The Business Master (3rd Edition)/The Business Master (3rd Edition).iso/files/accoting/chkmate1/cmplus.lzh/CMPLUS.HLP

Text File | 1992-01-28 | 119.1 KB | 39 lines

VERSION 1.50 <
You're at CheckMate Plus' main menu. Move the
"highlighted" bar to the option of your choice and press
CR to "pull" the menu down. You can also type the first
letter of your choice to instantly jump to that choice.

Transactions

In the "Transactions" menu, you enter and edit
daily transactions (such as checks, deposits, ATM
withdrawals, etc).

You can also define and edit "automatic" transactions. The
"automatic transactions" are those that appear on a "menu"
(to be used over and over) or may be "date activated".

The Transactions menu also has an option for "closing"
transactions (which will erase them permanently from the
database).

Accounts

The "Accounts" menu is where you'll define and edit all
accounts (including checking accounts and all general ledger
accounts).

You also select your "control account" here and can view
account status information.

Reports

In the "Reports" menu you can view and print a variety of
reports, reconcile your checking accounts, display graphics,
and even print checks.

Maintenance

The "Maintenance" menu has options for repairing and
rebuilding the data file. You can also create and modify
definitions for printing your checks and customized reports.

Finance

The "Finance" menu has helpful routines for estimating
payments and interest on loans, regular deposits, and
compoundings.

You can also view and print complete amortization schedules
here.

Setup

The "Setup" menu has many options:

 -- Define your FISCAL YEAR
 -- Protect your "Audit Trail" with a password
 -- Setup up a screen-saving "blanker"
 -- Customize CheckMate Plus' colors
 -- Customize CheckMate Plus' special effects
 -- View your video option
 -- Setup password protection
 -- View you program and data file paths
 -- Set "general" display options
 -- Set default options for report printing
 -- Set headings for printing on reports

 TRANSACTIONS MENU

Enter Transactions Lets you create new transactions for the
current control account

Edit Transactions Lets you edit or delete transactions for
the current control account

Run Automatic Scripts Runs "automatic scripts" that you
have defined previously

Enter Auto Transactions Lets you define automatic scripts
(both by name for a menu and by date). Automatic entries
can save you a tremendous amount of time. "Date activated"
entries even remind you when they're due!

Edit Auto Transactions Here you can edit automatic
transactions you've enter above.

Close Transactions This option "purges" the data base to
free up disk space and increase program performance.

Expense Transactions Use this option to scan for any
transaction (in any account) that is out of balance for some
reason. This is very useful for finding errors in your
general ledger.

 ACCOUNTS MENU

Enter New Accounts This option lets you define new accounts
(both checking and other ledger accounts).

Edit Accounts Choose this option to edit accounts you've
previously defined.

Select Control Account All of the "transaction" options and
many of the reports work on one account at a time. You pick
that account here.

Account Status This option displays status information
about specific accounts.

 REPORTS MENU

Reconcile The "Reconcile" option helps you reconcile your
checking accounts. (This option only appears if the current
control account is a checking account.

Transaction The "Transaction" report works on the control
account and gives a report similar to the "checkbook ledger"
that you keep by hand.

Ledger "Ledger" reports give detailed information on the
activity and makeup of your chart of accounts.

Summary The "Summary" reports are standard accounting
reports (such as the Balance Sheet and Income Statement).
You can customize some of these reports under the
"Maintenance" menu.

Graphics This option lets you display graphical reports on
individual accounts or your ledger as a whole.

Print Checks If your current control account is a checking
account, you can print them with this option.

GL Analysis This report checks to see if your books are in
balance, and, if not, tells you why.

 MAINTENANCE MENU

Rebuild the Database Select this to repair and/or rebuild
the database file.

Define Check Layout This option lets you create or modify
your check layout (how CheckMate Plus prints your checks).

Define Custom Balance Sheets This option permits you to
create or modify custom "Balance Sheets" (you print these
under the "Reports" menu).

Define Custom Income Statements Choose this option to
create or modify custom "Income Statements" that you can
print under the "Reports" menu.
 FINANCE

Loans "Loans" lets you perform various loan calculations
and print an amortization report.

Regular Deposits Here you can analyze and predict returns
from regular interest-bearing deposits (and print an
amortization report).

Compounding "Compounding" a fixed sum refers to making a
single, one-time deposit in an interest bearing account.
With this option you can see how that initial deposit will
grow over time (and print an amortization report).

 SETUP

Fiscal Year Select this option to define the starting month
of your "fiscal year". You can also define past fiscal
years with this option.

Audit Lock You can password protect your audit trail with
this option.

Screen Saver This option lets you activate the "screen
saving" feature (which blanks the screen after a period of
inactivity).

Colors You can customize CheckMate Plus' colors with this
option.

Special Effects You can customize CheckMate Plus' special
effects (such as the exploding windows) with this option.

Video Lets you examine your video setup (you chose this
when you installed CheckMate Plus).

Password Here you can define a password to limit access to
your data file.

File Paths This option reports the current program and data
file paths.

General You can specify a "date format", "currency symbol",
and whether you want to use minus signs or parentheses to
represent negatives (on reports) here.

Report Printing This option permits you to define report
printing defaults (such as margins, setup strings, etc).

Report Headings Lets you define heading lines that will
appear on all reports.

Order Form This option helps you easily print a form to
order a registered copy of CheckMate Plus.

Select the transaction type you want to enter.

This is the "primary" data entry screen for transactions.

Here are some "special keys" to keep in mind while entering
transactions:

 alt-F2 Pop up the menu of "automatic" transactions

 +,- Increment or decrement the date (cursor must
 be on "date" field

 = Set date to "DOS" date (cursor must be on
 "date" field

 +,- Increment or decrement the check number
 (cursor must be on "check number" field

 F2 Pop up the "utilities" menu

 F3 "Split" the transaction

 F4 Edit the check "stub"

 alt-F4 Edit the "notes"

 alt-C Pop up the Calculator

 F10 Save the transaction

 ESC Exit

Here are the fields you see while entering checks. Other
transaction types have considerably fewer fields.

Check Number CheckMate Plus automatically assigns each
 check with the "next check number". You can
 override CheckMate Plus' choice by pressing
 the up-arrow key (to move up to the check
 number). Pressing the plus and minus keys
 will increment and decrement the check number
 respectively.

Date
The date of the transaction. The default is
 the system (DOS) date. Remember that you can
 press the plus and minus keys to increment or
 decrement the date (or you can enter it free
 format).

Amount The next field is the "amount" field (which,
 of course, is the amount of the check). After
 you enter the amount, the "spelled out amount"
 will appear and the current account balance
 will update.

TO The "TO" field is who you're writing the check
 for (the Payee).

Address If you told CheckMate Plus that you wanted to
 print addresses on the checks (while you were
 defining the account), you'll have three lines
 to enter the Payee's address under the Payee's
 name.

For This is the "memo" or "for" line on the check.
 You can enter a short note here.

Vendor Acct # Many vendors want you to write your account
 number on the checks you send them so they can
 properly credit your account. That's what
 this field is for.

Comments You have 67 characters to enter miscellaneous
 comments about the check in the "comments"
 field.

Tax Ded This is a YES/NO flag you can use to designate
 checks as tax deductible. Marking checks in
 this way makes it easy to generate a report of
 tax deductions at year's end.

Marked Like the "Tax Ded" flag, you can "mark" a
 check with this YES/NO flag. This is a
 general purpose field, that is, you can use it
 for whatever you want.

Printed If you're using CheckMate Plus to print
 checks, CheckMate Plus will mark this field
 for you when you print the check. If you mix
 writing checks by hand and printing them, be
 sure and mark this field for the checks you
 write out (otherwise CheckMate Plus will want
 to print them). If you're not printing any
 checks, you don't need to bother with this
 field.

Cleared CheckMate Plus marks this field during the
 reconciliation process. Be careful if you
 mark this field yourself, since the "Date
 Cleared" should match the statement date on
 which the check cleared.

Date Cleared If the transaction has cleared, this field
 holds the statement date (from the bank
 statement that the check appeared on).
 CheckMate Plus maintains this date so it can
 completely re-create a statement at any time.
 You should never have to enter this date
 manually as CheckMate Plus enters it during
 the reconciliation process.

This is the "primary" data edit screen for transactions.

Here are some "special keys" to keep in mind while editing
transactions:

 F7 Back up one transaction

 F8 Move forward one transaction

 F5 Jump to start of transactions (if the
 "filter" is set, jumps to the first match)

 F6 Jump to last transaction (if the "filter" is
 set, jumps to the last match)

 alt-J "Jump" to a specific date

 alt-F2 Pop up the menu of "automatic" transactions

 +,- Increment or decrement the date (cursor must
 be on "date" field

 = Set date to "DOS" date (cursor must be on
 "date" field

 +,- Increment or decrement the check number
 (cursor must be on "check number" field

 F2 Pop up the "utilities" menu

 F3 "Split" the transaction

 F4 Edit the check "stub"

 alt-F4 Edit the "notes"

 alt-C Pop up the Calculator

 F9 Delete the transaction

 F10 Save changes

 ESC Exit

Here are the fields you see while editing checks. Other
transaction types have considerably fewer fields.

Check Number Enter the number to print on the check here.
 Pressing the plus and minus keys will
 increment and decrement the check number
 respectively.

Date
The date of the transaction. Remember that
 you can press the plus and minus keys to
 increment or decrement the date (or you can
 enter it free format).

Amount The next field is the "amount" field (which,
 of course, is the amount of the check).

TO The "TO" field is who you're writing the check
 for (the Payee).

Address If you told CheckMate Plus that you wanted to
 print addresses on the checks (while you were
 defining the account), you'll have three lines
 to enter the Payee's address under the Payee's
 name.

For This is the "memo" or "for" line on the check.
 You can enter a short note here.

Vendor Acct # Many vendors want you to write your account
 number on the checks you send them so they can
 properly credit your account. That's what
 this field is for.

Comments You have 67 characters to enter miscellaneous
 comments about the check in the "comments"
 field.

Tax Ded This is a YES/NO flag you can use to designate
 checks as tax deductible. Marking checks in
 this way makes it easy to generate a report of
 tax deductions at year's end.

Marked Like the "Tax Ded" flag, you can "mark" a
 check with this YES/NO flag. This is a
 general purpose field, that is, you can use it
 for whatever you want.

Printed If you're using CheckMate Plus to print
 checks, CheckMate Plus will mark this field
 for you when you print the check. If you mix
 writing checks by hand and printing them, be
 sure and mark this field for the checks you
 write out (otherwise CheckMate Plus will want
 to print them). If you're not printing any
 checks, you don't need to bother with this
 field.

Cleared CheckMate Plus marks this field during the
 reconciliation process. Be careful if you
 mark this field yourself, since the "Date
 Cleared" should match the statement date on
 which the check cleared.

Date Cleared If the transaction has cleared, this field
 holds the statement date (from the bank
 statement that the check appeared on).
 CheckMate Plus maintains this date so it can
 completely re-create a statement at any time.
 You should never have to enter this date
 manually as CheckMate Plus enters it during
 the reconciliation process.

This is the "primary" data entry screen for automatic
transactions that will appear "on the menu".

Here are some "special keys" to keep in mind while entering
menu transactions:

 alt-F2 Pop up the menu of "automatic" transactions

 F2 Pop up the "utilities" menu

 F3 "Split" the transaction

 F4 Edit the check "stub"

 alt-F4 Edit the "notes"

 alt-C Pop up the Calculator

 F10 Save the "menu" transaction

 ESC Exit

Here are some of the fields you see while entering menu
transactions. The "Enter Automatic Transactions" form is
only slightly different than the "Enter Transactions" form:

Amount This is a special field for "automatic
 transactions".

 * TIMESAVER: If the amount for this
 transaction will routinely change (your
 utilities bill, for example), leave the amount
 zero and CheckMate Plus will automatically
 jump to the amount field when you select this
 transaction from the menu!

Name
At the bottom of the primary data entry
 screen, you can (and must) enter a "Name" for
 this automatic transaction. This Name will
 appear on the menu in alphabetical order. You
 may not have duplicate names!

 Important! Each "automatic transaction" is
 specific to the control account you have
 selected when you enter it. Each "automatic
 transaction" is also specific to the
 "transaction type" you're entering. You can
 have duplicate names as long as the duplicates
 are not in the same account and the same
 transaction type!

 This means, however, that an "automatic
 transaction" you put on the menu for one
 account WILL NOT appear on the menu for any
 other account.

