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CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT Version 1.2S by Al Spengler U S E R M A N U A L ALLIZ Software 12818 Wrexham Road Herndon, Virginia 22071 Copyright (c) 1988 ALLIZ Software All Rights Reserved This manual supports the Shareware version of CHECKBOOK ASSITANT, release 1.2S. Specifications are subject to change without notice. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT is a trademark of ALLIZ Software. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT software copyright (c) 1986, 87, 88 ALLIZ Software. All rights reserved. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. IBM PC is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. PC-DOS is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. Dollars and Sense is a registered trademark of MONOGRAM. Managing Your Money is a registered trademark of MECA. EPSON is a registered trademark of EPSON America, Inc. LICENSE This version of CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT, release 1.2S, is placed in the public domain as shareware. Users of this version are granted a limited license to use CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT on a trial basis for the purpose of determining whether it meets their needs. Use of this version, except for this limited purpose, by any person, business, institution or agency is strictly prohibited. The continued use of CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT requires registration. Registration will provide the user with the latest distri- bution version of CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT, a printed manual and other benefits. This shareware version of CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT may be freely copied, shared and distributed and MUST include as a minimum, the following UNMODIFIED files: CA.EXE, CA.CNF, CA.LIF, CA.PFL, CA.IND, CA.HLP, CA.CRG, CA-DOC and READ.ME. NO fee, other than a disk and handling charge (not to exceed $10.00) may be charged. i WARRANTY ALLIZ Software makes no warranty of any kind, express or implied, including without limitation, any warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. ALLIZ Software shall not be liable for any damages, whether direct, indirect, special or consequential arising from failure of this program in the manner desired by the user. ALLIZ Software shall not be liable for any damage to data or property which may be caused directly or indirectly by use of the program. IN NO EVENT WILL ALLIZ Software BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS OR OTHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY. ii SHAREWARE SOFTWARE ALLIZ Software distributes CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT under the unique marketing approach known as Shareware. Shareware programs are sometimes confused with those called public- domain, but there is a difference. Simply put, shareware software carry a registration fee and public-domain programs do not. Shareware programs can be freely copied and shared. ALLIZ Software encourages the copying and sharing of unmodified copies of this Shareware evaluation diskette with others. The shareware concept is based on the principle that people should be allowed to evaluate a program over an acceptable period of time (typically 30 days) to determine its' useful- ness, without having to pay for it. If the product is found to be of use, then the person should recognize the author by registering as a user. This shareware evaluation copy of the CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT, release 1.2S, is a fully functional version which keeps home checking finances in order through automated control of printing checks, reconciliation of bank records and other bookkeeping functions. Differences between this shareware version and the commercial copy, CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT +, are explained in this user manual under "PROGRAM DIFFERENCES". This copy of CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT is fully functional as provided and, with the exception of correcting any oper- ational deficiencies, will remain at its current release level of 1.2S. Product enhancements are incorporated into the commercial copy (CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT +) and are there- fore reserved for registered users. If you find this product worthwhile, you are encouraged to register as a user for $35.00. You will find a registration form on the next page. Registration brings the following benefits: o Latest serialized version of CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT + o Program Support o Notification of all updates and changes o Printed Manual o Printer Driver Support (allows continued use of your present computer check forms) Thank you for your interest in this product. Enjoy using the CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT. iii CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT - REGISTRATION FORM Enclosed is my $35.00. Please register me as a user of the CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT. I understand that as a registered user I am entitled to the following: 1. Latest serialized version of CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT + 2. Program Support 3. Notification of all updates and changes 4. Printed Manual 5. Printer Driver Support (see below) NAME:__________________________________________________ COMPANY:_______________________________________________ ADDRESS:_______________________________________________ CITY, STATE, ZIP:______________________________________ DAYTIME TELEPHONE:__(_____)____________________________ DISKETTE TYPE: [ ] 5.25" Disk [ ] 3.5" Disk To register send $35.00 (money order or personnel check, Virginia state residents add $1.58 sales tax) to: ALLIZ Software 12818 Wrexham Road Herndon, VA 22071 COMMENTS: (likes, dislikes, additional features, problems?) ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ [ ] Yes - I want to continue using the ample supply of computer check forms that I have on CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT+. Please supply me with a custom printer driver which will support these checks. I have attached a blank, voided check (both parts) for this purpose. The name of the financial package I was previously using is: ______________________________________ iv PROGRAM DIFFERENCES ALLIZ Software markets CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT in two forms, this shareware version and a commercial version, which is known as CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT +. The differences between these two versions are described as follows: FEATURES SHAREWARE COMMERCIAL VERSION VERSION (CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT) (CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT +) Number of accounts 1 unlimited User defined liability categories No Yes Budget tracking No Yes Asset tracking No Yes Password protection No Yes Authorized bill payment No Yes Additional features o Pop up calendar o Pop up calculator o Information sort and search o Automatic data backup o Expanded reporting o and more.... v TABLE OF CONTENTS LICENSE i WARRANTY ii SHAREWARE SOFTWARE iii REGISTRATION FORM iv PROGRAM DIFFERENCES v CHAPTER 1 ..... INTRODUCTION TO CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT A. OVERVIEW 1 - 1 B. WHAT IS CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 1 - 1 C. COMPUTER FORM CHECKS 1 - 1 D. DISK FILES 1 - 3 E. GETTING STARTED 1 - 3 1. MAKING A WORKING COPY 1 - 4 2. RUNNING CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 1 - 5 3. DISPLAYING THE SYSTEM DATE 1 - 5 4. SETTING THE SYSTEM DATE 1 - 6 5. THE MAIN MENU 1 - 7 F. QUICK TUTOR 1 - 7 CHAPTER 2 ..... THE MAIN MENU A. OVERVIEW 2 - 1 1. MENU SELECTION 2 - 1 2. MENU SELECTION KEYS 2 - 1 3. INFORMATION PROMPT 2 - 2 4. HELP 2 - 3 5. MENU CHOICES 2 - 3 vi CHAPTER 3 ..... ACCOUNT TRANSACTIONS A. OVERVIEW 3 - 1 B. THE TRANSACTION MENU 3 - 1 1. THE FIELD EDITING KEYS 3 - 2 C. AUTOMATIC TELLER - TRANSACTION SCREEN 3 - 3 1. COMMAND KEYS 3 - 3 2. FIELD EDITING KEYS 3 - 5 D. DEPOSIT - TRANSACTION SCREEN 3 - 5 1. DEPOSIT SELECTION 3 - 5 2. DEPOSIT SELECTION KEYS 3 - 6 3. COMMAND KEYS 3 - 6 4. FIELD EDITING KEYS 3 - 8 E. CHECK PAYMENT - TRANSACTION SCREEN 3 - 8 1. CHECK PAYMENT SELECTION 3 - 8 2. CHECK PAYMENT SELECTION KEYS 3 - 9 3. COMMAND KEYS 3 - 10 4. FIELD EDITING KEYS 3 - 11 F. THE MANUAL CHECKBOOK SCREEN 3 - 12 1. ACTIVE KEYS 3 - 12 2. FIELD EDITING KEYS 3 - 13 CHAPTER 4 ..... THE CHECK REGISTER A. OVERVIEW 4 - 1 B. THE CHECK REGISTER SCREEN 4 - 1 1. PAGE NUMBERING 4 - 1 2. PREVIOUS PAGE BALANCE 4 - 1 3. RECONCILED ENTRIES 4 - 1 4. PAGE SELECTION 4 - 1 C. ACTIVE KEYS 4 - 2 CHAPTER 5 ..... RECONCILING THE ACCOUNT A. OVERVIEW 5 - 1 B. THE RECONCILE MENU 5 - 1 C. THE RECONCILE SCREEN 5 - 2 1. ACTIVE KEYS 5 - 2 vii CHAPTER 6 ..... CREATING THE FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO A. OVERVIEW 6 - 1 B. FINANCIAL PORFOLIO MENU 6 - 1 C. THE PORTFOLIO PARTS 6 - 1 1. BANKING ACCOUNT 6 - 1 2. INCOME 6 - 1 3. LIABILITIES 6 - 1 D. ADDING, CHANGING AND DELETING INFORMATION 6 - 2 1. THE EDITING SCREEN 6 - 2 2. THE FIELD EDITING KEYS 6 - 2 E. BANKING ACCOUNT 6 - 4 1. BANKING ACCOUNT - VIEW/EDIT SCREEN 6 - 4 2. ACTIVE KEYS 6 - 4 3. BANKING ACCOUNT FIELDS 6 - 4 F. INCOME 6 - 6 1. INCOME - VIEW/EDIT SCREEN 6 - 6 2. ACTIVE KEYS 6 - 6 3. INCOME SOURCE FIELDS 6 - 7 4. DELETING RECORDS 6 - 7 G. LIABILITIES 6 - 8 1. FINANCIAL LIABILITY CATEGORIES SCREEN 6 - 8 2. ACTIVE KEYS 6 - 8 H. VIEW A CATEGORY SCREEN 6 - 9 1. ACTIVE KEYS 6 - 9 I. VIEW A FILE WINDOW 6 - 10 1. ACTIVE KEYS 6 - 10 J. EDIT A CATEGORY SCREEN 6 - 11 1. ACTIVE KEYS 6 - 11 K. EDIT FILE SCREEN 6 - 12 1. FILE SCREEN - EDIT WINDOW 6 - 12 2. FILE SCREEN - CATEGORY WINDOW 6 - 12 3. FIELD EDITING KEYS 6 - 12 4. THE EDITING WINDOW FIELDS 6 - 12 5. ACTIVE KEYS 6 - 13 CHAPTER 7 ..... SETUP A. OVERVIEW 7 - 1 B. PROGRAM CONFIGURATION SCREEN 7 - 1 1. SELECTING THE CONFIGURATION 7 - 1 2. CHANGING THE CONFIGURATION 7 - 1 3. SAVING THE CONFIGURATION 7 - 2 C. DISPLAY MODE 7 - 2 D. PRIMARY DATA DRIVE 7 - 3 E. PRINTER TYPE 7 - 4 F. ACTIVE KEYS 7 - 4 viii CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 1 - 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION to CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT A. OVERVIEW Welcome to the CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT. If this is your first time with this package, please take a moment to read this introduction. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT is designed to run on IBM PC and close compatible computers. It requires a minimum of 384K of memory and PC-DOS or MS-DOS version 2.0 or later. