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1988-05-03
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$$$ J. MacEvoy's $$$
$$$ CashTrac $$$
$$$ (tm) $$$
$$$ $$$
$$$ Personal Finance Manager $$$
$$$ Version 6.06 $$$
$$$ $$$
$$$ $$$
$$$ $$$
$$$ Column One, Inc. $$$
$$$ P.O. Box 11264 $$$
$$$ Alexandria, VA 22312 $$$
$$$ $$$
$$$ $$$
$$$ Electronic Mail: 703-941-2386 $$$
$$$ 703-941-5934 $$$
$$$ (24-Hour User Support) $$$
$$$ $$$
$$$ $$$
$$$ ----====||====---- $$$
$$$ $$$
$$$ $$$
$$$ $$$
$$$ $$$
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$$$ Written by $$$
$$$ John MacEvoy $$$
$$$ Lynn Gilley $$$
$$$ $$$
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$$$ $$$
$$$ Copyright (c) 1987 Column One, Inc. All rights reserved. $$$
$$$ $$$
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Table of Contents
-----------------
1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................1
1.1 PLEASE READ THIS! ..................................1
1.1.1 Version 6 Enhancements ......................1
1.1.2 General Program Features ....................2
1.2 LICENSE ............................................3
1.2.1 License: Demonstration Version .............3
1.2.2 License: Commercial Version ................4
1.3 WARRANTY AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: ..............5
1.3.1 Program Warranty ............................5
1.3.2 Disk Warranty ..............................5
1.3.3 Limitation of Remedies ......................5
1.4 CUSTOMER SUPPORT ...................................6
1.5 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS ..............................7
2.0 INITIAL OPERATION .......................................9
2.1 CONVENTIONS ........................................9
2.2 GETTING STARTED ....................................9
2.2.1 Making an AUTOEXEC.BAT file .................9
2.2.2 Hard Disk Installation .....................10
2.2.3 Floppy Disk Installation ...................10
2.2.4 Loading Sample Purchase Groups .............11
2.3 SETTING THE DEFAULT CONFIGURATION .................11
2.3.1 Hard Disk Configuration ....................11
2.3.2 Floppy Disk Configuration ..................12
2.3.3 Setting the Default Configuration ..........12
2.3.4 Converting Old CT or PFM Data to New Format 14
2.4 INITIAL OPERATION .................................15
2.4.1 Starting CashTrac ..........................15
2.4.2 Key Assignments ............................16
2.4.3 Data Entry Considerations ..................17
2.4.4 The CT6 Program Structure ..................18
2.4.5 Initial Housekeeping .......................20
2.4.6 Menu Screens ...............................22
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2.5 THE HELP SCREENS ..................................22
2.6 THE CALCULATOR ....................................23
3.0 THE CHECKING ACCOUNT ...................................24
3.1 ENTERING NEW CHECKS, CASH PURCHASES, ETC. .........25
3.1.1 Checking Transaction Types .................25
3.1.2 Mandatory and Optional Data ................27
3.1.3 Valid Data Values ..........................27
3.1.4 Entering Checking Data, General ............28
3.1.5 Duplicating Entries ........................29
3.1.6 Entering Memos .............................29
3.1.7 Splitting Entries ..........................30
3.1.8 Selecting Checks For Printing ..............32
3.1.9 Sending Entries to Other Accounts ..........32
3.1.10 Using the Credit Transaction ..............33
3.1.11 On-Screen Bal .........................33
3.1.12 Setting Up Budgets ........................33
3.1.13 Voiding Checks ............................35
3.2 UNPAID BILLS ......................................35
3.2.1 Entering Unpaid Bills ......................35
3.2.2 Paying Unpaid Bills ........................36
3.3 CHANGING ENTRIES ..................................37
3.3.1 Searching for Checking Records .............37
3.3.2 Changing Checking Records ..................38
3.4 DELETING ENTRIES ..................................39
3.4.1 Deleting One Record ........................39
3.4.2 Deleting an Entire Checking Account ........39
3.4.3 Deleting Batches of Checking Records .......39
3.5 PRINTING REPORTS ..................................40
3.5.1 The Check Register Report ..................40
3.5.2 Account Activity Summary Report ............43
3.5.3 Unpaid Bills Report ........................43
3.5.4 Monthly Budget Report ......................43
3.5.5 Yearly Budget Report .......................44
3.6 BALANCING THE CHECKING ACCOUNT ....................45
3.7 CHANGING THE ACTIVE CHECKING ACCOUNT OR NAME ......46
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3.8 THE CHECK WRITER ..................................46
3.8.1 Running the Check Writer ...................46
3.8.2 Setting the Default Configuration ..........47
3.8.3 Printing a Test Pattern ....................49
3.8.4 Printing Batches of Checks .................49
3.8.5 Printing Selected Checks ...................49
4.0 THE SAVINGS AND INVESTMENT ACCOUNTS ....................51
4.1 ENTERING INVESTMENT DATA ..........................51
4.1.1 Investment Transaction Types ...............51
4.1.2 Mandatory and Optional Data ................52
4.1.3 Valid Data Values ..........................52
4.1.4 Entering Investment Data, General ..........53
4.1.5 Duplicating Entries ........................55
4.2 CHANGING ENTRIES ..................................55
4.3 DELETING ENTRIES ..................................55
4.4 PRINTING INVESTMENT REPORTS .......................56
4.4.1 The Account Statement ......................56
4.4.2 The Account Activity Summary Report ........57
4.4.3 Summary of All Accounts ....................58
5.0 PROGRAM UTILITIES ......................................61
5.1 SORTING FILES BY DATE .............................61
5.1.1 Sorting Checking Files .....................62
5.1.2 Sorting the Investment Files ...............63
5.1.3 Packing the Unpaid Bills File ..............63
5.2 INVESTMENT ACCOUNT AND PURCHASE GROUP NAMES .......63
5.2.1 Adding New Names ...........................63
5.2.2 Changing Names .............................64
5.2.3 Deleting Names .............................64
5.2.4 Inserting Names ............................65
5.2.5 Displaying Names ...........................65
5.2.6 Renumbering Groups/Accounts ................65
5.3 IDENTIFYING THE DATA DISK .........................66
5.4 SET CHECKING ACCOUNT MINIMUM BALANCE WARNING ......67
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6.0 DOS PORTAL .............................................68
6.1 CHANGE DATA DRIVE .................................68
6.2 CHANGE SYSTEM DRIVE ...............................68
6.3 DATA DISK DIRECTORY ...............................68
6.4 SYSTEM DISK DIRECTORY .............................68
6.5 TEMPORARY EXIT TO DOS .............................69
7.0 IMPORT, EXPORT AND TRANSFER OF DATA ....................70
7.1 IMPORTING DATA ....................................70
7.1.1 Source File Format .........................70
7.1.2 Import Data, Delimited Format ..............70
7.1.3 Import Data, Undelimited Format ............71
7.1.4 Imported Data Value Table ..................71
7.1.5 Import Data Selection Screen ...............72
7.1.6 Importing Split Entries ....................73
7.1.7 Importing Memos ............................73
7.2 EXPORTING DATA ....................................74
7.2.1 CT6 Source Files ...........................74
7.2.2 Export Data, Delimited Format ..............74
7.2.3 Export Data, Undelimited Format ............74
7.2.4 Export Data Selection Screen ...............74
7.3 TRANSFERRING DATA .................................75
8.0 GRAPHING AND UTILITIES PROGRAM .........................77
8.1 THE GRAPHING SETUP SCREEN .........................77
8.2 PRINTING THE LEGEND ...............................81
8.3 GRAPH PRECISION ...................................82
9.0 TROUBLESHOOTING ........................................83
9.1 REPORTING PROBLEMS ................................83
9.2 LEVELS OF ERROR MESSAGES ..........................83
9.3 SECOND LEVEL ERRORS ...............................84
9.4 THIRD LEVEL ERRORS ................................85
9.5 MISCELLANEOUS PROBLEMS ............................86
10.0 MISCELLANEOUS .........................................88
10.1 CT6 FILE DESCRIPTIONS ...........................88
10.2 PROGRAM SPEED ...................................89
10.3 EXITING THE PROGRAM .............................90
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10.4 KEEPING BACKUPS .................................91
10.5 MAKING ADDITIONAL DATA DISKS ....................91
10.6 A NOTE FROM THE PROGRAM AUTHOR ..................91
11.0 PROGRAM SPECIFICATIONS ................................93
INDEX .......................................................93
User Registration Form .....................................101
____________________________________________________________________
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 PLEASE READ THIS!
CashTrac, version 6, is a major update of CashTrac (CT) version
5.15 and the TELEWARE Personal Fin Manager (PFM). It accepts
data entered using all prior CT/PFM programs. Paragraph 2.1 con-
tains the necessary information to configure the program properly
and begin operation and should be followed closely.
Users with existing CT/PFM data **MUST** convert their data using
the configuration program provided. Also, the END key now replaces
the ENTER key to enter a full screen of data and continue. Exper-
ie d users should read the list of enh ments below, and alter
their AUTOEXEC.BAT files as describ d in section 2.2.1.
Programs obtain d from bulletin boards and mass distributers of
public domain software have usually been squeez d and unsqueez d (or
"archived") prior to delivery. This frequently causes errors in the
program. One popular squeez program almost always causes a loss of
cursor control. Programs are also damaged on occasion by stray
magnetic fields in the mail. Should you have problems with erratic
program behavior, ask your supplier for a copy of the original,
unsqueez d CashTrac. See Customer Support, section 1.4 below for
information on how to get new copies from us. The troubleshooting
section (9) may also be helpful in solving problems.
The demonstration version is limited to 200 entries per checking
account (for a total of 3200 checking entries) and 200 investment
entries. At the entry limit, all functions except data entry remain
operational. Demonstration program users may purchase the
commercial version of CashTrac from Column One, Inc. using the
registration form at the end of this documentation.
1.1.1 Version 6 Enh ments (over version 5.15):
* Pop-up four-function calculator with memory (Use Ctrl-F10).
* Six color text graphing--supports monochrome, mono-graphics, or
standard color graphics/EGA monitors.
* Check writer, supports almost any check style.
* Spreadsheet/database data export and import feature.
* Fast direct screen writing on most screens. Slower (DOS)
screen printing is available if the program is started as
CASHTRAC D.
* Split Checking transactions on entry into an unlimited number
of sub-transactions. Great for paying credit cards.
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* The cRedit transaction now is the opposite of a cash Purchase.
* New Opening Bal transaction.
* Add one line memos to checking transactions from Data Entry or
Change screens.
* Monthly budgets or any-time-period budgets.
* Six digit check numbers.
* Track investments by dollars and dollars per share.
* Four types of investment interest and dividends.
* Enh d record search features. Search for character strings
and continue searches for duplicate records.
* Sort routine handles 32,700 records or to the limit of memory,
whichever comes first. Memory and disk space remaining are
reported when sorting.
* DOS path support. Put files anywhere on a hard disk. Use the
Configuration program for initial setup and the DOS Portal menu
for temporary alterations.
* Perform DOS commands from CashTrac.
* Reports: there are many enh ments.
Change form length, lines/page, headings, etc.
Print any record type from any account.
Printer setup command capability.
Budget and Purchase Summary are now one report.
Sort checks by check number, everything else by date.
Expand d investment summaries. Summariz all in one report.
Compare perform of all investments in one report.
* On line help files for almost every screen. Use Alt-F10.
1.1.2 General Program Features
CashTrac is a flexible personal fin management program
designed to keep investment and checking records in a familiar
checkbook register format, not in spreadsheet or accounting ledger
format. The general features of the program are:
* Sixteen separate Checking Accounts to record all purchases
(including major cash purchases), withdrawals, interest, etc.
Checking Accounts may also be assigned to credit cards. CT6
will operat all 16 Checking Accounts on each of an unlimited
number of data disks or subdirectories.
* An Unpaid Bills function to store one-time-only, monthly, or
yearly recurring bills and nag when they fall due. Bills are
automatically entered in the checking file when paid.
* An Investment and Savings account program that tracks where
your money is invest d and how well those investments are
performing on an annualiz d percentage rat basis. Up to 255
separate accounts may be stored on one disk or subdirectory.
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* Flexible report features including tax-d ductible purchase
reports, available for any time period, for coping with the
IRS.
* Budget reports to show how much was spent in any user-d fin d
budget area such as food, movies, computer equipment, or any
other budget categories (Purchase Groups). Each Checking
Account may have up to 255 different Purchase Groups. Budgets
may be set up for both monthly and flexible time period
reporting.
* Investment and Checking account bar-chart style graphing, in
color, compatible with all monitor types, and capable of
printing graphs to disk in a format compatible with most word
processor text files.
* A check printer capable of supporting most common form fe d
check styles.
* Data export and import features to send data to and receive
data from most spreadsheet and data base programs in either a
delimited or non-delimited format.
This version of CT, lik all past versions of CT/PFM, is fully
compatible with data files made with past versions, however, data
entered with pre-version 6 programs must be converted using the
Configuration program provided.
The remainder of this manual provides detailed instructions for
operating each function.
1.2 LICENSE
CashTrac 6 comes in both a commercial version for sale and a
demonstration version. The logo screen of CASHTRAC.EXE identifies
the demo version as DEMONSTRATION Version 6.0. The commercial
version opening screen does not say demonstration. The licenses
below refer to their respective versions.
1.2.1 License: Demonstration Version
This license applies to the CashTrac version 6 (CT6 DEMO)
demonstration program comprising the files CASHTRAC.EXE, CTGRAF.EXE,
CONFIG.EXE, CHELP.CT6, GHELP.CT6, CT6PART1.DOC, and CT6PART2.DOC or
the same files if their names have been changed by users in
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violation of this license. CT6 DEMO is copyrighted by Column One,
Inc. (C1I), and is protected by copyright, trademark and trade
secret law. C1I hereby grants users the limit d right to copy CT6
DEMO and give it to third parties for their use, but C1I does not
relinquish the right to:
a. Modify the programs, documentation, or the file names in any
way,
b. Sell or trade the program for money or any valuable
consideration, except for a nominal charge for postage,
handling, and materials,
c. Remove refere to the author or the program trademark in the
program or in this documentation.
Failure to abide by this limit d license by modification or sale
of CT6 DEMO in violation of the rights reserved by C1I will be
consider d a violation of Title 17 of the U.S. Code and C1I will
seek the remedies permitted under the applicable sections of the
Copyright Act.
1.2.2 License: Commercial Version
This license applies to the CashTrac version 6 Commercial program
(CT6 Commercial) comprising the files CASHTRAC.EXE, CTGRAF.EXE,
CONFIG.EXE, CHELP.CT6, GHELP.CT6, CT6PART1.DOC, and CT6PART2.DOC or
the same files if their names have been altered by a user. CT6
Commercial is copyrighted by Column One, Inc. (C1I), and is
protected by copyright, trademark and trade secret law. Bona fide
purchasers (purchasers) of CT6 Commercial possess all the rights
granted by Title 17 of the U.S. Code (Copyright Act). In addition,
C1I hereby grants purchasers license to make copies for their own
use on one computer at any one time. This license does not include
the right to make more than one copy for use on more than one
machine at any one time unless purchasers abide by the multiple copy
agreement.
Failure to abide by this license by violation of the rights
conferred by Title 17 of the U.S. Code and those granted by the
author will subject the purchaser to the sanctions permitted under
the applicable sections of the Copyright Act.
1.2.3 Trademark
Column One, Inc. has been distributing programs under the
CashTrac trademark sin July, 1985. The name closely resembles
that of a later program (CashTrack) issued by SubLogic Corp. There
is no connection between the companies.
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1.3 WARRANTY AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY:
1.3.1 Program Warranty
The programs CT6 DEMO and CT6 COMMERCIAL are provided AS IS with
no warranties express or implied including the warranties of:
M E R C H A N T A B I L I T Y
and
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO
THE ABOVE EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU
SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS AND YOU MAY ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS WHICH VARY
FROM STATE TO STATE.
1.3.2 Disk Warranty
If Column One, Inc. sells a copy of CT6 COMMERCIAL directly to
the purchaser, then the disk containing the copy of CT6 is warrant d
to be free of defects for a period of 60 days from receipt of the
program by the purchaser. If the disk proves defective within the
60 day time period and the purchaser returns the disk to the author,
the disk and CT6 COMMERCIAL programs on that disk will be replac d
free of charge.
1.3.3 Limitation of Remedies
Column One, Inc.'s entire liability and your exclusive remedy
shall be the replac ment of any defective diskettes as specified in
section 1.3.2, Disk Warranty, above.
If Column One, Inc. is unable to deliver a disk free of material
defects, then the purchaser is entitled to a refund of the purchase
price upon return of the defective materials and a signed stat ment
that all copies of the program in the purchaser's possession have
been destroyed.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES IS COLUMN ONE, INC. LIABLE FOR
ANY DAMAGES INCLUDING LOST PROFITS, LOST INCOME, OR
OTHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT
OF THE USE OR FAILURE OF CT6 DEMO AND CT6 COMMERCIAL
PROGRAMS, EVEN IF COLUMN ONE, INC. HAS BEEN ADVISED
OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
____________________________________________________________________
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SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION
OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES,
THEREFORE THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF
REMEDIES MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
1.4 CUSTOMER SUPPORT
CashTrac purchasers from dealers or directly from Column One who
register their programs using the registration form at the end of
this instruction manual will be provided with:
a. Program update notices whenever major program revisions are
available. Users not responding to two consecutive mailings
may be removed from the mailing list.
b. Program updates at a nominal cost (presently $10, but subject
to change).
c. Replac ment programs (both DEMO and COMMERCIAL) at $10 for
those who either receive bad copies from third parties or
somehow damage their only copy. Damaged programs will be
replac d for $3 if the original disks are sent to us with a
postage prepaid self address d return mailer.
d. Access to the customer support electronic mail system
(bulletin board system, or BBS). This is a 24 hour, 7 day per
week computeriz d mail and file transfer system based on the
TCOMM BBS program written by The CommSoft Group. Callers may:
Send messages to and receive messages from the author or
other users,
Receive replac ment copies of damaged software over the
phone via the file transfer system (upon advanced notice),
There are also several hundred public domain programs avail-
able from the BBS at the 703-941-5934 number only. This is a
good source of inexpensive and hard-to-find software, and is
open to all callers.
CashTrac customers may call in and leave a message to the
SYSOP or John MacEvoy requesting access to the private
CashTrac section of the BBS. Please leave your program serial
number (located in the base of the column on the CT6 logo
screen) when requesting private access.
____________________________________________________________________
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Electronic Mail System Communication Parameters:
300, 1200, or 2400 baud
No parity, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit (IBM PC & compatibles)
Even parity, 7 data bits, 1 stop bit (Non-compatibles)
The 703-941-2386 number is for user support and downloading
the CashTrac Demo program only. The 703-941-5943 number
provides access to the investment forum and over a thousand
public domain files as well as the same user support as the
2386 number.
e. Users may write directly to the program author (John MacEvoy)
care of Column One, Inc., P.O. Box 11264, Alexandria, VA
22312. We request that non-paying customers include stamped,
self-address d envelopes for replies.
