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1994-05-30
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THE GROCERY LISTER
Version 4.2
by Randy Hoekstra
June 1994
Copyright 1992, 1993,1994 Randy Hoekstra
All Rights Reserved
The Grocery Lister and its accompanying documentation are copyrighted.
No part of the program or this publication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without
the prior written permission of Randy Hoekstra. Only the
unregistered, fully intact, original archive file may be distributed via
electronic media.
Special Thanks to:
Beta Testers -
Sam & LuAnn Graf
Scott Eakins
David Mackenzie
Joe Meehan
Ken Olson
Morgan Shannon
And all the users who cared enough to register the shareware
version and support my efforts to improve this program.
Please send bug reports and/or comments to:
Randy Hoekstra
3414 Norwood Circle
Richardson, Texas 75082
E-mail: R.Hoekstra1@genie.geis.com
Note: Following is an unformatted ASCII version of the user manual.
Page numbers refer to the page of the printed user manual which
is available for $5.00 from the author at the above address.
Table of Contents
-----------------
About the program.................................................. 4
The Grocery Lister Features........................................ 4
Getting Started.................................................... 6
The Main Screen.................................................... 7
Key Commands....................................................... 10
The DESK Menu...................................................... 11
The FILE Menu...................................................... 11
The EDIT Menu...................................................... 15
The SORT Menu...................................................... 18
The VIEW Menu...................................................... 19
The OPTIONS Menu................................................... 19
Limitations........................................................ 22
Technical Support.................................................. 22
About the program:
-----------------
The Grocery Lister is a household utility program that allows you to
compile a list of grocery items complete with current price and total
estimated cost. The Grocery Lister can be used to determine approximately
how much you will spend at the store if you know the items that you need.
It can also be used as a budget tool to allow you to select the items you
most need or want if you only have a fixed amount to spend. With a small
amount of database maintenance work each time you buy groceries you will be
able to maintain a fairly accurate file of the items which you regularly
purchase. This file can be very useful to remind you of items which you
may need as you compile your grocery list. Finally, for those who have
'errand boys' do the shopping, The Grocery Lister will generate a very neat
and easy to read printout of the current grocery list.
The Grocery Lister Features:
---------------------------
In addition to the basic grocery list function described above, The
Grocery Lister has the following advanced features:
- Easy-to-use, mouse driven, multiple-windowed GEM interface.
- A single grocery database file can have grocery item information
including item name, category, location, coupon or sale flag, a taxable
flag, and a price for up to 4 stores. This is in addition to a 20
character item name and 20 character category.
- As items are added to the list, the current active store is tagged to
that item. When the list is printed, items are grouped by store with a
subtotal for each store. By loading in additional grocery files, a list
for up to 10 different stores can be generated.
- An option can be set to automatically tag the item with the store with
the lowest price, making price shopping very easy.
- User assignable default file names for automatic loading of the
grocery file, grocery list, and ASCII file when the program is first
started.
- Taxable status for each item to indicate if sales tax should be added
to the total when the item is added to the grocery list. Plus, an
option to automatically make all items taxable.
- A coupon reminder field for each item to indicate when you have a
coupon for that item. This field can also be set as a sale or special
reminder.
- Independently sorted grocery list and grocery file by either item
name, category, or location. Items sorted by location make it easy to
find everything at the store because you don't have to search up and
down the list to make sure you didn't miss anything on that aisle.
Everything on that aisle is right there in one group on the list.
- Commands to merge both grocery lists and files to make database
maintenance easier.
- Define a category or location list of up to 100 entries to easily add
to an item when editing.
- A special list of staples (or any items that regularly appear in your
shopping list) that can be merged into the current list with a single
command.
- Flexible printer options allowing for complete control of the fields
to be printed, two column printing, print to disk, and user defined
printer codes.
- ASCII file viewing for looking at notes, recipes, etc. while compiling
your grocery list.
Getting Started:
---------------
Making a Back-Up:
You've heard it a million times and yes it really is a good idea to back up
your disk/files before you do anything else, except...
Before you back-up The Grocery Lister disk/files, you need to register the
program in your name. When you first run The Grocery Lister, a special
registration dialog will appear on the screen allowing you to enter your
name, program serial number, and special key code to register the program
(see the next section for registration details). Once registered, you may
copy the files to a back-up disk. If your registered version is ever lost
or damaged, you will need to re-register the program using the original
distribution version and make a new back-up.
