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1985-02-22
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NOTE:
This manual has been formatted such that, if cut into
sheets that measure 8.5" x 5.5", it will fit into your DOS
manual or another similarly sized binder.
- CEL
(This page may be discarded)
=====================
|| ||
==============|| U s e r L o g ||==============
|| ||
===================================================
by
Chris E. Lindberg
v1.00
Copyright(c) 1985 All Rights Reserved
U s e r L o g
-------------------------------------------------------
COPYRIGHT 1985
BY
CHRIS E. LINDBERG
This software product and manual is copyrighted. All
rights are reserved by Chris E. Lindberg.
USER SUPPORTED SOFTWARE
I am distributing this software using the "freeware"
concept because I believe that software should be usable
AND affordable. Therefore, if you are using this soft-
ware and find it to be of value, please fill out the
registration card on last page of this manual and return
it with $25.00 to
Chris E. Lindberg
5221 W. Washington Blvd.
Milwaukee, WI 53208
Registration of your ownership of this software program
and manual will entitle you to notification of any
updates and free upgrades (excluding diskette and postage).
A one-time fee of $25.00 is required to register this soft-
ware and manual. This registration fee is tax deductible
for business-users of personal computers.
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U s e r L o g
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION TO USERLOG .............................1
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS..................................2
BEFORE YOU BEGIN.....................................3
INSTALLING USERLOG...................................4
USING USERLOG........................................5
THE USERLOG LOG ENTRY SCREEN.........................8
CREATING A NEW LOG FILE (/N).........................9
LOGGING IN (/I).....................................10
LOGGING OUT (/O)....................................11
BROWSING LOG ENTRIES (/B)...........................12
LISTING LOG ENTRIES (/L)............................13
USING USERLOG IN BATCH FILES........................14
USERLOG REGISTRATION FORM...........................16
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U s e r L o g
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INTRODUCTION TO USERLOG
USERLOG is a system utility designed to maintain a
disk-based file of computer usage. As such, it may
be used in lieu of a written log to record and monitor
the business and personal use for which your personal
computer is being used.
The main features of USERLOG are:
- the utility is simple to use
- it is invoked directly from the PC-DOS command
level.
- it can be used in batch files or with keyboard
enhancement programs.
- all entries are automatically time and date
stamped using your system's clock/calendar.
- elapsed times for each entry are calculated
automatically and stored with each log entry
- the browsing and listing features permit you
to selectively display or print log entries
- listings of log entries show the number of
hours the computer was used for personal and for
business use.
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U s e r L o g
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SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
USERLOG has the following minimal system requirements
- IBM Personal Computer PC/XT/AT
- 64K RAM
- One floppy disk drive
- Monochrome or color monitor
- printer port configured as LPT1
- printer
- PC-DOS version 1.0 or greater
While optional, the use of a battery-powered clock/
calendar that automatically sets your system clock and
calendar is highly recommended.
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U s e r L o g
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BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Before you put USERLOG to work for you, it is a good
idea to create a working copy of your USERLOG program
file. First, you will need a blank, formatted diskette.
Place your DOS diskette into drive A and next to the
DOS prompt type
FORMAT A:
Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the
diskette formatting process.
Once the formatting process has been completed, a
working copy of USERLOG can be made by entering next
to the DOS prompt
DISKCOPY A: A: (if you have 1 disk drive)
or
DISKCOPY A: B: (if you have 2 disk drives)
Again, follow the directions on the screen to complete
the copying process.
Once a working copy of USERLOG has been made, store the
original USERLOG diskette in a safe place. Use the
working copy of USERLOG to transfer the program file or
maintain the log data file.
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U s e r L o g
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INSTALLING USERLOG
Floppy Drive Systems
USERLOG.COM should be transferred to a blank and
formatted diskette (See BEFORE YOU BEGIN and USING
USERLOG IN BATCH FILES). Because USERLOG records
log entries in the same directory in which USERLOG.COM
resides, the log file will be maintained on the same
diskette. The number of log entries that can be
written to a diskette depends on the free space
available. A blank double-sided, double-density
diskette formatted at 9 tracks per inch containing
USERLOG.COM will have approximately 336 kilobytes of
free storage available. Since each log entry consumes
63 bytes of storage, approximately 5300 log entries
can be stored on the diskette. This means you can
record approximately 14 log entries per day.
Hard Disk Systems
USERLOG maintains the log file in the same directory
in which USERLOG.COM resides. As a result, USERLOG.COM
can be installed in any directory or subdirectory on
a hard disk. However, unless you make extensive use
of batch files or keyboard enhancement programs (e.g.
PROKEY) to run applications, we recommend that
USERLOG.COM reside in the root directory.
