC-Flow needs to know how much money you have available at the start of
the forecast. To do this, use the Modify Accounts & Balances facility.
All your PC-Flow account entries are displayed in a list. When you first
use PC-Flow, there will be no items in the list of accounts. In that
unique situation, PC-Flow will automatically bring up the entry screen
to let you add a new entry.
Available commands in any PC-Flow list of entries are:
<UpArrow> move one entry up the list
<DnArrow> move one entry down the list
<PgUp> move one screen-full up the list
<PgDn> move one screen-full down the list
<Enter> to modify an entry
<Ins> to add another entry;
<Del> to delete an entry;
<F2> to search for an entry;
<F9> to copy an entry; and,
<Esc> to exit the list and return to the previous menu.
For example, to modify an entry, use the arrow keys to select
(highlight) the entry and then press <Enter>.
╔════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Description : Checking Account ║
║ Starting Balance : 1000.00 ║
║ Minimum Balance : 0.00 ║
║ In Group 1? : No ║
║ In Group 2? : No ║
║ In Group 3? : No ║
║ In Group 4? : No ║
║ In Group 5? : No ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════╝
To keep things simple, there is no need to enter values for the Minimum
Balance and the five account group fields. You can use these fields
later to set up various cash flow scenarios.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
PC-Flow User's Guide 4
PC-Flow Basics
The data entry fields in the Modify Accounts & Balances facility are:
DESCRIPTION
A unique name describing an account. Some examples are: "Checking
Account #2", "Cash on Hand", and "Savings."
STARTING BALANCE
The monetary amount for this account corresponding to the Starting
Date of the analysis. Set the Starting Date in the Modify Starting
Date facility.
MINIMUM BALANCE
Enter the minimum amount that this account should have. Leave the
value of this field at zero or enter a value that you would not
normally like this account's balance to go below.
The minimum balance is used in the forecast analysis to point out
periods of low cash flow. For instance, on the Daily Cash Flow
Forecast Report, any balance below this amount is output with an
asterisk ("*") character to the right.
IN GROUP 1 TO 5?
Indicate if this account is to be included in one of the five
account groups. Enter "Y" for yes or "N" for no.
Your cash flow can be calculated for either all your accounts or
one account group. These fields are optional: you do not need to
choose groups for your accounts. The default settings will
calculate your cash flow for the combination of all your accounts.
In other words, you can leave all the group selections set to "No."
Then, when you are forecasting your cash flow, enter a blank value
for the account group option.
Adding Transaction Definitions
Your budget is defined using a series of transaction definitions. Some
transactions repeat while others occur once. There are four types of
transactions: Inflows (income), Outflows (expenses), Transfers (between
accounts), and Comments (non-monetary transactions). The Modify
Transaction Definitions facility is used to enter this information.
Like your account entries, all your transaction definitions are
displayed in a list. When you first use PC-Flow, there will be no items
in the list of transaction definitions. In that unique situation,
PC-Flow will automatically bring up the entry screen to let you add a
new entry.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
5 PC-Flow User's Guide
PC-Flow Basics
Available commands in any PC-Flow list of entries are:
<UpArrow> move one entry up the list
<DnArrow> move one entry down the list
<PgUp> move one screen-full up the list
<PgDn> move one screen-full down the list
<Enter> to modify an entry
<Ins> to add another entry;
<Del> to delete an entry;
<F2> to search for an entry;
<F9> to copy an entry; and,
<Esc> to exit the list and return to the previous menu.
For example, to modify an entry, use the arrow keys to select
(highlight) the entry and press <Enter>.
The data entry fields in the Modify Transaction Definitions facility
are:
DESCRIPTION
The description for the transaction. All descriptions must be
unique. Any alphanumeric (A to Z, 0 to 9) characters may be used to
describe the transaction.
WHEN: ONCE OR EVERY
Chose one of the two options -- Once or Every -- to describe when
the transaction occurs. For example: select the Once option for a
transaction that occurs only once like a one-time expense. Select
the Every option for a repeating transaction such as your weekly
groceries.
Use the space bar or the left and right arrow keys to move between
the options. Use the up and down arrow keys or the Enter key to go
to another field.
(WHEN) EVERY
Enter a number to set how often a repeating transaction occurs. For
example: you would set this value to 2 to define a transaction that
repeats every two weeks. This value is not used for non-repeating
transactions.
REPEAT PERIOD
Chose one of the options to describe the period that the
transaction repeats. For example, your grocery expense might repeat
weekly.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
PC-Flow User's Guide 6
PC-Flow Basics
Use the space bar or the left and right arrow keys to move between
the options. Use the up and down arrow keys or the <Enter> key to
go to another field.
STARTING DATE
This is the date that the transaction begins. It must be filled
using the proper date format. The default date format is MM/DD/YY.
Example: 31 December 1994 is entered as 31/12/94.
For non-repeating transactions, this is the date that the
transaction occurs. For repeating transactions, the starting date
is used as the "anchor" to determine all the subsequent execution
dates. A weekly transaction will always execute on the day of the
week that the starting date falls on. There is one exception to
this: monthly transactions that have execution dates near the end
of the month may be executed on the last day of the month if a
later month has fewer days in it. This ensures that all monthly
transactions are executed for the planned months.
