The Business Master (3rd Edition)

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

/ The Business Master (3rd Edition) / The Business Master (3rd Edition).iso / files / busition / vidctrl / vtc.doc < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1990-05-07 | 55.0 KB | 1,686 lines

VIDEO TAPE CONTROL (C) COPYRIGHT, 1990 MICRO METHODS WRITTEN BY KIM G. THORNTON VIDEO TAPE CONTROL REGISTRATION This is a SHAREWARE copy of VIDEO TAPE CONTROL which means you may try the software before you buy. If you like what you see, you can receive a registered copy of VIDEO TAPE CONTROL which cost $95.00. The benefits of registering is that you will receive a printed manual, the most recent copy of the software and phone support. Please direct all inquiries to: Micro Methods c/o Kim G. Thornton P.O. Box 2027 Evansville, In. 47728 Ph. (812) 476-0999 ORDER FORM NAME_______________________________________________________ COMPANY____________________________________________________ ADDRESS____________________________________________________ CITY, STATE & ZIP__________________________________________ PHONE (______) ____________________________________________ VIDEO TAPE CONTROL REGISTRATION FEE $95.00 INDIANA RESIDENTS ADD 5% ________ TOTAL ________ Circle One: Cash Check Money Order COD VISA Master Card Acct#__________________________________ Exp Date__________ Signature__________________________________________________ LIMITED WARRANTY The program is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. Micro Methods does not warrant that the functions contained in the program will meet your requirements or that the operation if the program will be uninterrupted or error free. In no event will Micro Methods be liable to you for any damages, including any lost profits, lost savings or other incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use such program. Any liability of seller or Micro Methods will be limited exclusively to software replacement or refund of the purchase price. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction............................. 1 Hardware Requirements.................... 2 Installation & Initialization............ 2 Price Codes.............................. 4 Starting Video Tape Control.............. 5 The Main Menu............................ 6 Rental Transactions...................... 7 Tape Library............................. 8 Reservations............................. 10 Process Returned Tapes................... 11 Collecting Late Charges.................. 12 Membership File.......................... 13 Tape File................................ 15 Report Generator......................... 19 Accounting Information................... 21 Exiting Video Tape Control............... 24 INTRODUCTION Video Tape Control is a computer program designed to automate your video tape rental business. The program has many unique features such as the Tape Library and pop-up windows to provide a more user friendly environment. The program was designed to take full advantage of the speed your computer possesses. Video Tape Control handles movie rentals and returns quickly and easily. Late fees are automatically calculated and you are alerted when fees are due. It will keep track of membership, film, and reservation information important to your stores operation. Reservations can be made on tapes and items for more than a week in advance and you are reminded of the reservation when the tape is rented or returned. Video Tape Control's printed report capabilities include information on tapes and rental items, the rental activity and the amount of money a member has spent at your store, reservation list, and members with late tapes. It also produces mailing labels for your stores mail outs or advertisements. Video Tape Control has the capacity of holding up to 8,000 tapes and 8,000 members in it's data base. Video Tape Control Page 1 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS Video Tape Control will operate on any IBM PC, XT, AT or compatible computer with at least 512K of memory using MSDOS 2.1 or higher. 1 360K floppy disk drive. 1 10 MEG or larger hard disk drive. Any black and white, monochrome, or color monitor. Dot matrix printer (a speed of 160 cps is recommended). INSTALLING VIDEO TAPE CONTROL If you are a first time user of a computer system please refer to your operators manual in turning on your system and the procedure in making backups of your data and programs. To load Video Tape Control on to the hard disk drive insert the program disk that came with this manual into drive A and at the C> prompt type A:INSTALL This will create a sub-directory called VTC and copy all the files from the disk in drive A to the sub-directory. INITIALIZATION Before using Video Tape Control you must let the program know some information about your business. To do this a stand alone program is used called INIT. This program may be used at any time to enter new or change existing company information. To use the initialization program at the C> prompt type INIT and press [ENTER]. In a moment a Enter Password prompt will appear. If this is your first time using INIT or if you have not yet entered a password just