The World of Computer Software/The World of Computer Software.iso/taxsrt1e.zip/TSMANUAL.DOC

Text File | 1992-12-12 | 11KB | 273 lines

(TSMANUAL.DOC)
TAX-SORT 1.E Shareware Version

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*** USER MANUAL

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Please read!


Program and manual Copyright (c) 1992 by D.L.Hughes. All Rights Reserved.
Distributed by Software Service Systems, Post Office Box 261700
San Diego, CA 92196-1700. 619/689-4959

This software and documentation is protected under the United States
Copyright Laws and International Treaty Provisions.  This software is the
shareware version of TAX-SORT and you may distribute this version.

Support policy: APPLIES TO REGISTERED VERSION ONLY. Prompt support is
available from the author via CompuServe mail at 72630,776.  We also respond
quickly to all questions directed, by mail, to the above address and to the
above phone number, ususally within 24 hours.

Ombudsman Statement:  This software is produced by 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 them 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 the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or
 send a CompuServe message via CompuServe mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536.

WARRANTY: This program, instruction manual and reference materials
are sold "as-is", without warranty as to their performance, merchantability,
or fitness for any particular purpose.  The entire risk as to the results
and performance of this program is assumed by you. IT IS IN YOUR BEST
INTEREST TO BACK UP YOUR DATA AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE.



I. About TAX-SORT

This program is designed to allow you to enter income or expense data in a
random manner, from financial documents which might range over many months or
years, and organize them into categories which makes it easy to prepare
Federal or State tax forms.

This means you'll be able to take a jumble of income or expense documents,
input them randomly (thus allowing you to touch each piece of paper just once!)
and have them immediately organize themselves by date inside your computer.
You can print the list by month or year, and see total dollars nicely organized
by income or expense categories.

This is a fantastic time-saver for anyone who keeps their receipts in a
shoebox and needs to organize them quickly and painlessly.  It is also very
helpful for anyone who wants to keep a running total of "raw" financial
information to give to a CPA or tax preparer, who will actually interpret the
data.



II.  How to install TAX-SORT


A. Use the DOS copy command to copy the TAXSOR1E.ZIP file into any newly
created subdirectory on your hard-disk. Use PKUNZIP (found on nearly all BBS
systems) to "unzip" TAXSOR1E.ZIP (or whatever this file may be called when
you received it).

B. Type TS to run program.  You may press <F1> nearly anywhere in program for
context sensitive help.



III. Tutorial


MAIN SCREEN

The main screen will disappear in 15 seconds even if you don't press any key.


MAIN MENU

Before proceeding, it's best to go immediately to the "Utility" menu so you
don't forget to do user and printer installations.

You can get to the utility menu by using the arrow keys to move the light bar
to the word "utility", or you can just hit the <U> key (this procedure is the
same for all menu options).  You will find yourself at Utility menu where you
should press <U> to input your name and Social Security number and <P> to
install your printer.

Now, back to the Main Menu where you have the following selections:


INCOME

To enter income press <I>.  You are faced with another menu which allows you
to either do a "fast add" or a "view/edit".  The fast add feature allows you
to add as many income items as fast as your little fingers can type.  This is
particularly handy to use if you have a fist full of canceled checks or other
such documents.  You really can go through them like lightning.

As you see, when you input financial data, you are recording four things:

1) Date income was received.  This can be an individual deposit for example,
or income for a month...or whatever is meaningful to you.  The more specific
the better.

2) The dollar amount of the income.  By the way, if you need to do some quick
math, just hit the <F2> and a full-featured calculator jumps up on the screen.
You can move it if you like, by "dragging" it with the arrow keys.

3) The source of the income.  An input screen from the library pops up, so all
you have to do is use the arrows to scroll to the item you want, and press
<Enter> OR just begin typing the word and screen jumps to the correct entry
automatically.  If you have a source of income not in the library, best go
there now and add it.

4) Description of income.  Put anything here which will help you remember or
trace the source of income later.

To leave this screen you must touch the <Esc> key.



VIEWING DATA

Want to see what your entries look like?  Press the <V> key at the Income
Menu.

What you now see is a browse window listing all the information you just
input.  As you see, it's nicely organized by date.  If you need to check any-
thing, you can, just by using the up and down arrows to move to the date
you desire.

ADD: In this browse mode you can actually add data if you like by pressing
the <Insert> key.  This is a much slower method than the fast add, but is
good to use if you are browsing and see you forgot to make an entry.

