Software of the Month Club 1996 June

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╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ ║ ║ ATTEND.EXE Employee Attendance Tracking Database Program ║ ║ Version 4.1a ║ ║ Copyright 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996 Robert J. Manning, author. ║ ║ Shareware version summary documentation 1/96 ║ ║ ║ ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ Register your copy of ATTEND v4.1a and receive complete printed doc- ║ ║ umentation, the fully functional version of ATTEND, discounts on ║ ║ future upgrades, and discounts on custom versions for your business. ║ ║ ║ ║ Avoid future price increases! See the file REGISTER.TXT for a regist- ║ ║ ration form. Print out a copy, fill it in and mail today! ║ ║ ║ ║ Robert Manning, PO Box 2011, Lomita, CA 90717 USA ║ ║ ║ ║ Email: RobertM782@aol.com or 76022.1630@compuserve.com ║ ║ ║ ║ Visit the SBCA Web Page (includes a link to the authors' FTP site) at: ║ ║ http://users.aol.com/robertm782/private/sbcapage.htm ║ ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Topic: Line number: ────── ──────────── DOCUMENTATION AND REGISTRATION 47 ABOUT ATTEND 65 WHY ATTEND? 118 FILES IN SHAREWARE DISTRIBUTION 152 SAMPLE FILES 197 IMPORTANT 206 RUNNING THE PROGRAM 225 INSTALLING OVER PREVIOUS VERSIONS 233 BEFORE YOU BEGIN 251 THE PASSWORDS 276 THE IMPORT FUNCTION 286 THE TIMECLOCK FUNCTION 375 ANSWERS TO SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS 398 REGISTRATION AND PRODUCT SUPPORT 445 WHAT YOU RECEIVE FOR REGISTERING 477 WHAT IF ATTEND DOESN'T MEET MY NEEDS? 492 WHAT ABOUT PROGRAM SUPPORT? 507 DOCUMENTATION AND REGISTRATION ══════════════════════════════ This is not the full documentation for ATTEND. It is only a summary of some important functions. Full documentation for the program is only provided to registered users. The complete document- ation includes a program walk-through, to demonstrate all major features of the program, as well as full details on all features. Some features of the program reserved for the registered version. Upon registration you will be sent a package containing your fully functional copy of the program, and the full printed manual for Attend, as well as a copy of the documentation in Windows Write format, your personalized Master Passcode, and will be eligible for full support and 50% discounts on future versions of Attend. Register ATTEND today for just $30.00 U.S.! ABOUT ATTEND ════════════ The short version: ────────────────── The program keeps a running record of attendance incidents, as well as vacation and sick leave. Excused and unexcused incidents can be recorded, and a running total of unexcused leave time is also shown. The program keeps a seperate dataset of imported incidents in the form of timeclock punches, and can be used to total time worked and calculate pay, if data is entered consistently. Time clock punches can be imported from an external program, or from the enclosed timeclock utility. Lengthy comment files can be kept on each employee for those really interesting excuses. The slightly longer version: ──────────────────────────── ATTEND is a single purpose Database program. It is designed to take away some of the trouble involved in finding and implementing an easy method of tracking and recording Employee attendance. It employs a combination of database and spreadsheet functions, to help format and track attendance. It can track approximately 200 employees per working directory, flags you when updates are due, computes statistics on employee leave occurrence types, as well as optionally storing employee personal information, allows use of extended comment files for making notes, and many other useful functions. Version 4.1a contains two completely new additional features: A TimeClock program, which will perform the various time clock tracking functions for recording actual work times, and an Import function, which can not only import and track data from the TimeClock program, but import ASCII text timeclock data to ATTEND from an external timeclock. The Import utility can also be used to total hours worked over time, and report the employees unadjusted pay. ATTEND can be run on any IBM compatible system, including the oldest systems. It requires DOS 3 or higher, and that's about it. It can be run in a text-window within Windows on a Pentium, or on a monochrome-screen XT. Version 3.4 and above can be run on a network, again using at least DOS 3.0. SHARE.EXE must be installed in order to do so. Version 3.5 and above use a 'Master Passcode' feature, intended for system administrators. It allows you to bypass the normal password (if it's in use), lock out normal password usage, and also allows you to change the normal pass-word. This