The Business Master (3rd Edition)

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********************* SHAREWARE ********************* This program is distributed as a Shareware product. The Copyright is retained by American Precision Instruments (API). REGIT is a registered trademark of API. The program may be freely copied, placed on any bulletin board system, or otherwise freely distributed. Shareware distributors may charge their standard rates. If you find REGIT Point-of-Sale to be practical, and intend to publicly use it, then you must become a registered owner by sending $60 to: American Precision Instruments 1530 W. Ranch Road San Bernardino, CA 92407 *(714) 887-9285 Owner's of earlier versions of REGIT Point-of-Sale are automatically registered--no fees are required. Registrants will immediately be sent a user's manual; full information and instructions for ordering API bar code equipment, cash drawers, printers, and other point-of-sale supplies (see manual); and, if required, an updated version of REGIT Point-of-Sale. Please indicate your version when registering. Updates will be distributed through shareware or direct notification by API. API has never, and will never, attempt to profit from our previous customers and registrants by charging more than postage and handling fees for new versions or updates. Registrants will also be placed on our mailing list. Periodic information on new versions and updates, printers, cash drawers, bar code readers, and other point-of-sale supplies will be sent to registered owners of REGIT Point-of-Sale. *See Manual, page 5, for more on telephone support. R E G I T Point-of-Sale Version 4.2 Cash Register/Inventory Control Copyright (c) 1984-1991 by: American Precision Instruments 1530 W. Ranch Road San Bernardino, CA 92407 (714) 887-9285 R E G I T Point-of-Sale 4.2 REGISTRATION FORM SEND TO: American Precision Instruments 1530 W. Ranch Road San Bernardino, CA 92407 TODAY'S DATE: _________________________________ CHECK or MONEY ORDER AMOUNT: $__________________ NAME: ______________________________________________________ COMPANY: ______________________________________________________ ADDRESS: ______________________________________________________ ADDRESS: ______________________________________________________ CITY: ____________________ STATE: __________ ZIP: _________ TELEPHONE: ( ) _________________________ WHERE DID YOU OBTAIN YOUR COPY OF REGIT POINT-OF-SALE? ________ _______________________________________________________________ I AM INTERESTED IN RECEIVING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON: (check all that apply) ______ BAR CODE READERS AND OTHER BAR CODE EQUIPMENT ______ ELECTRONIC COMPUTER OPERATED CASH DRAWERS ______ POINT-OF-SALE PRINTERS T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S CHAPTER ONE - INTRODUCTION To Print This Manual ................................ 1 Using This Manual ................................... 1 Program Overview and Requirements ................... 1 Program Overview ................................. 1 System Requirements .............................. 3 Theory of Operation ................................. 3 Version History ..................................... 4 API Cash Drawers .................................... 4 API Supported Printers .............................. 4 Bar Code Support .................................... 5 API Telephone Support ............................... 5 Site Licenses and Custom Programming ................ 5 CHAPTER TWO - GETTING STARTED Hard Drive Installation ............................. 6 A Practice Session .................................. 6 The Escape Key ...................................... 7 Date and Time ....................................... 8 CHAPTER THREE - THE CASH REGISTER The Windows ......................................... 8 The Transaction Window ........................... 9 The Help Window .................................. 9 The Input Window ................................. 9 The Output Window ................................ 9 Product Codes ....................................... 10 Control Codes ....................................... 10 Amount Tendered ..................................... 14 Tender Codes ........................................ 14 Function Keys ....................................... 17 Using Bar Code Readers .............................. 18 Product Code Search ................................. 19 Initiating a Search .............................. 19 The Search Window ................................ 20 Utility Programs ..................................21 Transaction Log ..................................... 21 Using the Transaction Log ........................ 22 Viewing and Printing the Transaction Log ......... 22 Saving the Transaction Log ....................... 22 Clearing the Transaction Log ..................... 23 Sales Report ........................................ 23 Customer Data File .................................. 23 To Use or Not to Use ............................. 23 Customer Code Numbers ............................ 24 Using the Customer Data File -During a Transaction .......................... 24 Using the Customer Data File -Independent of a Transaction .................. 25 CHAPTER FOUR - THE UTILITIES File Access ......................................... 25 Enter Product Code ............................... 26 Product Description .............................. 26 Price ............................................ 26 Inventory Quantity ............................... 26 Reorder Point .................................... 26 Annual and Monthly Sales ......................... 27 Bottom Row ....................................... 27 Top Window ....................................... 27 Inventory Adjust .................................... 27 Price Adjust ........................................ 28 Clear Sales ......................................... 28 CHAPTER FIVE - THE EXTENDED UTILITIES Update Master Database .............................. 29 How Often Should You Update the Master? .......... 29 What is Updated on the Master? ...................... 29 Step-by-Step Update Procedures ................... 30 Are You Backing Up Your Files? ................... 31 Combining Customer Files ............................ 31 Importing and Exporting ............................. 32 Importing ........................................ 32 Exporting ........................................ 32 Creating a Secondary Database .................... 33 Adding and Removing Records ...................... 33 Creating an Export File .......................... 34 File Structure ................................... 34 CHAPTER SIX - THE REPORTS Data File Reports ................................... 35 Reorder Reports ..................................... 36 Establishing a Reorder Quantity .................. 36 Selectively Using the Reorder Quantity ........... 37 Sales Reports ....................................... 37 Sales Tax Collected .............................. 37 Daily, Monthly, and Annual Sales Totals .......... 37 Adjustments to Sales Totals ...................... 38 Daily Sales Report ............................... 38 Annual/Monthly/Daily Sales Report ................ 39 Sale By Cashier/Department ....................... 40 Transaction and Sales Ratios Reports ............. 40 Customer File Reports ............................... 41 Report Format .................................... 41 Mailing Labels--Entire File ...................... 42 Selected Mailing Labels .......................... 42 CHAPTER SEVEN - THE DEFAULTS Cash Register Defaults .............................. 42 Title ............................................ 42 Dollar Entry ..................................... 42 Bar Code Reader .................................. 42 Open Cash Drawer ................................. 43 Use Customer File ................................ 43 Use Daily Transaction Log ........................ 43 Require To Total By Cashier ...................... 43 Screen Saver ..................................... 43 Printers and Printing ............................... 44 Purchasing Considerations for Printers ........... 44 API Supported Printers ........................... 44 Printer Port ..................................... 45 Sales Receipt Formats ............................... 45 Print Sales Receipts ............................. 45 Paper Width/Pitch ................................ 45 Lines to Advance After Printing .................. 46 Select Receipt Format ............................ 46 Enter a Three Line Sales Receipt Title ........... 47 Enter a Three Line Message ....................... 47 Customer Name & Address Printed On Sales Receipt . 47 Printer Codes .................................... 48 Star Printer ..................................... 49 Print a Sample Receipt ........................... 49 Our Favorite Sales Receipt ....................... 49 Sales Tax ........................................... 53 Entering the Sales Tax Rate ...................... 53 Determining the Rounding Method .................. 53 Password ............................................ 54 Selecting/Changing Your Password ................. 54 What is Password Protected ....................... 54 Entering the Password ............................ 55 Preventing Password Protection ................... 55 You Forgot Your What? ............................ 55 Screen - Color Select ............................... 57 APPENDIX I - Backup ................................. A-1 APPENDIX II - REGIT Point-of-Sale Files ............. B-1 APPENDIX III - System Limits ........................ C-1 APPENDIX IV - 4.2 Upgrade ........................... D-1 ******************************************************************* CHAPTER ONE - INTRODUCTION ******************************************************************* ============================ TO PRINT THIS MANUAL ============================ To print this manual, align your continuous feed paper to the top of a page and at the DOS prompt type: PRINT REGIT.DOC [Press Enter Key] DOS will respond with something like "Name of list device [PRN]:". As long as you are only using one printer (LPT1) just press the [Enter] key and printing will begin. Be sure to have plenty of paper, the manual is over 60 pages. ========================= USING THIS MANUAL ========================= Do not be intimidated by the size of this manual. It was not developed with the intention that it be read cover-to-cover, but to provide a complete and detailed reference source for the owner. You should skim through the table of contents and body of the manual to get a good understanding of all that the program offers. Then use it for reference when you need to know more about operating a specific part of the program. The program is simple to operate and anyone with even a little experience on a personal computer should have no trouble quickly becoming a pro. To see how really easy it is to operate this program, turn to the section "A Practice Session", and go through the demonstration. ======================================= PROGRAM OVERVIEW AND REQUIREMENTS ======================================= Program Overview REGIT Point-of-Sale transforms a PC into a powerful point-of-sale cash register for retail and/or service businesses. The program controls as many as 12,000 products. REGIT Point-of-Sale 4.0 works with or without bar code equipment. The REGIT Point-of-Sale program, and API's bar code equipment, supports all popular bar coding symbologies: Universal Product Codes (UPC-A and UPC-E), EAN 8, EAN 18, Code 39 (3 of 9), Interleaved 2 of 5, and Codabar. A customer data file maintains names and addresses for up to 10,000 customers. -1- During the basic transaction, product codes are entered or scanned and the Transaction Window instantly displays the quantity, price, and product description. When the transaction is completed, the transaction is totaled, sales tax is applied, change is computed, the cash drawer is opened, a receipt is printed, and inventory and sales records are updated. Many options are available to the cashier during a transaction, such as taxable/nontaxable/manual tax sale, access customer file, inventory and price inquires, manual dollar sales, quantity sales, and much more. REGIT Point-of-Sale generates many reports including product listings, inventory reports, sales reports (current and historical), sales by cashier/department, sales by type of sale (cash, check, credit, etc.), transaction log (emulates a cash register backup tape), sales ratios report, reorder quantity report, customer name and address report, mailing labels, and more. Other features include, up to 25 character product descriptions, versatile sales receipt options, master update allows many cash registers to operate as one, automatic or manual sales tax, automatic cash drawer, password protection, sales by cashier/ department, inventory and price inquiries, help windows, and completely Menu driven. Some of the REGIT Point-of-Sale specific features include: - Enter products through bar code scanning or by keyboard. - Enter products by product code or dollar value. - Will store 12,000 products. - 1 to 16 character product codes. - 25 character product descriptions. - Instant response to your inputs. - Password protection. - Customer database can store names and addresses for 10,000 customers. - Customer database accessible during transaction. - Customer reports printed. - Customer mailing labels printed. - Subtotal continuously displayed during transaction. - Inventories displayed during transaction. - Inventory inquiries without affecting ongoing transaction. - Price quotes without affecting ongoing transaction. - Automatic user programmable sales tax. - Nontaxable items allowed. - Nontaxable transactions allowed. - Manual tax entries allowed. - Unlimited number of registers can be operated as one, through the master update option. - On screen help window. - Opens cash drawer through serial port. - Your business name, date, and time displayed on screen. - Completely menu driven. - Multiple item entries allowed. -2- - Will maintain sales totals by cashier or department. - Daily, monthly, and annual sales and tax totals maintained. - Number of transactions recorded. - Transaction Log keeps a record of every transaction. - Maintains inventory records for every product. - Maintains a sales history of every product. - Quick inventory adjustment program. - Quick price change program. - Reorder quantities maintained for every product. - Reorder quantity notification reports. - Fifteen product database report formats. - Four sales reports. - User selectable colors\shades. - Options retained when power is off. - Customize your receipts. - Many versatile receipt options. - Many receipt formats and paper sizes. - Selectable pitch--condensed, elite, pica. - 3 line title on receipts. - 3 line message on receipt. - Can print customer name and address on receipt. - Date and time on receipts. - Product descriptions can be printed on receipts. - Product codes can be printed on receipts. - Screen Saver - Auto Product Code Search - Cash and Percent Sales Discounts - Database Price OverRide - Major Credit Card Support - Export files to spreadsheet and database programs - Pop-up 3-D type Menus - Many, many more features. System Requirements REGIT Point-of-Sale 3.0 requires and IBM PC, XT, AT, or compatible, at least 512K of RAM, and PC-DOS or MS-DOS 2.0 or higher. Systems with 512 Kbytes can support 8,000 products, while systems with 640 Kbytes can support 12,000 products. Hard disk drive recommended (see floppy limited system). ========================= THEORY OF OPERATION ========================= This section provides you with a very brief and general description of how the REGIT Point-of-Sale program works. Your product codes are stored in the computer's RAM (random access memory). The records associated with the product codes (description, price, inventory, reorder point, annual and monthly sales quantities) are stored in a random access data file on your hard disk drive. -3- When you enter/scan a product code into the system, a special program is initiated that performs an extremely fast search of RAM to find the product code. When that code is found, it points to the disk location that stores the information about that product. The program is then able to go directly to that information and retrieve it. While this may seem like a time consuming process, all this occurs within a blink of the