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT has full color support and works equally well on monochrome. B. WHAT IS CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT is an automated package that keeps home checking account finances in order by printing checks, maintaining the check register and reconciling the bank records. In short, CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT is an easy to use automated checkbook system designed to simplify the tasks associated with maintaining and managing checking accounts. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT......at a glance: o Prints checks...either with or without payee address o Balances the checkbook o Provides checkbook reconciliation o Automatically tracks and simplifies payment of recurring monthly bills o Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) transactions are easily entered o Allows for voiding checks o Provides both an on screen and printed checkbook register o Various printed reports available o On-screen, context sensitive help always available C. COMPUTER FORM CHECKS Although CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT can be used without actually printing on computer form checks that can be distributed, it would not do anything to help the margin of error or the simplicity of operation which is why you were attracted to this program in the first place. To get the most out of CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT, you will be required to purchase computer form checks. ALLIZ Software does NOT provide or sell these checks. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 1 - 2 COMPUTER FORM CHECKS (continued) The checks used with CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT are a dual-purpose check with an overall size 9.5" x 7" (8.5" x 7 detached of the computer sprocket holes) and compatible with those used in either Dollars and Sense (TM) or Managing Your Money (TM). The checks are normally available in 1, 2, or 3 parts. Parts, as it pertains to the check, should not be confused with perforations. Parts are associated with "copies". A 1-part check includes the original check and the attached perforated stub. A 2-part check contains the original top portion as described in the 1-part check PLUS an additional carbonless copy. A 3-part check would contain two carbonless copies. For home checking activities, the 1-part check is adequate, providing you with a "stub" copy of the check. Computer form checks can be ordered from either of the following sources or from most office and business supply stores: MOORE COMPUTER SUPPLIES AND FORMS P.O. BOX 20 WHEELING, IL 60090 (800) 323-6230 CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT uses check series #7030. Check series #7030 is available in either brown, blue, black or red and 1, 2, or 3-part. Minimum check quantity is 250. DELUXE COMPUTER FORMS AND SUPPLIES 1275 Red Fox Road P.O.Box 64046 St. Paul, MN 55164-9968 (800) 328-0304 CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT uses check series #091004. Check series #091004 is available in either blue, green, tan or yellow and in 1, 2, or 3-part. Minimum check quantity is 500. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 1 - 3 D. DISK FILES This version of CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT is provided with the following disk files: CA.EXE ... this is the CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT program CA.CNF ... this is the configuration file CA.HLP ... this is the program's help file CA-DOC ... this documentation file CA.LIF ... this is the liability information file CA.IND ... this is the CA.LIF index file CA.PFL ... this is a supporting portfolio file CA.CRG ... this is the check register file READ.ME ... any last minute new information An additional file will be made by the program each month during its use. This file is refered to as the month check file and has the format MMMYY.CHK, where MMM indicates the 3 character month, YY is the last 2 digits of the year and CHK is the file extension. This file contains all of the account transactions for the given month. E. GETTING STARTED As a first time user you may have an eagerness to jump in and get going, so we will try our best to get you on your way as quickly as possible. Keep in mind however, that to really use and get the maximum benefit from this package some time is needed at the beginning to input the information in the Financial Porfolio section which tells the program something about you. If you are NOT new to computers, you may now want to jump to the section F. QUICK TUTOR, in this chapter. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT is not copy protected which means it can be backed up (copied) by using the DOS Diskcopy and/or Copy commands. Without proper care, disks are easily damaged and can occassionally wear out. It is important therefore, that you make a back up of this program. We will call the back up copy the "working copy". The "original" should then be safely stored in the event it is ever needed. ____________________________________________________________ IMPORTANT: NEVER SAVE A DATABASE FILE ON YOUR ORIGINAL CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT DISK. THE ORIGINAL SHOULD ONLY BE USED TO MAKE WORKING COPIES OF CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT. ____________________________________________________________ If you have not already done so, the following will describe how to make a working copy of the CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT disk. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 1 - 4 GETTING STARTED (continued) 1. MAKING A WORKING COPY: IF YOU HAVE TWO FLOPPY DRIVES 1. Turn on and boot your computer in the normal manner with a DOS version 2.0 or later disk in drive A. 2. Put a blank disk in drive B 3. At the A> prompt, type FORMAT B:/S then press the RETURN key. A>FORMAT B:/S 4. Replace the DOS disk in drive A with the CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT master disk. 5. To copy the required files from the master disk in drive A to the newly formated disk in drive B, type COPY A:CA.* B: then press the RETURN key. This will copy all the files from the master disk except for the CA-DOC file, which is this manual, and the READ.ME file, if present. A>COPY A:CA.* B: 6. When you are finished put the master disk it in a safe place and label the working disk accordingly. IF YOU HAVE A HARD DRIVE 1. Turn on and boot your computer in the normal manner with DOS version 2.0 or later. 2. Make a subdirectory for CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT called CA by typing MD\CA then press RETURN. _____________________________________________________ NOTE: This procedure assumes that your hard disk is identified as drive C. If your hard disk is called something other than C, then substitute your actual drive letter for the letter C. _____________________________________________________ C>MD\CA 3. Change from the root directory to the newly established CA subdirectory by typing CD\CA then press RETURN. C>CD\CA CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 1 - 5 Making A Working Copy (continued) 4. Put the CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT master disk in drive A. 5. To copy the required files from the master disk in drive A to the CA subdirectory on drive C, type COPY A:CA.* C: then press the RETURN key. C>COPY A:CA.* C: 6. When you are finished put the master disk it in a safe place. 2. RUNNING CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT If you are running CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT from a floppy drive, then put the working copy disk in drive A. (or) If you are running CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT from your hard drive, then change to the CA subdirectory by typing CD\CA (if necessary). 1. Type CA then press ENTER. In a moment, the opening screen will appear. 2. Follow the on-screen prompt by pressing ANY key to continue. The next screen displays the shareware notice. 3. Follow the on-screen prompt by pressing ANY key to continue. The next screen displays the identification, copyright notice and the system date. 3. DISPLAYING THE SYSTEM DATE In the lower part of the displayed screen you may see either of the following indications: 1. There will be a box that contains the system date, and below it, a prompt asking you if this date is correct. Example: Today is SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 1988 IS TODAY'S DATE CORRECT ? (Y/N) CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 1 - 6 DISPLAYING THE SYSTEM DATE (continued) (or) 2. There will be a box that displays the message "Current Date has Not Been Set". Example: CURRENT DATE HAS NOT BEEN SET PLEASE ENTER TODAY'S DATE IN THE FORMAT: MM-DD-YYYY If the screen display is similar to example 1, and if the date IS correct, simply press Y. The screen will then display the MAIN MENU. If the date is NOT correct, then press N. If the date was correct, then go to paragraph "5. THE MAIN MENU" on the next page. If the date has to be set, then continue with paragraph "4. SETTING THE SYSTEM DATE" below. 4. SETTING THE SYSTEM DATE If the system date is NOT correct, or if the current date has not been set you will be answering the following prompt: PLEASE ENTER TODAY'S DATE IN THE FORMAT: MM-DD-YYYY MM is a "2" digit code for the MONTH (ex. February = 02). DD are the "2" digits of the DAY. YYYY are the "4" digits of the year. Type in the information as requested, INCLUDING the dashes "-", then press ENTER. If you attempt to enter the date incorrectly you will here a warning beep and you will be prompted to enter the date again. If you entered the new date correctly, you will be greeted with the prompt: NOW IS TODAY'S DATE CORRECT ? (Y/N) If the date is correct, then press Y or if the date is still wrong then press N and re-enter the date as described above. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 1 - 7 5. THE MAIN MENU You are now at the MAIN MENU. If you are anxious to get going and see what this program has to offer, then continue by selecting item 4 from the main menu - FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO, and turn to Chapter 6, CREATING THE FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO. If you prefer a more in-depth approach then continue with Chapter 2, The MAIN MENU. F. QUICK TUTOR 1. Make copies of the master distribution disk, if you have not already done so. 2. Put the working disk in the default drive, or if using a hard disk, change to the CA subdirectory. 3. TYPE CA. 4. Respond to the opening prompts. 