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CrafTracker 1.6 User's Manual
CrafTracker 1.6 copyright 1992, 1993 by Stephen Ginsburg,
all rights reserved.
* Warranty Disclaimer
THE AUTHOR OF CRAFTRACKER MAKES NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND/OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE.
THE AUTHOR DOES NOT ASSUME ANY LIABILITY FOR THE USE OF THIS
SOFTWARE BEYOND THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE PRICE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
IN NO EVENT WILL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY ADDITIONAL
DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS, OR OTHER
INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING FROM THE USE OF, OR
INABILITY TO USE, THIS SOFTWARE AND ITS ACCOMPANYING
DOCUMENTATION, EVEN IF THE AUTHOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
Keyboard conventions used in this manual (For computer novices)
Cryptic symbols such as F1 and <Enter> are merely the names
of the keys on the IBM keyboard. These names are usually stamped
right on the keys themselves, so there shouldn't be any confusion.
When an instruction is given like so:
<Alt>+F1
it means to press and hold down the "Alt" key while you press the
F1 key. Note that on some keyboards, the "Enter" key (<Enter>) is
called "Return".
Introduction
CrafTracker v1.6, Home Business Manager, is a proprietorship
Schedule C software package for personal computers running
MS-DOS 3.3 or greater. It is designed for small businesses in
manufacturing or trade, operated by a sole proprietor. It is a
simplified system to record the figures needed to complete the
Schedule C part of the business owner's federal tax return, as
well as figures needed for state sales tax return, monthly or
quarterly. In addition, although CrafTracker is not a full
accounting package with a general ledger, nor is it point-of-
sale software, nevertheless, you can maintain records of what
you sell and what you spend, and keep an account balance for your
business' checkbook. Optionally, the program will help you track
your inventory.
This manual is divided into four sections. Section I covers
the installation and setup of the program, CrafTracker 1.6.
Section II, "First Things First", offers suggestions on what you
should do once you have installed the program and are about to
run it for the first time. Additionally, it covers an overview
of the program. Section III explains how to read the screens and
use the keyboard to communicate with the software.
NOTE: Almost all of the material in Section III can be found
online (that is, on a screen while the program is running) by
pressing the "Help" key, F1. That means, that if you are stuck
in the middle of something you don't understand while using
CrafTracker, you can press the F1 function key, and a "window"
with a helpful program tips will "pop up" at the bottom of the
screen. Furthermore, in many cases pressing F1 a second time
(while the first help screen is up) will bring up another window
with more than one line of additional help. Moreover, the <Alt>+F1
combination, will toggle the help screen from normal size to full
size.
Finally, Section IV is concerned with how to use the program
throughout the year to manage the most important aspects of your
home business.
NOTE: CrafTracker is designed to be user friendly. A person
with only a little computer experience should be up and running
with confidence in no time, and power users can probably skim or
skip much of the detail. Nevertheless, it is assumed that you
have some knowledge of your computer and its operation. This
would include familiarity with the keyboard and the various
controls on your computer, as well as a rudimentary
understanding of the operating system, MS-DOS, particularly as it
relates to the management of files and directories, and the
basic operating system commands. If you are a brand new PC user,
you will need to consult your DOS manuals and perhaps other
sources before you can use this program comfortably.
Section I: Installation and setup
* Requirements
First, please be aware that to run CrafTracker you must have
the proper equipment, namely, a computer that either is, or is
100% compatible with, an IBM PC, XT, AT, 80386, or 80486,
running MS-DOS* or PC-DOS* operating system version 3.1 or
better, and preferably with a minimum of 512k RAM. It will also
be necessary that your system have a hard drive with at least
700kb free disk space before installation. Because CrafTracker
will more than likely write new data to disk each time you use
it, the more free disk space you have the better, although it
should be noted that the program is not unusually "disk-hungry".
* Program files
The files needed to run the program are automatically copied to
your hard drive during installation. However, when CrafTracker is
run it checks to see whether there existin its directory the
necessary database and index files. If the search comes up short,
these files are created.
NOTE: CrafTracker expects all of its files to be located in the
same directory, and will not work properly if this is not so.
Section II: First Things First
Now that you've installed the program you will need to know
what to do first in order to make the most of its services.
Also, you may want to have a summary of the program's capabilities.
Here are some facts and suggestions:
1) From the Main Menu select "Inventory" and press the "Enter"
(Return) key. (We'll refer to this key from now on as <Enter>).
You'll see a blank Inventory form on screen, and partially over
it a message window (in red on a color monitor) informing you
that there are no records in the inventory. Press a key to make
the message disappear. The cursor (the cyan colored highlight
bar on a color monitor, reverse video on monochrome) is on the
first data field, called "Model ID or Part". If you have taken a
"Beginning inventory" at cost, as required on the IRS Form 1040
Schedule C, you might want to do so now (if it's the beginning
of the year!). If you have taken your inventory by some other
means, you may transcribe it to CrafTracker now. See below,
Sections III and IV, for a better understanding of how to
accomplish this. Look at CrafTracker's Archive facility
specifically.
2) CrafTracker thinks that any inventory currently of record is
a year-end inventory. That is to say, the total value of the
current inventory of record is inserted into CrafTracker's
Schedule C Report in line 39, "Final Inventory". You need to
tell CrafTracker that the inventory you have just taken (or
transcribed to CrafTracker from some other record) is a
beginning-of-year inventory. CrafTracker will put this total
into line 33, "Beginning Inventory". To do this, select
"Archive" from the Main Menu and press <Enter>. You will see the
"Archive Data" form on your screen. Answer the first two
questions by pressing "n", for "no", and answer the third
question, that asks you whether you want to archive the current
inventory, by pressing "y", for "yes". CrafTracker will then
automatically archive the inventory you have just taken, or
transferred. Now, any subsequent inventory you take will be
considered an end-of-year inventory if you generate a Schedule C
report. More information is to be found below in Section IV.
NOTE: Important!! Realize that ARCHIVING your inventory deletes
whatever previous inventory CrafTracker considered to be the
Beginning Inventory, as figured in line 33 of the Schedule C
form. Furthermore, whatever inventory is current becomes the new
Beginning Inventory if you Archive it.
Therefore, approach this function cautiously.
3) You may wish to record your local sales tax rate so that
CrafTracker can speed up some calculations for you. From the
Main Menu <Enter> "Set Sales Tax" and follow instructions on the
form that you will see. You can do this as often as you like.
Once again, more information on this can be found in Section IV.
4) Recording Sales -- Each sale is recorded in a row (line) of
the Sales Journal. You can bring up the Sales Journal from the
Main Menu. The Main Menu is the first thing you see on the
screen (after the two "nag" screens you get in the
unregistered, shareware version). Each row in the Sales Journal
tracks date, invoice number, item identification, customer
identification, unit price, extension, sales tax collected,
total collected, and whether or not the sale is an account
receivable.
Note on using invoices to track your sales: Although it is not
absolutely necessary, CrafTracker will keep better track of your
sales if you assign each one some identifying number to be
recorded under the column heading "Invoice Number". (Obviously,
if you ARE using invoices in your business, it is those numbers
which you record in that column.) Moreover, you can print an in-
voice from the Sales Journal.
5) Recording Expenses -- Each time you spend money on the
business, whether for purchase of materials directly related to
manufacture, other miscellaneous purchases, or expenses, you
record the transaction in the Expenses And Purchases Journal.
This screen is also available from the Main menu. The Expenses
And Purchases journal tracks date, check number, vendor
identification, and amount and type of expense. The "expense
type" is important for the creation of the Schedule C report
which CrafTracker prepares for you at tax time.
Additionally, you can note whether the expense is an account
payable.
6) Returns and Allowances - Returns and Allowances, though not
strictly speaking expenses or purchases, are nonetheless handled
in the Expenses And Purchases Journal as an "expense type". If
you've recorded a sale, and later the item is returned for full
credit, you can enter this transaction into the Expenses And
Purchases Journal, and record the expense type under "Returns
and Allowances". If you've recorded a sale and later made an
allowance for some of the purchase price, again, you can enter
the amount into the Expenses And Purchases Journal and record
the expense type as "Returns and Allowances". For more
information on how to enter data into the Expenses And Purchases
Journal, and more on "expense types", please refer to Section
III.
