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-MANUALE.HLP
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──────────────────────────
──────────────
───────
┌────────────╖ ┌─────────────╖ ┌─────────────╖ ┌─────────────╖ ┌──╖
┌┘ ╔═══════╕ ║ │ ╔══════════╝ │ ╔═════════╝ ╘═════╕ ╔════╝ ╘══╝
│ ╙───────┘ ║ │ ╙─────╖ │ ╙─────────╖ │ ║ ┌──╖
│ ╔═══════╕ ║ │ ╔═════╝ ╘═════════╕ ║ │ ║ │ ║
│ ║ │ ║ │ ║ ┌───┐ │ ║ │ ║ │ ║
│ ║ │ ║ │ ╙──────────╖ │ └─────┘ ║ │ ║ │ ║
╘══╝ ╘══╝ ╘═════════════╝ ╘═════════════╝ ╘══╝ ╘══╝
Auto Estimator
──────────────
Copyright (c) 1989-1996 Duke Associates
───────────────────────────────────────
All Rights Reserved
───────────────────
───────
──────────────
──────────────────────────
.TOPIC:
Contents
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ To navigate around the Help screens with a mouse simply click │
│ between the arrows │
│ │
│ The keyboard TAB and TAB+SHIFT keys can also be used to move │
│ between topics and Return activates the current option. │
│ │
│ Press ALT and the hilighted letter to activate that option │
│ for example, pressing ALT+C will go to the Contents page │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
AEsti - Auto Estimator
──────────────────────
Chapter Contents
0.00 Recent Amendments
Upgrading Previous Versions
Material Data Bases Important Note
Auto Cost Important Note
Program Changes
1.00 About this Document
How to Print this Document
How to Print from a Word Processor
How to Print from the DOS Prompt
Extended Character Set and Formatting
2.00 Software Summary
Design Philosophy
Target Market
Documentation
3.00 Using the Software
Mouse Control
Keyboard Control
Windows
Editing
4.00 Startup - Brief Tutorial
Estimate
Keyboard & Mouse Control
Estimate Section Headings
Adding Items Manually
Adding Items using a Data Base
Starting a New Section
Auto Costing
5.00 Main Menu
Menu Structure
6.00 Estimate
Adding & Erasing Items
Items
Item Cost
Empty Items
Section Heading
Section Totals
PC and Provisional Sums
Profit & Loss
Summary
VAT/Sales Tax
Menu Structure
7.00 Material Data Bases
Items
Minimum Words
Headings
Copying Dbase Items to an Estimate
Menu Structure
8.00 Auto and Quick Cost
How Auto Cost Works
List of Data Bases
Costing Types
Match Options
Section Heading
Checking
Reducing Time Costing
Errors while Auto Costing
Quick Cost
Menu Structure
9.00 Time Schedule
Section Headings
Editing
Data Location
Menu Structure
10.0 Printing
Print Destination
Print Options
Enhanced Estimate
Printed Bar Characters
Trouble Shooting
Printing to a File
11.0 Tips
General
Data Protection
Saving
Estimating
Sub Contractors
Material Data Bases
12.0 Miscellany
Speeding up Software
Help
Colour
Compressed & Non DOS Drives
Co-processor Chip
13.0 Program Limits
Item Descriptions
Minimum System Requirements
Recommended System Requirements
Value Limits
Precision
Miscellany
Networks
14.0 Trouble Shooting
Problem Solving
Software Will Not Run
Operating Systems
System Configurations
Warning !
Startup
Locks up the System
Allocating Memory
Running out of Memory
Loading Drivers High
Bootable Floppy Disk
Changing AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS
Directories
File Names
How to Make a Boot Disk
Hardware Failures
15.0 Frequently asked Questions
General
Running under Windows 3.xx
Main Menu Setup Options
Setup Special Note
Estimate
Material Data Bases
Time Schedule
16.0 Upgrading from Previous Versions
Backing Up
Install Considerations
Installing into a New Directory
Installing over a Previous Version
Installing over a Previous Version Manually
Setting Up
Registered Users
17.0 Support and Help
Beginners
18.0 Future Releases
Registrations
Feedback
19.0 Ordering & Distribution Info
Distribution
How to Order
Why Should I Register ?
20.0 Disclaimer
Shareware License
Licensing Information
Disclaimer
Trademarks
.TOPIC:
Recent Amendments
0.00 Recent Amendments
─────────────────
As this is a Beta version which has undergone a major code
re-write we will appreciate feedback regarding any problems
encountered. Although there will probably be some "bugs"
left, most problems have been resolved and the software
appears to be stable.
Upgrading Previous Versions
───────────────────────────
See Chapter 16.0 Upgrading from Previous Versions
Material Data Bases Important Note
──────────────────────────────────
Users <<< MUST >>> change or create new Data Bases to suit
their own requirements.
Prices in Material Data Bases are supplied for demonstration
purposes only and should NOT be used for any real Estimates.
We are unable to supply correct prices as prices will change
while the software is still circulating and prices are
country/location dependent.
Auto Cost Important Note
────────────────────────
The supplied MATERIAL.LIS file is blank, it must have Material
Data Bases added to it before being used for Costing.
Program Changes
───────────────
Estimate
Profit & Loss - actual costs of items should not include tax
or profit margins.
New feature - shows material and labour costs for sections.
Time Schedule
New option - code has been re-written and optimised which
has removed some bugs and speeded it up.
Auto Cost
DBELIST.iNi files - these replaced with .LiS files which are
easier to add and remove Data Bases. There is no conversion
utility to change DBELIST.iNi files to .LiS files.
Printing
Fixed bug - would not print in shareware version if no Epson
option was selected, data was sent to the printer and the
print routine was called more than once - argh !
File Formats
New file format - data files (.EST and .DBE extensions) use
a new format to allow more items in each file for future
versions. File conversion is automatic, old data files are
converted when they are loaded and saved.
General
New feature - keyboard accelerator
Minor changes to menu structure and user configured settings
More robust file handling
.TOPIC:
About this Document
1.00 About this Document
───────────────────
This file is the main help document, there are two versions ;
-MANUALE.HLP - help file used by the software, it should
NOT be changed
-MANUALE.DOC - plain ASCii file used for printing or
adding user notes to
The program is under constant development and features may have
been added or removed since this document was last updated.
How to Print this Document
──────────────────────────
There are three ways to print the help file ; by using the
Help programs internal print routines, importing and printing
from within a word processor (WP) or from the DOS prompt.
How to Print from a Word Processor
──────────────────────────────────
Import the file as plain text or ASCii text, if the WP has not
converted the "" page break characters (Decimal 12 or ALT+12
in some WP's) to its own version of page breaks then search for
this character and replace it with the WP's code for page
breaks, format the text and then print it.
How to Print from the DOS Prompt
────────────────────────────────
Print from the DOS prompt using a command line of ;
TYPE -MANUALE.DOC>LPT1
or TYPE -MANUALE.DOC>PRN
or COPY -MANUALE.DOC PRN
LPT1 is the printer attached to printer port 1, change this to
LPT2 if it is attached to port 2.
Extended Character Set and Formatting
─────────────────────────────────────
Some printers do not support the line drawing characters in
this document i.e. "───" (decimal 196). If your printer does
not support these characters then replace them with the minus
sign "---".
To cater for the vast majority of printers this file has been
formatted to 50 lines per page, it prints to about 42 pages of
single sided sheets.
