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- Chapter 18 - Utility Program
-
-
- The Capital Gainz Utility Program gives you several handy features
- for manipulating your Capital Gainz data files. You can get to the
- Utility Program from Capital Gainz, or start it from the DOS command
- line:
-
- CGUTIL
-
- Since the Utility Program's operations manipulate many files and
- records, the bottom half of the screen is a scrolling progress
- display. The top half of the screen is divided into the main menu on
- the left, and auxiliary menus on the right.
- [[Screen not in online version of documentation.]]
-
- ===>>> You should be very careful when using the Utility Program,
- since it can potentially affect all of your current data. To this end,
- you must hit the Execute function key to begin an operation. Just
- filling in all the fields in a form will not start any operation.
-
- 18.1 Utility Menu
-
- [[Screen not in online version of documentation.]]
-
- The Utility Menu lists the available operations:
-
- o Upgrade to a New Revision - converts data files for any required
- file format changes between revisions.
-
- o Copy/Move Portfolios - copy or move an entire portfolio.
-
- o Copy/Move Local Securities - copy or move local securities between
- portfolios.
-
- o Import/Export File - import or export comma-delimited ASCII data
- files, or print out file formats.
-
- o Rebuild Price History - reconstruct the price history from the
- activity logs.
-
- o Rebuild/Pack Data Files - immediately reclaim space from deleted
- records.
-
- o Hide Account Numbers - blanks out the account number in securities.
-
- o Directory - change directories.
-
- o Exit - return to DOS. The Esc key will not exit from the Main Menu.
-
- At the top of the menu, the current version number is displayed.
-
- Capital Gainz Users Manual 18-1
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- At the bottom, the remaining conventional memory is displayed. You are
- issued a warning if you get low on memory.
-
- Function keys to the right of the screen are:
-
- o Enter - select the highlighted choice.
-
- o F2:Backup - copy the Capital Gainz data files to a diskette.
-
- o F7:Capital Gainz - go to Capital Gainz.
-
- o F9:Graphics - go to the Capital Gainz Graphics Program.
-
- o F10:GoTo DOS - suspend the Utility Program and invoke the DOS
- Shell.
-
-
- 18.2 Upgrade to a New Revision
-
- [[Screen not in online version of documentation.]]
-
- The Upgrade Form is automatically invoked on installation, if
- necessary. The fields are:
-
- o (Required) The Directory containing the data files you want to
- upgrade.
-
- o (Required) The Installed Revision number, which is the version
- number of Capital Gainz that was used to create the existing data
- files. The Utility Program can usually determine this number, but
- you should verify it. The version number is listed on the original
- Capital Gainz diskettes, the opening screen, and all documentation.
- If you specify an incorrect number, the Utility Program will fail,
- as it accesses the data files based on your entry.
-
- o The Current Revision, which is display-only.
-
- Function keys listed at the bottom of the screen are:
-
- o Execute - accept all entries and execute the indicated operation.
-
- o Exit - exit immediately, the same as hitting Esc to back out of the
- form.
-
- As the upgrade executes, status messages are displayed. Upgrades
- progress from revision to revision, so an upgrade from 2.1 to 3.1 will
- upgrade from 2.1 to 2.2, from 2.2 to 3.0, and finally from 3.0 to 3.1.
- Upgrading is a three step process:
-
- o Copy the existing data to temporary files, and remove the original
- files.
-
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- 18-2 Capital Gainz Users Manual
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-
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- o Create the new version's data files from the old version's
- temporary files.
-
- o Remove the old version's temporary files.
-
- Failure during the upgrade process can leave your data files in an
- inconsistent state. Be sure that you have current backups of all data
- files before attempting an upgrade. If the upgrade fails, try to
- correct the error, restore your backup data files, and retry the
- upgrade.
-
- 18.3 Copy/Move Portfolios
-
- [[Screen not in online version of documentation.]]
-
- ===>>> You can copy or move portfolios using the Utility Program.
- These functions are useful for:
-
- o Creating a new portfolio that mirrors the holdings in an existing
- portfolio.
-
- o Moving an old portfolio to a diskette for archival purposes.
-
- o Bringing together portfolios that you created in different
- directories.
-
- [[Screen not in online version of documentation.]]
-
- After choosing to copy or move a portfolio, the Utility Copy/Move
- Portfolio Form is displayed. You enter:
-
- o (Required) The Source Directory of the portfolio to be
- copied/moved. This is initialized to the current directory.
-
- o (Required) The Source Portfolio ID to be Copied/Moved. If you enter
- an invalid number, the Portfolio Lookup Table, described below,
- pops up.
-
- o (Required) The Destination Directory where the portfolio will be
- copied/moved to. This is initialized to the current directory.
- After entering a valid directory, the Utility Program sets the
- Destination Portfolio ID to the lowest unused ID in the destination
- directory.