Registering The Grocery Lister:
To obtain a unique program serial number and special key code, send $15.00
registration fee to the author at the address listed prior to the table of
contents. Once you have received your registration information, simply run
the program and enter the information in the lower left corner window of
the registration dialog that first appears after the program is started.
If for some reason the registration is not successful and the program
continues in demo mode, you can call up the registration dialog again by
selecting 'About Grocery...' from the 'Grocery' menu at the far left of the
menu bar. If continued attempts are not successful at registering the
program, contact the author for assistance. Be sure to enter the
information exactly as it is shown on your registration confirmation
(including upper and lower case letters).
Once you have entered the correct information and selected the 'REGISTER'
button, the information will be saved to the program file and the fully
functional version of The Grocery Lister will run. Each time the
registered program is run, it will begin immediately in the fully
functional mode.
Note: If you obtained the program on disk directly from the author, the
program will be pre-registered and ready for immediate use.
Installation:
The Grocery Lister can be run from floppy disk or hard drive partition from
the root directory or within any folder as desired. Simply copy the files
below to the desired floppy disk or hard drive partition/folder and run the
program from that location.
The Grocery Lister package contains the following files:
GROCERY.PRG - The Grocery Lister program itself
GROCERY.RSC - The resource file
GROCERY.TXT - ASCII version of user manual
GL_HIST.TXT - Revision history
GROCERY.NIC - Icon for NeoDesk
SAMPLE.GDT - Sample grocery database file
STAPLES.GLD - Sample/Staples grocery list file
MEGASAMP.GDT - Grocery database of nearly 1000 items
GCONV4.PRG - Converts version 3.x files to v4.0 format
GCONV3_2.PRG - Converts version 2.x files to v3.0 format
The program and resource files must remain in the same folder or directory,
but the other files may be located as desired.
The Main Screen:
---------------
The main screen of The Grocery Lister provides a simple GEM interface with
a menu bar and two GEM windows. The window on the left is the grocery list
window and displays grocery items once they have been added to the list.
The window on the right is the grocery file window and displays the grocery
database for selecting items to add to the grocery list. This is the
initial default configuration, but the windows can be moved or sized as
desired.
The Grocery File Window (right side of screen):
The grocery file window has a title bar at the very top which will contain
the name of the current open grocery file or simply say "Grocery File" if a
file is not yet open.
Beneath the title bar is an information bar which contains the current
active store name and the size of the grocery file.
The interior of the window contains a list of the items in the grocery
database file. The display can be configured as desired with respect to
which fields are displayed and how many characters of the field are
displayed. Each item is made up of an Item Name, a Category, a Location, a
Coupon flag, a Taxable flag, and a Price. The Location, Coupon, Taxable,
and Price fields are unique for each of the 4 possible stores, so the
contents of those fields displayed will be for the current active store.
If all the fields are set to be displayed, they will be shown in the
following order with a space in between each field:
Item Name Category Location Coupon Taxable Price
(20 chrs) (20 chrs) (20 chrs) ( 1 chr ) ( 1 chr ) ( 5 chrs)
The default configuration is shown on the preceding page. This
configuration is used to allow the most important information to be
displayed in a window half the width of the (normal ST) screen. It also
allows aisle numbers and an A or B designator, as used in many grocery
stores, to precede a short description in the location field. This of
course can be changed as desired.
A selected item is displayed on top of a black highlight bar.
The Grocery List Window (left side of screen):
The grocery list window has a title bar at the very top which will contain
the name of the current open grocery list or simply say "Current Grocery
List" if a list is not yet open.
Beneath the title bar is an information bar which contains the number of
items in the list and the total estimated cost.
The interior of the window contains a list of the items in the grocery list
with items in a similar format as that described for the grocery file
window. In addition, there is a field to the left of the item name which
contains the quantity for the given item. This allows for a quantity of 99
for any item. There is also an additional field after the location for the
store name (18 chrs) tagged to that item. Other fields are in the same
order as shown above for the grocery file window.
Creating a Grocery File:
To create a grocery file database, simply add the desired items using the
'ADD ITEM' command under the 'EDIT' menu (see the EDIT menu section for
details). Or load in one of the sample files provided and edit the items
as desired. Once you have set up your grocery database, you can keep it up
to date by checking the items on your list each time you go shopping and
adjusting the location or prices as needed. Using this method you should
be able to keep your grocery database up to date with just a few minutes of
editing each time you go shopping. Also, many stores have a printed store
aisle directory that you can use to help set up the item locations.