7) Managing Accounts Receivable - Accounts receivable are
tracked through the Sales Journal. When you record a sale on a
line of the journal, the last column in the line asks you to
state whether or not the transaction is a charge sale. If so,
another form pops up onto the screen, the Accounts Receivable
form, in which you may enter additional information pertaining
to the sale. Moreover, a full Accounts Receivable ledger is
available as a choice from the Main Menu.
8) Managing Accounts Payable - the last column of the Expenses
And Purchases Journal allows you to select whether or not the
particular transaction is a payable account. There is an Accounts
Payable form which is accessible from the Main Menu, as well as
from within the Expenses And Purchases Journal.
9) Depreciation - This item on the IRS Form 1040 Schedule C is
not explicitly figured by CrafTracker. You must supply this
yourself. For assistance, consult a tax professional.
10) Home Office Expenses - This item on the IRS Form 1040
Schedule C is not explicitly figured by CrafTracker. You must
supply this yourself. For assistance, consult a tax professional.
11) How is my business doing? - The sine qua non of CrafTracker
is its ability to assemble the figures needed for your IRS form
1040 Schedule C at the end of the year. Essentially, this form
is a report which can tell you whether or not your business is
profitable. It's referred to as a "Profit and Loss" statement.
However, because past and current inventory figure into this
calculation, it is essential, if you want the most accurate,
up-to-date figures, that you take and archive your
beginning-of-year inventory in a timely fashion.
A simpler method is to ignore the Schedule C Report and just
compare totals from the two journals to see which is greater,
total sales or total expenses.
New this version is an addendum to the Schedule C Report, which
furnishes figures for a Form 1040 Schedule SE short form.
12) Invoice Printing - New this version. Optionally print invoices
from data entered in the Sales Journal. Normally, this would be the
reverse order of operations - you'd write the invoice, make the sale,
and then record it in a Sales Journal, but CrafTracker is primarily
for businesses run out of the home, often not the point-of-sale
where you meet the customer face to face.
13) Record your business name and address in a configuration file.
This feature is new this version.
14) Bookkeeping - If you use a checking account for your business,
and you diligently record all transactions in the appropriate forms
in CrafTracker, then you can obtain your account balance by acces-
sing the function of the same name from the Main Menu. Admittedly,
most (if not all other) accounting packages use a complex, general
ledger system.
We considered this, when designing the present software, and dis-
missed it as being to unwieldy for anyone without training as a
bookkeeper or accountant. The fact that these professionals can
understand this esoterica at all is probably why they get the big
bucks. So, for the rest of us, although it may seem a little strange,
we have what we believe is a simpler, though more roundabout way of
doing things. You have a "form" for recording sales, one for expenses,
and another for recording other kinds of cash receipts. Additionally,
you track money you owe (and haven't yet paid), and money owed to you
(you haven't yet collected), and CrafTracker will calculate how much
cash you've got, and it will know how to put all the data together to
prepare reports for tax purposes.
15) Tracking Sales Tax payments - New this release. Choosing
Generate Sales Tax Report from the Main Menu brings up a screen in which
you can track the sales tax you've collected during a specified period. Use
this to help you figure out how much you owe the State when the tax you've
collected from customers is due.
16) Adjusting Inventory - New this release. From the Main Menu you can
choose to allow CrafTracker to adjust your inventory when you sell or
purchase an item you've recorded in the Model Identification form or in
your inventory. When you use this feature, it may no longer be necessary
for you to take a physical inventory after the very first time. (Unless you
are leery of pilferage or other similar loss)
17) Password protection - From the Main Menu select Set Password. You will
be prompted to enter a new password, of up to ten characters,
and confirm it. Thereafter, this passsword will stand between you and
your data when you attempt to run the program. You can, however,
disable the password protection at any time.
Section III: Using the program
CrafTracker presents itself to its users as a conglomeration
of three types of screen pictures, or "windows": message
windows, data forms, and a Main Menu. A window is a section of
the screen that looks like a box or rectangle. It is a different
color from the background, and has a noticeable border.
Renderings of most of these screens can be found in the next
section. Moreover, most of what follows below can be found on
screen by pressing the Help key, F1.
* Message windows
Message windows are simply that and no more; they relate
useful information to the user and require no interaction or
entry of data other than pressing of a a key to signal to the
program that you are through reading the screen and wish to
continue.
NOTE: In most cases, to quickly remove a message window from the
screen (exit the window), press the "Escape" key (<ESC>).
* The Main Menu
The Main Menu is CrafTracker's command center. It is from
there that you select particular functions of the program that
you wish to engage during a CrafTracker session. To choose a
function, for example, the Sales Journal, do one of two things:
Use the Up or Down Arrow keys to highlight the selection you
want and then press <Enter>, or simply press the highlighted
letter of the selection you want. For instance, if you want to
record a sale in the Sales Journal from the Main Menu you can
either highlight the "Sales Journal" line (line 1) and press
<Enter>, or you can simply press 's'. The Sales Journal form
will come up on screen.
NOTE: On a color monitor the cursor (highlight bar) will appear
as cyan, and the highlighted letters are yellow on magenta. On a
monochrome system the highlights are in reverse video.
* Data forms
The Sales Journal, and most of the screens in CrafTracker, are
data forms. These are windows that require you to fill in
information for the program. A line or other space in which one
piece of information goes is called a "field". For example, the
program might prompt you for a telephone number and require that
you type the number in a certain area of the screen. This would
be referred to as the "Telephone Number" field. (Throughout this
manual we've capitalized names of forms and fields, and
additionally, put field names in quotes.)
You navigate forms and fields by pressing "hot keys". In
general, you can move from one field to the next, on a given
form, by pressing the "next Field" key, F8. Likewise, you can
back up to the previous field by pressing the "previous field"
key, F7. Also, in most cases Right and Left or Up and Down
Arrows will accomplish the same thing. The <Enter> key will also
move the cursor to the next form item, but it has the additional
functionality of "accepting", i.e., recording, the data you have
put into the field you are leaving. In general, to get from
field "A" to, say, field "D" on a form, it will be safer to go
through the intervening fields "B" and "C" by using the cursor
keys rather than pressing <Enter>.
NOTE: In most cases, to remove a data form from the screen (exit
the form) you can press the "Exit" key, F10.
Below is a listing of the various hot keys for data forms:
key action--------
backspace Deletes the character to the left of the cursor
Ctrl-END Moves to the last item on the form
Ctrl-HOME Moves to the first item on the form
Del Deletes the character at the current cursor position
down Moves to the next item located physically
below the current one
End Moves the cursor to the end of the field
Enter Moves to the next item on the form
<ESC> Exits the current choice list
F1 Invokes the system help function, if enabled
F2 Processes the attached choice list (a popup list of
acceptable field entries), if any, for the current field
F5 deletes row (Sales Journal, Expenses and Purchases Journal)
F6 Clears the field
F7 Moves to the previous item on the form
F8 Moves to the next item on the form
F10 Exits the current process or data form
Home Moves the cursor to the beginning of the field
Ins Toggles between insert and overstrike typing mode
left Moves the cursor one position to the left
right Moves the cursor one position to the right
Shift-F3 Clears the field and redisplays the original value in the
field
Shift-F6 Clears from the cursor to the end of the field
Shift-tab Moves to the previous item on the form
space Toggles the strings for boolean toggle fields, if enabled
for field
tab Moves to the next item on the form
up Moves to the next item located physically above the current
one
NOTE: Pushbuttons, such as "PRINT", or "SAVE" are in all caps on
the form, and are usually at the bottom. You use them by putting
the cursor on them and pressing <Enter>. They perform specific
functions, such as writing data to disk, clearing the form,
printing a record, moving to the next record, etc.