feature has a hardcoded master passcode, which is unique for each registered copy. The ShareWare copy uses one non-unique passcode. The passcode for the ShareWare version is 4FP39QN6V. When you register your copy of ATTEND, your new registered copy will be embedded with a unique passcode, known only to the registrant. The screen saver enclosed can also be used on monochrome, EGA, or VGA screens (though the graphics routines will not work in a Window - use full screen mode for them). WHY ATTEND? ═══════════ ATTEND was created to fill a niche in business management, that of keeping an organized record of employee attendance. In todays' more competitive work environment, it has become more critical than ever to monitor employee work attendance habits, so that corrective measures can be taken, ensuring an employers' profit, and the employees' continued employment. The cost of employee attendance is often overlooked. It is easy to overlook those employees who arrive a few minutes late, leave a few minutes early, and do this on a continual basis. Consider a person making an hourly wage of $10, and suppose this person comes in just five minutes late every day, and leaves five minutes early. They might also take five extra minutes during their break, and another five if there's a second break period. That's twenty minutes a day. Whether the employee realizes it or not, they're costing both you and themselves money. In a week, this twenty minutes per day costs the employer $16.67, in a 4.3 week month $71.67, in a year $866.67! So, it costs the employer the equivalent of 1 and 2/3 hours per week in missed productivity. Multiply this by the number of employees, and the numbers can get large quickly. ATTEND can help you reduce this needless business cost. It can pay for itself in less than a month, by showing just one employee what their lax attendance is costing you. Version 4.1a of ATTEND can track the cost of employee attendance to at least one hundredth of an hour. The new TimeClock function can also reduce your workload spent tracking attendance, and the Import function can accept ASCII text clock punch files, for reduced time spent on data entry. And now with version 4.1a, you can use the program for tracking hours worked over any period in a calendar year, and calculate your employees unadjusted pay. FILES IN SHAREWARE DISTRIBUTION ═══════════════════════════════ This program may be freely distributed, provided that all files listed below are included with the program. The zipped archive file ATND41S.ZIP contains the following files: File Name: Type: ─────────── ────────────────── ATNDRUN.CFG Configuration file COLOR.CFG " " EXEMPT.CFG " " HOURLY.CFG " " OTHER.CFG " " SALARIED.CFG " " TCRUN.CFG " " TEMPEMPL.CFG " " FILE_ID.DIZ Description In Zip file ATNRST.EXE Utility executable ATTEND.EXE Main program executable GRPUPDT.EXE Utility executable IMPORT.EXE " " IP1.EXE " " MASTRSRT.EXE " " RUNCONFG.EXE " " SAVERSXA.EXE " " STATCFG.EXE " " TIMECLOK.EXE " " VIEWER.EXE " " ATTEND.ICO Windows Icon ATTEND.PIF Windows program information file DESCRIPT.TXT Program description text file README.TXT Program information text file REGISTER.TXT Registration form text file SAVEDELA.Y Configuration file SAMPLES.ZIP Contains sample employee files and their related configuration files. Take care not to over-write your existing master files with these. If in doubt, unzip to a test directory first. If for some reason you are missing one or more of these files, please feel free to contact the author by Email, and a replacement will be provided by Email (This service available only by Email). Please mention where you obtained the program. SAMPLE FILES ════════════ Some sample files are included with version 4.1a. These files allow you to explore Attend quickly. There are five files, each of them use similar names; The employee Badge/ID#'s are Sample1, Sample2, Sample3, Sample4, and Sample5, one of each status type. Sample1's file has had more records added to it, and a larger comment file, so you can take a look at what Attend can do. IMPORTANT: ────────── These sample files are enclosed in the file SAMPLES.ZIP. Be careful if you are installing this version over an older one, as this file contains a master tracking file and configuration files for the utilities! DO NOT OVER-WRITE YOUR EXISTING FILES WITH ANY OF THESE, OR YOUR DATA WILL BE LOST! If you don't have a previous installation of Attend, no problem. You will need PKUNZIP version 2.04g or better to unzip this file. These sample files are all set up to run on each of Attend's util- ities as well; You can experiment with punching the Timeclock for Sample1 for example, or search the Import dataset on another file to see how it works. Once you are comfortable