NOTE: Customers who purchased the demonstration version of CT6
from a distributor at some nominal cost may deduct $8 from the
purchase price listed on the registration form if they send us
the original disks with the original labels attached and a self
address d stamped return mailer. There's no sense in paying
twice for the same disks.
1.5 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
CT6 is designed to run on an IBM PC, XT, AT, or JR with at least
256Kb RAM, two double density (362Kb) floppy disk drives or one
floppy disk drive and a hard disk, either a color graphics or
monochrome display, and DOS 2.0 or higher.
Graphs will print on monochrome, mono-graphics, composite
graphics, color graphics, and enhanced graphics monitors. If your
printer prints the complete IBM character set (the lines, boxes, and
foreign language characters), it will support the MS DOS "extend d
ASCII" character set used to make the graphs. A good way to test
your printer is to do a "print screen" (hold the shift key and press
the PrtSc key) of a menu screen and see if it prints the lines at
the top and bottom of the screen. If your printer does not print
these characters, it may be possible to switch the printer's default
character set, as on some Epson and laser printers, install an
additional ROM chip (such as the OKIDATA Plug 'n Play module in
OKIDATA printers), or use a printing enhancement program. The user
supported Image Print program produces excellent letter quality
____________________________________________________________________
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characters on Epson-compatible dot matrix printers and will print
the MS DOS character set need d for printing CT6 graphs. Image
Print is available from the user-support BBS and many other
locations.
____________________________________________________________________
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2.0 INITIAL OPERATION
2.1 CONVENTIONS
a. The characters <C/R> mean "press the Carriage Return or the
Enter key."
b. The F10 key refers to the function key mark d F10, NOT the F,
1, and 0 keys.
c. Alt-F10 means to hold the Alt key and strike the F10 key.
Don't hold the F10 key! The same is true for Ctrl-F10.
2.2 GETTING STARTED
2.2.1 Making an AUTOEXEC.BAT file
An entry must be made in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file (which either
resides or must be created on your boot disk). Your DOS manual
explains the purpose of the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
If your boot disk or hard disk already has an AUTOEXEC.BAT file,
use your word processor or DOS editor (EDLIN) to alter the file to
include the following line PRIOR TO ANY LINES THAT LOAD MEMORY
RESIDENT PROGRAMS:
SET CT6=X (no spaces between the CT6, =, or X)
If your boot disk has no AUTOEXEC.BAT file, put your boot disk in
the default drive (or change hard disk directories to the root
directory) and type:
COPY CON AUTOEXEC.BAT <C/R> (remember, <C/R> is just a
SET CT6=X <C/R> carriage return or Enter key)
Ctrl-Z <C/R> (or the F6 key)
If all went well, you just copied (COPY) from the console (CON)
the line "SET CT6=X" to the file named AUTOEXEC.BAT. Ctrl-Z is an
end of file mark r.
This operation simply reserves some scratch space in the DOS
environment and will not affect the operation of any other programs.
If it is loaded after memory resident programs, or is loaded
incorrectly, an "OUT OF MEMORY" error can occur. If it does, please
refer to the Troubleshooting section, 9.0.
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2.2.2 Hard Disk Installation
a. If you do not have a subdirectory on your hard disk for the
CT6 program and data, use the MKDIR command (see DOS manual)
to create one. If you are already using CT-5.15 or an earlier
version of PFM, you may continue to use the same subdirectory.
For example, to make a new subdirectory named FINANCE, type:
MKDIR C:\FINANCE <C/R>
Note: CT6 data should be in a subdirectory close to the root
directory. CT6 relies heavily on data files for information
storage; putting data in sub-subdirectories considerably slows
down data access on CT6 and any other program, but does no
harm.
b. Copy all files from the distribution diskettes (System Disks 1
and 2) from your A: or B: floppy drive to your selected
subdirectory. You may delete the documentation.
If your subdirectory name on the hard disk is FINANCE, then
the correct command to copy files from the A: floppy drive to
the FINANCE subdirectory is:
COPY A:*.* C:\FINANCE
Refer to your DOS manual if you need additional instructions
regarding file copying. Proceed to paragraph 2.2.4.
2.2.3 Floppy Disk Installation
a. Format two new diskettes as system disks using the FORMAT /S
command. (See your DOS manual for details). Label these
disks "SYSTEM DISK 1, MAIN AND CONFIGURATION PROGRAMS" and
"SYSTEM DISK 2, GRAPHING AND UTILITIES PROGRAM".
b. Format another new diskette as a "data" disk (do not use the
/S option with the FORMAT command).
Note: The following steps assume that your machine is turned
on, has been "booted" from your DOS diskette, and the default
drive is the A: drive (i.e., the prompt is currently A>).
c. Put the distribution disk mark d SYSTEM DISK 1 in drive A:.
Put the newly formatted disk mark d SYSTEM DISK 1 (your
working disk) in drive B:.
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d. Copy three files from A: to B: with the commands:
COPY A:CASHTRAC.EXE B: <C/R>
COPY A:CHELP.CT6 B: <C/R>
COPY A:CONFIG.EXE B: <C/R>
e. Put the distribution disk mark d SYSTEM DISK 2 in drive A:.
Put the newly formatted disk mark d SYSTEM DISK 2 (your
working disk) in drive B:.
f. Copy two files from A: to B: with the commands:
COPY A:CTGRAF.EXE B: <C/R>
COPY A:GHELP.CT6 B: <C/R>
COPY A:CHEKFORM.CT6 B: <C/R>
***********************************************
* DO NOT WRITE PROTECT YOUR NEW SYSTEM DISKS! *
* (Error 54 will result) *
***********************************************
2.2.4 Loading Sample Purchase Groups
There are two sample Purchase Group files on your system disk 1
distribution disk. Section 2.4.5 discuss s Purchase Groups and
these files in more detail. If you would like to use the sample
files (they are recommend d, and may be altered or removed later if
you would like to make your own personal files), then put the SYSTEM
DISK 1 distribution disk in drive A: and copy 6GROUP1.DAT and
6GROUP2.DAT to your CT6 data disk or hard disk CT6 data
subdirectory.
Put the two CashTrac distribution disks in a safe place. They
should not be used unless your newly created working disks become
damaged. System disks 1 and 2 are now your new working disks.
2.3 SETTING THE DEFAULT CONFIGURATION
This step sets the default colors (or highlighting for monochrome
and composite monitors), tells CT6 where to find its system and data
files, sets the printer port, and specifies the default checking
account.
2.3.1 Hard Disk Configuration
a. Users with CT or PFM data from versions prior to version 6
should back up their current data on a floppy disk or another
subdirectory prior to proceeding.
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b. Make the C: drive the default drive and the directory
containing CT6 the default subdirectory. If the subdirectory
is named FINANCE, the commands would be:
C: <C/R>
CD \FINANCE <C/R>
c. Proceed to paragraph 2.3.3.
2.3.2 Floppy Disk Configuration
a. Put System disk 1 in drive A:.
b. Put your new blank data disk in drive B:.
2.3.3 Setting the Default Configuration
This step runs the configuration program (CONFIG.EXE) to set
default colors, drives and paths, accounts, and the desired printer
port.
a. Type: CONFIG <C/R>
The configuration program should load. If it does not, do a
directory (DIR) and verify that CONFIG.EXE is on your default
disk. If it is not, then repeat the steps from 2.2 to find
your mistake.
If you receive an error other than BAD COMMAND OR FILE NAME
(which means the file does not exist on the default directory)
then refer to the troubleshooting guide.
b. Select option 1 (use F1, or 1 <C/R>, or 1 End Key.
Background color numbers are listed across the top of the
color table. Foreground color numbers appear in the table
against the background.
Monochrome and composite monitors will work well with the
default colors. Experiment or press the End key to continue
to the next screen. Numbers not in the table are not
accepted. (Color monitor users may find a background of 1 for
the general screens, 4 for the warning screens, and 0 for the
help screens and a foreground color of 10 or 14 for all
screens to be a pleasing combination.)
Press the End key to continue.
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c. Suggested defaults: Floppy disks Hard disks
System drive\path A: C:\FINANCE
Data drive\path B: C:\FINANCE
Printer Port 1 1
Checking Account 1 1
The system drive\path is where the following files must be
located: CASHTRAC.EXE, CHELP.CT6, CONFIG.EXE, CTGRAF.EXE,
GHELP.CT6. Floppy disk users will not be able to put all
these files on one disk, and if the configuration procedure
was followed faithfully, the files are separated on two system
disks. CT6 will expect the System drive for floppy disks to
be A:.
Hard disk users may have as many separate data subdirectories
as they desire for different applications. Each DATA
subdirectory should have a copy of its own configuration file.
To do this, change to the "other" subdirectory (for example,
FINANCE2) and run the CONFIG program as follows:
CD \FINANCE2 (changes directory)
C:\FINANCE\CONFIG (runs CONFIG on FINANCE directory)
(Run configuration options and make
C:\FINANCE2 the new data drive\path.)
Later, when running CASHTRAC with FINANCE2 data, have
C:\FINANCE2 as the default directory.
d. Press the End key to save the configuration on System disk 1
or the hard disk. The configuration file is named CONFIG.CT6.
It resides on the system disk, or default directory for hard
disks.
Floppy disk users must also copy CONFIG.CT6 from System Disk 1
to System disk 2.
**************************************************************
* FLOPPY DISK USERS SHOULD NEVER CHANGE SYSTEM DISKS WITHOUT *
* EXITING TO DOS UNLESS CT6 SPECIFICALLY PROMPTS FOR A DISK *
* CHANGE. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THIS RULE COULD CAUSE DOS TO *
* CLOSE FILES ON THE WRONG DISK AND RUIN THE DIRECTORY. *
**************************************************************
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2.3.4 Converting Old CT or PFM Data to New Format
Data stored with versions of PFM or CT prior to version 6 must be
converted to the new CT6 format prior to use in CT6. This is done
with option 3 from the configuration program menu. First time users
may skip to section 2.4.
All cRedits in the old checking accounts will be converted to
Deposits assigned to Purchase Groups. This has no effect on your
account balance since both transaction types were performing the
same purpose. The function of the cRedit transaction is different
in CT6. Please refer to Checking Account data entry, section 3.0,
below for a detailed explanation. The next check number on the data
entry screen will be 2781. Reset it to whatever the correct number
should be.
All Rollover dividend/Interest transactions in the old Investment
File will be converted to Interest (reinvested) transactions in the
new file.
a. Prior to running this option, make a backup of your existing
data. You should always keep data backups during normal
operation. Never rely on one floppy or hard disk copy of data
whether running CT6 or any other program. Disks fail and
there are some nasty DOS bugs known to eat disk directories.
b. Initial conditions:
1. Old CT data exists on any hard disk subdirectory (FINANCE,
for example) or floppy disk. Adequate space must exist on
the floppy or subdirectory for the new data. New data
files will require 1.55 times the space occupied by the old
files. Files may be split up among several disks and
converted in groups if necessary.
2. CONFIG is running. The A: drive is the default for
floppies or C:\FINANCE is the default for hard disks.
Again FINANCE is being used for example purposes. Any
valid name may be used.
c. Floppy users, put the new blank data disk in drive B: and put
the backup of the old data in drive A:.
d. Select option 3 on the main configuration menu.
Select the drive\path containing the old data. This would be
A: (floppy disks) or C:\FINANCE (hard disks).
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Select the drive\path to hold the new data. This would be B:
(floppies) or C:\FINANCE (hard disks).
Press the End key to begin the process. If errors occur, such
as running out of disk space, the process may be repeated as
many times as necessary by splitting up data files among more
than one disk. Old data is not erased. New files are created
having the same names as the old data files but preceded by a
6 (ex., CHECK1.DAT becomes 6CHECK1.DAT).
Eventually, you may erase the old data, but not until verifying
that the conversion process worked. This completes the
configuration. Floppy disk users, remember to put a copy of
CONFIG.CT6 on System Disk 2 if you have not yet done so. See
paragraph 2.3.3.
2.4 INITIAL OPERATION
2.4.1 Starting CashTrac
a. Make sure that System Disk 1 is in drive A: and the new data
disk is in drive B: (floppy users), or C:\FINANCE is the
default subdirectory (hard disks).
Note: CASHTRAC.EXE, CHELP.CT6, CONFIG.EXE, COMMAND.COM, and
CONFIG.CT6 must reside on System Disk 1, and CTGRAF.EXE,
GHELP.CT6, COMMAND.COM, and CONFIG.CT6 must reside on System
Disk 2 for the program to function properly. After the
configuration and installation, all these files should be
present. COMMAND.COM is a file from your DOS disk that should
have been copied to your system disks automatically during the
format process.
b. If the Configuration program is still running, press Esc to
run CashTrac, or exit to DOS and type CASHTRAC.
CT6 uses fast screen printing that bypasses normal DOS screen
printing routines. Some "compatible" computers may not be
able to cope with the fast printing, in which case the first
screen will have a message in the upper left corner
instructing you to press Esc twice and then exit. If this
occurs, start CT6 with the command:
CASHTRAC D <C/R>
to use the (much slower) standard DOS screen printing.
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c. If CASHTRAC can not find the configuration file (CONFIG.CT6)
it will display a message to that effect. At his point,
either enter the location (drive\path) of CONFIG.CT6 (if it
exists) or press Esc to install the internal configuration
(monochrome, system and data drive\path is the default
drive\path).
d. The opening screen will present the Column One, Inc. address
and electronic mail number, and will say "DEMONSTRATION" below
the CashTrac name if it is the demo. version. The commercial
version of CT6 will have a serial number in the base of the
column. This number is imbedded in the program, cannot be
removed by most mortals without damaging the program, and is
registered to the legal owner.
Press any key to go to the Main Menu. The following paragraph
describes cursor controls and general data input information.
There are major improvements over prior CT6/PFM versions that
you may wish to learn about by reading further.
2.4.2 Key Assignments
a. Keypad
Cursor up one field (or right if there's no up to go to).
|
+------+------+------+
| 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Home | (up) | PgUp | --- Page up for reports
+------+------+------+
| 4 | 5 | 6 | --- Ctrl-right arrow to jump right by one field
|(left)| |(rght)| --- Right arrow to move right by one character
+------+------+------+
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
| End |(down)| PgDn | --- Page down for reports
+------+------+------+
| |
| | Cursor down one field (or left if there's no down to go to)
| |
| AT ANY POINT ON THE SCREEN enters all data and continues to the
| next screen.
|
Left Arrow and Ctrl-left arrow perform the same function as the right
arrow and Ctrl-right arrow, but to the left.
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b. Other Keys
The Enter (return) key acts as a cursor down key except on the
last field, where it acts as the End key and enters all screen data
to be processed.
The Tab key acts as a Ctrl-right arrow key.
Backspace acts as a left arrow key.
Ins and Del do not function.
Alt-F10 calls the context-specific Help screens.
Ctrl-F10 calls the calculator. Esc returns to normal operation.
Function keys F1-F9 select menu options. Menu options may also
be selected by typing the option number and the Enter key ( i.e., 1
<C/R>).
Esc escapes from any screen without performing any function. It
also moves to the next higher menu.
2.4.3 Data Entry Considerations
All numeric entries should be positive. Do not enter negative
numbers unless specified by the documentation. The only place a
negative number is accepted by CT6 is for an Opening Balance
transaction.
Do not use punctuation other than a decimal point in numeric
entries. The following examples show valid and invalid entries and
the actual data stored by the program:
Screen Entry Data as stored
10001.01 10001.01
$10001.01 0.00
10,001.01 10.00
10 1.01 101.01
CT6 reads to the first invalid character and quits, hence the
0.00 after the $ sign, and the 10 prior to the comma. In the last
example, CT6 puts the two valid amounts together because no invalid
character separates them.
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Data entries are validated when the End key is pressed or when
the <C/R> is pressed on the last data field. If an error is
discovered, an error message will appear at the bottom of the screen
and the cursor will return to the field in error. For example, an
attempt to enter the date 12/32/87 will result in a "BAD DATE" error
message and the cursor will return to the 32.
Any data initially highlighted by the cursor will be taken as
data for that field. To correct mistakes, type over existing data
or use the space bar to erase data.
2.4.4 The CT6 Program Structure
CT6 comprises 3 programs, 2 documentation files, 2 help files,
and numerous data files. See section 10.1 for information on file
names, descriptions, and uses. Please do not attempt to edit these
files.
When installed on a hard disk.All three CT6 programs
(CASHTRAC.EXE, CTGRAF.EXE, and CONFIG.EXE) may be run from the
respective main menus of the other programs. Put the disk
containing the program in the system drive PRIOR to running the menu
option. Each program will also run as a stand-alone program by
putting the proper disk in the default drive and typing the program
name.
Note: Make sure there is a configuration file (CONFIG.CT6) on
each system disk when running the program from multiple disks or
the program will revert to its internal configuration.
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The Program Menu Structure:
MAIN MENU SUBMENU
========= =======
| 1 Enter new data
| 2 Change & display data
| 3 Delete entries
1 Checking Accounts ----| 4 Print reports
| 5 Balance checkbook
| 6 Pay bills
| 7 Change account or name
| 8 Check writer (runs CTGRAF.EXE)
| 9 Program utilities (see 3 below)
| 1 Enter new data
| 2 Change & display data
2 Investment Accounts---| 3 Delete data
| 4 Investment reports
| 5 Program utilities (see 3 below)
| 1 Sort checking account
| 2 Sort investment account | 1 Add new name
| 3 Pack unpaid bills | 2 Change name
3 Program Utilities-----| 4 Purchase group names ----| 3 Delete name
| 5 Investment account names-| 4 Insert name
| 6 Identify data disk | 5 Display names
| 7 Minimum balance flag | 6 Renumber
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| 1 Graph checking data
| 2 Graph investment data
| 3 Import data
| 4 Export data | 1 Print batch checks
4 Graphing & Utilities--| 5 Transfer data | 2 Print selected cks
(Runs CTGRAF.EXE) | 6 DOS Portal (see 6 below) | 3 Print Test
| 7 Check writer ------------| 4 Check configur'n
| 8 Exit to DOS | 5 Graphing menu
| Esc to run CashTrac (goes to main menu)
| 1 Set colors, drives, ports, and accounts
| 2 Set drives, ports, and accounts only
5 Configuration---------| 3 Convert old data to new format
| 4 Exit to DOS
| Esc to run CashTrac (goes to main menu)
| 1 Change data drive
| 2 Change system drive
6 DOS Portal------------| 3 Data disk directory
| 4 System disk directory
| 5 Temporary exit to DOS
| (Type EXIT to return)
7 Program Exit----------| Saves all data, goes to DOS
****************************************************************
* Use the Esc key to jump from lower menus to higher menus *
* or from the configuration or graph to the main program menu. *
****************************************************************
****************************************************************
* Floppy diskers: When going from program to program via menu *
* selections, select the option to run the other program, then *
* when prompted, put the disk with the other program in drive *
* A: and press any key to continue. *
****************************************************************
2.4.5 Initial Housekeeping
CT6 stores checking expenditures in budget or expenditure
categories called "Purchase Groups," such as food, clothing,
telephone, mortgage, Mastercard, etc. Investments are stored by
Investment Account names. Your disk comes with two sets of sample
Purchase Groups compliments of Jon Holcombe, an attorney in
Syracuse, N.Y. The groups in Checking Account one apply to personal
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expenses. The groups in Checking Account two apply to business
accounts and follow Schedule C of IRS form 1040. You may add,
change, delete, or insert new groups if you like, or even delete the
entire group files or move them to other accounts. See the Purchase
Group Names function on the Program Utilities menu, section 5.2.