Two of the data forms have screen areas which are called
"scrollable regions": the Sales Journal and the Expenses and
Purchases Journal. These regions look like checkbook registers;
you enter data across several fields on one line. That is, each
row of the scrollable region represents one data record (one
sale or one expense, for example). As you enter one row after
another, the region itself appears to scroll up if you move the
cursor down, or down if you move the cursor up. You can enter as
much data as you like, hard disk space and computer memory
permitting. Below is a listing of some of the specialized hot
keys to use while moving through a scrollable region. Note that
these keys apply while you are within the region itself (the
part that looks like a check register and scrolls), which
behaves in some ways as though it were all one data item. That
means for instance, to leave the journal (scrollable row) part
of the Sales Journal form, you might press F8, which will move
the cursor directly to the "PRINT" pushbutton at the bottom of
the form. To move from one field to another all in the same row,
on the other hand, you would press "tab" (moves to the right) or
"Shift-tab" (moves to the left), or the <Enter> key.
<Tab> Next field | <Shift-Tab> Previous field
<Enter> Next field or item | Arrow keys Up, down, across
<F10> Exit form | <Shift-F3> Clears the field
<F5> deletes current row | F1 Help
* The Help key, F1
Probably the single most important program hot key is the
"Help" key, F1. From almost every area of the program, online
help is available by pressing F1. In many cases there are two
levels of Help. If available, you access the second level by
pressing F1 a second time. The Help Screen is a window that
occupies the middle portion of the screen, overlapping whatever
other form may be currently displayed. When this window is onscreen,
you can toggle it to full screen size by pressing the "Help Zoom"
key, <Alt> + F1. That is, you hold the "Alt" key while striking the
"F1" key. You exit each level of Help by pressing <Esc> or <Enter>.
The bottom row of the screen is reserved for other useful
information, which is updated as you move from item to item,
form to form, in the program. This is in addition to any help
available through pressing F1. And finally, most of the forms
themselves display navigational help at the bottom.
Section IV: Understanding the program
When you load and run CrafTracker, you will first see a
start-up screen that displays the name and version of the
program. Then, after you press the <Esc> key, you come you come
to the Main Menu:
@
CrafTracker v 1.6
############################################
# Sales Journal #
# Miscellaneous Cash In #
# Expenses and Purchases #
# Model Identification #
# Inventory #
#------------------------------------------#
# View Accounts Receivable #
# View Accounts Payable #
# View Customer Record #
# Set Sales Tax #
# Set Inventory Adjustment #
# Print Inventory #
# Print Customer List #
# Archive #
# Account Balance #
# Set Password #
# Generate Reports #
# Generate Sales Tax Report #
#------------------------------------------#
# Your Business Name #
# Backup #
#------------------------------------------#
# QUIT #
############################################
@
* Main Menu
The cursor (black text on cyan background for color monitors,
reverse video for b/w monitors) is placed in the first line,
"Sales Journal". As noted in Section II of this manual, the
arrow keys move the cursor up and down. We'll step through
CrafTracker's various functions, all of which are accessible
from the Main Menu.
* Your Business Name
Record, on disk, the particulars of your business name and
address. This is accessed by the program for printing invoices.
@ +-----------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Business name XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| |
| Address XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| |
| Telephone (UUU) UUU - UUUU ext UUUU |
| -------------------------------------------------------- |
| This information will be saved to a configuration file |
| in your CrafTracker directory. |
| |
| |
| SAVE CANCEL |
| |
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
Save the information by tabbing to the SAVE pushbutton and
pressing <ENTER>.
* The Sales Journal
Two journals are maintained for your business transactions, a
Sales Journal and an Expenses and Purchases Journal (usually
known in accounting circles as a Disbursements Journal). In them
you record the transactions, sales, purchases, manufacturing
expenses, and operating expenses that CrafTracker uses to
generate the information you need for your Schedule C.
The Sales Journal records all sales by date, invoice number,
customer name, item sold, selling price, quantity sold, total
sale, sales tax collected, and whether the transaction was a
cash or charge sale.
@ [ Sales Journal ]
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Date Invoice Model Customer Sales Quant Extension Sales Gross Chg|
| Number ID ID Price Sold Tax Sales Y/N|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
|+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+|
||UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|XXXXXX|XXXXXXXXXX|UUUU.UU|UUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUU.UU|UUUUUUU.UU|!||
||UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|XXXXXX|XXXXXXXXXX|UUUU.UU|UUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUU.UU|UUUUUUU.UU|!||
||UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|XXXXXX|XXXXXXXXXX|UUUU.UU|UUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUU.UU|UUUUUUU.UU|!||
||UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|XXXXXX|XXXXXXXXXX|UUUU.UU|UUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUU.UU|UUUUUUU.UU|!||
||UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|XXXXXX|XXXXXXXXXX|UUUU.UU|UUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUU.UU|UUUUUUU.UU|!||
||UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|XXXXXX|XXXXXXXXXX|UUUU.UU|UUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUU.UU|UUUUUUU.UU|!||
||UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|XXXXXX|XXXXXXXXXX|UUUU.UU|UUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUU.UU|UUUUUUU.UU|!||
||UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|XXXXXX|XXXXXXXXXX|UUUU.UU|UUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUU.UU|UUUUUUU.UU|!||
||UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|XXXXXX|XXXXXXXXXX|UUUU.UU|UUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUU.UU|UUUUUUU.UU|!||
||UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|XXXXXX|XXXXXXXXXX|UUUU.UU|UUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUU.UU|UUUUUUU.UU|!||
||UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|XXXXXX|XXXXXXXXXX|UUUU.UU|UUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUU.UU|UUUUUUU.UU|!||
||UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|XXXXXX|XXXXXXXXXX|UUUU.UU|UUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUU.UU|UUUUUUU.UU|!||
||UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|XXXXXX|XXXXXXXXXX|UUUU.UU|UUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUU.UU|UUUUUUU.UU|!||
|+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+|
| +-----------++--------++-----------+|
| PRINT PRINT INVOICE TOTALS: |UUUUUUUU.UU||UUUUU.UU||UUUUUUUU.UU||
| +-----------++--------++-----------+|
|F1 Help F5 Delete Row F10 Exit F8 Go to Next F7 Go to Previous |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
@ Enter the date of the sale in the first column, and the
Invoice Number in the second. If you are writing to a new row,
CrafTracker will conveniently fill in the current date, which
you can override. CrafTracker will also automatically increment
the invoice numbers. If you are writing and numbering invoices
or other documentation for each sale, this number will identify
such. In the third column, enter a model name or number, or
other identification which you may choose to assign to a single
type of item sold.
NOTE: Another way, and perhaps better, to fill in model
identification is through the Model Identification form from the
Main Menu. There, you can record the complete name as well as a
lengthy description. CrafTRacker stores this name in a special
list, called a choice list. The first five characters of this
name can then be accessed in the Sales Journal, when you enter
the "Model ID" field and press F2, the "Choice List" key, which
brings up the complete list of your model names for you to
choose from. Highlight the model name you want by using the
Up/Down Arrow keys, and press <Enter>. The name you've selected
will be copied automatically into the "Model ID" field in the
current row of the Sales Journal.
NOTE: If you sold more than one type of item under one invoice,
then it will be necessary to duplicate the date and invoice
number on successive lines of the Sales Journal. That is, each
line of the journal covers only one type of item sold.
In the next column you enter a customer identification. This
can be, for example, the first ten characters of either the
first or last name, or the name of a business. After you enter
data in this field, CraTracker will pop up the Customer Record
form. The program will search through the "customer" data file
on disk, and if it finds an exact match to these first ten
characters, CrafTracker will assume that you've made the sale to
this very customer, and the popup form will contain the current
data on that customer. If no match is found, the popup will be
blank. In either case, you may optionally enter or amend data as
you see fit. Here is the Customer Record form:
@ [ Customer Record ]
+-------------------------------------------+
|Name XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|
| |
|Address XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|
| (street) |
| XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| (city) |
| XX XXXXX-XXXX XXX |
| (state) (zip) (country) |
|Phone (UUU) UUU-UUUU ext UUU |
| |
| |
| ADD NEXT PREV SAVE DELETE |
| |
+-------------------------------------------+
@
The data entry fields for this form should require little
explanation. The information you record here, to keep track of
your customers, is optional, and has no bearing on the
accounting of your business. The operation of the pushbuttons at
the bottom of the form is explained in detail in Section II of
this manual.