press [ENTER] here. Video Tape Control Page 2 INITIALIZATION (CONT.) When the initialization screen appears you have the option of entering or changing the data on the screen by moving the bar, [F2] setting up your printer, [F3] changing price codes or late fee codes, and [F1] exiting INIT. To change the opening screen you must use the arrow keys located on your numeric key pad (you must have the num lock off to use the arrow keys). Move the bar to the line you wish to change, press [ENTER] and type in the new information for that line. After you have keyed in the new line press [ENTER] again to accept the line. * When entering your companies city state and zip, remember to use a 2 letter state abbreviation with a period (.) behind it. Video Tape Control will use this data when you are entering membership information. The "Sales Tax Percent" can be entered as a decimal or a whole number i.e. a 5% sales tax could be entered as .05 or 5. The "Add To Non-Members" Rental line is for stores that have memberships but rent to non-members at a higher rental price. If you wish to use this feature enter in the extra amount to add to non-members. If you do not wish to use it leave it zero. The "Return Time" is the time that all items rented are due back. The time must be entered in as a 24 hour format i.e. 6:00 P.M. would be 18:00. If your store is on a 24 hour rental then enter 24 on this line. The "Next Invoice #" is a counter the computer keeps for each invoice printed. This can be changed at any time such as the beginning of the year if you wish. Video Tape Control can be used with a serial cash drawer. Refer to the users manual for the cash drawer for the proper serial port settings and to the MSDOS operators manual for using the MODE command to set the serial port. If you do not have a cash drawer installed on your computer then answer NO to the "Cash Drawer Installed?" prompt. "Invoice Information" is what will appear at the bottom of your printed invoices. This could include store rules or promotions if you wish. The "Password" line is an option for protecting your accounting information. You also must have the password to gain access to the INIT program. If you do not want to use a password just leave this line blank. Video Tape Control Page 3 INITIALIZATION (CONT.) The "Display Receipt Prompt?" is an option which if is YES then after each transaction a "Print Receipt (Y/N/ESC)?" prompt will appear before each receipt is printed. This would allow you the option of not printing a receipt for members. If you will be printing a receipt for every transaction, then you would want to answer NO here. New users of Video Tape Control may want to leave this prompt on while learning the program. [F2] Printer Setup: This option is used to tell Video Tape Control what codes (in decimal) are necessary to print in condensed format. Line "A" would be the printer codes to select condensed print. For many printers this code would be 27 15. Line B is the codes (in decimal) used to cancel condensed print. Again for many printers this would be 18. If the current codes do not make your printer print in condensed format, please refer to your printer manual for the proper control codes. Option "C" is used to control your invoice length. Pressing "C" will toggle line C from 5 1/2" to 11". If your printer has the tractor feed behind the platen and has a tear bar then you should be able to get 2 receipts from each 8 1/2" by 11" sheet of paper. In this case, you would leave line C at 5 1/2". Some printers are not designed in this manner so you may have to use the 11" option which would give you 1 receipt per 8 1/2" by 11" sheet. [F3] Price Codes/Late Fees: Video Tape Control has 12 price codes and 4 late fee codes. The price codes are used for different rentals or prices you wish to put on tapes or items in your store. It is suggested that your normal or most used rental price be placed in Price 1. Example: Lets say your store has three different rentals. Most tapes are $2.00 but you have some children's tapes renting for $1.00. You also rent VCR Machines for $6.00. So you could then make Price 1 $2.00, Price 2 $1.00, and Price 3 $6.00. The other price codes could be used for membership fees, VCR head cleaning, etc. Any price codes not being used should be left at zero. These codes will be displayed when you are entering your tapes and inventory items. There is also a manual feature you can use (for more information on this see Add Tapes or Items). Video Tape Control Page 4 INITIALIZATION (CONT.) The "Late Fees Codes" are used only if your late fees will be different than your rental amount. If your late fees are the value of your rentals then leave all the late fee codes zero. [F1] Exit This is used for saving all the information you keyed in and quitting the initialization program. After pressing [F1] a "Verify Exit (Y/N)?" will appear. To exit press Y or the [ENTER] key, if you do not wish to exit press N to return to the program. STARTING VIDEO TAPE CONTROL At the C> prompt type VTC and press [ENTER]. The Micro Methods logo will appear and a One Moment Please... message will be displayed for a few seconds. You will then be prompted for the current date. The