.TOPIC:
Software Summary
2.00 Software Summary
────────────────
See also Chapter 4.00 Startup - Brief Tutorial
6.00 Estimate
7.00 Material Data Bases
8.00 Auto and Quick Cost
9.00 Time Schedule
AEsti creates Estimates, Quotations, and Schedules of Works
for various types of building works ranging from simple house
extensions to factory units.
It was primarily intended for use by the smaller building
contractors working on projects with a maximum value of
£ 250 000 (UK sterling).
Although it may be used for larger works it is probably not
suitable for projects with a higher value than this.
It features an easy to use interface, on-line help, several
types of Estimate print outs, material data bases and
automatic costing of estimates.
Design Philosophy
─────────────────
The program was designed to be as simple and as easy to use
as possible without the overkill or large system overheads
that similar software requires.
Due to this simple approach the program is limited in some
areas although the available features should meet most users
requirements.
Target Market
─────────────
The program was written by British authors and intended for
use in the UK market. However, it may be used in other
countries where the decimal 00.00 currency format is used.
The tax description and rate may be edited to suit different
countries and currency signs have been left out.
Documentation
─────────────
All documentation has been made as brief, simple and as clear
as possible. Explanations have been written in laymans terms
and all jargon has been avoided where possible.
Writing documentation is not my strong point so apologies in
advance for any typo errors or you find any explanations hard
to understand.
.TOPIC:
Using the Software
3.00 Using the Software
──────────────────
Mouse Control
─────────────
Probably the fastest way of navigating around the various
options is by using a mouse.
Menu's and buttons are activated by placing the mouse cursor
on them and then clicking the left button.
Use the horizontal and vertical scroll bars at the bottom and
side of each window to move around a list of items.
To edit an item when viewing a list of items click the left
mouse button twice in quick succession.
Windows can be sized by ;
Clicking on a window's bottom right corner, hold the
button down and then drag to the desired size
Double clicking the top title bar to maximise and minimise
Clicking the maximise/minimise icons at the top right
To move a window click on the top of the window, keep the
button pressed down and then drag the window to the desired
position.
Click on a window to make it the current window.
Keyboard Control
────────────────
Menu's may be activated by pressing the ALT key, to select a
menu item either keep the ALT key pressed down and then press
the hilighted letter or use the cursor keys to move around
menu's and then press return, ESCape will back out of a menu.
Use the cursor keys and Page Up/Page Down to move around a
list of items.
To edit an item when viewing a list of items press the Return
key, Insert and Delete will insert and delete items in a list.
TAB and SHIFT+TAB moves around buttons, list boxes etc
If pressing a key does not work as expected then you may not
be using the feature you thought was selected. For example,
moving from a list to a button by using the TAB key you will
no longer be able to select an item from the list using
cursor keys as the button is currently selected.
To resize a window use the Window menu and select either
Maximise or Minimise, short cut keys are also available ;
Restore CTRL+F5
Move CTRL+F7
Size CTRL+F8
Minimise CTRL+F9
Maximise CTRL+F10
Next window CTRL+F6
Note that not all windows use the above options.
Windows
───────
There are several states that a window can be in ;
Normal - window is neither maximised or minimised
Maximised - window takes up the whole of the screen
Minimised - window is the smallest size that it can be
If a window is maximised or minimised then certain features
may not work correctly or it may not be apparent if an action
has been completed. For example, when transferring items from
a data base to an estimate, if either window is maximised or
minimised then it will be hard to discern whether a data
base item has been copied into the estimate correctly.
The option to automatically re-size windows (Main Menu,
Setup) may produce unpredictable results when attempting to
manually re-size windows.
Editing
───────
If nothing is entered when editing text, such as an estimate
item or job details, then this is treated as though the user
had pressed Cancel.
A blank estimate item may be entered by using the space bar
to enter a single blank space. This is not really a blank entry
but the edit routine considers it to be valid and to the user
it appears to be blank.
.TOPIC:
StartUp - Brief Tutorial
4.00 StartUp - Brief Tutorial
────────────────────────
See also Chapter 14.0 Trouble Shooting
The software is relatively easy to use and most users who
have had limited computer experience should have few problems.
However, for those that need a little more help this brief
tutorial describes the process of creating an Estimate.
Try the program first before reading any documentation as
this gives an overall "feel" for the software. Use the
supplied demonstration Estimate and Material Data Base
files to try out the features.
Estimate
────────
The main menu at the top of the screen has several options
available, select Estimate by using the left mouse button to
click on Estimate or press the keyboard ALT key and then press
E or move the scroll bar with the cursor keys and pressing
return.
A demonstration estimate called DEMO has been provided, this
may be used to test out the program or the walk through below
can be used to get a better idea of its capabilities.
The Estimate menu should now appear, select File, Create New,
after entering a file name a blank estimate will be created.
Select Edit and then Job Details, enter suitable data for
the Job details. It's a good idea to save any changed data
regularly so select File and then Save.
To add items to the Estimate select Edit and then Estimate
Schedule, all entries should be blank as no data has been
entered.
Keyboard & Mouse Control
────────────────────────
To move around the Estimate either use the vertical and
horizontal scroll bars and the keyboard cursor, PageUp and
PageDn keys. Note that items can be scrolled left and right
by using the cursor left/right keys and horizontal scroll bar.
To use the vertical/horizontal scroll bars and buttons with a
keyboard press the TAB and TAB+SHIFT keys to move to each
control and then use the Return and cursor keys.
This is not usually necessary as most options are available
from the keyboard i.e. while editing Estimate items use the
cursor left/right keys to scroll the item left/right, press
A to add several items, C to copy items etc.
Estimate Section Headings
─────────────────────────
The first Estimate item is usually a Section Heading so put
the scroll bar on the first item and press Return or put the
mouse cursor on the item and double click the left button.
Type in Preliminaries but put a space before the P, this space
marks this item as a Section Heading. Section Headings are used
to split Estimates into different sections so that they are
easier to view and analyse.
To get the program to recognise a Section heading you MUST
put a space before it.
A normal Estimate item does not have this space before it,
to change a Section Heading to an Estimate item you must
remove the space.
Adding Items Manually
─────────────────────
There are two ways of entering items - either manually type
in the description and rates or use items held in a Materials
Data Base.
Manual entry of data is fairly easy to do, just enter the
relevant information under suitable sections, try ;
Scaffolding 1 No 200 16 6.5
Items can be added/erased by either using the Insert/Delete
keys, the Add/Erase buttons or the menu.
Adding Items using a Data Base
──────────────────────────────
See Chapter 7.00 Material Data Bases
To copy items from a Material Data Base there must be a Data
Base loaded, select "Window", "Material Data Base" and then
load the PRELIMS data base.
Select Edit Materials, put the scroll bar on Scaffolding and
either use the Transfer button or the menu Utils, Transfer.
This has now copied the scaffolding description and rates from
the Data Base into the last hilighted Estimate item.
This method of copying items is probably the most effective
and obviates the need for an Auto Cost as all necessary rates
have been copied directly into the Estimate.
Starting a New Section
──────────────────────
Once a section has been finished leave two blank items after
the last item in a section, a section sub total will then be
automatically added, for example ;
──────── Item Description ─── Quantity - Units -
Space here
denotes a >────────────> Preliminaries
section 134.10 Scaffolding 1 No
62.75 Remove debris to tip 1 No
two blank >──> ────────
items here >──> 197
for sub Masonry
totals 815.12 Facing bricks 22 m2
────────────────────────────────────────────────
If you do not want to break an estimate into sections then
simply fill in each item leaving no blank entries.