 * SPECIAL NOTE: CheckMate Plus orders the
 "names" alphabetically, but the names are CASE
 SENSITIVE. This means that "Tom" will appear
 BEFORE "anna" (since an upper-case "T" is
 alphabetically before a lower-case "a").
 "Anna", however, will come before "Tom" (as
 long as "Anna" begins with a capital "A").

CheckMate Plus also displays a highlighted bar at the bottom
of the screen to remind you that you're entering an
"automatic transaction" (versus a regular one).

Remember you can also predefine the "split" (press F3), the
"stub" (press F4), and the "notes" (press alt-F4).

* TIMESAVER: You can "pop the menu up" while entering
"automatic transactions" (just as you can while entering
"regular" transactions). Just press alt-F2. This can save
you time if you're entering multiple (but similar) automatic
transactions.

The "Utilities" menu is available while entering "automatic
transactions". Press F2 to pop it up.

Press F10 to save the automatic transaction after you've
finished entering your data. It will now appear "on the
menu" for this account and transaction type. Press ESC to
abort saving.

This is the "primary" data edit screen for automatic
transactions that will appear "on the menu".

Here are some "special keys" to keep in mind while editing
menu transactions:

 F7 Back up one transaction

 F8 Move forward one transaction

 F5 Jump to first transaction

 F6 Jump to last transaction

 alt-F2 Pop up the menu of "automatic" transactions

 F2 Pop up the "utilities" menu

 F3 "Split" the transaction

 F4 Edit the check "stub"

 alt-F4 Edit the "notes"

 alt-C Pop up the Calculator

 F9 Delete the menu transaction

 F10 Save changes

 ESC Exit

Here are some of the fields you see while editing menu
transactions. The "Edit Automatic Transactions" form is
only slightly different than the "Edit Transactions" form:

Amount This is a special field for "automatic
 transactions".

 * TIMESAVER: If the amount for this
 transaction will routinely change (your
 utilities bill, for example), leave the amount
 zero and CheckMate Plus will automatically
 jump to the amount field when you select this
 transaction from the menu!

Name
At the bottom of the primary data edit screen,
 you can (and must) enter a "Name" for this
 automatic transaction. This Name will appear
 on the menu in alphabetical order. You may not
 have duplicate names!

 Important! Each "automatic transaction" is
 specific to the control account you have
 selected when you enter it. Each "automatic
 transaction" is also specific to the
 "transaction type" you're entering. You can
 have duplicate names as long as the
 duplicates are not in the same account and
 the same transaction type!

 This means, however, that an "automatic
 transaction" you put on the menu for one
 account WILL NOT appear on the menu for any
 other account.

 * SPECIAL NOTE: CheckMate Plus orders the
 "names" alphabetically, but the names are
 CASE SENSITIVE. This means that "Tom" will
 appear BEFORE "anna" (since an upper-case "T"
 is alphabetically before a lower-case "a").
 "Anna", however, will come before "Tom" (as
 long as "Anna" begins with a capital "A").

CheckMate Plus also displays a highlighted bar at the bottom
of the screen to remind you that you're entering an
"automatic transaction" (versus a regular one).

Remember you can also predefine the "split" (press F3), the
"stub" (press F4), and the "notes" (press alt-F4).

* TIMESAVER: You can "pop the menu up" while entering
"automatic transactions" (just as you can while entering
"regular" transactions). Just press alt-F2. This can save
you time if you're entering multiple (but similar) automatic
transactions.

The "Utilities" menu is available while entering "automatic
transactions". Press F2 to pop it up.

Press F10 to save the automatic transaction after you've
finished entering your data. It will now appear "on the
menu" for this account and transaction type. Press ESC to
abort saving.

This is the "primary" data entry screen for "date activated"
automatic transactions. CheckMate Plus will automatically
inform you when these transactions are "due".

Here are some "special keys" to keep in mind while entering
date transactions:

 alt-F2 Pop up the menu of "automatic" transactions

 F2 Pop up the "utilities" menu

 F3 "Split" the transaction

 F4 Edit the check "stub"

 alt-F4 Edit the "notes"

 alt-C Pop up the Calculator

 F10 Save the "date" transaction

 ESC Exit

Here are some of the fields you see while entering date
activated transactions. Other transaction types have
considerably fewer fields. The "Enter Automatic
Transactions" form is only slightly different than the
"Enter Transactions" form:

Amount This is a special field for "automatic
 transactions".

 * TIMESAVER: If the amount for this
 transaction will routinely change (your
 utilities bill, for example), leave the amount
 zero and CheckMate Plus will automatically
 jump to the amount field when you select this
 transaction from the menu!

Repeat At the bottom of the primary data entry
 screen, you can enter a "repeat option".

 CheckMate Plus has six "repeat options". They
 are:

 o Never (Use once, and then ERASE the
 automatic transaction)

 o Monthly (Repeat on the same date every
 month)

 o Weekly (Repeat on the day every week)

 o Bi-Weekly (Repeat on the same day every two
 weeks)

 o Quarterly (Repeat on the same date every
 three months)

 o Yearly (Repeat on the same date every year)

 This is a menu field. You can type the
 option in, or press alt-F10 (or the middle
 button on the mouse) to pop the menu up.

 Important! Each "automatic transaction" is
 specific to the control account you have
 selected when you enter it. This means a
 "date activated" transaction will only
 activate for the account that is the control
 account when you enter it.

Activation
Date

CheckMate Plus also displays a highlighted bar at the bottom
of the screen to remind you that you're entering an
"automatic transaction" (versus a regular one).

Remember you can also predefine the "split" (press F3), the
"stub" (press F4), and the "notes" (press alt-F4).

* TIMESAVER: You can "pop the menu up" while entering
"automatic transactions" (just as you can while entering
"regular" transactions). Just press alt-F2. This can save
you time if you're entering multiple (but similar) automatic
transactions.

The "Utilities" menu is available while entering "automatic
transactions". Press F2 to pop it up.

Press F10 to save the automatic transaction after you've
finished entering your data. It will now appear "on the
menu" for this account and transaction type. Press ESC to
abort saving.

This is the "primary" data edit screen for automatic
transactions that will appear "on the menu".

Here are some "special keys" to keep in mind while editing
menu transactions:

 F7 Back up one transaction

 F8 Move forward one transaction

 F5 Jump to first transaction

 F6 Jump to last transaction

 alt-F2 Pop up the menu of "automatic" transactions

 F2 Pop up the "utilities" menu

 F3 "Split" the transaction

 F4 Edit the check "stub"

 alt-F4 Edit the "notes"

 alt-C Pop up the Calculator

 F9 Delete the menu transaction

 F10 Save changes

 ESC Exit

Here are the fields you see while editing checks. Other
transaction types have fewer fields. The "Edit Automatic
Transactions" form is only slightly different than the "Edit
Transactions" form:

Amount This is a special field for "automatic
 transactions".

 * TIMESAVER: If the amount for this
 transaction will routinely change (your
 utilities bill, for example), leave the amount
 zero and CheckMate Plus will automatically
 jump to the amount field when you select this
 transaction from the menu!

Name
At the bottom of the primary data edit screen,
 you can (and must) enter a "Name" for this
 automatic transaction. This Name will appear
 on the menu in alphabetical order. You may not
 have duplicate names!

 Important! Each "automatic transaction" is
 specific to the control account you have
 selected when you enter it. Each "automatic
 transaction" is also specific to the
 "transaction type" you're entering. You can
 have duplicate names as long as the
 duplicates are not in the same account and
 the same transaction type!

 This means, however, that an "automatic
 transaction" you put on the menu for one
 account WILL NOT appear on the menu for any
 other account.

 * SPECIAL NOTE: CheckMate Plus orders the
 "names" alphabetically, but the names are
 CASE SENSITIVE. This means that "Tom" will
 appear BEFORE "anna" (since an upper-case "T"
 is alphabetically before a lower-case "a").
 "Anna", however, will come before "Tom" (as
 long as "Anna" begins with a capital "A").

CheckMate Plus also displays a highlighted bar at the bottom
of the screen to remind you that you're entering an
"automatic transaction" (versus a regular one).

Remember you can also predefine the "split" (press F3), the
"stub" (press F4), and the "notes" (press alt-F4).

* TIMESAVER: You can "pop the menu up" while entering
"automatic transactions" (just as you can while entering
"regular" transactions). Just press alt-F2. This can save
you time if you're entering multiple (but similar) automatic
transactions.

The "Utilities" menu is available while entering "automatic
transactions". Press F2 to pop it up.

Press F10 to save the automatic transaction after you've
finished entering your data. It will now appear "on the
menu" for this account and transaction type. Press ESC to
abort saving.

You are in the "Split Transaction" window. CheckMate Plus
lets you "split" the transaction twelve ways to account for
the flow of money.

Here are some "special keys" to keep in mind while you're in
the "split" window:

 alt-F2 Pop up the menu of "automatic" transactions

 F2 Pop up the "utilities" menu

 PgDn "Total" the transaction (see below)

 alt-F10 Pop up a list of available accounts (the
 cursor must be on an "account number" field)

 +,- Increment/decrement account number (the
 cursor must be on an "account number" field)

 F3 Pull the "payto" or "memo" into the
 "description" field (the cursor must be on
 the description field)

 alt-C Pop up the Calculator

 F10 Save the transaction

 ESC Return to "primary data" window

You'll notice that CheckMate Plus fills in the first line of
the transaction for you (in fact, you can't edit the first
line in the "split" window!). CheckMate Plus knows whether
to enter a debit or a credit and positions the cursor on the
next line in the "account number" field.

Acct#     Enter an account's number here. If you can't
 remember the number of the account you want,
 press the local menu key (alt-F10) or press
 the middle button on the mouse to pop-up a
 pick list. You can also use the plus and
 minus keys to scroll through the numbers and
 search for the right account. The account's
 name will automatically appear to the right of
 the number. If you don't enter a valid
 number, CheckMate Plus will automatically pop
 up the pick list.

Description The "description" field is for you to enter
 notes to yourself (so that the ledger
 transaction and activity reports will make
 sense to you later). CheckMate Plus fills the
 first description in for you (a check number
 or the "Memo" from other types of
 transactions).

 * TIMESAVER: Many times the "description" that
 you want to enter will be the payee's name
 (that you entered on the check). Press F3
 while in any "description" field and CheckMate
 Plus will "paste" the payee's name directly
 in.

Debit/Credit Enter an appropriate debit or credit in the
 next two fields. You can have either a debit
 or credit (but not both on the same line).

CheckMate Plus totals the transactions as you enter the
amounts. When the transaction is in "balance" (i.e. when
debits=credits"), the "Unaccounted For" field will be zero.

* TIMESAVER: At ANY time while you're "splitting" the
transaction, you can "force" the transaction to "balance" by
pressing PgDn. When you do this, CheckMate Plus will adjust
the debit (or credit) on the line the cursor is on to make
the transaction balance. You'll find this key most useful
while entering the "last" line of a transaction.

You can return to the primary data entry screen by pressing
ESC.

You're currently "expensing" transactions... a feature of
CheckMate Plus that searches for unbalanced transactions.

This transaction is out of balance for some reason. Press
F3 to "split" the transaction and determine why.

All the normal "editing keys" exist while you're expensing
transactions, but you cannot "move through" the file (with
F7 and F8). Pressing either of these keys tells CheckMate 
Plus to search for the next "unbalanced" transaction.

You may press ESC at any time to abort this process.

Yes or No, please.

 CALCULATOR

This is CheckMate Plus' pop-up financial calculator.

You can scroll through the tape with the up and down arrow
keys, PgUp, and PgDn. The tape holds the last 100 lines
entered.

If you want to use the printer, make sure it is ready before
you press P. The calculator will then echo all output to
the printer.

Also, CheckMate Plus automatically asserts the "NUMLOCK"
when the calculator is invoked so you may use the numeric
keypad on the IBM PC (or compatibles).

You can "paste" your calculated results into any data field
in CheckMate Plus by pressing F2. (Make sure the cursor
is in the field you want to paste to BEFORE you activate the
calculator). You can only paste results after you "total"
(i.e. when the "ENTER" block in the calculator in not
reverse video).

Press ESC to exit the calculator and return to CheckMate
Plus.

This is a menu of all accounts in your "Chart of Accounts".

If the cursor is currently on an "account number" field, you
can select an account by putting the high-lighted bar over
it and pressing CR. IF the account number of the account
you select is valid for that field, CheckMate Plus will
"paste" the number in.