NOTE: IF YOU ENTER DATA IN THIS FORM THAT YOU WISH TO SAVE, YOU
MUST USE THE "SAVE" PUSHBUTTON. That is, put the cursor on the
field marked "SAVE", and press <Enter". If you skip this step
and overwrite the data in the form, that overwritten data was
NOT SAVED. We return to our discussion of the Sales Journal.
The "sales price" column is for entering the unit price at which
you sold the item, and of course the next column is for entering
the quantity sold of this particular item in this sale.
CrafTracker will calculate and fill in the next column, the
"extension".
This brings us to the next entry, the "sales tax" column.
Refer again to the diagram of the Main Menu above, particularly
to the eight row, labeled "Set Sales Tax". When you choose this
item from the Main Menu, the following form appears on screen:
[ Set Sales Tax ]
+------------------------------------+
|Enter your local sales tax rate: |
| |
| UU.UU % |
| |
|Is this information correct? (Y/N) !|
+------------------------------------+
Here, for your convenience, you may enter a sales tax rate to be
used by the program to calculate the amount of sales tax to be
charged for a particular sale. For example, let's say that you live
in Smalltown, Ohio where the local tax rate is 6%, and further,
that you make most of your sales locally. You enter "6-0-0" in
the first data field (where the cursor is) in the form, and
press <Enter>. The cursor moves to the field just after the
"(Y/N) ". Notice that the default for this field is 'n', or
"no". If you are satisfied with your tax rate entry (6%), type
'y' or 'Y'. The 6% rate is now the default. That means that in
the Sales Journal, after you enter "Sales Price" and "Quant
Sold", and CrafTracker has figured the exension for you in
column 7, it has also automatically calculated the total tax and
placed the value in column 8, "Sales Tax", based on the 6% tax
rate you chose in the Set Sales Tax form. Of course, you are
free to override this amount at any time, and would do so if, in
fact, you charged a different rate -- or even none at all -- for
any particular sale. Furthermore, you may use the Set Sales Tax
form, from the Main Menu, to alter the rate as many times as you
wish. Once the sales tax has been figured, the program
calculates the total amount and places it in column 9, "Gross
Sales", and the cursor moves to column 10. This is a simple
Yes/No field. Here "yes" means that the particular item sold in
this row was sold on credit, or, in other words, it is an
account-receivable. Likewise, "no", or 'n', means that the
customer paid in full for the item.
In the case of a 'Y' or 'y' entry, the Accounts Receivable form
pops up on the screen. Here is what it looks like:
@
[ Accounts Receivable ]
+-------------------------------------------------+
|Customer ID XXXXXXXXXX |
| |
|Invoice Number UUUUUU P.O. Number UUUUUU |
| |
|Date of Sale UU/UU/UU |
| |
| 0 - 30 days 31 - 60 days |
| ------------------------------ |
|Unpaid Balance UUUUUU.UU UUUUUU.UU |
| |
| 61 - 90 days over 90 days |
| ------------------------------ |
| UUUUUU.UU UUUUUU.UU |
| |
| |
| Is this information correct? (Y/N) ! |
| |
|-------------------------------------------------|
| DELETE |
|-------------------------------------------------|
|F1 Help F8 Next F7 Previous F10 Exit form |
+-------------------------------------------------+
@
CrafTracker will fill in some of this data by default, namely,
the "Customer ID", "Invoice Number", and "Date of Sale" fields,
which are duplicated from the respective Sales Journal entries.
You may fill in the "Date due" and "Unpaid Balance" fields, and
you may edit any of the data in any of the fields for this
particular account.
Note that when this form is accessed in this way, as a popup
window over the Sales Journal, the "NEXT","PREVIOUS", and
"DELETE" pushbuttons are unavailable. (On a color monitor they
appear as black text on a white background.) On the other hand,
this form is accessible from the Main Menu choice "View Accounts
Receivable". When used as such, the functionality of the two
aforementioned pushbuttons is restored and you may edit the data
of any and all records freely.
For example, if a customer who owes you money pays part of his
debt, you may bring up the Accounts Receivable form from either
the corresponding record in the Sales Journal, or from the Main
Menu. In either case, you can edit the data, and save it to disk
when you put a 'Y' or 'y' in the field prompted by the question,
"Is this information correct". However, when a customer clears
the debt, you can only delete the corresponding Accounts
Receivable record by accessing the form from the Main Menu.
Once you've made the decision that the information entered
into the form is correct, namely, by your choosing "Y" or "y" in
answer to the query in the last field, or, conversely, once
you've decided to discard the information and exit the form
without saving, by hitting the Exit key, F10, you are returned
to the Sales Journal.
NOTE: Be careful not to "push" the DELETE button if you do not
intend to delete the current data in the form.
When you elect to leave a row in the Sales Journal, and there
is new or unsaved information in that row, the program will
display the Save Window, a popup window with two pushbuttons.
+--------------------------+
| This row is altered. |
| Save changes, or cancel. |
| |
| SAVE CANCEL |
| -><- <Enter> selects |
+--------------------------+
These choices are clear: either save all the modifications you
have made in the current row of the Sales Journal, or erase
them, and return to the Sales Journal. That is, push "SAVE" to
save the row to disk, or push "CANCEL" to delete the changes and
return to the Sales Journal. ("Pushing" is accomplished by
highlighting the pushbutton and pressing <Enter>).
NOTE: Choosing "CANCEL" in no way destroys previously saved data.
Then, if you wish to print the contents of your Sales Journal, put
the cursor on the PRINT pushbutton at the bottom of the form (If
you're in the rows of the Journal, F8 will move the cursor to PRINT)
and <Enter>. CrafTracker will remind you to set your printer on line,
and then will print the contents of the Sales Journal from disk.
You may wish to print an invoice. Highlight the "PRINT INVOICE"
pushbutton by tabbing or shift-tabbing over to it, and press
<Enter>. A window will pop up over the Sales Journal like so:
+------------------------------------+
| |
| Invoice number to print UUUUUU |
| |
| |
+------------------------------------+
You can choose the right invoice number by matching it to the
invoice number on the Sales Journal that holds the transactions
you want to print. This may optionally cover two or more
consecutive rows in the Sales Journal. Type in the number and press
F10 to continue.
@ [ Invoice ]
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| UUUUUU |
| XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| (UUU) UUU - UUUU ext UUUU |
| |
| Sold To: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX XXXXXXXXXX |
| XXX |
| |
| Shipped To: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX XXXXXXXXXX |
| XXX |
| |
| Date Shipped via Terms |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| UU/UU/UU XXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Quant Description Unit Amount |
| Price |
|+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+|
||UUUU|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU||
||UUUU|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU||
||UUUU|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU||
||UUUU|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU||
||UUUU|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU||
||UUUU|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU||
||UUUU|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU||
||UUUU|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU||
||UUUU|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU||
|+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+|
| Subtotal: UUUUUUU.UU |
| Tax: UUUUU.UU |
| Freight: UUUU.UU |
| Total: UUUUUUU.UU |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
@
This is the Invoice form, which you will see onscreen next. Note
that it will scroll upward as you fill in the data. Most of the
fields are filled in by CrafTracker automatically, from information
you have entered into the program elsewhere, and therefore, many of
the data fields are inaccessible. You have access to The customer
information, which, however, defaults to data you may have filled
into your customer database, either from the Sales Journal or the
Main Menu. (See above, this section, and also "View Customer
Record" section below).
You can change the "Description" field as well, which defaults
to the "Model ID" data in the Sales Journal. Optional shipping and
terms information is accessible. And finally, you must enter the
Freight charges if any. Pressing <F10> will bring you to a message
window. From there, Holding down the <Control> key while pressing
the letter "P" (or "p") will cause the form to be sent to your
printer, ASSUMING IT IS ONLINE AND LOADED WITH PAPER.
NOTE: The invoice prints to blank paper, not pre-printed invoice
forms.
After printing, you will be returned to the Sales Journal for more
processing.
Example: Let's say that on February 6, 1992 you sold 6 widgets and 3
whatzits to a customer named Perry Gorrick. Mr. Gorrick paid cash for
the whatzits, burt bought the widgets on credit. The next day you sit
down to enter this information in your Sales Journal.