Creating a Grocery List:
Once you have a grocery database set up, you can create a shopping list by
simply selecting items from the database.
Items are automatically selected under the mouse arrow, or if the mouse
arrow is outside of the grocery file window, the highlight bar can be moved
up or down by pressing the up arrow key or down arrow key respectively.
Use the standard GEM window gadgets to scroll the file window to the
desired location. You can also jump to the desired position by pressing
the key corresponding to the first letter of the desired item. This will
take you to the first item beginning with that letter and then you can move
the mouse or use the arrow keys to select the actual desired item.
A selected item can be added to the grocery list by clicking the left mouse
button while the grocery file window is active and the desired item is
highlighted. Once an item is added to the grocery list, it's quantity can
be increased by clicking again with the left mouse button. The quantity
can be decreased by clicking with the right mouse button and by clicking
the right mouse button for an item with a quantity of 1, the item will be
removed from the grocery list. Item quantity can also be increased or
decreased by pressing the left or right arrow keys respectively.
When the grocery file window is active, item amount can be increased or
decreased by holding down the shift key and clicking on the item with the
right or left mouse button, respectively.
When the grocery list window is active, item quantity can be increased or
decreased by clicking with the left or right mouse button while the mouse
arrow is pointing at the desired item in the grocery list.
Items in the list can be immediately deleted from the list (even if the
quantity is greater than one) by holding the control key and clicking the
right mouse button on the item in either window.
Once all the items and desired quantities have been added to the grocery
list, the list can be printed and taken to the store. Use the 'PAGE SETUP'
command under the 'FILE' menu to configure the printout as desired. The
list will be printed in the same sorting order as displayed in the list
window. In addition, the items will be grouped according to the store
tagged to each item. All items for a given store will be printed followed
by a sub-total with the estimated cost for that store.
Keyboard Commands and Key Equivalents:
-------------------------------------
Most menu commands can be activated from the main screen by using an
equivalent control-key combination (see menu commands below).
Additional key commands available from the main screen are as follows:
( ^key is used to indicate CONTROL+key; +key is used to indicate SHIFT+key)
[TAB] - With the grocery file window active, the TAB key will
toggle the coupon reminder field of the selected item.
+[TAB] - With the grocery file window active, this will toggle
the taxable field of the selected item.
[HELP] - With the grocery file window active, the HELP key will
bring up the EDIT dialog the same as selecting the EDIT
ITEM command in the EDIT menu or pressing ^E.
A to Z - With the grocery file window active any key A to Z can
be pressed to cause items beginning with the selected
letter to be displayed when the file is sorted by Item
name. When the file is sorted by either category or
location, the display will jump to the first entry in
that field beginning with the selected letter.
The grocery list window can be made active by pressing the INSERT key and
the grocery file window can be made active by pressing the CLR/HOME key.
Arrow keys can be used for scrolling in any window.
All windows can be paged up or paged down by pressing SHIFT plus UP arrow
or SHIFT plus DOWN arrow keys respectively. The Grocery List window and
the ASCII file window can also be paged up and down by pressing the LEFT or
RIGHT arrow keys, respectively.
When the grocery file window is active and the AUTO SCROLL option is ON
(see OPTIONS menu section), you can also scroll the items displayed by
moving the mouse arrow just above or just below the display area of the
window.
As noted previously, Items in the list can be immediately deleted from the
list (even if the quantity is greater than one) by holding the control key
and clicking the right mouse button on the item in either window.
When the grocery file window is active, item amount can be increased or
decreased by holding down the shift key and clicking on the item with the
right or left mouse button, respectively.
Finally, when the grocery file window is active, you can call up the Edit
Dialog for a given item by holding the control key and clicking the right
mouse button on the selected item. See the EDIT menu section for details
of editing grocery items.
THE GROCERY LISTER MENU COMMANDS
================================
The DESK (Grocery) menu:
-----------------------
About Grocery... - This command displays the version, copyright and
registered owner the program. To exit the dialog, simply select 'OKAY'.
Additional accessories are may be available under the DESK menu, depending
on your system configuration. Most ACCs work correctly with The Grocery
Lister, but some that do not use a GEM window may have display problems
with the highlight bar in the grocery file window. To avoid this problem,
make sure the grocery file window is NOT active before selecting an ACC
from the DESK menu.
