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HBMSDOCS.EXE
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HBSETUP.DOC
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1992-04-15
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********************************************************************
* HBSETUP - The Home Budget Management System Setup Utility *
********************************************************************
For HBMS version 4.3 ONLY! April 1992
For version 4.3, HBSETUP provides multiple functions:
1. Color selection.
2. Printer setup.
3. Configuration for foreign date format and currency symbol.
4. Choice of numerical entry format.
5. Password verification for registered users.
IMPORTANT: Items 1 and 2 create configuration files. Items 3, 4, and
5 modify the HBMS.EXE file. Because of this, HBSETUP.EXE should be run
from the same disk/directory that contains the main program HBMS.EXE.
The INSTALL program will create a separate directory and place these
files together for you. However you should be aware that when you run
HBMS, it will look for its configuration files in the default directory
only. This means that before you run HBSETUP or HBMS, you should make
the directory that contains these files, your "current" directory. If
you are used to running from a "menu" or other type of program that
insulates you from DOS (windows is a good example), make sure it
changes to the proper directory before it attempts to execute these
programs. It is not necessary or even desirable to have your HBMS
directory in your "path". See your DOS manual for further information
about directories and paths.
COLOR SETUP
NOTE: If you use a monochrome monitor, color configuration is not
necessary. If HBMS fails to find the configuration file COLORS.HBM, it
will default to black and white screens.
When you arrive at the HBMS COLOR SELECTION menu, please use the
<F2> key to select from a list of color combinations, listed by
background color. After making your selection a sample screen will be
displayed.
EDITING COLORS:
I suggest that you stick with one of the preselected color
combinations until you become more familiar with HBMS. However you CAN
change things to suit your taste. Just enter the number of the color
group you want to change. The <F1> key will display the results, and
the <F3> key will save your changes.
-1-
PRINTER SETUP
HBMS is designed to make full use of the various options available
on most dot-matrix and laser printers. This is accomplished through a
system of control codes and ESCape sequences sent to the printer. They
turn on and off the different widths, enhancements, etc. For example,
the printed reports make good use of underline, double-strike, and
italics. These features enhance the readability of reports in HBMS,
but are not absolutely necessary. In fact, HBMS can work without most
of them as explained later.
SELECTING A PRINTER:
HBSETUP comes with the suggested printer commands for at least 35
different printers. One of them will most likely work with your
machine. When you first access the PRINTER COMMANDS section of
HBSETUP, use the <F2> key to display a list of printers. The list
spans two pages, and the <PgUp>/<PgDn> keys move between pages.
Many printers on the market today will emulate either the Epson,
IBM, or Hewlett-Packard brands. Check your printer manual. If your
printer can emulate one of these modes, it usually has a "dip switch"
setting to accomplish this. In some cases, you can send the printer a
software command to instruct it to emulate one of these modes. If so,
you can accomplish this via the INITIALIZE command explained below.
The printers which are most often emulated, are listed first.
Others are listed in alphabetical order, and are generally printers
that are somewhat different from the more popular modes. Of course,
there are many models of printers that are not on the list. If your
printer emulates one of the popular modes, try that mode first. If
not, and your model is not listed, choose one with a similar name of
the same brand. You may have to try more than one to see which is most
compatible with your printer.
TESTING YOUR SETUP:
Once you have selected a printer, its commands will be displayed.
Now use the <F1> key to print a sample sheet of text. This sample
sheet contains text in every font used by HBMS. READ THIS SHEET
CAREFULLY! I can not stress this point enough. Not only does it let
you see if the different options are working properly, it also offers
insights on how HBMS uses these commands.
EDITING YOUR SETUP:
If you do need to make changes, HBSETUP lets you edit the printer
commands. Your printer manual will list your available commands.
HBSETUP expects you to enter each character of a printer command, in a
decimal format called "ASCII". Every letter, number, symbol, etc has a
numerical ASCII value somewhere in the range of 0-255. When you enter
an ASCII character in HBSETUP, you must precede it with a "#"
character. This tells HBSETUP that an ASCII value follows immediately,
and also serves as a delimiter between numbers.