Note that for the example above the Preliminaries actual section
sub total is 196.85. Section sub totals are rounded to the
nearest whole number, this allows larger values to be displayed.
The Estimate summary sheet does not round off numbers for the
totals.
Auto Costing
────────────
See Chapter 8.00 Auto and Quick Cost
When all the items for an Estimate have been entered then it
may be costed by using the Auto Cost option, it is advisable to
save the Estimate before Auto Costing.
Select the Auto Cost option and then Cost All of Estimate.
After Auto Costing the Estimate should be checked for any
irregular, incorrect and missed items or values.
.TOPIC:
Main Menu
5.00 Main Menu
─────────
See also Chapter 4.00 Startup - Brief Tutorial
Menu Structure
──────────────
≡ - displays/hides version & licence info
Estimate - See Chapter 6.00 Estimate
Materials Dbase - See Chapter 7.00 Material Data Bases
AutoCost - See Chapter 8.00 Auto and Quick Cost
Help - Help manager
Utilities
File Manager - simple file manager
Shell to DOS - shells to DOS, type EXIT to exit shell
System
Memory Info - shows information about free memory. Only
used for debugging purposes, higher values
indicate more memory is free
Integrity - checks if AESTI.EXE is damaged, for more
Check security use a 3rd party virus scanner
Setup
Separator - changes character printed between sections
Character under headings etc.
Display
Background - changes background character, Custom
Character allows any single character to be used
Screen Display
25 Lines - sets display to 25 text lines
VGA 43 Lines - sets screen display to 43 lines
VGA 50 Lines - sets screen display to 50 lines
43 and 50 line options require a compatible VGA card,
they will not work with non standard VGA cards.
Auto Size Window - automatic window sizing, toggle ON if a
mouse is not being used
Keyboard - speeds up keyboard rate and window
Accelerator scrolling
Tax Description - this is used in the estimate summary.
For the UK this will be "+ VAT @ 17.5%"
Exit to Dos - exits to DOS
.TOPIC:
Estimate
6.00 Estimate
────────
See also Chapter 4.00 Startup - Brief Tutorial
7.00 Material Data Bases
8.00 Auto and Quick Cost
9.00 Time Schedule
The Estimate option creates a schedule of items that may be
typed in manually or copied from Material Data Bases.
Adding & Erasing Items
──────────────────────
Use the menu options, buttons or INSERT and DELETE keys to
add and erase items.
Items
─────
Valid estimate items have no leading spaces, each item is
limited to 30 characters, if an item description is longer
than this then carry the description over to the next item.
If a schedule of works has been provided then just enter the
schedules item reference instead of typing in all of the
items description. The schedule page numbers may also be
used as section headings.
Note that Labour Hours is the total hours required for this
item and must be entered manually. Quantity is NOT used to
automatically work out the labour hours.
The current item is displayed in a bright white colour and a
filled in triangle is displayed at the left of the window.
If you move past the last item then this character changes to
a ">".
Item Cost
─────────
While editing an estimate the total item Quote Cost is shown
at the left side of the window. This is a total of the material
and labour costs and has the profit margin added to it.
Item Quote Cost is worked out by the equation ;
((Quantity x Cost Unit) + (Labour Hours x Cost Hour)) x Profit
Item costs with zero values are not displayed.
Empty Items
───────────
Due to the way that section headings are defined (see below)
and section sub totals are added it is not possible to have an
empty or blank item. However, using a "." (full stop) or any
other single character as an item will give the appearance of
an empty item.
Section Headings
────────────────
It is advisable to break any Estimate into sections and group
materials or locations together. For example, a house may be
split up into several parts ; foundations, drainage, floor,
lounge, bathroom, garage etc.
A Section Heading is a description of the next section in an
estimate. To allow the software to recognise a section heading
it must have a space preceeding its description.
A section heading does not display any values to the right
hand side or an item cost to the left of the heading.
If an item is edited and the software does not prompt for any
material or labour rates then that item has been recognised as
a Section Heading.
Section Totals
──────────────
Leaving two blank items after the end of a section allows
section sub totals to be added.
If no sub total is displayed where there are two blank items
then try erasing the two items and then adding them again.
Section sub totals are calculated from the item after a
Section Heading and end at the next blank item ;
──────── Item Description ─── Quantity - Units -
Space here
denotes a >────────────> Preliminaries
section 134.10 Scaffolding 1 No
62.75 Remove debris to tip 1 No
two blank >──> ────────
items here >──> 197
for sub Masonry
totals 815.12 Facing bricks 22 m2
────────────────────────────────────────────────
Note that for the above example the actual Preliminaries
section sub total is 196.85. Section sub totals are rounded
to the nearest whole number, this allows larger values to be
displayed. The Estimate summary sheet does not round off
numbers for the totals.
A sub total may be incorrect if a section heading is used
within an existing section ;
──────── Item Description ─── Quantity - Units -
Preliminaries
134.10 Scaffolding 1 No
On Completion
62.75 Remove debris to tip 1 No
────────
Sub total >──> 63
Masonry
815.12 Facing bricks 22 m2
────────────────────────────────────────────────
Section total material cost and section total labour cost are
displayed in the Cost 1 Unit and Cost Hour columns. If the
enhanced estimate option is used then they are shifted to
the far right. These two sub totals do not have any profit
margin or VAT/sales tax added to them.
PC and Provisional Sums
───────────────────────
There can only be one section with the heading PC Sums and
one with the heading Provisional Sums. They MUST also be typed
in as "PC" and "Provisional Sums" to be recognised ;
────────────────────────────────────────────────
PC Sums
84.71 Electrical Works 1 No
10.00 Plastering 1 No
────────
95
Provisional Sums
304.19 New Boiler Unit 1 No
────────────────────────────────────────────────
Profit & Loss
─────────────
When editing actual cost values do NOT add tax or profit margin
to any costs. If these are added to actual costs then the
summary sheet After Works Completed section will not display
a correct profit or loss.
Summary
───────
The summary is only updated if an estimate item, profit margin
or VAT/sales tax rate has been changed.
The After Works Completed section uses actual costs that are
entered after a project has been finished. It may be used to
compare the original estimated profit against the actual
profit made on the job.
Approximate Build Time is fixed and does not use the Users
Estimated Days in the Time Schedule.
VAT/Sales Tax
─────────────
VAT/sales tax is only added to the final Estimate Summary sheet
total, use a 0 (zero) rate if you do not want tax to be added.
Menu Structure
──────────────
File
Load - loads an Estimate
Save - saves using current file name
Save As - saves using different file name
Create New - creates a new Estimate
Print - prints
Exit - closes down the Estimate window
Edit
Job Details - edits job details - client, date etc.
Schedule - normal schedule view of the Estimate
Enhanced - enhanced view
Cost per 1 Unit - shows cost per 1 unit
Clients Copy - shows a Clients copy
Tender Schedule - used for quotation purposes
Profit & Loss - fill this in after the project is completed,
it works out the actual Profit or Loss.