5. Ensure that the correct date is displayed. 6. You should now be at the MAIN MENU. From this point on, pressing F10 (Function key 10) will supply you with "Help" information. The "Help" information provides brief descriptions about the current screen and area which you are in. It can also serve as a mini tutorial. 7. From the MAIN MENU, select item #4 - "FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO" 8. Continue to Chapter 6, CREATING THE FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 2 - 1 CHAPTER 2 THE MAIN MENU A. OVERVIEW The MAIN MENU screen is the hub of CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT. Access to all other portions of the program is accomplished here. The MAIN MENU, as with ALL the menus within CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT, make use of the "Highlighted Bar/Press to Select" type of menu. 1. MENU SELECTION Before we discuss each menu item, let us see how menu selections are made and what keys are used to do this. Menu Selection is accomplished by: 1. Highlighting the desired entry by moving the highlighted bar with the "Up", "Down", "Pg Up", "PgDn" "Home" or "End" key until the intended choice is highlighted .. that menu selection is then made by pressing the RETURN/ENTER key. (or) 2. Pressing the associated number of the desired choice. 2. MENU SELECTION KEYS Here the menu selection keys described above are discussed in detail. "Up" arrow key - moves the highlighted bar up one position. If the highlighted bar is at the top most, number 1 position, pressing this key will cause the highlighted bar to loop around to the last entry selection. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 2 - 2 MENU SELECTION KEYS (continued) "Down" arrow key - moves the highlighted bar down one position. Like the "Up" arrow key, this key causes the menu bar to loop through all the selections, but in the opposite direction. If the highlighted bar is at the last entry selection, pressing this key will loop the selection bar to choice number 1. "Pg Up" key - moves the highlighted bar from its current position to selection number 1. If the menu bar is already on selection number 1, then this key does nothing. "Pg Dn" key - moves the highlighted bar from its current position to the last selection number. If the menu bar is already on the last selection, then this key does nothing. "Home" key - within this menu this key has the same affect as the "Pg Up" key. "End" key - within this menu this key has the same affect as the "Pg Dn" key. "Enter" key - causes the menu selection under the highlighted bar to be activated. "Return" key - performs the same function as the "Enter" key. NUMBER KEY - causes the immediate selection of that choice, if the number that was pressed is valid. (Within the MAIN MENU, only the numbers 1 thru 6 are valid entries). 3. INFORMATION PROMPT If menu selection is accomplished by means of the directional arrow keys (versus the immediate method of pressing the associated number) then as the highlighted bar is moved over a selection, a small description as to what that selection would do appears in the lower portion of the screen within the choice information prompt. Example: If the highlighted menu bar is resting over choice "6. EXIT", then the choice information prompt will display "RETURN TO DOS". CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 2 - 3 4. HELP On-Line HELP can always be obtained by pressing F10 (function key 10). The HELP information provides brief descriptions about the current screen and area which you are in. The HELP files can also serve as a mini tutorial. 5. MENU CHOICES The following menu choices are available from the MAIN MENU: 1. ACCOUNT TRANSACTIONS 2. CHECK REGISTER 3. CHECK RECONCILIATION 4. FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO 5. SETUP Esc - EXIT A brief explanation of each menu item is provided below. A more detailed description is provided within the associated chapter. ACCOUNT TRANSACTIONS This selection puts you into an account session. During an account session you can make deposit, automatic teller and check payment transactions, print checks and/or write manual checks. See chapter 3 for additional information. CHECK REGISTER Selecting the CHECK REGISTER will provide you with a visual pictorial layout that represents a typical check register. All information is automatically inserted by the program. See chapter 4 for additional information. CHECK RECONCILIATION The CHECK RECONCILIATION selection is where you select the individual items to be reconciled against those same items that have been acknowledged by your bank as being paid or deposited. See chapter 5 for additional information. FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO The Financial Portfolio selection allows you to define the various information concerning your checking account, personal/family income and liabilities. See chapter 6 for additional information. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 2 - 4 MENU CHOICES (continued) UTILITIES With this selection you can tailor the CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT to your system hardware or personal preference. It is used for selecting the display mode, data disk drive and printer type. See chapter 7 for additional information. EXIT This selection leaves CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT and returns you to DOS. This is the only acceptable means of exiting the program. It ensures that all files that were open during the program are properly closed so that no information will be lost (see note below). _____________________________________________________________ NOTE: TO ENSURE PROPER FILE ADMINISTRATION AND PREVENT CORRUPT FILES AND LOST INFORMATION, ALWAYS EXIT THE PROGRAM THROUGH THE MAIN MENU. DO NOT SHUT THE SYSTEM OFF OR REMOVE THE DATA DISK UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE EXITED BACK TO DOS. _____________________________________________________________ If upon exiting CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT you see the following message: YOU HAVE NOT SAVED YOUR UPDATED WORK DO YOU WISH TO SAVE YOUR WORK .. (Y/N) ? this means that CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT has detected that you either entered new data or you made changes to existing data while in the FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO Account and/or Income section, and did NOT save your work. Answer this prompt accordingly. If you should answer it "N" or "n" however, the following message will be displayed .... just to make sure: ARE YOU SURE .. (Y/N) ? CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 3 - 1 CHAPTER 3 ACCOUNT TRANSACTIONS A. OVERVIEW All activities within the ACCOUNT TRANSACTION section are considered an account session. During an account session you can make deposit, automatic teller and check payment transactions, print checks and/or write manual checks. The account session is concidered over when you exit back to the Main Menu. Understanding what compromises an account session is meaningfull when writing manual checks. Upon entering the ACCOUNT TRANSACTION Screen, the Account Transaction window is blank, with the exception that it contains the Transaction Menu. _________________________________________________________________ NOTE: For the FIRST time during a new month, CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT will NOT be able to find the "month check" file for the current month and will prompt you whether it should MAKE this file, by display- ing the following example message: MAKE FEB88.CHK FILE - Y/N If this is the case, then answer "Y" or "y" to this prompt. _________________________________________________________________ B. THE TRANSACTION MENU At the TRANSACTION MENU, you select the type of transaction to post against the account. The following choices are available at this menu: F1 - AUTOMATIC TELLER F2 - DEPOSIT F3 - CHECK PAYMENT The various choices are made by pressing either the F1, F2 or F3 FUNCTION key. Pressing the "Esc" (Escape) key returns you to the MAIN MENU. Function key F10 will display the Help file. ____________________________________________________________ NOTE: Within CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT, pressing the "Esc" (Escape) key will always return you to the previous menu or function. ____________________________________________________________ After making your transaction selection by pressing either function key F1, F2 or F3, the screen will display the appropriate information and the F9 (MENU) function key can be used to display a pop up menu of valid commands. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 3 - 2 1. THE FIELD EDITING KEYS While editing within the ACCOUNT TRANSACTION Screens, the following field editing keys are active: "Up" arrow key - places the cursor at the beginning of the PREVIOUS field. If the cursor was in the FIRST field when this key was pressed, then the cursor will advance to the beginning of the LAST field. "Down" arrow key - places the cursor at the beginning of the NEXT field. If the cursor was in the LAST field when this key was pressed, then the cursor will advance to the beginning of the FIRST field. "ENTER/RETURN" keys perform exactly as the "Down" arrow key. "Left" arrow key - moves the cursor one (1) position to the left within the current field. If the cursor is already at the beginning of the field, then this key has no effect. "Right" arrow key - moves the cursor one (1) position to the right within the current field, over existing data. If the cursor is already at the end of the field, or there is no data to the right of the cursor, then this key has no effect. "Home" key - positions the cursor at the start of the data within the current field. "End" key - positions the cursor at the end of the data within the current field. "Del" key - deletes the character over the cursor or if in the STATUS field it will UNselect a previously selected entry. "Back Space" key - deletes the character left of the cursor. "Esc" key - cancels the editing mode, and places you at the previous menu. _____________________________________________________________ NOTE: The editor is always in the INSERT MODE. This means, that as you type a character any existing character at the cursor position is moved to the right versus being replaced by the new character. Example: You intended to type "HELLO" but noticed you typed "HALLO". In attempting to correct the mistake you position the cursor under the "A" and type an "E". The resulting word will now appear as "HEALLO". To get rid of the "A", use the Left or Right arrow key to position the cursor under the "A", then press the "Del" key. _____________________________________________________________ CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 3 - 3 C. AUTOMATIC TELLER - TRANSACTION SCREEN This choice allows you to enter either DEPOSITS or WITHDRAWALS that were made against this account at the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM). 