Press ESC to exit the chart without selecting an account.

This menu pops up automatically every time CheckMate Plus
expects an account number (within a specific range) and you
enter something it doesn't understand.

You can also pop this menu up yourself by pressing alt-F10
while you're on an account number field.

Select the account you want from the menu (or press ESC to
abort).

 UTILITY MENU

Here are some "utilities" available to you while entering
transactions:

Add Account You may find you want to add accounts while
 "splitting" the transaction. From the
 "Utilities" menu, select "Add Account" and
 you'll be able to add as many accounts as you
 wish.

Edit
If you want to "edit" old transactions while
Transactions you're entering a new one, select this option.

Memorize Select "Memorize" if you want to add this
 transaction to the pop-up menu (so you can
 repeat it later) or if you want to add it to
 the menu or date activated list.

Stub Layout This option applies only to checks, and will
 determine how to print the stub while printing
 the check. When you select this option,
 another menu appears.

Print the You can print the check you're entering as you
Check     enter it. Just select "Print Check". Be sure
 that your check is in the printer and ready
 before you select "Print Check", however,
 since CheckMate Plus will print the check
 immediately.

Rebuild This option will only appear on the menu if
Account the control account needs to be "rebuilt" to
 update the running balances.

 UTILITY MENU

Here are some "utilities" available to you while editing
transactions:

Add Account You may find you want to add accounts while
 "splitting" the transaction. From the
 "Utilities" menu, select "Add Account" and
 you'll be able to add as many accounts as you
 wish.

Set "Search Select this option to enter a "pattern" that
and Filter" each transaction must "match" (to search for
 specific items).

Memorize Select "Memorize" if you want to add this
 transaction to the pop-up menu (so you can
 repeat it later) or if you want to add it to
 the menu or date activated list.

Stub Layout This option applies only to checks, and will
 determine how to print the stub while printing
 the check. When you select this option,
 another menu appears.

Print the You can print the check you're entering as you
Check     enter it. Just select "Print Check". Be sure
 that your check is in the printer and ready
 before you select "Print Check", however,
 since CheckMate Plus will print the check
 immediately.

Rebuild This option will only appear on the menu if
Account the control account needs to be "rebuilt" to
 update the running balances.

 UTILITY MENU

Here are some "utilities" available to you while entering or
editing "automatic" transactions:

Add Account You may find you want to add accounts while
 "splitting" the transaction. From the
 "Utilities" menu, select "Add Account" and
 you'll be able to add as many accounts as you
 wish.

Memorize Select "Memorize" if you want to add this
 transaction to the pop-up menu (so you can
 repeat it later) or if you want to add it to
 the menu or date activated list.

Stub Layout This option applies only to checks, and will
 determine how to print the stub while printing
 the check. When you select this option,
 another menu appears.

Automatic transactions can appear "on the menu" or may be
setup to "automatically remind" you when they're due (based
on a date you enter). Select the type of automatic
transactions you want to define here.

You must give this transaction a "name". This name will
appear on the menu you can pop-up while entering or editing
transactions.

You must specify a date here (so CheckMate Plus will know
when to "activate" the transaction). You must also specify
your "repeat" option:

Repeat CheckMate Plus has six "repeat options". They
 are:

 o Never (Use once, and then ERASE the
 automatic transaction)

 o Monthly (Repeat on the same date every
 month)

 o Weekly (Repeat on the day every week)

 o Bi-Weekly (Repeat on the same day every two
 weeks)

 o Quarterly (Repeat on the same date every
 three months)

 o Yearly (Repeat on the same date every year)

 This is a menu field. You can type the
 option in, or press alt-F10 (or the middle
 button on the mouse) to pop the menu up.

This is the "Stub Layout" menu. This option applies only to
checks, and will determine how to print the stub while
printing the check.

Automatic This is the default stub layout. In the
Select automatic mode, CheckMate Plus determines
 whether to print the "Accounts Payable" stub
 (which is a list of accounts that you've
 split the check across) or the custom stub
 (which you enter by pressing F4).
 CheckMate Plus looks at the custom stub
 first. If the first line of the stub is
 blank, it prints the automatic stub.
 Otherwise it will print the custom stub.

No Stub If you choose "No Stub", CheckMate Plus will
 not print a stub when you print the check
 (even if the check layout calls for one). If
 necessary, CheckMate Plus will print blank
 lines on the stub (to keep the check
 alignment correct).

Custom Stub This option forces CheckMate Plus to print
 the custom stub (which you enter when you
 press F4) even if it is empty (in which
 case CheckMate Plus will print blank lines).

Accounts If you choose this option, CheckMate Plus
Payable will always print the "Accounts Payable" stub
 even if the custom stub is filled in. The
 accounts payable stub looks a lot like the
 "split transaction" screen (that is, it is a
 list of the accounts that you're "splitting"
 the check across).

Print the You can print the check you're entering as
Check     you enter it. Just select "Print Check" from
 the "Utilities" menu. Be sure that your
 check is in the printer and ready before you
 select "Print Check", however, since
 CheckMate Plus will print the check
 immediately.


Rebuild This option will only appear on the menu if
Account the control account needs to be "rebuilt" to
 update the running balances.

You are editing the "stub". This is a text "pad", and you
can use CheckMate Plus' built in editor to type in text that
you can print on check stubs later.

The "stub" pad has 20 lines and 130 columns. Press ESC to
exit the stub.

CheckMate Plus has a very simple built-in text editor.

The editor is not fancy, but it will get the job done. Many
of the keys you can use while editing are the same you use
in any of the data entry fields.

 Control Key Alternate Key Function

 Control-D right-arrow move one character right
 Control-S left-arrow move one character left

 Control-F move one word right
 Control-A move one word left

 Control-QD END move to end of line
 Control-QS HOME move to start of line
 Control-QR jump to top line
 Control-QC jump to bottom line

 Control-E up-arrow move up one line
 Control-X down-arrow move down one line

 Control-G DEL delete character at cursor
 Control-T delete word right
 Control-QY delete line right
 Control-Y delete entire line

 Control-H BACKSPACE delete character left

 Control-V INS toggle INSERT/OVERWRITE

 Control-KR read text file
 Control-KW write text file


Although the editor has many basic editing keys, it doesn't
have "cut and paste" features (yet). You can, however,
export the text to a file (press control-KW and enter a
filename). You can then use your favorite text editor to
manipulate the data.

Control-KR reads a file into the editor. BE CAREFUL! The
file "overwrites" anything already there.

You are editing the "notes". This is a text "pad", and you
can use CheckMate Plus' built in editor to type in any text
you desire.

The "notes" pad has 10 lines and 70 columns. Press ESC to
exit the notes pad.

CheckMate Plus has a very simple built-in text editor.

The editor is not fancy, but it will get the job done. Many
of the keys you can use while editing are the same you use
in any of the data entry fields.

 Control Key Alternate Key Function

 Control-D right-arrow move one character right
 Control-S left-arrow move one character left

 Control-F move one word right
 Control-A move one word left

 Control-QD END move to end of line
 Control-QS HOME move to start of line
 Control-QR jump to top line
 Control-QC jump to bottom line

 Control-E up-arrow move up one line
 Control-X down-arrow move down one line

 Control-G DEL delete character at cursor
 Control-T delete word right
 Control-QY delete line right
 Control-Y delete entire line

 Control-H BACKSPACE delete character left

 Control-V INS toggle INSERT/OVERWRITE

 Control-KR read text file
 Control-KW write text file


Although the editor has many basic editing keys, it doesn't
have "cut and paste" features (yet). You can, however,
export the text to a file (press control-KW and enter a
filename). You can then use your favorite text editor to
manipulate the data.

Control-KR reads a file into the editor. BE CAREFUL! The
file "overwrites" anything already there.

This is the "jump to" window. Enter a date and press CR.
CheckMate Plus will jump to that date (or as close as it can
get). The cursor jumps to the date field (field integrity
is not preserved), and the transaction does not have to
match the "search and filter" pattern (even if the "filter"
is set!

Select an item from this menu by putting the "bar" over your
choice and pressing CR. Press ESC to exit the menu without
selecting an item

Select whether you want to process "menu" transactions
(those that appear on the "pop up" menu) or "date activated"
transactions.

Enter the "activation" date here. CheckMate Plus will
process all transactions due on or before this date.

You are in the "Browse Setup" window.

You can do two things in this window: set browse dates and
the "search and filter" pattern.

Browse Dates You can enter the "starting" and "ending"
 browse dates before browsing. CheckMate Plus
 sets up the browse window by searching through
 the database for "matches" (see below).
 Setting the date boundaries can significantly
 reduce the file accesses that CheckMate Plus
 has to make and speed things up significantly.

 If you leave the dates blank, CheckMate Plus
 will search the entire file.

Search and Press F2 in the "Browse Setup Window" to
Filter activate the "search and filter" window. You
 can enter a pattern here (every transaction
 the browser presents must match this
 pattern). Remember that the "search and
 filter" pattern is not active unless you turn
 it on (alt-F toggles the "filter flag").
 While the filter is active, the word "FILT"
 appears on the "top line" of the screen.

Once you've set up for the browse, press F10. CheckMate
Plus will search the database and then open the "Browse
Window".

You're in the "Browse Window".

The "Browse Window" lists each transaction on a single line.
The following keys will move you around in the window:

Up Arrow Move up one transaction.

Down Arrow Move down one transaction.

PgUp
Move up on screen.

PgDn
Move down one screen.

Home
Move to first transaction.

End Move to last transaction.

The mouse will also move you through the transaction list.

You can press the SPACE BAR while browsing to "mark"
transactions. CheckMate Plus actually sets the "marked"
flag to YES when you do this. This is useful if you want to
mark transactions for a report (using the "search and
filter" to only print "marked" transactions).

If you press ESC in the "Browse Window" CheckMate Plus
will return you to the "Transactions" menu.

Editing while Browsing

At any time while you're browsing, you can press CR (or
the left button on the mouse) to edit the currently
highlighted transaction. The "Edit Transaction Window"
will appear. Press ESC to return to the browser.

This is the "Close Transactions" window.

CheckMate Plus lets you maintain active transactions
indefinitely. Over time, however, CheckMate Plus'
performance will decrease as it constantly has to search an
ever larger database.

As the necessity to maintain "old data" decreases (the data
may be several years old, you may want to "close" the older
transactions.

You have a single option here (the PURGE date). Enter a
date here and press F10. Since you can't reverse this
procedure, CheckMate Plus won't accept a default date (you
must enter a valid date) and will prompt you to confirm your
intentions before proceeding.

The purge will erase all transactions prior to the "purge
date". CheckMate Plus then updates the opening balance and
opening dates of all accounts. If you have "closing"
accounts (for REVENUE and EXPENSES) specified (see "Fiscal
Year Information" in the User's Guide). CheckMate Plus will
transfer all REVENUE and EXPENSE balances to them as it
purges the transactions.

This procedure affects ALL accounts, not just the control
account! It would be a good idea to make a backup before
you proceed!

Select the type of account you want to create.

Checking Accounts

Checking accounts are assets (since they represent money you
have). They are also detail accounts (which means you can
directly transfer money to and from them). Therefore, they
can have account numbers between 10000 and 19999.

CheckMate Plus treats checking accounts in a special way
since you'll be doing much of your day to day business
directly with them.

CheckMate Plus builds in the capability to print checks
(including addressing them for window envelopes), reconcile
(with you bank statement), and track other types of
transactions (such as deposits, services charges, and ATM
transactions).

Other Accounts

 Detail Accounts

You'll also be able to setup accounts to track your other
assets, liabilities, equity, revenue, and expenses. These
accounts are also "detail" accounts and will have five digit
account numbers (as described above).

These accounts are more general, however, and you won't have
(or need) as many options as you have with checking
accounts.

 Summary Accounts

You'll find "summary" accounts useful for assembling
accounts together in logical groups. You may, for example,
want to list accounts 10000 (Checking Account), 10001
(Savings Account), and 10008 (Petty Cash) under summary
account 1000 (Cash Assets).

 1000 Cash Assets
 10000 Checking Account
 10001 Savings Account
 10008 Petty Cash

You can direct CheckMate Plus to report the summaries (with
customized reports) for a more general analysis of your
financial condition.

This is the "Enter Checking Account" window.