View
Job Details - shows job details
Summary - totals summary sheet
Time Schedule - switches to time schedule window
Utils
Add 1 Item - adds one item
Add Several - adds several items
Erase - erases current item
Copy - copies item to another item
Move - moves item to another position
Find - finds an item, search starts from the next
item and ends at the last item, if it fails
then it starts again from the first item
Replicate - replicates current item to next selected
number of items
Next item with - goes to next item with a cost per unit that
Zero Cost has a zero value, it will not go to an item
that has no quantity
Next item with - goes to next item with hours that have a
Zero Hours zero value, it will not go to an item that
has no labour rate
Above options can also be accessed via the keyboard while
editing - use Insert, A, Delete, C, M, F, R, Z and H keys
Window
Main Menu - switches to the Main Menu window
Estimate - Estimate
Materials Dbase - Materials Data Base
AutoCost - AutoCost
Help - Help
.TOPIC:
Material Data Bases
7.00 Material Data Bases
───────────────────
See also Chapter 4.00 Startup - Brief Tutorial
6.00 Estimate
8.00 Auto and Quick Cost
Some references in the software and this documentation to a
Data Base has been shortened to Dbase.
Material Data Bases hold lists of material prices and labour
rates required to fix, lay etc. each material item.
The Material Dbase window shows information about the currently
loaded Dbase ;
Dbase Description - this is also used by Auto Cost to match an
Estimate Section heading against a Material Dbase Description
See also Chapter 8.00 Auto and Quick Cost, Section Heading
Items in Dbase - total number of items in this Dbase
Data Base File Name - DOS file name of the Dbase
Items
─────
Each item description is limited to 30 characters.
The current item is displayed in a bright white colour and a
filled in triangle is displayed at the left of the window.
If you move past the last item then this character changes to
a ">".
Minimum Words
─────────────
Some thought must be given when entering items as the Auto Cost
feature matches words in Data Base items to Estimate items. The
more words you use then the more accurate an Auto Cost will be.
To get a better match ratio when Auto Costing try to use at
least a three word description for each Data Base item or copy
Data Base items directly into the Estimate while editing.
Copying Dbase Items to an Estimate
──────────────────────────────────
To keep terminology consistent the term "Transfer" is used to
describe copying Material Dbase items to Estimate items.
The Copy command in Material Dbase and Estimate windows will
only copy items in these windows i.e. from Estimate to
Estimate item and from Material to Material item.
There must be a Materials Dbase and Estimate loaded if an
item is to be copied into an Estimate.
From the Material Dbase window select Edit Material, place
the scroll bar on the item to be copied and then click
the Transfer button or press the T key or from the menu
Utils select Transfer.
This has now copied the Material item to the last selected
Estimate item. If the Estimate item prior to the transfer
had a quantity then this will be used to work out the total
labour hours.
Note that the Estimate item that had a Material item copied
into it is put at the top of the Estimate window and the
current item is then set to the next item.
To make it easier see if an item has been copied, resize the
Material Dbase window to the bottom half of the screen and
the Estimate window to the top half. This automatically occurs
if Auto Size Window (Main Menu, Setup) is toggled on.
Headings
────────
Code is the manufacturers reference (maximum 8 characters)
Units are units of measurement, Unit Cost is the cost of one
unit for that item, Labour hours are number of hours it takes
to fix, lay etc. one unit of that item and Labour Cost is the
labour rate per hour.
A typical example ; Bricks £ 200/1000 m² 12.39 1.5 7.5
Each 1 m² costs £ 12.39 for bricks, takes 1.5 hours to lay at
a labour rate of £ 7.50 per hour.
Menu Structure
──────────────
File
Load - loads a Materials Dbase
Save - saves using current file name
Save As - saves using a different file name
Create New - creates a new Dbase
Print - prints
Exit - closes down the Dbase window
Edit
Description - edits data base description
Materials - edits the data base
View
Description - shows file details
Utils
Add 1 Item - adds one item
Add Several - adds several items
Erase - erases current item
Copy - copies item to another item
Move - moves item to another position
Find - finds an item, search starts from the next
item and ends at the last item, if it fails
then it starts again from the first item
Replicate - replicates current item to the next
selected number of items
Sort on Code - sorts data base in alphabetical order
based on items code
Sort on - sorts data base in alphabetical order
Description based on items description
Transfer - copies current item information to the
last selected Estimate item. If the
Estimate item has a quantity then labour
hours are worked out based on this
quantity and the material hours
Above options can also be accessed via the keyboard while
editing - use Insert, A, Delete, C, M, F, R, S and T keys
Window
Main Menu - switches to the Main Menu window
Estimate - Estimate
Materials Dbase - Materials Data Base
AutoCost - AutoCost
Help - Help
.TOPIC:
Auto and Quick Cost
8.00 Auto and Quick Cost
───────────────────
See also Chapter 4.00 Startup - Brief Tutorial
6.00 Estimate
7.00 Material Data Bases
9.00 Time Schedule
Before using this feature it is strongly recommended that
this chapter is read thoroughly. A test estimate should then
be Auto Costed to familiarise users with the methodology
involved.
If Material Data Base items have been transferred/copied into
an Estimate then an Auto Cost will probably not be required.
How Auto Cost Works
───────────────────
Material Dbases that are defined in a .LIS file are loaded and
each Dbase item is searched for in the Estimate, if the item
is found then its rates are copied to the Estimate item.
Auto Cost is not case sensitive, it wil treat Brick, BRICK and
brick as the same word.
List of Data Bases
──────────────────
.LIS list files hold a list of Material Dbases that are used
when Auto Costing, there is a maximum of 100 data bases in each
List file.
The files contain the drive and directory where each Dbase is
located, the maximum path length is 76 characters, exceeding
this length will produce errors.
Various strategies can be adopted for List files, for example
using a single list file with all Dbases in it is easy to keep
track of but makes Auto Costing slow.
Costing Types
─────────────
All of Estimate - costs all of the Estimate
Section Only - only costs a selected Estimate Section using a
Dbase in the List file that has a Description that matches the
Estimate Section Heading.
Section using all Dbases - costs selected Estimate Section using
all Dbase's in the List file.
Use Loaded Data Base - costs all of the Estimate using only the
currently loaded Dbase.
Minimum Word Match - an Estimate item is matched to a Material
Dbase item if it either matches it exactly or has a minimum
number of words that are also in the Material item.
Increasing words to be matched results in more accurate but
fewer matches, lowering this number has an opposite effect.
Setting the Minimum Word Match to 3 is a good compromise.
Match Options
─────────────
After selecting a .LIS file and before the Auto Cost actually
starts the user will be asked if existing Estimate rates are
to be replaced.
Selecting YES replaces any existing Estimate rates with those
found in Dbase items that match Estimate items.
If Estimate items that are not in any Dbase have been used or
existing rates are not to be replaced then select NO.
The user will then be prompted if Estimate items with no
quantities are to be costed, select NO if multi-line item
descriptions have been used.
Section Heading
───────────────
If Auto Cost finds an Estimate Section Heading that matches the
Dbase Description then it will only search that Estimate
section. This reduces time taken to cost the Estimate although
it will skip Estimate sections that may contain items that are
in this currently loaded Dbase.
To avoid this make Dbase Descriptions or Estimate Section
Headings unique so that they will never match each other.