Press the <F2> (choice) key to use a pop-up calendar to choose a
date.
ENDING DATE
This is the date that a repeating transaction ends. It may be left
blank if the repeating transaction does not end. The proper date
format must be used -- the default format is MM/DD/YY. Refer to
System Preferences facility (on the Preferences menu) for the
current date format.
The transaction ending date is only relevant for repeating transac-
tions. It is used to determine the last time that the transaction
will be executed. The ending date of any transaction may be left
blank if it is not needed.
Press <F2> (choice) to use a pop-up calendar to choose a date.
AMOUNT
Enter a number for the transaction's monetary amount in this field.
The transaction's Classification Type determines whether the
transaction monetary amount is treated as an Outflow or Inflow item
or ignored as a Comment item. Outflow items decrease your cash flow
while Inflow items increase it.
Inflow items are displayed with "In" after the monetary amount on
some reports.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
7 PC-Flow User's Guide
PC-Flow Basics
Comment type classifications are useful in documenting your
forecast. For example, you can use them to output reminder notes in
the Daily Cash Flow Forecast Report.
CLASSIFICATION
You must classify each transaction. When starting to define your
planned budget, you can simply classify transactions as either
"Expense (General)" for a cash Outflow transaction or "Income
(General)" for a cash Inflow transaction. More detailed
classification choices can be set later, but are not necessary to
forecast your cash flow.
Enter the first three letters of each classification category as
its abbreviation. Or, use the F2-choice option (press the <F2> key
with the cursor on the classification field) to display a bar menu
and choose a valid classification. Select a classification with the
appropriate type; that is, choose either an Outflow, Inflow, or
Comment-type classification.
The transaction definition's classification type determines whether
the transaction dollar amount is treated as an Outflow or Inflow
item. Alternatively, a Comment-type classification means that the
(optional) dollar amount of the defined transaction is not used in
the forecast.
Comment-type transactions are useful in documenting your forecast.
For example, you can use them to output reminder notes in the Daily
Cash Flow Forecast Report.
Use the Modify Classifications facility to add, change, and
classifications.
CHANGE SOURCE?
Enter "Y" (for Yes) or press the <F2> key to change the source
account for a transaction definition. A list of previously defined
accounts will then pop-up for you to choose one.
Source accounts are used for transactions with an Outflow or
Transfer classification type. Transfer type transactions allow
transferring funds from a source to a target account.
Transactions classified as Inflows require only a target account.
Transfer type transactions require a source and a target account.
CHANGE TARGET?
Enter "Y" (for Yes) or press the <F2> key to change the target
account for a transaction definition. A list of previously defined
accounts will then pop-up for you to choose one.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
PC-Flow User's Guide 8
PC-Flow Basics
Target accounts are used for transactions with an Inflow or
Transfer classification type. Transactions classified as Outflows
require only a source account.
PERCENTAGE CHANGE
Enter the percent that the transaction amount will increase or
decrease. Use a positive number to represent an increase, and a
negative number for a decrease. This field is ignored for
non-repeating transactions.
For example, to have the transaction amount increase by 5%, enter
5.
To help identify transactions that have a Percent change, a "%"
symbol is displayed after the transaction amount in the reports and
on the transaction selection menu.
Percentage Change Period
Enter how often the Percent Change is calculated. For example,
enter 12 to have the Percent Change calculated every 12 months for
a transaction that repeats once a month. This field is ignored for
non-repeating transactions.
ESTIMATE?
This field records whether the transaction dollar amount is an
exact or estimated amount. Estimated amounts are output on the
reports with a "?" to the right of the amount to distinguish them
from known amounts.
Fixed transactions such as mortgage payment or salary are unlikely
to change appreciably. Once these are set up in PC-Flow, they won't
need to be modified often. Other expenditures such as groceries and
spending money will vary. To plan for these items to be included in
the cash flow analysis, it is best to estimate an amount. When the
actual amount becomes known, this item can be modified to reflect
the true amount.
You can print the transaction definitions to confirm them. Use the
Report Transaction Definitions facility to do this. Any report can be
output to the screen, a file, or your printer.
Running the Analysis Reports
To see a detailed cash flow forecast, run the Daily Cash Flow Forecast
Report. Its format is similar to a checking account statement. The
following report output is an example of PC-Flow's screen output.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
9 PC-Flow User's Guide
PC-Flow Basics
Daily Cash Flow Forecast Report
From 01-Jan-94 To 12-Jan-94 For All Accounts
Transaction InFlows/OutFlows Date Balance Analysis
-------------------- ---------------- ---------- ------------- --------
Starting Balance 1,000.00
Rent for Apartment 678.00 1-Jan-94 322.00
Food 100.00 5-Jan-94 222.00 LOW
Food 100.00
Pay Check 1,000.00 In 12-Jan-94 1,122.00 HIGH
As you can see, the Daily Cash Flow Forecast Report shows the variations
of your cash flow forecast. You can then change your budget's
transaction definitions to adapt to extremes in your cash flow. One
method for doing that is to move some flexible transactions forward or
backward in time so that the cash flow situation is changed.
