World of Shareware - Software Farm 2

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ World of Shareware - Software Farm 2 / wosw_2.zip / wosw_2 / GENERAL / CHKBOOK.ZIP / CB40USER.TXT < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1991-04-01 | 52KB | 1,520 lines

C H E C K B O O K Version 4.0 (c) Copyright 1989,90, 91 By Bill Beshears All Rights Reserved DISCLAIMER: THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPLIED TO YOU "AS IS". THE AUTHOR MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTY WITH RESPECT TO THE PROGRAM, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS OF THE PROGRAM FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. YOU MUST ASSUME ALL RISK FOR THE INSTALLATION, USE AND RESULTS OBTAINED FROM THE PROGRAM. THE AUTHOR SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY ERROR CONTAINED HEREIN OR FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE FURNISHING, PERFORMANCE OR USES OF THIS PROGRAM. CONTENTS: Page 1.0 Introduction............................................. 1 2.0 System Requirements...................................... 2 3.0 Getting Started.......................................... 2 3.1 Disk Contents....................................... 2 3.2 Making A Working Copy Of The Program Disk........... 2 3.2.1 One Diskette System.......................... 2 3.2.2 Two Diskette System.......................... 3 3.2.3 Copying Command.Com File..................... 3 3.3 Installing To A Hard (Fixed) Disk................... 3 4.0 Up And Running........................................... 4 5.0 Check Register Screen.................................... 4 5.1 Choosing CheckBook Commands......................... 4 5.2 Getting Help........................................ 5 5.3 Working With Accounts............................... 5 5.3.1 Choosing An Existing Account................. 6 5.3.2 Adding New Accounts.......................... 6 5.3.3 Editing Accounts............................. 7 5.3.4 Deleting Accounts............................ 7 5.4 Entering CheckBook Transactions..................... 7 5.4.1 Duplicating Information...................... 9 5.5 Editing Transactions................................ 9 5.6 Deleting Transactions...............................10 5.7 Printing Checks or Reports..........................10 5.7.1 Printing Checks..............................11 5.7.2 Printing The Check Register..................11 5.7.3 Printing Classification Totals...............11 5.7.4 Printing Reconciliation Report...............12 5.7.5 Printing Income Statement....................12 5.8 Reconcile Account...................................12 5.9 Display By Classification...........................13 5.9.1 Display Classification Totals................14 5.9.2 Display Classifications Total Bar Chart......14 5.10 Utilities...........................................14 5.10.1 Backup Utility..............................14 5.10.2 Show CheckBook Status Utility...............15 5.10.3 Check Print Layout Utility..................15 5.10.4 Change Colors Utility.......................16 5.10.5 Display Calendar Utility....................17 5.10.6 Calculator Utility..........................17 6.0 Archived Information.....................................18 6.1 Archiving Files.....................................18 6.2 Working With Archived Information...................18 7.0 Exiting The Program......................................18 Appendix A: Working With Sample Data..........................19 Appendix B: User Comments.....................................20 1.0 INTRODUCTION: CheckBook is an easy to use, yet powerful tool for keeping track of where your money goes. Every effort was made to make the program operate just like your manual checkbook, while giving you the ability to quickly see summaries of your income and expenses. The forms you use to enter information to CheckBook look like the manual forms that you are familiar with. The information is displayed or printed in a format that is the same as, or very similar to, your manual check register. CheckBook will even print your checks for you. CheckBook gives you visibility into your income and expenses that would require hours of work to calculate manually. With just a couple of key strokes, you can find out how much you have spent for medical bills or how much that old car is costing you to maintain. The time, you save at year end getting the information together for your tax return, should pay for the software many times over. The bank reconciliation feature in CheckBook is so straight forward and easy to use, you'll wonder how you ever got along without it. Enter the balance from your bank statement and mark the transactions that have cleared the bank while CheckBook is continuously showing you any unreconciled difference. If you have