CrafTracker fills in the date, 02/07/92, for you, so you
override it and type in 02/06/92. Notice that if you try to fill
in an "illegal" date, such as 02/30/92, CrafTracker will
complain with a beep and refuse to accept the entry.
Next, CrafTracker fills in the invoice number for you,
incrementing from the previous row. If this is not, in fact, the
number of the invoice (or other documentation) that was used in
the sale, you will make a change as necessary.
You've sold many widgets before, so you've recorded the model
identification you've assigned to this item in the Model Numbers
form (We will explain this form in detail later on), but you
don't happen to recall what tag you've assigned. Therefore, when
the cursor is in the "Model Number" field, you press the Choice
List hot key, F2, and CrafTracker will display a popup window on
screen, above or below the current model number field. (On a
color monitor this window has black text on a green background,
and the highlight bar inside it is black.) You might have
assigned the shorthand ID of "widge" to widget, or a number, or
the complete name.
Displayed in this window is a choice list of all the model ID's
you've previously assigned. You find the ID you've assigned (which
can be anything you like, say, a number, or the name of the item,
or shorthand name for the item. We'll discuss this later when we
talk about the Model Number form you access from the Main Menu.)
Place the highlight bar on this line and press <Enter>, and the
program inserts the first five digits of this line into the current
field in the Sales Journal.
In the next column you fill in the data concerning your
customer, Mr. Perry Gorrick. The field accepts up to ten
characters; you could enter, for example, "Gorrick, P", or
anything you like. Note, however, that if you want CrafTracker
to keep accurate records of your customer database, withut the
likelihood of duplication or omission, you must be careful to
make sure that this entry matches exactly the entry you supply
in the "Name" field in the Customer Record form.
Since Mr. Gorrick is a new customer, CrafTracker brings up a
blank Customer Record form, with only the "Name" field filled in
to match the characters you've supplied in the "Customer ID"
field in the Sales Journal. You begin entering the rest of the
data in this form: carefully, supplying address, phone number,
etc.
In the next column you enter the unit price you charged for
the widgets, $12.84, and in the next column you enter 6 for the
number sold. CrafTracker multiplies this together for you and
puts the result, $ 77.04, an puts this into the column called
"Extension". Next comes the tax. Assuming you've already
recorded the local rate, 6%, into the Set Sales Tax form from
the Main Menu, we'll see that the program has calculated the
total tax charged for the widgets, $ 4.62, and put this amount
into the "Sales Tax" column.
The program then calculates the total amount charged for
widgets, $81.66, and puts that amount into the "Gross Sales"
field.
You recall that your customer bought this item on credit, so
you respond to the last column by entering 'y', for 'yes'. This
causes the Accounts Receivable form to pop up over the Sales
Journal. The program has entered some of the data for you. When
you are done with this form, the Save Window pops up on the
screen. After saving the current row of the Sales Journal, the
Save Window disappears and the cursor is placed in the "Date"
column of the next row, which, if it is a new row, defaults to
the current date.
Since your customer bought some whatzits on the same date,
using the same invoice as the widgets, you need to duplicate
that information in the respective fields on this, the next row.
Therefore, when you come to the "Date" and "Invoice Number"
fields, you will enter the same information as on the previous
row where you recorded the sale of widgets.
* Expenses And Purchases (Disbursements)
The Expenses and Purchases Journal is used for all business
disbursements, and shows the following: date, check number,
payee, and amount of the transaction. This amount is spread to
purchases, manufacturing expenses, and operating expenses.
@ [ Expenses And Purchases ]
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Date Chk # Payee Expenses A/P |
|+------------------------------------------------------------------------+|
|| UU/UU/UU|XXXXX|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUUU.UU|! ||
|| UU/UU/UU|XXXXX|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUUU.UU|! ||
|| UU/UU/UU|XXXXX|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUUU.UU|! ||
|| UU/UU/UU|XXXXX|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUUU.UU|! ||
|| UU/UU/UU|XXXXX|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUUU.UU|! ||
|| UU/UU/UU|XXXXX|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUUU.UU|! ||
|| UU/UU/UU|XXXXX|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUUU.UU|! ||
|| UU/UU/UU|XXXXX|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUUU.UU|! ||
|| UU/UU/UU|XXXXX|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUUU.UU|! ||
|| UU/UU/UU|XXXXX|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUUU.UU|! ||
|| UU/UU/UU|XXXXX|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUUU.UU|! ||
|| UU/UU/UU|XXXXX|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUUU.UU|! ||
|| UU/UU/UU|XXXXX|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUUU.UU|! ||
|| UU/UU/UU|XXXXX|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUUU.UU|! ||
|| UU/UU/UU|XXXXX|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|UUUUU.UU|! ||
|+------------------------------------------------------------------------+|
| +---------+ |
| PRINT Total: |UUUUUU.UU| |
| +---------+ |
|F1 Help F8 Go to PRINT button F7 Go to Journal F10 Exit F5 delete |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
@
Navigation of this form is identical to the Sales Journal, and
is covered in the previous section of the manual.
When the cursor enters a blank row, the program automatically
fills in the current date, which you may override, of course.
Each line of the journal is to be used for one particular type
of expense. Therefore, if, say, you wrote a check covering more
than one expense type, put each type on a separate line,
duplicating the date and the check number.
Of course, if you're entering a cash transaction, there will be
no check number to supply.
NOTE: One way of handling different methods of payment is to
open a separate checking account for your business. When you
happen to pay by cash, out-of-pocket, you can write a check to
yourself later out of your business account and enter that
transaction into the Expenses and Purchases Journal.
The "Description of Transaction" field is for identifying the
payee, but you may customize the entries to meet your own needs.
Enter the amount you paid for this particular expense type in
the next field, "Expense". CrafTracker will then display the
Expense Type form, shown below.
[ Expense Type ]
+--------------------------------------------------+
|Type of Expense XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| |
|Comment XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| |
|Is this information correct? (Y/N) ! |
| |
|F1 Help F8 Next field F7 Previous field F10 Exit|
+--------------------------------------------------+
NOTE: It is very important that you take the time to understand
the use of this form, since CrafTracker relies on the
information you supply to compute the amounts that go into
particular lines in the Schedule C report.
When this form pops up on the screen over the Expense and
Purchases Journal, the cursor is placed in the first field,
"Type of Expense", and another window (black cursor and letters
on green background on a color system) pops up just below this
field. This window provides you with a list of choices. You must
pick one of them, by placing the cursor on it and pressing
<Enter>. When you do this, the choice is automatically inserted
into the "Type of Expense" field in the Expense Type form, the
choice list window disappears, and you are moved to the next
field, "Comment".
Here are the "Expense Type" choices in the choice list window:
Advertising Part II | Bad debts Part II
Car & Truck Part II | Commissions & fees Part II
Depletion Part II | Employee benefit Part II
Insurance Part II | Interest - Mort Part II
Interest - Other Part II | Legal & Professional Part II
Office expenses Part II | Other Part II
Pension Part II | Rent - Vehicles Part II
Rent - Other Part II | Repairs Part II
Returns & Allowances Part II | Supplies Part II
Taxes & Licenses Part II | Travel - Travel Part II
Travel - Meals Part II | Utilities Part II
Wages Part II | Cost of labor Part III
Materials & Supplies Part III | Other Manu. Costs Part III
Purchases Part III | Non Schedule C
"Part II" corresponds to those items in lines 8 through 27b on
the Schedule C form 1040, which are referred to there as
"Expenses". "Part III" corresponds to lines 34 through 37, "Cost
of Goods Sold". The Part III costs are direct manufacturing
costs. For a more detailed explanation of the significance of
these items consult professional tax assistance.
The "Comment" field is provided for you to further identify
expenses which you choose to lump under the choice "Other", or
"Other Manu. Costs".
When you are satisfied that the information you have filled in
is correct, enter 'Y' or 'y' in the last data field on the form.
You will be returned to the Expenses And Purchases Journal and
placed in the last column of the same row. If the transaction
you are recording is a payable account, type 'y' or 'Y'. If not,
type 'N' or 'n'.
A 'Y' in the last column will cause the Acounts Payable form to
popup on screen.