To document your budget forecast analysis after it has been completed,
you can print the following reports:
■ Accounts & Balances
■ Transaction Definitions (sorted by frequency)
■ Daily Cash Flow Forecast
You can use these reports to decide when to re-analyze your budget. For
further analysis, you can also retain a hardcopy of these:
■ Net Cash Flow Forecast
■ Classification Breakdown Forecast
Getting Help
PC-Flow has several ways to help you find out more about itself. First,
on the bottom of the screen, is a line of text about each facility.
Above this line is a list of available commands. These two lines change
as you change facilities.
For detailed information about the current facility or entry field,
press the <F1> (Help) key. In addition, you can also press the <F1> key
twice to get general help about PC-Flow.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
PC-Flow User's Guide 10
PC-Flow Basics
After the First Time -- Updating Your Forecast
At some future date you will want to redo your cash flow forecast with
more up-to-date information. The steps needed to update your data, to
redo your analysis are similar to the Quick Start steps:
■ select a new starting date in the Modify Starting Date facility;
■ modify the Accounts & Balances entries so that they reflect how
much money you have on the new starting date; and,
■ modify the Transaction Definition entries that need to be changed.
Use the Expired Definitions Report to identify transaction definitions
that are out of date; that is, their ending date is before the new
starting date.
Note that modifying the forecast's starting date and the corresponding
account balances automatically takes care of the past. Deviations from
the planned transactions are of no consequence to PC-Flow since the
result is reflected in the updated account balances.
Using Transaction Classifications
A transaction is either an Outflow (expense), Inflow (income), a
Transfer between accounts, or a Comment (used to add reminder notes in
the Daily Cash Flow Forecast Report or to exclude a group of
transactions from a forecast). Classifications are a way of grouping
transaction types. This lets you see the combined expenditures of
related transactions using the Classification Breakdown Forecast Report.
Use the Modify Classification facility to change the classification
list. There are ten predefined classification categories in PC-Flow.
Each classification has a transaction type assigned to it:
■ Car & Transportation Outflow
■ Comment Comment
■ Expense (General) Outflow
■ Food Outflow
■ Home Operation Outflow
■ Housing Outflow
■ Income (General) Inflow
■ Pay Check Inflow
■ Savings Outflow
■ Transfer Transfer
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
11 PC-Flow User's Guide
PC-Flow Basics
The data entry fields in the Modify Transaction Definitions facility
are:
TYPE
This data field stores a one letter abbreviation (the first letter)
of the transaction type -- Inflow, Outflow, Transfer, or Comment.
You may type in the entry or press the <F2> key to get a pop-up
menu of the available choices. Also, typing an incorrect entry will
invoke the choices menu.
A transaction's classification type determines whether its monetary
amount is treated as an Outflow (decrease in cash flow) or Inflow
(increase in cash flow) item. Transfer-type classifications are
used to classify transactions that transfer funds between accounts.
Alternatively, a Comment-type classification is used to document
your forecast. For example, you can use them to output reminder
notes in the Daily Cash Flow Forecast Report.
Modifications to classifications will be automatically reflected in
the transaction definitions. For example, changing a classification
from an Outflow to an Inflow will also change any transaction
definition that uses the classification. This can also be used to
exclude a particular classification group from a cash flow forecast
by changing its type to Comment.
DESCRIPTION
This field is for the name of the classification. The first three
letters of the name must be unique for all classifications. It is
the first three letters that will be used as the abbreviation for
this classification when editing transaction definitions.
Modifications to classifications will be automatically reflected in
any transaction definition that uses it.
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PC-Flow User's Guide 12
Reports
════════════════════════════════
All PC-Flow reports may be output to a printer, the screen, or to a
file. The report format for each output destination will vary. Use the
Redirect Output option on the Utility menu to change the destination of
the report output.
Daily Cash Flow Forecast Report
The Daily Cash Flow Forecast Report shows your day-to-day cash flow
forecast. That is, this report displays your cash flow balance on each
transaction date for your transaction definition and account balance
entries. With this information, you can forecast your cash situation on
any given future date.
PC-Flow displays a warning whenever your cash flow is low -- that is,
below your minimum balance -- by highlighting low daily balances with
an asterisk. If you haven't set the minimum balance, PC-Flow will use
zero as your minimum balance. This makes it easy to scan the Daily Cash
Flow Forecast Report and spot periods of low cash flow.
Only ending day balances are shown on the report. This has been done to
present only meaningful data -- all intermediate daily balances are not
shown.
Estimated transaction amounts appear on this report with a question mark
to the right of the amount.
The following report output is an example of PC-Flow's screen output.
For a less condensed version of this report, set the output to your
printer or to the wide screen format. The resulting output has separate
Inflow and Outflow columns.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
13 PC-Flow User's Guide
Reports
Daily Cash Flow Forecast Report
From 01-Jan-94 To 12-Jan-94 For All Accounts
Transaction InFlows/OutFlows Date Balance Analysis
-------------------- ---------------- ---------- ------------- --------
Starting Balance 1,000.00
Rent for Apartment 678.00 1-Jan-94 322.00*
Food 100.00? 5-Jan-94 222.00* LOW
Food 100.00?