eye. ===================== VERSION HISTORY ===================== Version 1 Series - First released commercially in 1984 for the Radio Shack (Tandy) Model I, III, & IV. Version 2 Series - Released commercially in 1986 for the Apple II+, IIe, & IIc. Version 3 Series - Released as Shareware in 1990 for the Industry Standard and IBM compatible market. Version 4 Series - Current version, full bar code support added to version 3. ====================== API CASH DRAWERS ====================== API provides sales support for several models of electronic cash drawers that work with REGIT Point-of-Sale. One of your computer's serial ports is used to provide the appropriate signal to open the cash drawer. Information on API cash drawers is included within the registration package or upon request. ============================ API SUPPORTED PRINTERS ============================ REGIT Point-of-Sale attempts to support all printers by providing a printing option that uses only universal printer codes. API also provides sales support for printers that we have tested and believe to have all the qualities necessary to print sales receipts without the paper handling problems of many standard printers. We provide special programming within the REGIT Point-of-Sale program to take full advantage of these printers' capabilities. We also provide printer support for printers specifically developed for point-of-sale systems. Information on API supported printers is included within the registration package or upon request. See Chapter Seven, The Defaults, "Printers and Printing" for a more thorough discussion of this topic. -4- ====================== BAR CODE SUPPORT ====================== American Precision Instruments provides complete sales support for bar code reading equipment. Information on API supported bar code equipment is included within the registration package or upon request. See Chapter Three, "The Cash Register" for a more thorough discussion of bar codes. ************* N O T I C E ************* Recently, a company from Claremont, California, Computer Resources Group, revolutionized the automatic ID market by developing a bar code reader that works without a hardware decoding device. This bar code reader program will allow a wand, laser, CCD, slot reader, etc, to be connected directly to any computer's game or serial port. A TSR (terminate and stay resident) program provides the decoding algorithms and passes the decoded messages to any operating program via the keyboard buffer. Demonstrations have shown that this bar code reading program vastly outperforms today's hardware decoders. The program has been appropriately named KNOW-WEDGE. American Precision Instruments has obtained distribution rights to KNOW-WEDGE and are excited about being able to provide this technologically superior product to our customers. =========================== API TELEPHONE SUPPORT =========================== Our REGIT support/sales line is an "after hours" line beginning daily at approximately 4 PM PST and extending until we go home. Someone is also generally available on weekends. Previously, we have not provided telephone support prior to registration. However, we realize many individuals want or need a faster response than is available through the mail, or simply want to get an order shipped as soon as possible. So we have worked out a plan to rotate "after hours" (after 4:00 PM PST) and weekend calls so that technical support can be provided. If we have left for the day, the phone will not be answered. The REGIT support/sales line is (714) 887-9285. ========================================== SITE LICENSES AND CUSTOM PROGRAMMING ========================================== Registration should be made for each computer acting as a REGIT Point-of-Sale. Modifying the REGIT program generally excludes recipients of the modified version from compatibility with future upgrades. Thus, our policy is not to provide custom programming. -5- ****************************************************************** CHAPTER TWO - GETTING STARTED ****************************************************************** ============================== HARD DRIVE INSTALLATION ============================== REGIT Point-of-Sale is an ARCed self-extracting program. It uses the LHARC compression program to condense about three disks to one. The program will be automatically decompressed (unarced) during installation. The only questions you will need to answer during installation is the letter for the hard drive and the drive letter that the REGIT installation disk is in. 1) Place your REGIT Point-of-Sale Disk #1 in drive A: (or drive B:). 2) Type A:INSTALL [Press Enter key]. 3) Follow the instructions on the monitor. The installation procedure places the REGIT Point-of-Sale program in a directory named REGIT on the drive you specified. A REGIT.BAT start-up file will be dropped in your root directory so you may call the program with the start-up command: REGIT [press the enter key] Disk #2 contains API's Bar Code Labels program (BCLABELS.EXE) and the documentation. The program is not archived and should be copied (with the DOS COPY command) to the REGIT directory. In the REGIT directory, it can print labels from the information stored in your REGIT databases. The start-up command for the program is: BCLABELS [press the enter key] ========================== A PRACTICE SESSION ========================== To provide you with a convenient method to try out the REGIT Point-of-Sale program, we have entered some test products into the database. Before you can began, you must have installed the program on your hard disk, or combined the files to a floppy as described the "Floppy Drive Limited System". We have entered ten test products into the database. The code numbers for the products are simply 1 through 10. You may leave these items in your database, they will not effect normal operation -6- of the program. You may also delete these items from your database, when no longer needed, using the [Utility] -> [File Access] Menu selection. OK, lets try out the cash register: 1) Type REGIT to start the program. Follow instructions to get past opening screen and to the REGIT MENU. Now press the [Enter] key to select [Cash Register]. 2) The cash register quickly displays. The blinking square surrounds the product code box. Enter a product code (1,2,3,4...10) and press the [Enter] key. The product description and price are displayed in the Transaction Window. (We used Test Product # One, Two, Three, etc as the product descriptions). 3) Try another code. And another. As many as you like. 4) Now lets total the test transaction. Press the [F10] function key. 5) There's the total. If the sales tax function had been turned on, sales tax would have been included. 6) Now you will see the program is waiting for you to enter the AMOUNT TENDERED. 7) Enter an amount equal to or greater than the amount of the sale and press the [Enter] key. 8) OK, transaction complete. Wasn't that easy. If you had your cash drawer and printer connected (and those default functions turned on) the cash drawer would have opened and a receipt would have been printed. You just entered the most basic transaction using no options, no special control codes, or no tender codes. As you will see, there are many, many ways to change the way a transaction is conducted and recorded. ====================== THE ESCAPE KEY ====================== The [Escape] key is an important key and used extensively with this program. If you are in the process of performing a task, pressing the [Escape] key will usually abort that task first. Then pressing the [Escape] key again will return you to the Menu. If you happen to be performing a subtask, that subtask will be aborted first returning you back to the original task. This is extremely useful because it lets you back out off a decision if you change your mind. -7- For example, suppose you were changing prices for your products in the [Price Adjust] program, and you had entered a product code, then realized that you had entered the wrong product. Pressing the [Escape] key once would abort that product code and return you to the "Enter Product Code:" prompt. You could then enter a new product code or press the [Escape] key once again to return to the Menu. In summary, pressing the [Escape] key aborts the current task or subtask before returning you to the Menu. ===================== DATE AND TIME ===================== REGIT Point-of-Sale makes extensive use of the date and time. If your computer does not automatically obtain the date and time, then you should make sure that the operator is prompted to enter them at start-up. Add these two commands to the end of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file: DATE TIME They will prompt your operator/cashier to enter the correct date and time when they turn on the computer. ******************************************************************* CHAPTER THREE - THE CASH REGISTER ******************************************************************* Select [Cash Register] off the Menu to get to the REGIT Point-of-Sale cash register screen. The cash register requires very little experience to operate. Numerous error checking routines, correcting routines, and operator messages have been employed to make operation of the cash register simple and reliable for even the most inexperienced cashier. Because the computer is able to show the cashier where he/she is in a transaction, and require correct entries, the REGIT Point-of-Sale system is easier for a cashier to learn to operate than a standard cash register. =================== THE WINDOWS =================== The REGIT Point-of-Sale Cash Register screen is divided into four windows: 1) the Transaction Window, 2) the Help Window, 3) the Input Widow, and 4) the Output Window. -8- The Transaction Window The Transaction Window, located on the right hand side of the screen, displays the transaction as it is taking place. As product codes are entered, the quantity, 25 character product description, and price are displayed. If it is a large transaction, the display scrolls, displaying the last 16 products entered. You may use the [Up] arrow key to bring back entries that have scrolled away. A single transaction may include up to 500 lines of product entries. The Transaction Window also displays the subtotal, tax, total, amount tendered, and change when the transaction is complete. Additionally, various operator messages and pop-up menus are displayed in the Transaction Window during cash register operation. The Help Window The Help Window, located on the left hand side of the screen has several functions. It can simply display the date, time, and name of your business. It can act as a help screen by continuously displaying a menu of control codes, tender codes, and function keys (see Control Codes, Tender Codes, and Function Keys). It can display a special sales report (see Sales Report). It also acts as the access screen for your customer data file (see Customer Data File). During a transaction, a 3-D pop-up "Transaction Status" displays current subtotal, total, sales discount, and sales tax within this window. The Input Window The Input Window is located at the bottom of your screen. The Input Window is used for entering information to the program. Product codes, control codes, amount tendered, and tender codes, are all entered through this window. The flashing square indicates which input the program is waiting to accept. The operator may move back and forth between input boxes with the [Right] and [Left] arrow keys--then press [Enter] to accept the inputs. The Output Window The Output Window is located at the top of your screen. At one time, the output window displayed the subtotal of the ongoing transaction. However, with the addition of the "Transaction Status" pop-up, it was no longer necessary. The current time and the inventory quantity of the last product entered (bottom item displayed in the Transaction Window) are now displayed within this window. The inventory shown is the amount in the inventory at the beginning of the current transaction. This inventory display is very helpful for over the counter type of businesses that must retrieve the merchandise for the customers. The operator/cashier may also make inventory and price inquiries without the item being added into the transaction (see Control Codes - Inventory/Price Inquiry). -9- ===================== PRODUCT CODES ===================== The product code input box accepts the product codes for an item being sold. Simply enter/scan the product code and (if no control code is needed) press the [Enter] key. The product and price will display in the Transaction Window. Also see "Product Code Search" in this chapter for a convenient and fast method for dealing with product codes. ===================== CONTROL CODES ===================== Control codes are used in conjunction with the product codes to change the way a product is added into the transaction, or to change the ongoing transaction. Depending on the control code, a product code may or may not be needed. After entering a product code move to the control code box with the [Left Arrow] key and enter the desired control code. You may move back and forth between the product code box and the control code box. When you have the product code and control code as desired, press the [Enter] key to enter the product (or just the control code) into the transaction. Pressing the F1 "help" key brings this list of the available control codes in the help window: >>>>>> CONTROL CODES <<<<<< A..........ABORT TRANSACTION D.(F9).....DELETE LAST ENTRY DIS% ......DISCOUNT (% optional) I..........INVENTORY/PRICE INQUIRY NT.........NONTAXABLE ITEM NTT........NONTAXABLE TRANSACTION O..........OPEN CASH DRAWER OR.........OVERRIDE - PRICE T.(F10)....TOTAL TRANSACTION TA-TZ......TOTAL BY CASHIER TAX........MANUAL TAX ENTRY nnn........MULTIPLE ENTRY $.(F7).....DOLLAR ENTRY $nnn.......DOLLAR ENTRY, MULTIPLE $NT........DOLLAR ENTRY, NONTAXABLE Alternately, you may select your control code off a 3-D type pop-up menu. To bring up the menu, move to the control code box and simply press the enter key. In other words, enter a null or blank as a control code. The menu will appear and you may select by either moving the cursor line to the desired control code or pressing the corresponding letter. Using the codes are faster, but using the menu is more convenient for inexperienced users. The pop-up menu appears as follows: -10- ╔════════════════════════════════╗ ║ CONTROL CODES ║ ║────────────────────────────────║ ║ a. Abort Transaction ║ ║ b. Delete Last Entry ║ ║ c. Cash Discount ║ ║ d. Percent Discount ║ ║ e. Inventory/Price Inquiry ║ ║ f. Nontaxable Item ║ ║ g. Nontaxable Transaction ║ ║ h. Open Cash Drawer ║ ║ i. OverRide Price ║ ║ j. Total The Transaction ║ ║ k. Total By Cashier/Dept ║ ║ l. Manual Tax Entry ║ ║ m. Multiple Item ║ ║ n. Multiple Item, Nontax ║ ║ o. Dollar Entry ║ ║ p. Dollar Entry, Multiple ║ ║ q. Dollar Entry, Nontax ║ ║ r. Exit/Escape From Menu ║ ╚════════════════════════════════╝ A description of each control code follows, the menu selection is given first, followed by the (code): a) Abort Transaction (A) - Clears the Transaction Window and any customer that was input into the customer file (however, does not remove the customer from the customer data file). Then waits for the next transaction. b) Delete Last Entry (D) - Backs out the last product entered from the transaction and clears it from the Transaction Window. If desired, the operator can continue to back out the next product, and so on, until the window is completely empty. Press [F9] to more quickly perform the same function. c) Cash Discount (DIS) - Place the amount of the discount in the product code box and a DIS as the control code (or select from menu). The Transaction Status window will reflect the discount. The discount can be entered at any time prior to totaling the transaction. When the transaction is totaled, both the monitor and the receipt will display the discount. See the "percent discount" section for changing or stopping a discount. A Sales Discount report is maintained if you need to keep track of the discounts you have given (see Chapter Six "The Reports"). d) Percent Discount (DIS%) - Place the percent of the discount in the product code box and a DIS% as the control code (or select from menu). The amount in the product code box will be converted to a percent and the total transaction will be reduced by that percentage. The DIS% may be entered at any time during