trouble reconciling, press the Help key and CheckBook will show you a list of actions to take to help you find the difference. You can use CheckBook for your checking accounts, charge cards, cash expenditures, company expense accounts, and any other debit/credit type accounts. The first step in wealth building is knowing where your money goes, and Checkbook will quickly and accurately provide you with that knowledge. Checkbook is distributed under the user supported concept. This means you are provided a complete, working copy of the software. Try the software for a period of up to 90 days to see if it is useful to you and meets you needs. If you use the software after the 90 day trial period, please become a registered user. The registration cost is $29.95 which includes shipping and handling charges. When you purchase a registered copy, you will receive the latest version of Checkbook, free support, and free updates for a period of one year. You may print the registration form from the introductory screen menu. Bill Beshears 5710 Rita Street Southside, AL 35903 Phone (205) 442-6630 1 2.0 SYSTEMS REQUIREMENTS: The CheckBook software will run on any IBM-compatible personal computer with a color monitor. You should have at least 384K of RAM memory and DOS 2.0 or a later version. The program will operate with one (1) floppy disk, but it will run much faster if you have a hard (fixed) disk. To print reports, a standard eighty (80) column printer is required. 3.0 GETTING STARTED: 3.1 DISK CONTENTS: The distribution diskette contains the following files: CB.EXE - The CheckBook Program CB40HELP.TXT - Help Text Used By The Program CB40USER.TXT - This User Manual CBORDER.DOC - CheckBook Registration Form CBCURR.BAL - Current Year File ACCOUNT.TMP - Current Account File ACCT0000.DAT - Account File For Year 0000 (Sample Data) ACCT0000.NDX - Account File For Year 0000 Index CHEK0000.DAT - Sample Checking Data CHEK0000.NDX - Sample Checking Data Index CRCD0000.DAT - Sample Credit Card Data CRCD0000.NDX - Sample Credit Card Data Index EXRP0000.DAT - Sample Expense Report Data EXRP0000.NDX - Sample Expense Report Data Index 3.2 MAKING A WORKING COPY OF THE PROGRAM DISK: Before you use CheckBook, or any other software for that matter, you should make a working copy of your original diskette. If you have a one (1) diskette system, follow the instructions in section 3.2.1. If you have two (2) diskette drives, go to section 3.2.2. 3.2.1 MAKING A WORKING COPY ON A ONE (1) DISKETTE SYSTEM: Start up your computer and format a blank diskette. At the system prompt A> (C> for hard disk users), insert the CheckBook program diskette into drive A:. Type the command: COPY A:*.* B: then press the <Enter> key When prompted to insert diskette for drive B:, remove the CheckBook distribution diskette and insert the working copy diskette. When prompted to insert diskette for drive A:, remove the working copy diskette and insert the CheckBook distribution diskette. You will be required to swap the diskettes several times before all the files are copied. 2 Store the original distribution diskette in a safe place and use your working copy from now on. If your working copy is ever damaged or destroyed, you can use your original to make a new working copy. 3.2.2 MAKING A WORKING COPY ON A TWO (2) DISKETTE SYSTEM: Start up your computer and format a blank diskette. At the system prompt A> (C> for hard disk users), insert the CheckBook distribution diskette into drive A: and insert the blank diskette you formatted into drive B:. Type the command: COPY A:*.* B: then press the <Enter> key When all files have been copied, store the original distribution diskette in a safe place and use your working copy from now on. If your working copy is ever damaged or destroyed, you can use your original to make a new working copy. 3.2.3 COPYING COMMAND.COM TO THE WORKING DISKETTE: To run CheckBook on a floppy diskette system, the COMMAND.COM file for your system must be copied to the CheckBook working diskette. To do this, place your DOS system disk into drive A:. If you have two (2) diskette drives, place the CheckBook working diskette into drive B:. If you have only one diskette drive, you will be prompted to change the DOS diskette and the CheckBook working diskette at the appropriate time. Type the following: COPY A:COMMAND.COM B: then press the <Enter> key You can now run the program from your working diskette by typing "CB" and pressing the <Enter> key. 3.3 INSTALLING TO A HARD (FIXED) DISK: To install CheckBook to a hard disk, you will first need to create a subdirectory on your hard disk where the software will reside and then copy the CheckBook files to the subdirectory. You can use any valid name for the subdirectory. In the illustration below, a subdirectory named CB will be created under the root directory of drive C:. Insert the CheckBook diskette into drive A: and enter the DOS commands shown below. C: make drive C: the current drive. CD\ change to drive C: root directory. MD CB make subdirectory named CB. CD CB change to drive C: CB directory. COPY A:*.