Pay Check 1,000.00 In 12-Jan-94 1,122.00 HIGH
ANALYSIS NOTES:
high -- highest balance for each forecast month
low -- lowest balance for each forecast month
HIGH -- highest balance for the forecast period (and month)
LOW -- lowest balance for the forecast period (and month)
* Amount is below the set minimum balance of $750.00
SUMMARY:
The lowest daily balance is $528.00 below the set minimum balance.
The highest daily balance is $372.00 above the set minimum balance.
The Daily Cash Flow Forecast Report has the following options:
STARTING DATE FOR REPORT
This date is set in the Starting Date facility.
ENDING DATE FOR REPORT
This is the ending date for this report. Its default value is the
last one entered. The forecast transactions are recalculated before
the report is output if either the Transaction Definitions, the
Starting Date of the forecast, or the Accounts & Balances
information has been modified to affect the calculated forecast
transactions in the report's date range.
If the prompted date is changed to an earlier date, a subset of the
calculated transactions will be output. If the prompted date is
changed to a later date, the forecast transactions will be
recalculated.
Press <F2> (choice) to use a pop-up calendar to choose a date.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
PC-Flow User's Guide 14
Reports
ACCOUNT GROUP
Enter an account group number to run this report for only accounts
within that account group. Leave this field blank to run the report
for all accounts.
Account groupings are set in the Modify Accounts & Balances
facility.
OUTPUT NET BALANCE?
Answer "Y" (yes) to output net daily balances; answer "N" (no) to
output the total daily balance. The net balance is derived by
subtracting the minimum balance from the total daily balance. This
enables you to see your cash flow with only available cash
resources shown. The minimum balance is defined within the Accounts
& Balances facility.
Net Cash Flow Forecast Report
In the Net Cash Flow Forecast Report, the forecast budget transactions
are summarized to show the beginning balance, cash Inflow total, cash
Outflow total, and the ending balance across a period of days, weeks,
months, or years.
Net Cash Flow Forecast Report
From 1-Jan-94 To 31-Mar-94 For All Accounts
Month : Jan, 1994 Feb, 1994 Mar, 1994
Starting Balance : 1,000.00 1,109.90 979.94
InFlow Total : 2,500.00 2,000.00 2,500.00
OutFlow Total : 2,390.10 2,129.96 2,301.61
Net Change : 109.90 -129.96 198.39
Ending Balance : 1,109.90 979.94 1,178.33
The set minimum balance (for all accounts) is $750.00
Whenever the output is by week, the date shown on the report will be the
Sunday beginning the week. The only exception to that is with the first
period, which will be set to the Starting Date.
The Net Cash Flow Forecast Report has the following options:
STARTING DATE FOR REPORT
This date is set in the Starting Date facility.
ENDING DATE FOR REPORT
This is the ending date for this report. Its default value is the
last one entered. The forecast transactions are recalculated before
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
15 PC-Flow User's Guide
Reports
the report is output if either the Transaction Definitions, the
Starting Date of the forecast, or the Accounts & Balances
information has been modified to affect the calculated forecast
transactions in the report's date range.
If the prompted date is changed to an earlier date, a subset of the
calculated transactions will be output. If the prompted date is
changed to a later date, the forecast transactions will be
recalculated.
Press <F2> (choice) to use a pop-up calendar to choose a date.
ACCOUNT GROUP
Enter an account group number to run this report for only accounts
within that account group. Leave this field blank to run the report
for all accounts.
Account groupings are set in the Modify Accounts & Balances
facility.
(ACROSS THE) TIME PERIOD
The Net Cash Flow may be reported across one of several time
periods. The choice of time period may be daily, weekly, monthly,
or yearly. Enter the first letter of the time period as an
abbreviation.
Use the <F2> (choice) key to display a bar menu and choose a valid
time period.
OUTPUT TIME PERIODS WITH NO TRANSACTIONS?
By default, a column for all time periods is output in this report.
This option can exclude time periods with no transactions from
being output. This is used to reduce the amount of clutter in the
report.
Classification Breakdown Forecast Report
Use this report to forecast amounts and percentages for each transaction
classification in a time period of days, weeks, months, or years. This
report shows, for example, how much is planned for the "Food"
classification each month.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
PC-Flow User's Guide 16
Reports
Classification Breakdown Forecast Report
From 1-Aug-94 To 31-Aug-94 For All Accounts
Total Amount Percentage
------------ ----------
August, 1994
InFlow: ------------ ----------
Income -- General 5,000.00 100.00%
------------ ----------
Total For InFlow Items 0.00 100.00%
OutFlow: Expense -- General 5,010.00 82.27%
Food 1,000.00 16.42%
Home Operation 80.00 1.31%
------------ ----------
Total For OutFlow Items 6,090.00 100.00%
------------
Net Total -1,090.00
------------
The Classification Breakdown Forecast Report has the following options:
STARTING DATE FOR REPORT
This date is set in the Starting Date facility.
ENDING DATE FOR REPORT
This is the ending date for this report. Its default value is the
last one entered. The forecast transactions are recalculated before
the report is output if either the Transaction Definitions, the
Starting Date of the forecast, or the Accounts & Balances
information has been modified to affect the calculated forecast
transactions in the report's date range.