Here are some "special keys" to keep in mind while entering
accounts:

 +,- Increment or decrement the date (cursor must
 be on "date" field

 = Set date to "DOS" date (cursor must be on
 "date" field

 F3 Edit "Budget" information

 alt-C Pop up the Calculator

 F10 Save the account

 ESC Exit


Here are the fields you see in this window:

Account Name The name for the account (such as "United
 Bank", "Mortgage", or "Utilities Expense".
 This name will appear on all account menus,
 account fields, and reports.

Opening Enter the "balance" of the account on the
Balance date you want to start tracking it. This may
 or may not be its current balance. It is a
 good idea to start an accounting system on
 January 1st, so you may want to "back enter"
 the data back to the first of the year (or
 whenever your accounting year begins).

 After you enter the opening balance, you must
 tell CheckMate Plus on which date the balance
 applied. Remember you may enter the date in
 any format you choose.

Next Check Enter the next check number you'll enter in
Number CheckMate Plus.

Address on Enter "YES" if you want addresses to appear
Checks in the check entry form (and on the checks
 you print).

Account CheckMate Plus fills this number in for you
Number (but you may change it if you wish). This is
 the general ledger account number for the
 account you're entering. Remember that
 detail accounts must always have five digits.

 You may press the plus or minus keys in this
 field to increment or decrement the number.
 You may not have two accounts with the same
 number.

Check Layout This is a "menu field", so you may either
 type in a defined check layout or press
 alt-F10 to pop the menu up. CheckMate Plus
 comes with three predefined layouts, but you
 may also enter your own (discussed in
 this User's Guide).

After you set up the account, press F10 to save the
information and add the account to your Chart of Accounts.
The window will clear and you can enter more accounts (or
press ESC to return to the Accounts Menu).

This is the "Enter Account" window.

Here are some "special keys" to keep in mind while entering
accounts:

 +,- Increment or decrement the date (cursor must
 be on "date" field

 = Set date to "DOS" date (cursor must be on
 "date" field

 F3 Edit "Budget" information

 alt-C Pop up the Calculator

 F10 Save the account

 ESC Exit


Here are the fields you see in this window:

Account Name The name for the account (such as "United
 Bank", "Mortgage", or "Utilities Expense".
 This name will appear on all account menus,
 account fields, and reports.

Opening Enter the "balance" of the account on the
Balance date you want to start tracking it. This may
 or may not be its current balance. It is a
 good idea to start an accounting system on
 January 1st, so you may want to "back enter"
 the data back to the first of the year (or
 whenever your accounting year begins).

 After you enter the opening balance, you must
 tell CheckMate Plus on which date the balance
 applied. Remember you may enter the date in
 any format you choose.

Account CheckMate Plus fills this number in for you
Number (but you may change it if you wish). This is
 the general ledger account number for the
 account you're entering. Remember that
 detail accounts must always have five digits.

 You may press the plus or minus keys in this
 field to increment or decrement the number.
 You may not have two accounts with the same
 number.

Contra This field applies to all account types
Account except checking. Contra accounts are special
 in accounting. If you don't know what contra
 accounts are, then leave this field "NO" (the
 default). If you do know, the field is self
 explanatory.

After you set up the account, press F10 to save the
information and add the account to your Chart of Accounts.
The window will clear and you can enter more accounts (or
press ESC to return to the Accounts Menu).

This is the "Enter Summary Account" window.

Here are some "special keys" to keep in mind while entering
summary accounts:

 F3 Review "Budget" information

 alt-C Pop up the Calculator

 F10 Save the account

 ESC Exit


Here are the fields you see in this window:

Account Name The name for the account (such as "United
 Bank", "Mortgage", or "Utilities Expense".
 This name will appear on all account menus,
 account fields, and reports.

Account CheckMate Plus fills this number in for you
Number (but you may change it if you wish). This is
 the general ledger account number for the
 account you're entering. Remember that
 summary accounts must less than have five
 digits.

 You may press the plus or minus keys in this
 field to increment or decrement the number.
 You may not have two accounts with the same
 number.

Contra This field applies to all account types
Account except checking. Contra accounts are special
 in accounting. If you don't know what contra
 accounts are, then leave this field "NO" (the
 default). If you do know, the field is self
 explanatory.

After you set up the account, press F10 to save the
information and add the account to your Chart of Accounts.
The window will clear and you can enter more accounts (or
press ESC to return to the Accounts Menu).

This is the "Edit Checking Account" window.

Here are some "special keys" to keep in mind while editing
accounts:

 +,- Increment or decrement the date (cursor must
 be on "date" field

 = Set date to "DOS" date (cursor must be on
 "date" field

 F3 Edit "Budget" information

 alt-C Pop up the Calculator

 F9 Delete the account

 F10 Save changes

 ESC Exit


Here are the fields you see in this window:

Account Name The name for the account (such as "United
 Bank", "Mortgage", or "Utilities Expense".
 This name will appear on all account menus,
 account fields, and reports.

Opening Enter the "balance" of the account on the
Balance date you want to start tracking it. You must
 tell CheckMate Plus on which date the balance
 applied. Remember you may enter the date in
 any format you choose.

Next Check Enter the next check number you'll enter in
Number CheckMate Plus.

Address on Enter "YES" if you want addresses to appear
Checks in the check entry form (and on the checks
 you print).

Account This is the general ledger account number for
Number the account you're editing. Remember that
 detail accounts must always have five digits.

 You may press the plus or minus keys in this
 field to increment or decrement the number.
 You may not have two accounts with the same
 number.

Check Layout This is a "menu field", so you may either
 type in a defined check layout or press
 alt-F10 to pop the menu up. CheckMate Plus
 comes with three predefined layouts, but you
 may also enter your own (discussed in
 this User's Guide).

After you set up the account, press F10 to save the
information and update your Chart of Accounts. Press F9 to
delete the account. Press ESC to return to the Accounts
Menu.

This is the "Edit Account" window.

Here are some "special keys" to keep in mind while editing
accounts:

 +,- Increment or decrement the date (cursor must
 be on "date" field

 = Set date to "DOS" date (cursor must be on
 "date" field

 F3 Edit "Budget" information

 alt-C Pop up the Calculator

 F9 Delete the account

 F10 Save changes

 ESC Exit


Here are the fields you see in this window:

Account Name The name for the account (such as "United
 Bank", "Mortgage", or "Utilities Expense".
 This name will appear on all account menus,
 account fields, and reports.

Opening Enter the "balance" of the account on the
Balance date you want to start tracking it. You must
 tell CheckMate Plus on which date the balance
 applied. Remember you may enter the date in
 any format you choose.

Account This is the general ledger account number for
Number the account you're editing. Remember that
 detail accounts must always have five digits.

 You may press the plus or minus keys in this
 field to increment or decrement the number.
 You may not have two accounts with the same
 number.

Contra This field applies to all account types
Account except checking. Contra accounts are special
 in accounting. If you don't know what contra
 accounts are, then leave this field "NO" (the
 default). If you do know, the field is self
 explanatory.

After you set up the account, press F10 to save the
information and update your Chart of Accounts. Press F9 to
delete the account. Press ESC to return to the Accounts
Menu.

This is the "Edit Summary Account" window.

Here are some "special keys" to keep in mind while editing 
summary accounts:

 F3 Review "Budget" information

 alt-C Pop up the Calculator

 F9 Delete the account

 F10 Save changes

 ESC Exit


Here are the fields you see in this window:

Account Name The name for the account (such as "United
 Bank", "Mortgage", or "Utilities Expense".
 This name will appear on all account menus,
 account fields, and reports.

Account This is the general ledger account number for
Number the account you're editing. Remember that
 summary accounts must less than have five
 digits.

 You may press the plus or minus keys in this
 field to increment or decrement the number.
 You may not have two accounts with the same
 number.

Contra This field applies to all account types
Account except checking. Contra accounts are special
 in accounting. If you don't know what contra
 accounts are, then leave this field "NO" (the
 default). If you do know, the field is self
 explanatory.

After you set up the account, press F10 to save the
information and update your Chart of Accounts. Press F9 to
delete the account. Press ESC to return to the Accounts
Menu.

Select the type of account you want to enter.

"Summary" accounts are accounts that "sum" accounts together
in logical groups. All the other account types are "detail"
accounts.

This is the "Account Budget Setup" window.

Here you can enter budgeting data that CheckMate Plus uses
in preparing reports. ESC returns you to the Account Entry
(or Edit) Window.

The "quarters" in the budget window are based on the start
of your fiscal year (see "Fiscal Year Setup" under the
"Setup" menu). You can, for instance, choose to start your
accounting year on October 1st (rather than January 1st).
In this case, The 1st Quarter would include October,
November, and December (instead of January, February, and
March).

CheckMate Plus is transaction oriented, and you'll spend
most of your time entering transactions.

You can select which account CheckMate Plus will treat as
the control account here. Pick the account you want to
treat as the default for transaction entry/edit, reports,
printing checks, etc. The control account's name and
number appear in the lower right hand corner of the screen.

CheckMate Plus remembers your control account and will
automatically select it the next time you run the program.
We anticipate you'll spend most of the time with your
primary checking account as the default.

* NOTE: Only "detail" accounts will appear on this menu
since you can't post transactions directly to summary
accounts!

You'll automatically return to the "Accounts" menu when you
select your control account. You can also press ESC to
exit the "Select Control Account Menu" without changing the
control account.

This is the "Account Status" window. This window displays
critical information about the selected account.

This is the "Search and Filter" Window

You specify the items you want to match by setting up
"equations". The "search and filter" window has six lines,
each with five fields:

Variable This first field is where you specify the
 particular variable you're trying to match.
 You can type the variable in yourself, or
 press alt-F10 (the local menu key) or the
 middle mouse button to pop-up a menu of
 variables.

OP In the second field, enter the "operator".
 For instance, if you want to exactly match
 the variable, enter a "=" here. This is also
 a menu field (and alt-F10 will pop-up a
 menu of choices). Here are the operators and
 what they do:

 = Exact Match
 * "Any" Match
 > Greater Than
 < Less Than
 >= Greater Than or Equal To
 <= Less Than or Equal To
 <> Not Equal To

 Search and Filter Operators


 Most of the operators are self-explanatory,
 but the "*" deserves more detail. You'll use
 this primarily when searching for text.
 Suppose, for instance, you want to find all
 checks written to "El Paso County". You could
 use the "=" sign and search for "PayTo = El
 Paso County", but you could also use the "*"
 and search for "Payto * County". In other
 words, when you use "*" instead of "=",
 CheckMate Plus will match any check with the
 word "county" in the payto field. When you
 use "=", you must type in the text to match
 EXACTLY.

 Note that "Payto * County" will match any
 check written to "El Paso County", but it will
 also match checks written to "Denver County",
 "County Line Barbecue", or any check with the
 word "county" in the payto field.

Match #1 How this field behaves depends on the
 "variable" you choose (in the "Variable"
 field). In most cases you'll just enter text
 here. Some variables, however, require
 numbers, "YES/NO", or dates.

And/Or You can "compound" the search for data with
 the And/Or field. As you may have guessed,
 you can enter either "AND", "OR", or nothing
 in the field.

 Here's how it works. Suppose you want to find
 all transactions between $100 and $200. You'd
 enter:

 Amount >= 100.00 And <= 200.00

 See how you've specified a "range" of amounts?
 Similarly, suppose you wanted to find all
 checks with check numbers less than 500 and
 greater than 1000? You'd enter:

 Check Number < 500 Or > 1000

 You can use these operators and specify
 "ranges" for virtually any variable (including
 straight text).

 If you leave the "And/Or" field blank,
 CheckMate Plus will ignore the second half of
 the match operation.

OP This second OP field works like the first one
 above (but it's for the second half of the
 operation).

Match #2 This second "Match" field works like the first
 one above (but it's for the second half of the
 operation).

You can enter up to six operations. In order for a
transaction to match, it must satisfy all of the lines you
enter!

Press ESC after you've entered your "filter definition" to
return to your work.

* IMPORTANT: Even though you've set the filter definition,
it has no effect until you turn it "on". The alt-F key
toggles the filter state on and off. When you see the word
"FILT" on the top line of the screen, the filter definition
is active. You can toggle it on and off at any time!

Saving Filter Definitions

As you can see, you can get quite detailed in specifying
match criteria. If you've entered a complicated sequence
(and want to save it to use again later), press F10 (while
you're in the "Search and Filter Window") and CheckMate Plus
will store it on disk. You'll have to enter a name for the
"Filter Definition" so you can pick the one you want later.
You can have as many as forty definitions saved at one time.

Retrieving Filter Definitions

To retrieve a definition you've saved, enter the "Search and
Filter Window" and press F9. CheckMate Plus will pop-up a
menu of definitions previously saved. Pick the one you want
from the menu.