You should enter a few Investment Account names in order to save
investment data. To do this, starting at the main menu, press F3 to
go to the Program Utilities menu. Press F5 to select the Investment
Account Names menu. Think of a few names you may need and add them
using the Add Name function. Press Esc when done adding names.
There are several functions for manipulating names, so an exhaustive
list need not be entered immediately.
Press Esc to return to the Utilities menu. If you'd like to add
a few investment account (or savings account) names, do so now.
Examples of investment account names are "Money Market Account," or
"Boesky Fund, Ltd." Essentially, whatever you'd like to add to
identify an account is acceptable.
While in the Utilities menu, it may be helpful to identify the
data disk (or directory) on which this data is being stored, so that
as directories or data disks are changed the current disk is
identified by the kind of data it contains. Select option 6 to
identify the disk. Whatever you write in this field will be the
name that appears at the upper left corner of most menu screens
while that data disk or subdirectory is in use. For example, one of
our disks is called "Column One, Inc." because it holds nothing but
business data. Another is called "Personal Accounts." Whenever
either of these disks is loaded, the appropriate name prints on the
menu screens.
One additional option worth setting is the checking account
minimum balance flag (warning). If your bank charges service fees
when your account balance falls below some level, then set the
minimum balance warning to that level or even a few hundred dollars
above it. If your balance falls below that level, reports showing
the balance will change to the warning color chosen in the config-
uration.
When done, press Esc to return to the main menu.
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2.4.6 Menu Screens
The menu screens, shown schematically below, contain useful data
other than menus.
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| Data disk/account name Menu Name Clock Date|
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
1 Menu Options
2 . . . . .
3 . . . . .
=================================================================
Default Data Drive\Path Error Messages & Prompts Reminders
The Name is the data disk name unless a checking account function
is active, then the name is that of the active checking account.
The Clock Date is the system date set while booting. If you need
to reset it, exit to DOS and do so, or use the DOS Portal menu.
The Default Data Drive\Path selected during configuration or
temporarily changed from the DOS Portal menu appears in the lower
left.
The Error Messages & Prompts warn of invalid data or when to press
the Enter key to continue.
2.5 THE HELP SCREENS
Both the main CT6 program (CASHTRAC.EXE) and the Graphing and
Utilities program (CTGRAF.EXE) have context-specific help screens
available for all menus, data entry, and report screens. Help is
called from anywhere in the program by holding the Alt key and
pressing the F10 key (Alt-F10). To exit the help screens, press any
key. Some help screens consist of more than one page, in which case
pressing a key other than Esc calls the next page. To exit help
without reading the additional pages, press the Esc key.
A blank help screen indicates that the help file is missing from
the disk. The file named CHELP.CT6 must be on the same disk and
subdirectory as CASHTRAC.EXE and the file named GHELP.CT6 must be on
the same disk and subdirectory as CTGRAF.EXE.
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2.6 THE CALCULATOR
CT6 has a built in four-function calculator with memory, which is
called by holding the Ctrl key and pressing the F10 key (Ctrl-F10).
The calculator instructions are on its face. It performs chain
calculations in the format of most "non-reverse polish" calculators
(i.e., 1+1=2 rather than 1 ENTER 2 +).
Example: To add 123, 456, 789, and 987, then multiply by 11, press
the following keys:
Ctrl-F10 (calls calculator)
123 + 456 + 789 + 987 * 11 =
To subtract 321 from the above result, enter:
- 321 =
Press Esc to return to normal operation.
The calculator on test versions of CT6 shifted the keypad to a
numeric state, but this proved incompatible with Keytronic
keyboards. This feature may be added to future versions.
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3.0 THE CHECKING ACCOUNT
The Checking Account:
a. Keeps a running list of all checks, deposits, withdrawals, and
interest in your account, as in a customary check register.
b. Keeps a record of major cash purchases and budget limits,
should you decide to enter them. [Cash purchases are recorded
in the Checking Account, but do not affect the account
balance. These purchases are available to the Detailed and
Summary report programs, and provide an accurate description
of what was spent in each Purchase Group.]
c. Maintains a list of Unpaid Bills that may be one time only, or
which recur monthly or yearly. A warning signals when bills
are due, and bills are automatically removed from the Unpaid
Bills file and placed in the Checking Account when paid. The
due date on monthly and yearly recurring bills is automatic-
ally updated and the bill is reentered in the Unpaid Bills
file. One-time-only bills are deleted.
Sixteen separate Checking Accounts may be operated on one disk or
subdirectory. Also, there is no practical limit to the amount of
data disks or subdirectories that may be used with the program. The
Active Account is selected or renamed from option 7 on the Checking
Account menu.
************************************************************
* Once an account is selected ALL TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING *
* CHECKING ACCOUNTS APPLY ONLY TO THAT ACCOUNT unless *
* specified otherwise. *
************************************************************
For example, if Checking Account #3 is selected:
a. The Checking Account Sort routine only operates on Account #3.
b. Adding, Changing, Deleting, etc., Purchase Groups only affects
the Purchase Groups associated with Account #3.
c. Adding, Changing, or Deleting Checking Account records only
affects Account #3, but new data may be redirected from the
data entry screen.
d. Printed reports will only select data from Account #3 unless
another account is selected from the report selection screen.
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e. For each of the functions listed above, the name of the active
Checking Account will print at the upper left of each menu
screen, rather than the data disk name.
f. The Minimum Balance Warning applies only to Account #3. (i.e.,
it may be set to a different value for each account).
g. Only Unpaid Bills for Account #3 will be called for payment.
However, the unpaid bills warning will indicate the account in
which bills are waiting to be paid.
h. EXCEPTION: Most Unpaid Bill functions
1. The Unpaid Bills Report displays bills for all accounts,
regardless of the account selected.
2. The Unpaid Bills Warning (on the Checking Account menu)
flashes when a bill is overdue in any account, but it can
only be PAID from the appropriate account.
3. The Change and Delete functions for one Checking Account
operate on Unpaid Bills for all accounts.
As mentioned, the Active Account is selected using option 7 on
the Checking Account menu. Each account may also be named from
within option 7.
3.1 ENTERING NEW CHECKS, CASH PURCHASES, ETC.
Option 1 from the Checking Account menu provides the data input
screen for the Checking Account. Listed below are the kinds of
transactions that may be entered and when to use them. Following
them is a list of mandatory and optional data associated with each
transaction.
3.1.1 Checking Transaction Types
a. Budget: There are actually two budget transactions--monthly
and yearly. Monthly budgets have no effect on yearly budget
reports, and vice versa. Please refer to the budgets
explanation paragraph, 3.1.12, for more details.
b. Checks: Use a Check transaction to record a check written on
the account.
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c. Deposits: Use a Deposit transaction to record a deposit to
the account. Deposits may be general, to the entire account,
or specifically assigned to a purchase group. In the latter
case, the deposit affects the balance for the entire account,
but is "grouped" for printed reports.
d. Interest: Use this transaction for interest credited to your
account.
e. Opening Balance: (Called "OPEN" on the data entry screen).
Use this transaction to record the opening balance for an
account. It will not be treated as a deposit or withdrawal in
reports.
f. cash Purchases: Use this transaction for major purchases
where a check was not written but a record of the purchase is
desired. Cash Purchases do not affect the balance of the
checking account.
g. cRedits: The cRedit is the opposite of a cash Purchase and is
used to negate the effect of a cash Purchase. In CashTrac
version 5.15 the cRedit was a deposit to the account, but
assignable to a Purchase Group. This is no longer true, and
the cRedit has no effect on the account balance.
h. Skip: When paying bills, use this feature to skip payment of
a bill and go on to the next bill. The skipped bill is
unaffected and will return to haunt you until you pay or
delete it.
i. Unpaid Bills: Unpaid bills are explained in section 3.2.
They are automatic, recurring reminders to pay bills, and
automatically enter data into the Checking Account.
j. Withdrawals: Use this transaction for removing money from the
account when no check is written. Automatic payments, service
charges, ordinary withdrawals, and automatic teller
transactions fall into this category. Identify them, if
necessary, with a note in the "To:" field.
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3.1.2 Mandatory and Optional Data
The table below shows for each transaction type (Check, deposit,
etc.) whether a particular field (Check number, date, etc.) is
mandatory (m), optional (o), or ignored (i). Numbers in the table
refer to notes following the table.
Deposit Interest
Credit | | cash Purchase
Check | | | | Unpaid Bill
Budget | | | | | | Withdrawal
| | | | | | | |
Check Number: i m i i i i i i
Date: m m m m m m m m
To: o o o o o o o o
Amount: m m m m m m m m
Tax Deduction: 1 o o o o o 1 o
Purchase Group: m m m o o m m m
Account: m m m m m m m m
Duplicate: o o o o o o o o
Enter Memo: i o o o o o i o
Split Entry: i o i o i i i o
Write Check: i o i i i i i i
Note 1: For Budgets and Unpaid Bills, this field switches to
M(onthly), Y(early), and for Unpaid Bills, N(on-recurring). It is
mandatory for these transactions.
3.1.3 Valid Data Values
The data in mandatory fields is validated against the acceptable
values in the table below. Valid data for optional fields is
generally "Y" or "N" for yes or no. If faced with invalid optional
data, CT6 chooses the default value shown.
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Minimum Maximum Default
Value Value Value
Check Number: 1 999,999 Note 1
Date: 1/1/20 12/31/99 Note 1
To: Blank
Amount: .0001 9,999,999.99 Notes 1, 3
Tax Deduction: "N"
Purchase Group: 1 Note 2 Note 1
Account: 1 16 Notes 1, 4
Duplicate? "N"
Enter Memo? "N"
Split Entry? "N"
Write Check? "N"
Note 1: There is no default value other than the value appearing on
the screen. CT6 will not continue until a valid amount is entered.
Note 2: A Purchase Group number may not exceed the number of exist-
ing Purchase Groups by more than one. The "more than one" exception
permits data to be entered now and the Group to be created later.
Note 3: The amount may be negative for Opening Balance transac-
tions. Negative balances, however, are to be avoided for most
situations. The amount may be zero for data change transactions,
such as voiding checks.
Note 4: An invalid entry in the "Send Entry to Account" field
results in all account names printing on the bottom half of the
checking data entry and change screens.
3.1.4 Entering Checking Data, General
To enter an example check from the Checking Data Entry screen:
a. Type a C after "Entry Type." Notice the prompt at the bottom
of the screen. Press the Enter or End key. Either key works
equally well here.
b. Leave the check number as it is, or type a new number, then
use the cursor keys to go to the date field.
c. The date field starts off at the system date in your computer,
but remembers the last date that's entered. Enter a valid
date, such as 12/31/87, and "cursor down" to the "To:" field.
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d. Enter the "payee" for the check, or any short memo desired.
If the check will be printed on the printer later, then
confine this entry to the payee.
e. Enter the dollar amount. Remember to follow the general data
entry rules--no punctuation (other than a decimal) and no
negative values except for opening balances.
f. Pick a Purchase Group number from the list at the bottom of
the screen. To see additional groups not shown on the screen
(if any), press F10.
g. Leave the 1 to send this entry to checking account #1.
h. Each of the remaining options will be discussed below. To
keep this example simple, press the End key to enter the data.
This bypasses the need to enter any data in the remaining four
fields. Had the Enter key been pressed, the cursor would have
stopped at each field. Pressing the End key completed this
entry and the Account Balance figure dropped by the check
amount.
3.1.5 Duplicating Entries
The "Duplicate?" field at the upper right prevents the screen
from clearing between transactions and permits entry of a chain of
similar or identical transactions. BE CAUTIOUS! There will be data
left on the screen other than the expected defaults.
Enter a Y in this field to activate this function.
3.1.6 Entering Memos
A 65-character memo may be entered for every "main" transaction
(as opposed to a split, discussed below). To do so, enter a Y in
the "Enter Memo?" field at the upper right. At the end of data
entry for the current record, a "window" will open to receive the
memo.
Memos print in reports and on checks. Sometimes it's desirable
for a memo to do one or the other but not both, therefore:
A memo whose first character is an "at" sign (@) will print in
the Unpaid Bills reports and will print on checks, but will not
print on other reports. This way an address may be added to a
recurring bill, such as a mortgage payment, and the address will
print on the check, but will not clutter the other reports.
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A memo whose first character is a caret (^) will print in
reports, but not on checks. Sometimes it's desirable to have a memo
show up in reports, but not print on checks.
All other memos print both in reports and on checks.
A backslash (\) in a memo causes the text following the backslash
to print on a new line when printing checks. Therefore an entire
address may be put into a memo. For example, "P.O. Box
11264\Alexandria, VA 22312" will print on the check as:
P.O. Box 11264
Alexandria, VA 22312
Other reports will be unaffected.
3.1.7 Splitting Entries
Checks, deposits, and withdrawals may be split into an unlimited
(i.e., until you run out of disk space) number of subentries. For
example, you have 2 checks to deposit: $100 and $200. You want to
make one bank deposit, but want CT6 to separately log the identity
of each check within the single deposit. Assume the first is a
state tax refund, and the other is a rebate on your new car. CT6
permits the deposit to be entered as two splits and a main entry.
To enter the example deposit:
a. Starting at the Checking Data Entry screen, enter D as the
"Entry Type," then press the End key.
b. Enter a date, and a remark in the "To:" field. An appropriate
entry may be that this is a "split" deposit.
c. Skip the "Amount" field. Any amount entered will be discarded
when the split option is activated.
d. Deposits may be assigned to purchase groups for reporting
purposes, but for this example let's leave the main deposit as
a general deposit to the overall account. Therefore, leave
Purchase Group blank.
e. To simplify this example, do not change the "Account,"
"Duplicate," or "Memo" fields, but there's no reason why they
can't be used here.
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f. Enter Y for the "Split Entry?" field, then press the End key.
The cursor will return to the "To:" field, ready to receive
the first of the splits.
g. Enter "1986 VA State tax return" in the "To:" field.
h. Enter 100.00 in the "Amount" Field.
i. Enter Y in the "Tax Deduction" field. This isn't formally a
deduction, but now it will show up when you run a deduction
report for 1987. That way you won't forget to report the
income to the IRS in 1987.
j. Assume you have a Purchase Group for taxes and registrations,
and it's number 13, so enter a 13 for the Group.
k. Press the End key. The "Split Subtotal" field (where
"Account" was) now says $100, the Account Balance has not
changed yet, and the cursor is back in the To: field.
l. Enter "New Cordoba rebate" in the "To:" field
200 for the amount
N(o) tax deduction
12 for the Group (assume 12 is for car expenses)
m. Enter an N in the "Split Entry?" field to stop the split
process, then press the End key. The screen goes back to
normal for the next entry and the Account Balance increases by
$300.
n. On the Check Register report, discussed in section 3.5.1, the
splits appear above the main entry and have no balance at the
end of the line. The main entry shows the total of the splits
and the resulting balance. The main entry will be the one
used for balancing the account later, and will agree with the
bank record of the deposit.
o. By the way: if you hit the End key without selecting N to
turn off the splits, no problem. Press Esc and the splits and
main record will be saved as in (m) above.
Another Example: Entering a credit card payment. Assume a
Mastercard (purchase group 1) bill for a computer (purchase group
2), a couch (purchase group 3), and a camera (purchase group 4).
a. Starting at the Checking Data Entry screen, enter C for check
and press the End key.
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b. Enter the appropriate check number, date, and payee.
c. Skip the dollar amount, and enter 1 as the purchase group.
The main record will be assigned to group 1 which we will
assume is for Mastercard.
d. Cursor down or over to the "Split Entry" field and enter a Y.
Press the End key and the cursor will return to the To (payee)
field.
e. Enter the name of the computer vendor, then the dollar amount,
then 2 for purchase group 2, in the respective fields. Press
the End key.
f. Repeat step (e) for the other two items on the bill, but use
the appropriate information. After hitting the End key for
the last split entry, press Esc.
This enters the information for each purchase to each group AND
the group for the main entry. This does not "double-debit" your
account! On check register reports for all groups, only the main
record amount (which equals the sum of the splits) is debited.
On check register reports, budget reports, and graphs that look
at individual group expenditures, only the split amounts are
debited. The main records are displayed on the check register
reports for information purposes only and do not affect the
summed amounts.
3.1.8 Selecting Checks For Printing
The check writer prints checks either as a batch (any checks
falling within a range of record numbers), or as selected checks.
One way to select a check for printing is to answer Y to the field
"Write Check?". See section 3.8 on printing checks for details on
printing selected checks.
3.1.9 Sending Entries to Other Accounts
Why do this? For example, you're entering normal checking
account data to account 1, but you keep a detailed record of all
Mastercard purchases and payments in account 2. A new purchase may
be added to account 2 without changing the default account from the
Checking Account Menu by putting a 2 in the "Send Entry to Account
Field."
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3.1.10 Using the Credit Transaction
Here's a use by example: You pay $15 cash for 12 spark plugs for
tuning up your Aardvark-ZXT11 automobile. Arriving home, and being
eager to enter your purchase in CT6 in the engine, you enter the $15
as a cash purchase in Group 12, which we'll assume is car expendi-
tures. Later, you notice that oddly, the ZXT11 only has 11 spark
plugs, so you return one and receive $1.25 credit. You then rush
home and enter the $1.25 as a cRedit in Group 12. The net cash
expenditure is now $13.75 for spark plugs. The balance of the
checking account has not been altered--cash transactions are kept
outside the actual account balance.
3.1.11 On-Screen Balance
The Checking Account data entry screen shows the account balance
for the current account and is updated following each entry (or the
last split entry). The balance is stored on the data disk between
sessions. It can be rendered erroneous if you change disks, reboot,
or shut off the power without first returning to the main menu and
exiting (which properly closes the data file). Run an Account
Summary report to reset the account balance starting with the first
record should this happen.
As a convenience when paying Unpaid Bills (discussed in section
3.2.2), if you send a payment to an account other than the account
you are in, the balance of the other account will display until you
begin adding more data.