1. COMMAND KEYS Command information appropriate to the AUTOMATIC TELLER TRANSACTION Screen, can be seen by pressing the F9 MENU Key. The command keys for this screen are: F1 - DEPOSIT F2 - WITHDRAWAL F4 - EDIT Entry F6 - SAVE/Execute F9 - MENU F10 - HELP Esc - RETURN F1 - DEPOSIT This key allows you to post DEPOSIT transactions that were made to this account via an Automatic Teller Machine. Pressing this key will activate a highlighted bar under the TRANSACTION column where you can enter information concerning this transaction. Pressing the ENTER key will advance the highlighted bar to the AMOUNT column. Here you will enter the amount of this transaction. The CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT will add the current date and adjust the account balance accordingly. F2 - WITHDRAWAL This key allows you to post WITHDRAWAL transactions that were made to this account via an Automatic Teller Machine. Pressing this key will activate a highlighted bar under the TRANSACTION column where you can enter information concerning this transaction. Pressing the ENTER key will advance the highlighted bar to the AMOUNT column. Here you will enter the amount of this trans- action. The CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT will add the current date and adjust the account balance accordingly. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 3 - 4 COMMAND KEYS (continued) F4 EDIT Entry This key is used to enter the EDIT Mode which allows you to edit the information in the highlighted field. While in the EDIT Mode you can change the information within the highlighted section. Either the ENTER key or the "Up" and "Down" arrow keys can be used to move between the fields. Within this screen, only the STATUS and AMOUNT fields can be edited. While in the STATUS field the "Del" key is used to UNselect this choice. F6 SAVE/Execute This key performs two functions. It will Save the entries made to this screen, as well as all new UNexecuted entries made within the DEPOSIT TRANSACTION Screen to the appropriate disk files for permanent storage and Execute these entries within the system (example: updating the check register). This key is important - Don't forget to save your work! _____________________________________________________________ NOTE: If you are going to print checks from within this same account session, then you do NOT have to save the entries made in this screen. The data entered in this screen will automatic- ally be saved when you issue the "PRINT Checks" command from the CHECK PAYMENT TRANSACTION SCREEN. Issuing the "SAVE/Execute" command (F6) at this screen will save the data entered in this screen as well as any UNexecuted entries that exist in the DEPOSIT TRANSACTION SCREEN. It will however have NO effect on any data in the CHECK PAYMENT TRANSACTION SCREEN. _____________________________________________________________ F9 MENU - This key displays the pop up menu of command keys for this screen. F10 HELP - Displays the Help file. Esc key This key has 2 functions. When the pop up menu is displayed, this key returns control to the AUTOMATIC TELLER TRANSACTION Screen. When in the transaction screen, without the pop up window present, this key returns you to the Transaction Menu. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 3 - 5 2. FIELD EDITING KEYS The field editing keys are those keys which were previously described in this chapter, section B.1. D. DEPOSIT - TRANSACTION SCREEN This choice allows for the means to post regular deposits made to this account. You can activate established DEPOSIT information (that which has been entered into the FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO) and/or add any additional DEPOSIT information. 1. DEPOSIT SELECTION Deposit information that has been added into the FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO section under INCOME will automatically appear in the DEPOSIT TRANSACTION SCREEN window. Any or all of this data can be selected for deposit into the account through the use of the cursor control and ENTER/RETURN keys. Selection is made by highlighting the particular choice with the arrow keys and then pressing either ENTER or RETURN. When an item has been selected, CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT fills in the DATE information and ajusts the BALANCE to reflect this transaction. ____________________________________________________________ NOTE: Although a selected item adjusts the checkbook balance, this transaction is NOT made permanent until either the "SAVE/ Execute" command (F6) is issued or checks are printed. ONLY then, will the transaction be made permanent and update the check register and system files. ____________________________________________________________ After a DEPOSIT item has been selected, the AMOUNT field can be edited if necessary, by issuing the "EDIT Entry" command (F4). CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 3 - 6 2. DEPOSIT SELECTION KEYS The following keys are used to select existing information from the DEPOSIT TRANSACTION WINDOW: "Up" arrow - moves the highlighted bar up one position within the confines of the window. If the highlighted bar is at the top most position and there is more data to display, then each subsequent press of this key will scroll the data down until the start of the data file is reached. "Down" arrow - moves the highlighted bar down one position within the confines of the window. If the highlighted bar is at the bottom most position and there is more data to display, then each subsequent press of this key will scroll the data up until the end of the data file is reached. "Pg Up" key - moves the highlighted bar to the top most portion of the window and if the current page of information is page 2 or higher, will display the previous page of information. "Pg Dn" key - moves the highlighted bar to the top most portion of the window and if the current page of information is not the last page, will display the next page of information. "Home" key - moves the highlighted bar to the top most portion of the window and displays the FIRST page of information. "End" key - moves the highlighted bar to the top most portion of the window and displays the LAST page of information. "ENTER" key - is used to select the highlighted transaction. "RETURN" key - performs the same function as the ENTER key. 3. COMMAND KEYS Command information appropriate to the DEPOSIT TRANSACTION Screen, can be seen by pressing the F9 MENU Key. The command keys for this screen are: F1 - DEPOSIT F4 - EDIT Entry F6 - SAVE/Execute F9 - MENU F10 - HELP Esc - RETURN CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 3 - 7 COMMAND KEYS (continued) F1 - DEPOSIT This key allows you to post Deposit transactions to this account. Making this selection will activate a highlighted bar under the TRANSACTION column where you can input information concerning this transaction. Pressing the ENTER Key will advance the highlighted bar to the AMOUNT column. Here you will enter the amount of this transaction. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT will add the current date and adjust the account balance accordingly. F4 EDIT Entry This key is used to enter the EDIT Mode which allows you to edit the information in the highlighted field. While in the EDIT Mode you can change the information within the highlighted section. Either the ENTER key or the "Up" and "Down" arrow keys can be used to move between the fields. Within this screen, only the STATUS and AMOUNT fields can be edited. While in the STATUS field the "Del" key is used to UNselect this choice. F6 SAVE/Execute This key performs two functions. It will Save the entries made to this screen, as well as all new UNexecuted entries made within the AUTOMATIC TELLER TRANSACTION screen to the appropriate disk files for permanent storage and Execute these entries within the system (example: updating the check register). This key is important - Don't forget to save your work! _____________________________________________________________ NOTE: If you are going to print checks from within this same account session, then you do NOT have to save the entries made in this screen. The data entered in this screen will automatic- ally be saved when you issue the "PRINT Checks" command from the CHECK PAYMENT TRANSACTION SCREEN. Issuing the "SAVE/Execute" command (F6) at this screen will save the data entered in this screen as well as any UNexecuted entries that exist in the AUTOMATIC TELLER TRANSACTION SCREEN. It will however have NO effect on any data in the CHECK PAYMENT TRANSACTION SCREEN. _____________________________________________________________ CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 3 - 8 COMMAND KEYS (continued) F9 MENU - This key displays the pop up menu of command keys for this screen. F10 HELP - Displays the Help file. Esc key This key has 2 functions. When the pop up menu is displayed, this key returns control to the DEPOSIT TRANSACTION Screen. When in the transaction screen, without the pop up window present, this key returns you to the Transaction Menu. 4. FIELD EDITING KEYS The field editing keys are those keys which were previously described in this chapter, section B.1. E. CHECK PAYMENT - TRANSACTION SCREEN Entering this screen allows you to identify which accounts need to be paid from the list of established liability information (from that information that has been entered into the FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO section) and/or by writing out a manual electronic check for those one time non recurring expenses. 1. CHECK PAYMENT SELECTION Check payment information that has been added into the FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO section under LIABILITIES will auto- matically appear in the CHECK PAYMENT TRANSACTION SCREEN window. Any or all of this data can be selected for pay- ment by CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT through the use of the cursor control and ENTER/RETURN keys. Selection is made by high- lighting the particular choice with the arrow keys and then pressing either ENTER or RETURN. When an item has been selected, CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT fills in the DATE information and ajusts the BALANCE to reflect this transaction. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 3 - 9 CHECK PAYMENT SELECTION (continued) ____________________________________________________________ NOTE: Although a selected item adjusts the checkbook balance, this transaction is NOT made permanent until the "PRINT Checks" command (F6) is issued and checks are printed. ONLY then, will the transaction be made permanent and update the check register and system files. ____________________________________________________________ After a CHECK PAYMENT item has been selected, the AMOUNT field can be edited if necessary, by issuing the "EDIT Entry" command (F4). 2. CHECK PAYMENT SELECTION KEYS The following keys are used to select existing information from the CHECK PAYMENT TRANSACTION WINDOW: "Up" arrow - moves the highlighted bar up one position within the confines of the window. If the highlighted bar is at the top most position and there is more data to display, then each subsequent press of this key will scroll the data down until the start of the data file is reached. "Down" arrow - moves the highlighted bar down one position within the confines of the window. If the highlighted bar is at the bottom most position and there is more data to display, then each subsequent press of this key will scroll the data up until the end of the data file is reached. "Pg Up" key - moves the highlighted bar to the top most portion of the window and if the current page of information is page 2 or higher, will display the previous page of information. "Pg Dn" key - moves the highlighted bar to the top most portion of the window and if the current page of information is not the last page, will display the next page of information. "Home" key - moves the highlighted bar to the top most portion of the window and displays the FIRST page of information. "End" key - moves the highlighted bar to the top most portion of the window and displays the LAST page of information. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 3 - 10 CHECK PAYMENT SELECTION KEYS (continued) "ENTER" key - is used to select the highlighted transaction. "RETURN" key - performs the same function as the ENTER key. 3. COMMAND KEYS Command information appropriate to the CHECK PAYMENT TRANSACTION Screen, can be seen by pressing the F9 MENU Key. The command keys for this screen are: F1 - CHECKBOOK F3 - VOID Check F4 - EDIT Entry F6 - PRINT Checks F9 - MENU F10 - HELP Esc - RETURN The command keys are described as follows: F1 - CHECKBOOK This key pops up a screen display of a blank check. You fill in the check as you would any regular check. When you are finished writing your check(s) you return to the CHECK PAYMENT TRANSACTION Screen. The check(s) you have just written will appear as the last entries in the Check Payment Transaction window. F3 VOID Check This key is used to VOID a check that has already been printed. All system files and math calculations are updated. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 3 - 11 COMMAND KEYS (continued) F4 EDIT Entry This key is used to enter the EDIT Mode which allows you to edit the information in the highlighted field. While in the EDIT Mode you can change the information within the highlighted section. Either the ENTER key or the "Up" and "Down" arrow keys can be used to move between the fields. Within this screen, only the STATUS and AMOUNT fields can be edited. While in the STATUS field the "Del" key is used to UNselect this choice. F6 PRINT Checks This key initiates the printing of the checks. As each check is printed, the associated check number is assigned and displayed on the screen, as well as the descriptor "PAID" is displayed against the appropriate entry. After the check printing function is complete it will auto- matically save this updated data, as well as all new UNexecuted entries made within the AUTOMATIC TELLER and DEPOSIT transaction screens, to the appropriate disk files for permanent storage. _________________________________________________________ NOTE: After the last check is printed, CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT will automatically save ALL UNexecuted entries within the AUTOMATIC TELLER, DEPOSIT and CHECK PAYMENT TRANSACTION Screens that were made during this account session. _________________________________________________________ F9 MENU - This key displays the pop up menu of command keys for this screen. F10 HELP - Displays the Help file. Esc key This key has 2 functions. When the pop up menu is displayed, this key returns control to the CHECK PAYMENT TRANSACTION Screen. When in the transaction screen, without the pop up window present, this key returns you to the Transaction Menu. 4. FIELD EDITING KEYS The field editing keys are those keys which were previously described in this chapter, section B.1. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 3 - 12 F. THE MANUAL CHECKBOOK SCREEN This screen simulates a blank check and is where you write out those one-of-a-kind, non recurring checks. Movement between the check editing fields is done with the "Up" and "Down" arrow keys and the "ENTER" key. ___________________________________________________________ NOTE: This screen is part of the account session. As a reminder, all activities within the ACCOUNT TRANSACTION section are considered an account session. ___________________________________________________________ The Checking Account balance is displayed at the top of the screen, and is updated as a check is written. The check number, located in the upper right portion of the check, is reset to "1" at either the beginning of an account session or after printing any checks. This check number is incre- mented as a check is written. You can write up to 20 manual checks during a session. If you find that you have to write more than 20 checks, you will have to print the checks already written before you will be able to write any more. _____________________________________________________________ NOTE: CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT will only allow you to write 20 MANUAL checks during an account session. If you find that you have the need to write more than 20 MANUAL checks, you can get around this limitation by printing the checks already written and then re-entering the MANUAL CHECKBOOK Screen. _____________________________________________________________ 1. ACTIVE KEYS The following keys are active within the MANUAL CHECKBOOK Screen: F1 - Clears the check fields and increments the check number in preparation for the next manual check. _____________________________________________________________ NOTE: CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT verifies that ALL fields have data before allowing you to write another check. You can override this feature by using F7. _____________________________________________________________ CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 3 - 13 ACTIVE KEYS (continued) F7 - Same as F1, except that only minimum field checking is performed. The following fields MUST have information present: DOLLARS and/or CENTS, PAY TO THE ORDER OF, and REFERENCE. F10 - Displays the Help file. Esc - RETURNS you to the Check Payment Screen. _________________________________________________________ NOTE: All MANUAL check information is only stored temporarily and is erased upon returning to the MAIN MENU. If you should attempt to exit to the MAIN MENU after writing a manual check without having printed it, a warning message will be displayed. _________________________________________________________ 2. FIELD EDITING KEYS The field editing keys are those keys which were previously described in this chapter, section B.1. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 4 - 1 CHAPTER 4 THE CHECK REGISTER A. OVERVIEW The CHECK REGISTER Screen provides a visual status of the checking account through a pictorial display that represents a typical check register. The check register displays the history of the account since CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT was first used. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT records in this screen all account transactions (deposits, automatic teller deposits/withdrawals, checks written, checks voided, etc.), as well as providing at a glance, those items that have been reconciled. B. THE CHECK REGISTER SCREEN The CHECK REGISTER Screen is a VIEW only display. No action, other than looking, can take place. The pictorial layout of the of the check register display, represents a typical check register. All information is automatically inserted by the program in a column formatted arrangement. 1. PAGE NUMBERING Upon selecting this screen from the MAIN MENU, the last (most current) page of the check register is always displayed first. The total number of pages belonging to the check register is displayed in the upper left hand corner, along with the present page number. 2. PREVIOUS PAGE BALANCE The previous page balance is shown in the upper right hand corner. 3. RECONCILED ENTRIES Those entries that have been reconciled (using the CHECK RECONCILIATION selection from the MAIN MENU) will display the reconciled marking (**) in the CHECK # column associated with that entry. 4. PAGE SELECTION Page Selection within the CHECK REGISTER is accomplished through the use of the "Pg Up" and "Pg Dn" keys. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 4 - 2 C. ACTIVE KEYS The following keys are active within the CHECK REGISTER Screen: "Pg Up" - decreases the page number "Pg Dn" - increases the page number ___________________________________________________________ NOTE: Pages can only be changed if there is information available for display. ___________________________________________________________ "F3" - sends the information to the printer, which in turn prints a hard copy of the check register. ___________________________________________________________ NOTE: Requesting the printer will cause the program to prompt you to answer the following question: ENTER STARTING PAGE NUMBER - (Page # 1 thru Page # 3 ) In this example, the starting page number (1) and the ending page number (3) are the computed page numbers for the printed report, and NOT the page numbers that appear on the displayed page of the Check Register Screen. The Check Register Display Screen only can display 10 entries, while the printed report can shown up to 30 entries on a page. _____________________________________________________________ "F10" - Displays the HELP File. "Esc" - Returns you to the MAIN MENU. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 5 - 1 CHAPTER 5 RECONCILING THE ACCOUNT A. OVERVIEW The act of reconciling your account is the process of verifying that your account records agree with the records maintained by your bank. Through this process you can easily determine if there are any outstanding transactions, any special or additional fees imposed, a possible banking error or any transactions that you failed to enter. Your bank account records are important, and as such, your account should be reconciled every time you receive your bank statement. By keeping your checking account reconciled with the bank's record, you will feel confident that the balance shown by your records is the same balance that is maintained by your bank. The CHECK RECONCILIATION section of CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT is where you select those individual transactions made to your account that compare to the same items appearing in the bank statement, which have been acknowledged by your bank as having been paid or deposited. B. THE RECONCILE MENU CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT simplifies the reconciliation process by grouping various transaction types together. The selection of which transaction category you wish to reconcile is done at the RECONCILE MENU. From this menu, the following choices can be made: 1. CHECKS 2. DEPOSITS 3. AUTO-TELLER 4. PRINT UNRECONCILED Esc - MAIN MENU Choosing either 1, 2 or 3 selects the category (CHECKS, DEPOSITS, AUTO-TELLER) that you wish to reconcile, and the subsequent reconcile screen will display all the UNreconciled data for that activity. When you are finished within the selected transaction category, you will always be returned to this menu. Selection 4 generates a printed report which details ALL the UNreconciled data. Pressing Esc (Escape key), will return you to the MAIN MENU. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 5 - 2 C. THE RECONCILE SCREEN Depending upon which reconcile category you selected, the RECONCILE SCREEN will display ALL the UNreconciled data for that activity (CHECKS, DEPOSITS or AUTO-TELLER) in a chronological order, with the oldest information being displayed first. The balance of the last reconciliation is displayed in the upper right portion of the screen as the PREVIOUS RECONCILED BALANCE. Directly below this balance is shown The CURRENT RECONCILED BALANCE. At the start of the reconciliation procedure, these two balances are equal. As various entries are selected for reconciliation, the CURRENT RECONCILED BALANCE is adjusted accordingly. Those items to be reconciled are selected by the arrow keys and the ENTER or RETURN key. 1. ACTIVE KEYS The following keys are active within the RECONCILE SCREEN: "Up" arrow - moves the highlighted bar UP one entry. "Down" arrow - moves the highlighted bar DOWN one entry. "Pg Up" key - selects the PREVIOUS page. "Pg Dn" key - selects the NEXT page. "F10" key - displays the Help file. "Esc" key - returns you to the RECONCILE MENU. "ENTER" key - is used as a toggle to either select or Un-select a highlighted field. Here the "ENTER" key does double duty. It is used to select a highlighted entry for reconciliation, and it is also used to UN-select a previously selected entry during the same editing session. _____________________________________________________________ NOTE: ALL reconciled entries are made permanent upon exiting to the MAIN MENU. You can freely move between any of the reconcile screens to make and/or cancel selections, as part of the same editing session, but the editing session ends when you exit to the MAIN MENU. _____________________________________________________________ CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 6 - 1 CHAPTER 6 CREATING THE FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO A. OVERVIEW The Financial Portfolio section of CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT is the main thrust behind the program. The Financial Portfolio contains your checking account, personal/family income and liability information. The program constantly refers to this section for the information it needs to process the various program functions. It is extremely important that the data assigned in this section be entered accurately. B. FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO MENU The Financial Portfolio Menu is where you select the appropriate category for editing and/or viewing information. The following menu choices are available at the FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO MENU: 1. BANKING ACCOUNT 2. INCOME 3. LIABILITIES Esc - MAIN MENU A category is selected by choosing either 1, 2 or 3. Choosing "Esc", will return you to the MAIN MENU. On-line help information is available within each of the portfolio categories. C. THE PORTFOLIO PARTS 1. BANKING ACCOUNT The BANKING ACCOUNT section is where you provide the information about the checking account that you wish CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT to handle. 2. INCOME The INCOME section is where you define the information about the sources and frequency of income that you wish CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT to monitor. 3. LIABILITIES This section is where you provide information regarding the liabilities that you wish CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT to pay. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 6 - 2 D. ADDING, CHANGING AND DELETING INFORMATION Within each of the portfolio categories you will be either adding, changing or deleting information. This process is called editing. The editing of information is accomplished at an editing screen. 1. THE EDITING SCREEN The editing screen can be thought of as visual question and answer exercise. The screen will prompt you for a response regarding a specific question or topic. You will type in the answer in the corresponding highlighted area, called a field. The highlighted entry fields are of pre-determined lengths. If you should type any information that is longer than the defined field, the editor will advance to the next field. ____________________________________________________________ NOTE: Information will be saved only as it appears in the field. ____________________________________________________________ 2. THE FIELD EDITING KEYS Within the Editing Screen, the following keys are active: "Up" arrow key - places the cursor at the beginning of the PREVIOUS field. If the cursor was in the FIRST field when this key was pressed, then the cursor will advance to the beginning of the LAST field. "Down" arrow key - places the cursor at the beginning of the NEXT field. If the cursor was in the LAST field when this key was pressed, then the cursor will advance to the beginning of the FIRST field. "ENTER/RETURN" keys perform exactly as the "Down" arrow key. "Left" arrow key - moves the cursor one (1) position to the left within the current field. If the cursor is already at the beginning of the field, then this key has no effect. "Right" arrow key - moves the cursor one (1) position to the right within the current field, over existing data. If the cursor is already at the end of the field, or there is no data to the right of the cursor, then this key has no effect. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 6 - 3 THE FIELD EDITING KEYS (continued) "Home" key - positions the cursor at the start of the data within the current field. "End" key - positions the cursor at the end of the data within the current field. "Del" key - deletes the character over the cursor. "Back Space" key - deletes the character to the left of the cursor. "Esc" key - cancels the editing mode, and places you at the previous menu. _____________________________________________________________ NOTE: The editor is always in the INSERT MODE. This means, that as you type a character any existing character at the cursor position is moved to the right versus being replaced by the new character. Example: You intended to type "HELLO" but noticed you typed "HALLO". In attempting to correct the mistake you position the cursor under the "A" and type an "E". The resulting word will now appear as "HEALLO". To get rid of the "A", use the Left or Right arrow key to position the cursor under the "A", then press the "Del" key. _____________________________________________________________ CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 6 - 4 E. BANKING ACCOUNT 1. BANKING ACCOUNT - VIEW/EDIT SCREEN The BANKING ACCOUNT - View/Edit Screen is where you define the information about the checking account you wish the CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT to handle. 2. ACTIVE KEYS In addition to the editing keys, previously described in section D.2., the following keys are active within the BANKING ACCOUNT View/Edit Screen: "F3" - Prints the account record "F7" - Saves the data (record) "F10"- Displays the Help file "Esc"- Returns you to the FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO MENU 3. BANKING ACCOUNT FIELDS BANK NAME: Enter the name of the bank associated with your checking account (ex: 1st STATE). This field is 30 characters long and will accept any printable character. All alphabetic characters (a - z) are automatically converted to UPPER case (A - Z). BRANCH LOCATION: Enter the descriptive location of your banking branch (example: MAIN, SOUTH SIDE, etc.). This field is 30 characters long and will accept any printable character. All alpha characters (a - z) are automatically converted to UPPER case (A - Z). CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 6 - 5 BANKING ACCOUNT FIELDS (continued) ACCOUNT NUMBER: Enter the account number. This field is 19 characters long and will accept any printable character, BUT will NOT convert to upper case. ACCOUNT BALANCE: Enter the current balance. This field is a 9 character monetary field and will only accept the digits 0 thru 9 and the decimal point. STARTING CHECK #: Enter the beginning imprinted check number that the CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT should start at when issuing checks. This field is 5 digits in length and will accept the digits 0 thru 9. LAST RECONCILED BALANCE: Enter the last reconciled account balance or if you are going to start the recon- cile function concurrent with the start of using CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT then enter the same account balance that was entered above. This field is a 9 character monetary field and will only accept the digits 0 thru 9 and the decimal point. _____________________________________________________________ NOTE: If you should fail to save any changes you may have made while editing in the BANKING ACCOUNT section, you will be warned when you exit the program by the following message: YOU HAVE NOT SAVED YOUR UPDATED WORK DO YOU WISH TO SAVE YOUR WORK .. (Y/N) ? _____________________________________________________________ CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 6 - 6 F. INCOME 1. INCOME - VIEW/EDIT SCREEN The INCOME - View/Edit Screen is where you define the information about the sources of income that you wish the CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT to handle. 