-
- o (Optional) The Name of the Destination Portfolio, initialized to
- the name of the portfolio you are copying or moving.
-
- After completing the form, you must choose one of the operations
- available via function keys:
-
- o Execute - accept all entries and execute the indicated operation.
-
-
- Capital Gainz Users Manual 18-3
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-
-
- o Exit - exit immediately, the same as hitting Esc to back out of the
- form.
-
- When you Copy or Move a portfolio, the following entire data files
- are copied from the source to the destination. If you specified Move,
- these files are then deleted from the source:
-
- Local Securities File for the portfolio Open Shares File for the
- portfolio
- Closed Shares File for the portfolio Distributions File for the
- portfolio
-
- The Portfolio File's record for the portfolio moved is copied from the
- source to the destination. If you specified Move, the original
- portfolio record is deleted. If the source and destination directories
- are different, records from the following data files are copied from
- the source to the same file at the destination:
-
- Broker/Investment Company File Global Securities File
- Price History File Security Type File
-
- To see how the Capital Gainz data files are related, refer to Chapter
- 2.
-
- 18.3.1 Portfolio Lookup Table
-
- [[Screen not in online version of documentation.]]
-
- The Portfolio Lookup Table pops up if you enter an invalid
- portfolio ID. To select a portfolio ID, highlight it and hit Enter.
-
- 18.3.2 Example - Copy a Portfolio
-
- Say you have 3 portfolios, 001, 002, and 003. You want to make a
- copy of portfolio 001:
-
- From Directory:C:\CAPGNZ To Directory:C:\CAPGNZ
- Portfolio:001 Dave's Portfolio Portfolio:004 Mirror
- Portfolio
-
- o The portfolio record is copied.
-
- o The local security, open shares, closed shares, and distribution
- files LSEC001, OPEN001, CLOSE001, and DISTR001 are copied to
- LSEC004, OPEN004, CLOSE004, and DISTR004.
-
-
- 18.4 Copy/Move Local Securities
-
- [[Screen not in online version of documentation.]]
-
- ===>>> You can copy or move local securities using the Utility
-
- 18-4 Capital Gainz Users Manual
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-
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- Program. These functions are useful for:
-
- o Creating a new holding in a portfolio that mirrors an existing
- holding in another portfolio.
-
- o Moving information for an inactive local security to a portfolio on
- a diskette for archival purposes.
-
- o Bringing together local securities from different portfolios.
-
- [[Screen not in online version of documentation.]]
-
- After choosing to copy or move a local security, the Copy/Move
- Security Form is displayed. You enter:
-
- o (Required) The Source Directory of the portfolio containing the
- local security to be copied/moved. This is initialized to the
- current directory.
-
- o (Required) The Source Portfolio ID of the portfolio containing the
- local security to be copied/moved. If you enter an invalid number,
- the Portfolio Lookup Table, described earlier, pops up.
-
- o (Required) The Source Local Symbol of the local security to be
- copied/moved. If you enter an invalid symbol, the Local Security
- Lookup Table, described below, pops up.
-
- o (Required) The Destination Directory of the portfolio where the
- local security will be copied/moved to. This is initialized to the
- current directory.
-
- o (Required) The Destination Portfolio ID of the portfolio where the
- local security will be copied/moved to. You must have already
- created this portfolio in Capital Gainz. If you enter an invalid
- number, the Portfolio Lookup Table, described earlier, pops up.
-
- After completing the form, you must choose one of the operations
- available via function keys:
-
- o Execute - accept all entries and execute the indicated operation.
-
- o Exit - exit immediately, the same as hitting Esc to back out of the
- form.
-
- The Local Security File's record for the local security moved is
- copied from the source to the destination. If you specified Move, the
- original local security record is deleted. Related records from the
- following data files are copied from the source portfolio to the
- destination portfolio. If you specified Move, these records are then
- deleted from the source portfolio:
-
- Open Shares File Closed Shares File Distributions File
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- Capital Gainz Users Manual 18-5
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- If the source and destination directories are different, related
- records from the following data files are also copied from the source
- to the destination:
-
- Broker/Investment Company File Global Securities File
- Price History File Security Type File
-
- To see how the Capital Gainz data files are related, refer to Chapter
- 2.
-
- 18.4.1 Security Lookup Table
-
- [[Screen not in online version of documentation.]]
-
- The Security Lookup Table pops up if you enter an invalid local
- security symbol. To select a security, highlight it and hit Enter.
-
- 18.4.2 Example - Move a Local Security
-
- Say you've sold all the shares for local security CPL, and want to
- move it to your inactive portfolio, portfolio 003:
-
- From Directory:C:\CAPGNZ To Directory:C:\CAPGNZ
- Portfolio:001 Dave's Portfolio Portfolio:003 Dave's Old
- Stuff
- Local Symbol:CPL Carolina Power & Light
-
- o The local security record is copied from LSEC001 to LSEC003, and
- then deleted from LSEC001.