* copy files to CB directory. 3 You can now run CheckBook from your hard disk by typing the command CB and pressing the <Enter> key. 4.0 UP AND RUNNING: When CheckBook is started, the first screen displayed is the introductory screen. This screen show a message regarding registration of the software as well as a menu in the upper right area of the screen. This menu is used to: 1. Print the registration form. 2. Print this user manual. 3. Run the CheckBook software. 4. Exit to DOS. To select a menu option, use the <Up Arrow> or <Down Arrow> key to highlight the desired option and then press the <Enter> key. This introductory screen is not used in the register version of the software. 5.0 CHECK REGISTER SCREEN: The Check Register screen is the first screen you see when you start CheckBook. The horizontal menu bar across the top of the screen shows CheckBook commands. The center area of the screen shows the check register which should look very similar to the manual check register you are familiar with. The message bar across the bottom of the screen is used to display options or messages. The account, account type, and year you are working with, as well as the time of day, is shown in the upper area of the check register. The transactions for the account, if any, are shown below the account information. The balance for the account is shown in the lower center area. The highlight bar indicates the current transaction for Editing, Deleting, or Check Printing. The <Home>, <End>, <PgUp>, <PgDn>, <Up Arrow>, <Down Arrow>, <Left Arrow>, or <Right Arrow> keys are used to position the highlight bar and to scroll the transactions. 5.1 CHOOSING CHECKBOOK COMMANDS: Commands from the horizontal menu bar may be selected anytime the capitalized letter in the command name is highlighted. To choose a command, press the letter key that corresponds to capitalized letter in the command name. For example, to choose the Check command, press the letter <C> key or to choose the cLass command, press the letter <L> key. After a command is selected, the highlighted letter will be turned off for all command names and the name for the command selected will be highlighted. Also, the 4 message bar across the bottom of the screen will show instructions for the command selected. If the Print command or the Utilities command is selected, a pull-down menu will be displayed. To select from the pull-down menu, use the <Up Arrow> or <Down Arrow> key the highlight the desired option then press the <Enter> key. CheckBook uses the <ESCape> key to cancel the current command or function being performed and return to the previous step. For example, if you are entering transactions and have entered the last transaction, pressing the <ESCape> key will clear the input form from the screen. 5.2 GETTING HELP: The CheckBook software has context sensitive HELP available through out the program. To get help, press the <F10> key. The help text will be displayed in a window in the center area of the screen. If the help text does not all fit in the window, use the <Home>, <End>, <PgUp>, <PgDn>, <Up Arrow>, or <Down Arrow> keys to scroll the help information up or down. Press the <ESCape> key, and the help message will be removed from the screen. 5.3 WORKING WITH ACCOUNTS: CheckBook stores transactions in disk files by account and year. Each time you exit the CheckBook program, the account you were working with is stored in a disk file named "ACCOUNT.TMP". When you start CheckBook, the program searches for the "ACCOUNT.TMP" file and, if found, uses the information in the file to load the current account information. If the "ACCOUNT.TMP" file is not found, CheckBook will automatically open the Account Window for you to select the account you wish to work with. The original CheckBook distribution disk is configured to use the Sample Account information as the initial account. If you want to work with a different account or a different year, select Account from the horizontal menu bar by pressing the letter <A> key. This action will open the Accounts Window. The Account Window shows the year you are working with and any accounts that have been set up for that year. The horizontal menu bar across the top of the account window shows the commands which may be selected. To work with accounts in a year different from the year displayed: 5 1. Select the Year command by pressing the letter <Y> key. 2. Fill in the year you want on the Select Year Form then press the <F1> key. The accounts set up for the year you entered, if any, will be displayed in the Account window. 