The FILE menu:
-------------
New ^N - This command can be used to clear either or both the current
grocery list or grocery file from memory.
Open Grocery File ^O - Use this command to load a grocery database into
memory. Once loaded the database may be used to select items for a current
grocery list or it may be edited as desired (see the EDIT menu).
When the grocery database is loaded, the following options will also be
loaded and will overwrite their current settings in the menus: sort by
selection, show fields selection, tax rate, category list, location list,
and store names.
Note: If a default filename is entered via the OPTIONS menu, that file
will automatically be loaded into memory when the program is first run.
Open Grocery List ^O - Use this command to load a grocery list into memory.
Once loaded, the list may be added to or deleted from using the methods
described under 'The Main Screen'.
When the grocery list is loaded, the following options will also be loaded
and will overwrite their current settings in the menus: sort list by
selection, show fields selection, and auto sort.
Note: If a default filename is entered via the OPTIONS menu, that file
will automatically be loaded into memory when the program is first run.
Merge File - This command allows you to merge grocery items from another
grocery file into the currently loaded grocery database. It also allows
you to merge items from a comma or tab delimited ASCII file. After
selecting this menu command, a small dialog will appear allowing you to
select the type of file to merge from. This is followed by a file
selector. Be sure to select the correct type of file for merging to
prevent corrupting the grocery database in memory.
When merging from comma or tab delimited files, the following format is
expected. Each grocery item is on a separate line followed by a CR and
line feed (normal ASCII line end). In each line, each field is separated
by either a comma or tab. Each line is read from the file and the data is
loaded into the item fields until no more commas or tabs are found. If all
possible fields have not been filled in, the rest will be filled in with
blanks.
Merge List ^M - This allows for the grocery items of a saved list to be
merge into the current grocery list in memory. The grocery list menu
options are not altered when the list is merged. The grocery list subtotal
and total will be recalculated with the merged lists prices and the current
tax rate.
Save Grocery File ^S - Once changes have been made to a grocery file in
memory, use this command to save a copy of the updated grocery file to
disk. The file will automatically be saved to the same filename that was
used when the file was loaded. This command will only be available after a
file is loaded from disk or after a new grocery database is saved using the
'Save File As' command.
When the grocery file is saved, the following options will also be saved:
sort by selection, show fields selection, tax rate, category list, location
list, and store names.
Save File As... - Use this command to save a grocery database to disk for
the first time or to save a loaded database to disk with a different name
than the one it was loaded from.
Save Grocery List ^L - This command will save the current grocery list to a
disk file.
When the grocery list is saved, the following options will also be saved:
sort list by selection, show fields selection, and auto sort.
Save List As... - Use this command to save a grocery list to disk for the
first time or to save a loaded list to disk with a different name than the
one it was loaded from.
Save Configuration ^X - This command will save the configuration and option
settings to a GROCERY.CFG file. This file will be read the next time the
program is run and all the settings will be restored to their saved values.
This includes the size and position of the windows, the settings in the
page setup dialog, the SORT and VIEW menu settings, and the various OPTION
menu settings.
View ASCII File ^X - This command will bring up a file selector allowing
you to choose an ASCII file to view. After the file is selected, with
default option settings, a six line window will open at the bottom of the
screen and the grocery list and grocery file windows will be reduced
accordingly. This window can be scrolled through using the standard window
scroll/slider bar or using the keyboard arrow keys.
If 'Auto Size Windows' is not set in the OPTIONS menu, then the ASCII file
window will open on top the the other windows. If the ASCII file window is
moved or sized, then the next time it is opened it will be re-opened to its
last size and position.
Once the ASCII window has been opened, the command will change to 'Close
ASCII File' and selecting it will close the ASCII window and restore the
grocery list and grocery file windows to normal.
NOTE: NO checking is done on the file to ensure it contains all ASCII
characters. Opening non-ASCII files may have unpredictable and very
undesirable affects.
Page Setup ^U - This command brings up a dialog allowing you to configure
how your grocery list printouts will look.
On the right side of the dialog, under the heading 'Columns to Print:', you
can set the number of columns to print for each field of the grocery item.
You can also set the number of spaces to leave in between fields. To the
right of each field name, you can click on a box with a + or - in it to
increase or decrease the column count, respectively. The 'space:' in
between field names indicates the space in between the fields on the
printouts. At the bottom of the column numbers for each field is a box
which contains the total number of columns for a given line in the
printout. Be sure to keep this total in a range that can be handled by
your printer. Also note that the 'space:' at the bottom of the field list
is used to set the space in between items when two column printing is set.