the transaction prior to totaling. The Transaction Status window will display the amount during the transaction. The percent discount can be entered into the product code box by either of two methods. -11- For example a 10 percent discount can be entered as 10 or as .10 (or just .1). The program will understand and make the necessary adjustment. When the transaction is totaled, both the monitor and the receipt will display the discount. To change a cash or percent discount, once it has been entered into the transaction, simply re-enter the correct amount or percentage and the DIS or DIS% control code. To stop a discount, enter a 0 (or leave blank) in the product code box and a DIS or DIS% as the control code. e) Inventory/Price Inquiry (I) - Used to look up the price or inventory or an item without entering it into the transaction. Returns the inventory quantity and price for the product whose code number is entered. The "Transaction Status" pop-up window displays the information. After an inquiry, you will be instructed to either press the [ENTER] key to enter the product into the current transaction or press [ESCAPE] to continue without entering the product. f) Nontaxable Item (NT) - The item whose code is in the product code box will be entered into the transaction as a nontaxable item. The sales tax rate will not be applied to this item. An Asterisk "*" will be displayed on product line in the Transaction Window (and in the transaction log), and an "NT" (or asterisk depending on your receipt selection) will be printed on sales receipt to indicate the item as nontaxable. g) Nontaxable Transaction (NTT) - Prevents sales tax from being entered into the transaction. Control code (NTT) can be entered at any time prior to totaling the transaction. "NTT" will be displayed in the Input window next to the control code box to indicate that the transaction will be nontaxable. You may override this function with the "TAX" Control Code and enter the tax manually. If you change your mind, the NTT works as a toggle and entering it again will return sales tax to the default status. h) Open Cash Drawer (O) - Opens the cash drawer. The cash drawer automatically opens at the appropriate time during the transaction, without using the control code. i) OverRide Price (OR) - To override a price, simply place the product code in the product code box (as you normally would), then enter an OR (for OverRide) in the control code box (or select from menu). Your computer will beep indicating it is awaiting another entry. The blinking indicator will move back to the product code box, but it will now read "OVERRIDE PRICE:". Enter the new price (no dollar signs or commas will be accepted). If this is a multiple or nontaxable entry, you may move back to the control code box and enter the appropriate control code. Then press the [ENTER] key. Very simple. j) Total Transaction (T) - Totals the current transaction. After the transaction is totaled, the Input Window will switch and be ready to receive the amount tendered and a tender code. [F10] more quickly performs the same function. -12- k) Total By Cashier/Dept (TA to TZ) - Same as [T], except a total for 26 cashiers or departments is also maintained. You may assign each cashier or each department a different letter and a separate total will be kept for each. A special report provides these totals (see Chapter Six, The Reports). If you want to ensure that your cashiers use this function, you may make a default setting requiring the cashiers to do so (see Chapter Seven, The Defaults). l) Manual Tax Entry (TAX) - Disengages the automatic sales tax application and lets the cashier manually enter the sales tax amount. Place the manual sales tax amount to enter into the product code box and "TAX" into the control code box--then press [Enter]. You may do this at any time during the transaction. If you change your mind, the TAX function works as a toggle and entering a null, blank, or zero amount will return you to the sales tax default status (if you wanted zero, you would use the NTT control code). m) Multiple Entry (nnn) - The multiple entry function allows the cashier to make multiple item entries. Just enter the item's product code in the product code box and the number of items being sold in the control code box. The Transaction Window will display this quantity next to the product description and the price displayed will be for the total of all the items. (nnn) can be any number between 1 and 999, however, 1 is assumed when eliminated. If selected from the menu, the cashier will be prompted to enter the number of items. n) Multiple Entry, Nontax (no code) - This selection is only available off the menu. It allows an item to be designated as multiple and nontaxable at the same time. When selected, the cashier will be prompted for the number of items. o) Dollar Entry ($) - The dollar entry control code allows the cashier to manually enter a dollar value into the transaction. Place a dollar amount into the product code box and a [$] dollar sign into the control code box--then press [Enter] (or use menu). The price in the product code box will be displayed in the Transaction Window and added into the transaction. You may give your manual dollar entries a product description to be printed in the Transaction Window and on your receipts. The program comes with "General Merchandise" as the dollar entry product description, but you may use the [Default] -> [Cash Register Defaults] Menu selection to change or eliminate this description. DO NOT USE any dollar signs or commas as part of the dollar entry--the program will not accept them. [F7] performs the same function. p) Dollar Entry, Multiple ($nnn) - This control code allows the cashier to manually enter a dollar amount and, at the same time, make it a multiple entry. Simply follow the dollar sign with the quantity to be entered into the transaction. q) Dollar Entry, Nontaxable ($NT) - Same as Dollar Entry, except sales tax is not applied to the entry. r) Returns to the input window without selecting a control code. -13- ======================= AMOUNT TENDERED ======================= After totaling a transaction, the Input Window displays and waits for the cashier to enter the "AMOUNT TENDERED:". This is the amount the customer gives the cashier as payment. The cashier then enters this amount, and any tender code that may be needed, and the transaction is complete. A receipt is printed (if receipt function is turned on), the cash drawer opens, the change due is shown in the Transaction Window, and the transaction is permanently recorded to the various disk files that need to be updated. DO NOT USE dollar signs or commas in the amount tendered--the program will not accept them. If the amount tendered, that has been entered, does not equal or exceed the total sales price, the Transaction Window will display "Partial Amount Tendered" and that amount. The cashier may then enter an additional amount (or [Escape] out) to bring the total amount tendered up to the amount of the sale. This allows duplicate sales' types to be recorded separately. For example, a customer may wish to pay part in cash and part with a check or credit card. If after the second entry, the amount tendered is still less that the total sales price, the partial amount is cleared an the program waits for the next full or partial amount tendered again. ==================== TENDER CODES ==================== Tender codes are used in conjunction with the amount tendered to change the way the transaction is recorded. Tender codes can also take the cashier back into the transaction to update or change an entry. Depending on the tender code, the amount tendered may or may not be required before the program will accept the tender code. You may use the [Left] and [Right] arrow keys to move back and forth between the amount tendered box and the tender code box. When you have the amount tendered and tender code as desired, press the [Enter] key to enter the amount tendered into the transaction. The major purpose of the tender codes is to identify the type of sale. By type of sale we mean cash, check, credit card, etc. The REGIT Point-of-Sale program will maintain separate totals for cash sales, check sales, credit sales, and nine other categories of sales (CAT1 - CAT9). These other categories can be anything you want to keep a separate total of. CAT1 through CAT5 have been assigned VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discovery, and Diner's Club respectively. Cash is automatically assumed when no tender code is entered. If you have no use for separate totals, simply do not use them. See Chapter Six, The Reports, for the sales reports available when you use the tender codes. -14- Using these tender codes to keep separate totals will help to reconcile your cash drawer. One thing to keep in mind, when the amount tendered from a noncash sales exceeds the sales price (change is due), the change is subtracted from the cash total. In other words, if a sale was for $17 and a customer writes a $20 check, the cashier would enter $20 as the amount tendered and "CH" as the tender code. The separate total for check sales would be increased by $20 and the total for cash would decrease by $3 (because the change would be given in cash). This way, the separate totals will indicate the amounts in the cash drawer (excluding beginning cash). The following is a replica of the Tender Code Help Screen: >>>>>> TENDER CODES <<<<<< A............ABORT TRANSACTION BT...........BACKOUT TOTAL CH...........CHECK SALE CR...........CREDIT SALE CAT1-CAT9....OTHER CATEGORY SALE R............REMOVE TRANSACTION VISA/MC/AE...CREDIT CARDS DISC/DC......CREDIT CARDS >>>>>> FUNCTION KEYS <<<<<< F1...........HELP WINDOW F2...........CUSTOMER DATA FILE F3...........PRODUCT CODE SEARCH F4...........AUTO TENDER CASH F5...........AUTO TENDER CHECK F6...........AUTO TENDER CREDIT SHIFT-F3.....SALES REPORT As with the control codes, the tender codes may be alternately selected from a pop-up menu. Enter a null or blank for a tender code and the menu will pop up. You may select by either moving the cursor line to the desired tender code or pressing the corresponding letter. -15- ╔════════════════════════════════╗ ║ TENDER CODES ║ ║────────────────────────────────║ ║ a. Abort Transaction ║ ║ b. Backout Total ║ ║ c. Open Cash Drawer ║ ║ d. Remove Transaction ║ ║ e. Cash Sale (default) ║ ║ f. Check Sale ║ ║ g. Credit Sale ║ ║ h. VISA (CAT1) ║ ║ i. MasterCard (CAT2) ║ ║ j. American Express (CAT3) ║ ║ k. Discovery (CAT4) ║ ║ l. Diner's Club (CAT5) ║ ║ m. Category 6 (CAT6) ║ ║ n. Category 7 (CAT7) ║ ║ o. Category 8 (CAT8) ║ ║ p. Category 9 (CAT9) ║ ║ q. Exit/Escape From Menu ║ ║ ║ ╚════════════════════════════════╝ A description of each tender code follows, the menu selection is given first, followed by the (code): a) Abort Transaction (A) - This code is both a valid control code and a valid tender code. It completely aborts the current transaction, clears the Transaction Window and any customer that was input into the customer file (however, does not remove the customer from the customer data file). Then waits for the next transaction. b) Backout Total (BT) - Cancels the total. Clears the totals from the Transaction Window and places the cashier back into the transaction as if the total had never been requested. The Input Window returns to waiting for the next product and control code. You may continue with the transaction as if it had never been totaled. c) Open Cash Drawer (O) - Opens the cash drawer. The cash drawer automatically opens at the appropriate time during the transaction, without using the control code. d) Remove Transaction (R) - This tender code removes a sale from the disk data files. Use this code for a sales returns, to correct errors, etc. First, enter the transaction you want to remove just as if it were a regular sales transaction. Then, rather than entering an amount tendered, enter the tender code "R". The daily, monthly, and annual sales totals will be appropriately adjusted, sales tax totals will be adjusted, inventory quantities will be adjusted, and your separate sales totals will be adjusted (cash will be reduced to signify a sales return). The Transaction Log will show the transaction being deleted rather than as a sale. e) Cash Sale (default) - The sale is assumed to be a cash sale if no tender code is entered, or if "Cash Sale" is selected from the menu. -16- f) Check Sale (CH) - Enter a "CH" in the tender code box with the amount tendered to maintain a separate check sales total. g) Credit Sale (CR) - Enter a "CR" in the tender code box with the amount tendered to maintain a separate credit sales total. This would not be used for credit cards, but for credit provided by your business. h) VISA (VISA or CAT1) - Maintains a separate total for VISA. Note: CAT1 to CAT5 also work for credit cards to maintain compatibility with earlier REGIT versions. They may be ignored completely. i) MasterCard (MC or CAT2) - Separate total for MasterCard. j) American Express (AM or CAT3) - Separate total for American Express Card. k) Discovery (DIS or CAT4) - Separate total for Discovery Card. l) Diner's Club (DC or CAT5) - Separate total for Diner's Club Card. m) to p) Other Category Sale (CAT6-CAT9) - Enter CAT6 to CAT9 in the tender code box with the amount tendered to maintain up to four separate categories of sales. If not needed, they may be ignored. q) Returns to the input window without selecting a tender code. ===================== FUNCTION KEYS ===================== [F1] - Toggles the Help Window between opening screen and the help screens. If the transaction has not been totaled, then control codes are displayed. Once the transaction has been totaled, the tender codes and function keys are displayed. [F2] - Brings up the Customer Data File input screen (see Customer Data File). [F3] - Will initiate a Product code search following an "** Invalid Product Code **" message. (If the default auto product code search is on, then this is will be done automatically.) [SHIFT] [F3] - Displays a Sales Report (see Sales Report). [F4] - Automatically tenders cash. If cash received is exactly the amount of the sale, then pressing this function key automatically tenders the amount. [F5] - Automatically tenders checks. If the check is for the amount of sale, then pressing this function key automatically tenders the amount. -17- [F6] - Automatically tenders credit category. This is the credit category and not for credit card totals. [F7] - Control code, dollar entry. No function as a tender code. [F8] - Stops/starts indicator square blinking (For those who do not like blinking objects on their screens). [SHIFT] [F8] - Toggles the helpline on/off. [F9] - Control code, delete last entry. No function as a tender code. [F10] - Control code, totals the transaction. [Page Down] - Pulls the last item entered/scanned out of the transaction and back into the product code entry box. The flashing cursor will surround the control code entry box. The primary purpose of this function is to pull items that have been scanned, with bar code reader, back out of the transaction so a control code (such as multiple entry, nontaxable, etc.) can be applied. ============================ USING BAR CODE READERS ============================ Bar code readers are so easy to use, they don't require much explanation. Refer to your bar code reader manual for proper connection to your computer. We will discuss some topics that may save you some time. 1) For use with keyboard wedge type of bar code reader, there is no REGIT enable/disable command. You simply plug-in (wedge) the reader between the keyboard and the computer and the reader is operational. You may then use the keyboard, the bar code wand, or both. 2) A special key has been added to Version 4.0 for use with the bar code reader (you may use it even if you are not using bar code equipment). The key is the [Page Down] key. When you scan an item, the reader beeps to indicate an accurate read. The product is then automatically displayed and added into your transaction. This allows the cashier to scan all items without ever touching the keyboard or even looking at the monitor. However, suppose a control code is needed with an item. A multiple entry would be a common example. By pressing the [Page Down] key, the last item entered (scanned) is pulled out of the transaction and placed back in the product code box. The flashing indicator automatically moves to control code box, awaiting your entry of the appropriate control code. As mentioned, you can use this feature to recapture the last item entered, even if you are not using a bar code reader. 