@ [ Accounts Payable ]
+---------------------------------------------------+
|Payee XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| |
|Date of Purchase UU/UU/UU |
| |
|Date Due UU/UU/UU |
| |
|Unpaid balance UUUUU.UU |
| |
|Is this information correct? (Y/N) ! |
|---------------------------------------------------|
| |
| NEXT PREVIOUS DELETE |
| |
|---------------------------------------------------|
| F1 Help F8 Next Field F7 Previous Field |
| <Enter> accepts F10 Exits form |
+---------------------------------------------------+
@
Some of the information is copied into the form from the current
row of the Expenses And Purchases Journal. You will need to fill
in the date due and the unpaid balance. Note that you can assess
this form from the Main Menu if you wish. This makes it easier to
edit the data in a particular account. For example, if you owed
$100 to XYZ Manufacturing and paid off $60 in a first payment, you
can bring up the record and ammend the "Unpaid Balance" field to
show that you now only owed $40.
Note that when you access this form from the Expenses And
Purchases Journal, the three pushbuttons at the bottom are
unavailable.
When you are satisfied that the information in the form is
correct, type 'Y' or 'y' in the last data field.
After entering data in the last column, and optionally filling
in the Accounts Payable form, the Save Window pops up. this is the
same window that appears when you are prompted to save data in the
Sales Journal. There are two pushbuttons "SAVE " and "CANCEL". See
the above discussion of the Sales Journal for a picture of this
window and an explanation of its use.
To exit the Expenses And Purchases Journal at any time, press
F10, the "Exit" key.
* Miscellaneous Cash In
In order to track other forms of income related to the business,
other than sales, a Miscellaneous Cash-In form is provided.
[ Miscellaneous Cash In ]
+-------------------------------------------------+
|Date UU/UU/UU |
| |
|Amount UUUUUU.UU |
| |
|Explanation XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| |
| |
| ADD NEXT PREV SAVE DELETE |
| |
|-------------------------------------------------|
| F1 Help F8 Next field F7 Previous field |
| F10 Exit form <Enter> accept data |
+-------------------------------------------------+
Here you provide the date and amount, and then an explanation
for the income. This amount shows up on line 6 of your Schedule
C Report, where it is referred to as "Other Income". We'll
discuss this shortly. An example of Other Income would be, say,
a refund from a manufacturer whose goods you purchase to
manufacture your own product.
NOTE: IF YOU ENTER DATA IN THIS FORM THAT YOU WISH TO SAVE, YOU
MUST USE THE "SAVE" PUSHBUTTON. That is, put the cursor on the
field marked "SAVE", and press <Enter". If you skip this step
and overwrite the data in the form, that overwritten data was
NOT SAVED.
* Model Identification
When you run CrafTracker for the first time, before you enter
any data into either of the journals, you may very well choose
to record the names, or other identification, of the items you
manufacture or otherwise provide for sale in your business. This
information, the Model ID, is used as shorthand in a couple of
ways by the program. For this purpose, a Model Number form is
provided and accessed from the Main Menu.
@ [ Model Identification ]
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Model Identification: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
|Description: |
|______________________________________________________________________________|
|______________________________________________________________________________|
|______________________________________________________________________________|
|______________________________________________________________________________|
|______________________________________________________________________________|
|______________________________________________________________________________|
|______________________________________________________________________________|
|______________________________________________________________________________|
|______________________________________________________________________________|
|______________________________________________________________________________|
|______________________________________________________________________________|
|______________________________________________________________________________|
|______________________________________________________________________________|
|______________________________________________________________________________|
|______________________________________________________________________________|
| |
| ADD NEXT PREV SAVE DELETE PRINT |
| |
| F1 Help F8 Next field F7 Previous field F10 Exit form <Enter> accept |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
@
There are only two data-entry fields on the form: a place to
record the name or ID of a sale item, and an editing field for
further identifying the item. Additionally, there are the
customary functional pushbuttons at the bottom of the form.
For example, let's suppose you make and sell (or, say, import
and sell, if that is your business) widgets. In the "Model
Number" field you might enter an identifying number, followed by
the name, or, you may prefer to record just the name, or an
abbreviation of the name, "widget". Below it, in the description
field, there is room for about 200 words of any kind of
clarification you choose, whether it be physical description of
a widget, the calculation of its unit cost or price, or whatever.
In any event, you need a blank form to enter data into. That's
what the "ADD" button at the bottom is for; it clears the form
and puts the cursor at the top. You use the Next-Field Key, F8
to move from one item to the next. Note that while enter data in
the "Description" field, you must use F8 or "Previous-Field Key,
F7, to put the cursor in a different field -- <Enter> merely
returns the "carriage".
Save your data with the "SAVE" button, move among records with
the "NEXT" and "PREV" buttons, and delete a record with
"DELETE". Finally, "PRINT" will print the currently displayed
record only. To print all the records, you must bring them up
one at a time and print them.
NOTE: IF YOU ENTER DATA IN THIS FORM THAT YOU WISH TO SAVE, YOU
MUST USE THE "SAVE" PUSHBUTTON. That is, put the cursor on the
field marked "SAVE", and press <Enter". If you skip this step
and overwrite the data in the form, that overwritten data was
NOT SAVED.
NOTE: Every time you add a new model identification record, that
ID is added to the choice list available (Choice List key, F2)
in the "Model ID" field in the Sales Journal, starting from the
NEXT TIME you run the program.
* Inventory
Form 1040 Schedule C requires you to take an inventory on
December 31 of each year, as an end-of year inventory. This
inventory becomes your beginning inventory for the next year.
Using CrafTracker, you make this switch with the Archive
function from the Main Menu. (See discussion below). The dollar
worth of these inventories is recorded respectively on lines 39
and 33 on the Schedule C form. The Inventory form is accessible
from the Main Menu.
[ Inventory ]
+---------------------------------------------------------+
|Model ID or Part XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| |
|Number on hand UUUUU |
| |
|Unit Cost UUUUU.UU |
| |
|Extension UUUUUUU.UU |
| |
| ADD NEXT PREV SAVE DELETE |
| |
|F1 Help| F10 Exit| F8 Next field| F7 Prev field| <Enter> |
+---------------------------------------------------------+
NOTE: To clarify what items may or may not be enumerated in
the end-of-year inventory for tax purposes, you will need to
seek professional tax assistance.
At the bottom of the form are the customary pushbuttons. The
inventory form records one item at a time. You can Save the
information to disk with "SAVE", delete a previously saved
record with "DELETE", move back and forth among records with
"NEXT" AND "PREV", and blank the form to add a new record with
"ADD". Refer to Section II for a more detailed explanation.
In the first field supply the full name of the inventoried
item. Count the number on hand and record this in the second
field. Fill in the unit cost next. CrafTracker will calculate
the extension and put the result into the fourth field.
To save your entry and add another item to the inventory, put
the cursor on the "SAVE" pushbutton (recall that you can move
among fields on the form with the Next-field or Previous-Field
keys, F8 and F7 respectively) and press <Enter>. The data
currently in the form will be saved to disk. Then put the cursor
on the "ADD" pushbutton and press <Enter>. The form is cleared
for you to add an additional entry. Continue adding entries in
this way until the inventory is complete.
NOTE: IF YOU ENTER DATA IN THIS FORM THAT YOU WISH TO SAVE, YOU
MUST USE THE "SAVE" PUSHBUTTON. That is, put the cursor on the
field marked "SAVE", and press <Enter>. If you skip this step
and overwrite the data in the form, that overwritten data was
NOT SAVED.
NOTE: If you are setting CrafTracker up and using it for the first
time and you've taken a beginning-of-year inventory by other means,
if you want to avail yourself of CrafTracker's full functionality,
you will have to copy this inventory into CrafTracker's database by
the above means. This will be explained in more detail below, when
we discuss the "Archive" function on the Main Menu.