In the upper right side of the dialog you can set the top and bottom
margins as well as the the body size of the printout. These three numbers
will be added and displayed in the 'Page Size:' box to indicate the total
lines per page. Note that a normal 8.5 x 11 inch page has 66 lines.
In the middle right side of the dialog are two text fields allowing you to
enter leading and trailing printer control codes. Enter the decimal codes
needed by your printer to configure the printout as desired. These codes
can be used for setting the print size to compressed so that two columns of
items can fit on a standard page. Leading codes are sent to the printer
before sending grocery list text and trailing codes are sent after the
grocery list is finished printing.
The lower right side of the dialog contains five buttons. These buttons
are used as follows:
Two Column - Select this button to allow a two column printout of the
grocery list or grocery file. Items will be printed in sort order in
column one first and then in column two.
Form Feed - Select this button to have a form feed sent to the printer
after the grocery list or grocery file is printed. This form feed is the
standard Epson control character decimal 12. The form feed is sent after
the trailing codes.
Print to File - This allows you to print a grocery database or list to a
disk file rather than to the printer. This can be useful for loading into
other programs in order to use different fonts or to further customize the
printout.
Item Sub-Totals - With this button set, item prices on the printout will be
calculated with the tax and quantity, rather than just the base item price.
Set Defaults - This button lets you return all the values in the Page SetUp
dialog to their default values.
At the very bottom of the dialog are four more buttons. The 'LOAD' and
'SAVE' buttons allow you to load and save particular page setup
configurations. Any filename can used for these configuration files. The
'CANCEL' button allows you to discard any changes to the settings and quit
the dialog. The 'DONE' button quits the dialog and saves the current
settings. These settings will be saved to the configuration file if a save
configuration is executed.
Print Grocery File - Use this command to print out the current grocery
database in memory. If 'Print to File' is set in the Page SetUp dialog, a
fileselector will appear allowing you to specify the filename. If the
printer is not on-line and ready to print, an alert will appear giving you
the chance to correct the problem or abort the printout.
Print Grocery List - Use this command to print out the current grocery list
in memory. If 'Print to File' is set in the Page SetUp dialog, a
fileselector will appear allowing you to specify the filename. If the
printer is not on-line and ready to print, an alert will appear giving you
the chance to correct the problem or abort the printout. The printout from
this command can be used as a shopping list and to mark changes in prices
while buying groceries.
Quit ^Q - Exit the program. An alert will appear if changes have have been
made to the grocery file or list allowing you to save the changes, quit
anyway, or cancel the command.
The EDIT menu:
-------------
Add Item ^A - This command will bring up the edit dialog allowing you to
type in a new grocery item, its category, location, coupon reminder,
taxable status, and its price. The scrolling window in the lower middle
of the dialog is used to enter location, coupon reminder, taxable status,
and price for each of the 4 possible stores. The window can be scrolled
using the scroll bar and arrow buttons on the right side of the window.
The item name, category, and locations can be up to 20 characters in
length. Any character, except an 'S', can be entered in the coupon field
and it will be changed into a 'C' in the grocery file display. If an 'S'
is entered in the coupon field then it will stay an 'S' and indicates an
item on sale or a special sale price. Any character can be entered in the
taxable field and it will be changed to a '+' in the grocery file display.
Entering a character in this field will indicate the item is taxable and
leaving it blank will indicate the item is not taxable. Note that these are
the recommend uses of the these fields in the grocery item, but the fields
can actually be used for anything as desired by the user.
You can also click on the category or location text fields to bring up the
appropriate list selector dialog. Clicking on an item in the category or
location selector will automatically insert that item in the appropriate
field in the edit dialog. You can also add, change, or delete items in the
selector dialog as described later in the EDIT menu section.
The item is put into the grocery file based on the type of sorting method
selected under the 'Sort' menu. The item is not checked to see if it is
already in the file so it is possible to have duplicate items.
The item will be entered into the file and the input line will be cleared
so that another entry can be made. When finished entering new items,
select 'CANCEL' to quit out of the edit dialog.
Edit Item ^E - This command is used to alter an existing grocery item.