Statistics
──────────
Statistics are displayed after each AutoCost ;
Data Base Items used - total Material Dbase items used
Estimate Items Costed - total Estimate items costed
Exact Matches - total Dbase items that were exactly
matched to Estimate items
Total Matches - total Dbase items that were matched
to Estimate items
Hit Rate - percentage hit rate
Time Started - AutoCost started at this time
Time Finished - AutoCost finished at this time
Total Matches may be more than the number of Estimate items,
this occurs if Minimum Word Match (see above) is set to a low
value, there are several Dbase items that are similar to each
other or different Dbases contain the same item.
Checking
────────
After any Auto Cost the Estimate should be carefully checked
for rates with 0 values and massive or unusual values.
Please note that AutoCost depends on Material Data Base item
descriptions, if several item descriptions are similar to each
other then unexpected results may occur or AutoCost may not
use the appropriate item rates.
Reducing Time Costing
─────────────────────
The only way to reduce the time taken to cost an Estimate is
to reduce the number of Dbases in .LIS files.
Errors while Auto Costing
─────────────────────────
If a message is displayed saying that a file was not found or
could not be opened then one of the Dbases in the List file has
either been erased or moved to another directory.
If any Dbases have been moved or erased after creating a .LIS
file then run the option Edit List, Check Data Bases.
Quick Cost
──────────
Works out an approximate cost for the project based on a cost
per unit2 (m2, sq.ft. etc.) Building Type Rate, it relies on the
users judgement in selecting the appropriate cost per unit2
rates.
There is one user defined Type and three Building Types, rates
for each Type may be edited and saved.
Menu Structure
──────────────
File
Load - loads a List file
Save - saves List file
Unload List - Unloads a loaded List file
Create New - creates a new List file
Save Building - saves the current set of Building Type
Rates rates
Exit - closes down the AutoCost window
Edit List
Add Dbase to List - add a Materials Dbase to the list, the
Insert key can also be used
Remove Dbase - removes Dbase from list, the delete
key can also be used
Edit Description - edits the List description
Sort on File Name - sorts list on Dbase file name
Sort Description - sorts list on Dbase description
Check Data Bases - checks if Dbases in List have been
moved from their directory
AutoCost
Cost All - costs all of Estimate
Cost a Section - costs an Estimate section only
Use Loaded Dbase - only uses the currently loaded Dbase to
cost all of the Estimate
Minimum Word - sets number of words in a Material Dbase
Matches to match against an Estimate item for
it to be a valid match
QuickCost
Total Area - total area of works
Building Type - selects a rate to be used
Rates
Edit Building - edits the Building Type Rates
Type Rates
Window
Main Menu - switches to the Main Menu window
Estimate - Estimate
Materials Dbase - Materials Data Base
AutoCost - AutoCost
Help - Help
.TOPIC:
Time Schedule
9.00 Time Schedule
─────────────
See also Chapter 4.00 Startup - Brief Tutorial
6.00 Estimate
The time schedule is very basic and should only be used as a
rough guide for assessment purposes.
Number of hours worked per week is based on 35 hours per man
and can not be changed.
Each week contains 5 days with each bar ("-") representing one
day. If a section takes less than a day to complete then it is
rounded up to one day. The maximum number of sections that the
time schedule can handle is 99 with a time frame of 3 months.
The time taken to complete a job is dependent on the number of
men working on the job, if the number of men is increased then
the time taken is reduced.
Section Headings
────────────────
Estimate Section Headings are used for the Time Schedule and
there must therefore be at least one Section Heading.
Editing
───────
Edit Time changes start and end dates for each section, the
following is a brief description of each heading ;
Estimated Days - number of days to complete this section,
this is worked out by AEsti and can not be changed.
Your Estimated - users estimated days to complete this
section, if you use 0 (zero) then the value in Estimated
Days will be used instead.
Days From Previous - the number of days after or before
the previous sections end day that you want to start on
this section
For example, if a section called Drainage finished on day
8 and 2 was used for Days From Previous in the next section
then this next section will start on day 11 which is 2 days
after the last section (Drainage) finished. If -2 is used
then the section starts on day 5 which is 2 days prior to
when Drainage ended.
Start and End Days - these are automatically updated
whenever Your Estimated and Days From Previous are edited.
Start day is the day that this section is started on, End
day is the day that this section will be finished on.
Data Location
─────────────
Time Schedule user options such as Users Estimated Days are
kept in each estimate Section Heading. If a Section Heading
is changed to an item or is erased then this data is also
erased.
Menu Structure
──────────────
File
Print - prints the Time Schedule
Exit - closes down the Time Schedule window
Edit - Users Estimated and Days from Previous
View - views the Time Schedule
Window
Main Menu - switches to the Main Menu window
Estimate - Estimate
Materials Dbase - Materials Data Base
AutoCost - AutoCost
Help - Help
.TOPIC:
Printing
10.0 Printing
────────
Print routines use Epson escape codes and will work with any
printer supporting these codes. Even if your printer does
not support these codes then it is likely that the print
routines will work with your printer.
All print options are saved to an .iNi file when the program
is exited.
Print Destination
─────────────────
Before printing any data you will be prompted to send it to
either a printer on LPT1, LPT2 or LPT3 or a disk file.
Printers are usually attached to the printer port LPT1.
Disk files are in plain ASCii format, they may be imported
into any word processor that can import this format, most
word processors support this format.
Epson Print Options
───────────────────
All options in the Epson print Options box, except for Lines
per Page, require an Epson compatible printer.
Lines per Page
This is the number of lines of text that will be printed on
each page, most printers are capable of 66. Setting this to
0 (zero) will enable continuous feed.
There is a minimum limit of 10 and a maximum limit of 199
lines to each page.
The printer must be on-line and ready to print when any of
the following options are selected ;
Letter Quality - turns on letter quality mode
Condensed On - turns on condensed print mode, prints
text in a compressed format
Condensed Off - turns off condensed print mode
Elite 12cpi - sets printer to use this font
Pica 10cpi - sets printer to use this font
Enhanced Estimate
─────────────────
All printing routines, except for the Enhanced Estimate, are
based on an 80 column printer in 10 cpi mode.
The Enhanced Estimate requires a 110 column printer or one
that accepts the Condensed On option which prints text in
a compressed format.
Printed Bar Characters
──────────────────────
Some line characters such as "═" may not print correctly if
the printer is set to a mode that does not support these
characters.
Trouble Shooting
────────────────
Most types of printers have been successfully used with
the software ; 9 pin, 24 pin, bubble jets and lasers.
If you have trouble printing then try adjusting the printer
by means of its software, internal DIP switches or control
panel and alter the configuration to Epson mode.
The most common problem is if the printer is not compatible or
is not in Epson mode and the Epson options such as Condensed
On is used. This will sometimes lock the printer or it will
not accept the printed data.
If your printer will not accept any codes or you can get no
printed output then do NOT use the Epson Options.
If you still get no printed output then print to a disk file
and then import this file into a word processor and print it
from within the word processor
Printing to a File
──────────────────
Please note that the Enhanced options such as Condensed
print are not used when printing to a file.
.TOPIC:
Tips
11.0 Tips
────
This chapter covers some general tips and pointers, experienced
contractors will no doubt be aware of the estimating pitfalls
described.
General
───────
Always manually check all data that any software produces, do
not accept without question the data that ANY program creates.
Data Protection
───────────────
Making backup copies of data depends on how much users value
it, before users dismiss backing up as not worthwhile as their
system never crashes, consider how long it will take to recreate
any data if it was destroyed.