5.3.1 CHOOSING AN ACCOUNT: To choose an existing account: 1. Use the <Home>, <End>, <PgUp>, <PgDn>, <Up Arrow>, or <Down Arrow> keys to position the highlight bar to the desired account. 2. Press the <Enter> key. The program will load the transactions for the account and display the Check Register Screen. 5.3.2 ADDING NEW ACCOUNTS: To add an account, select the Add command by pressing the letter <A> key. The account set-up form will be displayed in the center area of the screen. The form has the following fields: Account Symbol - This field can be any combination of letters or numbers. It is used by the program in naming the disk files that transaction information will be stored in. To illustrate this, assume the symbol "XYZ" was used for an account that was set up for the year 1990. Check or deposit information entered for this account would be stored in a disk file named "XYZ_1990.DAT". Account Name - The account name field is the name of the bank or other account. Examples of account names might be "XYZ Bank", "1st National", "MasterCard", "VISACARD", or "John's Acct." Account Number - Use this field if you wish to enter the number for the account. Account Type - Use this field to enter the type of account. It can be anything you wish such as "Checking", "Saving", "CMA", "ChargeCard", "Gas Card", etc. Initial Balance - Enter the balance for the account prior to the first transaction entered to CheckBook. Fill in the account information on the form then press the <F1> key to record the account (save on disk). 6 5.3.3 EDITING ACCOUNTS: To edit an account: 1. Use the <Home>, <End>, <PgUp>, <PgDn>, <Up Arrow>, or <Down Arrow> keys to position the highlight bar to the desired account. 2. Select the Edit command by pressing the letter <E> key. The information for the account will be retrieved from disk and displayed on the account set-up form. Make the changes to the account information, as necessary, then press the <F1> key to save the edited information. The Account Symbol cannot be changed. If the symbol is incorrect, delete the account and reenter the correct information. 5.3.4 DELETING ACCOUNTS: BE CAREFUL USING THE DELETE ACCOUNT COMMAND. ANY CHECK OR DEPOSIT TRANSACTIONS ON FILE FOR THE ACCOUNT WILL BE DELETED IF THE ACCOUNT IS DELETED. To delete an account: 1. Use the <Home>, <End>, <PgUp>, <PgDn>, <Up Arrow>, or <Down Arrow> keys to position the highlight bar to the desired account. 2. Select the Delete command by pressing the keyboard <DELete> key. The message: "Are You Sure You Want To Delete Account (Y/N)?" will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. If you press the letter <Y> key (for yes), the account highlighted and all transactions for the account will be deleted. If you press the letter <N> key (for no) or the <ESCape> key, the delete message will be removed from the screen. 5.4 ENTERING CHECKBOOK TRANSACTIONS: Transactions are entered to CheckBook using either the check form or the deposit form. These forms should look the same as, or very similar to, the manual forms you are familiar with. The space on the form where you enter information is referred to as fields. To enter a check or deposit, press letter <C> key to select the Check command, or the letter <D> key to select the Deposit 7 command. The Check or Deposit form will appear in the center area on the screen. Fill in the form just as you would if you were writing the check by hand. When you have the information keyed in, press the <F1> key to record the transaction (save on disk). The <Home>, <End>, <Enter>, <Tab>, <Up Arrow> or <Down Arrow> keys move the cursor to the data entry fields on the form. The <Left Arrow> or <Right Arrow> keys move the cursor to the left or right within the data entry field. A description of each field follows: Date - The date field is used to enter the date that the check was written or the deposit was made. The format of the date field is "__/__/__". The first two (2) positions are for the month, the next two (2) are for the day, and the final two (2) are for the year. For example, the date July 1, 1988 would be entered as 07/01/88. The last date entered is automatically displayed on the form. If it is not correct, change it to the date you want. Check (or Deposit) Number - This field is used to number the transactions. When you are entering checks, the next number will be automatically displayed after it is entered the first time. When the cursor is in this field, it is positioned to the right most number location. Numbers are entered and deleted from this position. If you make a mistake while entering the number, delete the old information using the keyboard <Delete> key, and reenter the correct information. You need not enter the number for deposits, bank debits, or bank credits unless you have more than one (1) of