If the prompted date is changed to an earlier date, a subset of the
calculated transactions will be output. If the prompted date is
changed to a later date, the forecast transactions will be
recalculated.
Press <F2> (choice) to use a pop-up calendar to choose a date.
ACCOUNT GROUP
Enter an account group number to run this report for only accounts
within that account group. Leave this field blank to run the report
for all accounts.
Account groupings are set in the Modify Accounts & Balances
facility.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
17 PC-Flow User's Guide
Reports
TIME PERIOD (WITH PERIOD DIVISIONS OF)
The Classification Breakdown of your budget forecast may be
reported across one of several time periods. The choice of time
period may be daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly. Enter the first
letter of the time period as an abbreviation.
When the cursor is on this field, use the <F2> (choice) key to
display a bar menu and choose a valid time period.
OUTPUT CLASSIFICATIONS WITH ZERO TOTAL AMOUNTS?
By default, all the classifications are output. This option
excludes any classification total with a zero amount from being
output.
IS EACH PERIOD TO APPEAR ON A NEW PAGE?
This option allows each time period and the grand total to appear
on a new page. Note that this option does not apply when the output
is to the screen.
Accounts & Balances Report
This report outputs the Account & Balances entries. It shows the
current, minimum, and net balances. The net balance is calculated by
subtracting the minimum from the starting balance.
Accounts & Balances Report
The date for the Starting Balance is 21-Mar-93.
In Account Groups Starting Minimum Net
Account 1 2 3 4 5 Balance Balance Balance
-------------------- --- --- --- --- --- ----------- ----------- -----------
Checking Account Yes - Yes - - 1000.00 750.00 250.00
Cash on Hand - - - - - 241.00 0.00 241.00
Savings Account - Yes Yes - - 12300.00 0.00 12300.00
----------- ----------- -----------
TOTAL 13541.00 750.00 12791.00
----------- ----------- -----------
Transaction Definitions Report
This report outputs the transaction definitions. They may be sorted in
five ways:
■ by Description (the transaction definition's name);
■ by Frequency (how often it repeats);
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
PC-Flow User's Guide 18
Reports
■ by Expiration Date (the date that the transaction expires);
■ by Classification (grouping of Inflow, Outflow, Transfer, and
Comment types); and,
■ by Source and Target Account names.
Transaction Definitions Report
Sorted By Transaction Description
Transaction Frequency Start Date End Date Amount
-------------------- --------------- ---------- ---------- -----------
A bit of fun Every 4 Days 06-Mar-95 - 75.00?
Car -- oil change 4 Mos, Day 8 08-Oct-94 - 24.00?
Food 1 Wk, on Fri 07-Jan-94 - 100.00
Expired Transactions Report
This report is used to identify transaction definitions that can be
deleted. Use the Expired Transactions facility under the Utility menu to
delete expired transactions.
Expired Transactions Report
(Before 1-Mar-93)
End Date Start Date Transaction Frequency Amount
---------- ---------- -------------------- --------------- -----------
28-Aug-92 28-Aug-92 Mini vacation Single Time 1,440.12?
01-Oct-92 01-Aug-91 Rent For Apt 1 Mo, Day 1 720.00
There is one option for this report:
DATE
By default, this date is the Starting Date for the forecast.
Normally, this is the date to be used to find expired transaction
definitions.
Press <F2> (choice) to use a pop-up calendar to choose another date.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
19 PC-Flow User's Guide
Tips and Techniques
════════════════════════════════
Using the Pop-up Calendar
The easiest way to enter a date is to press the <F2> (choice) key to
pop-up a calendar. The calendar will only pop-up if the cursor is on a
date entry field.
╔═══════════════════════════╗
║ August 1994 ║
╟───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───╢
║Sun│Mon│Tue│Wed│Thu│Fri│Sat║
╟───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───╢
║ │ 1│ 2│ 3│ 4│ 5│ 6║
╟───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───╢
║ 7│ 8│ 9│ 10│ 11│ 12│ 13║
╟───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───╢
║ 14│ 15│ 16│ 17│ 18│ 19│ 20║
╟───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───╢
║ 21│ 22│ 23│ 24│ 25│ 26│ 27║
╟───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───╢
║ 28│ 29│ 30│ 31│ │ │ ║
╟───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───╢
║ │ │ │ │ │ │ ║
╚═══╧═══╧═══╧═══╧═══╧═══╧═══╝
Use the following keys to select a date on the pop-up calendar.
Arrow Keys Move one square in the arrow's direction.
<PgUp> Move back one month.
<PgDn> Move ahead one month.
<Ctrl-PgUp> Move back one year.
<Ctrl-PgDn> Move ahead one year.
<Home> Return to the original date.
<Enter> Select the current highlighted date.
<Esc> Exit the calendar without choosing a date.
Deciding a Date Range for the Analysis
PC-Flow's date range for a budget analysis is defined by a starting and
an ending date. The starting date for the analysis is set in the Modify
Starting Date facility. Usually, the current date is used as the
starting date. The ending date is chosen on the individual analysis
report menus. It must be the same as or later than the starting date.