* View Accounts Receivable
@
[ Accounts Receivable Ledger ]
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
|Customer ID XXXXXXXXXX Date UU/UU/UU |
| |
| Invoice Date P.O. 0 - 30 31 - 60 61 - 90 Over 90 |
| Number Sold Number days days days days |
|+--------------------------------------------------------------+|
||UUUUUU|UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU||
||UUUUUU|UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU||
||UUUUUU|UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU||
||UUUUUU|UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU||
||UUUUUU|UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU||
||UUUUUU|UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU||
||UUUUUU|UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU||
||UUUUUU|UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU||
||UUUUUU|UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU||
||UUUUUU|UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU||
||UUUUUU|UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU||
||UUUUUU|UU/UU/UU|UUUUUU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU|UUUUUU.UU||
|+--------------------------------------------------------------+|
| Totals UUUUUU.UU UUUUUU.UU UUUUUU.UU UUUUUU.UU |
| F1 Help |
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|Account total UUUUUUU.UU Total, all accounts UUUUUUU.UU PRINT |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
@
The Accounts Receivable form, which is displayed automatically
when you enter 'Y' or 'y' in the last column of a row of the
Sales Journal, is discussed in a previous section of this document.
For an explanation, please refer to the discussion of the Sales
Journal above. From the Main Menu, you can view a complete account
for a client. Information is figured from data you have entered
into the Sales Journal and through it, the Accounts Receivable for.
Optionally, by pushing the PRINT button (highlighting the
button and pressing <Enter>) you can print an Aging Report based
on this account.
* View Accounts Payable
This form is similar in function to the View Accounts
Receivable form. It is accessible from the last field in the
Expenses And Purchases Journal when you type 'Y' or 'y',
indicating that the transaction on that row is an account payable.
When you bring up the form from the Main Menu you have access to
any additional Accounts Payable records by using the "NEXT" or
"PREVIOUS" pushbuttons. Also, you can delete a record usiing the
"DELETE" pushbutton. See the discussion of this form in the
section on the Expenses And Purchases Journal above.
* View Customer Record
The Customer Record form is accessible from the Main Menu.
Recall from our earlier discussion of the Sales Journal that
this screen will also pop up automatically after you enter data
into the "Customer ID" field. When chosen from the Main Menu its
functionality is increased slightly, in that the "ADD", "NEXT",
and "PREV" pushbuttons are turned on. This allows you to add new
records from scratch, and also to view consecutive records in
your customer database. For a discussion of the various fields
in the form, please refer to the earlier discussion of the Sales
Journal.
NOTE: IF YOU ENTER DATA IN THIS FORM THAT YOU WISH TO SAVE, YOU
MUST USE THE "SAVE" PUSHBUTTON. That is, put the cursor on the
field marked "SAVE", and press <Enter". If you skip this step
and overwrite the data in the form, that overwritten data was
NOT SAVED.
* Archive
The primary function of CrafTracker is to provide you with a
useable Schedule C report that you can bring to your tax
professional, if you choose to retain one, to help you to fill out
your tax return. However, you can use this report at any time
during the year as an interim profit-and-loss statement. As
explained above, it is most accurate if you have taken a
beginning-of-year inventory as explained above. We are wending our
way towards explaining how to generate this report. As mentioned
previously, lines 33 and 39 of the current (1992) 1040 Schedule C
form are concerned with end-of-year and beginning-of-year
inventories. When you take an inventory at the beginning of the
year (or copy your inventory to CrafTracker if you're using the
program for the first time in the middle of the year), since
CrafTracker can only store one inventory at a time, you may wonder
how to take an end-of-year inventory without losing the
beginning-of-year inventory on record. It is to address this very
issue, and one or two others, that the Archive function has been
provided on the Main Menu.
[ Archive Data ]
+-------------------------------------------------------+
|Do you wish to delete |
| |
|1) the current Sales Journal? (Y/N) ! |
| |
|2) the current Expenses and Purchases Journal? (Y/N) ! |
| |
|Do you wish to archive the current inventory? (Y/N) ! |
| |
| |
| F1 Help Press F10 to exit the form |
+-------------------------------------------------------+
When you select "Archive" from the Main Menu you are first
presented with a yellow (on color monitors) warning screen that
admonishes you to consider that you will be presented with the
opportunity to delete some data from disk, namely the Sales
Journal and Expenses and Purchases Journal. You may choose to do
this to preserve disk space in the event that records have piled
up for a longer period of time than you deem necessary for
permanent retention. After heeding and assessing this warning,
you may choose to go on, in which case CrafTracker will display
the above screen.
Entering 'Y' or 'y' in either field number 1) or field number
2) will delete the respective journal as mentioned. Once again,
know that once deleted, it can only be recovered under the
greatest of fortuitous circumstances, if at all. The third
matter on this form, however, is a different consideration.
Choosing 'Y' or 'y' here will cause CrafTracker to rename the
old inventory in such a way that it will recognize that data as
a beginning-of-year inventory. You can choose to implement such
a change at any time during the year, but if you want to use
CrafTracker to keeps records of ongoing inventory, then you will
need to archive your old inventory to beginning-of-year status
on or about January 1. Then you can edit, delete and add records
throughout the year. Furthermore, you can use the Schedule C Report
facility to generate a profit and loss statment at any time. On
December 31, or thereabouts, you use this report for your actual IRS
Schedule C.
NOTE: Once you have chosen to archive your beginning-of-year
inventory, any subsequent inventory you take will serve
eventually as your end-of-year inventory on December 31. That is
to say, if you archive an inventory in the middle of the year,
the previous one you archived will be lost for keeps.
* Backup
You can backup your data files to a floppy disk. This option is
available from the Main Menu. The following form appears:
+-----------------------------------------+
|Use Up/Down Arrow keys to select a drive |
| to back up your data files to. |
| |
| ( ) Drive A |
| ( ) Drive B |
| |
+-----------------------------------------+
Insert a backup disk in either drive A or B and use the arrow
keys to select either drive. For the drive selected, the
parentheses in the form will have a bullet in the middle:
(*)
Press <Enter>, and a message window will come up reminding you
to put a disk in the drive. Press <ESC> to change your mind and
return to the program, or any other key to continue.
* Generate Report
The "Generate Report" option on the Main Menu causes
CrafTracker to calculate the totals that go in all but two of
the fields on your Schedule C.
Before viewing the Schedule C Report Window, you will need to
tell the program which year you want the calculations for. So,
you'll encounter this screen first:
+------------------------------+
|For what year are you creating|
| a Schedule C report? |
| |
| 19__ |
| |
| F10 Accept and Continue |
+------------------------------+
Simply supply the last two digits of hte year and press F10
when you are satisfied. This will bring up the Schedule C Report.
NOTE: The Schedule C Report is NOT an official IRS form, nor is it
intended to be so.
@ [ Schedule C Report ]
################################################################################
#Business Name XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Date UU/UU/UU #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------#
#Part I Income Part II (Continued) #
# #
#1 Gross receipts or sales UUUUUUU.UU 21 Repairs & maintenance UUUUUUU.UU #
#2 Returns & allowances UUUUUUU.UU 22 Supplies (office) UUUUUUU.UU #
#3 Net receipts UUUUUUU.UU 23 Taxes & licenses UUUUUUU.UU #
#4 Cost of goods sold UUUUUUU.UU 24a Travel UUUUUUU.UU #
#5 Gross profit UUUUUUU.UU 24b Travel meals UUUUUUU.UU #
#6 Other Income UUUUUUU.UU 24c 20% of line 24b UUUUUUU.UU #
#7 Gross Income UUUUUUU.UU 24d 24b minus 24c UUUUUUU.UU #
#-------------------------------------- 25 Utilities UUUUUUU.UU #
#Part II Expenses 26 Wages UUUUUUU.UU #
# 27 Other operating exp. UUUUUUU.UU #
#8 Advertising UUUUUUU.UU --------------------------------------#
#9 Bad debts UUUUUUU.UU Part III Cost of Goods Sold #
#10 Car and truck expense UUUUUUU.UU #
#11 Commissions and fees UUUUUUU.UU 33 Beginning Inventory UUUUUUU.UU #
#12 Depletion UUUUUUU.UU 34 Purchases UUUUUUU.UU #
#13 Depreciation UUUUUUU.UU 35 Cost of Labor UUUUUUU.UU #
#14 Employee Benefit UUUUUUU.UU 36 Materials & supplies UUUUUUU.UU #
#15 Insurance UUUUUUU.UU 37 Other costs UUUUUUU.UU #
#16a Interest - Mortgage UUUUUUU.UU 38 Total manufacturing UUUUUUU.UU #
# b Interest - Other UUUUUUU.UU 39 Final Inventory UUUUUUU.UU #
#17 Legal & professional UUUUUUU.UU 40 Cost of goods sold UUUUUUU.UU #
#18 Office expense UUUUUUU.UU ----------------------------------- #
#19 Pension & 28 Total Operating UUUUUU.UU #
# profit-sharing UUUUUUU.UU 29 Tentative profit UUUUUUU.UU #
#20a Rent vehicles, etc. UUUUUUU.UU 30 Home use expenses UUUUUUU.UU #
#20b Rent other UUUUUUU.UU 31 Net profit or loss UUUUUUU.UU #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------#
# Account balance: UUUUUUU.UU Gross profit ratio: UUU.UU % #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------#
# Short Schedule SE - Section A - (not for farmers or church employees) #
# 2. Net profit or loss from Schedule C UUUUUUU.UU #
# 4. Net earnings from self-employment UUUUUUU.UU #
# 5. Self-employment tax UUUUUUU.UU #
# #
# Half of line 5 (for Form 1040, line 25) UUUUUUU.UU #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------#
# F10 Exit form without printing Print form? (Y\N) ! #
################################################################################
@ Notice that the line numbers follow the line numbers on the
current IRS Schedule C form 1040, but they are not in either
numerical sequence nor in the same sequence as is found on the
government form. Instead they are in a logically sequential form
that relates to the order in which calculations are done.