2. ACTIVE KEYS In addition to the editing keys, previously described in section D.2., the following keys are active within the INCOME View/Edit Screen: "Pg Up" - Will display the previous record if the current record is greater than one (1) "Pg Dn" - Will display the next record or a blank record if another record does not exist "F3" - Prints ALL income records "F7" - Saves ALL income data (records) "F10"- Displays the Help file "Esc"- Returns you to the FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO MENU CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 6 - 7 3. INCOME SOURCE FIELDS SOURCE: Enter a description of this income source (example: PAYROLL - DAVE, TRUST FUND- DAD). This field is 15 characters long and will accept any printable character. All alphabetic characters (a - z) are automatically converted to UPPER case (A - Z). AMOUNT $: Enter the amount of the income. This field is a 9 character monetary field and will only accept the digits 0 thru 9 and the decimal point. FREQUENCY: Enter the number that closely describes how often this income is received: 1 = Weekly 2 = Every TWO Weeks 3 = Bimonthly 4 = Monthly This is a 1 digit number field, and will only accept the digits 1 thru 4. _____________________________________________________________ NOTE: If you should fail to save any changes you may have made while editing in the INCOME section, you will be warned when you exit the program by the following message: YOU HAVE NOT SAVED YOUR UPDATED WORK DO YOU WISH TO SAVE YOUR WORK .. (Y/N) ? _____________________________________________________________ 4. DELETING RECORDS Usually only changes are made to established Income Source records, but should there ever be a need to delete an already established record it can be accomplished easily. Records within the INCOME section of the FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO are deleted simply by erasing each income field within a source number. While in a highlighted field, press the "Del" key until all the data in the field is erased and a "beep" is heard. Move the highlighted bar to each of the other two fields and repeat the above procedure. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT will auto- matically adjust the number of records and move any following records up, thereby eliminating any empty record positions. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 6 - 8 G. LIABILITIES 1. FINANCIAL LIABILITY CATEGORIES SCREEN After making the LIABILITIES selection from the FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO MENU, the FINANCIAL LIABILITY CATEGORIES SCREEN will be displayed. This screen resembles an open file drawer which displays the following 12 liability categories: 1. BANK CARDS 2. OIL CO. CARDS 3. OTHER CARDS 4. REAL ESTATE 5. INSURANCES 6. UTILITIES 7. SERVICES 8. LOANS 9. MEDICAL/DENTAL 10. BOOK CLUBS 11. MAGAZINES 12. MISCELANEOUS _____________________________________________________________ NOTE: These 12 liability categories are program defined and NOT user defined. Therefore, they cannot be edited or changed. ONLY the information within these categories can be defined and changed. _____________________________________________________________ This screen is where you choose which category you wish to VIEW, or from WITHIN which category you wish to EDIT. After choosing whether to VIEW or EDIT a category, you will be prompted to select the category by entering the appropriate category number (1 through 12). 2. ACTIVE KEYS "F1" - Prompts you to select a category (the valid input range is 1 - 12) for viewing existing entries. "F2" - Prompts you to select from WITHIN which category (1 to 12) you want to EDIT. Editing allows you to add, change or delete an entry. "F3" - Prints all file headings associated with each of the categories. "F10"- Displays this Help file. "Esc"- Returns you to the FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO MENU. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 6 - 9 H. VIEW A CATEGORY SCREEN This screen is displayed by selecting F1 from the FINANCIAL LIABILITY CATEGORIES Screen. This screen also resembles an open file drawer and displays the individual file headings that you have assigned from the EDIT A CATEGORY screen (see section J. of this chapter). The specified category appears at the top center of the screen. This is the same category that you selected from the previous screen (FINANCIAL LIABILITY CATEGORIES SCREEN). From the VIEW A CATEGORY SCREEN, you can select either: VIEW A FILE - which will display all the information pertaining to that file including various statistical and payment information. EDIT A FILE - which will allow you to change or modify an existing file, or add the required information to a newly established file heading. PRINT A FILE - which will provide a hard copy, printed report of the information pertaining to the files WITHIN this category. _____________________________________________________________ NOTE: This is the VIEW A CATEGORY SCREEN. If you desire to add, change or delete a file heading within this specified CATEGORY, you will have to Escape to the previous screen (FINANCIAL LIABILITY CATEGORIES SCREEN) and choose selection F2 (EDIT A CATEGORY). _____________________________________________________________ 1. ACTIVE KEYS "F1" - VIEW A FILE as in the previous menu, you will be prompted to input a number associated with the first file to view. Once in the view mode, you will be able to view any file within the category. "F2" - EDIT A FILE as in the previous item, you will be prompted to input a number associated with the first file to edit. Once in the edit mode, you will be able to edit any file within the category "F3" - PRINT FILE this selection will display a "print menu" from which you can choose to print either all the files within this selected category, or the entire list of files from all categories. "F10"- Displays the Help file. "Esc"- RETURNS you to the FINANCIAL LIABILITY CATEGORIES SCREEN. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 6 - 10 I. VIEW A FILE WINDOW This window is displayed by selecting F1 from the VIEW A CATEGORY Screen. This window displays the current profile of any file within the selected category. All the information concerning the file is available at a glance. You can view all of the files, associated within this category, by using the F1 and F2 keys, described below. _______________________________________________________ NOTE: No changes to the information contained within the view window are allowed. Changes to fields, not under program control, can be made only after selecting F2 - EDIT A FILE from the VIEW A CATEGORY Screen. _______________________________________________________ 1. ACTIVE KEYS "Pg Up" - VIEW PREVIOUS FILE will display a preceding file, if the file counter is greater than 1 and a valid file exists. "Pg Dn" - VIEW NEXT FILE will display the next valid file, until no more files exist. "F10"- Displays the Help file. "Esc"- RETURNS you to the VIEW A CATEGORY Screen. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 6 - 11 J. EDIT A CATEGORY SCREEN This screen is displayed by selecting F2 from the FINANCIAL LIABILITY CATEGORIES Screen. This screen also resembles an open file drawer and displays the individual file headings, that you either will assign or have already assigned, within the specified category. The specified category appears at the top center of the screen. This is the same category that was selected from the previous screen (FINANCIAL LIABILITY CATEGORIES SCREEN). In this edit screen, you can modify or change any existing file header, add a new file header or delete a file header along with its associated file. The file header field has a character length of 14 and will accept any printable character. All alpha characters (a - z) are automatically converted to UPPER case (A - Z). 1. ACTIVE KEYS In addition to the editing keys, previously described in section D.2., the following keys are active within the EDIT A CATEGORY Screen: "Alt D" - will delete the associated record. _____________________________________________________________ NOTE: When "Alt D" is selected the ENTIRE record is deleted. Not only the file header, but all file information pertaining to it (account #, address, etc.). _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ NOTE: "Alt D" - Is a combination of the "Alt" key and the "D" key. To activate, press and HOLD the "Alt" key, then press the "D" key. _____________________________________________________________ "F10" - Displays the Help file. "Esc" - RETURNS you to the VIEW CATEGORY Screen. _____________________________________________________________ NOTE: ALL data entry or changes are AUTOMATICALLY saved and written to the disk file when you exit the EDIT CATEGORY MODE. _____________________________________________________________ CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 6 - 12 K. EDIT FILE SCREEN This screen is displayed by selecting F2 from the VIEW A CATEGORY Screen. This screen consists of two windows, the EDIT window and the CATEGORY window. 1. FILE SCREEN - EDIT WINDOW The edit window is the left window of the EDIT FILE SCREEN. It displays the current account in the upper center of the window and it is within this window that you will add or change information concerning that identified account. 2. FILE SCREEN - CATEGORY WINDOW The right hand window of the EDIT FILE SCREEN displays the current category as well as all the files associated with that category. You can change the account file in the edit window by using the F1 and F2 keys, as described in section K.3. on the next page. 3. FIELD EDITING KEYS The same field editing keys are in use within the FILE SCREEN EDIT WINDOW as were previously discussed in section D.2. 