3.1.12 Setting Up Budgets
Use the Budget transaction to set up conventional budget limits
for any Purchase Group. Budget transactions may be Monthly or
Yearly. A monthly budget limit prints on Monthly Budget reports and
check register reports restricted to one Purchase Group. A yearly
budget limit prints on Yearly Budget reports. The yearly budget
reports can be set up to print budgets for any period, not
necessarily a year.
The rules are:
a. The Budget transaction takes effect for its Purchase Group on
the date indicated on the transaction. Therefore, after
entering the transaction, don't forget to sort the account to
put the records in order of date.
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b. The Budget transaction remains in effect until superseded by
the entry of a new Budget transaction at a later date. Thus
you need enter only one, and that one will print on all
subsequent reports. You also may enter as many as you like.
c. Budget transactions do not affect the Checking Account
balance. They are used only by the budget reports and the
graphing program.
d. The Budget Reports subtract expenditures from the dollar
amount on the last Budget transaction entered prior to the
start date of the report.
e. Budget transactions occurring AFTER the start date of a Budget
Report, but prior to the end date, do not affect the balance
in the report.
Example: Monthly budget for food. Assume "food" is Purchase
Group 1, that the account has been running since 1/1/86, and the
budget is to take affect on 4/1/87 and today is 4/15/87. To set
up this budget:
a. Go to the Checking Account Data entry screen. Enter a B for
"Entry Type."
b. Select any valid date prior to or on 4/1/87 as the budget
date. For now, select 4/1/87.
c. For "To:" enter "Monthly food budget."
d. For "Amount:" enter 200.00.
e. For "Yearly or Monthly . ." enter M, then press the End and
Esc keys to return to the Checking Account menu.
f. Go to the Utilities menu and sort the checking account. This
physically moves the budget entry to the beginning of all the
April 1987 records.
g. Press Esc to return to the Checking menu, and select the Print
Reports option. Print a Budget (monthly) report using a start
date of 4/1/87 and an end date of 4/30/87. For more
information on printing reports see section 3.5.
The Budget entry of the example above will print at the beginning
of all budget-related reports (i.e., Check Register for Group 1, and
the monthly Budget) for all months after 4/1/87. That means that
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only one entry works essentially forever. There is no need for a
new budget entry each month.
Enter Yearly Budget transactions in the same manner. The Yearly
only affects the Budget (yearly) report, which may be printed over
any time span desired, not necessarily one year.
3.1.13 Voiding Checks
Void a check by making its amount $0.00. This be done from the
Change and Balance programs, but may not be done from the checking
account data entry screen. During data entry CT6 assumes that a
zero entry is a mistake, therefore to avoid the data validation
routine, enter the amount as .000001. This is obviously intentional
and the program does not assume the failure to enter any amount.
CT6 expects checks to be voided from the Change and Balance
programs. Zero amounts are acceptable there.
3.2 UNPAID BILLS
3.2.1 Entering Unpaid Bills
The Unpaid Bills feature allows you to enter a bill when it
arrives in the mail, and reminds you when it should be paid. Thus
money may be kept in your account until the last minute. Why should
somebody else get interest on your money? This feature also allows
you to enter a monthly or yearly recurring bill once and have CT6
debit your account automatically when you decide to pay the bill.
Unpaid Bills may be either Nonrecurring, Monthly Recurring, or
Yearly Recurring. When a bill must be paid at some time in the
future, enter the specific information (such as DATE DUE, TO, and
AMOUNT) via the Checking Account Data Entry Screen, with a "U" as
the Transaction Type. This sends the entry to the Unpaid Bills
File. If the bill is one time only, enter it as a non-recurring
bill. If the bill will repeat every month or year on the same day,
enter it as monthly or yearly recurring bill.
When the bill is paid (see section 3.2) the information is
retrieved from Unpaid Bills file and displayed on the Checking
Account Data Entry screen for additions, changes, and/or splitting
into subentries. The transaction is then automatically entered into
the Checking Account without retyping and is deleted from the Unpaid
Bills file. If it's a recurring bill, the date will be incremented
by one month or one year, and it will be returned to the Unpaid
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Bills file to wreak havoc upon your financial security another day.
Bills may also be selected for automatic check printing when paid.
(The Unpaid Bill file is also an invaluable date and appointment
reminder and has been credited with saving several lives and mar-
riages on anniversaries that otherwise might have been forgotten.)
An overdue unpaid bill will nag you with a reminder at the top of
the Checking Account menu that bills (or birthdays?) are overdue.
The reminder switches on:
a. When a bill is overdue in any Checking Account, regardless of
which account you are in or the bill is in.
b. When overdue bills have been paid, but the Unpaid Bills file
should be packed to rearrange records or remove deleted
records.
Packing the file may be done from the Utilities menu or with the
Pay Bills function (next paragraph).
Unpaid bills may also be used for automatic withdrawals,
deposits, or even to create more unpaid bills. They are not limited
to just checks.
Bimonthly, quarterly, and semiannual unpaid bills may be created
with combinations of monthly and yearly bills. For example, a
semiannual bill can be created from two yearly unpaid bills with six
month staggered due dates.
3.2.2 Paying Unpaid Bills
Unpaid Bills entered according to the procedure above may be paid
using option 2 on the Checking Account menu. Bills will be
selected only for the active account.
**********************************************************
* To pay a bill for a given account, you must already be *
* in that account. *
**********************************************************
Once selected, the Pay Bills function asks for the "due date" for
selecting bills. In other words, only bills falling due on or
before that date will be selected. Bills due at any point in the
future may therefore be paid on the present day.
The second option allows you to select the first bill to be paid,
by bill number (record number) on the Unpaid Bills report. Leave
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this number equal to 1 and CT6 selects the first due bill (according
to the date selected) in the current Checking Account, regardless of
the bill number.
The second option also causes a "pack" of the Unpaid Bills file
by entering "PACK" in lieu of a bill number. Packing removes
deleted bills (which do not display on the report, but nevertheless
are still in the file) and reorders the remaining bills according to
date.
When paying bills, the "Duplicate?" field on the data entry
screen reads "Pay Next Bill?". If you select Y, CT6 retrieves the
next bill for payment. If you select N, then the bill selection
screen is returned for manual selection.
Bills may be "paid" as Deposits (to accomodate periodic
electronic checking deposits), Withdrawals (for periodic electronic
withdrawals), or any other valid transaction. Also, bills may be
split when paid, memos written, and if paid as checks, they may be
selected for printing.
When paying a series of bills, use the Skip transaction on the
data entry screen to avoid paying a bill. No entry is made to the
checking account, nor is the date on the bill changed if it is a
recurring bill. The bill will reappear the next time you pay bills.
3.3 CHANGING ENTRIES
3.3.1 Searching for Checking Records
All data entered into the Checking or Unpaid Bills files may be
retrieved, displayed, and changed using the Change & Display Data
function on the Checking menu. The search screen requests the
characteristics of the record being sought. Enter the type of
transaction (B, C, etc., as requested) and either:
a. The Record Number of the transaction (the number in the left
column of the various reports). A record number search is
fast.
- or -
b. One or preferably more of the following:
Check number (for checks only)
Transaction date
Transaction amount
Purchase Group
To: (for a character string search of the "To:" field)
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CT6 will search for records having ALL characteristics specified,
but any blank or zero fields are ignored. Since there is no reason
why two checks can't have the same number (a certainty if you change
banks) or two transaction amounts can't be the same, the search must
specify as much information as possible to ensure finding the
correct record.
Except for record number searches, the program searches the
entire file for the record in question (time consuming for large
files). If the record is near the end of the file, do a backwards
search from end to beginning by putting a B, left justified, in the
record number field.
Character string searches look for matches between the specified
strings and the entry in the "To:" field on the data record. As an
example, to find all entries referring to aardvarks, one may search
for the entire word or unique parts of the word. Specifying "ard"
(without the quotes) will find the following entries:
Aardvark-ZXT11 spark plugs
Back Yard Shrubs, Inc.
Capital and lower case distinctions are ignored. Left justify the
search string or the search will attempt to match any leading blanks
along with the string.
Once a record matching the specified characteristics has been
found, continue the search for other matching data by pressing the
PgDn key.
3.3.2 Changing Checking Records
Any data in the record may be changed to any other valid value.
The same rules that apply to new entries apply to new changes.
Dates must be valid; use no negative numbers; some fields may not be
left blank. See section 3.1.2, Checking Account Data Entry, for a
description of the mandatory fields and valid data values.
No transaction type may be changed to an Unpaid Bill, nor may an
Unpaid Bill be changed to any other transaction type. The same
holds true for splits.
The dollar amount on a main record, that is, a record having
split entries associated with it, may not be changed. Instead,
change the amount of each split and the main record will change by a
corresponding amount.
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Use the Esc key to cancel the changes and start over.
3.4 DELETING ENTRIES
3.4.1 Deleting One Record
Any record in the Checking or Unpaid Bills files may be searched
for, displayed, and deleted using the Delete function on the
Checking menu. Use the search method described above.
Note: Deleted records remain in the file (but don't display or
affect the balance) until the Sort routine purges them from the
file.
Deleting a split entry automatically corrects the amount of the
main entry to which it is attached. Deleting a main entry also
deletes its memo and all attached splits.
3.4.2 Deleting an Entire Checking Account
If it is necessary to delete an ENTIRE Checking Account:
a. Exit to the operating system (DOS) using the DOS Portal
b. Delete the data file for that account on the data
disk\subdirectory. The file names are 6CHECK1.DAT,
6CHECK2.DAT, etc., where the number after the word "CHECK"
corresponds to the number of the account.
WARNING: All data in that account will be deleted!
c. To erase the Purchase Groups associated with that account,
delete the 6GROUP?.DAT file, where the ? corresponds to the
number of the Checking Account.
3.4.3 Deleting Batches of Checking Records
The Transfer function (see section 7.3) allows deletion of
records by date, record number, or Purchase Group. Please refer to
the instructions for that feature.
The Delete Name function on the Purchase Group Names menu deletes
all checking account data in one group. See section 5.2.3. This
method is easiest for deleting one group.
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3.5 PRINTING REPORTS
CT6 prints reports on the screen, printer ports 1,2, or 3, or
disk. The print screen (SHIFT-PrtSc) capability will also copy
single screens to the printer.
Use the PgUp and PgDn keys to page back and forth through the
screen reports and Esc to return to the Report menu.
Many different reports are available using the options on the
report selection screens. The major reports are:
3.5.1 The Check Register Report
This report lists all transactions in the Checking file, displays
a running balance for each transaction (Cash Purchases, cRedits, and
Budget transactions do not affect the balance), and may be limited
to the transactions between any two dates (but the balance is calcu-
lated from the first entry in the data file). Transactions that
lower the balance below the minimum balance level are highlighted
(see the section 5.4).
Note: A warning will be displayed if records are found to be out
of order while printing. Press any key to clear the warning.
The report will continue to print, but under some conditions, it
may be in error until sorted. For example, Budget transactions
may be out of place. There may be records at the end of the file
that don't print because they are outside of the starting and
ending dates, thus what looks like the ending balance may appear
to be incorrect because the report hasn't displayed the last
records.
a. The report displays the following information:
1. Record Number (use this number for fast searches). If the
record numbers are not consecutive, there are nondisplayed
memos or deleted records lurking on the disk. The sort
routine purges the deleted records.
2. Transaction Date
3. Check Number/Transaction Type
4. Tax Deductible (TX), yes or no (or budget entry type, Y
or M)
5. Reconciled With Bank Statement (R?), yes or no
6. Purchase Group
7. REMARKS (The "To:" field)
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8. AMOUNT
9. BALANCE (computed from the first account entry,
regardless of the report dates selected). Balance is blank
for a split entry and is only recalculated for the main
entry.
b. General Report Options (available to all reports):
1. Start and end dates: CT6 prints only those entries falling
on or between the selected dates. The default start date
is the date you last balanced the active checking account.
2. Print to screen or printer: Enter a P for printer or S for
screen.
3. Print to disk: If you enter a file name (1 to 8 character)
here, CT6 will ignore the screen/printer selection and
print the graph as an ASCII text file to the data disk.
The file is suitable for merging into word processing files
or printing directly from the disk to a printer using the
same "COPY FILENAME PRN" command used to print CT6
documentation.
Do not use a file name extension. CT6 adds ".CTP" to the
end of whatever name you select.
4. Report Heading: CT6 supplies a heading at the top of every
report. However, for more personalized reports, an entry
of a custom heading overrides the default heading.
5. Printer Setup: Enter a series of three digit numbers to
alter your printer's print style, line spacing, etc. For
example, on most Epson printers, the command Escape E
switches the printer to emphasized mode. The printer
manual also gives the decimal value of Escape as 27 and E
as 69. Enter 027 069 in the first two fields of the
printer setup line and these commands will be passed to
your printer. As many 3 digit codes may be stacked on the
line as will fit.
6. Printed lines on page and length of form: The length of
form indicates the length of the paper in the printer, in
lines, from the top to the bottom of the paper. The
"Printed lines on page" indicates how many lines to print
before going to the top of a new page.
The default is for standard 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper,
printing 6 lines per inch. If the printer is shifted, via
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the printer setup command, to 8 lines per inch, the length
of form must be reset to 88 and the lines on page should be
reset to somewhere around 80.
c. Report Options Specific to the Check Register Report:
1. Purchase Group: All or any number. If "ALL" is selected,
all transactions in the file selected under "Record Types
to be Printed" will be shown along with the current account
balance.
Monthly Budget Details report: If a single purchase group
is selected, then only the transactions associated with
that group will print, including the first Monthly budget
entry in that group prior to or equal to the start date of
the report. To do a budget report, select the desired
group. Select a start date starting at the first of the
desired month, and ending at the end of the desired month.
The report will show the monthly budget at the top with all
expenditures subtracted from it, and the remaining balance
at the right.
2. Deductions Only: Select Y to show a report consisting only
of tax deductible records. Almost all records can be made
tax deductible and provide a reminder on tax deduction
reports.
3. Unreconciled Only: Select Y to show only unreconciled
records.
4. Account Number: Select an account other than the current
account, if desired.
5. Sort by: Reports will print in order of the records in the
file, which should be by date if they have been sorted
recently. A report can be made of checks only (plus splits
and memos), printed in order of check number, if:
- C is selected for "Sort by," AND
- Under "Record Types to be Printed" at the right,
only Checks, Split Entries, and Memos are marked Y, but
Splits and/or memos may be N.
6. Record Types to be Printed: A Y next to a record type
means that it will print on the report. An N suppresses
printing of that record type.
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3.5.2 Account Activity Summary Report
This report adds up the entries for each record type for the
duration of the account and for the time period selected, and prints
a one-page summary.
The General Report Options in paragraph 3.5.1 above are
applicable here. On the second report selection screen, only the
Account Number may be changed.
This report also reconciles the Checking Account Data Entry
screen balance to the actual contents of the account.
3.5.3 Unpaid Bills Report
This report prints the contents of the Unpaid Bills file.
The General Report Options in paragraph 3.5.1 above are
applicable here. Many bills have due dates well into the future.
This should be considered when selecting starting and ending dates,
otherwise it may appear that some bills are missing.
3.5.4 Monthly Budget Report
This report shows in four columns from left to right:
a. The number and name of each Purchase Group. A final group,
called "*** GRAND TOTAL ***," added to the last line shows the
totals of the other three columns.
b. Dollars budgeted. This number is the last Monthly Budget
amount entered prior to the start date of the report. For
example, assume there are 4 monthly budget entries in group 1:
1. $1000 on 1/1/87
2. $2000 on 2/1/87
3. $3000 on 3/1/87, and
4. $4000 on 3/15/87.
If the start date of the report is 3/1/87, the number in the
"$ Budgeted" column will be $3000. The first 2 and the last
monthly budget entries will not affect anything.
c. Dollars spent: This is the total of all expenditures in each
group (checks, cash purchases, and withdrawals) minus all
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credits and deposits to the groups during the month selected
in the start date. If credits and deposits to a group exceed
expenditures, then this figure can be negative.
d. Dollars remaining: This is the difference of Dollars Spent
subtracted from Dollars Budgeted. Again, it can be negative
if Dollars Spent exceed Dollars Budgeted.
The General Report Options in paragraph 3.5.1 above are
applicable here. The report START DATE must be the first day of the
month to be reported. Only the account number may be changed on the
second report selection screen.
3.5.5 Yearly Budget Report
This report shows, in five columns from left to right:
a. The number and name of each Purchase Group. A final group,
called "*** GRAND TOTAL ***," added to the last line shows the
totals of the four columns.
b. Dollars budgeted. This number is the last Yearly Budget
amount entered prior to the start date of the report. For
example, assume there are 4 yearly budget entries in group 1:
1. $1000 on 1/1/85
2. $2000 on 1/1/86
3. $3000 on 1/1/87, and
4. $4000 on 3/1/87.
If the start date of the report is 2/1/87, the number in the $
Budgeted column will be $3000. The first 2 and the last
yearly budget entries will not affect anything.
c. Dollars spent: This is the total of all expenditures in each
group (checks, cash purchases, and withdrawals) minus all
credits and deposits to the groups from and including the
start day selected, to and including the end day selected,
even though it may be more or less than one year. If credits
and deposits to a group exceed expenditures, then this figure
can be negative.
d. Average (dollars) Spent per Month: The amount in the "Dollars
Spent" column is divided by the number of months from the
selected start and end dates to arrive at an average
expenditure. The time period runs from the first DAY to the
last DAY, so if the report starts and stops at days other than
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the beginning and end of a month, the numbers may not be
intuitively obvious. The report uses 30.4 days per month, so
there could be a very small round off error.
Assume you spent $100 on 5/2/87 and you asked for a yearly
budget report from 5/1/87 to 5/15/87. The average expenditure
per month would be about $217. If the end date is shifted to
6/15/87, the expenditure per month will drop to about $67.
Only when one month is selected is the figure $100.
e. Dollars remaining: This is the difference of Dollars Spent
subtracted from dollars Budgeted. Again, it can be negative
if Dollars Spent exceed Dollars Budgeted.
The General Report Options in paragraph 3.5.1 above are
applicable here. Only the account number may be changed on the
second report selection screen.
3.6 BALANCING THE CHECKING ACCOUNT
Now that all your checking transactions are in the Checking file,
CT6 will help balance your account. (Cash purchases and credit
transactions have no effect on the account balance.) Start the
Balance program from the Checking Account menu. The date the
account was last balanced will be displayed (if it was balanced)
followed by a request for the ending balance from the new bank
statement.
Note: When using data files from an older version of CT/PFM,
this date may be incorrect the first time CT6 balances the
account. It will correct itself.
After entry of that information, each transaction (except for
cash purchases) displays on the screen with a request as to whether
this transaction has been reported in the latest bank statement.
Answer Y or N as appropriate. The program does the math. Use the
End key to go to the next entry or . . .
Should you notice a mistake in your data record, cursor down to
the field in error and change the entry. The new values will be
entered to the account.