Any part of the grocery item may be changed. To edit an item, move the
mouse arrow over the desired item so that it is highlighted and then select
the 'Edit Grocery Item' command. Be sure that the desired item remains
highlighted when the command is selected. The item will be placed in the
edit dialog with the cursor positioned at the amount input field.
Alter the item as desired and select 'OKAY' or press return. The edit
dialog will be closed and the altered item will be updated in the grocery
file and in the current grocery list if it is already there. Select
'CANCEL' to abort the edit.
Delete Item ^D - Use this command to remove unwanted items from the
grocery file. Position the mouse arrow over the item to be deleted and
then select this command from the menu line. Be sure that the desired item
remains highlighted when the command is selected. The item will be placed
in the edit dialog and you will be asked to verify the delete operation.
Select 'OKAY' or press return to confirm the delete or select 'CANCEL' to
abort the command.
Note: If the item is in the current grocery list, the item will still be
deleted from the grocery file, but it will not be deleted from the current
list.
Change Items ^C - This command can be used to make global or semi-global
changes on the Item Name, Category, and Location fields. A dialog will
appear allowing you to select the fields you want to change, the 'From' and
'To' strings, and the stores the change applies to for location field
changes.
Select 'SOME' to selectively change some items. When an item is found with
a matching 'From' string in a selected field, the edit dialog will appear,
allowing you to change that item. From the edit dialog, select 'OKAY' to
change the item, select 'CANCEL' to not change the item and continue
searching for the next item, or select 'ABORT' to not change the item and
cancel the change items command altogether.
Select 'ALL' to change all matching items without asking to verify the
change.
Select 'CANCEL' to abort the change items command.
Category List ^V - This command brings up the list selector dialog allowing
you to modify the list of pre-defined categories. You can type in a new
category and select 'ADD' to add it to the list. Select an existing
category, change the text in the text field, and select 'CHANGE' to modify
that category. Select an existing category and select 'DELETE' to delete
that category from the list.
The 'IMPORT' button allows you to load a category list from another grocery
file into the current grocery database. All categories in the list before
the import will be overwritten.
Note that the category and location list is saved with the grocery database
file and each grocery database can have its own set of categories and
locations.
Location List ^B - This command works the same as the 'Category List'
command above, but allows you to modify the pre-defined list of locations.
Store Names ^J - This command allows you to define or modify the names of
the four possible stores associated with the current grocery database. The
store names are saved with the grocery database file and are used in the
grocery list to group items by store on the grocery list printout.
Staples List - This command allows you to edit a special type of grocery
list which contains regularly purchased items that are a part of almost
every grocery list. You can add or delete items in this list just like the
a regular grocery list.
Once this command is selected and the staples list is loaded into memory,
the command will change to 'Save Staples' and selecting this will save the
staples list back to the predefined disk file. If you have a grocery list
in memory that has not been saved when you select the 'Staples List'
command, an alert will be presented allowing you to save the current list,
continue without saving the list, or cancel the command.
Include Staples ^I - This command will automatically merge the staples list
into the current grocery list in memory. This allows you to easily add a
set of regularly purchased items to any grocery list at any time during the
creation of that list.
Clear Coupons - With this you can clear the coupon flags in the grocery
database either selectively or all at once. An alert will be presented
allowing you to choose 'SOME', 'ALL', or 'CANCEL' the command.
If 'SOME' is selected, the grocery database will be searched and if a
coupon flag is found the edit dialog will be presented allowing you to
'OKAY' the change, 'CANCEL' the change and search for the next flag, or
'ABORT' the command altogether.
Update List Items - This command will search through the grocery list
items and update the coupon, taxable, and amount fields of any items found
in the current grocery database. Since the grocery list and grocery file
are independent, it is possible to have a saved list on disk with different
item data from the grocery database used to create that list. This command
will ensure that any changes made to the grocery database (other than item
names) are correctly reflected in the current grocery list.
The SORT menu:
-------------
The sort menu is divided into three sections. The first two sections allow
you to specify how the grocery database file and grocery list will be
sorted for display and printout purposes. The options are 'Sort by Item'
name, 'Sort by Category', or 'Sort by Location'. A check mark will appear
to the left of the menu item indicating the current sort selection. When
the selection is changed, the list or file will be sorted accordingly and
the display will be redrawn with the new sort order. Note that when the
grocery list is printed, the items will be grouped by store and sorted
within that group based on the selected sort option at the time of
printing.