-
- o Open shares, closed shares, and distribution records for CPL are
- copied from OPEN001, CLOSE001, and DISTR001 to OPEN003, CLOSE003,
- and DISTR003, and then deleted from OPEN001, CLOSE001, and
- DISTR001.
-
-
- 18.5 Import/Export
-
- [[Screen not in online version of documentation.]]
-
- You can import or export comma-delimited ASCII files, or just
- print out the internal file format, using the Utility Program. These
- functions are useful for:
-
- o Printing out the Capital Gainz data file types and formats.
-
- o Exporting data to verify the contents of all fields, or to make
- minor changes.
-
- o Exporting data for use in another program, such as a spreadsheet.
-
- o Importing data from another program.
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- 18-6 Capital Gainz Users Manual
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- o Exporting data from damaged data files, to salvage any non-corrupt
- data. You should have been performing regular backups instead.
-
- ===>>> Because Capital Gainz consists of many related data files,
- importing data from other programs, or exporting data to other
- programs, is not a simple task. It's very easy to end up with data
- that Capital Gainz cannot access, or to build data files with
- incorrect data. Be sure you thoroughly read and understand the
- sections on importing and exporting data below, as well as the
- description of the Capital Gainz data files in Chapter 2. That chapter
- also shows how the Capital Gainz data files are related.
- [[Screen not in online version of documentation.]]
-
- After choosing to import, export, or print a file format, the
- Select Data File Menu is displayed. Choose one of the displayed files
- to operate on. The User Settings File is a DOS file, and is not
- available. If you are importing or exporting data and select the Local
- Security, Open Shares, Closed Shares, or Distributions File, you are
- asked for the portfolio ID. If you leave this blank, or enter an
- invalid portfolio ID, the Portfolio Lookup Table, described earlier,
- pops up.
- [[Screen not in online version of documentation.]]
-
- After selecting a data file, you enter the following in the
- Import/Export Form:
-
- o The name of a file for importing from, exporting to, or printing
- the file format to. On import, if this file does not exist, an
- error is returned. On export or format printing, if this file
- exists it is appended to, and if it does not exist, it is created.
-
- ===>>> o The date format to use, either INTERNAL or STRING, for
- import/export. Some Capital Gainz data files have date
- fields. The INTERNAL format used by Capital Gainz is a 32
- bit integer containing the number of days since 1801. Since
- this date is not readily used outside of Capital Gainz, you
- have the option of using a STRING type, formatted as
- MM/DD/YY (i.e., 12/10/91).
-
- Then you must choose one of the function keys:
-
- o Execute - accept all entries and execute the indicated operation.
-
- o Exit - exit immediately, the same as hitting Esc to back out of the
- form.
-
-
- 18.5.1 Import Comma-Delimited File
-
- Importing data using the Utility Program is difficult due to data
- file relationships. For instance, if you import data into the Open
- Shares File:
-
- Capital Gainz Users Manual 18-7
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-
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- o The symbols referenced must also be imported into the Local
- Securities File, if they don't exist.
-
- o The data imported into the Local Securities File must have correct
- open shares information. Alternatively, you can use the Total
- function on the Capital Gainz Local Security Fixup Form.
-
- o The global symbols referenced in the Local Securities File also
- must be imported into the Global Securities File, if they don't
- exist.
-
- o The broker/investment companies referenced in the Local and Global
- Security Files must also be imported into the Broker/Investment
- Company File, if they don't exist.
-
- o The global securities' price histories also must be imported into
- the Price History File, if they don't exist. Or, you can use the
- Utility Program's Rebuild Price History function.
-
- o The global securities' types also must be imported into the
- Security Type File, if they don't exist.
-
- As you can see, importing data from other programs is a tricky
- task. A much better use for the import function is to make minor
- tweaks to data files:
-
- o Export the data file.
-
- o Use an ASCII text editor to make the minor changes to the number of
- shares, amounts, etc.
-
- o Delete or rename the original data file.
-
- o Import the file containing the changes.
-
- In any case, importing data is only recommended in exceptional
- circumstances, and even then should only be attempted by experienced
- users. It's too easy to end up with data that can't be accessed from
- the main Capital Gainz program.
-
- 18.5.2 Export Comma-Delimited File
-
- Exporting data lets you scan the contents of your data files for
- minor errors. If you find any problems, then you can modify the
- records with a text editor and import the file. However, it's strongly
- recommended that you manage changes through Capital Gainz itself
- whenever possible.
-
- You also can export data in order to import it into another
- program. Most programs that support data imports can accept comma-
- delimited input. Before importing the data, you may need to modify the
- data with a text editor.