Lines 1 through 7 are grouped together on the Schedule C form
1040 as "Part I, Income". Lines 8 through 27 are "Part II,
Expenses". These correspond to most of the "expense types" that
you track on the Expense Type form which is accessed through the
Expenses and Purchases Journal, such as "Advertising", "Office
expenses", etc. These are expenses other than those incurred
through direct manufacturing costs.
NOTE: For clarification on the above points, as well as any and
all accounting or tax questions, it is highly recommended that
you consult an accounting or tax professional.
Fill in the name of your business at the top of the form
(optional). You may also edit the date on the same line.
CrafTracker will fill in the amounts for all of these lines
except for line 13, "Depreciation", which you must calculate
yourself. The calculation of this field can be quite complex,
and can vary from case to case. Again, it is recommended that
you seek professional tax assistance here.
Lines 33 through 40 are in "Part III, Cost of Goods Sold" on
the Schedule C. These are direct manufacturing costs, such as
"Cost of labor" (which does not, by the way, mean wages or other
compensation you, the owner, pay to yourself). Note that
CrafTracker will use ther results of your two inventories (after
archiving) to fill in lines 33 and 39.
Note also that "Returns and Allowances" is one of the expense
types found in the Expense Type form choice list, as well as in
line 2 of the Schedule C. To understand the significance of
these two items you will need to consult professional tax guidance.
As for the last few lines in the Schedule C portion, note that
CrafTracker allows you to fill in one other line on the Schedule C
Report form, namely,line 30, "Home use expenses". This is for you to
calculate. Once again, you are urged to take professional counsel on
this matter, since there are strict IRS rules concerning this item.
Finally, line 31, which appears at the very end of CrafTracker's
Schedule C Report form, is the sine qua non of the Schedule C
form 1040, the "Net profit or loss item", which the program
calculates.
After the Schedule C report section, there follows an Account Balance
field. The formula for it is the following:
Account Balance = Gross Receipts + Miscellaneous Cash In +
Accounts Payable - Expense and Purchases -
Accounts Receivable
In other words, you can use CrafTracker for your checkbook - in a
somewhat convoluted way - by maintaining accurate records of all cash in
and out, on all the relevant forms: Sales Journal, Expenses and
Purchases Journal, Miscellaneous Cash In, accounts Receivable, and
Accounts Payable. If you do, then the Account Balance field will reflect
your checkbook balance.
* Generate Sales Tax Report
Use this function if you collect State or local sales tax from your
customers and send it in to the appropriate agency periodically. The
frequency of your submissions is usually regulated by law.
Sales Tax Collected
--------------------------------------
| Starting date / / |
| End date / / |
| |
|------------------------------------|
| Gross receipts 0.00 |
| Sales tax collected 0.00 |
|------------------------------------|
| F10 Exit form |
--------------------------------------
Enter the date range for the tax you've collected, and CrafTracker will
calculate your gross receipts during that period as well as the amount
you owe to the state or local agency.
* Set Inventory Adjustment
When you select the above feature from the Main Menu, you see this form:
+----------------------------------------------------+
| You can configure CrafTracker so that each time you|
| sell or buy an item you've inventoried, the |
| inventory count and extension are automatically |
| adjusted up or down. |
| |
| To select this option, highlight the "YES" |
| radio button and press F10. |
| |
| To avoid this option, highlight the "NO" |
| radio button and press F10. |
| |
| +--------------+ |
| | Z YES | F10 Exits form |
| | | |
| | Z NO | F1 Help |
| | | |
| +--------------+ |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------+
@
Choose the 'Yes' radio button on the form and hit the F10,
Exit Form key to set this feature.
When you sell an inventoried item (or service, if that's what your
business deals in) CrafTracker will decrement your inventory by the
amount you've specified in the Quantity Sold field in the Sales Journal.
This will occur automatically when you save a row in the Sales Journal.
When you purchase an item you've inventoried or recorded in the
Model Identification form, CrafTracker must do a little more work.
When you save a row in the Expenses and Purchases Journal, and you've
marked the Expense Type as "Purchases" in the Expense Type form, you
must put the item (or model or service) into the "Comment" field in the
Expense Type form. CrafTracker will then search for the item in the
inventory, and then in the Model Identification database.
If a match is found, you will see this screen:
+------------------------------------------------------------+
| CrafTracker finds a match between the item(s) |
| you have purchased or sold and an item you have |
| recorded in the Model Identification form. |
| |
| The inventory will automatically be adjusted |
| by the amount you specify below. |
|------------------------------------------------------------|
| Item(s) sold or purchased XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX |
| |
| Unit cost UUUUU.UU |
| |
| Quantity purchased UUUU |
|------------------------------------------------------------|
| F10 Exit form |
+------------------------------------------------------------+
Note that the name of the item and the Unit Cost are defaulted, as
well as CrafTracker's best guess as to the quantity you've purchased.
You are free to edit this field. When you are satisfied with the data,
press F10 to exit the form. Your invetory will be incremented.
NOTE: If you later decide to alter or delete a record in either the
Sales Journal or the Expenses and Purchases Journal in which an
inventoried item is figured, CrafTracker will either re-adjust the
inventory where possible, or remind you to do it yourself.
* Set Password
Choose this feature and a screen will pop up to prompt you for a
password. You will have to type it in twice. Note that the characters
you type are not echoed to the screen, but instead, you see asterisks.
If you toggle the "radio button" at the bottom of the form to the
"Yes" position - by using the up or down arrow - and then press F10 to
Exit the form, you will have set password orotection. This means that
on subsequent sessions, you will have to recall and enter your password
before you will be allowed access to the program.
You can at any time, however, toggle the password protection to "No",
and disable the feature until such you decide to utilize it once again.
* Print Inventory, and Print Customer List
Lastly, there are two print functions available from the Main
Menu: "Print Inventory", and "Print Customer List". These
functions are provided for your convenience and are
self-explanatory. Make sure when you use them that your printer
is on line and has plenty of paper. Before any actual printing
takes place you will see a warning screen that will prompt you
with one last admonition to prepare the printer. You can back
out of the printing by pressing <Esc>. If you choose to print,
press any other key, and the current database - either Inventory
or Customer - will be printed from disk.
Appendix: Getting Technical Help
Technical support is available through two avenues:
1) Write to the author at the following address:
Westwanda Ware
505 South Beverly Drive
Suite 987
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
2) Send an E-Mail message via Compuserve Information Service.
The User Id is 70243,421
Please feel free to send any additional comments, suggestions,
gripes, etc.
* MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
PC-DOS is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation.
** CrafTracker 1.6 contains portions of Vermont Views (TM)
copyright 1991 Vermont Creative Software. All rights reserved.
Vermont Views is a trademark of Vermont Creative Software.