It is good practice to make regular backup copies of any data
onto media not connected to the system i.e. floppy disks.
If a backup copy is held on a hard disk that also contains the
original data and the hard disk fails then both sets of data
will be lost !
Users should also consider where backup copies are held, there
is no point in having up to date backups if the media is held
in an office which is burgled or burns down ! This may seem a
bit extreme but it has been known to happen.
Those users working in large companies may also have to consider
how valuable the data is and who has access to it.
Saving
──────
Save an Estimate or Data Base after editing and save Estimates
before carrying out Auto Costs.
Estimating
──────────
Instead of creating an Estimate from scratch it is quicker
to create a template estimate that contains section headings
and/or materials that are used most often in similar works.
TEMPLATE.EST is a typical example of a template estimate.
Try to create estimates in a logical manner as if the structure
was actually being built from the ground up ; Drainage,
Foundations, Walls etc.
Smaller jobs, due to their nature, cost more per square metre
than larger jobs, as a rough guide allow 50% labour and 50%
materials cost for jobs up to £ 30 000 in value. Anything more
than £ 30 000 is usually about 33% labour and 66% materials,
these values obviously depend on the type of works.
Study any drawings before starting an Estimate, this gives an
overall view of any problem areas and where major costs are.
Make a rough guess as to the final cost for the works and then
compare this with the Estimated cost.
Go through an Estimate two or three times to make sure that
no items have been missed. It also helps to leave it for a
day and then examine it from a fresh view point.
Sub Contractors
───────────────
All sub contractors costs have the profit percentage applied
to them, to leave these costs "as is" simple remove the profit
margin that will be added.
The equation to do this is - Quote/(1+(Profit %/100))
Material Data Bases
───────────────────
Certain items are regularly used in most building projects
i.e. bricks, blocks, plasterboard etc.
These items may be put into a single Data Base as this will
allow easier copying into the Estimate when editing.
In certain cases it will also speed up the Auto Cost and make
the Data Base easier to update.
Data Bases may also be created for a certain type of job i.e.
a garage extension. On the same theme, they may be specific
to a location in the structure ; kitchen, bathroom, etc.
.TOPIC:
Miscellany
12.0 Miscellany
──────────
See also Chapter 13.0 Program Limits
14.0 Trouble Shooting
15.0 Frequently asked Questions
16.0 Upgrading from Previous Versions
Speeding up Software
────────────────────
Using a software or hardware disk cache will reduce the time
required to load and save files, it will therefore also reduce
any AutoCost.
Most operating systems provide a disk cache or have one built in,
for example the disk cache in Windows for Workgroups v3.11 is
called Vcache.
Help
────
Using Help while in Aesti requires the file -MANUALE.HLP to be
in the current directory where Aesti is located.
Colour
──────
The software was designed for use with colour displays, it
is possible to use a mono display but some options may not
show up too well or may not be shown at all.
Compressed & Non DOS Drives
───────────────────────────
There may be problems with some compressed drives or file
systems that do not use the DOS FAT (file) system.
Co-processor Chip
─────────────────
Some options use on-the-fly calculations and a co-processor
chip for SX and older 386/286 systems usually makes screen
updates slightly quicker.
If you are not using a co-processor or have a slow PC and
find the window scrolling speed to be unacceptable then try
reducing the window size.
.TOPIC:
Program Limits
13.0 Program Limits
──────────────
See also Chapter 18.0 Future Releases
Maximum Items
─────────────
Registered versions of the software are limited to 1000 estimate
items and 500 material data base items in each file.
If an estimate goes over 1000 items then a possible solution is
to break it up into different files.
For example, if the user was costing the construction of a large
house then it may be split into several parts ; the main house
structure would be saved to one file, the garage to another,
external works to another etc.
Item Descriptions
─────────────────
Estimate and Material Data Base item descriptions are limited
to 30 characters, this is not a problem for Estimate items as
a multi-line description can be used.
This limit was set to cater for 80 character wide printers.
Minimum System Requirements
───────────────────────────
PC XT, 1.44 floppy drive, 550k free memory, mono display, DOS
3.3 or later. Running from a floppy is possible but not practical
as the Auto Cost will be too slow.
Recommended System Requirements
───────────────────────────────
386 dx33mhz or better, 600k free memory DOS 5 or later, hard
disk and colour display
Values Limits
─────────────
The maximum value that a quantity, cost, labour hours etc. may
have is 999 999, maximum hourly rate is 99 999, there is also
a limit of £ 999 999 for a total single item cost.
Any value preceeded with a % sign or is displayed as N/A means
it is out of the programs range to display it and usually
occurs if the value is greater than £ 999 999.99.
If you work with quantities or costs greater than this then
this software is probably not suitable for your requirements.
Precision
─────────
The software uses single seven digit precision and may give
unexpected results due to rounding. For example, a price may
total £ 16.78 although a manual check gives £ 16.77. However,
the actual figure is 16.776 and the program has rounded the
.776 to .78. If it had been .774 then the figure would have
been rounded down to .77.
For small contracts of less than £ 250 000 this typically
produces rounding errors of a few pence, larger contracts
that use single item costs greater than £ 999 999 will be
out by several pounds.
Although this is not considered to be a major problem we are
currently working on a fix for this.
Estimate sub totals are rounded to the nearest pound.
Networks
────────
This version is for use on stand-alone systems only and is
probably not suitable for networked systems.
.TOPIC:
Trouble Shooting
14.0 Trouble Shooting
────────────────
See also Chapter 12.0 Miscellany
13.0 Program Limits
Although we are unable to test the software with every possible
PC configuration and operating system, the software will work
on most systems without any problems.
Problem Solving
───────────────
Working out how to use software is usually just a case of
trial and error. If you encounter a problem then work through
it in in a logical manner ; read all documentation, try all
available options, try different key combinations etc.
Software Will Not Run
─────────────────────
If the software will not run or locks up the system then try
starting it with the command line of AESTI /S
The /S option switches off system and internal checking which
may allow the software to run but may also produce unpredictable
results or crash the system.
If the software was previously running and then crashed try
erasing the AESTI.INI file.
Operating Systems
─────────────────
The software can be run under most GUI's (graphical user
interfaces) or non DOS operating systems that support DOS
sessions.
Although it has been successfully run as a DOS session under
Windows v3.xx, Windows 95 and OS/2, we are unable to give help
on these systems as there are just too many options to setup
and get wrong.
If other DOS software has been successfully run then this
software will also probably run under your operating system.
If the software will not run then refer to your operating
system manual about running DOS software.
System Configurations
─────────────────────
Non standard PC's or displays, such as portables and 640x400
CGA, may cause problems. This applies to TSR's (terminate and
stay resident programs) and GUI (graphical user interface) or
shell front ends, try running the software from the DOS prompt
with no TSR's loaded.
Warning !
─────────
Before changing AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS or any other system
files you are advised to make backup copies of these files
and have a bootable floppy disk in case you make the system
unbootable.
Startup
───────
When the software starts it carries out a system check and
displays the following messages if it encounters an error ;
"Not enough memory" - AEsti requires at least 550k of free
conventional memory. See below - Running Out of Memory
"AEsti not found in current directory" - change to AEsti's
directory and start it from there or if running from a GUI
change the working directory to AEsti's directory.
"EXE file corrupt" - AESTI.EXE may have been damaged,
install the software again.