Short- term and long-term cash flow analysis may be done by choosing an
appropriate ending date. Any date range for your forecast may be chosen:
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
PC-Flow User's Guide 20
Tips And Techniques
from one day to many years. Use the <F2> (choice) key to use a pop-up
calendar to enter dates.
PC-Flow's transaction definitions are transformed into forecast
transactions -- as they appear for the analysis reports. This
transformation is done automatically by PC-Flow whenever the budget data
has changed or the date range is greater than the currently transformed
date range. The transformed transactions are kept in a separate data
file (CFCALC.DBF) and are saved from one PC-Flow session to the next.
Whenever the transformed transactions are up-to-date, the date range is
shown in an outlined box in the middle of the analysis menu screens.
Recurring Estimates -- Example: Regular Credit Card Use
A repeating transaction with a varying amount, such as the monthly bill
for a credit card, is best set up with an estimated transaction amount.
A workable amount should be used that is close to the actual amount.
Whenever a notable discrepancy occurs between the estimated and actual
amount, a supplemental one time transaction can be input to take care of
the difference. When the actual amount is known, it may already be in
the past. There, the discrepancy may be ignored since the forecast
Starting Date can be updated accordingly. To track the cash flow more
accurately, you can update the estimated transaction amount to reflect
changes in spending or saving habits.
There is another method for handling deviations from the estimated
transactions. Alter the Starting Date of the estimated transaction to
begin on its next expected execution date. Then, enter (or use the <F9>
copy key to make) a single transaction with the originally scheduled
date for the total amount of the deviated transaction. This saves you
from entering a transaction amount for the difference between the two
amounts and keeps the number of transactions output on the analysis
reports to a minimum.
Planning for a Big Expense
There is more than one way to use PC-Flow to plan for a big expense. The
two methods presented here are suggestions how to do such planning. It
is up to you to use a method that you will be most comfortable with.
One method is to define a transaction to save a bit of money at regular
intervals, such as every month. This is done by adding a special savings
account in PC-Flow and using a Transfer-type transaction to transfer
funds into that account. This method's main disadvantage is the need to
calculate and plan how much and how often to save.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
21 PC-Flow User's Guide
Tips And Techniques
Another method is to enter the major expense as a one time transaction.
The Daily Cash Flow Forecast Report can then be used to make sure that
you have enough cash to handle the expenditure. With this method, you no
longer need to be concerned about saving money regularly. That is
because PC-Flow can be used to plan your budget to make sure that you
will have adequate cash flow when the expense is scheduled to occur.
When using any method that will affect cash flow, make sure that the
date range extends past the major expense until the cash flow
stabilizes. That way any resulting cash flow problems after the expense
may be observed and planned for. A period of two or three months past
the major expense may be enough for this.
Reducing the Data File Disk Storage Requirements
PC-Flow's data files will expand and use more disk space to store the
data as more transactions are input. Over time, some transactions are no
longer needed. The ending date for each transaction can be used to
determine if the transaction has expired. Purging these old transac-
tions, using the Expired Transactions facility on the Utility menu, will
free up some disk space and will also unclutter the system. PC-Flow may
run noticeably faster after doing this.
Running a long-term analysis -- that is, over a very long period -- will
temporarily generate a large data file (CFCALC.DBF) to keep track of the
forecast transactions in the analysis date range. Reducing the length of
the time period will also reduce the disk storage requirements.
If you are executing PC-Flow from a diskette, the User's Guide file
(PCFLOW.DOC) and all text files (with the TXT file extension) may be
moved to another diskette to free up some room on your work diskette.
The free space available on your disk can be checked using the DOS com-
mand DIR or CHKDSK.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
PC-Flow User's Guide 22
Utilities & User Preferences
════════════════════════════════
Utility Menu
Redirect Output
This facility gives you the ability to redirect all subsequent report
output to the printer, screen, or a file. The output destination will
be retained from one PC-Flow session to the next.
There are two formats for screen output. Reports that are output with
the Screen format will be specially formatted so that they fit within
the 80 characters of the display. The Wide Screen format is the same
format as the normal printer format. You can use the left and right
arrow keys to pan across the report output to view it.
There are also two format types for output to a file. The first type
includes all the printer control codes in the file just as if the
output destination was to the printer. The second file format type
does not have any of the printer control codes included and is an
ideal format for a word processor.
All file output will be appended to the specified file until you
either exit PC-Flow or select another filename for the output
destination. If no filename extension is supplied, the default "PRN"
is used. If the file you select already exists, you will overwrite it
and lose its previous contents.
Expired Transactions
As a housekeeping procedure, transaction definitions that have
expired as of the analysis' starting date may be deleted. Only
transaction definitions with an ending date are affected. To view
these transactions before you delete them, use the Expired
Transactions Report.
If you just want to delete certain transactions without reference to
dates, the delete command (using the <Del> key) in the Modify
Transaction Definitions facility can be used.
Index Data
In unusual circumstances, the data files may have their index files
corrupted. Index files keep the sort order of the data. You may run
this utility if you feel that PC-Flow is not correctly using all the
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
23 PC-Flow User's Guide
Utilities & User Preferences
data. There is no harm in running this utility. In fact, PC-Flow may
run faster after reindexing.