with what Attend can do, and before starting data entry, you may wish to delete these files from Attend, or reinstall the program to a fresh directory. RUNNING THE PROGRAM ═══════════════════ To run the program, type in ATTEND and press Enter. To set ATTEND up to be run from within Windows, please refer to your Windows documentation for setting up a new program item. Keep in mind that the present password is set to BOB, and that the master passcode for the shareware version is 4FP39QN6V. INSTALLING OVER PREVIOUS VERSIONS ═════════════════════════════════ If you have a previous version of the program, please do not directly install this version over your previous copy. You must take care not to over- write your configuration files: EXEMPT.CFG HOURLY.CFG OTHER.CFG SALARIED.CFG TEMPEMPL.CFG You can over write these files, but then you will have to re-enter your employee status configurations. Please over-write all other files, with the exception of the files contained in SAMPLES.ZIP. See section above on the 'Sample Files'. BEFORE YOU BEGIN ════════════════ Before you begin Data entry to ATTEND, it would be wise to review the Employee Status Type configurations. Assure that the configuration adheres to your Company policy before continuing. This configuration sets the number of hours of Vacation and Sick leave to grant upon Anniversary. For more frequent updating of Vacation or Sick leave, there is a Mass Update function which can update employees in groups of status type, length of employment, or all employees. Assure that your systems' Date is correct. ATTEND makes use of your computers' internal Date to perform searches and updates. Incorrect Date may produce undesirable results. Date and Time may be set from within ATTEND. Attend contains many features divided into related groups. It will take some time to discover what the program can do. Use a copy of Attend along with the sample files to experiment with the program - this will keep you from learning the data entry part before actually using the program. You'll find that once set up, Attend is fairly easy to use. The program is being updated and improved all the time, and your questions and suggestions are most valuable in improving the program. Feel free to send an Email to the author at any time. THE PASSWORDS ═════════════ Password protection can be enabled; please write the password down in a safe place before using the function. The current password is set to BOB. Please change this password when possible for increased security. The master passcode for the shareware version is 4FP39QN6V. Enter this passcode in place of the normal password, and you can lock out the normal password, or change it in case a user forgets theirs. THE IMPORT FUNCTION ═══════════════════ This feature allows you to enter attendance occurrences into ATTEND from an external program. Whether it be from a spreadsheet, word processor, or another timeclock program, ATTEND will accept ASCII text type files for input, and import resulting attendance incidents to the ATTEND database. A copy of the import data can also be placed into the employee's comment file. Version 4.1a has had a new feature added, due to many requests. The Query Dataset for Totals feature (F5) will search the import dataset on one employee, a status type, or all employees, over any date range in the same calendar year, and report the hours worked for each employee, in addition to their unadjusted pay. The results are displayed in a scrolling window onscreen, and in the registered version, can be saved to ASCII text file, and printed. Some features are reserved for the registered version. The Import utility expects a certain format for input. The text file records should be arranged in this order: Badge/ID# (8 chars maximum) Time of occurrence (8 chars in the format HH:MM:SS) Type of Occurrence (see below) (one blank line between each occurrence) Spaces should be inserted between each occurrence in this import text file. For example, the next few lines show an example: 12345 07:05:00 1 678 08:30:00 3 7654 16:00:00 2 The first group shows employee #12345 clocking in at 7 a.m., and the second group shows employee #678 clocking out to their first break at 8:30 a.m. The last group shows employee #7654 clocking out for the day at 4 p.m. Note that times are expressed in 24 hour format, and all digits are used, even if zero. The types of occurrences that the import program is set to record are as follows: Numeric Code: Meaning: ------------- -------- 1 Clock in for work 2 Clock out from work 3 Clockout to first break 4 Clockin from first break 5 Clockout to Lunch 6 Clockin from Lunch 7 Clockout to second break 8 Clockin from second break 9 Other The 'Other' fields are specified on two of the three timeclock