3) The bar code entry system is not limited to the cash register. You may use your bar code equipment for entering products into, or accessing the product database. You may also use the equipment in the price and inventory changing programs. In fact, when originally entering a product code, it is a good idea to use the wand. Some -18- product labels fail to print the entire code. You might not know this unless you have scanned it. 4) You can also use the bar code equipment to enter you customers code numbers. For example, you could have a printout of your customers, each followed by a bar code label. You would look up your customer and scan his or her code-which would automatically enter the customer into the transaction. In fact, any place you now type information into the computer, you can use a bar code to enter it for you. 5) As a registered owner of REGIT Point-of-Sale, you are automatically registered with American Precision Instrument's BAR CODE LABELS program (a $25 value!). You can use this program to print bar code labels for your merchandise. 6) NOTE: Recently, a company from Claremont, California, Computer Resources Group, revolutionized the automatic ID market by developing a bar code reader that works without a hardware interface. A wand, laser, CCD, etc, will connect directly to any computer via a game or serial port. A TSR (terminate and stay resident) program provides the decoding algorithms and passes the information to any operating program via the keyboard buffer. Demonstrations have shown that this bar code reading program vastly outperforms today's hardware decoders. The program has been appropriately named KNOW-WEDGE. American Precision Instruments has obtained distribution rights and we will add KNOW-WEDGE to our inventory of bar code equipment. ========================= Product Code Search ========================= The Product Code Search is an extremely useful alternative to bar code equipment. The routine allows you to enter a portion of the product code rather than the entire code. Then an extremely fast search of your product codes is initiated. When the search is completed, the routine reports back all product codes that contain the portion (String) you entered. Initiating a Search There are two methods to initiate a search, with 1) the [F3] function key, or 2) the automatic search function. 1) When you receive the "*** INVALID PRODUCT CODE ***" message in the transaction window, you may press the [F3] function key and a search will then be initiated. 2) You may select for an automatic product code search to be initiated each time a product code is entered where no exact match is found. When this selection is made, you will not receive an "*** INVALID PRODUCT CODE ***" message. The search will be automatically initiated without pressing the [F3] function key. -19- To use the automatic search function, you must first turn it on. To do this, select [DEFAULT] -> [CASH REGISTER DEFAULTS] off the Menu. On page two of the defaults selections you will find the option: AUTOMATIC PRODUCT CODE SEARCH: [NO] [YES] Select [YES] to turn it on or [NO] to turn it off. NOTE: If you are using Bar Code Scanning equipment, the autosearch function provides little or no help and should be turned to "OFF". The Search Window The search window appears when the [F3] function key is pressed or automatically if the automatic function is turned on. The number of product codes that are displayed in the window depends mostly on how many characters you entered as the product code and the makeup of your data base. Let's look at an example: ╔═╦════════════════╦═╦═══════════════╦═╗ ║ ║01580007011 ║║...............║ ║ ║ ║01580016925 ║ ║...............║ ║ ║ ║0721580 ║ ║...............║ ║ ║ ║...END.SEARCH...║ ║...............║ ║ ║ ║................║ ║...............║ ║ ║ ║................║ ║...............║ ║ ║ ║................║ ║...............║ ║ ║ ║................║ ║...............║ ║ ║ ║................║ ║...............║ ║ ║ ║................║ ║...............║ ║ ╚═╩════════════════╩═╩═══════════════╩═╝ In the above example a product code of "1580" was entered. As you can see it does not matter where in the product code the string that you are trying to match is. For the Universal Product Codes you will get fewer matches if you use the second set of numbers- -that is the unique product--the first set of numbers is the manufacture's code. When the search has found all product codes that match the string you have entered, the [..END.SEARCH..] will appear as in the example. If over 19 matches are found a [PAGE DOWN] message will appear in the last row. You may press the Page Down key to continue the search. If no matches are found a [..NO.MATCHES..] message will be displayed in the first row. You may use the [Right], [Left], [Up], AND [Down] arrow keys to move the pointer arrows to the product code of your choice. Press the [Enter] key to make your selection. When you press [Enter], the search window will disappear and the item you selected will be entered into the transaction. The [Escape] key will abort the search function and return you to the input window. Using a Control Code Following a Product Search -20- If a control code is needed with a product code (such as a Nontaxable Item or Multiple Entry), then use the [F3] (rather than the [Enter] key) to select the product code. Using the [F3] function key to selected the product code returns control to the input window rather than directly adding the product into the transaction. The product code will display in the "Product Code Box" and the flashing square will indicate waiting to accept a control code or call up the menu. Utility Programs The search functions also work with the "Price Adjustments" and "Inventory Adjustments" utility programs. This reduces your data entry time tremendously. Using the automatic search and an abbreviated product code can greatly reduce the number of keystrokes necessary during data entry. The search function cannot work with the "File Access" program because when the file access program detects a product code that does not exist, it assumes a new product code is being entered. Operation of the search function within the utility programs is identical to operation within the cash register. If the automatic search function is on, then a search will be automatically initiated when an invalid product code is encountered. If the "automatic product code search" function is off, then you can use the [F3] function key to initiate a search when you receive an invalid product code message. ======================= TRANSACTION LOG ======================= The transaction log is a running record of your transactions. It is meant to emulate the function of a cash register that provides a printed tape backup of all transactions. For each item sold, the log records the product code, product description, multiple entry quantity, nontaxable item indicator (asterisk), and price. Also recorded for each transaction is the transaction subtotal, sales tax, total, amount tendered, and change. The date, time, and codes used during the transaction (total by cashier/dept, check, credit, etc.) are also recorded. Each date and time is unique so they can be used to identify a transaction. The date and time printed on your receipts is the exact date and time printed in the transaction log (to the second). Here is an example transaction log entry: ========================================================= 12-12-1990 12:10:37 04946001 White Bond Paper, 1000 ct 10.95 0212001450624 Desk Calendar, refill 5.25 GOVT0025 20 *25 cent US stamps 5.00 SUBTOTAL 21.20 SALES TAX 0.98 TOTAL 22.18 TENDERED 22.18 CHANGE 0.00 CODES: TA CHECK ========================================================= -21- Using the Transaction Log To use the transaction log, you must first turn the function on through the [Default] -> [Cash Register Defaults] Menu selection. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you do not just turn the function on and then forget about it! The transaction log (TRANACTN.LOG) records all transactions and thus expands at a fairly rapid rate (directly proportionate to your sales). If it expands to the point where there is no space available on your disk, the program will not be able to record your transaction. You will be directed back to the Menu where you must clear the file, or otherwise free up disk space, before you can continue normal cash register operation. Viewing and Printing the Transaction Log The transaction log is stored in the REGIT directory in the file TRANACTN.LOG. It is an ASCII file, so can be pulled directly into word processors and viewed and/or printed using those word processing capabilities. If you do not have a word processor, the file can also be viewed with the DOS TYPE command (or DOS's EDLIN): CD\REGIT TYPE TRANACTN.LOG You can use the [Pause] key to stop the scrolling. You can use [Print Screen] to print an individual transaction or the DOS PRINT command to print the entire file: CD\REGIT PRINT TRANACTN.LOG The transaction log is 58 characters wide. Saving the Transaction Log You may wish to keep your transaction log permanently, or for a month, year, etc. Set up a system for storing them. Such a system should use floppies to prevent filling up your hard disk. File names should have the date embedded to identify the log. An example could be TA010190.LOG, for January 1, 1990. To copy the transaction log from the REGIT directory to a floppy in the A: drive, and rename it at the same time, you would use the following command: COPY C:\REGIT\TRANACTN.LOG A:TA010190.LOG Be sure to copy the file prior to clearing the daily sales quantities. Clearing any sales quantities also clears the transaction log. -22- Clearing the Transaction Log The transaction log is automatically cleared when you clear daily, monthly, or annual sales quantities (see Chapter Four, The Utilities, Clear Sales). ==================== SALES REPORT ==================== To provide a convenient method for displaying your sales totals, without leaving the cash register and entering the [Reports] programs, REGIT Point-of-Sale provides a sales report that is accessible while operating the cash register. The report provides the daily, monthly, and annual sales and sales tax quantities. Press function key [SHIFT] [F3] and the sales report will be displayed in the Help Window. Press any key again an the Help Window will return to the previous display. This report is available at any time during cash register operation. It will not interfere with an ongoing transaction. The sales report is disabled if the Password function has been engaged. ========================== CUSTOMER DATA FILE ========================== The customer data file allows 10,000 names and addresses to be stored on your hard drive and is easily accessible during a routine cash register transaction. Each customer is allocated a four digit code number and three, thirty character name and address lines. If you decide to use this function, the customer's name and address can be recorded in the transaction log, can be printed on the sales receipt, can be printed in a report format, and can be printed on mailing labels. See Chapter Six, The Reports, for information on printing customer reports and mailing labels. To Use or Not To Use To use the Customer Data File, the function must first be turned on through the Menu's [Default] -> [Cash Register Defaults] selections (see Chapter Seven, The Defaults). Your hard disk must have approximately 1 Megabyte (920,092 bytes to be exact) of free disk space to engage this function. If not, you will be requested to free up some disk space before the program will allow the function to be turned on. The customer data file will not interfere with the normal operation of the REGIT Point-of-Sale program. The only reason for having the ON/OFF default selection is to prevent it from claiming the 1 megabyte of disk space for users who do not intend to use it. -23- Customer Code Numbers To access a customer record, a customer code number (0-9999) must first be assigned to identify the customer. Most retail outlets, that use this type of system, use the last four digits of the customer's phone number as the identifier. During the transaction, the customer can be asked for the last four of their telephone number. Other outlets, that deal with a select group of customers, assign specific code numbers to their customers. You may enter numbers with less than four digits (between 1 and 999) with or without preceding 00's. For example, the following customer code entries will all address the same record: >>0027<< >>27 << >> 27<< Using the Customer Data File During a Transaction Entering a customer's name and address is not a necessary part of a transaction. The cashier/operator decides if a customer's name and address is to be entered and used. The cashier/operator may enter or retrieve a customer's name and address at any time during a transaction. Before it begins, between entries, or after totaling--at any time until the transaction has been completed. It will not interfere with the ongoing transaction. To gain access to the file, simply press the [F2] function key. The input screen will display in the Help Window and the cursor will indicate for the cashier/operator to enter a customer code number. Enter the code number and press [Enter]. The cursor will jump to the first line of the three available name and address lines. If the customer is already in the file, his/her name and address will be displayed, if the customer is not in the file the lines will be blank. You may then enter the new name and address, or make any changes to an old address. Use the [Up] and [Down] arrow keys or the [Enter] key to transverse between name and address lines. When finished, press the [Page Down] key to write the name and address to the disk file and move back down to the cash register Input Window. Pressing the [Down] arrow or [Enter] key while on the third address line will also write the record to disk and return you back to the cash register Input Window. If you have selected to print customer names and addresses on receipts, and use the transaction log, then the customer just entered would be printed on the receipt for the current transaction and would be recorded in the transaction log. As reminded on the screen, the [Escape] key will let you abort the current entry. -24- You may re-enter the customer input screen at any time during the same transaction by pressing the [F2] function key again. The same code number and customer will be displayed. You may enter a new code number or make any changes to the address. The Help Window does not necessarily have to display the current customer. If you are using the help screens, they will return as you leave the input screen. If the cashier/operator changes his/her mind and wishes to abort/prevent this customer from being printed on the receipt and recorded in the transaction log, they can re-enter the input screen using the [F2] function key and back out using the [Escape] key. This will not remove the customer from the disk file, just from the current transaction. Using the control code [A] (abort transaction) also removes the current customer as it aborts the transaction. Using the Customer Data File Independent of a Transaction If you want to enter, change, or delete customers in the data file, you may do so by simply entering the input screen as you would during a transaction. All functions operate just as they do during a transaction. After entering or changing a customer press the [Page Down] to write it to disk. If you wish to continue, press the [F2] function key and enter the next customer code over the last one. To permanently delete a customer from the disk file, enter the code number, press [Enter] to retrieve the record from disk, then press the [F5] function key. ******************************************************************* CHAPTER FOUR - THE UTILITIES ******************************************************************* The Utilities are used to initially enter new products and product codes into the disk files that store the information on your products. The Utilities are also use to update information on products (such as price, inventory, etc), to make changes to existing products (such as change an product description), or to delete unwanted products from the disk files. =================== FILE ACCESS =================== Selecting [Utilities] -> [File Access] off