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U s e r L o g
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USING USERLOG
USERLOG is a system utility that is invoked at the
DOS command level i.e. next to the DOS prompt. To
run USERLOG, the following syntax must be used
d:USERLOG/[p]
where "d" designates the physical drive in which
USERLOG resides and "p" (short for parameter) instructs
USERLOG which function to perform. The following
table lists the parameters that USERLOG recognizes,
their functions and the page number of this manual
where each function is described in greater detail.
PARAMETER FUNCTION PAGE
--------- ------------------------- ------
/N Create a new log file 9
/I Log in 10
/O Log out 11
/B Browse log entries 12
/L List log entries 13
NOTE: USERLOG will accept a parameter in either upper-
case or lowercase letters.
For example, suppose you are going to begin analyzing
last year's sales figures with your favorite spread-
sheet program and wish to enter the activity into your
log file. To "log in", next to the DOS prompt you
would type
USERLOG /I
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U s e r L o g
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If USERLOG resides on a drive other than the default
drive, you would type
d:USERLOG /I
where "d:" specifies the physical drive in which
USERLOG exists.
For systems equipped with a hard disk drive, a path
name must be specified if USERLOG.COM is not in the
current directory. For example, if USERLOG.COM resides
in a directory named MYLOG, to log in you would enter
next to the DOS prompt
\MYLOG\USERLOG /I
All parameters are invoked in an identical fashion.
If no parameters are specified or the parameter is not
recognized, USERLOG will inform you that an error has
occurred and give you the option of selecting the
correct parameter or returning to DOS. Thus, USERLOG
can be invoked at the DOS command level by including
the parameter, or by entering USERLOG next to the
command prompt and selecting an option.
With the exception of logging an entry out (/O), you
may escape from USERLOG at any time simply by pressing
the [ESC] key.
To insure the integrity of the log file and, therefore,
your records, no means for editing log entries have
been provided. Attempts to edit the log file with a
text editor will probably cause irreparable damage to
the contents of the file.
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U s e r L o g
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IMPORTANT
---------------------
If your computer is not equipped with a battery-
powered clock/calendar that automatically sets the
computer time and date when started, then be sure to
set the correct system time and date when starting
the computer. USERLOG assumes that the system time
and date are correct.
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U s e r L o g
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THE USERLOG LOG ENTRY SCREEN
When USERLOG is invoked correctly, your display screen
will clear and the log entry data screen will appear.
The purpose and contents of each field in the screen
are described below.
FIELD DESCRIPTION
---------- --------------------------------------
User 1 to 3 characters can be entered
in this field to identify the user
(e.g. your initials).
Category The number 1 or 2 is entered in
this field to identify whether the
task is (1) business-oriented or
(2) for personal use.
Task Up to 24 characters may be used to
describe the activity.
In The time the USER logged in
Out The time the USER logged out
Date The date the USER logged in or out.
E. Hours The elapsed hours between logging in
and out.
Entry The log entry number.
Status Area User prompts or the status of the
current operation is displayed in
this area.
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U s e r L o g
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CREATING A NEW LOG FILE (/N)
When first installing USERLOG, or at the beginning of
each new calendar year, a new log file must be created
before any entries can be made.
To create a new log file, next to the DOS prompt type
USERLOG /N
USERLOG will ask you to enter the serial number of
your system unit in the status area of the USERLOG
log entry screen. Once you have supplied the serial
number, USERLOG will record the current system date
and create a data file in the current directory with
the name "USERLOG.yy" where the extension "yy" corre-
sponds to the last two digits of the year held by the
system clock/calendar (e.g. USERLOG.85).
If you attempt to use USERLOG before a log file has
been created, or if the calendar year changes, USERLOG
will indicate that USERLOG.yy cannot be found and
should be created by using the /N parameter.
USERLOG will not create a new log file if one already
exists in the current directory that corresponds to
the current settings of your system's clock/calendar.
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U s e r L o g
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LOGGING IN (/I)
Each time you begin a new activity on your computer,
you should create a new log entry in your file using
the /I parameter. Invoking USERLOG with the /I
parameter causes the USERLOG log entry screen to
appear on your display. To create the new entry,
USERLOG requires that you fill three field with the
following information
FIELD YOU ENTER
------- ------------------------------------------
USER 1 to 3 characters that identifies the
user(e.g. your initials)
CAT Enter "1" if the activity is business
related or "2" if it is for personal use.
TASK Up to 24 characters may be entered in
this field to describe the activity.
Once you filled in the three field with the appropriate
information, USERLOG time and date stamps the entry
with the current settings of your system clock/calendar
then exits to DOS.
If the last log entry is still open, USERLOG will auto-
matically close that entry and display its contents
before creating a new log entry (See LOGGING OUT (/O)).