4. THE EDITING WINDOW FIELDS NAME: Enter in this field the name of the liability account. This field is 27 characters long and will accept any printable character. All alpha characters (a - z) are automatically converted to UPPER case (A - Z). ADDRESS: Enter in this field the P.O. Box OR Street address. This field is 27 characters long and will accept any printable character. All alpha characters (a - z) are automatically converted to UPPER case (A - Z). CITY STATE ZIP: Enter in this field the City, followed by the State, followed by the Zip code. This field is 27 characters long and will accept any printable character. All alpha characters (a - z) are automatically converted to UPPER case (A - Z). CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 6 - 13 THE EDITING WINDOW FIELDS (continued) ACCOUNT #: Enter in this field the account number. This field is 19 characters long and will accept any print- able character, BUT will NOT convert to upper case. MONTHLY RECURRING: Enter a "Y" if you pay this bill every month. The program will check this bill when it updates the files for a new month. If it wasn't paid the program will carry this entry over to the new month, where it will appear twice. This field is only 1 character long and will ONLY accept either a "y", "Y", "n" or "N". A lower case letter is auto- matically converted to UPPER case. CREDIT LIMIT: This is an optional field. You can fill it in if it applies. This field is a 9 digit monetary field ONLY. It will only accept the numbers 0 thru 9 and a decimal "." LAST PAYMENT: Enter last amount paid. This field is also a 9 digit monetary field. It will only accept the numbers 0 thru 9 and a decimal "." 5. ACTIVE KEYS "Pg Up" - PREVIOUS FILE: If the highlighted bar in the right window is not on the first file position, this key will move the highlighted bar to the preceding valid file. "Pg Dn" - NEXT FILE: This key moves the highlighted bar to the next valid file, unless it is already on the last file. ____________________________________________________________ NOTE: The contents of the highlighted file in the category window, is displayed in the edit window. ____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ NOTE: ALL data entry or changes are AUTOMATICALLY saved and written to the disk file when you exit the EDIT FILE SCREEN. _____________________________________________________________ CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 6 - 14 ____________________________________________________________ NOTE: CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT uses information within the FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO section when it "makes" a MONTH CHECK file. The MONTH CHECK file contains information concerning your bank account, income and liabilities, which it provides for use within the TRANSACTION screens. Whenever CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT is run for the 1st time during a month, the MONTH CHECK file for that month is not present and the program prompts you whether it should make it or not. When CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT makes a MONTH CHECK file it uses the information that is present in the FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO section (account, income and liability sections). Any information added to the FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO section during the month will NOT appear in the present MONTH CHECK file. Only after the next MONTH CHECK file is made will all the information currently available (in the FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO) be carried over. ____________________________________________________________ CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 7 - 1 CHAPTER 7 SETUP A. OVERVIEW Setup allows you to tailor the CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT to your system hardware or personal preference. On start up, the CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT automatically determines the type of display card in your system. B. PROGRAM CONFIGURATION SCREEN Within the PROGRAM CONFIGURATION Screen, you have control over the following three (3) aspects of CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT: DISPLAY MODE PRIMARY DATA DRIVE PRINTER TYPE You can alter the DISPLAY MODE, select the PRIMARY DATA DRIVE as well as select the PRINTER TYPE. For further information on each of the configuration modes, see the descriptions for each mode beginning on the next page. 1. SELECTING THE CONFIGURATION Selecting between the COLOR MODE, DATA DRIVE and PRINTER TYPE fields is accomplished by the "Up" and "Down" arrow keys. Pressing either of the "Up" and "Down" arrow keys affects the position of the "POINTER ARROW", located at the left side of the display. Positioning the POINTER ARROW next to the field that you wish to change, selects that field. 2. CHANGING THE CONFIGURATION Changing the selected field, identified by the POINTER ARROW, is done by pressing the "SPACE BAR". Each time the "SPACE BAR" is pressed it causes the highlighted cursor to move to the next available choice. If the highlighted cursor is on the last choice within the field, and the "SPACE BAR" is pressed, the highlighted cursor will loop around and advance to the first choice within the field. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 7 - 2 3. SAVING THE CONFIGURATION When exiting the CONFIGURATION SCREEN on return to the MAIN MENU, CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT will automatically detect if the configuration has changed. If it determined that the configuration was changed, the following prompt will be displayed at the bottom of the screen: SAVE PROGRAM PARAMETERS (Y)es / (N)o If you want these new configuration parameters to be auto- matically selected whenever you run CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT, then answer the prompt with either "Y" or "y". This will write the new configuration to the configuration file (CA.CNF) for the permanent storage of your selected configuration. If you only want these new configuration parameters to be selected temporarily (for this session of CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT only) then answer the prompt with either "N" or "n". C. DISPLAY MODE CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT automatically determines the type of display card in your system. __________________________________________________________ NOTE: If you have a CGA type display card with a composite monitor attached, the program can NOT determine whether your monitor can display color. If you have a monochrome composite monitor attached to a Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) card, it will be necessary for you to override the automatic decision making process and select display mode "MONO" from the configuration menu. __________________________________________________________ You can choose between COLOR, MONO or AUTO. Choosing either COLOR or MONO overrides the desision making process and forces CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT to display information in the mode selected. Choosing the AUTO position causes the program to configure itself automatically to display in either color or monochrome depending upon your system hardware. ________________________________________________________ NOTE: Selecting COLOR on a system configured with a monochrome display may render unviewable screens. ________________________________________________________ CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 7 - 3 D. PRIMARY DATA DRIVE CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT is loaded and run from the default drive and expects ONLY to find the configuration (CA.CNF) and help (CA.HLP) files on the default drive. _____________________________________________________________ NOTE: The default drive on a two floppy system is normally "A", and on a hard drive system is typically "C". _____________________________________________________________ For ALL the DATA files however, you have to tell CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT where it can find them. CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT does NOT assume that those files are on the default drive. You can select either A, B or C, as is applicable for your hardware config- uration. If you have a dual floppy system and made a backup copy as directed in Chapter 1, then all the files are on the same disk. In this case, you would start CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT from the default drive "A" and select, as the PRIMARY DATA DRIVE, "A" also. If you decided to make a separate data disk, keeping your program and data files separate, then you may be starting CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT from drive "A" and have your data disk in drive "B". In which case you would select "B" as the PRIMARY DATA DRIVE. ___________________________________________________________ NOTE: It is not important where you put your data files, it is only important that you tell CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT where they are, so it can find them. ___________________________________________________________ CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT 7 - 4 E. PRINTER TYPE If your printer has the ability to print the "high order" graphic characters of the IBM print set, then select as the printer type "IBM GRAPHIC". If your printer is an older model EPSON which does not support the IBM graphic set, then choose EPSON from the menu. If you are using a letter quality printer then select LETTER QUALITY from the menu. The difference between the IBM GRAPHIC and EPSON choices is the ability to print the IBM graphic symbols for the CHECK REGISTER and RECONCILE printed reports. ____________________________________________________________ NOTE: CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT always uses the first parallel port, LPT1, for printing. If you use a serial printer, you must issue the MODE command before starting CHECKBOOK ASSISTANT. See your DOS manual for more information. ____________________________________________________________ F. ACTIVE KEYS "Up" arrow key - moves the POINTER ARROW, located at the left side of the display, in an up direction selecting either the PRINTER TYPE, DATA DRIVE, or COLOR MODE configuration fields. If the POINTER ARROW is positioned at the top selection (COLOR MODE), then pressing this key will cause the POINTER ARROW to loop to the bottom and point to PRINTER TYPE. "Down" arrow key - moves the POINTER ARROW, located at the left side of the display, in a down direction selecting either the COLOR MODE, DATA DRIVE, or PRINTER TYPE configuration fields. If the POINTER ARROW is positioned at the bottom selection (PRINTER TYPE), then pressing this key will cause the POINTER ARROW to loop to the top and point to COLOR MODE. SPACE BAR - Changes the field parameter. Each time the "SPACE BAR" is pressed it causes the highlighted cursor to move to the next available choice. If the high- lighted cursor is on the last choice within the field, and the "SPACE BAR" is pressed, the high- lighted cursor will loop around and advance to the first choice within the field. "F10" key - Displays the Help file. "Esc" key - RETURNS you to the MAIN MENU.