the Menu gives you total access to your product codes and all stored information relating to your products. You can add products, change information about products, or delete products. -25- Enter Product Code After selecting [Utilities], you are first asked to "Enter Product Code:". The product code can be a combination of any letters, numerals, or special characters from 1 to 16 characters long. If the product code you enter is valid (already exists) the screen will then display the currently stored information associated with that product code. If the product code you entered is not valid (does not already exist), the program assumes that you are entering a new product. Once you have entered/scanned the product code, you may move freely between all the displayed boxes using the [Up] and [Down] arrow keys. You may make any changes you like to the records. IMPORTANT: If you intend to use the bar code option, you may wish to scan the items as you enter them into your database. In addition to saving a lot of time, this will ensure that you are getting the entire code. It will also eliminate data entry errors. Product Description Once you enter/scan the product code, you may enter or change the product description. The product description can be up to 25 characters long. If you do not wish to use product descriptions, then leave the box empty. Price You may now enter or change the price of the item. To speed up data entry, the decimal point is entered for you. Commas are not necessary and will not be accepted. The program controls data entry and will not allow invalid characters. The price limit is $999,999.99. Also see "Price Adjustments" for a quick method of adjusting your product's prices. Inventory Quantity Inventory Quantity allows you to enter or change a products currently recorded inventory. If you do not wish to use this function, you may leave the box empty. The limit is 9,999,999 items. Also see "Inventory Adjustments" for a quick method of adjusting your inventory quantities. Reorder Point A reorder point is a flag that indicates your inventory is low and therefore time to reorder. Chapter Six, The Reports, discusses -26- Reorder Reports that will print out all products whose inventory is equal to, or less than, the reorder point. This option can save enormous amounts of time and money by helping you control the size of your inventory. Annual and Monthly Sales The program keeps track of two sales quantities. These two quantities are labeled annual and monthly sales. Each time an item is sold, both sales quantities are increased by one. Sales reports can then be generated using these historical sales quantities. If you want to enter or change individual sales quantities, this is where it's done. If you leave the box empty, the quantity will be zero. If you want to clear all sales quantities (return them to zero), then see "Clear Sales", in this Chapter. Bottom Row Once you have entered all the information for a product, move to the bottom row using the [Down] arrow key. The bottom row lets you select Enter/Change Record, Delete Record, or Abort. For speeding up data entry, you may also select the same options at any time (without moving to the bottom row) by pressing the [F2], [F5], or [Escape] key. If you select Enter/Change Record, the new information (and product code if applicable) will be recorded to disk. If you select Delete Record [F5], then product code will be deleted (no longer valid). If you select Abort [Escape], then there will be no change to the product code or to the disk record- -you will be returned to the prompt "Enter Product Code:". If you press the [Escape] key again, you will return to the Menu. Top Window The window at the top of your screen displays the last item entered or deleted. This helps you maintain your place during data entry. ======================== INVENTORY ADJUST ======================== This Menu selection provides a quick method for making adjustments to your inventory. The program saves time by making it easy to update your inventory from shipping and receiving documents. Simply enter/scan the product code and the current inventory will be displayed; then enter the inventory adjustment. Pay attention now! You enter the adjustment to the inventory--not the new inventory quantity. For example, if you received a shipment of 25 items you enter 25. The program then adds the new 25 to the existing inventory and records that number as the new inventory quantity. If you were to ship 5 out to a customer, you would enter a negative five (-5). The top window will display the last item and the adjusted inventory quantity. The product code search function also works with the inventory adjust. -27- ===================== PRICE ADJUST ===================== The price adjustment program is used to update a product's price. The same adjustment could be made using the [File Access] program, however, if you are only changing product prices, using this program is faster. Simply enter/scan the product code and then the new price. The top window will display the last item entered and the new price. The product code search function also works with the price adjust. =================== CLEAR SALES =================== Select [Utilities] -> [Clear Sales] from the Menu to clear daily; and monthly; or daily, monthly, and annual sales quantities. By clear sales quantities, we mean return the quantities to zero. Clearing any sales quantities also clears out your transaction log (TRANACTN.LOG File). So, if you are saving the transaction logs as permanent records, you will want to do so before clearing the files. If you select to clear daily sales quantities, which you should do every day before beginning operations, you will clear (zero) those files which are used to compile your daily sales reports. If you select to clear both daily and monthly sales, in addition to clearing the daily sales you will also clear all monthly sales totals from your sales reports. Additionally, you will clear (zero) your running record of each individual product's monthly sales from the product database. If you select to clear daily, monthly, and annual sales, all sales reports will be returned to zero and your individual product record of monthly and annual sales will be cleared. ******************************************************************* CHAPTER FIVE - THE EXTENDED UTILITIES ******************************************************************* The Extended Utilities are three programs that allow manipulation of REGIT customer and product databases. To get to the Extended Menu, select [Utility] -> [Extended] from the REGIT Menu. The Extended Utilities Menu has three selections. One, [Update Master Database], is used to update the master product database and sales reports. Another selection, [Combine Customer Files], is used to combine two or more customer data files into one. The last selection, [Export] creates and ASCII file of your customer or product database. -28- ============================== UPDATE MASTER DATABASE ============================== REGIT Point-of-Sale's update master database function allows as many sales points as desired to operate as one. This allows consolidated reports which can represent one store with several registers, or several different stores and many registers. Select one computer to act as the master. The master computer can be acting as a REGIT Point-of-Sale cash register or can be a computer in the office, it does not matter. All product additions and deletions must be made only through the master, then copied to the slaves. This only makes since anyway, why would you want a system where you had to update every slave rather than just one master. How Often Should You Update the Master? It makes no difference to the REGIT Point-of-Sale program how often the master is updated. How often you need a consolidated inventory and/or sales report would be the deciding factors. You must also update the master before adding any new products, or deleting old products to/from the master data file. Only the slave's monthly quantities and totals are used for updating the master. So the slave's daily sales totals act independently of the master update function. They can be used normally--cleared and used for reconciling on a daily bases. What is Updated on the Master? To fully understand the information that is being updated using the update master database function, you should review Appendix II, REGIT Point-of-Sale Files. When the master is updated, no changes are made to any of the slave's data files. The following master data files are changed as indicated: 1) Each master product's inventory is reduced by the slave's monthly sales quantities. (DATABASE.REG) 2) Each master product's monthly sales quantities are increased by the slave's monthly sales quantities. (DATABASE.REG) 3) Each master product's annual sales quantities are increased by the slave's monthly sales quantities. (DATABASE.REG) 4) The master monthly sales total, monthly sales tax total, and monthly number of transactions are increased by the slave's monthly sales totals, monthly sales tax totals, and monthly number of transactions. (MONTH.LOG) -29- 5) The Master annual sales total, annual sales tax total, and annual number of transactions are increased by the slave's monthly sales totals, monthly sales tax totals, and monthly number of transactions. (Slave's MONTH.LOG and Master's ANNUAL.LOG) Step-by-Step Update Procedures There are two procedures. Procedure #1 makes sure that your master and slave databases are identical. This procedure must be performed every time a new product is added to the master database file or and old product is deleted from the database file. This procedure should also be performed before you ever begin using the update function to ensure your master and slave(s) databases are identical. Procedure #2 should be performed whenever you want to update your master. Steps for Procedure #1: Step 1 - Before you make any changes to your master database, you must update your old master data base. Go to Procedure #2 and update your master. Step 2 - Make your changes (additions and/or deletions) to the master database. When completed, copy these files from the master REGIT directory to a floppy disk: PROCODE1.REG PROCODE2.REG PROCODE3.REG DATABASE.REG If you have more than approximately products, you will need to copy the PROCODEn.REG files separately from the DATABASE.REG file. If you have more than approximately 5,000 products, the entire DATABASE.REG will not fit on a 5.25 inch floppy and will require a 3.5 inch drive capable of holding 720 Kbytes (or a high density drive) in order to first transfer these files to floppies and then to the slaves. If you like, you can create a batch file to speed up the copying of the files. For example: COPY CON FORSLAVE.BAT C: CD\REGIT COPY PROCODE1.REG A: COPY PROCODE2.REG A: COPY PROCODE3.REG A: COPY DATABASE.REG A: [F6] [ENTER] -30- Now, typing FORSLAVE would automatically copy the files to the disk in the A: drive. See your DOS manual for more information on creating and using batch files. Step 3 - Now copy these files from the floppy(s) to the REGIT directory for each slave. This will overwrite the existing files and ensure the slave is now identical to the master. Step 4 - Clear the slave(s) monthly and daily sales to bring all quantities to zero. Steps for Procedure #2: Step 1 - When you want to update your master, you will need to copy two files from the slave to a floppy--the MONTH.LOG and the DATABASE.REG file. The commands would be as follows: CD\REGIT COPY MONTH.LOG A: COPY DATABASE.REG A: Step 2 - Once the files have been copied, transfer the floppy to the master computer and select [Utilities] -> [Extended] -> [Update Master Database] from the Menu. Step 3 - Update Master Database will load and run. The program will ask you to identify the drive that holds the disk with the slave's data files. You select A or B. The program adds the slave's sales and sales tax to the master's monthly and annual amounts. It also subtracts the slave's individual products' monthly sales quantities from the master's individual inventory quantities. Step 4 - Once the update has been successfully completed, return to the slave and [Clear Monthly & Daily Sales] to bring them back to zero. Step 5 - Perform steps 1 through 4 for each slave. Are you Backing Up Your Files? Extensive copying and transferring of files eventually leads to an accidental deletion or overwriting of a file you needed. If you are using the update master database, it makes it even more important that you backup your files. See Appendix I for more on backup procedures. ================================ COMBINING CUSTOMER FILES ================================ [Combine Customer Files] allows two or more customer data files to be combined into one. Because the customer data file is almost 1 Megabyte long, you must have a high density floppy drive to use this function (either a 1.2 Mbyte 5.25 inch or a 1.44 Mbyte 3.5 inch). -31- Use the following steps to combine the customer data files: Step 1 - Copy the source customer data file to the floppy: CD\REGIT COPY CUSTOMER.REG A: Step 2 - Remove the floppy and place it in the drive of the computer with the target customer data file. Select [Utilities] -> [Extended] -> [Combine Customer Files] from the Menu. When the program has finished, all customers on the floppy (source) will also be on the customer data file in your REGIT directory (target file) along with the customers that were originally there. The floppy (source) has priority, and will overwrite duplicate customer code numbers if any are encountered. Step 3 - The file in the REGIT directory (the target file) now contains the combination of both file's customers. If you want the source customer data file to be updated, copy the new file back to the floppy, then to the source hard drive REGIT directory. Step 4 - Combine as many files as you like using steps 1 through 3. ========================== IMPORTING AND EXPORT ========================== Importing The Import feature has not yet been added to the REGIT Point-of- Sale program. Exporting Many users will find that the Export feature satisfies all their needs and they have no use for the Import feature. Others will find that the REGIT Point-of-Sale reports provide all the information and record keeping necessary. The export feature allows users to create an ASCII file from either their customer database or product database. These ASCII files can then be pulled into database and/or spreadsheet programs (such as dBase, Lotus 123, etc.). Customer and product files can then be merged, sorted, and manipulated to the full power of these data handling programs. Fields can be added to customer records to hold additional information about customers. Examples include purchase history information, telephone numbers, point-of-contact, shipping addresses, or whatever your needs are. Once the customer file is pulled into a spreadsheet or database program, it can be sorted by any field desired. -32- Fields can also be added to the product database. Information can then be manipulated to interface with accounting documents. For example, a cost field could be added which would allow a cost of goods sold statement to be generated. Many types of other information can be included--the possibilities are limitless. Vendors, vendors address, point-of-contact, telephone number, additional sources of supply, costs, cost evaluation methods (LIFO, FIFO), shipping method and costs, are just some of the possibilities. Creating a Secondary Database We will call the database created by REGIT Point-of-Sale export feature the primary database and the database created by your spreadsheet or database program the secondary database. In order to merge these two databases into one, you will need to have an identical field in each. This field will allow you to sort, then merge your two databases into one. For the customer database, this must be the customer number field and for the product database this must be the product code field. Database Sort Field -------- ---------- Customer Customer No. Product Product Code The export feature automatically sorts by these fields as the primary files are created. The records are sorted into ascending ASCII order (numerals then alpha). Create your very first secondary database from your primary database (that way you won't have to do a lot of unnecessary data entry). Each spreadsheet or database program has a merge feature of some type. You will need to learn how to use your program to