screens. For more detailed information on their meaning, please register your copy of Attend. Full, printed documentation is provided only to registered users. Before actually importing text, you must set up the import utility dataset. This dataset contains normal clock times, work week hours, and so forth. It can be accessed from the import menu. Information for all employees in your ATTEND database will need to be entered into the import configuration. Note that there is no date specified for these records. The date for all records in an import text file comes from the file name. The import utility will automatically look for a file using the date as a filename whenever you try to import text. If it does not find one, it will ask for one. For example, on August 1st, 1995, it will look for a file named 08011995.DAT. The file should be placed into the same working directory with Attends' records, be it the current working directory, or the assigned working directory you specified in the program configuration menu. The shareware version of the program will not actually finish sending this data to Attend. This is a reserved feature for those who purchase the program (register). However, the data will remain in the import dataset, and may be sent to ATTEND using the Registered version of the program. You will not lose any data; it will remain in the import dataset. THE TIMECLOCK FUNCTION ══════════════════════ This feature can replace a normal mechanical timeclock, allowing clock punches and attendance information to be more easily recorded and tracked. ASCII text file output is standard; the registered version can also send the clock punch information directly to the Import utility dataset, bypassing the text import step and saving time. Passwords for each employee can be enabled; the first password for each employee will be taken from the last four digits of the employees' Social Security number, as entered in Attend. Three different clock screens can be used, small/large text and graphical. Passwords can be changed by the administrator, in the event one of your employees forgets their password. Note that employee passwords in the configuration function are visible; take care to only let a responsible party use the function. This function can also be used to automatically set up the timeclock configuration using Attends' master file. For more information on this utility, please register your copy of Attend. Some features reserved for the registered version. ANSWERS TO SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS ═════════════════════════════════ Currently, there is no pure Windows version of Attend in the works. The author wishes to maintain as much compatibility as possible with all IBM PC and compatible machines. Attend will run on any PC, be it an XT or a Pentium, running on DOS 3 or Windows 95. Let me encourage you to write in with your suggestions for the program. Your feedback is critical in the product improvement process. Attend is not yet a payroll program, though it is coming closer to it! And yes, I do plan to try adding mouse support in a future version, if I can squeeze it into the main module code. Some features of Attend have been implemented in a general way. Some of you have written in asking for very specific features. If you wish to procure a custom version of Attend, please ask. Otherwise, your suggestions will be taken and converted such that the average user can make use of them. I have absolutely no problem with changing the title on the main menu screen, for those of you setting up this program for a client's business. I'd like to keep the Attend title up there, but the rest of it is up to you. Should you wish the client's business name up there, I can find another place to put the program title. Keep in mind that I rebuild each and every one of the registered versions, as your unique master passcodes are all hard-coded into the program. So, it's not a big deal to add a line of text, and I wouldn't mind changing the signoff screen, either. Random jokes are out though, there just isn't room! Attend is written and compiled in MicroSoft QuickBasic, the last great DOS compiler MS made before Bill decided we need Visual Basic. Don't let this fact fool you though, QuickBasic makes some *very fast* programs, and it works on anything. Try it and see. The source code is not available for purchase. I have a hard time setting a price on a fourth year project, something like 15,000+ lines of code, and well over a couple thousand hours time invested. If you have a programming question though, feel free to ask. Let me apologize if the reserved features cause you some chagrin. Attend is most certainly a labor of love, but one can't expect an author to give away everything he