these transactions on the same date. In which case, a number must be entered. It is suggested that you number the first transaction 1, the second 2, and so on. However, any series of unique numbers will work. Payee/Description - Enter the name that the check is payable to and/or the description of the transaction. Amount - Enter the amount of the check or deposit. The field has two (2) assumed decimal places and the decimal point need not be entered. When the cursor is in this field, it is positioned to the right most number location. Numbers are entered and deleted from this position. If you make a mistake while entering the amount, delete the old information using the keyboard <Delete> key, and reenter the correct information. Classification - The classification field is used to 8 categorize the transaction. The use of the field is optional, but the program uses it as a basis for summarizing your transactions into categories. If you wish to see your income and expenses by category, you need to enter the classification. The classification can be anything you wish. You can enter a number, a word, or a combination of letters or numbers. I personally like to use abbreviated words since I can remember them easier. Examples of classifications might be "FOOD", "DRUGS", MEDCAL (for medical), "H-PAY" (for husband's income). The bank may make debits (sometimes called bank drafts) to your checking account. An example of a bank debit would be the charge for printing checks that is "debited" to your account. Enter the debit just as you would a check. The bank may also make credits to your checking account. For example, if you have a checking account that earns interest, the bank may credit the interest to the account on a monthly basis. If you need to enter a bank credit, enter it the same way you would enter a deposit. When you are finished entering checks or deposits, press the <ESCape> key, and the form will be cleared from the screen. 5.4.1 DUPLICATING INFORMATION: The information from the last transaction recorded (saved on disk) can be duplicated onto the current form. To duplicate the information, position the cursor to the field that you want duplicated, then press the <F2> key. 5.5 EDITING TRANSACTIONS: To edit a transaction: 1. Use the <Home>, <End>, <PgUp>, <PgDn>, <Up Arrow>, or <Down Arrow> keys to position the highlight bar to the desired transaction. 2. Select the Edit command by pressing the letter <E> key. The transaction highlighted will be retrieved from disk and displayed on the appropriate form (check or deposit). Change the transaction, as necessary, then press the <F1> key to save the edited information. The date or check/deposit number fields cannot be changed. If this information needs changing, delete the transaction and reenter the correct information. 9 5.6 DELETING TRANSACTIONS: To delete a transaction: 1. Use the <Home>, <End>, <PgUp>, <PgDn>, <Up Arrow>, or <Down Arrow> keys to position the highlight bar to the desired transaction. 2. Select the Delete command by pressing the keyboard <Delete> key. The message: "Are You Sure You Want To Delete Transaction (Y/N)" will be displayed. If you press the letter <Y> (for yes) the transaction highlighted will be deleted and the balance will be updated by the amount of the transaction. If the letter <N> key (for no) or the <ESCape> key is pressed, the transaction will not be deleted and the delete message will be erased from the screen. 5.7 PRINTING CHECKS OR REPORTS: The Print command allows you to print checks and reports. Select the Print command from the horizontal menu bar by pressing the letter key. When the pull-down print menu is displayed, use the <Up Arrow> or <Down Arrow> key to position the highlight bar to the item to be printed then press then <Enter> key. A dialog box will appear in the center area of the screen prompting you to: "Initialize Printer". What you are being asked to do is position the paper in your printer to the top line and turn the printer on. Refer to your printer manual if you need help with this. When you are ready to begin printing, press the <Enter> key. Once printing begins, it may be suspended by pressing the <ESCape> key. If your printer has a print buffer, or if you are using a print spooler, the printer may continue to print until the buffer or spooler is empty (see your printer manual). You can restart printing by pressing any key, except the <ESCape> key. If the <ESCape> key is pressed, the report will be cancelled. 10 5.7.1 PRINTING A CHECK: To print a check: 1. Use the <Home>, <End>, <PgUp>, <PgDn>, <Up Arrow>, or <Down Arrow> keys to highlight the transaction you want to print. 