first bring in an ASCII file (comma-separated fields). Then you will need to learn how to merge the two files into one. Each program is different and you will need to refer to your program's documentation to learn the procedures. Adding and Removing Records It is important to get into the habit ofupdating your secondary file when you make product or customer changes within the REGIT program. This must be done to maintain compatibility between the primary and secondary files. If you have made any additions or deletions to your records, you must remember to sort your secondary database by the appropriate field (customer number or product code) prior to merging. As mentioned, the primary file (exported file) is automatically sorted, during the export procedure, into ascending ASCII order. You must refer to your program's documentation for sorting procedures to sort your secondary database. You may wish to get in the habit of always sorting before you merge-just to play it safe. After you merge, look at your very last record. If data from the primary file does not match the data from the secondary file, then you have added or removed a product from one and not the other. You can easily find -33- the missing or extra record by tracing back until the records are correct. The first incorrect record is where the addition or deletion was not updated to both databases. You will need to go back and correctly update the erroneous database (generally the secondary) and then repeat the merge procedure. Creating an Export File To create your export file select [Utilities] -> [Extended] -> [Export] from the menu, then select either [Customer File] or [Product Database] and follow the simple instructions provided on your monitor. All you are required to do is provide a file name for the export file you are creating. If you do not specify a new drive/path when naming your file, you will find the export file located in the REGIT directory. File Structure The customer export file is an ASCII comma-separated file consisting of 4 fields: Position Field Type Field Data -------- ---------- ---------- 1 numeric customer number 2 alphanumeric customer name 3 alphanumeric customer address 4 alphanumeric customer address The product database export file is an ASCII comma-separated file consisting of 7 fields: Position Field Type Field Data -------- ---------- ---------- 1 alphanumeric product code 2 alphanumeric product description 3 numeric product price 4 numeric inventory 5 numeric reorder point 6 numeric annual sales 7 numeric monthly sales -34- ******************************************************************* CHAPTER SIX - THE REPORTS ******************************************************************* REGIT Point-of-Sale produces four types of reports, all available by selecting [Reports] off the Menu: 1) Data File Reports 2) Reorder Reports 3) Sales Reports 4) Customer File Reports If you are interested in how and where the information that creates these reports is stored, see Appendix II, REGIT Point-of-Sale Files. ========================= DATA FILE REPORTS ========================= These reports print out the contents of your product database. There are fifteen different report formats to choose from. You will be prompted to select one of the following fifteen formats after selecting [Data File] off the Menu: Product Code . Description Product Code . Description . Price Product Code . Description . Inventory Product Code . Description . Inventory . Reorder Product Code . Description . Annual sales . Monthly sales Product Code . Descript. Inv . Annual sales . Monthly sales Product Code . Description . Price . Reorder Product Code . Description . Price . Inventory . Reorder Product Code . Price Product Code . Inventory Product Code . Price . Inventory Product Code . Price . Inventory . Reorder Product Code . Annual sales . Monthly sales Product Code . Inventory . Annual sales . Monthly sales Product Code . Price . Inv . Reorder . Annual . Monthly All reports can be printed on a standard 80 column printer. You will also be prompted for a decision to print or not to print titles on each page, and prompted for the top and bottom margins. If, while printing, you chose to abort the printout, and you are using a printer that has a buffer, you will need to switch the printer off to clear the buffer. If not, you will have to wait until the printer buffer is empty before printing will stop. The following is a definition of each data element that can be printed: Product Code - The 16 character product code. Product Description - The 25 character product description. Price - The currently stored price for the product. -35- Inventory - The current inventory for the product. Reorder - The reorder quantity for the item (see Reorder Reports). Annual Sales - The number of sales for this product since the last time the annual sales quantities were cleared (returned to zero). Monthly Sales - The number of sales for this product since the last time the monthly sales quantities were cleared (returned to zero). ======================= REORDER REPORTS ======================= The reorder report prints out the product code, product description, current inventory, and reorder quantity for all products whose inventory is less than or equal to the reorder quantity. In other words the report signals you that certain products inventories have fallen to the point that replenishment is necessary. Establishing a Reorder Quantity A reorder quantity, reorder point, or reorder level is that level of inventory which when reached signals the need to place a replenishment order. A reorder point should be high enough that you do not risk running out of an item (and lose sales), and low enough that you do not carry inventory that is not needed. Both situations can cost you money. That is why it is important that reorder points be used and be as accurate as possible. For some businesses, the efficiency of the ordering system can be a make or break situation. At others it is not that drastic. But seldom can a business afford to ignore good inventory practices. A simple, and incomplete, example of establishing a reorder quantity might be: If the demand for an item is 25 per day and if it takes 4 days for a shipment to arrive, then the reorder quantity should be 100 units. The 100 would be the demand during the shipment. This example is incomplete because is not quite that simple. Demand is rarely consistent. Shipping time also varies. Quantity discounts were not considered. Cost of lost sales were not considered. The opportunity cost of maintaining the inventory was not considered. All these things and more are used to determine the most economic order point for any product. If you suspect that mismanagement of your inventories are costing you money, then by obtaining a point-of-sale system, you have taken the first step towards more accurately and economically controlling your inventory. You should also obtain a book that deals with inventory management. Many management and accounting books devote -36- one or more chapters to this subject. These books offer statistical formulas for determining your reorder quantity. If needed, your accountant can also help. Selectively Using the Reorder Quantity You may wish to use the reorder quantity function for some products and not for others. For example, you may wish to order some products only after a firm commitment to purchase the item has been made. You may wish to retain other items in your data base, but have currently made a decision not to restock. For these types of items, the inventory will eventually equal zero. If the reorder point is also zero, they will be selected when the reorder report is printed. To avoid this, you may enter a negative number, such as -1, as the reorder quantity. Then when the a reorder report is printed, a zero inventory will not cause the product to be selected and printed. ===================== SALES REPORTS ===================== Five different sales reports are available. You may select to view any one individually on your monitor, or you may select to receive a printout of all five reports. 1) Daily Sales Report 2) Annual/Monthly/Daily Sales Report 3) Sales By Cashier/Department 4) Transaction and Sales Ratios Report 5) Sales Discount Report The printout option for these reports requires only two printed pages. You may wish to print and keep a daily copy on a daily basis for your records. Sales Tax Collected A special note is needed here concerning the sales tax that appears in these reports. The sales tax is the actual amounts you collected from your customers at the register. It is not the tax rate applied to your sales totals. So all rounding differences (depending on your selected method), manual tax entries, nontaxable transactions, or nontaxable item decisions made at the register will be reflected here in these reports. Daily, Monthly, and Annual Sales Totals To produce its reports, the REGIT Point-of-Sale program maintains three running totals of sales and sales tax. These running totals are titled daily, monthly, and annual sales and sales tax totals. -37- Although titled daily, monthly, and annual, the running totals are not really controlled or affected by the passage of time. You must decide when you want to clear, or restart these sales totals. In other words, all three sales and sales tax totals will continue to increase at the rate of your sales until you clear them using the [Utilities] -> [Clear Sales] function. When you clear them, they are returned to zero and once again continue to grow at the rate of sales until cleared again. For this reason, you do not have to use the monthly as the monthly sales or annual as the annual sales. You could use the monthly as the quarterly sales, or whatever. So you have three running totals titled daily, monthly, and annual sales, but, you have control over the actual time periods they are representing. In conclusion, if you want any reports produced by the daily sales totals to actually reflect "daily sales", then you must clear the daily sales on a daily basis. The same goes for monthly and annual. For monthly sales reports to reflect monthly totals, the monthly sales must be cleared on a monthly basis. Also see "Clear Sales" in Chapter Four, The Utilities. Adjustments to Sales Totals If, for some reason, you find that you want to adjust your sales totals, then the cash register can be used to do so. Using the cash register to adjust sales totals provides you with a record of the adjustment. Use the dollar entry input option of the cash register to enter the amount of the sales adjustment and use the manual TAX function to adjust the sales tax. If the adjustment is a reduction rather than an increase, then you will want to use the remove transaction function (tender code R) after entering the amounts. Either way, you will then have a record of the adjustment in the transaction log. Daily Sales Report This report provides the daily sales broken down by category (cash, check, credit, credit cards, and five user definable categories). This report's main function would be to assist in reconciling the cash drawers. As previously mentioned, it is not necessary to use any sales categories whatsoever. You may completely ignore one or all sales categories and it will have no effect, except on how this one report appears. If completely ignored, this report would show all sales in the cash category and all others categories as zero. An example report: -38- >>>> Daily Sales Report <<<< Cash Sales 156.52 Check Sales 175.50 Credit Sales 0.00 VISA (CAT1) 80.00 MasterCard (CAT2) 0.00 Amer Express (CAT3) 0.00 Discovery (CAT4) 0.00 Diner's Club (CAT5) 0.00 CAT6 Sales 0.00 CAT7 Sales 0.00 CAT8 Sales 0.00 CAT9 Sales 0.00 ---------- Total Sales (including sales tax) $412.02 Sales Tax Collected 23.32 ---------- Total Sales (excluding sales tax) $388.70 Annual/Monthly/Daily Sales Report This report can also be pulled up in the Help Window during cash register operation (unless the password function has been engaged) by pressing the [SHIFT] [F3] function keys. The report displays the sales and sales tax collected for the daily, monthly, and annual running totals. The totals are the total sales and sales tax collected since the last time the quantities were cleared using the [Utilities] -> [Clear Sales] function. An example report: >>>> Annual/Monthly/Daily Sales Report <<<< Daily Sales 388.70 Daily Tax 23.32 ---------- Total $412.02 Monthly Sales 9717.85 Monthly Tax 583.05 ---------- Total $10302.90 Annual Sales 46986.24 Annual Tax 2456.08 ---------- Total $49442.32 -39- Sales By Cashier/Department If you total your transaction with the total by cashier/department option, then this report will reflect those totals. Totaling by cashier/department has absolutely no affect on any other sales totals or reports. If you use the function, use it partially, or don't use it at all the only affect will be in the amounts listed on this report. These separate totals are the total of both sales and sales tax collected under each of 26 letters. Sales by cashier/department totals are daily totals and cleared when you clear the daily sales. If you have selected the [Default] option that requires totaling by cashier/department, then this report will total to the same as the daily sales totals report. However, if you have not selected this option then the total will add to whatever is entered at the register with the total by cashier/department option. An example report: >>>> Sales By Cashier/Department <<<< Cashier/Dept Total Cashier/Dept Total A 123.84 N 0.00 B 24.10 O 0.00 C 0.00 P 0.00 D 78.12 Q 0.00 E 0.00 R 0.00 F 0.00 S 0.00 G 0.00 T 0.00 H 0.00 U 0.00 I 0.00 V 0.00 J 0.00 W 0.00 K 0.00 X 0.00 L 0.00 Y 0.00 M 0.00 Z 0.00 Transaction and Sales Ratios Reports The transaction report provides the daily, monthly, and annual number of transactions. Also provided are the average daily, monthly, and annual transactions. These are simply the total sales divided by the number of transactions. An example report: >>>> Transaction Report <<<< Daily Transactions 42 Month Transactions 1080 Annual Transactions 6212 -40- Average Daily Transaction $9.81 Average Monthly Transaction $9.54 Average Annual Transaction $7.96 The Sales Ratios report gives the daily sales/monthly sales ratio, which is the total daily sales expressed as a percentage of total monthly sales. Also provided are the daily sales/annual sales and the monthly sales/annual sales ratios. An example report: >>>> Sales Ratios <<<< Daily Sales/Monthly Sales 0.0399 Daily Sales/Annual Sales 0.0083 Monthly Sales/Annual Sales 0.2084 Sales Discount Report The Sales Discount Report gives daily, monthly, and annual number of discounts and dollar value of the discounts. The discount quantities are cleared with the corresponding daily, monthly, or annual sales. An example report: >>>> Sales Discounts Report <<<< Daily Sales Discounts 3 Month Sales Discounts 21 Annual Sales Discounts 318 Daily Sales Discounts $10.00 Monthly Sales Discounts $355.00 Annual Sales Discounts $1,820.00 ============================= CUSTOMER FILE REPORTS ============================= Select [Reports] -> [Customer File] from the Menu to access the customer file reports. There are three types of customer file reports available for printing; the report format, mailing labels- -entire file, and selected mailing labels. Report Format Selecting [Report Format] from the Menu prints your entire customer data base. The report is printed in customer code number order. The report is designed for an 80 column printer and you will be prompted for the top and bottom margin before printing begins. -41- Mailing Labels--Entire File As the title implies, this Menu selection prints your entire customer file on standard mailing labels. The program is designed to print on standard one-wide labels. You may want to print out a short sample first on regular paper to get your printer set up properly. Selected Mailing Labels This selection also prints on standard one-wide labels. However, you are prompted to enter the customer code first. You enter a customer code, the label is printed, the printer advances to the next label, and then waits you to enter the next customer code. ******************************************************************* CHAPTER SEVEN - THE DEFAULTS ******************************************************************* ============================== CASH REGISTER DEFAULTS ============================== The [Default] -> [Cash Register Defaults] Menu selection allows you to set default profiles that control