Locks up the System
───────────────────
Badly behaved TSR, background or other driver software may
be conflicting with AEsti.
If the program has crashed or locked the system then try ;
a) Run from the DOS prompt and from the directory where it
was installed to. Do not run it from a shell environment
or GUI as this may be running in the background and
conflicting with the program.
b) Badly behaved TSR's are usually the main cause of software
crashes. Re-boot the computer from a bootable floppy disk
using a bare-bones system with no TSR's loaded. If the
program works then one of the previously installed TSR's
in AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS was causing the problem.
Allocating Memory
─────────────────
If there is not enough memory to use the maximum number of
Estimate and Material Dbase items then a message will be
displayed showing the maximum items allowed.
Loading an existing file which has more items in it than the
maximum items allowed in memory will result in not all of the
items being loaded or subsequently saved.
The software can still be used if it does not allocate the
maximum number of items but there may not be enough memory
to use other options such as Auto Cost or Help.
Running out of Memory
─────────────────────
Although AEsti will work with 550k of free memory, it is
recommended that there is at least 600k of free conventional
memory as this allows all Help screens and options to be
used.
Before trying any of the solutions below please refer to your
DOS or operating system manual for information on increasing
conventional memory.
Loading Drivers High
────────────────────
On 386, 486 & Pentium systems with DOS version 5 or later,
all device drivers can be loaded into the high memory area
by using HIMEM.SYS, this frees up more conventional memory.
For drivers in CONFIG.SYS use the commands ;
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\MOUSE.SYS (typical driver)
and for AUTOEXEC.BAT use ;
LOADHIGH C:\DOS\MOUSE.SYS
Bootable Floppy Disk
────────────────────
Boot the computer from a bootable floppy disk with a bare
bones system on it. If the software works then one of the
previously loaded drivers in CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT was
crashing the software.
See below - How to Make a Boot Disk
Changing AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS
────────────────────────────────────
Try "rem"ming out any drivers from AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS
and re-start the system. A typical line in CONFIG.SYS is ;
DEVICE=C:\DOS\MOUSE.SYS
To rem it out so that this driver is not loaded ;
rem DEVICE=C:\DOS\MOUSE.SYS
Directories
───────────
If the program is moved from its original install directory
or has been moved from another drive then erase the AESTI.INI
file, a new file will be created with correct settings.
All files that make up the software must reside in the same
directory.
File Names
──────────
The software only supports DOS file names, there is a maximum
limit of 8 characters for the file name and 3 characters for the
file extension. A typical example for a file using the maximum
allowable characters is TEST8012.EST
How to Make a Boot Disk
───────────────────────
To make a floppy boot disk from the DOS prompt put a blank
disk in the A drive and type in SYS A:
Leave the floppy in the drive and re-boot the computer, the
system should boot off the floppy.
If it has not then the BIOS may have to be changed to set the
boot order to A: C: so that the system looks at the floppy
drive first and then, if there is a disk in the drive, boots
off that instead of the hard disk.
To change the BIOS you usually have to press a key while the
system is booting up and before any memory or system checks
occur. To find out what key to press refer to your systems
documentation, if you have no documentation then try pressing
F10 or Delete.
Before changing any BIOS settings make a note of the current
settings or press the Prt Scrn (Print Screen) button while in
the BIOS to dump the screen to a printer.
Hardware Failures
─────────────────
Some hardware failures are sometimes hard to detect and this
is especially true if it is of an intermittent nature. If
several programs are behaving erratically then the chances
are that some hardware component has partially failed.
A typical example is when software is located on a bad disk
sector, although the software appears to work correctly for
most of the time it will occasionally corrupt a data file or
screen display.
A solution to this is to run a disk utility to correct the
problem and then re-install the software.
.TOPIC:
Frequently asked Questions
15.0 Frequently asked Questions
──────────────────────────
See also Chapter 4.00 StartUp - Brief Tutorial
14.0 Trouble Shooting
18.0 Future Releases
Q = Question A = Answer
General
───────
Q - I have a mouse but the program does not recognise it.
The mouse cursor is not visible.
A - A mouse driver must be loaded before AEsti is started. Note
that some mono, LCD or obscure displays may not display the
mouse cursor.
Q - Some options do not display properly on my mono display.
A - AEsti is optimised for colour systems, future versions may
allow the user to select screen colours.
Q - I try to open the Help window and it says that there is
not enough memory.
A - There is not enough memory to use this option.
Q - When I save a file it displays a "File Save Error" message
A - Make sure that the disk media is not write protected,
directory and drive names are valid and that there is a
disk in the selected drive.
Q - Scolling through some of the windows seems to be very slow
A - From the main menu switch on the Keyboard Accelerator
Running under Windows 3.xx
──────────────────────────
Q - When running in a windowed DOS box colours are brighter
than usual and some options are not displayed.
Mouse does not work when running in a windowed DOS box
A - Run it in a full screen DOS box.
Q - A message says that it can not find a file.
A - From within Windows, change the programs Property for its
Working Directory to where AESTI.EXE is located.
Main Menu Setup Options
───────────────────────
Q - How do I save the settings
A - System settings are automatically saved and loaded to the
file AESTI.iNi
Q - I change the separator bar to a "───" (decimal 196) and it
displays correctly on the screen but it does not print out
A - The printer must be Epson compatible to handle these
extended characters, set the printer to Epson mode or use
the minus sign as the separator.
Q - The screen display option to change to 43 & 50 line modes
does not work
The 43 line mode works but the 50 line does not
A - A compatible VGA card is required for both options.
If running from a GUI then the software MUST be run full
screen for these options to work, some GUI's do not allow
43 & 50 line modes even in full screen mode.
Q - The keyboard accelerator does not work
A - This option will not work on some systems or one of the
CMOS settings may have disabled it.
A similar keyboard accelerator utility is supplied with
most versions of DOS, it is usually called MODE. This can
set the keyboard typematic rate and speed up the display.
The DOS command line using MS-DOS 6.xx is
MODE CON RATE=32 DELAY=1
For other DOS versions refer to your manual for the syntax.
Some systems allow the typematic rate to be changed from
within the CMOS. To alter CMOS settings the system must
be rebooted and a certain key pressed down during the boot
up sequence, it's usually the Delete key or F10.
Setup Special Note
──────────────────
If the setup options were changed and the software crashes the
system when it is started again then one of the options may be
incompatible with your system. Erase the AESTI.iNI file and
change the setup options again.
Typically this will occur if 43 line mode is used in a full
screen DOS session under a GUI and then the user trys to
run the software again in a DOS window.
Estimate
────────
Q - When I try to add an Estimate item it says that it will
exceed the maximum items.
A - The maximum items is displayed below the main menu's AEsti
logo at the right hand side of the Licence information.
Q - I type in a description for an item and it appears to be
correct but after filling in all the other item data the
item description has been shortened.
A - Each item description is limited to 30 characters, carry
the description over to the next item if it is longer
than this.
Q - How do I move more than one item at a time.
A - There is currently no option to do this.
Q - Sub totals will not display between sections.
A - Leave two blank items after the last item in a section.
Q - I leave two blank items between sections but the sub
totals still do not display.
A - Try erasing these two blank items and then inserting two
blank items again.
Q - Estimate window scrolling is slower than scrolling the
Material Data Base window.
A - Section sub totals are calculated on-the-fly, leaving out
sub totals (use one blank item instead of two) or reducing
the window height will speed up scrolling.