2. Select the Print command by pressing the letter key. 3. Select "Print Check Highlighted" from the pull-down print menu. If the information on the check is not aligned properly, you will need to modify the check layout information (see section 5.10.3) 5.7.2 PRINTING THE CHECK REGISTER: The Check Register Report shows the transactions and running balance within the date range you select for the current year. To print the check register: 1. Select the Print command by pressing the letter key. 2. Select "Check Register" from the pull-down print menu. 3. When the check register date range form is displayed, fill in the starting and ending date for the transactions you wish to print. The default range is January 1 through December 31 for the current year. If you wish to narrow the scope of the date range, change the starting and ending dates to the dated you want. 4. Press the <F1> key to begin printing. 5.7.3 PRINT CLASSIFICATION TOTALS REPORT: The Classifications Totals report shows a summary by classification for all transactions that are dated within the current CheckBook year. To print the report: 1. Select the Print command by pressing the letter key. 2. Select "Class Totals Report" form the pull down print menu. 11 5.7.4 PRINT RECONCILIATION REPORT: The Reconciliation report prints a listing of outstanding transactions as well as a reconciliation summary showing the bank statement balance adjusted by the outstanding transactions, the CheckBook balance, and the unreconciled difference. To print the report: 1. Select the print command by pressing the letter key. 2. Select "Reconciliation Report" from the pull-down print menu. 5.7.5 PRINT INCOME STATEMENT: The Income Statement shows a summary of income and expenses for the current year. To print the report: 1. Select the print command by pressing the letter key. 2. Select "Income Statement" from the pull-down print menu. 5.8 RECONCILE ACCOUNT: The reason for reconciling your checking account to the statement you receive from the bank, is to catch any errors that may have occurred when transactions were entered into the CheckBook or processed by the bank. Normally, there is a time lag between the date a check or deposit is written and the date the bank processes the transaction. The transactions that have been entered into the CheckBook, but have not been processed by the bank, are known as outstanding transactions. The process of reconciling the account involves adjusting the bank's balance (shown on the bank statement) for the outstanding transactions and then comparing the resulting amount to the balance in the CheckBook. To reconcile the account: 1. Select the Reconcile command from the horizontal bar menu by pressing the letter <R> key. The message: "ACCOUNT RECONCILIATION" will be displayed in the upper center area of the 12 screen and a form will be displayed to use to enter the ending balance from the bank statement. 2. Fill in the ending balance then press the <F1> key when you are ready to continue. The reconciliation window will be opened at the top of the check register. This window will show the ending bank balance you entered, totals for outstanding transactions, and the unreconciled difference amount. 3. Position the highlight bar to each cancelled transaction that the bank processed and mark the transaction by pressing the letter <X> key. If you mark a transaction in error, remove the mark by pressing the <SPACE BAR>. The outstanding transaction amount and the unreconciled difference amount, displayed in the reconciliation window, will change as you mark the cancelled transactions. When $0.00 is displayed for the unreconciled difference, you are reconciled. If you have trouble reconciling the account, press the help <F10> key to get instructions that should assist you. Press the <ESCape> key when you are ready to exit the reconcile procedure. 5.9 DISPLAY BY CLASSIFICATION: The CheckBook transactions can be displayed in classification sequence. This is handy for reviewing income or expenses for a particular classification. To display the transactions by classification, select the cLass command from the horizontal menu bar by pressing the letter <L> key. While the transactions are displayed by classification, the message: "DISPLAY BY CLASS" will appear in the upper center area of the screen. Press the <ESCape> key when you are ready to return to the normal display. When CheckBook is in the Display By Classification mode, you can display Classifications Totals and a Bar Graph of Classifications Totals as described below. 13 5.9.1 CLASSIFICATION TOTALS: To see Totals By Classification, press the <F1> key while in the Display By Classification mode. The classification totals will be displayed in a window in the upper center area of the screen. The totals will reflect only the transactions that are dated within the current year. To see Totals By Month for a particular classification, use the <Home>, <End>, <PgUp>, <PgDn>, <Up Arrow>, <Down Arrow> keys to highlight the desired classification, then press the <Enter> key. Press the <ESCape> key to remove the classification totals window from the screen. 