Deleting Filter Definitions

To delete a definition (from the disk), pick the one you
want to get rid of (as described above). Then press F8.
CheckMate Plus will prompt you to confirm before actually
deleting the definition.

You're in the "Reconcile Account" window.

Checking account reconciliation is a four step process:

 o Enter the "statement" date from your bank statement.
 This is important!

 o Enter any "new" transactions (interest earned,
 service charges, or transactions you "missed" during
 the month).

 o Mark transactions that have cleared on this
 statement.

 o Print the "Reconciliation Report".

Your Statement Date

Your first step is entering the statement date (from your
bank statement). This is important because CheckMate Plus
will save this date (in the "date cleared" field) for every
transaction on the statement.

The statement date should be clearly marked as such on your
bank statement. Enter the date, and move on to step two
(monthly events).

Monthly Events

"Monthly events" are those transactions that appear on your
statement every month (such as interest earned or service
charges). After you've entered your "statement date",
press F3 to enter these transactions (if you have any).
CheckMate Plus pops up the familiar "enter transactions"
form for you. You have all the features normally available
(including the "pop-up menu" and "utilities").

* IMPORTANT: Be sure and enter the correct date for these
transactions! The date must be on or before the "statement
date" or the transactions won't appear while "clearing"
(see below).

Repeat this step for each "monthly event" you need to
enter. Then proceed to step three (clearing transactions).

Clearing Transactions

Press F4 to "clear" transactions. At this point,
CheckMate Plus will search through the data file looking
for transactions that have not cleared (dated before the
statement date) and transactions that have already cleared
on the statement date. Keep in mind that you may have
transactions from long ago that have either not cleared (or
have cleared on this date). If you have several years worth 
of data, be patient as CheckMate Plus searches the file! 
It's absolutely necessary. 

Once CheckMate Plus is done scanning the file, the
"Reconcile Window" will appear. (This window is very
similar to the "Browse Window). Each transaction takes one
line. Transactions that have "cleared" are marked with
"arrows" at each end.

You should also check to see if any of the transactions on
the statement come after that date. (Sometimes banks will
show service charges or interest on the day following the
statement date). If this is the case, then mark those
transactions as occurring on the statement date.

The Reconciliation Report

After you've marked every "cleared" transaction, you're
ready to print the "Reconciliation Report". Because
CheckMate Plus records the "date cleared" for every
transaction, this report should have exactly the same
information as your bank statement.

The report should list all transactions that cleared on
this bank statement. At the bottom of the report,
CheckMate Plus list six additional items:

 Balance Last Statement
 Balance This Statement
 Number of Checks and Debits
 Number of Deposits and Credits
 Total of Checks and Debits
 Total of Deposits and Credits

Most bank statements also include these lines. If all is
well, the numbers on the report should match you statement
exactly. If not, carefully compare the report to the
statement to track down the error.

You're in the "Reconcile" window.

The "Reconcile" lists each transaction on a single line.
Transactions that have "cleared" are marked with "arrows" at
each end. The following keys will move you around in the
window:

Up Arrow Move up one transaction.

Down Arrow Move down one transaction.

PgUp
Move up on screen.

PgDn
Move down one screen.

Home
Move to first transaction.

End Move to last transaction.

The mouse will also move you through the transaction list.

You can press the SPACE BAR to mark a transaction as
"cleared". CheckMate Plus actually sets the "cleared"
flag to YES when you do this. CheckMate Plus also sets the
"cleared date" of the transaction to the "statement date".
Pressing the SPACE BAR on a transaction that is already
marked as "cleared" will cause CheckMate Plus to "un-clear"
the transaction.

Editing while Reconciling

At any time while you're reconciling, you can press CR (or
the left button on the mouse) to edit the currently
highlighted transaction. The "Edit Transaction Window" will
appear. Press ESC to return to the Reconcile window.


This is the Reconciliation Report window.

Date
The "Report Date" is the date CheckMate Plus
 will print on the title line of the report.
 It has nothing to do with the data in the
 report! It is simply meant to show when the
 report was generated.

Print To CheckMate Plus lets you print your reports to
 the screen, your printer, or to a disk file.

 To select your printing option, move the
 cursor to the "Print To" field and type
 "Screen", Printer", or "Text File". This is a
 "menu field", so you can also press alt-F10
 (or the center button on the mouse) to pop the
 menu up.

Title     The report "Title" appears on the title line
 (just below company/personal information and
 on the same line as the report date).

Footer The report "Footer" appears at the bottom of
 every page (on the same line as the page
 number).


The "Utility" Menu

While you're setting your report options (before you print
the report), you can pop a "utility" menu up by pressing
F2.

This is the "Report Parameters" window.

Here you can you set items such as margins, line lengths,
the printer port, and any setup or exit control strings you
want to send to your printer.

Margins You can set the "margins" (top, bottom, left,
 and right). Express the top and bottom
 margins as a number of lines, and the left
 and right margins as a number of characters.

Paper Sizes Paper size is a function of the number of
 lines per page you can print and the number
 of characters on each line. These numbers
 are absolute (i.e. they include margins).

 The number of characters per line you print
 will usually be determined by either the
 width of the paper (most paper is 8.5" wide)
 or by the "pitch" of the print.

Page Control You can tell CheckMate Plus to "pause" after
 each page to let you feed paper (if you're
 not using a laser printer or continuous feed
 paper).

Printer Port CheckMate Plus lets you direct your printed
 reports to LPT1, LPT2, COM1, or COM2. Set
 your printer port in the "Printer Port for
 Reports" field. (This is a "menu field", so
 press alt-F10 or the center mouse button to
 "pop" the menu up).

Setup Strings CheckMate Plus lets you define printer
 "setup" and "exit" strings to control such
 things as margins, character pitch,
 attributes, etc. CheckMate Plus sends the
 "setup" strings to your printer before it
 starts the report and the "exit" strings
 after the report is completed.

 You'll probably want to use the "exit"
 strings to reset your printer (for normal
 operation).

 The printer control codes can be found in
 your printer manual. The format for entry is

 \<decimal code>\<decimal code>\....

 The back-slashes delimit the codes. Here is
 an example:

 \27\85

 This string represents an <ESC> 'U'. (That's
 an escape-capital-U). This is a popular
 means of defining printer codes.


Saving Report Parameters

Press F10 while in the "Report Parameters Setup Window"
to save your setups for later use. CheckMate Plus will ask
you for a name (to associate with the setups).

Retrieving Report Parameters

To retrieve a set of previously defined parameters, press
F9 while in the "Report Parameters Setup Window". If
you've previously saved any setups, CheckMate Plus will
present you with a menu to select from.

Deleting Report Parameters from Disk

To delete a setup you've previously saved, first "retrieve"
the desired setup (as described above). Then press F8.

You are viewing this report with CheckMate Plus' "virtual 
paper".

One problem with printing reports to the screen is that the
screen is often too narrow to show the complete report.
CheckMate Plus uses virtual paper to display reports on the
screen. The report is formatted exactly as if you were
printing to the printer (including titles, footers, and
margins).

Virtual paper displays as much of the report as it can (in
the window). If each line is longer than you can see on
screen, you can scroll the window (with the left/right arrow
keys, the TAB keys, or the mouse).

You can also scroll the window up and down with the up/down
arrow keys, PgUp, PgDn, Home, End, or the mouse.

CheckMate Plus presents the "highlighted bar" as a straight
edge for your use while viewing the report.

Press ESC to exit "virtual paper".

Select the "range of dates" that you want this report to
reflect.

Month     Select "Month" to limit the report to a
 specific month and year. You can specify a
 particular month before printing.

Year
This option will print all transactions within
 an accounting (or fiscal) year. You set the
 fiscal year in the "Fiscal Year Setup Window"
 under the "Setups" menu. You can change the
 year before you print.

1st-4th Select any of the four quarters to limit the
Quarter report to a specific three month period
 within the current fiscal year. You set the
 fiscal year in the "Fiscal Year Setup Window"
 under the "Setups" menu.

Between Any Select this option if you want to specify the
Two Dates range of dates that will appear on the report.
 This is the most flexible option.

You can set report parameters (margins, paper sizes, etc)
here. You can also set the "search and filter" pattern
(since many reports search the transaction database).

The "Transaction Report" is account specific. This is what
you'd call your checkbook ledger (for checking accounts...
you can print this report for other accounts as well).

This report acts on the control account only. Select the
account you want to report on (from the "Accounts" menu)
before printing.

Press F10 to start printing.

Date
The "Report Date" is the date CheckMate Plus
 will print on the title line of the report.
 It has nothing to do with the data in the
 report! It is simply meant to show when the
 report was generated.

 You also have varying date options to set,
 depending upon the "date range" you selected.

Print To CheckMate Plus lets you print your reports to
 the screen, your printer, a text file (on
 disk), or a "WKS" spreadsheet file (also on
 disk).

 To select your printing option, move the
 cursor to the "Print To" field and type
 "Screen", Printer", "Text File", or "WKS
 File". This is a "menu field", so you can also
 press alt-F10 (or the center button on the
 mouse) to pop the menu up.

Title     The report "Title" appears on the title line
 (just below company/personal information and
 on the same line as the report date).

Footer The report "Footer" appears at the bottom of
 every page (on the same line as the page
 number).


The "Utility" Menu

While you're setting your report options (before you print
the report), you can pop a "utility" menu up by pressing
F2.


The "Ledger Activity" report lists each account and its
activity for the specified period.

Press F10 to start printing.

Date
The "Report Date" is the date CheckMate Plus
 will print on the title line of the report.
 It has nothing to do with the data in the
 report! It is simply meant to show when the
 report was generated.

 You also have varying date options to set,
 depending upon the "date range" you selected.

Account You can specify "starting" and "ending"
Numbers account numbers (which can significantly
 reduce report generation time).

Print To CheckMate Plus lets you print your reports to
 the screen, your printer, a text file (on
 disk), or a "WKS" spreadsheet file (also on
 disk).

 To select your printing option, move the
 cursor to the "Print To" field and type
 "Screen", Printer", "Text File", or "WKS
 File". This is a "menu field", so you can also
 press alt-F10 (or the center button on the
 mouse) to pop the menu up.

Title     The report "Title" appears on the title line
 (just below company/personal information and
 on the same line as the report date).

Footer The report "Footer" appears at the bottom of
 every page (on the same line as the page
 number).


The "Utility" Menu

While you're setting your report options (before you print
the report), you can pop a "utility" menu up by pressing
F2.

The "Ledger Transaction" report displays each transaction in
ledger form (much like the "Split" window you see while
entering transactions).

Press F10 to start printing.

Date
The "Report Date" is the date CheckMate Plus
 will print on the title line of the report.
 It has nothing to do with the data in the
 report! It is simply meant to show when the
 report was generated.

 You also have varying date options to set,
 depending upon the "date range" you selected.

Print To CheckMate Plus lets you print your reports to
 the screen, your printer, a text file (on
 disk), or a "WKS" spreadsheet file (also on
 disk).

 To select your printing option, move the
 cursor to the "Print To" field and type
 "Screen", Printer", "Text File", or "WKS
 File". This is a "menu field", so you can also
 press alt-F10 (or the center button on the
 mouse) to pop the menu up.

Title     The report "Title" appears on the title line
 (just below company/personal information and
 on the same line as the report date).

Footer The report "Footer" appears at the bottom of
 every page (on the same line as the page
 number).


The "Utility" Menu

While you're setting your report options (before you print
the report), you can pop a "utility" menu up by pressing
F2.

The "Chart of Accounts" report is simply a listing of all
your ledger accounts (in logical order).

Press F10 to start printing.

Date
The "Report Date" is the date CheckMate Plus
 will print on the title line of the report.
 It has nothing to do with the data in the
 report! It is simply meant to show when the
 report was generated.

Print To CheckMate Plus lets you print your reports to
 the screen, your printer, or to a disk file.

 To select your printing option, move the
 cursor to the "Print To" field and type
 "Screen", Printer", or "Text File". This is a
 "menu field", so you can also press alt-F10
 (or the center button on the mouse) to pop the
 menu up.

Title     The report "Title" appears on the title line
 (just below company/personal information and
 on the same line as the report date).

Footer The report "Footer" appears at the bottom of
 every page (on the same line as the page
 number).


The "Utility" Menu

While you're setting your report options (before you print
the report), you can pop a "utility" menu up by pressing
F2.

CheckMate Plus lets you "customize" the Transaction report
to some degree.