proper format for the date is MM/DD/YY, i.e. April 25, 1987 would be entered as 04/25/87 and then press [ENTER]. If you enter the date in the wrong format it will not be accepted and you must then re-enter it. After the current date is entered a "Tapes Rented Today To Be Returned On (MM/DD/YY)?" prompt will be displayed. This is the date that your rentals are due back. Again the MM/DD/YY format must be used. If you press [ENTER] here with out entering a date the next day determined by your current date will be displayed. The next prompt will be the current time. The time must be enter in as a 24 hour format i.e. 1:00 P.M. would be 13:00. If you have entered the current date and time previously or have a real time clock in the computer you may just press [ENTER] at each of the date and time prompts to get the current system date and time. After all time and date information is entered a "Correct (Y/N)?" prompt will be displayed. This allows you to check the information you just keyed in before starting the program. Video Tape Control uses the current date and time to Calculate late fees so make sure this information is correct before proceeding. Video Tape Control Page 5 THE MAIN MENU The main menu is the central control area of the program. It is from this area you will access the different modules of Video Tape Control and you will always be returned here after exiting any of the modules. Video Tape Control 5.2 (C) Copyright 1987 by Micro Methods M E N U [1] Rental Transactions [2] Membership File [3] Tape File [4] Report Generator [5] Accounting Information [6] End-Of-Day Report [7] Exit Program > Enter Selection _ [1] Rental Transactions: This is where most of your time in Video Tape Control will be spent. All transactions are performed here and many other functions can be executed from this area of the program. [2] Membership File Used for adding new members to your data base. New members can also be added from Rental Transactions. Member information can be viewed or changed here, you can also delete a member here. [3] Tape File Used for adding inventory items, tapes or VCR machines. Inventory items and tapes can be viewed, changed, or deleted here. Video Tape Control Page 6 [4] Report Generator: This is where all reports such as membership, tape list, late tape list, reservation list, and mailing labels are produced. [5] Accounting Information: Daily, monthly and year-to-date totals can be viewed here. All price codes can also be changed here. This area is password protected. [6] End-of-day Report: Displays Only Daily information. No password is is necessary to access this area. [7] Exit Program: This selection will exit you from Video Tape Control and return you to the computers operating system. Never shut down your computer system until Video Tape Control has been exited properly. When entering a menu selection or most other prompts such as "Enter Selection?" or "Correct (Y/N)?" you do not have to press [ENTER] after keying in your response. Also for any Yes or No (Y/N) responses, pressing the [ENTER] key would be accepted as a yes answer. The only exception is when you are deleting a member or tape item. RENTAL TRANSACTIONS After selecting 1 from the main menu the transaction screen will be displayed. The bottom 2 lines are command lines controlled by the function keys. To use the different commands the cursor must be at the bottom right of the screen. This is accomplished by pressing the [ENTER] key. The Command Line: [F1] Find Mem [F2] Tape Lib [F3] Chg Ret Date [F4] Enter Tapes [F5] Memship [F6] Reserv [F9] Return Tapes [F10] Menu Video Tape Control Page 7 RENTAL TRANSACTIONS (CONT.) Function Key Descriptions: [F1] Find Member: Used to display a member you wish to process for rentals, reservations, and changing member information. After press [F1] a "Mem # Or Name?" prompt will be displayed, here you may key in the members number or the members name as it is in the membership file. If you enter a member number and press [ENTER] you are telling Video Tape Control exactly which member you want. The member is displayed, and you are automatically transferred to the [F4] Enter Tapes mode. If you key in a members name (up to 6 characters of the name) you are telling Video Tape Control to search for a name to match what you keyed in. After a match is found the member is displayed and a "OK? (Y/N/P/ESC)" prompt is displayed. If you answer with a "Y" or [ENTER] you will be transferred to the [F4] Enter Tapes mode, if you answer with a N the next occurrence will be displayed a P response would display the previous occurrence. Pressing the [ESC] key will cancel the search and you will be returned to the "Mem # Or Name?" prompt. The member information displayed on the transaction screen includes the member number, name and address, telephone number, membership type, membership date, total items or tapes currently rented, and a comments line. The [ENTER] key can be substituted for [F1] if you wish. This is to allow easier keyboard input as the [F1] Find Member is used very often. [F2] Tape Library: The Tape Library is a very handy feature used to check the status of a tape. The Tape Library can be be used during a transaction if you