-2-
Some printers will have to be reset, or put into an alternate mode
before you can get results. The INITIALIZE command is sent before
every report that HBMS prints. In most cases this command can be left
blank, but if needed, this is the place to insert a "reset" or "change
emulation" command.
If you have trouble getting a specific command to work with your
printer, don't hesitate to delete it. As mentioned on the sample
printout, getting your printer into small pitch (CONDENSED), is the
only absolutely necessary requirement. If all else fails, you may set
your printer to CONDENSED pitch manually (possibly from the front
panel). If you decide to do this, delete all 13 printer commands, and
save the empty configuration data. In this case HBMS will send no
commands to your printer at all, but you will avoid a warning about
not finding PRCODES.HBM.
The printer commands are listed roughly the order of their
importance. Small pitch (CONDENSED) is a must. The 1/8" LINE FEED is
desirable to pack more information on a page. UNDERLINES are used
extensively and will be missed if you can not get them to work. DOUBLE
STRIKE font helps highlight certain items and ITALICS is probably the
least important. None of the HBMS printouts are designed to be printed
in PICA (10 cpi) pitch, but the PICA command is used when setting up
for CONDENSED (17 cpi) pitch. Due to the way some printers work, HBMS
sends a PICA command immediately before it sends the CONDENSED command.
This will assure that you get approximately 17 cpi. The ELITE (12 cpi)
pitch is available for check printing only.
HBMS is set up to detect empty printer commands and adjust things
accordingly. This includes page lengths. IF YOU DO ENTER A PRINTER
COMMAND, HBMS WILL TRY TO USE IT EVEN IF IT IS WRONG. It's sometimes
better to delete a command and let HBMS adjust, than to have it try to
act on a faulty command and possibly cause trouble.
If you still have trouble setting up your printer, call and I'll be
glad to help if I can. If you get a printer to work that is not listed
and is different from others that are listed, please consider sharing
your success. Send me a copy of the test printout and a "print screen"
that shows the commands you used. I get calls all the time for help
with printer setup. I can't possibly keep track of all the different
types of printers and your help would be appreciated.
-3-
MODIFYING HBMS.EXE
The changes made in the MODIFICATION MENU section of HBSETUP, will
be written directly into the HBMS.EXE file. Please do not distribute
any modified copies of HBMS.EXE. Since the HBMS "package" comes with
the main program files in a compressed format, this should not present
a problem. You can always re-install HBMS from the original
distribution disk.
SUPPORT FOR FOREIGN COUNTRIES:
In version 4.3 you can change the way HBMS displays the date, and
which currency symbol is used. You can choose between three date
formats, and specify any character you desire to replace the "$" sign.
FIXED or FLOATING DECIMAL POINT:
When you record your transactions in HBMS you will be entering a
lot of "dollar" amounts. New for version 4.3 is a choice between two
different numerical entry formats.
"2-place Fixed format" supplies the decimal point for you, similar
to some printing calculators. To enter $12.34 just type "1234". The
decimal point will be inserted automatically.
"Floating point format" relies on you to place the decimal point in
its proper position. To enter $12.34 you must type "12.34". However
if you just wanted to enter $12.00, typing "12" is sufficient.
Select between these two formats by answering Yes or No to the
"2-Place Fixed Decimal Point" prompt. If you decide that you are not
happy with the chosen format, you can always change it later by running
HBSETUP again.
INSERTING REGISTERED NAME and PASSWORD:
If you are a registered user, you will be provided with a password
that matches YOUR name only. Use the "R" selection from the
MODIFICATION MENU to enter your registered name and password. A valid
match will be confirmed, and will allow HBMS to display your name
prominently on the Main Menu screen, as well as bypass the Shareware
announcement.
The "name" you desire to use can be up to 40 characters long, and
it should be specified on the order form when you send in for your
registration. It should consist of either your personal name or your
company name.
-4-