or change the operation of the cash register. This section will follow the cash register default's input screen line-by-line. The bottom of the input screen provides on-line help to assist you with your decisions. When you finish your selections, press the [Escape] key. You will be asked if you want to save your selections. If you select [Yes], the cash register will operate under the new defaults until you return to this Menu selection and change them. This section concentrates on the selection procedures. For more thorough discussions, see the appropriate section covering the topic. Title Input your business title or name. This is the name that will be displayed in the Help Window above the date. It can be up to 32 characters long. The title will be automatically centered in your help window, so you do not have to worry about placement between the margin markers. If you do not want a title displayed, leave this input area empty. Dollar Entry The dollar entry is the product description that will be displayed in the Transaction Window, and printed on receipts, when a dollar entry is manually placed into a transaction. The program comes -42- with "General Merchandise", but you may change it to any 25 character description you want. You may also leave it blank if you do not want any description for manual dollar entries. Bar Code Reader For future expansion. This is intended to select the serial port that has the bar code reader connected. It currently has no effect on the program or your serial ports. The REGIT Point-of-Sale program currently supports keyboard wedge type readers that do not require serial ports. Open Cash Drawer Select the serial port that has the cash drawer connected. If no cash drawer is being used, select [Off]. If you are using a Star printer to open your cash drawer, then select [Star]. Use Customer File This selection opens the customer data file and allows you to use the function with the cash register. Your need approximately 1 Megabyte of free disk space to use this option. If you do not have that much, the program will tell you it was not able to open the file when you save your changes. All your other selections will be saved. You must go back to DOS and remove enough unwanted files from your hard disk to free up 1 Megabyte of space on your disk. Then return an reselect this option. Use Daily Transaction Log Turns on transaction log. Remember this file expands and should not be turned on and ignored. Require To Total By Cashier Requires the cashier to identify himself/herself (or department) when totaling a transaction. This allows a record of sales by cashier/department to be maintained. This selection does not have to be on to use the function, it must be on to require that the cashier us it. If the [ON] selection is made and the cashier attempts to total a transaction without an identifying letter, the cash register will send a message to the cashier "MUST TOTAL BY CASHIER/DEPT". Screen Saver A problem associated with using video displays for an extended period of time is a phenomenon known as "phosphor burn-in." When the same video trace is active for long periods of time, the phosphor may "burn-in", which will leave a permanent image in that location, possibly visible even when the screen is off. -43- The REGIT screen saver routine will blank the inactive screen long before this phenomenon occurs. If there is no activity within the cash register program for approximately three minutes, the display will go off. To bring back the display, you simply press any key- -the display will instantly return. The screen saver will never turn off the display during a transaction. The screen saver is active only between transactions. Select [YES] to turn it on or [NO] to turn it off. ============================= PRINTERS AND PRINTING ============================= Before we discuss receipt formats lets first discuss printers and how they relate to REGIT Point-of-Sale. Purchasing Considerations for Printers There are printers that are manufactured solely for point-of-sale systems. These printers are handy because they are usually smaller than ordinary printers and made to accept narrow paper. We provide sales support for the STAR line of these printers. Several problems surface when trying to use standard printers for printing receipts. First many of them do not have very strong friction feeders and narrow receipt paper may have a tendency to drift out of place. Another problem is that many of the printers require the paper to be advanced several lines before the printed portion can be removed. This causes long unsightly blank spaces on your receipts and wastes paper. So when purchasing a printer for printing receipts you should keep these things in mind: 1) Will it hold the type and size of paper you want to use without slipping out of place? 2) Can paper be torn off without considerable trouble? 3) Will it print the character pitch that you want? API Supported Printers To ease some of the problems associated with selecting a printer, API tests certain printers to determine if they meet the requirements to make them acceptable for printing receipts. As we select printers, we will provide both sales support and programming support. By programming support, we mean we will provide printer drivers to make the best use of the printer as possible. The user will be able to select the individual drivers within the REGIT Point-of-Sale program. Currently we provide sales support for the STAR Micronics DP 8340 Point-of-Sale printers and the Alps 1600 -44- standard 80-column printer. Additional information on these printer will be included in your registration package, or upon request. Printer Port All printing (for both receipts and reports) is directed to LPT1 (PRN). If you wish to print using another parallel port or a serial port, then redirect your printing using the DOS MODE Command (See your DOS manual - MODE Commands for detailed information on redirecting your printing). ============================= SALES RECEIPT FORMATS ============================= To choose a receipt format, select [Default] -> [Receipt Format] from the Menu. Receipt printing options cover three screens of selections. We will discuss each selection as it will appear on your monitor. You may use the [Page Up] and [Page Down] keys to go directly between the screens, or the [Up] and [Down] arrow keys to go between selections. Press the [Escape] key when your selections are as you want them. You will then be asked if you want to save your changes before you are returned to the Menu. Print Sales Receipts The first choice you must make is if you want to print sales receipts. If you select [NO], the cash register operation will proceed normally without printing receipts. If you select [YES], you must have a printer hooked up and turned on during cash register operation. Paper Width/Pitch Your next two choices are to select the paper width you will use and the character pitch (condensed, elite, or pica) to be printed. These choices will affect the format of the sales receipt you can use. Refer to the following chart to help make your selection: Paper Receipt Char Print Formats Width Pitch Print Width Width Available ------------------------------------------------------------- 1.5 - 2.5" Condensed 1.25" 22 #1 1.5 - 2.5" Elite 1.25" 15 #1 1.5 - 2.5" Pica 1.5" 15 #1 2.5 - 3.5" Condensed 2.25" 40 #1,#2 2.5 - 3.5" Elite 2.25" 28 #1 2.5 - 3.5" Pica 2.25" 22 #1 3.5 - 4.5" Condensed 3.25" 56 #1,#2,#3 3.5 - 4.5" Elite 3.25" 40 #1,#2 3.5 - 4.5" Pica 3.25" 33 #1 Full Page Pica only 8.0" 80 Full Page -45- Lines to Advance After Printing This selection allows you to automatically advance your printer paper by a selected number of lines after your sales receipt has been printed. For your printer, determine how many lines it needs to advance after printing and enter that number here. The limits are from 1 to 99 lines. A "Form Feed" printer instruction, to advance paper to the top-of-form (TOF) position on the next page, is also available following the printing of a receipt. The "Form Feed" instruction sends a printer code 0C Hex (12 decimal) to the printer at the end of each receipt printing function. If selected, the "Form Feed" works with all REGIT Point-of-Sale receipt printing modes. If your printer uses the 0C Hex as a form feed instruction, then this option is available to you. To use the "Form Feed", place an "FF" (for Form Feed), instead of a number, following the "LINES TO ADVANCE AFTER PRINTING:" question. Select Receipt Format If you have selected a combination of paper width and pitch that will allow more than one format, you will be given the option to choose a format. Refer to the previous chart to see what formats you may be offered. Format #1: Quantity..Nontaxable Item Indicator..Price Format #2: Quantity..Nontaxable Item Indicator..Description..Price Format #3: Quantity..N/T Indicator..Product Code..Description..Price Full Page: Product Code..Description..Quantity..Price..N/T Indicator..Total 1) Quantity - If a quantity (of more than one) was purchased and entered by the cashier, that quantity will be shown in the Quantity column. 2) Nontaxable Item Indicator - If the cashier selected a certain item to be nontaxable during the transaction, this will be indicated by an NT in this column. 3) Product Code - The 1 to 16 alphanumeric product code will be printed in this column. -46- 4) Description - The 0 to 25 character product description will be printed in this column. 5) Price - The price of the item (or total if a multiple entry) will be printed in this column. 6) Total - If the full page is selected, the price of an individual item and the extended total will be shown. NOTE: See the sales receipt examples at the end of this section to see how these formats will appear. Enter a Three Line Sales Receipt Title You may enter up to three lines for a receipt title to be printed on you sales receipts. If you do not want a title, or do not need all three lines, simply leave the lines empty. Empty lines will not leave blank lines on the receipt. The allowable width of the title will vary according to the pitch and size of paper you previously selected. The margin markers shown on the screen indicate your allowable width. If you enter a title and then subsequently reduce the printable space on your receipt by selecting a new width or pitch, you will have to enter your title again. If you select a width or pitch that allow more characters you may need to center the title again. Leading blanks will be retained, so center your title between the margin markers exactly as you want it to appear on your receipts. Enter a Three Line Message Your entries in these next three lines will be the three line message printed at the bottom of your sales receipts. If you do not want a message printed, or do not need all three lines, simply leave the lines empty. The allowable width of the message will vary according to the pitch and size of paper currently selected. The margin markers shown on the screen indicate your allowable width. If you enter a message and then subsequently reduce the printable space on your receipt by selecting a new width or pitch, you will have to enter your message again. Again, if you increase the allowable characters, you may need to center your message. Leading blanks will be retained, so center your message between the margin markers exactly as you want it to appear on your receipts. Customer Name and Address Printed On Receipt If you select [YES] and the following conditions are met, then the customer's name and address will be printed on the receipt: 1) The paper width and pitch you selected will allow more than 30 characters to be printed per line (see chart). -47- 2) The "Use Customer File" option was selected from the [Default] -> [Cash Register Operation] Menu selection. 3) The customer's name and address were entered, or retrieved from the customer file, by the cashier, at some time during the transaction. Printer Codes Currently, you have two choices for printer codes. The first choice is [OFF]. This means that only ASCII characters are sent to the printer. No unique printer control codes, except line feeds, are sent to the printer. This allows most any printer to be used, as most printers pretty much print ASCII characters universally. The drawback is that you will not be able to change between pica, elite, and condensed pitch through the software selection. This is not as bad as it sounds, as almost every printer has a hard switch located somewhere on the printer that lets you switch to the pitch you want. In some cases you may find that it is also necessary to adjust the line feed (LF) or carriage return (CR) hard switch to get the line feed to work correctly. The second selection is for the ALPS ASP 1600 . This printer can be switched between EPSON FX-85 and IBM Graphics Printer compatible. The printer codes used in this selection are the EPSON. This means that the ALPS ASP 1600 selection will also work for most any printer that is EPSON compatible. However, even all EPSON printers do not use the exact same codes. Try it out, if the codes work with your printer, then use them. If they do not, switch the printer codes [OFF]. If you use your printer's hard switches to set your pitch, you must still make the correct pitch default selection on your screen so the program will know the correct spacing to use. If you select the ALPS ASP 1600 printer codes (EPSON compatible), the program sends pitch changing codes to the printer during the transition between the Menu and the cash register selection. Also, when you leave the cash register and return to the Menu, your printer will returned to the standard (pica) pitch. Your printer must be hooked up, on line, and ready to print during the transition to the cash register to receive the pitch instruction. If it is not, you will receive a message to do so. Also, if you turn your printer off while using the cash register, the printer will return to its default settings and you will need to make the transition back to the Menu to reset the printer. You will here your printer adjusting and testing as you transition between the Menu and cash register. If the receipt function or printer codes are turned off, no adjusting or testing of the printer will be made during the transition. The following chart displays the print codes used by the REGIT program when the printer codes are set to [ALPS ASP 1600]: -48- Code Decimal Hex Function -------- --------- ------- ------------------ Esc P 27,80 1B,50 Pica Pitch Esc M 27,77 1B,4D Elite Pitch Esc SI 27,15 1B,0F Condensed Pitch DC2 18 12 Deactivate Condensed Esc j 27,106 1B,6A Reverse line feed Star Printer The Star DP 8340 prints only in elite pitch, so no printer codes are necessary and the control codes should be set to [Off]. Print a Sample Receipt If you select [YES], an example of a sales receipt using your selections will be sent to your printer. Our Favorite Sales Receipt Our favorite sales receipt uses receipt format #2 (so the product descriptions are printed), 3.5" to 4.5" paper (we use the standard 3 7/8" tape available at most stationary and office supply stores), and the elite pitch. This is an excellent combination for the ALPS ASP 1600. The following examples show some of the formats available. These examples are not to scale and are not printed in the appropriate pitches. ╔══════════════════╗ ║ ║ ║ EMPIRE ║ ║ COMPUTER ║ ║ CENTER ║ ║ ║ ║ 01/08/1990 ║ ║ 12:45:07 ║ ║ ║ ║ 3.99 ║ ║ 2 NT 8.50 ║ ║ 1289.00 ║ ║ 33.98 ║ ║ ║ ║ STOTAL 1335.47 ║ ║ TAX 79.62 ║ ║ TOTAL 1415.09 ║ ║ TEND 1415.09 ║ ║ CHNG 0.00 ║ ║ ║ ║ THANK YOU FOR ║ ║ SHOPPING ║ ║ EMPIRE ║ ║ ║ ╚══════════════════╝ Format #1 -49- ╔════════════════════════════════╗ ║ ║ ║ EMPIRE COMPUTER CENTER ║ ║ 2210 E. Highland Ave.,#103-232 ║ ║ San Bernardino, CA 92404-4629 ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ 01/08/1990 ║ ║ 12:45:07 ║ ║ ║ ║ 3.99 ║ ║ 2 NT 8.50 ║ ║ 1289.00 ║ ║ 33.98 ║ ║ ║ ║ SUBTOTAL 1335.47 ║ ║ TAX 79.62 ║ ║ TOTAL 1415.09 ║ ║ TENDERED 1415.09 ║ ║ CHANGE 0.00 ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING EMPIRE ║ ║ CALL US ANYTIME! ║ ║ Phone: 555-1212 ║ ║ ║ ╚════════════════════════════════╝ Format #1 ╔══════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ Empire Computer Center ║ ║ 2210 E. Highland Ave.,#103-232 ║ ║ San Bernardino, CA 92404-4629 ║ ║ ║ ║ 06/12/1990 ║ ║ 12:11:10 ║ ║ ║ ║ 2 Labels, mailing, 1000 ea 8.98 ║ ║ Print Paper, 8.5" by 11" 29.99 ║ ║ Dust Cover, Computer 7.49 ║ ║ ║ ║ SUBTOTAL 46.46 ║ ║ TAX 2.79 ║ ║ TOTAL 49.25 ║ ║ [CASH] TENDERED 60.00 ║ ║ CHANGE 10.75 ║ ║ ║ ║ *Thank you for shopping at the Empire* ║ ║ If you have any questions feel free to ║ ║ Phone: (714) 555-1212 ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Format #2 -50- ╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ Empire Computer Center ║ ║ 2210 E. Highland Ave.,#103-232 ║ ║ San Bernardino, CA 92404-4629 ║ ║ ║ ║ 06/12/1990 ║ ║ 12:11:10 ║ ║ ║ ║ 0912348763987654 Labels, mailing, 1000 ea 8.98 ║ ║ 09949506 Print Paper, 8.5" by 11" 29.99 ║ ║ 05568493 Dust Cover, Computer 7.49 ║ ║ ║ ║ SUBTOTAL 46.46 ║ ║ TAX 2.79 ║ ║ TOTAL 49.25 ║ ║ [VISA] TENDERED 60.00 ║ ║ CHANGE 10.75 ║ ║ ║ ║ *Thank you for shopping at the Empire* ║ ║ If you have any questions feel free to ║ ║ Phone: (714) 555-1212 ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Format #3 -51- ╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ ║ ║ EMPIRE COMPUTER CENTER ║ ║ 210 E. Highland Ave., #103-232 San Bernardino, CA 92404-4629 ║ ║ Call use anytime at (714) 555-1212 ║ ║ ║ ║ CUSTOMER: ║ ║ Jack P. Example ║ ║ 1218 South 38th Street ║ ║ Exampleville, CA 99999 ║ ║ ║ ║ 06/12/1990 11:50:27 ║ ║ ║ ║ Product Code Description Quantity Price Total ║ ║ ------------------------------------------------------------ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ 0912348767654 Labels, mailing 8.98 8.98 ║ ║ 09949506 Print Paper 29.99 29.99 ║ ║ 05568493 Dust Cover, Computer 7.49 7.49 ║ ║ 0897644442 Staples 5 1.49 7.45 ║ ║ ║ ║ SUBTOTAL 53.91 ║ ║ TAX 3.23 ║ ║ TOTAL 57.14 ║ ║ [CHECK] TENDERED 60.00 ║ ║ CHANGE 2.86 ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ Thank you for shopping at our Summer Office Sale! ║ ║ We also make copies for only 5 cents each. ║ ║ ║ ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Full Page Format Note: The full page layout takes an entire 80-columns, but has been reduced here to fit between the page margins. -52- ================= SALES TAX ================= Entering the Sales Tax Rate Select [Default] -> [Sales Tax] from the Menu to engage (or disengage) the automatic sales tax function. After selecting [ON] to engage the function, you will be asked to enter the sales tax rate: ENTER TAX RATE: >>_ << Two methods can be used to enter the sales tax. For example, if the tax rate is to be 6.5%, then you may enter either: >>6.5 << or >>.065 << Determining the Rounding Method Next you must decide how you want the tax to be rounded. The program will ask for the rounding method: [ROUND UP] [ROUND DOWN] [ROUND .5 AND ABOVE UP] If [ROUND UP] is selected, the customer will be charged an entire cent for any portion of a cent owed. For example, if the tax rate is 6.5% and the customer's purchase is for $11.25, the tax owed would be $.73125 (73.125 cents). This would be rounded up by the program to $.74 (74 cents). If [ROUND DOWN] is selected, the customer will not be charged until an entire cent is owed. For example, if the tax rate is 6.5% and the customer's purchase was for $11.50, the tax owed would be $.7475 (74.75 cents). This would be rounded down by the program to $.74 (74 cents). If [ROUND .5 AND ABOVE UP] is selected, the tax owed will be rounded to the nearest cent. That is, any calculation showing the tax owed to be one half cent ($.005 or .50 cents) or above will be charged the entire cent. Any calculation showing the tax owed to be less than one half cent ($.0049 or .49 cents) will not be charged for the cent. The rounding method you select should depend on the laws of your state. Call your appropriate state office to determine the correct method. You may have a little trouble finding someone who knows! So lets discuss an alternate method for determining how your state chooses to round. The method involves the use of the tax schedules that are published by the states to assist businesses in calculating sales tax applicable to taxable transactions. As an example, we will use the "State of California 6% Sales Tax Reimbursement Schedule, Civil Code Section 1656.1", effective April 1, 1974, Appendix G to Regulation 1700. Any schedule will do, however. -53- Move down the table and multiply a few of the brackets breaking point by 6% (.06) and compare what 6% actually is to the amount of sales tax listed. Here is a good example from the schedule that shows both the upper and lower limits: Transaction Tax ----------- --- 10.75-10.91 .65 So the State of California says to charge $.65 if the transaction falls within the range of $10.75 to $10.91. Multiply out the lower break point: .06 X 10.75 = .645 Six percent of 10.75 is only sixty-four and one half cents. However, the state schedules says to charge a full sixty-five cents. So we now know that the state either rounds everything up or rounds .5 and above up (to the nearest penny). Let's check the upper break point and find out: .06 X 10.91 = .6546 We can now clearly see that California does not round everything up, but rounds to the nearest penny. So we should select [ROUND .5 AND ABOVE UP]. All transactions will then result in sales tax charges identical to the amount that would be charged if we were using the State's 6% Tax Schedule. Note: If you need assistance with this, send API a copy of your state's tax schedule and we will determine your state's rounding method. ================ PASSWORD ================ Selecting/Changing Your Password Select [Default] -> [Password] off the Menu to engage (or disengage) the password function. If the password has been previously set, you will need to enter it before access is allowed. Once you select [ON] to engage the password function, you will need to choose a password. The password can be any four characters, numbers, or letters. DO NOT FORGET IT! What is Password Protected The password does not affect the normal operation of the cash register. An employee/cashier should normally not need to gain access to any programs that are password protected. The password is needed to gain access to the programs that can change the -54- product database, change the historical sales and sales tax totals, change default settings (except screen colors), and view or print sales reports. Specifically, the following features are protected: 1) All Utility programs including the Extended Utilities. (File Access, Inventory Adjust, Price Adjust, and Clear Sales, Update Master, Combine Customer Files). 2) All Default programs (Cash Register Operation, Receipt Format, Sales Tax, and Password). 3) All Sales Reports (Daily, Annual/Month/Day, Cashier/Dept, Trnactn/Ratios, Sales Discounts, and Printout). 4) The Sales Report screen, available during cash register operation using the F3 function key, is also disabled when the password function is engaged. Entering the Password When you make a selection from the REGIT Menu that is password protected, you will be required to enter the correct password before access will be made. The program will prompt: ENTER PASSWORD: _ You will not see your password as you enter it. One asterisk (*) will appear for each character that you have entered. If you enter the wrong password you will receive an "ACCESS DENIED" message. After three attempts without entering the correct password, you will be returned to the Menu. Preventing Password Protection If you do not want to password protect your files, you may wish to prevent an employee from accidently or purposely locking you out by password protecting your files. You can do this by simply removing the program that creates the password from your directory. First change to the REGIT directory, then delete the file SYS5.TBC as follows: CD\REGIT DEL SYS5.TBC You may wish to save a copy of this program first. Then, if later you decide you want to password protect your files, you can copy SYS5.TBC back into the REGIT directory. You Forgot Your What? If you forget your password, you may decode it by following this procedure: -55- 1) From the root directory change to the REGIT directory. CD\REGIT 2) At the DOS prompt, enter the command: TYPE PROFILES.REG 3) You will see something similar to this scroll onto your screen (the numbers and data will be different): 1 3 15 6.5E-002 0 5 72 69 76 80 *********** Business Name General Merchandise 0 0 5 0 0 The four numbers on the second line (the line above the row of asterisks) are the decimal ASCII equivalents for your password. Use this partial ASCII chart to decode your password. In the above example, the password would decode to HELP. # character # character --- --------- --- --------- 33 ! 69 E 34 " 70 F 35 # 71 G 36 $ 72 H 37 % 73 I 38 & 74 J 39 ' 75 K 40 ( 76 L 41 ) 77 M 42 * 78 N 43 + 79 O 44 , 80 P 45 - 81 Q 46 . 82 R 47 / 83 S 48 0 84 T 49 1 85 U 50 2 86 V 51 3 87 W 52 4 88 X 53 5 89 Y 54 6 90 Z 55 7 91 [ 56 8 92 \ 57 9 93 ] (chart continues) -56- 58 : 94 ^ 59 ; 95 _ 60 < 96 ` 61 = 123 { 62 > 124 | 63 ? 125 } 64 @ 126 ~ 65 A 66 B 67 C 68 D ============================= SCREEN - COLOR SELECT ============================= The Menu's [Screen] selection takes you to the color select option. If you have a monochrome monitor, you will receive the message: -- Monochrome Monitor -- No adjustment to the screen output is possible and you will return to the Menu. If your monitor is capable of displaying colors (or shades), then you will enter the REGIT -- COLOR SELECT program. Instructions for changing the colors are displayed on your monitor. You must select colors for three categories; letters, background, and boxes. The letters category controls the color of the letters and symbols on your monitor, the background category controls the background color, and boxes category controls the color of the highlighted areas on the monitor. As you select colors, the screen will reflect those selections. This immediate feedback allows you to browse through the colors and experiment with different color combinations. Be careful not to assign the same color to the letters and the background or you won't be able to see the letters. After you have selected a screen that pleases you, press the [Escape] key to return to the Menu. Your color selections will now become the default colors and will be displayed until the next time they are changed. -57- =========================== APPENDIX A - BACKUP =========================== It is important that you back up your files. The easiest way to do this is to just create another directory and copy the REGIT directory to it. However, this will not protect you against a hard disk crash. To get the best backup protection you should periodically copy your files to a floppy. How you do this depends on how big your files are, and the type of floppy drives you have. If your files are small enough and your drives are big enough, you can simply copy the files to a backup disk. If the files are larger than the drive capacity, then you will need to backup the entire REGIT directory using the DOS BACKUP and RESTORE commands (see your DOS manual). The files that should be backed up are all the files with a .LOG or .REG extension: 1) PROCODE1.REG 2) PROCODE2.REG 3) PROCODE3.REG 4) TRANACTN.LOG (if using) 5) DAY.LOG 6) MONTH.LOG 7) YEAR.LOG 8) DISCOUNT.LOG 9) PROFILES.REG 10) RCPTFRMT.REG 11) DATABASE.REG 12) CUSTOMER.REG (if using customer data file) More experienced users will probably wish to create a batch file using the XCOPY/M command to make the backup easy. A-1 ============================================== APPENDIX B - REGIT POINT-OF-SALE FILES ============================================== REGIT Point-of-Sale Program & Text Files 1) INSTALL.BAT 2) REGIT.DOC 3) REGIT.BAT 4) REGIT.EXE 5) SYS0.EXE 6) SYS1.TBC 7) SYS2.TBC 8) SYS3.TBC 9) SYS4.TBC 10) SYS5.TBC 11) SYS6.TBC 12) SYS7.TBC 13) SYS8.TBC 14) SYS9.TBC 15) SYS10.TBC 16) SYS11.MCH 17) SYS12.MCH 18) SYS13.MCH 19) SYS14.TBC 20) SYS15.MCH REGIT Point-of-Sale Data Files 1) PROCODE1.REG 2) PROCODE2.REG 3) PROCODE3.REG 4) DATABASE.REG 5) DAY.LOG 6) MONTH.LOG 7) YEAR.LOG 8) DISCOUNT.LOG 9) PROFILES.REG 10) RCPTFRMT.REG 11) TRANACTN.LOG * 12) CUSTOMER.REG * * May not be on disk if related function is not being used. PROCODE_.REG Data Files These three data files contain the product code numbers and the index pointers to the corresponding product's disk database location (in the DATABASE.REG data file). The files are loaded and kept in RAM during cash register operation. B-1 DATABASE.REG Data File A random access disk data file that stores the current product information. Each record is 71 bytes: Field Length ----- ------ Product description 25 bytes Product Price 8 bytes Current inventory 9 bytes Reorder quantity 9 bytes Annual sales quantities 9 bytes Monthly sales quantities 9 bytes Valid record indicator 2 bytes --------- Total Record Length 71 bytes DAY.LOG Data File A sequential data file containing the daily sales totals, daily sales tax totals, daily number of transactions, the sales totals by cashier/department, and sales totals by type of sale (cash, check, credit, and other CATs). MONTH.LOG A sequential data file containing monthly sales totals, monthly sales tax totals, and monthly number of transactions. YEAR.LOG A sequential data file containing annual sales totals, annual sales tax totals, and annual number of transactions. DISCOUNT.LOG A sequential data file containing sales discount transactions and totals. PROFILES.REG This sequential data file contains your default parameters, such as colors, screen business title, tax rate, serial port selections, etc. RCPTFRMT.REG A sequential data file containing your default receipt format parameters. B-2 TRANACTN.LOG A sequential data file containing the transaction log. CUSTOMER.REG A random access data file containing the customer data file. Each record is 92 bytes: Field Length ----- ------ Customer address line #1 30 bytes Customer address line #2 30 bytes Customer address line #3 30 bytes Valid record indicator 2 bytes --------- Total Record Length 92 bytes B-3 ================================== APPENDIX C - SYSTEM LIMITS ================================== 1) Length of product code: 16 characters 2) Length of product description: 25 characters 3) Single product price: $999,999.99 4) Single inventory quantity: -999,999 to 9,999,999 5) Reorder point: -999,999 to 9,999,999 6) Single product annual sales: -999,999 to 9,999,999 7) Single product monthly sales: -999,999 to 9,999,999 8) Number of products: 12,000 (with 640 Kbyte memory) 8,000 (with 512 Kbyte memory) 9) Customers in customer data file: 10,000 10) Line entries in one transaction: 500 C-1 ============================= APPENDIX D - 4.2 UPDATE ============================= The 4.2 Update adds several features to Version 4.0 of the REGIT Point-of-Sale program. We suggest that you install REGIT Point-of-Sale 4.2 even if you are not interested in the new features. This is because Version 4.2 has many new features internal to the function of the program that will not be discussed (for example, improved file keeping procedures). There are two outwardly improved features with Version 4.2. First, a prompt to allow you to decide if you want one receipt, two receipts, or no receipts printed, can now be displayed following each transaction. Second, the "EXPORT" function has been expanded to allow a second type of file exporting. INSTALLATION OF VERSION 4.2 All earlier version data files (from 3.0 to 4.1) are completely compatible with Version 4.2. If you have began using an earlier version, you will want to save your data files before installing Version 4.1. To do this, copy all files ending with the .REG and .LOG extensions to a floppy disk or another directory prior to installing Version 4.2. Then copy them back to the REGIT directory once installation is complete. See the README file for installation procedures. RECEIPT PROMPT The [Receipt Format] options now offers three choices: [ON] - to always print a receipt. [OFF] - to never print receipts. [PROMPT] - the cashier is prompted to decide if one, two, or no receipt is to be printed following each transaction. EXPORTING FILES The EXPORT function now offers a choice between delimited and nondelimited ASCII files. Additionally, the decimal point is now forced into place for all dollar values. Before it was left out for even dollar amounts. The new nondelimited field positions are: Field Length Field Position Begin End Product Code 16 1 16 Product Description 25 17 41 Price 10 42 51 Inventory 10 52 61 Reorder Point 10 62 71 Annual Sales 10 72 81 Monthly Sales 10 82 91 D - 1 The comma delimited files are in the same order as the above nondelimited files (and the same as the old export files). The new upgrade also makes it impossible to overwrite a REGIT file by not allowing users to name the export file using a REGIT file extension. D - 2