wish. When you press [F2] the Tape Library screen is windowed and you are prompted for the tape number or title. Again the search works in the same manner as in searching for a member. If the tape or item is rented a Not Available message will flash on the screen and the date of return will also be displayed. If the tape is reserved a * Reserved * message will be displayed. The Tape Library is very fast way of letting a member know the availability of a tape. [F3] Chg. Return Date: This option is used in the event a member wishes to rent items or tapes longer than your normal rental times. The rentals are automatically adjusted depending on the number of days they wish to rent. Changing the return date must be done before the invoice items are entered. Video Tape Control Page 8 RENTAL TRANSACTIONS (CONT.) [F4] Enter Tapes: The Enter Tapes option is usually automatic but is needed after you use the Tape Library or Reservation option. After the member is displayed on the screen you will be placed in the Enter Tapes mode. A "#" will be displayed on the screen which means Video Tape Control is waiting for an Item number to be keyed in. You can only enter a tape or item number here. After a valid item number is entered and [ENTER] is pressed, the description, rental amount, and a "OK?" prompt will be displayed. If you press "N" here the line will be erased and you must re-enter the number. If you press "Y" or [ENTER], the item will be accepted on the transaction and the "#" prompt will drop to the next line for another item number to be entered. You are allowed a maximum of 10 items per invoice. To quit entering item numbers just press [ENTER] at the "#" prompt. After pressing [ENTER] at the "#" prompt you will notice at the top right of the screen Sub-Total, Sales Tax, and Total Amount lines will be displayed also the command line at the bottom of the screen will change to: [F1] Receipt [F2] Tape Library [F4] Enter Tapes [F6] Reservations [F7] Erase [F9] Return Tapes By pressing [F1] or [ENTER], you are telling Video Tape Control that the transaction is done and you are ready to print a receipt. After pressing [F1] an "Amount Tendered $" prompt will be displayed, waiting for you to enter the amount of cash received (if you want to by-pass this just press [ENTER] here. The members change will be displayed and depending on how you initialized Video Tape Control in the INIT program a receipt will be printed or a "Print Receipt (Y/N/ESC)?" prompt will be displayed. If the Receipt prompt is displayed answering "Y" would of course print the receipt and "N" would not, Pressing the [ESC] key would return you to the command line. [F5] Membership: The [F5] option works in two ways, if a member is not displayed on the transaction screen and at the command line you press [F5] a window would be opened to add a new member. If a member is displayed on the transaction screen then the [F5] would open a window to change information of the member currently on the transaction screen. This is very useful for keeping addresses and telephone numbers current on your members. Video Tape Control Page 9 RENTAL TRANSACTIONS (CONT.): [F5] Membership (Cont.): For more information on adding and changing membership information see ADD MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION or VIEW/CHANGE MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION. [F6] Reservations: In order to reserve a tape or item for a member you first must find the member wishing to reserve using the [F1] Find Member option. After locating the proper member press [ENTER] to gain control at the command line and press [F6] to open the window for the reservation screen. A "Enter Tape # Or Title" prompt will be displayed. Entering a title will begin the search sequence as in searching for a member, entering a number tells Video Tape Control you know the item you want. After you have the tape to reserve on the screen a "<A>dd Or <R>emove Reservation ?" will be displayed. Pressing "A" would allow you to add the name to the reservation (up to 8 different names and dates) and pressing "R" would let you manually remove names if any exists. To add a reservation press "A" and at the "Enter Date To Reserve" prompt key in the date the customers wishes to reserve the tape on. The reservation date can be keyed in any format you wish: 08/29/87 or Aug 29 would be acceptable. There can be a maximum of 8 characters in the reservation date. When a tape is reserved and it is rented or returned a "* Reserved *" message will flash by the item number. This is to alert you that there is a waiting list for this tape. When renting a reserved tape, if the member renting the item is on the reservation list they will be automatically removed during the rental transaction. Reserving a tape does not keep you from renting to someone that is not on the list, the reservation list acts more of a reminder and you make the decision to rent it or not. Keep in mind that all reservations are made by item numbers and not titles. [F7] Erase: This option is used to erase a complete transaction. This allows you to start over if you wish. After erasing you will be returned to the [F1] Find Member mode. Video Tape Control Page 