After all entries have been "yessed or noed" the balance that
your checkbook SHOULD display is shown next to the ACTUAL balance in
your CT6 account. This reflects the information you entered
(Garbage In = Garbage Out). It may be helpful to compare the bank
statement with the Check Register report for the same time frame to
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see if entries were left out or dollar amounts are incorrect. Also
run an "unreconciled only" report to see if some unreconciled
entries have actually been included on the bank statement. The
account may now be considered balanced. If it's too much trouble to
find the error, then enter an Opening Balance transaction to cancel
out the error.
The report selection screen uses the "Date Last Balanced" as a
convenient starting date for printing reports.
3.7 CHANGING THE ACTIVE CHECKING ACCOUNT OR NAME
Each account may have its own name, Purchase Groups, data, etc.
Also, any CT6 function that works on a Checking Account record or a
Purchase Group record generally only works on the active Checking
Account and its own Purchase Groups file unless specified otherwise.
The active Checking Account may be changed or renamed using the
Change Account or Name option on the Checking Account menu.
To change the active account, select the account number and press
the End key. To change the name of any account, just cursor down to
the name, type the new name, and press the End key. The account
name prints in the upper left hand corner of all Checking Account-
related menu screens, on some reports, and on graphs.
3.8 THE CHECK WRITER
CT6 has a built-in check printer that prints checks in
practically any format that uses a check or a check and stub. The
CT6 default format is set for the "Deluxe Computer Forms" general
purpose check #1004 or equivalent. We are not connected in any way
with "Deluxe." By changing the check printing configuration,
practically any format check can be accommodated.
3.8.1 Running the Check Writer
The Check Writer is located within the Graphing and Utilities
program. If you are using a hard disk, select Check Writer option
on the Checking Account menu to load and run the program. If you
are using a floppy disk, select the option to run the Check Writer,
and when prompted, put System Disk 2 in the A: drive and press any
key to continue.
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3.8.2 Setting the Default Configuration
Run through the configuration function regardless of whether
changes will be made. This sets the configuration file on the data
disk, without which checks will not print.
To use a check format other than the built-in format, or to
modify the built-in format, select "Check Configuration" on the
Check Writer menu.
The default configuration assumes a printer using 10 characters
per inch and 6 lines per inch. This can be changed if necessary
from the second configuration screen.
The types of things that may be printed on a check or stub are
listed at the left of the screen, such as check number, numeric
amount, etc. The next column, labeled Check Field, gives the
maximum expected length of the field, in characters. The Row column
is for the row, or line number, on which the selected field is to
print. The Col column is for the column in which the selected field
is to start printing. The next three columns repeat the same
information, except these are for placing the fields on the stub.
The height and width of the check plus stub in lines and columns
is set from the second screen.
To move a field from where it is and put it somewhere else on the
check or stub, find the row and column where you would like it to
print and set those numbers into the table. Practice printing on
scratch paper until the proper configuration is attained. Hold a
blank check and stub up to the light with the scratch paper behind
it to verify alignment of the fields before printing on good checks.
Make sure that two fields don't try to occupy the same space at
the same time. One will lose.
Field information to be printed beyond the selected form length
or width will be ignored.
To suppress a field from printing, set the row to zero.
If the Check or Stub field length is too short for the data to be
printed, the extra data will be discarded. The number $7,777,777.77
converted to text is a long line, so make sure you leave enough
space for your expected data.
Memos: A memo having a ^ (caret, or upper case 6) as its first
character will not print on a check. Memos with backslashes (\)
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embedded in the text will skip to the next row at the \, and start
printing again in the selected memo column. See Checking Data
Entry, section 3.1, for an explanation of the uses of the "@", "^",
and "\" characters in memos.
On the second configuration screen, the contents of Notes 1, 2,
and 3 from the previous screen may be specified. Each may be up to
30 characters long or as short as 1 character. The default Notes
put the word "Dollars" after the text statement of the amount, and a
dollar sign in front of the numeric amount.
The Printer Setup allows up to 10 printer formatting commands,
such as changing lines per inch, character size, etc., to be sent to
the printer. The specific formatting commands are provided in your
particular printer manual.
Example: Set an Epson printer to emphasized print, 8 lines per
inch. From the Epson manual, the code for emphasized print is
Escape E, and the code for 8 lines per inch is Escape 0 (zero).
The decimal values for each of the codes is 27 for Escape, 69 for
E, and 48 for zero. The proper entries for the check writer
setup would therefore be:
027 069 027 048
When set to Y, the "Fill Amount Field?" option will fill all
blank spaces in the numeric and text amount fields, as printed on
the check and stub, with asterisks (*). When N, the blanks remain
blank.
The Form Length is the number of lines from the top of one check
to the top of the next check including the stub. If the printer is
set to 6 lines per inch (which is what most printers do if not
instructed otherwise), then the form length is the number of inches
from the top of one form to the top of the next, times 6. Altering
the printer's line-per-inch setting using the printer setup command
requires adjustment of the form length.
The Form Width is the number of characters that can be printed
from one side to the other of the form. Most printers default to 10
characters per inch unless instructed otherwise. Thus if the check
is 8 inches wide, the form width is 8 x 10 or 80 characters.
Altering the printer character size or spacing using the printer
setup command requires adjustment of the form width.
In case of emergency (i.e., the configuration settings are
reconfigured beyond recognition) the default configuration may be
restored by erasing the check writer configuration file on the data
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disk and subdirectory. The file name is CHEKFORM.CT6. Either exit
the program to DOS or use the DOS portal menu to find and erase the
file. Do not attempt to modify it with a word processor/editor!
3.8.3 Printing a Test Pattern
This feature does nothing more than to fill each field you
selected in the configuration and print it on the printer. You must
have set the configuration (even the default configuration) before
the check printer will print. Just press End twice to enter each
screen full of configuration data, even if you haven't changed it.
3.8.4 Printing Batches of Checks
The Print Batch feature prints all checks falling between a spec-
ified starting and ending record number in any selected Checking
Account regardless of whether the checks have already been printed
or selected.
3.8.5 Printing Selected Checks
Prior to printing any checks, you must have saved the configura-
tion (even the default configuration) by pressing the End key to
enter each configuration screen.
The Print Selected Checks feature prints only checks that have
been selected during Checking Account Data Entry, paying Unpaid
Bills, or those that have been manually selected from here.
When this option is selected, and the Checking Account number is
chosen, CT6 prints a screenful of checks starting from the end of
the file. Checks already selected for printing elsewhere will have
highlighted record numbers in the REC column. (The highlight color
is the Warning Color from the initial CT6 configuration program.)
To select or deselect a check for printing, use the cursor up and
down keys to move the cursor (located between the record and check
numbers) to the appropriate check and then press the space bar. Use
the PgUp and Pg Dn keys as appropriate to page through the checking
account and select/deselect more checks.
The P or N at the right of each entry indicates that the check
has already been printed (P) or not printed (N).
To print one check only, press the 1 key (and not the End or
Enter). The check next to the cursor will print, regardless of its
printed/not printed, selected/not selected status.
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To print all selected checks, press the A key. The check writer
will start at the beginning of the file, find all selected checks,
and print them continuously until done.
To print the same test pattern as the one on the Check Writer
menu, press T.
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4.0 THE INVESTMENT AND SAVINGS ACCOUNTS
The Investment Account section of CT6 is a general purpose
savings account and investment tracking program that records,
analyzes, and reports investments, using either dollars or dollars
per share format. The program manages up to 255 investments on one
disk or subdirectory. Enter the name of each investment account via
the Investment Account Names function on the Program Utilities menu.
4.1 ENTERING INVESTMENT DATA
To use the Investment Accounts program from the Main Menu select
Investment Accounts. Option 1 from the Investments menu provides
the data input screen for all investments.
4.1.1 Investment Transaction Types
Listed below are the types of investment transactions and when
to use them.
a. PURCHASE: Use this transaction whenever money is invested,
deposited in a savings or money market account, or is paid for
a rental property, etc. It indicates that dollars went out of
your pocket into an investment or asset.
b. SALE: Use this transaction whenever an asset is liquified,
stock sold, or money withdrawn from savings or a money market,
etc. It indicates that money came out of the balance of the
investment and into your pocket.
c. INTEREST (reinvested): Use this transaction for interest
earned by the investment, savings, or money market account
that is rolled back into the account, where the interest is
retained and compounded rather than being paid to you as cash
or a check.
d. INTEREST (paid): The same as (3) above, but the interest is
paid to you and not retained.
e. DIVIDEND (reinvested): This is similar to reinvested interest
in (3) above, but for dividends paid and retained.
f. DIVIDEND (paid): This transaction is a dividend that is paid
to you in cash or check and is not retained.
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g. BROKER FEE: This is money paid out of pocket to a broker for
services, such as the broker's fee, for example, on a stock
sale or real property rental. This is for use where the fee
does not decrease the value of your investment/asset but does
reduce the profit earned.
h. CHANGE VALUE: This transaction changes the value of all
shares of stock existing as of the date on the transaction.
Therefore as share values fluctuate periodically, the CHANGE
VALUE command adjusts the balance of the CT6 investment
account to reflect that value. It only affects accounts
having assets with share values.
A CHANGE VALUE transaction is automatically inserted in the
file whenever a purchase or sale is made or share dividends
are entered, based on the assumption that the latest transac-
tion reflects the current value of all shares. This is almost
always true. If not, the CHANGE VALUE transaction may be
modified or deleted.
4.1.2 Mandatory and Optional Data
The Date, Dollar Value per Share, and Account Number are
mandatory fields and must be valid (see below) or an error message
will print on the bottom of the screen and the data will not be
accepted.
Number of Shares may not be entered for Interest, Fee, and Change
Value transactions (the field is skipped entirely).
4.1.3 Valid Data Values
Date: 1/1/20 to 12/31/99
Memo: Anything goes
Values per Share: .0001 to 9,999,999.99
Number of Shares: 0 to 9,999,999.999
Account Number: 1 to 255
Duplicate? Y or N
Note: The Account Number must be the number of an account that
already exists. (Account Names are created from the Investment
Account Names option on the Program Utilities menu.) The only
exception is that an Account Number may be used that is one digit
beyond the number of the last Account Name entered. This is a
convenience that permits entering data now and entering a new
Account Name later.
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4.1.4 Entering Investment Data, General
CT6 expects to see two kinds of investments--those whose values
fluctuate based on market pressures (for example, the stock market,
or oil paintings), and those whose values go up as interest is
earned and never go down unless money is removed by the owner or
trustee. Examples of the latter are savings accounts, money
markets, and certificates of deposit.
a. Initial Purchase:
Any investment that may have a fluctuating value, such as a
stock, mutual fund, or even a collector's item, should be
entered with a number of shares and a value per share.
Consider a stock purchase in Amalgamated Fungibles (AF) of 20
shares at $12 per share. The initial purchase data entry
should be obvious from the facts; Value per Share = 12, Number
of Shares = 20.
Consider the purchase of an investment diamond for $15,000.
The Value per Share (or value per diamond) = $15,000. The
Number of Shares (or number of diamonds) = 1.
As the value of a share (or the diamond) fluctuates based on
market conditions, you may enter a Change Value transaction to
keep a current record of the value of the investment. If the
AF stock rises to $15 per share, then enter that amount and
the program will assume all shares purchased to date are at
that value. If the value of the diamond drops to $12,000,
then the program will now report that value for the diamond.
b. Subsequent purchases:
If you purchase more shares of AF stock, enter them as you
would an initial purchase. If you purchase shares of
Consolidated Comestibles instead, enter them in another
account. The value of Consolidated's shares will not track
the value of AF's shares, and CT6 assumes that all shares in
one account will have the same value at any one time.
If a second diamond is purchased for $9,000, the value per
share is $9,000 and number of shares of new diamonds is 1.
But, CT6 will only assume a unified value for all shares
owned. There are now 2 diamonds at two different values per
share, therefore the second diamond should have its own
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account because CT6 will assume both shares (diamonds) are
worth $9000 unless told otherwise.
Each subsequent purchase automatically inserts a Change Value
transaction into the account to alter all share values to the
current value. This is almost always a valid assumption, but
if not, then change the Change Value transaction or delete it
entirely.
Entering Change Value transactions to track current market
conditions provides the advantage of being able to graph
current value over time. At this point it should be obvious
that CT6 can be used to list and chart the DOW-JONES INDEX and
other popular indicators.
c. Interest and Dividends:
Interest is interest and dividends are dividends. Statements
from your bank, broker, or trustee should indicate which is
which.
When the interest or dividend is paid in cash or check
directly to you, then use the interest or dividend (paid)
transactions. When the interest or dividend is paid back into
your account, or you receive a dividend in stock or other
share values, then use the interest or dividend (reinvested)
transactions.
When a Dividend (reinvested) is paid as shares, CT6 enters an
automatic Change Value with the Dividend (reinv) transaction
to update all shares to the current value of the dividend
shares. This is almost always correct, but if not, then
delete or modify the inserted Change Value transaction.
d. Sales:
Back to Amalgamated Fungibles. You have now purchased 6000
shares. The value per share on the last purchase was $300.
You are rich. Some or all of the shares may be sold and
recorded as a Sale transaction. As with the purchase and
dividend (reinv) transactions, a sale of shares also
automatically inserts a Change Value to update all shares to
the sale price. Change or delete it if you don't need it.
The program will let you sell more shares than you bought.
The feature could be useful, so we left it in. If you see
negative shares, be warned that you sold more than you had.
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e. Miscellaneous:
Accounts may mix transactions having share values and non-
share values. The program will keep them straight.
If all automatic Change Value transactions are removed in
share based accounts, the balance will be computed on the
share weighted average value of all the transactions.
Savings account users may ignore the discussions of shares and
Change Value transactions and use Purchases (deposit), Sales
(withdrawal), and Interest (reinv) transactions. An
investment account without shares behaves like a savings
account.
4.1.5 Duplicating Entries
If the answer to "Duplicate?" is Y, the screen will not clear
between entries, permitting a record to be duplicated as many times
as desired.
4.2 CHANGING ENTRIES
All data entered in the Investment file may be retrieved,
displayed, and changed using the Change function on the Investment
menu. The method for searching, continuing searches, and changing
records is identical to the method for changing checking account
records described in section 3.3.2.
4.3 DELETING ENTRIES
Any Record in the Investment file may be searched for, displayed,
and deleted using the Delete function on the Investment menu. The
method is identical to that used to delete checking account records
described in section 3.4 with the exception of deleting entire
accounts.
A single investment account, or batches of records by date or
record number may be deleted by transferring and deleting. See the
Transfer Function in the Graphics and Utilities program.
A single investment account may be deleted from the Investment
Account Names menu. Please refer to the Program Utilities section.
ALL investment data may be deleted by exiting to DOS and deleting
the file named 6INVEST.DAT.
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4.4 PRINTING INVESTMENT REPORTS
CT6 prints reports on the screen, printer ports 1,2, or 3, or
disk. The print screen (SHIFT-PrtSc) function will also copy single
screens to the printer.
Use the PgUp and PgDn keys to page back and forth through the
screen reports and Esc to return to the Report menu.
Many different reports are available using the options on the
report selection screens. The major reports are:
4.4.1 The Account Statement
If ALL accounts are selected, the report shows every transaction
for every account in one report. If one account is selected, the
report shows each transaction for that account and the current value
of that account after each transaction.
a. The report displays the following information:
1. Record Number: Use this number for fast searches for
changing and deleting.
2. Transaction Date
3. Account Number: If ALL transactions are selected for
printing, this field is listed, otherwise it is not on the
report.
4. Transaction Type/Entry Type
5. Remarks
6. Dollars Per Share: This figure is the dollars per share
for the listed transaction, providing shares were entered.
If the transaction does not include shares, such as a
savings deposit (purchase), then it is just the dollars of
the transaction.
7. Shares: If one account is selected AND the transaction has
shares associated with it, the number of shares prints just
below the dollars per share.
8. Dollar Value: If one account is selected, this number is
the current value of the investment after the transaction.
If ALL accounts were selected, this field is not printed.
9. Number of Shares: Shows the number of shares in the
account. If one account is selected and there are no
shares, the printing of the 0.000 is suppressed.
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b. General Report Options (available to all reports):
These options are identical to the Checking Account general
report options. Please refer to section 3.5.1. Select the
Account Statement report and desired options, then press the
End key to go to the next screen.
c. Report Options Specific to the Account Statement Report:
RECORD SELECTION OPTIONS: Actually, there is only one option:
to select ALL accounts or one account. Select all accounts to
"dump" all transactions to a report. Select one account to
see the history and current value of that account.
RECORD TYPES TO BE PRINTED: Put a Y next to each transaction
type to be printed on the report.
4.4.2 The Account Activity Summary Report
This report summarizes the Purchases, Sales, Fees, etc., in the
selected time period and for the entire report and reports gains and
potential profits.
The General Report Options in section 3.5.1 are applicable here.
On the second report selection screen only the Account Number may be
changed.
If ALL accounts are selected, then a summary prints for each
account (including the last, unnamed account, that may have data in
it). Use PgUp and PgDn to page through the report on the screen.
The report prints one summary per page on the printer. Two will fit
on a page by altering the Lines per Page and Length of Page in the
General Report Options.
At the bottom of the report are:
a. Start Date Value: This is the current value as of the
selected starting date.
b. End Date Value: This is the current value as of the
selected end date.
c. Gains During Time: This is the change in current value
between the selected dates that resulted from other than
interest, dividends, sales, or purchases. In other words,
it reflects capital gains, but only gains during the
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interval. For a strict income tax evaluation of capital
gains, take into account the values of shares outside the
reporting time frame.
DO NOT USE THE "Gains During Time" VALUE REPORTED FOR
INCOME TAX REPORTING WITHOUT CONSIDERING THE INITIAL BASIS
OF THE ASSET, WHICH MAY FALL OUTSIDE OF THE REPORTED TIME
FRAME.
e. Current Value: This is the value of the investment today,
or as of the last entry in the account. It is not affected
by the selected dates.
f. Potential Profits: If the investment were liquidated
today, these are the profits you would have, based on the
current value. This figure comprises:
Current Val - Purch & Fees + Int & Div (paid)
Current Value includes Interest and Dividends reinvested.
4.4.3 Summary of All Accounts
This report shows, in five columns (from left to right):
a. Account Name as entered from the Utilities menu.
b. Current Value of the investment as of the last transaction
entered.
c. Total Shares Owned is the number of shares currently owned.
d. Duration of the investment from the date of the first
transaction to the end date selected on the report (on the
upper right corner of the screen). The number is in years,
i.e., 1.5 years is 18 months.
e. Average Annual Return: This figure is the percent increase
in value of the investment, including cash payments, from
the first day of the investment to the end day of the
report, normalized to an annualized percentage rate. Note
that the rate calculation tracks from the FIRST DAY to the
REPORT END DAY. Ten percent interest earned in a month
with 31 days will have a lower annualized percentage rate
than 10% earned in a month with 28 days, because the
interest is earned in a shorter time period and therefore
at a slightly higher rate.