EDIT:  To change a previous entry move to the line that needs editing and
press the <RightArrow> key.  Changes are automatically saved.

DELETE: The only way to delete an entry is to move to the line you want delete
and press the <Del> (delete) key.  Be careful.  Press the key once and that
line is gone forever, just like Elvis.

EXIT : To exit the screen and return to the previous menu, simply press the
<Esc> key.



EXPENSE

The fast add and view/edit menus work just the same for expenses as they do
for income.  Review  the above section if you have questions.  However, here
you have five different items to input:

1) Date, which is date of expense from check or receipt.

2) The dollar amount of the expense.  Remember to press <F2> if you need that
calculator.

3) Expense type.  List pops up from library.  Add more selections if you
desire.  Again, be reminded that it is by this key word that dollar amounts
are totaled.

4) Reference.  This is the place where you'd input the check number or receipt
reference to document the expense.  For example, you might input "CK1234" for
check number 1234 or "FN1234" if you have several accounts and this expense
was drawn on the First National Bank account. If the item is a cash receipt,
you might use the reference "RE0101" for one dated January 1 of the year
you're dealing with.  Any reference system is okay, just be consistent!  You
can optionally press the <F3> and pop-up a special "pick" window.  It is
special in that you can input bank names or any other useful data that you
will be using regularly in that field.  Consistency is not as important
here...it is available only to help you speed data input.

5) Description.  Input the name of the company the check was written to or
receipt received from, in abbreviated form, along with what the purchase was
for.  Your February business telephone deduction and child care expenses may
look like this:


Date     $Amount    ExpenseType  Reference  Description
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02/15/92  238.15    TELEPHONE    FN1456     PAC BELL/JANUARY BILL
02/17/92  123.44    CHILDCARE    FN1488     HAPPY DAYS PRE-SCHOOL

Provide as much detail as possible!



REPORTS

You can print two kinds of reports with TAX-SORT.  The first is the itemized
listing of income, the other an itemized list of expenses.  Both are produced
in the same way.

To print an Expense report, for example, press <R> at the Main Menu, then <E>
for expense.  Input the date range for the time period for which you wish
to see information.  The earliest date is input first, the later date last.
You would never want to see data from 01/01/91 to 01/01/90--you want it the
other way around.  Start date would be 01/01/90, end date would be 01/01/91.

It takes a few moments to do the math, but soon your report comes roaring off
your printer.  You can print reports over any date range you like, from just
a few days -- 01/01/90 to 01/15/90 -- or over many years -- 01/01/85 to
12/31/95.



LIBRARY

You may add or edit key words to use as income source or expense type.  Keep
in mind that totals are made on these key words, so they should be standardized
in a way that's meaningful to you.

It is a bad idea to use two similar yet different names for the same type of
income or expense.  For example, if you want to list all auto expenses and get
one total you wouldn't want one category called AUTO and another called CAR,
then mix expenses randomly between the two.

However, if you want to see how much you spent on TRUCK1 and how much on
TRUCK2, you can input these headings into the expense library and input the
expense record you have for each truck under the appropriate name, to see how
much was spent on each. Again, consistency is the focus here!



UTILITY

One choice here is to install your printer.  If your exact printer model isn't
shown, pick one which is the same type as your own. The eight models shown
actually cover hundreds of different types, so you may want to experiment a
bit.

The second choice is to input your name and your Social Security number. This
information appears on each report you print.

The final choice is file maintenance.  Periodically you should go into this
selection to reduce file size and re-index all records. If power is
interrupted, or if you find you cannot access data for any other reason,
come here to file maintenance immediately. Most problems can be solved by
doing file maintenance.  If file maintenance does not help, use your back-up
data to proceed.


QUIT

To quit TAX-SORT, simply press <Q> at the Main Menu. DO NOT just shut off your
computer while program is on the screen.  Always use <Q>.  When you properly
exit from TAX-SORT, a message appears on the screen to tell you exit was
normal.



IV.  Data Back-up Procedures


To back-up your data, use the simple DOS commands. For example, if your
TAX-SORT data is in a hard-disk subdirectory called TAX, and you want to
back-up data to your drive A, you would use these command lines:

C:\TAX Copy *.DBF A:
C:\TAX Copy *.NTX A:

In each case you want to back-up all files with DBF and NTX extensions.