The index files may need to be updated if or when:
■ the computer is shut off when PC-Flow is processing data,
■ a backup version of a data file is copied over the existing
one without the corresponding index file, or
■ another program is used to edit the data files without
updating the corresponding index files.
Delete All Data
This facility is used to delete all personal financial data; that
is, all your Accounts & Balances entries and all your Transaction
Definition entries. This will enable you to restart defining your
planned budget again. The Classification definitions are not
deleted.
A word of warning: this is not the normal way to redo your
analysis. Instead, you should follow the steps outlined in the
section After The First Time -- Updating Your Forecast on page 11.
Preferences Menu
Printer Selection
Select a printer for the report output. Use the Output Options
facility to change the printer's settings.
If you don't see your printer in the list, try using either Generic
Dot Matrix Printer (if you have a dot matrix printer) or HP
LaserJet II (if you have a laser printer).
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
PC-Flow User's Guide 24
Utilities & User Preferences
Output Options
This facility allows you to change the selected printer's settings
such as margins and lines per page. The options available in this
facility are:
LINES PER INCH
Select the number of printed lines per inch. 6 lines per inch
is the normal setting. 8 lines per inch looks good with small
print.
Use the space bar or the left and right arrow keys to move
between the options. Use the up and down arrow keys or the
<Enter> key to go to another field.
CHARACTERS PER INCH
Select the number of characters per inch to print. This is
known as the pitch.
Use the space bar or the left and right arrow keys to move
between the options. Use the up and down arrow keys or the
<Enter> key to go to another field.
TOP MARGIN
Set the number of lines for the margin at the top of each
printed page. This is used when the report output is to the
printer.
The printable page length must be at least 10 lines greater
than the top plus the bottom margin. For example, if the
printable page length is 66 lines (11" with 6 lines per inch),
then the top margin plus the bottom margin must be 56 lines or
less.
BOTTOM MARGIN
Set the number of lines for the margin at the bottom of each
printed page. This is used when the report output is to the
printer.
The printable page length must be at least 10 lines greater
than the top plus the bottom margin. For example, if the
printable page length is 66 lines (11" with 6 lines per inch),
then the top margin plus the bottom margin must be 56 lines or
less.
LEFT MARGIN
Set the number of columns to indent the output on each printed
page. This is used when the report output is to the printer.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
25 PC-Flow User's Guide
Utilities & User Preferences
RIGHT MARGIN
Set the number of columns to indent the output on the right
side of each printed page. This is used when the report output
is to the printer.
ORIENTATION
Select the page orientation for the currently selected printer
-- either portrait or landscape.
Use the space bar or the up and down arrow keys to move
between the options. Use the <Enter> key to go to the next
field.
PAGE SIZE
Select the page size for the paper in your printer. 8 x 11"
is a common paper size. Legal paper is 8 x 14".
Use the space bar or the up and down arrow keys to move
between the options. Use the <Enter> key to go to the next
field.
PAUSE AFTER EACH OUTPUT PAGE?
Set this option to Yes to make the program pause the printer
output between each page.
System
Set various system parameters with this facility. They will remain
in effect until changed. The options available in this facility
are:
EXPAND TRANSACTION SELECTION?
This option effects the format of the Transaction Definition
list in the Modify Transaction Definitions facility. The
expanded list (when this option is set to Yes) shows the
Transaction (description), Classification, Type, and Amount
values. The unexpanded list (when this option is set to No)
shows only the Transaction (description) and Amount values.
SCREEN DATE FORMAT
The Screen Date Format is used for displaying the date on the
screen and for data entry. To choose a date format from the
list, use the arrow keys to highlight a choice then press
<Enter>.
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
PC-Flow User's Guide 26
Utilities & User Preferences
The symbols of the date format are:
MM -- Month, e.g. 06 for July
DD -- Day, e.g. 01 for the 1st
YY -- Year, e.g. 90 for 1990
MMM -- Month, e.g. Jul for July
YYYY -- Year, e.g. 1994
REPORT DATE FORMAT
The Report Date Format is used by the reports. To choose a
date format from the list, use the arrow keys to highlight a
choice then press <Enter>.
The symbols of the date format are the same as the Screen Date
Format.
SHOW SHADOW UNDER WINDOWS?
Window shadows are shown is this option is set to Yes.
Colors
Use the Colors facility to change the various color combinations
used in PC-Flow. Choose a screen section to change its color. Each
section represents a part of PC-Flow's menu and data entry system.
Screen sections will blink as you use the <Up> and <Down> arrow
keys. To change the color of the blinking section, press <Enter>.
This will display a color grid on the right side of the screen. Use
the color grid to choose a foreground and background color
combination for the screen section.
Unless the color changes are saved before you leave this facility,
no changes will be kept. To save the color combinations, use the
<F10> key. Note that a warning is displayed if you make color
changes and try to exit without saving them.
To restore the default PC-Flow color (or monochrome) combinations,
use the <F9> key. Press <F10> to save your new color combinations.
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27 PC-Flow User's Guide
Technical Things & Troubleshooting
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Using a Monochrome Monitor With a Color Card
PC-Flow checks to see if you are using a monochrome or color display
card. The default colors are then set accordingly. The results may be
less than satisfactory with a monochrome display and a color graphics
card. To fix this, use the command "PCF MONO" to run PC-Flow. PCF is a
DOS batch file. You may modify it to always call PC-Flow with the MONO
parameter.