Example:
(Assume a savings account with interest compounded at 6%
per year or 0.5% per month). A savings account has $1000
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deposited on 3/1/87. On 4/1/87 the bank pays $5 interest.
Assume the bank pays interest through 9/1/87 as shown in
the table below. Also assume that on 10/1/87 you do not
enter an interest payment into the investment account. On
each month the bank pays interest, and the account
statement report will show:
REC DATE TYPE REMARK AMOUNT BALANCE
=== ====== ======= ================ ======== ========
21 3/1/87 PURCHAS Initial Deposit $1000.00 $1000.00
22 4/1/87 INT-rnv Interest payment $5.00 $1005.00
23 5/1/87 INT-rnv Interest payment $5.03 $1010.03
24 6/1/87 INT-rnv Interest payment $5.05 $1015.08
25 7/1/87 INT-rnv Interest payment $5.07 $1020.15
26 8/1/87 INT-rnv Interest payment $5.10 $1025.25
27 9/1/87 INT-rnv Interest payment $5.13 $1030.38
Successive "Summary of All Investment" reports will report
the average annualized return on the $1000 deposit on
successive dates as:
Start Date End Date Rate Reported
3/1/87 3/1/87 0.0%
3/1/87 4/1/87 5.9%
3/1/87 5/1/87 6.0%
3/1/87 6/1/87 6.0%
3/1/87 7/1/87 6.0%
3/1/87 8/1/87 6.0%
3/1/87 9/1/87 6.0%
3/1/87 10/1/87 5.2%
Each line above represents one separate report for each set
of dates. Note that the the percent is 5.9 after the first
payment. The interest is calculated from the first day of
the investment to the last day of the report; on 4/1/87 the
interest period is 32 days--slightly more than an average
month. For the subsequent time periods the effect of the
single end day added to the total period gets smaller, and
the percent approaches the expected interest paid of 6%.
For October, no interest was entered, therefore CT6 bases
its calculations on the interest earned over the total time
period, and the effective annualized rate begins to drop to
reflect the decreased earnings as seen by CT6.
CT6 performs in a similar manner for stock based accounts,
calculating the performance on an annualized rate for any
combination of purchases, sales, changes in value, etc.
The performance calculation considers the number of days
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each purchase was invested, and tracks an unlimited number
of transactions. Obviously the report gives a general per-
formance figure for many different kinds of investments. A
later module (enhancement) to CashTrac will provide
specific performance analyses geared to each type of
investment, such as Treasury Bills, analyses of each block
of stock purchased, bonds, etc.
f. THE BOTTOM LINE summarizes, for ALL investments, the values
shown. The Account Activity Summary report presents similar
numbers, but for each account.
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5.0 PROGRAM UTILITIES
5.1 SORTING FILES BY DATE
The Sort and Pack options take all entries in the respective data
files and rearrange them first by date and then by other fields as
discussed below. Thus, records may be entered in any order, or
disorder actually, and the program will sort them out. Some common
features of the sort and pack functions are:
a. Up to 32,700 records may be sorted at one time depending on
how much memory and disk space you have. The Sort Window
(when sorting) shows:
File Records remaining: The number of records that may be
entered in the data file before hitting the 32,700 record
limit. Each of the 16 checking accounts will hold 32,700
records (200 for DEMO program).
Disk Space: Shows the amount of disk space remaining on your
data drive. If it is too small to support the new sorted
file, it will so indicate. No data will be lost. You must,
prior to sorting again, transfer the data file to a new, less
cluttered disk, or delete some files from the existing data
disk to free some space. After sorting, you may wish to
transfer data (see Transfer function) from the sorted account
to another account or disk to keep the files at a reasonable
size.
Bytes RAM: Shows the amount of memory remaining after space
has been taken to do the sort. This will get smaller as the
data files get bigger. When no more memory space remains,
data may no longer be sorted. PRIOR to reaching the limit,
you must transfer data out of the data file, add more memory,
or remove memory resident utility programs. DON'T WAIT UNTIL
AFTER REACHING THE LIMIT. A transfer and delete operation
leaves deleted records in the file to be removed by the sort
routine. If the file index won't fit in memory, the deleted
records can't be removed and the file can not be sorted. Feel
free to remove the memory resident utilities at any time; most
cause memory and data problems. See section 9.0,
Troubleshooting section.
b. The new sort routine handles about ten times the records as
the older sort routine, and it's a bit slower. To keep sort
speeds high, sort periodically. The CT6 sort routine is
specially designed for this application and only sorts records
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that are out of order. Sorting 3000 records with one out of
order takes a few seconds. Most of the time is spent reading
and rewriting the data file and depends on the type of disk
drive used. Standard floppy drives are very slow. Sorting
3000 records with 2000 out of order will take a few minutes
for the actual sort.
c. The sort and pack routines can and should be run often. If no
records are out of order, the function automatically
terminates in order to save time and displays the message "NO
SORT NECESSARY."
d. The sort function purges deleted records. Until a file is
sorted, the deleted records remain hidden in the file taking
up disk and memory space. Deleted records do not normally
print on reports, but can be selected for printing from the
report selection screen.
e. Some reports may give confusing results when records are not
in order, therefore all reports, when detecting records out of
order, print a "sort warning." Press any key to ignore the
warning and continue with the report, then sort when possible.
5.1.1 Sorting Checking Files
Select the Sort Checking Account Option from the Program
Utilities menu. The sort routine only acts on the active checking
account. To sort a different account, return to the Checking
Account menu and change the account.
Checking Account records are sorted in the following order:
a. By date, then
b. By record type, for each day, in this order:
BUDGET
(Opening) BALANCE
CASH PURCHASES
CREDIT
DEPOSIT
INTEREST
WITHDRAWAL
CHECK
c. For checks, for each day, by check number, then
d. Split entries are located before their main entries, then
e. Memos are located after their main entries, and . . .
That's why the new sort routine takes a little longer.
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Checks may be printed from the Check Register report in order of
check number rather than date. Please refer to the Check Register
report section.
5.1.2 Sorting the Investment Files
Select the Sort Investment Account Option from the Program
Utilities menu. All investment accounts will be sorted by date.
Within any one day, records remain in the order entered.
5.1.3 Packing the Unpaid Bills File
Select the Pack Unpaid Bills Option from the Program Utilities
menu. The is really a sort, but as the word packing implies, it's
more useful to purge out the deleted bills and shrink the file size.
During operation the Unpaid Bills file is checked frequently for
overdue bills. When the file is full of deleted records, the
Checking Account menu runs slower.
Bills are arranged by date.
This same function may also be run from the "Pay Bills" screen by
typing "Pack" in place of a record number.
5.2 INVESTMENT ACCOUNT AND PURCHASE GROUP NAMES
Use the Purchase Group Names option on the Program Utilities menu
for adding, deleting, etc., Group Names. Use the Investment Account
Names option on the Program Utilities menu to do equally wonderful
things to Account Names.
The menus and input screens are essentially self explanatory.
Purchase Groups are the same as budget categories, such as food,
clothing, insurance, gasoline, etc. Investment Accounts are the
names of your investment and savings accounts, such as Beneficial
Theft and Trust, or G.F. Mutton.
5.2.1 Adding New Names
Select the Add New Names option from the Purchase Group or
Investment Accounts menu. See section 5.2 above for instructions on
how to get to this menu.
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You may enter up to 255 different Purchase Groups (for each
Checking Account) and 255 Investment Accounts. Purchase Groups are
entered only for the active Checking Account. Thus account #1 may
have one set of Purchase Groups, account #2 may have a different
set, and so on. To copy one set of Purchase Groups to more than one
account without retyping them, do the following:
a. Enter all the Purchase Groups for one account
b. Exit the program to the operating system (DOS). This can be
done without terminating CT6 by using the DOS Portal.
c. Copy the Purchase Groups from the first file into the second
by using the DOS COPY command. For example, to copy the
Purchase Groups from account #4 to account #3, type:
COPY 6GROUP4.DAT 6GROUP3.DAT <C/R>
The two Purchase Group files will now be duplicates.
d. Return to operating the program. If using the DOS Portal,
type EXIT <C/R> to return to CT6.
5.2.2 Changing Names
Select the Change Name option from the Purchase Group or
Investment Accounts menu. See section 5.2 above for instructions on
how to get to this menu.
The program will request the number of the Group or Investment
Account name to be changed. (Use the Display Names option below to
scroll through the list.) Enter the number of the account or group,
press End, change the name and press End to continue, or press Esc
to leave it unchanged and quit.
5.2.3 Deleting Names
Select the Delete Name option from the Purchase Group or
Investment Accounts menu. See section 5.2 above for instructions on
how to get to this menu.
This feature not only deletes the name of a Group or Investment
Account in the Group or Account list, IT ALSO DELETES ALL DATA IN
THE ACTIVE CHECKING ACCOUNT OR INVESTMENT FILE (depending on the
kind of name being deleted) ASSIGNED TO THAT GROUP OR ACCOUNT! Use
this feature with care.
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If the records assigned to the Group or Investment Account are
not to be deleted, renumber them to an empty Group or Account prior
to deleting the name.
To delete, the program will ask for a Group or Investment Account
number. (Use the Display Names option below to review the names if
necessary.) Enter the desired number and press the End key. The
program will display the name and ask if you are sure. Answer Y and
press the End key to delete, or press Esc to leave all as it is.
5.2.4 Inserting Names
Select the Insert Name option from the Purchase Group or
Investment Accounts menu. See section 5.2 above for instructions on
how to get to this menu.
Enter the number of the location in the Group or Investment
Account name file where the name will be inserted. (Use the Display
Names option below to review the names if necessary. The inserted
name will have that number.) All checking or investment data
records in Groups or Investment Accounts numbered less than the
inserted name will be unaffected. All data records in groups or
accounts numbered the same as or higher than the inserted name will
be renumbered to reflect the change.
NOTE:
a. If you have macro files for graphing, the graphing options
will not be renumbered.
b. If you store old data in another file on the same or another
disk (see the Transfer function), and you renumber the groups
and accounts, you should also renumber the "archive" file to
correspond to the changes. It may be necessary to transfer
data back to the active file in the future for processing and
this will keep the group and account names straight.
5.2.5 Displaying Names
Select the Display Names option from the Purchase Group or
Investment Accounts menu. See section 5.2 above for instructions on
how to get to this menu. The names of the Groups or Accounts, as
appropriate, will print on the screen.
5.2.6 Renumbering Groups/Accounts
Select the Renumber option from the Purchase Group or Investment
Accounts menu. See section 5.2 above for instructions on how to get
to this menu.
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This is another feature to be used with care! The Renumber
function changes the Purchase Group/Investment Account number of all
checking/investment data assigned to that group/account to a new
group or account number.
Select the old (existing) number and the new number. All records
having the old number will be revised to have the new number.
Potential Problem: If you unintentionally renumber data from one
group to have the same number as existing data in another group,
it is difficult to renumber back again because both sets of data
have the same number.
Solutions:
a. The Hard Way: Use the appropriate Change routine and change
each record one at a time.
b. The Easier Way: Do not sort the file! If the records to be
changed back are all in the same time frame or range of
records, use the Transfer function in the Graphics and
Utilities program to copy them to a new file, and delete them
in the old file. Renumber them in the new file to what they
should be, then transfer them back.
5.3 IDENTIFYING THE DATA DISK
Select this option from the Program Utilities menu. The data
disk name provided from this option displays at the top left corner
of most menus and serves to identify the current data disk being
processed. You may use any name you like such as your own, or a
separate name for each data disk or subdirectory. Naming each set
of disk files prevents confusion if you have several different
copies of CT6 data in use at any one time.
When a menu applies only to a Checking Account function, the data
disk name is replaced by the active Checking Account name.
*************************************************************
* When changing data disks, ALWAYS return to the main menu *
* to close the old data files before using the new disk. *
*************************************************************
This closes the old files and prevents the file buffer in memory
from confusing old and new data.
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5.4 SET CHECKING ACCOUNT MINIMUM BALANCE WARNING
Use the Minimum Balance Flag option on the Utilities menu to
select a dollar value that causes your Checking Account reports to
shift from normal colors to a warning color when the balance drops
below the selected value. Any number greater than zero may be used.
If your account no longer pays interest when the balance falls below
$100, then use $100 or slightly more as the entry here.
The minimum balance warning may be set to a different value for
each active Checking Account. To set the warning for a different
account, change the active account from the Checking Account menu,
then return here to set the new warning. The colors for the warning
(and any other aspect of the program) may be set with the configura-
tion program, which is run from the main menu.
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6.0 DOS PORTAL
The DOS portal is the program user's interface with DOS. It
permits executing DOS commands and changing the drives and paths
where CT6 finds both data and programs.
6.1 CHANGE DATA DRIVE
Use this option to temporarily change the drive and or path where
CT6 looks to find its data files. To change a drive only, enter the
drive letter followed by a colon, for example, B: and then press the
End key. To change a path, enter the new path using the form
C:\FINANCE\DATA and press the End Key. Use only valid path names as
defined by your DOS manual.
In either case, if the drive or path is not found, the data drive
will be reset to the DOS default drive. Try again.
With this command, you may maintain several different sets of
data on several different subdirectories.
6.2 CHANGE SYSTEM DRIVE
Use this option to alter the drive or subdirectory where CT6
looks to find its help files and associated programs. The format
for entering the changes is the same as for changing the data drive.
6.3 DATA DISK DIRECTORY
This option executes a DOS DIR /P command on the currently chosen
data disk and subdirectory. For it to work, the DOS command
processor (COMMAND.COM) must be on the disk in the A: drive (or the
"SET COMSPEC=" DOS command must have been used to alter the DOS
environment to direct the operating system to look elsewhere). For
most floppy disk users, formatting the CT6 system disk using the DOS
FORMAT /S command (as stated in the Installation section of this
manual) will ensure COMMAND.COM is where it should be. Hard disk
users may cure any problems by putting a DOS disk in drive A: until
they sort out the use of the COMSPEC command (see the DOS manual).
6.4 SYSTEM DISK DIRECTORY
This option is identical to the Data Disk Directory option above,
but displays a directory of the chosen CT6 system disk or subdi-
rectory.
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6.5 TEMPORARY EXIT TO DOS
This option allows you to leave CT6 resident in memory while
running DOS commands or other programs (Terminate and Stay
Resident--TSR mode). When finished frolicking in DOS, type EXIT
<C/R> to instantly return to the CT6 DOS Portal Menu.
If you have trouble with this function, please note that the
discussion of COMMAND.COM in section 6.3 above applies equally here.
BASIC programs will not run while in the TSR mode.
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7.0 IMPORT, EXPORT AND TRANSFER OF DATA
These three functions are all executed from the Graphing and
Utilities (G&U) program menu. Run the G&U program as a "stand
alone" program or as an option from the CT6 main menu. (If an OUT
OF MEMORY error occurs when loading the G&U program from the CT6
main menu, make sure you installed SET CT6=X in your AUTOEXEC.BAT
file as required in the Installation section.)
7.1 IMPORTING DATA
Use this option to take data created by any other program into a
CT6 data file. Data must exist on a disk (source) file in the below
specified format. The source data file may be created by any
program, such as a spreadsheet, database manager, word processor,
etc.
7.1.1 Source File Format
The source file data may be in a delimited format or an
undelimited format.
7.1.2 Import Data, Delimited Format
In delimited data records, each field is separated by a comma.
Each character field is enclosed within quotes. The valid values
and lengths from the table in paragraph 7.1.4 must be observed.
Numeric values may be shorter than the table value, but not longer.
Here is a sample delimited record (with the "To" field shortened to
fit on this page):
CHECKING RECORD
"O",12,1,85,123456,"N","Y",123,"Payee goes here",355.75,"*"
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | Year| | | | To: Amount |
| | Day | | | Purchase Group Split Subtype
| Month | | Reconciled
Record Type | Tax Deduction
Check Number
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INVESTMENT RECORD
"P",2,27,81,123,"BORROW BIG BUCKS TODAY ",1234567.89,1234567.890
| | | | | | | |
| | | Year | For: $ Amount # of Shares
| | Day Investment Account Number
| Month
Record Type
7.1.3 Import Data, Undelimited Format
Undelimited data record fields have a space between each field.
Commas and quotes are assumed to be text data and are imported.
In the sample undelimited record below, each field must be of the
length specified in paragraph 7.1.4, even numeric data. The example
date is 9/ 9/85. Each 9 is preceded by a blank (in addition to the
delimiter) to make it two digits long. Note the slashes. CT6
actually doesn't care what separates each field so long as the
fields are the correct length and separated by something.
CHECKING RECORD
O 9/ 9/85 123456 N Y 123 Must be 25 char long 1234567.89 *
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | Year | | | | To: Amount |
| | Day | | | Purchase Group Split Subtype
| Month | | Reconciled
Record Type | Tax Deduction
Check Number
INVESTMENT RECORD
P 2/25/81 123 INITIAL STOCK PURCHASE 1234567.89 1234567.890
| | | | | | | |
| | | Year | For: $ Amount # of Shares
| | Day Investment Account Number
| Month
Record Type
7.1.4 Imported Data Value Table
The table below shows the required length of each data field for both
checking and investment records.
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FIELD LENGTH MAX MIN VALID CHARACTERS
--------------+----+-------------+---+--------------------------------
Record Type | 1 |Upper Case only! | C D I M O P R S W Y (Checking)
| | | C D F I N P S V (Investment)
Month (MM) | 2 | 12 | 1 |
Day (DD) | 2 | 31 | 1 |
Year (YY) | 2 | 99 | 0 |
Check Number | 6 | 999999 | 1 | (MIN=0 for non-checks)
Tax Deduction | 1 | | | Y or N only, in caps.
Reconciled | 1 | | | Y or N only, in caps.
Purchase Group| 3 | 255 | 0 |
Invest. Acc't | 3 | 255 | 0 |
To or For | 25 | | | Must be this length!
$ Amount | 10 | 9999999.99 | 0 | Open Balance may be negative.
No. of Shares | 11 | 9999999.999 | 0 |
Split Subtype | 1 | | | C D I W * (Checking only)
--------------+----+-------------+---+--------------------------------
7.1.5 Import Data Selection Screen
The following selections apply to Importing Data:
SEND DATA TO: Pick a 0 to send imported data to the Investment
file, or 1 through 16 to send data to Checking
Accounts 1 to 16 respectively. This is the
"target" file.
DRIVE\PATH: Select the drive\path where the above selected
account resides. DOS rules for naming paths
apply. Examples of valid drive\path formats are:
B:
C:\DATA\FILES
DATA FORMAT: Select a 1 if character data in the file to be
imported are delimited by quotes and commas.
Select 0 if all data are separated by a space or
other character.
DRIVE\PATH: The drive\path where the FILE NAME below resides.
FILE NAME: The name of the file containing the data to be
imported. This is the file created by your
spreadsheet, database manager, etc.