Here you can specify the fields you want to appear on each
line and how much space each field will take. If you don't
want a particular field to appear, set its length to "zero".
Amounts are "right-justified" in their fields.

CheckMate Plus computes the characters per line you'll need
for the report. Make sure you set the "Report Parameters"
correctly (see next chapter, "Report Printing Options").
Press F10 to save your customizations to disk. ESC takes
you back to the "Transaction Report Window".

CheckMate Plus lets you "customize" the Reconciliation
report to some degree.

Here you can specify the fields you want to appear on each
line and how much space each field will take. If you don't
want a particular field to appear, set its length to "zero".
Amounts are "right-justified" in their fields.

CheckMate Plus computes the characters per line you'll need
for the report. Make sure you set the "Report Parameters"
correctly (see next chapter, "Report Printing Options").
Press F10 to save your customizations to disk. ESC takes
you back to the "Reconciliation Report Window".

Select the "ledger" report you want to print.

The "Ledger Activity" report lists each account and its
activity for the specified period.

The "Ledger Transaction" report displays each transaction in
ledger form (much like the "Split" window you see while
entering transactions).

The "Chart of Accounts" report is simply a listing of all
your ledger accounts (in logical order).

Select the "summary" report you want to print.

"Summary" reports "summarize" the activity of all your
accounts into two specific reports:

 o Balance Sheets

 o Income Statements

"Balance Sheets" are like a "snapshot" of your account
balances on a specific date.

"Income Statements" (also called "Profit/Loss Statements")
show the change in your account balances between two dates.
Income statements are generally only concerned with REVENUE
and EXPENSE accounts.

Select the type of "Balance Sheet" you want to print.

The "standard" balance sheet is a textbook report that will
meet most people's needs.

The "custom" balance sheet lets you print the report in a
format you design (under the "maintenance" menu).

The "trial balance" is a standard accountant's report used
to help find unbalanced transactions.

Select the type of "Income Statement" you want to print.

The "standard" income statement is a textbook report that
will meet most people's needs.

The "custom" income statement lets you print the report in a
format you design (under the "maintenance" menu).

Select the custom report you want to print.


CheckMate Plus will generate a "textbook" balance sheet
from this window.

Press F10 to start printing.

Date
The "Report Date" is the date CheckMate Plus
 will print on the title line of the report.
 It has nothing to do with the data in the
 report! It is simply meant to show when the
 report was generated.

Balance Sheet You must specify the date for which you want
Date
the balances reported (remember, a balance
 sheet is a "snapshot" of account balances on
 that date!).

Account You can also direct CheckMate Plus to print
Numbers account numbers on the report.

Print To CheckMate Plus lets you print your reports to
 the screen, your printer, a text file (on
 disk), or a "WKS" spreadsheet file (also on
 disk).

 To select your printing option, move the
 cursor to the "Print To" field and type
 "Screen", Printer", "Text File", or "WKS
 File". This is a "menu field", so you can also
 press alt-F10 (or the center button on the
 mouse) to pop the menu up.

Title     The report "Title" appears on the title line
 (just below company/personal information and
 on the same line as the report date).

Footer The report "Footer" appears at the bottom of
 every page (on the same line as the page
 number).


The "Utility" Menu

While you're setting your report options (before you print
the report), you can pop a "utility" menu up by pressing
F2.


From this window, you direct CheckMate Plus to print a
balance sheet that you have designed yourself (under the
"maintenance" menu).

Press F10 to start printing.

Date
The "Report Date" is the date CheckMate Plus
 will print on the title line of the report.
 It has nothing to do with the data in the
 report! It is simply meant to show when the
 report was generated.

Balance Sheet You must specify the date for which you want
Date  the balances reported (remember, a balance
 sheet is a "snapshot" of account balances on
 that date!).

Print To CheckMate Plus lets you print your reports to
 the screen, your printer, a text file (on
 disk), or a "WKS" spreadsheet file (also on
 disk).

 To select your printing option, move the
 cursor to the "Print To" field and type
 "Screen", Printer", "Text File", or "WKS
 File". This is a "menu field", so you can also
 press alt-F10 (or the center button on the
 mouse) to pop the menu up.

Title     The report "Title" appears on the title line
 (just below company/personal information and
 on the same line as the report date).

Footer The report "Footer" appears at the bottom of
 every page (on the same line as the page
 number).


The "Utility" Menu

While you're setting your report options (before you print
the report), you can pop a "utility" menu up by pressing
F2.


From this window, you direct CheckMate Plus to print a
trial balance sheet. The trial balance simply lists ALL
(detail) accounts and their balance (as of the date you
enter).

Since the purpose of the trial balance is to make sure that
debits=credits for all accounts, CheckMate Plus omits
account number 39999 (Non-Accounted for Funds) from this
report.

Press F10 to start printing.

Date
The "Report Date" is the date CheckMate Plus
 will print on the title line of the report.
 It has nothing to do with the data in the
 report! It is simply meant to show when the
 report was generated.

Balance Sheet You must specify the date for which you want
Date
the balances reported (remember, a balance
 sheet is a "snapshot" of account balances on
 that date!).

Print To CheckMate Plus lets you print your reports to
 the screen, your printer, a text file (on
 disk), or a "WKS" spreadsheet file (also on
 disk).

 To select your printing option, move the
 cursor to the "Print To" field and type
 "Screen", Printer", "Text File", or "WKS
 File". This is a "menu field", so you can also
 press alt-F10 (or the center button on the
 mouse) to pop the menu up.

Title     The report "Title" appears on the title line
 (just below company/personal information and
 on the same line as the report date).

Footer The report "Footer" appears at the bottom of
 every page (on the same line as the page
 number).


The "Utility" Menu

While you're setting your report options (before you print
the report), you can pop a "utility" menu up by pressing
F2.


CheckMate Plus will generate a "textbook" income statement
from this window.

Press F10 to start printing.

Date
The "Report Date" is the date CheckMate Plus
 will print on the title line of the report.
 It has nothing to do with the data in the
 report! It is simply meant to show when the
 report was generated.

 You also have varying date options to set,
 depending upon the "date range" you selected.

Account You may direct CheckMate Plus to include each
Numbers account's number on the report (alongside its
 name).

Budget You can direct CheckMate Plus to print "budget
Information information" for each account. The
 information is displayed as a percentage of
 actual value to budgeted value. "Budget
 information" is not available when you select
 "between any two dates" as your date range.

Print To CheckMate Plus lets you print your reports to
 the screen, your printer, a text file (on
 disk), or a "WKS" spreadsheet file (also on
 disk).

 To select your printing option, move the
 cursor to the "Print To" field and type
 "Screen", Printer", "Text File", or "WKS
 File". This is a "menu field", so you can also
 press alt-F10 (or the center button on the
 mouse) to pop the menu up.

Title     The report "Title" appears on the title line
 (just below company/personal information and
 on the same line as the report date).

Footer The report "Footer" appears at the bottom of
 every page (on the same line as the page
 number).


The "Utility" Menu

While you're setting your report options (before you print
the report), you can pop a "utility" menu up by pressing
F2.


From this window, you direct CheckMate Plus to print a
income statement that you have designed yourself (under the
"maintenance" menu).

Press F10 to start printing.

Date
The "Report Date" is the date CheckMate Plus
 will print on the title line of the report.
 It has nothing to do with the data in the
 report! It is simply meant to show when the
 report was generated.

 You also have varying date options to set,
 depending upon the "date range" you selected.

Print To CheckMate Plus lets you print your reports to
 the screen, your printer, a text file (on
 disk), or a "WKS" spreadsheet file (also on
 disk).

 To select your printing option, move the
 cursor to the "Print To" field and type
 "Screen", Printer", "Text File", or "WKS
 File". This is a "menu field", so you can also
 press alt-F10 (or the center button on the
 mouse) to pop the menu up.

Title     The report "Title" appears on the title line
 (just below company/personal information and
 on the same line as the report date).

Footer The report "Footer" appears at the bottom of
 every page (on the same line as the page
 number).


The "Utility" Menu

While you're setting your report options (before you print
the report), you can pop a "utility" menu up by pressing
F2.

Select whether you want to print to the printer, the screen,
or a text file (and in some cases, a "WKS" spreadsheet
file).

Here you tell CheckMate Plus which "port" your printer is
connected to.

Select "One Account" to display graphs that zero in on a
single account. The "Ledger" option lets you display graphs
that detail your entire chart of accounts.

Select the graph you desire to view.

The "Account Activity" graph shows all "activity" (in the
current control account only) over a range of months.

The "Budget Analysis" graph displays the "actual" activity
of the control account next to the "budgeted" activity of
the control account.

Select the graph you desire to view.

Expenses vs Income

This graph displays the total "revenue" next to the total
"expenses" of each month you specify (for ALL accounts in
your chart of accounts).

Expenses by Month

This graph displays the total "expenses" for each month you
specify (for ALL accounts in your chart of accounts).

Income by Month

This graph displays the total "revenue" for each month you
specify (for ALL accounts in your chart of accounts).

Detailed Expense

This graph displays each expense account for the month you
specify (up to 32).

Detailed Income

This graph displays each revenue account for the month you
specify (up to 32).

Debt to Equity

This graph displays your total debt ("liabilities") next to
your total "equity" for each month you specify (for ALL
accounts in your chart of accounts).

Debt to Assets

This graph displays your total debt ("liabilities") next to
your total "assets" for each month you specify (for ALL
accounts in your chart of accounts).

Select the type of graph you want to display.

The "Account Activity" graph shows all "activity" (in the
current control account only) over a range of months.

Press F10 to display the graph, ESC to exit.

Graph Title Enter a title here (that will appear on the
 graph). CheckMate Plus fills in a "default"
 value.

Starting The "first" month in your report.
Month

Number of The total number of months that CheckMate Plus
Months will display.

The "Budget Analysis" graph displays the "actual" activity
of the control account next to the "budgeted" activity of
the control account.

Press F10 to display the graph, ESC to exit.

Graph Title Enter a title here (that will appear on the
 graph). CheckMate Plus fills in a "default"
 value.

Starting The "first" month in your report.
Month

Number of The total number of months that CheckMate Plus
Months will display.

This graph displays the total "revenue" next to the total
"expenses" of each month you specify (for ALL accounts in
your chart of accounts).

Press F10 to display the graph, ESC to exit.

Graph Title Enter a title here (that will appear on the
 graph). CheckMate Plus fills in a "default"
 value.

Starting The "first" month in your report.
Month

Number of The total number of months that CheckMate Plus
Months will display.

This graph displays the total "expenses" for each month you
specify (for ALL accounts in your chart of accounts).

Press F10 to display the graph, ESC to exit.

Graph Title Enter a title here (that will appear on the
 graph). CheckMate Plus fills in a "default"
 value.

Starting The "first" month in your report.
Month

Number of The total number of months that CheckMate Plus
Months will display.

This graph displays the total "revenue" for each month you
specify (for ALL accounts in your chart of accounts).

Press F10 to display the graph, ESC to exit.

Graph Title Enter a title here (that will appear on the
 graph). CheckMate Plus fills in a "default"
 value.

Starting The "first" month in your report.
Month

Number of The total number of months that CheckMate Plus
Months will display.

This graph displays your total debt ("liabilities") next to
your total "equity" for each month you specify (for ALL
accounts in your chart of accounts).

Press F10 to display the graph, ESC to exit.

Graph Title Enter a title here (that will appear on the
 graph). CheckMate Plus fills in a "default"
 value.

Starting The "first" month in your report.
Month

Number of The total number of months that CheckMate Plus
Months will display.

This graph displays your total debt ("liabilities") next to
your total "assets" for each month you specify (for ALL
accounts in your chart of accounts).

Press F10 to display the graph, ESC to exit.

Graph Title Enter a title here (that will appear on the
 graph). CheckMate Plus fills in a "default"
 value.

Starting The "first" month in your report.
Month

Number of The total number of months that CheckMate Plus
Months will display.

This graph displays each expense account for the month you
specify (up to 32).

Press F10 to display the graph, ESC to exit.

Graph Title Enter a title here (that will appear on the
 graph). CheckMate Plus fills in a "default"
 value.

Month     The "month" that CheckMate Plus will display.
 CheckMate Plus can display up to 32 accounts
 on this graph.

This graph displays each revenue account for the month you
specify (up to 32).

Press F10 to display the graph, ESC to exit.

Graph Title Enter a title here (that will appear on the
 graph). CheckMate Plus fills in a "default"
 value.