makes for free. Speaking of which... REGISTRATION AND PRODUCT SUPPORT ════════════════════════════════ Please see the file REGISTER.TXT for a registration/purchase form for ATTEND version 4.1a. Many hundreds of hours went into the development and preparation of ATTEND. ShareWare is a type of distribution, not a type of software. You may 'Try out' a shareware program for 30 days, before paying for it - this is the main feature of ShareWare. Most ShareWare programs are equal in quality - if not superior - to their commercially distributed counterparts. In addition to being able to try out a program before purchasing it, you save on the cost of the program, as the author saves on costs associated with commercial distribution. Thus, ShareWare benefits both the user and the author alike, cutting the middleman and his costs. The main menu of ATTEND will report the first date the program is used. This is a reminder to register your copy in 30 days, should you be using the program at that time. Please do not continue to use ATTEND beyond 30 days without purchasing the registered version. Only by legally purchasing ATTEND can the author be convinced to continue to develop and enhance the program. The program will not cease to function at 30 days - it is not expireware. However, a few features are reserved for the registered version, as is full program documentation. ATTEND is *not* free software. I regret that in addition to the printed manual as a registration incentive, that I have reserved parts of the new 'Additional Features' for people who pay for (register) ATTEND. You can try out the TimeClock and Import features, but they will not per- form all of their functions in the shareware distribution version. WHAT YOU RECEIVE FOR REGISTERING ════════════════════════════════ Registering ShareWare usually brings the purchaser additional benefits, such as documentation, program support, enhanced or updated versions, and discounts on future versions of the program. These are all true for ATTEND. This file is not the full documentation for Attend. It is only a short summation, distributed with the shareware version. Upon your registration, you will receive by return mail the complete, printed 50+ page documentation package for the program (not found in the shareware version), a new copy of ATTEND with all reserved features fully functional (including a unique master passcode), full support by Email, telephone, and post mail, and a 50% discount on future upgrades. WHAT IF ATTEND DOESN'T MEET MY NEEDS? ═════════════════════════════════════ If you find that the program does not meet your needs, no problem. Simply delete it from your computer system. If you would be so kind as to send a short Email message to the author, your review of ATTEND would help to further develop the program. Though full support is only granted to registered users, if you experience a problem running ATTEND, please write me and let me know what happened. Contact the author by Email or post, concerning customized versions of ATTEND for your particular business. Write the author a note with your question or suggestion, and if it fits the purpose of the program, it may be implemented in a future version. WHAT ABOUT PROGRAM SUPPORT? ═══════════════════════════ Registered users of ATTEND receive full product support. This means if you have a problem with the program, have a special need that is simple to implement, or don't understand something, your question or need will be taken care of by the author. This also means that if necessary, a new program executable will be rebuilt for you and sent by Email. The author stands behind his work, and you may rest assured that your purchase of this program is not the last you will hear from *this* author. The author can't support UNregistered users, and disclaims any and all liability for any mishaps, errors, omissions, or any other problems that may arise out of the use of the program, for the ShareWare version. That's fair, isn't it? ;-) ────────────────────────── Thank you for trying out ATTEND! ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ ║ ║ ATTEND V4.1a Employee Attendance Tracking Database Program Registration ║ ║ ║ ║ Send completed registration form along with check or money order for ║ ║ $30 (U.S.) to: ║ ║ ║ ║ (For currently registered users, the upgrade fee is $15.) ║ ║ ║ ║ Robert J. Manning, PO Box 2011, Lomita, CA 90717 (Current 8/95) ║ ║ ║ ║ Email inquiries may be sent to the following addresses: ║ ║ ║ ║ America Online: RobertM782 Compuserve: 76022,1630 ║ ║ Internet: RobertM782@AOL.COM ║ ║ ║ ║ Visit the SBCA Web Page (includes a link to the authors' FTP site) at: ║ ║ http://users.aol.com/robertm782/private/sbcapage.htm ║ ║ ║ ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