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After all selections have been made, CT6 will begin importing
records and appending them to the end of the existing data file. In
the process, each field is checked for validity. If all fields in a
record are valid, the record is saved. If any field is invalid, an
error message gives the type of error, the number of the record in
the source file, and gives an option to skip the record and continue
or stop to fix the data and start over from the first source record.
If starting over, the data already appended to the "target" file
will make the file physically bigger according to the DOS file
directory; however, that data will be inaccessible. The next time
data are written to the target file, the inaccessible data will be
overwritten. Therefore you may start over as many times as you
wish.
7.1.6 Importing Split Entries
Split entries are somewhat tricky.
a. Use an "S" for the record type.
b. The split entry will attach itself to the first main record
following the split or series of splits.
c. The "attached" main record must be the same type as indicated
in the Split Subtype field shown above.
d. The date for all splits and their main record will be set to
the date of the first split. They must be the same.
e. The check number for all splits and their main record will be
set to the check number of the first split. They must be the
same.
f. A mismatch between the split subtype and the attached main
record type will result in an error message and all splits in
the series being deleted from the target file, as well as the
main record.
7.1.7 Importing Memos
Memo records are synthesized from combinations of numeric and
character fields in the two records following a main record in the
CT6 data files, therefore they may not be imported.
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7.2 EXPORTING DATA
Use this option to take data created by CT6 and put it into a
disk file in a delimited or undelimited format suitable for being
"imported" by most spreadsheet, data base, or other programs. See
the instructions for the receiving program to determine if it needs
to be delimited or undelimited.
7.2.1 CT6 Source Files
Data may be taken from the Investment file, or any of the 16
checking account files.
7.2.2 Export Data, Delimited Format
Delimited data records are created in the same form as shown in
section 7.1.2 and obey the value and size limits given in section
7.1.4.
7.2.3 Export Data, Undelimited Format
Undelimited data records are created in the same form as shown in
section 7.1.3 and obey the value and size limits given in section
7.1.4.
7.2.4 Export Data Selection Screen
The following selections apply to Exporting Data:
TAKE DATA FROM: Pick 0 to take data from the Investment file, or
1 to 16 to take data from Checking Accounts 1 to
16 respectively.
DRIVE\PATH: The drive\path where the above selected account
resides. DOS rules for naming drives and paths
apply. Examples of valid drive\path formats
are:
B:
C:\DATA\FILES
OUTPUT FORMAT: Select 1 to delimit the exported data with
quotes and commas. Select 0 to delimit the data
with spaces.
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DRIVE\PATH: The drive\path where the data file named below
will reside.
FILE NAME: The name of the file that will receive the
exported data. Choose a file name compatible
with the program that will eventually import the
data. For example, LOTUS 123 expects a
numerical import file to have a .PRN file
extension and will not recognize files with
other endings.
PURCHASE GROUPS} Select one or all Purchase Groups or Investment
INVEST. ACCOUNT} Accounts to be exported. For a list, type
999 and press End.
DELETE DURING TRANSFER: Select Y to delete data from the CT6
source file as it is being exported (i.e., this
is a batch delete).
STARTING AND ENDING RECORD NUMBERS: Use record numbers (from
main program reports) to select data for export,
or . . .
STARTING AND ENDING DATES: Use dates to select data for export.
MEMO records will not be exported.
7.3 TRANSFERRING DATA
Use this function to transfer batches of data among the various
CT6 data files. Data may be transferred from the investment file,
or a checking 8account on a drive\path to any other investment file
or checking account on any other drive\path.
The transfer options and process for transferring data are
identical to those in the above paragraph for exporting data. The
only difference is that data will go to a CT6 account rather than an
export account, therefore the following field replaces the "FILE
NAME" and "OUTPUT FORMAT" specified above:
SEND DATA TO: Use 0 for an investment account, or 1 through 16
for a checking account. Do not transfer data from
an account back to itself, that is, the same
account on the same drive and subdirectory. Data
may be sent from and to accounts by the same name,
so long as the target account is on a different
disk or subdirectory.
The program will transfer checking data to the investment file
and vice versa. The feature can prove handy every now and then, but
each record may need to be changed from the change function.
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CAVEATS:
a. When transferring by record number and deleting, be sure to
not transfer a main record without its split or memo and vice
versa. A freestanding split or memo will attach itself to the
closest main record. A main record deprived of its splits can
not have its dollar amount altered. If any of these events
occur, the safest course of action is to delete the parasitic
memo or splits, and delete the lone main record transferred
without its split entries. Transfers by date avoid these
problems
b. Records transferred and deleted may affect account balances.
For checking accounts, jot down the ending balance before and
after the transfer and add an opening balance transaction to
adjust for the loss of records. For investment accounts, it
is probably best to transfer only dormant or closed invest-
ments in order to avoid removal of important early transac-
tions in the account.
c. It may be helpful to verify that there are no unreconciled
checking account transactions in the block of data to be
transferred. Use the "unreconciled only" option on the Check
Register report. It's hard balance a checking account if some
unreconciled records aren't in the account.
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8.0 GRAPHING AND UTILITIES PROGRAM
Run the graphing program from the CashTrac main menu or as a
stand-alone program (CTGRAF.EXE). Floppy disk users should select
the menu option, then put System Disk 2 in drive A: when prompted
and press any key to continue. (If an OUT OF MEMORY error occurs
when loading the G&U program from the CT6 main menu, make sure you
installed SET CT6=X in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file as required in the
Installation section.) Use the graphing program to make bar charts,
in 6 colors on color monitors, or black and "white" on monochrome
monitors. The graphs consist entirely of text characters, therefore
no graphics capability is necessary.
Graphs may be printed on the screen, a disk file, or a printer.
If printed to a printer, the printer must be able to print the
entire MS-DOS character set, sometimes called graphics, but actually
special text characters that have nothing to do with MS DOS
graphics. If your printer printed the menu screen as suggested in
section 1.5, it will print the graphs. If not, then section 1.5
provides instructions on how to develop an MS-DOS character printing
capability.
8.1 THE GRAPHING SETUP SCREEN
There are several graphing options that must be selected prior to
printing a graph. The first fourteen are common to both investment
and checking data graphing and are:
a. MACRO: A macro, in this sense, is a series of memorized
options stored in a file for later use. In other words, the
options necessary to make a specific graph may be stored and
used again.
TO MAKE A NEW MACRO:
Type a name in the MACRO field. Follow DOS filename
conventions, but do not use an extension (i.e., a period and
one to three extra characters). CT6 adds .MAC to the end of
the name.
Enter the options desired (see the remainder of this section).
When ready to print the graph, press the End key. The word
"NONEXISTENT" will print at the bottom of the screen telling
you that this macro does not exist. Press the End key again
and continue.
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TO LIST EXISTING MACROS: Type LISTMAC in the MACRO field and
press the End key.
Note: To list macros, the file COMMAND.COM must be present on
the A: drive or the drive\path specified in the DOS
environment under COMSPEC. See the troubleshooting section
for details.
TO CHANGE A MACRO:
Enter the MACRO name in the MACRO field. Press the End key.
The macro data will load, or the word "NONEXISTENT" will print
at the bottom of the screen if the MACRO doesn't exist.
Enter the new data and press the End key to continue. The new
options will replace the old ones.
TO DELETE A MACRO:
MACROS are nothing more than files on your data
disk\subdirectory. The name is the MACRO name you selected
followed by .MAC (example: BIG.MAC) and may be erased in the
same manner as any other file.
BAD TYPE ERROR:
This happens when an investment MACRO is called to the check
graphing screen or vice versa.
b. TIME UNITS (D, W, M, Y): Select whether the graph will plot
data by days, weeks, months, or years.
c. ROLLING TIME FRAME: This permits the graphing program to
always plot the last however many days, weeks, etc. regardless
of the current date and is a handy feature for MACROs. If
only one set of data will be plotted, up to 37 time periods
may print on one graph. Selecting more than 37 will result in
an error. If more than one data set (discussed below) will be
plotted on one graph, then the maximum number of time units
will automatically drop to fit more bars on the graph.
A ROLLING TIME FRAME overrides the Starting and Ending dates.
To print by dates, leave this field zero or blank.
d. START and END DATES: If the ROLLING TIME FRAME above is zero
or blank, then the graph will print data between the selected
dates. If the time period is larger than will fit on one
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graph, the number of days, weeks, etc., that can fit will be
plotted, ending on the END DATE.
If the TIME UNITS chosen are MONTHLY, the day is ignored and
all data in the selected month are plotted. If the TIME UNITS
are YEARLY, then all data in the selected year are plotted,
regardless of the selected month or day.
e. PRINT TO SCREEN OR PRINTER: Select S to print on the screen,
or P to print on the printer.
f. PRINT TO DISK: Enter a filename here to override the above
printer or screen selection and print the graph to a text
file. The file may then be merged with a word processor file,
edited (or not) and printed. Graphs printed to disk lose
their color information, so different STYLES should be
selected for each data set rather than COLORS. Do not use an
extension on the filename. CT6 will add .CTG to the end.
To print a list of existing graph file names, type LISTCTG and
press the End key.
Note: For this feature to work, the file COMMAND.COM must be
on the disk in the A: drive on the drive\path specified under
COMSPEC in the DOS environment. See the Troubleshooting,
section 9.0, for details.
g. ACCUMULATE TOTALS: If no, then the graph shows only the
activity in each time period. If yes, then each time period
reflects the activity in the time period plus the activity in
the previous time period. For example, the graphing options
are chosen to show weekly deposits. If $1000 was deposited
each week, with accumulated totals: week 1 is $1000, week 2
is $2000, etc. With no accumulated totals, week 1 is $1000,
week 2 is $1000, etc.
h. POLARITY: With + polarity, positive values (deposits,
interest, credits) are plotted above the time axis and
negative values (expenditures) are plotted below. Zero
polarity causes all values to plot above the axis regardless
of whether they are positive or negative values. Negative
polarity is the opposite of positive--deposits are down,
expenditures are up.
i. SHOW GRID LINES: Yes or no.
If plotting checking data, then select the account to be
plotted (1 to 16). If plotting investment data, then go on to
the next entries.
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j. SELECT *** OR E FOR ENTIRE FILE: If graphing checking data,
then *** stands for PURCHASE GROUP. If graphing investment
data, then *** stands for INVESTMENT ACCOUNT.
CT6 will plot four separate sets of data on one graph. Each
of the four columns on the setup screen permits selection of
options for each data set.
In each of the four columns in this row, select either a
Purchase Group or Investment Account number (as appropriate)
or an E to plot data from the entire file. If the group or
account number is unknown, then enter 999 and press the End
key to display the group/account list. A blank field causes
the data selected underneath to be ignored. If all four
fields are blank, then no graph will plot.
When graphing checking data, if E is selected for a data set,
CT6 plots the data values associated with the main records and
ignores splits. If just one Purchase Group is selected, CT6
plots splits and main records with no splits. It does not
graph a split and its associated main record as this would
show a falsely large data value.
k. SELECT TRANSACTIONS TO BE PLOTTED: For each of the next eight
lines, select the type of transaction you would like to see
plotted. Put a Y in the first column if you would like a
certain transaction type to be included in the first data set.
Put a Y in the second column for the second data set, etc. If
more than one transaction is selected in a column, it will add
algebraically to the others selected in that column. For
example, Purchases add to the total, Sales subtract from the
total, etc. There are some exceptions below.
For Checking Account graphing: Monthly and Yearly Budget
values will print only in data sets where one Purchase Group
is selected. They will not print where E is selected.
For Investment Account graphing: The current value of an
account will print only in data sets where one Investment
Account is selected. It will not print where E is selected.
For long time frames (weeks, months, year) the current value
plotted reflects the value at the end of each time interval on
the axis. A Y for Current Value overrides all other
transactions.
l. COLOR: The color of the bar used to plot each of the four
data sets may be selected here. The value of each color in
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its respective color is printed just above this line. At
least one color will not print on the line because it is the
same color as the background and is therefore invisible. This
is the correct color to pick for invisible graphs (joke).
Monochrome monitor users may want to select all one color (or
highlighted and normal) and vary the appearance of the data
sets with the Style option (below).
m. STYLE: The style of the bar used to plot each of the four
data sets may be selected here. The styles are shown next to
A, B, C, and D.
Color monitor users may want to pick all Style A, but vary the
colors, above.
Printing to disk or the printer removes the color information,
therefore it is usually more effective to vary the graph style
when multiple data sets are printed rather than varying the
color.
Press End to continue and print the graph. A window displays
pertinent data as CT6 prepares the graph. The information necessary
to create a graph is stored in memory, therefore the first time CT6
graphs a file, the "READING ENTIRE FILE" message displays. Under
that message are three status lines. The first indicates the amount
of space, in records, remaining in the data file. The second
indicates the amount of free memory after the file has been read
into memory. When this number reaches zero, CT6 will no longer be
able to graph your account. Before that happens, either transfer
data out of the account, free more space by removing resident
utility programs, or add memory to your machine. The third status
line indicates how many records CT6 found within the selected time
frame. A number here does not mean any data meet the selection
criteria, just that it's within the time frame and that the computer
is working.
If the next graph requests data from the same data file as the
first graph, then the window indicates that the file index is still
in memory, and also shows the number of records within the time
frame.
8.2 PRINTING THE LEGEND
If the graph prints on the screen, press L <C/R> to print a
legend or summary of the selection criteria. If the graph prints on
the printer or disk, then the legend prints automatically.
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8.3 GRAPH PRECISION
To permit graphing on monochrome, mono-graphics, and
color/enhanced graphics equipped computers, and to provide full
color graphing without shifting into the rather tacky 40 column
mode, CT6 produces graphs with text characters. In addition to
hardware compatibility, this permits graph files to be saved to disk
and merged with any text file for word processing. The main
disadvantage is that in the text mode only 25 lines are available on
which to place a character, whereas in the standard graphics mode
there are 200 lines. The result (the bottom line, so to speak) is a
sacrifice of some accuracy.
CT6 plots values on any of 20 lines, therefore a graph may only
display 20 discrete values. The characters used for graphing, like
this X, extend from the bottom of one line almost to the bottom of
the next line. As a result, the height of a bar is only a close
approximation of the value graphed. See the Help screen (available
from the graph screen) for a graphic example. It shows sample bars
and the values they represent. The same example will not print on
most printers, therefore it is omitted from here. If a very large
value (e.g., $50,000) is plotted next to a very small value (e.g.,
$5) the latter will be too small to be represented by a full
character on the graph and will plot as zero.
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9.0 TROUBLESHOOTING
CT6 was written on an IBM PC-AT and is compatible with the IBM
PC/XT/AT series of microcomputers. During testing it also proved
100% compatible with a wide range of IBM compatible MS-DOS
computers. However, not all MS DOS computers are 100% IBM
compatible, regardless of advertising claims. There are too many
different machines and special circuit board combinations to test
all of them, therefore program functions and features were selected
to be as compatible as possible with a wide range of computers, and
so far the program has been successful. No incompatibilities are
known as of 4/87. We are therefore confident that most problems can
be solved using the troubleshooting guide below.
9.1 REPORTING PROBLEMS
If you cannot solve your problems, please send us a note or call
us on the BBS. We'll help resolve the problem. But if you
experience problems that are not covered by the guidelines below,
then they could be caused by memory resident utility programs such
as multitaskers, calculators, calendars, screen blankers, etc. They
cause so many unpredictable problems that vary with the particular
programs installed, the machine, and its operating system that it's
essentially impossible to trace the problem without testing the
machine with its software.
To see if memory resident utility programs are causing problems,
they must be removed. Make sure you get those loaded from
AUTOEXEC.BAT and those loaded from CONFIG.SYS. Test CT6 again in a
"clean," rebooted machine. If the problem can not be resolved with
the information in this section, then please request help from us.
Indicate the model of computer, operating system version, and add-on
circuit boards such as screen adapters, LANs, etc.
9.2 LEVELS OF ERROR MESSAGES
There are three levels of errors, each easily spotted by the form
of the error message. The first level consists of data validation
errors, indicated at the bottom of the screen by a brief message and
the cursor returning to the field in error. See the data entry
section for the field in question regarding data specifications.
These errors are not discussed here.
The second level is heralded by a box in the center of the screen
with the words "ERROR MESSAGE" and "ERROR ## in LINE ####" usually
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followed by a short description of the error. These errors are
generated from the operating system, are fairly serious, and require
the corrective actions outlined under "Second Level Errors" below.
Third level errors are biggies, but are fortunately rarely
experienced. These errors can't be intercepted and controlled by
the program, and result in the program shutting down after
displaying the error message. They are discussed in section 9.4.
Section 9.5 below deals with some common problems that may occur
during operation.
9.3 SECOND LEVEL ERRORS
These errors are indicated by a box on the screen with the error
message listed within. Usually program operation will continue
unaffected once the error condition is cleared, or operation will
return to a menu to be started over. The most common errors are
listed immediately below.
ERROR NUMBER CORRECTIVE ACTION
7, 14 Out of memory. First, make sure you've got SET CT6=X
as the first line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. If yes,
then type SET (in DOS) to make sure the line is in
place. If the line is not present, then the computer
is not using that copy of AUTOEXEC to boot.
If all is well with AUTOEXEC.BAT, then either more
memory must be added to the computer, data files must
be made smaller with the TRANSFER function, or
resident utility programs must be removed from memory.
11 An internal math error occurred. Program will
continue by itself. Please notify the author.
24, 25 Check the printer. It's either off, broken, not "on
line" or not "selected."
27 The printer is out of paper.
52 Internal file error. Please notify the author.
53 The program could not find an expected data file. No
action necessary.
54 Internal file processing error. System disk is write
protected or damaged. Remove write protect tab.
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56 The target file in a Transfer operation cannot hold
all the records to be transferred. Pick another file
or send fewer records.
57 Faulty input or output device (disk or printer). This
is a hardware problem.
61 Disk is full. Start a new disk or delete files.
63 Invalid file data. Try again. Report to author.
64 Invalid file name. Refer to your DOS manual.
67 Bad path name or too many files on disk.
68 Device is unavailable. Use another printer port.
70 Remove the write protect tab from the disk.
71 Put a disk in the drive and shut the door. If you
have the C: drive selected on your configura-tion
file, and your machine only has two floppy drives, but
can accept a C: RAM drive which is currently not
loaded, you will find it very difficult to shut a door
that doesn't exist. Reboot, erase the configuration
file, and make a valid one.
72 Faulty disk or drive. Exit and run CHKDSK (see DOS
manual) or reformat the disk, or toss it out and use a
good one.
75 Bad path name. Refer to your DOS manual.
76 Path does not exist. Try again.
Errors not listed in the table are not expected. If they do
occur, please notify us. A detailed description of each error can
also be found in your BASIC manual under these same numbers.