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U s e r L o g
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LOGGING OUT (/O)
After logging in and completing an activity on your
computer, you must "log out" the entry using the /O
parameter. Invoking USERLOG with the /O parameter
causes the USERLOG log entry screen to appear contain-
ing the information from the last open entry. Logging
out is automatic feature of USERLOG. Therefore, the
"Out" field is automatically stamped with your system's
current time, the hours that have elapsed since logging
in are calculated and displayed in the field marked
"E. Hours", the log file is updated, and control is
returned to DOS.
If the last log entry has already been logged out,
USERLOG will inform you of such and will exit to DOS.
If you are moving from one application to another
and wish to enter each activity into your log file,
you may "shortcut" the process of logging in and out
by using only the /I parameter between activities.
Invoking the /I parameter with the last entry still
open causes USERLOG to automatically log out and
display the contents of the last entry before creating
a new entry (See LOGGING IN (/I)).
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U s e r L o g
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BROWSING LOG ENTRIES (/B)
A facility for browsing forwards and backwards through
your log file one entry at a time has been provided
for in USERLOG. When USERLOG is invoked with the /B
parameter, USERLOG will ask for the beginning date in
the status area of the log entry screen. Once the
date has been entered in a mm/dd format, USERLOG will
scan the log file and display on the screen the first
log entry whose date is greater than or equal to the
date you supplied. If the dates of all the log entries
fall before the date you specified, then the last log
entry is displayed.
After a log entry has been displayed, certain keys on
the keyboard can be used to browse through the log
file. The following table lists the keys and their
respective functions:
KEY FUNCTION
-------- -------------------------
[->] Show next log entry
[<-] Show prior log entry
[Home] Show first log entry
[End] Show last log entry
[Esc] Exit USERLOG
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U s e r L o g
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LISTING LOG ENTRIES (/L)
USERLOG can provide you with a listing of all or
selected log entries through the use of the /L para-
meter. When USERLOG is invoked with the /L parameter,
you will be asked to supply a beginning date in a
mm/dd format and whether you want only (1) business,
(2) personal, or (3) both types of log entries listed.
USERLOG will scan your entire log file searching for
the first log entry that satisfies the criteria you
specified. If no matches are found, USERLOG will
inform you of such and exit to DOS. Otherwise USERLOG
will ask which device to list the log entries to.
Pressing the [S] key causes the output to be printed
on the display screen whereas pressing the [P] key
causes it to be listed on the printer attached to
your computer. You may exit USERLOG at this time by
pressing the [Esc] key. If the log entries are to be
listed on the printer, be sure the printer is turned
on and that the printer top-of-form has been set.
The log entries are listed in detail in the order in
which they were made. As each log entry is printed,
the number of hours the computer was used for business
and for personal purposes are accumulated and printed
on the bottom of each page. The percentage of time
your computer has been used for business-related
activities is calculated and printed also.
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U s e r L o g
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USING USERLOG IN BATCH FILES
In order to keep accurate records of computer usage,
users should be 'forced' to log in and out between
applications. Fortunately, the batch language facil-
ities of PC-DOS provides a very convenient means for
doing so. The following example shows how to create
a batch file that will log a user in, run a program
named MYPROGRAM and log the user out after exiting
the program.
A>COPY CON: MYPROGRAM.BAT
CLS
PAUSE -----> INSERT LOG FILE DISKETTE INTO DRIVE A
USERLOG /I
PAUSE -----> INSERT MYPROGRAM DISKETTE INTO DRIVE A
MYPROGRAM
PAUSE -----> INSERT LOG FILE DISKETTE INTO DRIVE A
USERLOG /O
^Z (press the F6 key)
1 file copied
If your system has a hard disk drive, then the PAUSE
statements can be eliminated. However, the path to
the directory containing USERLOG.COM must be named.
For example, if USERLOG.COM resides in the directory
named MYLOG, then then following batch program will
log a user in and out.
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U s e r L o g
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C>COPY CON: MYPROGRAM.BAT
CLS
PATH \MYLOG
USERLOG /I
MYPROGRAM
PATH \MYLOG
USERLOG /O
^Z (press the F6 key)
1 file copied
Programs written in interpretive BASIC can be executed
from batch files as well by either including BASIC.COM
in the directory which contains the BASIC program or
by extending the search path to include the directory
that contains BASIC.COM.
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U s e r L o g
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USERLOG REGISTRATION FORM
I have enclosed $25.00 with this registration form.
Registration entitles me to notification of updates
to USERLOG and free upgrades (excluding diskette and
postage). Please add me to your list of registered
users of USERLOG.
Mail To: Chris E. Lindberg
5221 W. Washington Blvd.
Milwaukee, WI 53208
Please supply the following information:
Name _____________________________________________
Company __________________________________________
Street ___________________________________________
City _____________________________________________
State ______ Zip __________ Phone _____________
How did you obtain a copy of USERLOG _____________
__________________________________________________
Comments/Problems:
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