10 RENTAL TRANSACTIONS (CONT.): [F9] Return Tapes: This option is for processing the the rental items a member returns. Any information on the transaction screen will be saved and re-displayed when you change to the [F9] Process Returns screen option. After pressing [F9] at the command line, the Process Returned Tapes screen will be displayed and a "Enter Item #" prompt will be at the lower left of the screen. Returns can be made by item number or member number. To return by item number, enter any of the tape or item numbers a member has out, press [ENTER], then the original transaction will be displayed. To return by member number enter an "M" then the members number. To exit from the Process Returned Tapes area just press [ENTER] at the "Enter Item #" prompt. After the return transaction has been displayed the following line will be at the bottom of the screen: <A> All Items Returned <P> Partial Return <ESC> To Exit If you enter an "A" here, all items on the invoice will be returned. If you enter a "P" here, each item will have to be returned individually. On a partial return "Returned (Y/N)?" will be displayed by each item on the return invoice. You would then answer "Y" or "N" for each item. All items not returned will be saved on the original invoice and may be returned at a later time. On a partial return after all items have been marked returned or not, the message "OK To Update Files (Y/N)?" will be displayed. If you answer "N" to this no action will be taken and you will be returned to the "Enter Item #" prompt. Pressing the [ESC] key will erase the invoice and no action will be taken. This allows you to view your returns at any time if you wish. When processing returns and the member is late in returning their tapes you will be alerted by two beeps and the amount of the late charge will flash on the upper right of the screen. After returning the rented items you will be asked "Charge Late Fees (Y/N)?". If you answer with "Y" the members file will be tagged with the late fee amount (if a late fee amount already exist in their file it will be added to the existing amount). Answering with an "N" here would waive the late charges. Video Tape Control Page 11 RENTAL TRANSACTIONS (CONT.): Collecting Late Charges: To Collect the late charges from the member you must return to the Rental Transaction screen and recall the member using the [F1] Find Member option. When the member is displayed again you will be alerted by 2 beeps and the amount of the late charge will be displayed at the top right of the screen. At the bottom line of the screen the message "Will Late Charges Be Collected (Y/N)?" will be waiting for you response. If you answer "Y" here an "Amount $" prompt will be displayed. To collect the amount flashing on the screen just press [ENTER]. To change the amount just enter in the amount you wish to charge the member (entering zero here would be the same as waiving the amount). After the correct amount is accepted the 9999 LATE CHARGES DUE record (which should always be in your tape files) will automatically be displayed on the transaction screen. After the 9999 LATE CHARGES DUE is displayed you will be in the [F4] Enter Tapes mode. If The member only wants to pay their late charges then just press [ENTER] at the "#" prompt to end the transaction. If you answer with a "N" at the prompt the late charges will not be charged to the member but will be remembered by Video Tape Control. Any time you display a customer with late charges in their file you will be alerted. [F10] Menu: This option at the command line will return you to the main menu. Video Tape Control Page 12 MEMBERSHIP FILE This is where you maintain your membership or customer file. After pressing selection 2 you will have the option of <V> viewing members, <A> adding members, <C> changing members, <D> deleting members and pressing [ENTER] would return you to the main menu. Here are a few basic guide lines for entering new data: After you enter each line of data you must press [ENTER] to accept the line. Remember to enter all letters in upper case (keep the caps lock on). Commas are allowed in all lines except the Member #. The Member # can be up to 7 characters long. The first character must begin with a number (1-9). Any Characters after the first may be alpha or numeric. Each member must have their own Member # (Video Tape Control checks and will alert you if you key in duplicate number). The Suggested format for the members name is: LAST NAME, FIRST NAME - i.e. SMITH, FRED A. This is important when you search for a member by name. When entering the city, state, and zip code, and the member your keying in has the same city and state as your stores, pressing [ENTER] at this line will display the city and state you entered in the initialization program. Then you would type in the zip code after the displayed city and state. This feature will save key strokes when entering membership information. This feature only works if the company city, state, and zip was entered correctly (with a period (.) behind a 2 digit state) in the initialization program. If you press [ENTER] at the Membership Date line the current system date will be displayed. Video Tape Control Page 