The third section contains an option to 'Auto Sort' the grocery list and a
command to 'Sort Grocery List' on demand. If Auto Sorting is set, a check
mark will appear to the left of the menu item. Auto sorting causes each
item added to the grocery list to be placed in the appropriate sorting
order and the list will be redisplayed entirely if needed. The
disadvantage of this option is that it slows things down by having to sort
and display the list for each item added. By leaving this option turned
off, you can build the list with less delay and then periodically sort it
using the Sort Grocery List command.
Note that if the grocery database is sorted by location, it will be the
location of the currently active store (indicated in the OPTIONS menu and
the information line of the grocery file window). If the current store is
changed while the file is sorted by location, the file will be resorted and
re-displayed.
The VIEW menu:
-------------
The view menu is also divided into three sections. The first two sections
allow you to specify which fields of the grocery database file and grocery
list will be displayed in their appropriate windows.
In the grocery file section, you have the following display options: 'Show
Item', 'Show Category', 'Show Location', 'Show Coupon', 'Show Taxable', and
'Show Price'. Each field set to display will have a check mark to the left
of the menu item.
The grocery list section contains the same options as above, plus two
special options unique to the grocery list. 'Show Store Name' will display
an extra field, after the location, with the name of the store tagged to
that item. 'Show Item Sub-Totals' will display the sub-totaled item price
calculated from the quantity and taxable status of that item rather than
just the base price of the item. Each of these options will also have a
check mark to the left of the menu item when they are selected.
The third section contains one command to 'Configure Display' that provides
for even more control over the grocery list and grocery file display. This
command will bring up a dialog which allows you to specify the number of
columns to display for the three main character fields (Item Name,
Category, and Location). Use the '+' and '-' buttons next to each field
name to increase or decrease the number of columns to display.
The OPTIONS menu:
----------------
Set File Size - This command will bring up a dialog which allows you to
specify the maximum file sizes for the grocery list, grocery database, and
ASCII file. Adjusting these
values allows you to determine the amount of memory that The Grocery Lister
will reserve from the system when it is run. If you do not use large
grocery lists then you can set the grocery list size smaller and use less
memory. This can be useful for machines will small amounts of ram or for
multitasking environments where additional ram is needed for other
applications to run in.
Increase or decrease the file size settings by selecting the '+' or '-'
buttons next to the file type. The values indicate the maximum number of
items in a grocery database file or grocery list and the maximum number of
lines to load into memory for an ASCII file. The 'Memory Required' box at
the bottom indicates the amount of memory that the program will use based
on the current settings.
When selecting the '+' or '-' buttons you can hold down the shift key to
increase or decrease the value in units of 10 or hold down the control key
to increase or decrease the value in units of 100.
Note that you must 'Save Configuration' under the 'FILE' menu after
changing the file size settings and then quit the program and re-run it for
the changes to take effect.
Default File Names - This command brings up a dialog allowing you to
identify the grocery database file and/or grocery list file and/or ASCII
file to be automatically loaded into memory when the program is first run.
Enter an 8 character filename of a grocery list or grocery file or a full
filename plus extension for an ASCII file. Or click on one of the text
fields to bring up the standard file selector. The complete pathname will
be used, but only the 8 character filename will be displayed.
Note that you must 'Save Configuration' under the 'FILE' menu after
changing the filenames. The next time the program is run, the files
specified will be automatically loaded.
Tax Rate - This command will bring up a dialog allowing you to specify the
tax rate to be used, on any items marked as taxable, in calculating the
grocery list total. You can also select the box next to 'All Items
Taxable' to cause tax to be calculated on all items regardless of the
taxable field. Note that the tax rate will also be used to calculate item
sub-totals if that options is selected (see VIEW menu).
Set Monetary Units - This option allows you to set the number of digits and
decimal format to be used in the amount field of each item. The default
setting is for North American (U.S. and Canadian) dollar values. By
turning off decimals and increasing the number of digits, you can use The
Grocery Lister with a variety of currencies. This setting will affect both
the on-screen display and the printout of the amount field.
After the amount format is changed, selecting 'OKAY' will result in the
currently loaded grocery list and grocery file being reformatted. If you
save the list or file after such a change, the amount format will be saved
also. The next time that list or file is loaded, the new format will be
used.
To save the new format as the program default, select 'Save Configuration'
from the 'File' menu. This default will be loaded each time the program is
run, but the format will be over-ridden by loading a grocery file with a
different format.