Using a mouse and the right vertical scroll bar is faster
than using a keyboard.
Material Data Bases
───────────────────
Q - Are the prices and rates correct.
A - They are supplied for demonstration purposes ONLY and
should NOT be used for any real Estimates.
^^^
Q - How do I put in more than 500 material items.
A - Each Materials Dbase is limited to 500 items in each file.
Q - I type in a description for an item and it appears to be
correct but after filling in all the other item data the
item description has been shortened.
A - Each item description is limited to 30 characters.
Q - How do I move more than one item at a time.
A - There is currently no option to do this.
Auto Cost
─────────
Q - During an Auto Cost it stops and says that a Dbase was
not found.
A - One of the Material Dbases has been moved or erased after
the .LIS had this Dbase added to it.
Run the option Edit List, Check Data Bases.
Time Schedule
─────────────
Q - The time taken for the estimate goes off the 12 week scale,
how can I view the rest of the time schedule.
A - This is currently limited to 12 weeks.
Q - How can I reduce or increase the number of hours worked
by each man for each week.
A - This is fixed at 35 hours per week for each man.
.TOPIC:
Upgrading from Previous Versions
16.0 Upgrading from Previous Versions
────────────────────────────────
Backing Up
──────────
Before proceeding with any installation you MUST first make a
backup copy of ALL old files to a floppy disk. Do not backup to
the same media where the old version is located.
It is important to backup the old version as there is little
chance of recovering accidentally erased files.
Install Considerations
──────────────────────
If you use the Auto Cost feature and have made several .LiS
files then install this new version into the same directory as
the old version, use the -EXIST.BAT batch file.
Auto Cost .LiS files contain information about where material
data bases are located on disk, copying or moving these data
bases may therefore make .LiS files unusable.
If you do not use the Auto Cost feature then the software may
be installed into any directory.
Installing into a New Directory
───────────────────────────────
Use INSTALL.EXE to install the software.
Installing over a Previous Version
──────────────────────────────────
The INSTALL.EXE installer will NOT overwrite any existing files,
to install over an existing version users must use the batch
file -EXIST.BAT.
Installing over a Previous Version Manually
───────────────────────────────────────────
Copy all files with .EXE, .DOC and .HLP file extensions from
the disk or archive where the new version is located to the
directory where the old version is located.
Setting Up
──────────
Once installed the new version will require configuring, from
the main menu select Setup and change the relevant options.
Registered Users
────────────────
If you have previously bought a copy of the software then you
will have an AESTI.KEY file, this makes all features available.
Make sure that there is a backup copy of AESTI.KEY and after
installing this new version copy the file into the directory
where the new version was installed into.
.TOPIC:
Support and Help
17.0 Support and Help
────────────────
A registered user is someone who has actually bought a copy of
the software, the shareware version is NOT a registered version.
You must be a registered user to receive support, we will NOT
give support to un-registered users.
Unfortunately, this has resulted from personal experience of
helping people who promised registrations and never followed
through. However, we will answer queries from un-registered
users as long as the query is specifically about the program
itself and not other software.
Please see the file -ORDER.DOC for more information on the
current support policy.
Beginners
─────────
We are unable to help those users who have little experience
of, or are new to computers and computer software, we suggest
that such users buy a suitable book on the subject.
Expecting ourselves to explain how to make a DOS directory or
copy files from a floppy disk is not really on !
.TOPIC:
Future Releases
18.0 Future Releases
───────────────
Due to work commitments we can give no definite release date
for the next version of AEsti. Features that are currently
being worked on or considered for the next version ;
Windows version
Under test
Estimate
Increasing items to 32000 in each file
Allow item cost values and totals to exceed 1 million for
multi million pound works
Increasing item descriptions from 30 to 64 characters
Material Data Bases
Increasing items to 32000 in each file
We are considering supplying up to date Material Data
Bases with registered versions, these are used in our own
business and are updated regularly, prices and rates in
them are for the UK market.
Time Schedule
This is a new option in the current version, it is crude
and is still being tested.
Edit number of hours worked by each man for each week
General
Extended/Expanded memory support
Export data files to CSV (comma separated value) format
for importing into spreadsheets and other software
Drag'n drop for file manager, item copying, editing etc.
Network aware version
Registrations
─────────────
Please note that a lot of time and effort has been put into
this software. Any future releases depend on the number of
registrations received.
FeedBack
────────
We welcome any feedback or constructive criticism as this
enables the software to be modified to your requirements.
Even if you are using a shareware copy we will still welcome
any feedback.
.TOPIC:
Ordering & Distribution Info
19.0 Distribution
────────────
The shareware version does NOT include an AESTI.KEY file.
You are encouraged to distribute the Shareware version
provided that no fee is charged for its distribution and that
the archive and files are not modified in any way. However,
pay Bulletin Board Systems may charge their normal fee
provided that no additional charge is made.
This software may not be included as part of any software
library which is distributed on a commercial (for money)
basis without prior written permission from the Authors.
How to Order
────────────
Ordering and price information are in the -ORDER.DOC file.
Shareware & Registered Versions
───────────────────────────────
There are very few differences between the registered and
shareware versions.
The shareware version is limited in the maximum estimate
items and it will display a registration reminder when it
closes down, there are no other "nag" screens.
The registered version will include the latest features and
any bug fixes.
Why Should I Register ?
───────────────────────
You may think that there is no point in buying a registered
copy of a shareware program as the software may be used
indefinitely.
However, buying a registered copy provides an incentive for
the authors to keep supporting the software, makes sure that
relatively cheap programs are available and ensures that
software will be developed to the benefit of the user.
.TOPIC:
Disclaimer
20.0 Disclaimer & Licence
────────────────────
Shareware License
─────────────────
The Shareware version has been released on a "try before you
buy basis", it is not free.
This allows evaluation of the software for a limited period
of 90 days after which you are obliged to either purchase a
registered copy or stop using it.
The following Licence Information and Disclaimer also apply
to the Shareware version.
Licensing Information
─────────────────────
The Authors retain the ownership of this software but this
copy is licensed to you under the following conditions.
You may use the software on one computer and by one user at
any time. You may not use or provide use of the software in a
commercial, business or multiple user system to users who are
not individually licensed by the Authors.
Derivative works may not be created from this software and
it may not be modified, reverse-engineered, disassembled or
decompiled.
The authors reserve the right to discontinue support and to
refuse any registrations, they are in no way obligated to
provide support for or future versions of this software.
Disclaimer
──────────
This software is provided 'as is' without warranty of any kind.
The Authors do not warrant, guarantee or make any representations
regarding the use or results of use of the software in terms of
correctness, accuracy or reliability.
The entire risk as to the results and performance of the software
is assumed by you.
The Authors shall not be liable for any direct, indirect,
consequential or incidental damages (including business profits,
information and the like) arising out of the use or inability to
use the software.
All software and documentation are copyrighted with all rights
reserved. Neither documentation or software may be copied,
reproduced, reduced or translated to any readable form without
the prior written consent of the Authors.
Copyright (c) 1989-96 Duke Associates, Gosforth, Newcastle
upon Tyne, NE3 2DX, England, all rights reserved.
Trademarks
──────────
All trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective
owners.
MS-DOS is a registered trademark and Windows is a trademark of
Microsoft Corporation
IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines
Corporation
Stacker is a registered trademark of STAC Electronics