13 MEMBERSHIP FILE (CONT.) * If the first character of the Membership Type line is a "N" then this would indicate that this is a non-member. They would be charged the extra amount for non-members entered in the initialization program. * Placing a "C" in the first column of Membership Type would indicate that this member would receive complimentary or free rentals. This is for the owner of the store or if you wish your employees to receive free rentals. NOTE: The "C" option will only be active on Price Codes 1 thru 6. A "C" or complimentary member would be charged on Price Codes 7 thru 12. * If you place a "R" in the first column of the Membership Type this would indicate a Risk member. Any member with an "R" membership type displayed on the transaction screen would trigger two beeps and the message: THIS MEMBER MARKED AS RISK Rent To This Member (Y/N)? This will remind you of a bad member and you have the option of renting to them or not. The member Comments line can be used with this feature to leave a message why they have been mark as a risk member. The comments line will be displayed with the member information on the transaction screen. After all the membership information has been keyed in, the message "Correct (Y/N)? will be displayed. Answering "Y" here would write the member information to the files. A "N" response would allow you to change any of the lines and pressing the [ESC] key would erase all the information and start over. Video Tape Control Page 14 If you press "C" you would be prompted for the member to change and would be allowed you to change lines A thru P. You will notice that while changing lines the old information will be displayed at the right. Pressing "D" would allow you to delete a member. After finding a member and entering "D" at the options the message : "Delete This Member (Y/N)?" will appear. Responding with a "Y" here would remove this member from your files, a "N" would take no action. * NOTE: A member cannot be deleted or have their member- ship number changed if they have items out on rental. To return to the main menu just press [ENTER] at the options. TAPE FILE This is where you enter and change your tape or item inventory. After pressing selection 3 at the main menu the add ADD/CHANGE TAPE SELECTIONS screen will be displayed. Here, you can <V> view existing tapes, <A> add new tapes, <C> change tapes, and <D> delete tapes. To exit this area just press [ENTER] at the "Item #" prompt. * There are two items already your item data files: 9998 CREDIT/REFUND 9999 LATE CHARGES DUE Video Tape Control requires these items to operate properly. The 9998 CREDIT/REFUND is used in rental transactions to give your members credits if needed or can be used for specials such as adjusting a transaction for a free tape rental. * When you use 9998 CREDIT/REFUND in your transaction the amount will always be a negative value. This is so the transaction total will balance. * The 9999 LATE CHARGES DUE is used for collecting late fees from your members which can be called up manually or Video Tape Control will automatically call it up for you in collecting late charges. Video Tape Control Page 15 Here are a few basic guide lines for entering data: You must press [ENTER] after entering each line of data. Remember to enter all letters in upper case (keep the caps lock on). Commas are allowed in the Title and Status/Comment lines. The Item # can be up to 7 characters long. The first character must begin with a number (1-9). Any Characters after the first may be alpha or numeric. Each item must have its own item # (Video Tape Control checks and will alert you if you key in duplicate number). To insure a correct sort of item numbers in the report gen- erator it is suggested to use this following format: 123.1 would be for item #123 copy#1 123.2 would be for item #123 copy#2 1009.1 would be for item #1009 copy #1 Video Tape Control will accept any method of item numbers as long as the first digit is numeric (1-9) but keep in mind that the numbers with the longest length will be at the end of the list when sorting by item number in the report generator. The title can be up to 25 characters long and CANNOT begin with a number. For titles that begin with a number such as, 48 HOURS or the movie 2010 you will need to place a asterisk (*) or an apostrophe (') in front of the title. i.e. (movie titles with numbers), '48 HOURS '2010 Remember, this is only necessary for titles that begin with a number. This is so Video Tape Control can tell movie titles from numbers while searching the files. Video Tape Control Page 16 When entering the Category line the following descriptions will be displayed: 1)MISC, 2)ACTION, 3)COMEDY, 4)CHILDREN, 5)MUSICAL 6)HORROR, 7)DRAMA, 8)WESTERN, 9)ADULT, 10)SCIENCE FICTION 11)MYSTERY, 12)ADVENTURE, and N)NON-RENTAL. At the Category line you must enter a number between 1 and 12 or the letter "N". Non-rental items are items for sale such as blank tapes or can be be used for membership fees. It is important to use the category properly as you can print your lists by categories. The Rating can be entered in as PG, PG-13, R, or X as you wish. By pressing [ENTER] at the Date Purchased line you will get the