5.9.2 CLASSIFICATION TOTALS BAR GRAPH: A bar graph of classification totals can be displayed by pressing the <F2> key while in the Display By Classification mode. The graph shows a bar for each classification segregated by Deposits and Checks. 5.10 UTILITIES: The Utilities Command allows you to: 1. Back-up your CheckBook data files. 2. Show CheckBook Status Information. 3. Change the Check Print Layout. 4. Change Colors. 5. Display a calendar. To select a Utilities: 1. Select the Utilities command by pressing the letter "U" key. 2. Select the desired utility from the pull-down menu by using the <Up Arrow> or <Down Arrow> to highlight the utility. 3. Press the <Enter> key. A description of each of the utilities follows. 5.10.1 BACKUP UTILITY: It is a good practice to frequently backup your CheckBook disk 14 files so that a copy of the information will exist in the event of a disk (or diskette) failure. You will need a formatted floppy diskette to perform the backup. The Backup Utility is used to copy the CheckBook current year files for the account you are working with to a diskette. The backup procedure is invoked in two ways. First, each time you exit the program or select the Account command, if you have made any additions, changes, or deletions to the CheckBook information, you will be prompted to backup your files. Second, the backup command may be invoked directly by selecting Backup from the pull-down utilities menu. When the Backup utility is invoked, a window will be displayed with backup instructions. To perform the backup, enter the destination drive letter for the disk that the files are to be copied to. If you are running CheckBook from a hard disk, you may select either drive A: or B: as the destination drive. If you are running from a floppy disk, select drive B: as the destination drive. If you only have one (1) disk drive, you will be prompted to change diskettes at the appropriate time. 5.10.2 SHOW CHECKBOOK STATUS UTILITY: The Show CheckBook Status utility is used to display information about the CheckBook program's use of the computer's memory and disk space. When this command is selected, a status window will be displayed in the center area of the screen showing the status information. To clear the status window from the screen, press any key. 5.10.3 CHECK PRINT LAYOUT UTILITY: The Check Print Layout utility is used to: 1. Layout your check form. 2. Select the pitch to use for printing checks. 3. Designating printer control escape sequences for your printer. When this utility is selected, the Check Format form will be displayed for you to input the information described below. Line and Column Numbers: CheckBook uses a system of line and column numbers to indicate where each field is located on the check. When printing checks, CheckBook prints 12 lines per inch. A standard sized personal check is approximately 6.0 inches wide and 2.75 inches long, so there are 33 print lines (12 X 2.75) on 15 a standard check. The number of print columns depends on the print pitch you select and the width of your check. The line and column number you enter for each field is dependent on the size of your check, how you load checks to your printer, and the print pitch you select. Perhaps the best way to determine the line and column numbers for the fields, is by printing a check using blank paper and adjusting the line and column numbers until you are satisfied with the results. Print Pitch: You may select Pica , Elite <E>, or Condensed <C>. The Pica pitch prints 10 characters per inch, the Elite pitch prints 12 characters per inch, and the Condensed pitch prints 16.7 characters per inch. Check Size: Enter the width and length of your check in inches. This information is used to determine the number of blank lines to print after the last line is printed on the check. Printer Escape Sequence Control Codes: Enter the escape sequence control codes for your printer for Pica, Elite, and Condensed print pitches and for Half-Line Feed. These codes can be found in your printer manual. Separate each code with a back slash "\". For example, \27\65\5\27\2. Use the <F2> key to use the default setting for a field. The default codes are for the IBM Pro Printer mode. Most printers either use or can emulate this mode. Press the <F1> key when you are ready to save the Check Print Layout. 5.10.4 CHANGE COLORS UTILITY: You may change the foreground and background colors CheckBook uses for displaying information. When this utility is selected, the Change Colors window will be opened. To change a color: 1. Use the <Up Arrow> or <Down Arrow> keys to point to the item you wish to change. 2. Use the <Tab> key to toggle the foreground or 16 background. 