Month     The "month" that CheckMate Plus will display.
 CheckMate Plus can display up to 32 accounts
 on this graph.

You're in the "Check Printing" window.

At this point, you have some options. You may print each
check (one at a time) by pressing the SPACE BAR. CheckMate
Plus will pause between each one. (This is the way you'll
want to print checks if you're feeding them into your
printer one at a time).

If you want to print all the checks one after another
(without pausing between each one), press F10. You can
press F10 anytime, even if you've already printed some
checks with the SPACE BAR.

If you discover you've already written a check that's to be
printed, you can press F2 to have CheckMate Plus mark it as
printed without actually printing it! We added this feature
in case you're mixing writing checks by hand and printing
them. We suggest you manually mark the check as printed
while you enter it. But if you forget, you can correct it
here.

Before CheckMate Plus can print any checks, it must "parse"
the check layout and make sure there are no "syntax" errors.
CheckMate Plus' check writing language is by far the most
powerful in the industry, with many features and maximum
flexibility. (See "Designing Your Own Check Layout" in the
User's Guide for more information).

If CheckMate Plus finds an error in your check layout, the
"Error in Check Layout" window appears (with an error
message and error location). At this point you have two
options. Press F2 to immediately enter the "Editing Check 
Layout" window. CheckMate Plus will jump to the error.

Make your corrections, press F10 to save them, and CheckMate
Plus returns to the task of printing your checks. You can
repeat this "loop" as many times as necessary to perfect
your layout.

Pressing any other key in the "Error in Check Layout"
window causes CheckMate Plus to abort printing checks and
return to the menu.

Press ESC to abort printing checks. After CheckMate Plus
has printed all your checks, you automatically return to
the "Reports" menu.

CheckMate Plus has encountered an error in your check
layout.

At this point you have two options. Press F2 to immediately
enter the "Editing Check Layout" window. CheckMate Plus
will jump to the error.

Make your corrections, press F10 to save them, and CheckMate
Plus returns to the task of printing your checks. You can
repeat this "loop" as many times as necessary to perfect
your layout.

Pressing any other key in the "Error in Check Layout"
window causes CheckMate Plus to abort printing checks and
return to the menu.

You're in the "Rebuild" menu.

One of the three options under the "rebuild menu" should fix
99% of the problems you may encounter. If you still have
difficulties, contact Custom Technologies directly.


Rebuilding the Database

The "Complete Rebuilt" option is the most robust rebuild
feature available. This function actually creates a whole
new file by scanning the original file from start to finish.
It then generates a completely new index file.

Rebuilding the Index File

CheckMate Plus also lets you rebuild your "index" file at
any time. This rebuild is less robust but much faster than
the "complete rebuild" (and requires far less disk space).

Rebuilding Accounts

The "Rebuild Accounts" option works on the account values
(rather than the data file structure). This procedure
computes the running balance, the last cleared transaction,
and some other account specific values for all accounts in
your data file.


The "Complete Rebuilt" option is the most robust rebuild
feature available. This function actually creates a whole
new file by scanning the original file from start to finish.
It then generates a completely new index file.

CheckMate Plus does this by first creating an empty
"working" file and writing "active" records to it one by
one. You can specify where this "working" file will be. (If
you have a RAM disk, specify it for the "working" disk to
greatly speed things up). In any case, you must have
sufficient free space in your "working" directory to
completely copy the data file. Once the "working" file is
complete, CheckMate Plus erases the original file and copies
the "working" file back to the original drive and directory.
After the original file has been replaced, CheckMate Plus
proceeds to regenerate every index key.

* NOTE: This method of rebuilding, although somewhat slow,
offers maximum safety in the event of an error, unexpected
power loss, or lack of space.

You'll want to use this procedure if you data file becomes
corrupted for any reason. (DOS is a funny animal, and you
never know what strange combination of events may cause you
problems). This procedure also "compacts" the file (since
it doesn't copy deleted records). If you've closed
transactions or deleted a lot of records, this could
significantly reduce the disk space you data file consumes.

* NOTE: CheckMate Plus reuses deleted records before it
expands its data file size, so you don't necessarily need to
run this procedure after you delete or close transactions.

After you've entered the "working" file path, press F10 to
begin the rebuild.

CheckMate Plus also lets you rebuild your "index" file at
any time. This rebuild is less robust but much faster than
the "complete rebuild" (and requires far less disk space).

What CheckMate Plus does here is erase the index file and
scan the data base, adding an index entry for each record.
Use this procedure if transactions seem to appear more than
once while editing, browsing, or printing reports. It may
also find transactions that appear to be missing.

Press F10 to start the procedure.


The "Rebuild Accounts" option works on the account values
(rather than the data file structure). This procedure
computes the running balance, the last cleared transaction,
and some other account specific values for all accounts in
your data file.

CheckMate Plus will automatically ask to run this routine
any time it thinks it needs to, but you run it manually
here. You'll usually need to run this procedure if you add,
delete, or modify transactions out of date sequence.

Press F10 to start the rebuild. Remember this procedure
affects all accounts, not just the current control account.

Specify whether you want to define a new check layout or
edit a previously defined one.

Specify whether you want to define a new report definition
or edit a previously defined one.

Select the check layout you want to edit.

Select the report definition you want to edit.

You're entering (or editing) a "check layout" with CheckMate
Plus' built-in editor. Refer to the User's Guide for
complete information on the check layout language.

Press F10 to save your layout, ESC to exit.

CheckMate Plus has a very simple built-in text editor.

The editor is not fancy, but it will get the job done. Many
of the keys you can use while editing are the same you use
in any of the data entry fields.

 Control Key Alternate Key Function

 Control-D right-arrow move one character right
 Control-S left-arrow move one character left

 Control-F move one word right
 Control-A move one word left

 Control-QD END move to end of line
 Control-QS HOME move to start of line
 Control-QR jump to top line
 Control-QC jump to bottom line

 Control-E up-arrow move up one line
 Control-X down-arrow move down one line

 Control-G DEL delete character at cursor
 Control-T delete word right
 Control-QY delete line right
 Control-Y delete entire line

 Control-H BACKSPACE delete character left

 Control-V INS toggle INSERT/OVERWRITE

 Control-KR read text file
 Control-KW write text file


Although the editor has many basic editing keys, it doesn't
have "cut and paste" features (yet). You can, however,
export the text to a file (press control-KW and enter a
filename). You can then use your favorite text editor to
manipulate the data.

Control-KR reads a file into the editor. BE CAREFUL! The
file "overwrites" anything already there.

You're entering (or editing) a "report definition" with
CheckMate Plus' built-in editor. Refer to the User's Guide
for complete information on how to define your custom
reports.

Press F10 to save your definition, ESC to exit.

CheckMate Plus has a very simple built-in text editor.

The editor is not fancy, but it will get the job done. Many
of the keys you can use while editing are the same you use
in any of the data entry fields.

 Control Key Alternate Key Function

 Control-D right-arrow move one character right
 Control-S left-arrow move one character left

 Control-F move one word right
 Control-A move one word left

 Control-QD END move to end of line
 Control-QS HOME move to start of line
 Control-QR jump to top line
 Control-QC jump to bottom line

 Control-E up-arrow move up one line
 Control-X down-arrow move down one line

 Control-G DEL delete character at cursor
 Control-T delete word right
 Control-QY delete line right
 Control-Y delete entire line

 Control-H BACKSPACE delete character left

 Control-V INS toggle INSERT/OVERWRITE

 Control-KR read text file
 Control-KW write text file


Although the editor has many basic editing keys, it doesn't
have "cut and paste" features (yet). You can, however,
export the text to a file (press control-KW and enter a
filename). You can then use your favorite text editor to
manipulate the data.

Control-KR reads a file into the editor. BE CAREFUL! The
file "overwrites" anything already there.

Enter a name to associate with this layout.

Enter a name to associate with this report definition.

You're in the "Loan Calculation" window. Enter all but one
of the of the "numbered" fields and press F4 to calculate
the last one.

Press F5 to open the "Loan Amortization Report Window". (You
have the same formatting options here that you have for any
report in CheckMate Plus).

* NOTE: The "total Interest paid" value in the amortization
report may differ slightly from the "Loan Calculations
Window". This is because the amortization report can
"adjust" the final payment slightly to exactly "pay off" the
loan.


This is the "Loan Amortization" report window.

* NOTE: The "total Interest paid" value in the amortization
report may differ slightly from the "Loan Calculations
Window". This is because the amortization report can
"adjust" the final payment slightly to exactly "pay off" the
loan.

Press F10 to start printing.

Date
The "Report Date" is the date CheckMate Plus
 will print on the title line of the report.
 It has nothing to do with the data in the
 report! It is simply meant to show when the
 report was generated.

Range     You can also specify the "payment range" you
 want to print.

Print To CheckMate Plus lets you print your reports to
 the screen, your printer, or to a disk file.

 To select your printing option, move the
 cursor to the "Print To" field and type
 "Screen", Printer", or "Text File". This is a
 "menu field", so you can also press alt-F10
 (or the center button on the mouse) to pop the
 menu up.

Title     The report "Title" appears on the title line
 (just below company/personal information and
 on the same line as the report date).

Footer The report "Footer" appears at the bottom of
 every page (on the same line as the page
 number).


The "Utility" Menu

While you're setting your report options (before you print
the report), you can pop a "utility" menu up by pressing F2.

"Regular Deposits" are savings accounts, regular bond
purchases, or any savings program where you deposit a set
amount of money at set intervals. For instance, you may be
contributing $100 per month for 30 years as a retirement
plan.

Enter all but one of the of the "numbered" fields and press
F4 to calculate the last one.

Press F5 to open the "Deposits Amortization Report Window".
(You have the same formatting options here that you have for
any report in CheckMate Plus).


This is the "Deposit Amortization" report window.

Press F10 to start printing.

Date
The "Report Date" is the date CheckMate Plus
 will print on the title line of the report.
 It has nothing to do with the data in the
 report! It is simply meant to show when the
 report was generated.

Range     You can also specify the "deposits range" you
 want to print.

Print To CheckMate Plus lets you print your reports to
 the screen, your printer, or to a disk file.

 To select your printing option, move the
 cursor to the "Print To" field and type
 "Screen", Printer", or "Text File". This is a
 "menu field", so you can also press alt-F10
 (or the center button on the mouse) to pop the
 menu up.

Title     The report "Title" appears on the title line
 (just below company/personal information and
 on the same line as the report date).

Footer The report "Footer" appears at the bottom of
 every page (on the same line as the page
 number).


The "Utility" Menu

While you're setting your report options (before you print
the report), you can pop a "utility" menu up by pressing F2.

"Compounding a fixed sum" means depositing a lump of money
once and letting it "grow" over time.

Enter all but one of the of the "numbered" fields and press
F4 to calculate the last one.

Press F5 to open the "Compounding Amortization Report
Window". (You have the same formatting options here that
you have for any report in CheckMate Plus).

* NOTE: Daily compounding (i.e. compounding 365 times per
year) is fairly common, but will result in a huge report.
Compounding daily for twenty years, for instance, generates
7,300 lines! In these cases, CheckMate Plus will
selectively print "intervals" (say, every fifth line).


This is the "Compounding Amortization" report window.

* NOTE: Daily compounding (i.e. compounding 365 times per
year) is fairly common, but will result in a huge report.
Compounding daily for twenty years, for instance, generates
7,300 lines! In these cases, CheckMate Plus will
selectively print "intervals" (say, every fifth line).

Press F10 to start printing.

Date
The "Report Date" is the date CheckMate Plus
 will print on the title line of the report.
 It has nothing to do with the data in the
 report! It is simply meant to show when the
 report was generated.

Range     You can also specify the "compounding ranges"
 you want to print.

Print To CheckMate Plus lets you print your reports to
 the screen, your printer, or to a disk file.

 To select your printing option, move the
 cursor to the "Print To" field and type
 "Screen", Printer", or "Text File". This is a
 "menu field", so you can also press alt-F10
 (or the center button on the mouse) to pop the
 menu up.

Title     The report "Title" appears on the title line
 (just below company/personal information and
 on the same line as the report date).

Footer The report "Footer" appears at the bottom of
 every page (on the same line as the page
 number).


The "Utility" Menu

While you're setting your report options (before you print
the report), you can pop a "utility" menu up by pressing F2.


This report analyzes your General Ledger. It first checks
to see if the opening balances of all your accounts sum to
zero. Next, it scans the entire database to determine
whether or not you have unbalanced transactions.