current system date. In the Cost line do not use a "$" sign or commas. When entering the price code, prices 1 thru 12 and M)MANUAL will be displayed. These are the codes you entered in the initialization program. If an "M" is placed in the Price Code when the item is displayed on the transaction screen you will be prompted for the price. This feature, when used with the Non-rental category, could be used for misc. sales. The Actor, Movie Length, Vendor, and Location lines are optional. If you do not wish to use these, press [ENTER] at each of these lines. If you press [ENTER] at the Format line, VHS will be displayed. The Status/Comment line can be used for any information you wish to save on the tape. This line will be displayed in the Tape Library. * If the first 2 characters of the Status/Comment line are NT then no sales tax will be charged. This is for certain non-taxable items you would want to sell in your store. Video Tape Control Page 17 The last line to input is the Late Fee Code. If your late fees are the amount of the rental item then you would just press [ENTER] here. If your late fees are different than your rental amount you would enter the code (1-4) depending on what values you placed in the code during the initialization program. After all the item information has been keyed in, the message "Correct (Y/N)?" will be displayed. Answering "Y" here would write the item information to the files. A "N" response would allow you to change any of the lines and pressing the [ESC] key would erase all the information and start over. Pressing "C" and entering a tape number would allow you to change lines A thru O. You will notice that while changing lines the old information will be displayed at the right. Pressing "D" would allow you to delete an item. After finding a member and entering "D" at the options the message : "Delete This Item (Y/N)?" will appear. Responding with a "Y" here would remove this item from your files, a "N" would take no action. * NOTE: An item cannot be deleted or you cannot change the item number if it is out on rental. To return to the main menu just press [ENTER] at the options. Video Tape Control Page 18 REPORT GENERATOR The Report Generator is where you will print all of your membership and tape information. After pressing selection 6 at the main menu the following sub menu will be displayed: Video Tape Control 6.x (C) Copyright 1987, Micro Methods ----------------------------------------------------------------- * REPORT GENERATOR * <1> Members With Late fee <5> Membership List <2> Members With Late Tapes <6> Reservation List <3> Tape Information List <7> Membership Mailing Labels <4> Tape List For Members <8> Return To Main Menu > Enter Selection _ When printing any of the membership or tape list you will have the option of sorting the printed output by number or name/title. After selecting the list you wish to print, the following will be displayed: [1] Sort By Member # (or Tape #) [2] Sort By Name (or Title) Enter Option or [ESC] To Exit_ Here you would choose how you wish to sort the report or press the [ESC] key to return to the Report Generator Menu. When printing any of the tape or item list you will also have the option of choosing which category you wish to print. The categories are: 1)MISC, 2)ACTION, 3)COMEDY, 4)CHILDREN, 5)MUSICAL, 6)HORROR, 7)DRAMA, 8)WESTERN, 9)ADULT, 10)SCIENCE FICTION, 11)MYSTERY, 12)ADVENTURE, N)NON-RENTAL, and A)FOR ALL CATEGORIES. Video Tape Control Page 19 REPORT GENERATOR (CONT.) After the printing starts on any of the reports you may abort or stop the process by pressing the [ESC] key. Description of each report: <1> Members With Late Fees: This report will give you a list of all the members which have late fees not paid in their file. <2> Members With Late Tapes: A listing of all the members who have tapes or items out pass the return time. <3> Tape Information List: A condensed list with all the tape information such as cost, date purchased, times rented, revenue earned, etc. You also have the option of sorting in ASCENDING or DESCENDING order on the following fields: [1] Item Number [2] Item Title [3] Date Purchased [4] Last Date Rented [5] Times Rented [6] Item Revenue <4> Tape List For Members: A condensed list that you may sell or give to your customers. The tape list is formatted in 3 columns with item#, title, and rating. <5> Membership list: A condensed list of membership information such as total items rented, revenue earned from each customer, etc. <6> Reservation List: A list of tape reservations you have made for your members. The list contains the items reserved and all the members who are on the waiting list. You will have the option of printing all reservations or just the reservations on items that are currently available in you store. Video Tape Control Page 20 <7> Membership Mailing Labels: This feature will print membership mailing labels. The address label required is 3 1/2" X 15/16" - 1 across. After pressing selection 7 you will be prompted for the letter range you wish to print, FROM > is the starting range, and THRU > would be the ending range of the names you wish to print labels for. If you want to print one range of names such as "C" then you would make FROM >C and THRU >C. This would print only the names beginning with the letter "C". After the sorting has taken place this message and prompt will be displayed: Ready Printer, xx Labels Will Be Printed... Print 2 Test Labels (Y/N/ESC)?