3. Use the <+> or <-> key to change the color. You can select 16 foreground colors and 16 background colors. However, if the item flashes as you are changing the background color, this means the color adapter in your computer and the CheckBook software are incompatible and you will only be able to use 7 background colors. You may retrieve the default colors for any item by pointing to the item and pressing the <F2> key. Press the <F1> key when you are ready to save your color changes and exit this utility or press the <ESCape> key to exit without changing the colors. 5.10.5 DISPLAY CALENDAR UTILITY: You can pop-up the Calendar by pressing the <F3> key or by selecting "Display Calendar" from the Utilities pull-down menu. Initially, the calendar will show the current month and year with the day of the month highlighted. You can change the month by pressing the <Up Arrow> or <Down Arrow> key and change the year by pressing the <Left Arrow> or <Right Arrow> key. Press the <ESCape> key to clear the calendar from the screen. 5.10.6 CALCULATOR UTILITY: You can pop-up the desk top Calculator by pressing the <F4> key or by selecting "Calculator" from the Utilities pull-down menu. The Calculator operates like a standard printing calculator. Use the keys on the numeric keypad on the right side of the keyboard or the numbers across the top of the keyboard to add, subtract, multiply and divide. To perform operations, use the keys described below: Operation Press --------- ----- Add + Subtract - Multiply * Divide / Total Enter Equal = Clear C Enter the number followed by the operation. Press the <ESCape> key to clear the calculator from the screen. 17 6.0 ARCHIVED INFORMATION: 6.1 ARCHIVING FILES: If the year, that is entered in the Account window, is greater than the current CheckBook year, the archive process will be invoked. This process copies any outstanding transactions from the old current year files to new current years files and makes the year that was entered, the current year. You will still be able to work with the archived information (see working with archived information below). Before the information is archived, a message is displayed notifying you the archive process has been invoked. If you do not wish to proceed with the archive process, press the <ESCape> key. 6.2 WORKING WITH ARCHIVED INFORMATION: You can work with archived information by selecting the year in which the information was archived. For example, assume information was archived for the year 1988, and you wish to work with this information, perform the following steps: 1. Select the Account command from the horizontal menu bar across the top of the Check Register screen by pressing the letter <A> key. 2. Select the Year command from the Account Window horizontal menu bar by pressing the letter <Y> key. 3. Fill in the year 1988 on the Year input form then press the <F1> key. 4. Position the highlight bar to the desired account and then press the <Enter> key. Remember, the archived information and the current information, is in different files. Therefore, any changes made to archived information, that change the account balance, will probably necessitate a change to the beginning balance for the current year. 7.0 EXITING THE PROGRAM: To exit the program, press the <ESCape> key. If you have made any changes to your information, a message will appear in the center area of the screen prompting you to backup your files. When the message is displayed, press the <Enter> key to backup the files or press the <ESCape> key to exit without backing up (see Backup section). 18 APPENDIX A: WORKING WITH SAMPLE DATA The distribution diskette contains sample CheckBook information in a file named "SAMP0000.DAT". You are encouraged to work with this information to familiarize yourself with the program. To work with the sample information, follow the steps outlined below: 1. Select the Account command from the horizontal menu bar across the top of the Check Register screen by pressing the letter <A> key. 2. Select the Year command from the Account Window horizontal menu bar by pressing the letter <Y> key. 3. Fill in the year 0000 (four zeros) on the Year input form then press the <F1> key. 4. Position the highlight bar to the desired account and then press the <Enter> key. If you enter transactions to the sample files, be sure to use the year "00" (two zeros) when you enter the date on the check or deposit form. Otherwise, you will get an error message. 19 APPENDIX B: USER COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS User comments and suggestions as to how the program could be improved are encouraged. Please send your comments to the address shown in the Introduction Section of this manual. If your suggestions are incorporated in the software, you will receive a free update. 20