If your books are out of balance, this report will suggest a
method for correcting the errors.

Press F10 to start printing.

Date
The "Report Date" is the date CheckMate Plus
 will print on the title line of the report.
 It has nothing to do with the data in the
 report! It is simply meant to show when the
 report was generated.

Print To CheckMate Plus lets you print your reports to
 the screen, your printer, or to a disk file.

 To select your printing option, move the
 cursor to the "Print To" field and type
 "Screen", Printer", or "Text File". This is a
 "menu field", so you can also press alt-F10
 (or the center button on the mouse) to pop the
 menu up.

Title     The report "Title" appears on the title line
 (just below company/personal information and
 on the same line as the report date).

Footer The report "Footer" appears at the bottom of
 every page (on the same line as the page
 number).


The "Utility" Menu

While you're setting your report options (before you print
the report), you can pop a "utility" menu up by pressing F2.

This is the "Fiscal Year Setup Window". Here you can set
your current and past fiscal year(s).

The first option you have is "Current Fiscal Year Start".
You may start your "fiscal year" on the first day of any
month and year. The month you enter here is important as
CheckMate Plus uses this date while generating reports. You
may change this date at any time without corrupting your
data in any way, so you may change the date (and even go
back to re-create past reports).

One standard practice in accounting is to clear expense and
revenue accounts at the end of each year (so you can start a
new fiscal year with a clean slate). The balances of the
expense and revenue accounts are transferred to an "equity"
account, often called "Profit/Loss 1989", "Retained Earnings
1990", or the like. Once you choose to close a year, you
can't go back and modify the numbers without making "reverse
entries". You can do this with CheckMate Plus (see "Close
Transactions" under the "Transactions" menu) or you can have
CheckMate Plus "simulate" closing past years.

The "Fiscal Year Setup Window" has space for 10 "past
years". For each year you enter, CheckMate Plus lets you
assign an "equity" account to clear all expenses and
revenues to. IMPORTANT! CheckMate Plus only "simulates"
clearing the values! This way, you can keep your
transaction detail and the ability to modify past
transactions for over ten years! The only time you'll see
the balances transferred is when you print accounting
reports (such as balance sheets and income statements). You
won't see them transferred when you look at account balances
in the "enter" or "edit" features of CheckMate Plus.

You enter "Past Years" as "years" only ("1989" for example).
The starting and ending months depend upon the starting
month of your "Current Fiscal Year Start". After you enter
each year, you can specify the account you want to clear
each year to. This must be an "equity account" (account
numbers will range from 30000 to 39999). You must create
these accounts before you can specify them here, and they
must be detail accounts.

* NOTE: You don't have to specify past years if you don't
want to! CheckMate Plus will simply carry balances forward
for any years not specified. What we've given you is
maximum flexibility unparalleled in the industry.

Also remember you can make the assignments permanent when
you "Close Transactions" under the "Transactions" menu. When
you do this, you'll no longer be able to view or edit those
past transactions (since CheckMate Plus will erase them) but
you will see the accumulated balances appear in the correct
equity accounts.

Press F10 to save your "Current Fiscal Year Start" and all
"past year" data.

Because CheckMate Plus allows you to retain many years worth
of information, we included an "audit trail lock" which lets
you assign a "password" to your audit trail. If you choose
to activate the "audit lock", CheckMate Plus won't let you
edit or delete any transactions or accounts entered before
the current system date (unless you know the "audit lock"
password).

You have three options here.

First, you have a YES/NO question asking you whether or not
you want to lock data edit capability. The default is "NO".

Next, you'll see the "Last Date Run". CheckMate Plus
automatically updates this each time you run. You can't
"fool" CheckMate Plus, however, because CheckMate Plus will
never set this date "back" (so changing the DOS date won't
help). We included the date here so you can manually set it
back for a single session.

The last item you can enter is the "audit lock password".
You'll have to enter this password each time you try to edit
or delete a transaction or account that was entered before
the "Last Date Run". Once you enter this password and turn
the "audit lock" on (by answering "YES" to the above
question), press F10 to save the configuration.

* IMPORTANT!: Once you've turned the "audit lock" on, you
won't be able to get back into the "Audit Lock Setup Window"
unless you know the "audit lock" password!

If you forget your password, you'll need to send your data
files to Custom Technologies and we will manually change it
for you. We charge a nominal fee for this service. Call
[phone] for more information.

This is the "Screen-Save Setup" window. In this window, you
can enable or disable the screen saver feature. You can also
indicate how long that you want CheckMate Plus to wait
before it will blank the screen, and customize the message
that CheckMate Plus displays while the screen saver is
active. Remember that the screen will only go blank if no
keyboard activity is detected for the indicated length of
time.

* NOTE: Delay times are approximate, and can vary based on
CPU speed.

You must press F10 to save your setup to the disk.

After the screen blanks, CheckMate Plus will display a slow-
scrolling message indicating that the screen save feature is
active. Press any character key to restore the screen to
normal operation.

If you have a color monitor, you can customize the screen
colors in this window.

Notice that CheckMate Plus displays a "sample" window (so
you can see what your color choices will look like). The
cursor will be in the "window colors to customize" field.
When you first enter the "color setup window", the window
colors to customize will be the "Main Colors". If you want
to change, say, the MENU colors, press alt-F10 to pop-up the
"window select" menu. Pick "Menu Colors" (and the "sample
window" will change to reflect the current menu colors).

You can modify each window's foreground (bright characters),
midground (dim characters), background color, and "reverse"
color.

For example, to modify a window's background color, press F5
(and CheckMate Plus will "toggle" the color). Keep pressing
F5 until you find the color you want.

Here are the color toggle keys:


F3 Toggle Foreground Color


F4 Toggle Midground Color


F5 Toggle Background Color


F6 Toggle "Reverse" Color


Once you've setup all the colors (in all the windows that
you want to), press F10 to save your choices to disk. ESC
returns you to the "Setup" menu.

Select the window whose colors you want to modify.

CheckMate Plus has a lot of "bells and whistles" which are
fun to watch and pleasing to use. Some people, however,
would prefer to modify or turn off their operation.

You can modify the way CheckMate Plus opens and closes
"windows" in this window.

If you don't want CheckMate Plus to give an audible "opening
window" click, then set the "do you want sound effects"
field to "NO".

If you want the windows to "explode" and "implode", then
leave the "do you want exploding windows" field "YES".
Otherwise mark it "NO".

You can even set the speed for the exploding and imploding
in the "speed for exploding windows". Set this field to
"zero" for the fastest windows. Numbers 1 through 9 will
gradually decrease the exploding speed. This field will
have no effect if you have exploding windows turned off!

Remember to press F10 if you want to save your setups to
disk.

CheckMate Plus can display some nice graphical reports (if
you have a graphics display card in your computer). You
tell CheckMate Plus the type of graphics you have when you
install it.

The five options you have correspond to the following
display types:


CGA 640 x 200 dots, 1 color


EGA 640 x 350 dots, 16 colors


VGA 640 x 480 dots, 16 colors


Hercules 720 x 350 dots, 1 color (monochrome)


No Graphics (no graphics card installed)


You can't change your video option here. When you run
INSTALL, the INSTALL program unpacks the correct "video
driver" for your system. If you need to change your video
option, rerun the INSTALL program. Press ESC to return to
the "Setup" menu.

For security, you may password protect each CheckMate Plus
data file you create.

Enter the "password" you want in the "Password" field. It
can be up to eight characters long and is not case
sensitive.

CheckMate Plus won't require a password unless you set the
"Require Password at Program Start" to "YES" (and save your
changes with F10). Once you do this, CheckMate Plus will
ask for your password before it will let you into the
program.

You'll also not be able to enter the "Password Setup Window"
unless you know the password.

* NOTE: CheckMate Plus associates the password with the
data file, so reinstalling CheckMate Plus or erasing
CMPLUS.OPT (the options file) WILL NOT defeat the security!

If you forget your password, you'll need to send your data
files to Custom Technologies and we will manually change
your password for you. We charge a nominal fee for this
service. Call [phone] for more information.

This window simply displays the currently active program and
data file directories (you can't modify them here).

The program file directory is the directory you were in when
you started CheckMate Plus. You entered the data file
directory on the command line when you started CheckMate
Plus:

 cmplus <data file directory> <CR>

This is the "General Setup" window. You have several
options here:

Date Format You can pick from a variety of "date formats".
 CheckMate Plus will display all dates in this
 form. This is a "menu field", so you can
 press alt-F10 or the middle button on the
 mouse to pop-up a menu of choices.

 You can enter free-format no matter which
 format you choose. CheckMate Plus will
 rearrange the date to match your format.

Separator Some of the date formats have "separators".
 For instance, 7/05/90 uses a "/" for a
 separator. You can change that separator
 here.

 * NOTE: If you choose the minus sign ("-") as
 a separator, you won't be able to use the
 minus sign to "decrement" the date while
 you're entering or editing.

Currency You may set CheckMate Plus' currency symbol
Symbol here. You must enter this symbol as an ASCII
 decimal value. The value for a dollar sign
 ($) is 36.

Numeric Accountant's tend to avoid using the minus
Format sign to represent negative numbers. They
 prefer to enclose the number in parentheses.
 CheckMate Plus let's you choose how you want
 to display negatives. The parentheses appear
 only on the reports (and not while entering
 data).

After you've set the options, press F10 to make your changes
permanent. ESC returns you to the "Setup" menu.

CheckMate Plus has many options for controlling the output
and format of printed reports. You can set these options at
print time, but you can also define default settings (so you
don't have to change them every time you print a report).

Margins You can set the "margins" (top, bottom, left,
 and right). Express the top and bottom
 margins as a number of lines, and the left and
 right margins as a number of characters.

 * NOTE: CheckMate Plus assumes that you're
 using "fixed width" fonts for your reports
 (rather than proportionally spaced fonts).
 Most printers do use (or at least have the
 option to use) fixed width fonts.

 CheckMate Plus does not support "postscript"
 printers at this time.

Paper Sizes Paper size is a function of the number of
 lines per page you can print and the number of
 characters on each line. These numbers are
 absolute (i.e. they include margins). Most
 printers put 66 lines on a page. Many laser
 printers, however, require built-in top and
 bottom margins. The Hewlett Packard LaserJet,
 for example, can only print 60 lines per page.

 The number of characters per line you print
 will usually be determined by either the width
 of the paper (most paper is 8.5" wide) or by
 the "pitch" of the print. For instance, if
 your printer has a "compressed" mode (17
 characters per inch), you can print 132
 characters on a standard letter-sized sheet of
 paper.

 * NOTE: You can use the "Printer Setup
 Strings" (discussed below) to "command" your
 printer into compressed mode.

Page Control You can tell CheckMate Plus to "pause" after
 each page to let you feed paper (if you're not
 using a laser printer or continuous feed
 paper).

Printer Port CheckMate Plus lets you direct your printed
 reports to LPT1, LPT2, COM1, or COM2. Set
 your printer port in the "Printer Port for
 Reports" field. (This is a "menu field", so
 press alt-F10 or the center mouse button to
 "pop" the menu up).

Setup Strings CheckMate Plus lets you define printer "setup"
 and "exit" strings to control such things as
 margins, character pitch, attributes, etc.
 CheckMate Plus sends the "setup" strings to
 your printer before it starts the report and
 the "exit" strings after the report is
 completed.

 For instance, you may want to "command" your
 printer to print 17 characters per inch for
 some of the reports. You would enter the
 proper "control codes" in the "Printer Setup
 Strings" field.

 You'll probably want to use the "exit" strings
 to reset your printer (for normal operation).

 The printer control codes can be found in your
 printer manual. The format for entry is

 \<decimal code>\<decimal code>\....

 The back-slashes delimit the codes. Here is
 an example:

 \27\85

 This string represents an <ESC> 'U'. (That's
 an escape-capital-U). This is a popular means
 of defining printer codes.

To save you default options to disk, press F10. ESC returns
you to the "Setup" menu.

This is the "Report Heading Setup Window".

You can enter up to ten lines of information (and CheckMate
Plus will center each line as you go).

CheckMate Plus prints these lines at the top of the first
page of each report (except for blank lines at the bottom).

Press F10 to save your headings, and then ESC to return to
the "Setup" menu. Press ESC without pressing F10 to abort
the changes you've made.

Select the "date format" you want CheckMate Plus to use as
its default.

This window produces a form on
your printer that you can use to
order registered copies of
CheckMate Plus.

Thank you for your support!

-- Tim Bougan
 Author of CheckMate Plus