_ xx = the number of labels. If you answer "Y" at the prompt 2 test labels used for alignment will be printed and you will return to the "Print 2 Test Labels (Y/N/ESC)?" prompt. You can keep printing test labels until your mailing labels are aligned properly in you printer. If you answer "N" at this prompt the labels will be printed. Pressing the [ESC] key would not print and allow you to start over. While the labels are printing you can abort the process by pressing the [ESC] key. <8> Return To Main Menu: Option 8 will return you to the main menu. ACCOUNTING INFORMATION Selection 5 on the main menu will let you access your stores revenues. To access this area you must know the password which was entered in the initialization program. If the password is not entered correct after 3 tries you will be returned to the main menu. If no password is being used just press [ENTER] at the "Enter Password ?" prompt. After gaining access to the accounting area and the screen is displayed you will notice that all money received is kept track of on a daily, monthly, and year-to-date basis. These totals are broken down into rentals and sales, late fees collected, credits (negative number), and sales tax collected. Video Tape Control Page 21 The options in the Accounting Information are: [1] Print Totals [2] Zero Totals [3] Change Price Codes [RETURN] For Menu [1] Print Totals: This option will send the totals to the printer as they are displayed on the screen. A break down of the activity on each of the price codes and a daily summary will also be printed. The daily summary is a listing of all invoices processed that day. After selecting option 1, the following prompt will be displayed: xx transactions in the summary file... Do you wish to print a Daily Summary (Y/N/ESC)? _ (xx = the number of transactions for the the day.) If you press the "Y" key, then the daily summary will be printed. If you press "N" then no summary will be printed. Pressing the [ESC] key here would return you to the "Enter Option" prompt and no action would be taken. This feature will give you the option of using, or not using the daily summary report. The "Daily Break Down By Price Code" consists of a break down of the activity on each of the price codes. Price Codes 1 thru 12, and the manual code will be listed along with the activity and the amount each code has produced during the day. All credits and late fees collected ARE NOT included in the break down but are listed only in the Daily, Monthly, and Year-To-Date summary. When you zero the daily totals, the daily break down by price code will also be zeroed. [2] Zero Totals: Option 2 is used for zeroing your daily, monthly, and year- to-date totals. This is a manual operation and must be done by you when the need arises. Which means you should zero daily totals every day, monthly totals at the beginning of each month, and year-to-date at the beginning of the year. Video Tape Control Page 22 When you press option 2 the following will be displayed: <D>AILY <M>ONTHLY or <Y>EAR-TO-DATE Here you would enter "D", "M", or "Y" depending on which column you wish to zero. After choosing the proper column to zero the word <D>AILY, <M>ONTHLY, or <Y>EAR-TO-DATE will flash on and off depending on your selection and you will be prompted to "Verify (Y/N)?" your selection. Pressing "Y" here would zero the column you selected, a "N" response would take no action and return you to the "Enter Option" prompt. * When you zero the daily column the summary file will also be erased so before zeroing any column be sure to print your totals first. [3] Change Price Codes This option is used for changing or adding price codes. These are the same codes you entered in the initialization program. The codes are changed by entering the the line (A thru L) to change. Press [ENTER] to exit this area and answer the prompt "> Make Above Prices Defaults (Y/N)?" with a "Y" or "N". A "Y" response here would make the changes you made permanent in the files. A "N" response would make the changes temporary. This feature could be used for specials you may have during the week on certain tapes. Example: Lets say you have tapes with a normal rental price of $2.00 which is price code 1. Every Tuesday you have a special price of $1.00. So to make the temporary price change you would change Price 1 from $2.00 to $1.00 on Tuesdays and answer "N" to the "> Make Above Prices Defaults (Y/N)?". This would change the $2.00 rentals to $1.00 for that day only. Keep in mind that if you exit and re-enter Video Tape Control, any temporary price code changes will have to be re-entered. Video Tape Control Page 23 EXITING VIDEO TAPE CONTROL Selection 7 on the main menu will exit the program and return you to the C> prompt of the computers operating system. Even though Video Tape Control protects your data in the event of a power failure, always exit the program properly before shutting down your computer. Video Tape Control Page 24