Auto Capitalization - Setting this options will result in the first letter
of item name, category, and location being set to upper case when a grocery
item is added or edited. When 'OKAY' is selected from the edit dialog, the
first letter of these three fields will automatically be converted to upper
case.
Full Capitalization - Setting this option will result in all characters of
the item name, category, and location fields being set to upper case when a
grocery item is added or edited. When 'OKAY' is selected from the edit
dialog, all characters in these three fields will automatically be
converted to upper case.
Auto Scroll - This option allows you to activate or deactivate the
automatic grocery database file scrolling that occurs when the mouse
pointer is moved just above or just below the grocery file interior window.
Location Matching - This option is used in conjunction with adding or
editing grocery items. When entering items in the edit dialog, you can
enter the category and leave the location(s) blank and when the 'OKAY'
button is selected, the existing grocery database will be searched for a
matching category. If a matching category is found, then any blank
locations will be filled in with the locations found in the existing
grocery item with the same category. The locations will be copied into the
same store positions as they were found in the existing grocery item (i.e.
the location for store #1 will be copied into the store #1 location for the
item being edited).
This can be useful when items of the same category are all in the same
location in the store as you only have to enter the category for new items
and the location(s) will be filled in automatically.
Auto Size Windows - Setting this option will result in the grocery list and
grocery file windows being automatically re-sized when the ASCII file
window is opened so that the windows do not overlap. When the ASCII file
window is closed, the other windows will automatically be re-sized back to
their original sizes. If either the grocery list or grocery file window
had been previously moved or sized, they may not be re-sized when the ASCII
file window is opened.
Note that when this option is set and the ASCII file window is moved or
resized and then closed, the next time it is opened it will not open back
to it's default size and position rather than its previous size and
position.
If this option is not set, then the ASCII file window will be opened on top
of the other windows. If the ASCII file window is moved or resized and
then closed, the next time it is opened it will open up to the previous
size and position.
Auto Expand - Setting this option will result in all fields being set to
display all columns whenever the window full box is used to expand the
window to full screen size. This allows you to set the window sizes,
fields, and columns displayed such that both windows will not overlap on
the screen and the important grocery item information is displayed. Then,
if you do need to take a quick look at some of the hidden information, you
can select the window full box and see all the information and then select
the full box again to return to normal operation.
Note that resizing the window after it has been expanded to full screen
(and before the full box is selected again) will cause the display settings
to become the default for that window and you will not be able select the
full box to return to the previous size and display configuration.
Retain Item Info - This option is used in conjunction with the 'Add
Item...' command in the 'Edit' menu. With this option selected, when you
are adding new items, the category and location fields will retain the
values of the item just added so they can be reused with out retyping them.
This is useful when adding several items in the same category or location.
If this options is not set, then the category and location fields will be
cleared when an item is added.
Store Names ^K - This is actually a menu heading for the next four menu
options which allow you to specify which store is the current store to be
tagged to items added to the grocery list. The next four menu items will
contain the names of the stores as defined using the 'Store Names' command
under the 'EDIT' menu. The current store will be indicated with a check
mark to the left of that menu item. The current store name will also be
displayed in the information bar in the grocery file window. Pressing '^K'
will change the current store to the next store name in the list.
Auto Select - This option will override the current store name selected and
cause the store with the lowest price for a given item to be used when that
item is added to the grocery list. With this option selected, you will be
able to easily price shop at up to four stores and automatically save the
maximum amount possible by buying the right items at the right store.
Selecting this option will also result in 'Auto Select' being displayed in
the grocery file information bar rather than a store name.
* LIMITATIONS *
- As noted under The Desk Menu section, there may be some
incompatibilities (with respect to display behavior) with accessories
that do not use a GEM window.
- Although it is possible to keep the grocery file very accurate with a
lot of database maintenance, The Grocery Lister is really designed to
give you a rough estimate of your grocery bill and only needs to be
maintained with a few minutes of editing after returning with your
grocery store receipt.
- The Grocery Lister has been tested on a variety of Atari ST, TT, and
Falcon machines and various TOS releases. Although there are no
apparent incompatibilities with any TOS version, the author makes no
guarantees as to compatibility with any present or future Atari
computers.
Technical Support:
If you experience problems using The Grocery Lister you can contact me at
the following addresses. I also welcome any suggestions for enhancements
to the program.
Randy Hoekstra
3414 Norwood Circle
Richardson, Texas 75082
E-mail: R.Hoekstra1@genie.geis.com