Screen color (or monochrome) combinations may be changed within PC-Flow
with the Colors facility on the Preferences menu.
PC-Flow Execution Errors
No software package is without bugs. The cause of some runtime errors,
though, may be external to the PC-Flow program. These are called DOS
errors. DOS errors may occur because of a missing file or insufficient
memory to run PC-Flow. Usually, the cause of the error may be corrected
in DOS.
Check the installation instructions on page v to make sure PC-Flow
has been installed correctly.
This is a list of common MS-DOS runtime error codes:
DOS Error 2 File not found
DOS Error 3 Path not found
DOS Error 4 Too many open files (no handles left)
DOS Error 6 Invalid handle DOS Error 8 Insufficient memory
DOS Error 15 Invalid Drive was specified
DOS Error 18 No more files
DOS Error 19 Attempt to write on write-protected diskette
DOS Error 21 Drive not ready DOS Error 25 Seek error
DOS Error 26 Unknown media type
DOS Error 27 Sector not found
DOS Error 28 Printer out of paper
DOS Error 29 Write fault DOS Error 30 Read fault
DOS Error 31 General failure
DOS Error 32 Sharing violation
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PC-Flow User's Guide 28
Technical Things & Troubleshooting
Technical Specifications
PC-Flow was designed and developed by Dan Comeau using CA-Clipper 5.01a.
This manual was written by Dan Comeau using WordPerfect for Windows 5.2.
PC-Flow has the following technical specifications:
■ Up to 1 billion accounts & balances entries
■ Up to 1 billion transaction definition entries
■ Up to 1 billion classification entries
■ Up to 1 billion forecast transactions
■ Date range from 1 Jan 100 to 31 Dec 2999
Technical Support
Technical support for PC-Flow is available to all registered users. If
you are not a registered user, we will provide assistance to help you
install PC-Flow and become sufficiently proficient for proper
evaluation.
If you have any questions, problems, comments, or suggestions, please
contact Dan Comeau:
Mail: DanlWare Systems Corp.
603-1320 Richmond Road
Ottawa, Ontario, K2B 8L3
Canada
Voice: 613/726-9474 (5pm to 10pm ET is the best time)
Fax: 613/726-9474
CompuServe: [70451,2312]
InterNet: dan.comeau@synapse.org
If you are having a problem running PC-Flow, before you call, print a
copy of your CONFIG.SYS, AUTOEXEC.BAT, and the ERROR.LOG file (in your
PC-Flow directory). If the file ERROR.LOG is very big, print the last
part of it. Alternatively, you can fax a description of your problem
with these files.
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29 PC-Flow User's Guide
Index
════════════════════════════════
Account Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, 4, 5, 15-18
Accounts & Balances Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
AUTOEXEC.BAT File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
BUFFERS, CONFIG.SYS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, 3, 7, 14, 16, 17, 19-21
CFCALC.DBF File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
CHANGES.TXT file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
Classification Breakdown Forecast Report . . . . . . . . . . 11, 16, 17
Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Classifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v, 2, 8, 11, 12, 18
Cleaning Expired Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Colors
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Monochrome Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
CompuServe, Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
CONFIG.SYS file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v, 29
Daily Cash Flow Forecast Report . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 3, 5, 8-14, 22
Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10, 14
DOS errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
ERROR.LOG file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Estimates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Expired Transactions Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19, 23
Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Fax, Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
FILES, CONFIG.SYS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Forecasting Daily Cash Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 3, 5, 8-14, 22
Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
InterNet, Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Mailing Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Minimum Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, 4, 5, 13-15
Modify
Accounts & Balances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, 2, 4, 5, 15-17
Starting Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, 5, 11, 20
Transaction Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, 5, 6, 12, 23, 26
Monochrome Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Net Cash Flow Forecast Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Optimizing PC-Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22, 23
ORDERFRM.TXT file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Phone Number for Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Pop-up Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 7, 14, 16, 17, 19-21
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PC-Flow User's Guide 30
Index
Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Output Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Program Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
README.TXT file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
Registration Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
Reports
Accounts & Balances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Classification Breakdown Forecast . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 16, 17
Classification Breakdown Forecast Report Example . . . . . . . . . 17
Daily Cash Flow Forecast . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 3, 5, 8-14, 22
Daily Cash Flow Forecast Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10, 14
Expired Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19, 23
Expired Transactions Report Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Net Cash Flow Forecast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Net Cash Flow Forecast Report Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Output Redirection to printer, screen, or file . . . . . . . . . . 23
Transaction Definitions . . . . . . . . . 2, 3, 5, 8-14, 18, 19, 22
Transaction Definitions Report Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Running PC-Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Shareware, Supporting PC-Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
Starting Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, 4, 5, 10, 14, 15, 18
Starting Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5, 7, 11, 14-17, 19-21, 23
Starting Over Again
Delete All Your Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Updating Your Forecast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
System Parameters, changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Transaction Definitions . . . v, 1-3, 5, 6, 9-12, 14, 16-19, 21, 23, 26
Transaction Definitions Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18, 19
Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Updating Your Forecast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Version Changes (CHANGES.TXT file) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
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31 PC-Flow User's Guide