9.4 THIRD LEVEL ERRORS
Third level errors are those that terminate program operation and
return control to the operating system. They are fortunately rare
during program operation and most are easily and permanently
rectified. The most common are:
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a. PARITY CHECK 1 or 2: Memory chip failure. See your DOS
manual.
b. OUT OF MEMORY: If this occurs while attempting to execute one
CT6 program from the menu of another CT6 program, as shown in
the situations below:
Press Esc to run CashTrac from the Configuration program menu,
Press Esc to run CashTrac from the Check Writer menu,
Press Esc to run CashTrac from the Graphing program menu,
Run the Graphing program from the main menu,
Run the Check Writer from the Checking Account menu,
then the computer is probably not out of memory, but rather
the command SET CT6=X was not entered or was improperly
entered. See the initial installation instructions. Type SET
<C/R> while in DOS to verify the presence of CT6=X.
c. STRING SPACE CORRUPT DURING G.C.: Believe it or not, the G.C.
stands for garbage collection. This error is the result of
CT6 competing for space with incompatible memory resident
utility programs. Follow the steps in section 9.1 to see if
the problem could be caused by a memory resident program.
9.5 MISCELLANEOUS PROBLEMS
Cursor Misbehaves:
If the cursor goes to a part of the screen where it doesn't
belong and won't come back, then your program has probably been
damaged by being squeezed or archived prior to arrival. A few
popular archive and squeeze programs have bugs and they usually
cause this problem. The solution is to write to us for an undamaged
copy of the program (see section 1.4).
Help Screens Won't Print:
If you call for help (hold the Alt key, and press the F10 key),
and the screen comes up blank (but with a border) then the help file
for the program is not on the disk selected as the system disk or
subdirectory. The file CHELP.CT6 must be on the same disk and
subdirectory as CASHTRAC.EXE, and GHELP.CT6 must be with CTGRAF.EXE.
Go to the DOS Portal and do a directory of the system drive and see
whether the help files are present. If not, copy them from the
distribution diskettes.
Help screens show a musical note character:
The help file has been damaged. Replace it with a copy of the
original.
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Checking Account Names Disappear:
The names are stored in a file named ACCOUNT.CT6. If it's not on
your data disk\subdirectory then you didn't enter names or somehow
erased it.
If the program starts to behave erratically on startup, look for
problems in the configuration file (CONFIG.CT6) on the system
disk\subdirectory. Erase it and run the configuration program again
or test the program without a configuration file.
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10.0 MISCELLANEOUS
10.1 CT6 FILE DESCRIPTIONS
Depending on how many Checking Accounts you use, there could be
many different data and program files on your disks.
a. System disk 1 (or the hard disk system subdirectory) should
contain the following files:
COMMAND.COM DOS command processor, put there by formatting
CONFIG.CT6 CT6 configuration file
CASHTRAC.EXE Main program
CHELP.CT6 Main program help file
CONFIG.EXE The configuration program; makes CONFIG.CT6.
b. System disk 2 (or the hard disk system subdirectory) should
contain the following files:
COMMAND.COM DOS command processor
CONFIG.CT6 CT6 configuration file
CTGRAF.EXE Graphing & Utilities program
GHELP.CT6 Graphing help file
CT6PART?.DOC CashTrac documentation file. May be removed
if documentation has been printed.
c. The data disk (or hard disk data subdirectory, which may be
the same as the system subdirectory) should contain:
6CHECK1.DAT Checking Account number 1 data
6CHECK2.DAT " " " 2 "
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
6CHECK16.DAT (Accounts will not be present until used).
6GROUP1.DAT Checking Account number 1 Purchase Group names
6GROUP2.DAT " " " 2 " " "
. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .
6GROUP16.DAT (Groups will not be present until used )
6INVEST.DAT Investment data
6INVCAT.DAT Investment Account Names
6UNPAID.DAT Unpaid Bills file.
SORT.DAT Temporary sort file. May be erased.
ERASE.ME Temporary scratch file. May be erased.
ACCOUNT.CT6 Checking Account name file
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CHEKFORM.CT6 Check writer configuration file
********.CTP Any report printed to disk
********.MAC Any graphing macro file
********.CTG Any graph printed to disk
********.PRN Database/spreadsheet export files.
d. Files ending in .COM and .EXE are executable program files and
should not be altered.
e. Files ending in .DAT are random access data files and will be
damaged if they are read into a text editor and then saved.
They should only be read and written to by CT6. If you
experiment, do so with a backup copy.
f. Files ending in .CT6 or .MAC are sequential files and may be
read and altered by standard text editors, but at your own
risk. Changed and missing data can cause serious program
problems. The cure is to erase the file and let CT6 rebuild
it. No harm will be done in that case.
g. .CTG, .CTP, and .PRN files are designed to be accepted and
used by other programs. No harm will result from the deletion
or alteration of these files.
Files may be copied into each other, i.e., if you need to
duplicate a group file or want to copy all Checking Account #5 data
to account #1. Use only the DOS Copy command to manipulate .DAT
files. Reading the file into a word processor/editor and writing it
into another file will result in a wrecked file!
10.2 PROGRAM SPEED
CT6 depends heavily on disk storage of data, as the memory of
most machines can't handle a fraction of the program's data
requirements. Unfortunately, floppy disk drives and some hard disk
drives are very slow, holding up sorting and report writing. Some
hints that will speed up program operation are:
a. Very large data files slow down reporting because the program
calculates balances from the first record in the file as a
safety measure. Use the Transfer function (section 7.3) to
move ancient data to a backup file.
b. Use an electronic RAM drive if possible. It will provide a
tremendous increase in program speed. But caution, remember
to copy data back to your floppy or hard disk when done.
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c. Hard disk users, use subdirectories close to the root
directory. The more "buried" the data files are on a hard
disk, the slower the program runs. Data subdirectories of the
form:
C:\FINANCE
are superior to subdirectories of the form:
C:\CASHTRAC\FINANCE\DATA.
This holds true for any program that needs to frequently read
disk data. Each time file data are requested, the drive must
first check the root directory, then the subdirectory, etc.
until it finds the data. That results in slow operation.
d. Put the following statements in your CONFIG.SYS file on your
boot disk or hard disk root directory:
FILES=10
BUFFERS=15
This increases the ability of your computer to quickly find
disk data. It will not affect other programs unless they
require even more files and buffers, in which case use the
number they require. The same result is obtained.
e. Some memory resident utility programs severely retard program
speed. Prime examples are the multitasking and windowing
programs. For comparisons, run CT6 with and without resident
utilities to see if marked speed differences result.
10.3 EXITING THE PROGRAM
ALWAYS use the EXIT routine when leaving CT6, NEVER quit by
rebooting or turning off the power. The reason is that data are
stored in buffers prior to being written on the disk file. Buffers
accumulate data until they are full and then, when good and ready,
they write to the disk. If you exit by removing the disk and
turning off the computer or by rebooting, there will be unwritten
data in the buffers that will be lost. If you exit via the Exit
routine, the buffers will first be emptied, data will be properly
stored, and then the program will quit.
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10.4 KEEPING BACKUPS
After a few months you'll have sizable data files. Both floppy
disk and hard disk users should keep an original and two backups of
their CT6 data--an "odd day" backup and an "even day" backup. When
backing up data on an odd numbered day of the month, use the odd day
backup disk, and when backing up data on an even numbered day use
the "even" disk. If the disk goes bad, as sometimes happens, and
you unwittingly back up bad data on your backup disk, you may have a
bad original and a perfect backup of the bad data. With two backup
disks, and only one in use every other time you backup data, there
will always be a second disk to use to restore both the original and
the bad backup. The method works.
10.5 MAKING ADDITIONAL DATA DISKS
Any number of data disks or subdirectories may be used with the
program. To make a new data disk, starting at the main menu, put a
formatted disk in the selected data drive and start entering data.
To make a new data disk without having to rewrite all the Purchase
Groups and Investment Accounts, copy the following files from the
old data disk to the new data disk:
a. For Investment Account names, copy 6INVCAT.DAT from the old to
the new disk.
b. For Purchase Group names, copy 6GROUP*.DAT from the old to the
new disk. The * represents the number of the checking account
purchase groups to be copied.
10.6 A NOTE FROM THE PROGRAM AUTHOR
CT6 represents a lot of work by a lot of people, such as those
users who took the time to submit suggestions, and especially those
who volunteered their time to "beta" test the program. Their help
was greatly appreciated. Unsolicited suggestions are a major source
of ideas for program improvements. If you made a suggestion and it
wasn't included this time around, it may be that it conflicted with
requests from other users, I may not have liked it at the time (it
happens), or possibly I didn't have the tools to program it, and set
it aside. Please feel free to harass me about future improvements.
Speaking of tools, CT6 is written in structured and compiled IBM
BASIC linked to an additional library of assembly language functions
for compiled BASIC written by Thomas Hanlin III at 6812
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Sydenstricker Road, Springfield, VA 22512. His Advanced BASIC
Library made possible the windows, fast screen writing, and several
other less obvious features that are not possible using the "plain
vanilla" compiler. I highly recommend this library for serious
compiled BASIC programmers.
Good Luck. If you have any functions you would like to see
added, please send a me a note at the address on the registration
form at the end of this documentation, or call the CT6 BBS at 703-
941-2386. Ditto if you have any problems.
Functions that will show up in future revisions include printing
all purchase groups in one report, checkbook balancing using the
same display screen as the check writer selection screen, making
changes directly from report screens, pull down menus, investment
analysis modules for specific investment types, and quarterly and
semiannual unpaid bills.
-John MacEvoy
The response to our user survey was almost unanimous regarding
the "plain brown wrapper" concept. Program quality and performance
are more important than pretty packaging therefore we'll stick to a
simple format. If you would like to see a change in the packaging,
please tell us. A large percentage of users asked for bound
documentation, but an equally large percentage said they preferred
the self-printed documentation, therefore we plan to provide a bound
manual in the near future, but as an option.
-Lynn Gilley
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11.0 PROGRAM SPECIFICATIONS
a. Minimum Hardware Requirements
Computer IBM PC/XT/AT/Jr or
compatible
Disk Drives 2 DS DD floppy or
1 DS DD floppy and
a hard disk
Monitor Color/Composite,
Monochrome,
Mono-graphics.
EGA
Memory 256 Kb
b. Checking Account Capabiilities
# of Checking Accounts 16
# of Budget Categories per Account 255
# of Records per Account 32,700
Sort Routine Capacity per account 32,700 records
Unpaid Bills Functions Yearly Recurring
Monthly Recurring
Non-Recurring
Automatic transfer
to check file
Check Writer Format Configurable to
any check
c. Investment Account Capabilities
# of Investment Accounts 255
Total # of Investment Records 32,700
Sort Routine Capacity 32,700 records
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INDEX
-----
<C/R> defined ....................................................9
aardvark, spark plugs ...........................................38
account statement report, investment ............................56
account summary report, checking ................................43
account, checking, on data entry ................................32
account, graphing ...............................................80
accumulate graphing totals ......................................79
active checking account .........................................24
active checking account, changing ...............................46
activity summary report, investment .............................57
add new group/account name ......................................63
Alt-F10 (help) ..................................................17
AUTOEXEC.BAT file ................................................9
backing up data .................................................91
backspace key ...................................................17
bad type error, macro ...........................................78
balance, amount on entry screen .................................33
balance, resetting on data entry screen .........................33
balancing the checking account ..................................45
broker fee transaction, investment ..............................52
budget report, monthly ..........................................43
budget report, yearly ...........................................44
budget transaction ..............................................25
budgets, how to set up ..........................................33
bulletin board system ............................................6
calculator, operation ...........................................23
calculator, turning on ..........................................17
cash purchase transaction .......................................26
CASHTRAC.EXE ....................................................15
change data drive ...............................................68
change system drive .............................................68
change value record, automatic ..................................52
change value transaction, investment ............................52
changing active checking account ................................46
changing data, checking .........................................37
changing data, investments ......................................55
changing group/account names ....................................64
check format/configuration ......................................47
check register report ...........................................40
check transaction ...............................................25
check writer operation ..........................................46
check writer, check configuration/format ........................47
check writer, general ...........................................46
check writer, print batch .......................................49
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INDEX
-----
check writer, printing selected checks ..........................49
check writer, selecting checks on entry .........................32
check writer, test print ........................................49
checking account name ...........................................46
checking account, active account ................................24
checking account, data entry ....................................25
checking account, default .......................................13
checking account, general .......................................24
checking account, transactions ..................................25
clock, system ...................................................22
color, graphs ...................................................80
colors, configuration ...........................................12
COMMAND.COM .....................................................15
CONFIG.CT6, saving ..............................................13
CONFIG.EXE ......................................................12
configuration, default ..........................................12
configuration, floppy disk ......................................12
configuration, hard disk ........................................11
conventions ......................................................9
converting data .................................................14
copyright ........................................................4
credit transaction ..............................................26
credit transaction, detailed use ................................33
CTGRAF.EXE ......................................................77
Ctrl-F10 (calculator) ...........................................17
cursor controls .................................................16
cursor problems (error) .........................................86
customer support .................................................6
data disk directory .............................................68
data disk name ..................................................66
data disks, additional ..........................................91
data drive, changing ............................................68
data drive, default .............................................13
data entry, checking ...........................................25
data entry, checking, procedure .................................28
data entry, general .............................................17
data entry, interest and dividends ..............................54
data entry, investment ..........................................51
data entry, investment, mandatory/optional ......................52
data entry, investment, share based accounts ....................53
data entry, sales ...............................................54
data export .....................................................74
data file descriptions ..........................................88
data format, delimited (import/export) ..........................70
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INDEX
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data format, undelimited (import/export) ........................71
data transfer ...................................................75
data validation .................................................18
data value table (import) .......................................71
data values, investment, validity ...............................52
data, checking, mandatory/optional ..............................27
data, converting ................................................14
data, importing .................................................70
data, validity, checking ........................................27
date, system ....................................................22
dates, graphing .................................................78
default checking account ........................................13
default configuration ...........................................12
delete entire checking account ..................................39
delete, batch, checking .........................................39
deleting an entire investment account ...........................55
deleting entire investment file .................................55
deleting entries, checking ......................................39
deleting entries, investment ....................................55
deleting group/account names ....................................64
delimited data format (import/export) ...........................70
deposit transaction .............................................26
directory, data disk ............................................68
directory, system disk ..........................................68
discount .........................................................7
displaying group/account names ..................................65
dividend (paid) transaction, investment .........................51
dividend (reinvested) transaction, investment ...................51
DOS portal ......................................................68
drives, default .................................................13
duplicating entries, checking ...................................29
duplicating entries, investments ................................55
electronic mail system ...........................................6
End key .........................................................16
enhancements .....................................................1
Enter key .......................................................17
entering data, general ..........................................17
error messages, level 2 .........................................84
error messages, level 3 .........................................85
error messages, levels ..........................................83
errors, validation ..............................................83
Esc key .........................................................20
exit ............................................................90
exit to DOS, temporary ..........................................69
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INDEX
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export data selection screen ....................................74
exporting data ..................................................74
features, general ................................................2
fee, broker .....................................................52
file descriptions ...............................................88
function keys ...................................................17
graphing and utilities program ..................................77
graphing setup screen ...........................................77
grid lines, graph ...............................................79
hardware requirements ............................................7
help files, where to put ........................................15
help screen error ...............................................86
help screens, discussion ........................................22
help screens, if blank ..........................................22
help, calling ...................................................17
import data screen ..............................................72
importing data ..................................................70
initial operation ................................................9
inserting group/account names ...................................65
installation, floppy disk .......................................10
installation, hard disk .........................................10
interest (reinvested) transaction, investment ...................51
interest transaction, checking ..................................26
investment (paid) transaction, investment .......................51
investment account activity summary report ......................57
investment account names ........................................63
investment account names, general ...............................20
investment account statement report .............................56
investment accounts, general ....................................51
investment data entry ...........................................51
investment reports ..............................................56
investment transaction types ....................................51
keys, keypad ....................................................16
legend, graph ...................................................81
license, commercial version ......................................4
license, demo version ............................................3
macro, bad type .................................................78
macro, graphing .................................................77
macros, changing ................................................78
macros, deleting ................................................78
macros, listing .................................................78
memory resident utilities .......................................83
memos, entry ....................................................29
menu screens ....................................................22
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INDEX
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menus, general structure ........................................19
minimum balance warning .........................................67
monthly budget details report ...................................42
name checking account ...........................................46
name, adding new ................................................63
names, investment account .......................................63
names, purchase group ...........................................63
naming the data disk ............................................66
opening balance transaction .....................................26
operation, initial ...............................................9
options, graphing ...............................................77
out of memory error .............................................86
packing unpaid bills file .......................................63
parity check error ..............................................86
PgDn, PgDn ......................................................16
polarity, graph .................................................79
port, printer ...................................................13
portal, dos .....................................................68
precision, graph ................................................82
printer port ....................................................13
printing checking reports .......................................40
printing graphs .................................................79
printing investment reports .....................................56
printing, screen, speed .........................................15
purchase group names ............................................63
purchase groups, general ........................................20
purchase groups, sample .........................................11
purchase transaction, investment ................................51
RAM drives ......................................................89
remedies .........................................................5
renumbering groups/accounts .....................................65
report options, general, checking ...............................41
report options, investments .....................................57
report, check register ..........................................40
report, checking account summary ................................43
report, monthly budget ..........................................43
report, monthly budget details ..................................42
report, unpaid bills ............................................43
report, yearly budget ...........................................44
reporting problems ..............................................83
reports, investment .............................................56
reports, printing, checking .....................................40
resident utilities ..............................................83
Return key ......................................................17
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rolling time frame ..............................................78
sale transaction, investment ....................................51
savings accounts, data entry ....................................55
savings accounts, general .......................................51
Searching .......................................................37
serial number ...................................................16
SET CT6=X ........................................................9
skip unpaid bill transaction ....................................26
sort by check number, report ....................................42
sorting checking files ..........................................62
sorting files by date ...........................................61
sorting investment files ........................................63
speed, program ..................................................89
split entries, importing ........................................73
splitting entries, checking .....................................30
starting program ................................................15
string space corrupt ............................................86
style, graph ....................................................81
subdirectories, data ............................................13
summary of all accounts investment report .......................58
support, customer ................................................6
system disk directory ...........................................68
system drive, changing ..........................................68
system drive, default ...........................................13
tab key .........................................................17
terminate and stay resident mode ................................69
time frame, rolling .............................................78
time units, graphing ............................................78
transaction types, graphing .....................................80
transaction types, investments ..................................51
transactions, checking ..........................................25
transfer data ...................................................75
troubleshooting .................................................83
undelimited data format (import/export) .........................71
unpaid bill, "nag-flag" .........................................36
unpaid bills report .............................................43
unpaid bills transaction ........................................26
unpaid bills, entry .............................................35
unpaid bills, paying ............................................36
updates, program .................................................6
utilities, main program .........................................61
utilities, memory resident ......................................83
validation ......................................................18
voiding checks ..................................................35
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INDEX
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warning, minimum balance ........................................67
warranty, disk ...................................................5
warranty, program ................................................5
withdrawals .....................................................26
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[101]
CashTrac 6.06
User Registration and Order Form
Use this form to register your copy of CashTrac in or