-
- 18-8 Capital Gainz Users Manual
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- 18.5.2.1 Example - Export Data
-
- The most common type of program that you would import data into is
- a spreadsheet, like As-Easy-As. This lets you further analyze your
- investment data, and also generate graphs (if you need more control
- than available in the Graphics Program). To aid in this process, the
- Capital Gainz data file formats can be printed to a file, and exported
- data is in key order. As an example, here's the steps involved in
- generating a line graph of prices using As-Easy-As:
-
- o Export the Price History File to PRC.EXP. Specify the STRING date
- format.
-
- o Use a text editor to remove all records except a single symbol's
- price records. For instance, get rid of all records except those
- where the symbol is CPL and the type is PRC.
-
- o Start up As-Easy-As.
-
- o From the / menu, choose File, Import, Values, and specify PRC.EXP
- as the file name. This fills in columns A, B, C, and D with the
- symbol, date, type, and price.
-
- o From the / menu, choose Graphics, Type, Line. For the Range, set X
- to the entire B column (date) and A to the entire D column (price).
-
-
- o Change the scales as needed. For instance, you may want A to range
- from 0 to 100 dollars. Also, you may want to add labels.
-
- o View the graph.
-
-
- 18.5.3 Print Comma-Delimited Format
-
- This function lets you print out the field names and types in the
- Capital Gainz data files. This is handy when importing or exporting
- data.
-
- 18.6 Rebuild Price History
-
- [[Screen not in online version of documentation.]]
-
- You can clean out the Price History File and rebuild it based on
- data in the Open Shares, Closed Shares, and Distribution Files. You
- may want to do this if:
-
- o Your Price History File has gotten very large, and you want to trim
- it down.
-
- o You inadvertently deleted or changed records, and want to reset the
- Price History File.
-
- Capital Gainz Users Manual 18-9
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-
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- From the function keys, you can:
-
- o Execute - accept all entries and execute the indicated operation.
-
- o Exit - exit immediately, the same as hitting Esc to back out of the
- form.
-
- ===>>> All price history entries that do not correspond to a buy,
- sell, or distribution record will be deleted. If you just want to add
- back some activity prices, then export the Price History File, rebuild
- the price history, then import the Price History File that you
- initially exported.
-
- 18.7 Rebuild/Pack Data Files
-
- [[Screen not in online version of documentation.]]
-
- ===>>> Capital Gainz data files do not automatically release space for
- deleted records. Instead, the deleted record area is reused when you
- add new records. Thus, if you delete many records, then the disk space
- used by the file will not change. However, as you add new records, the
- disk space used will not increase until the number of new records
- exceeds the number of records deleted.
-
- If you want to reclaim space from deleted records immediately, use
- the Rebuild/Pack Data Files option. From the function keys, you can:
-
- o Execute - accept all entries and execute the indicated operation.
-
- o Exit - exit immediately, the same as hitting Esc to back out of the
- form.
-
-
- 18.8 Hide Account Numbers
-
- [[Screen not in online version of documentation.]]
-
- This option blanks out the Account Number field in all local and
- global security records. This lets you remove sensitive data before
- sending it to us in order to fix or analyze a problem. Normally, you'd
- copy your data files to a diskette, then run the Utility Program and
- switch directories before executing this option. From the function
- keys, you can:
-
- o Execute - accept all entries and execute the indicated operation.
-
- o Exit - exit immediately, the same as hitting Esc to back out of the
- form.
-
-
-
-
-
- 18-10 Capital Gainz Users Manual
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- 18.8.1 Example - Hide Account Numbers
-
- You're having some strange problems, and decide to send us your
- data to analyze. As a security measure, you want to mask out the
- account numbers.
-
- o Copy all of your data files, *.DAT and *.K01, to the disk in drive
- A:.
-
- o Run the Utility Program, and choose Directory. Set the directory to
- A:\.
-
- o Choose the Hide Account Numbers option to blank out account numbers
- in all the local and global securities on drive A:.
-
- o Send us the disk with the data, along with a description of the
- problem.
-
-
- 18.9 Directory
-
- [[Screen not in online version of documentation.]]
-
- You can change the current directory from the Utilities Menu.
- However, several options already allow you to specify source and
- destination directories.
-
- 18.10 Backup
-
- [[Screen not in online version of documentation.]]
-
- The Utility Program options affect many files and records, so it's
- a good idea to backup your data. If you answer YES, your data files
- are backed up to disk with the DOS COPY command, rather than the
- Capital Gainz Backup Command setting. The reason is that the Utility
- Program can move between directories, so the batch file used to
- backup, such as CAPGNZBU.BAT, may not be available.
-
- 18.11 Switching Programs
-
- Switching between programs is discussed in Chapter 6.
-
- 18.12 Shell to DOS
-
- Shelling to DOS is discussed in Chapter 6.
-
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- Capital Gainz Users Manual 18-11
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