The Datafile PD-CD 3/PDCD_3.iso/pocketbk/utilsr/s3abank3/README.V12

Text File | 1994-12-14 | 8KB | 181 lines

S3ABANK V1.3
------------

READ ME file
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This file is for users of V1.2 only. New Users should read README.NEW

Warning
-------

There have only been two reported cases of a program crash with V1.2,
involving loss of data, both caused by operating when the data disk was
getting very full.  The problems which caused these crashes have been
fixed, but this is such a complex program, I cannot guarantee there aren't
any more more lurking in the background.  I would highly recommend that
you keep backups of your data on a PC, or if that is not possible,
utilise the BACKUP <PSION-B> option within the program to keep a spare
copy of your data somewhere else on the disc.  I have to say that I use
BOTH methods, and I wrote the program !!

Quick Instructions
-------------------

To save you reading the full instructions again, here are the
changes from V1.2 to V1.3 :

The program is now modular.  The core program consists of Accounts,
Transactions, Currencies, Archive and Standing Orders.  The modules
(now separate overlay files) are Budget, Shares and Petrol, and the
brand new House Contents module.  If you do not want any of these modules,
do not put them on the S3A.  The program will sense their absence and
react accordingly.   Also, once in the program you can customise the
diamond list in the status window to give you quick access to just
those screens you use regularly. The only effect of this I am aware
of is that the diamond menu in the status screen may not initially
represent the right modules.  Use <SHIFT-PSION-DIAMOND> key to set
up your requirements.

The other effect that has been reported is a problem with the
Petrol screen, where a car that was previously in use was not
recognised.  This is caused by a change I had to make to the
code that generated the filename from the name of your car.  To
make sure no illegal characters were used in the filename I
have stripped out everything except letters and numbers.  Therefore,
if your car name was MX3A-!, the old filename was MX3A-!.HST.  The new
filename will be MXA3.HST.  Simply rename the file by removing
the numbers and all should be well.

HOME CONTENTS

This module is used to allow you to keep track of the value of your
possessions for the purposes of insurance policies.  The module is
very easy to use, and simply contains details of every one of your
possessions, based on a description, a value, a serial number for your
electrical goodies such as the Series 3A, a room location and a category.
The rooms and categories can be added, updated and deleted from their
individual screens.  The items can be entered either from the main
room screen or from the item description screen.

Other Changes:
--------------

a.    I've implemented 'Home' and 'End' to complement 'PgUp' & 'PgDn'.

b.    You can now have the option of a Balance displayed after the
    deferred options.  Access from the Transaction screen CONFIG Menu,
    or <PSION-B>.

c.    To take advantage of the small font, the length of the
    Transaction and Standing Orders descriptions have been increased
    from 15 to 25.  If the larger font is selected, the display will
    'trim' the length to avoid overlap.  Note that if you use this
    facility, the data files will not be backwards compatible with V1.2.

d.    If an Account is Password protected, the program will now clear
    the screen and prompt for a Password if the S3A auto-switches
    off, or the program is called from the System screen while
    already open.

e.    I have added a Warning 'Beep' to the error messages, but this can
    be switched on/off from the Preferences Sub-Menu in the main Config menu.

f.    'Gas' and 'Petrol' are now configurable through the
    Terminology menu, rather than automatic on US Currency.

g.    You can now have non-integer Share holdings for Unit Trusts and a
    different number of decimal places than the default for the price.
    (Number of dec.places displayed is configurable via Config
     menu in Shares screen)

h.    There is now an option to set up default transactions to save time
     when entering.  If you use <SHIFT-ENTER> (or <PSION-J>) instead of
    <ENTER>, you will be given the opportunity to use any of 20 preset
    templates.  These can be Entered, Updated and Deleted via a separate
    menu <PSION-G>. If one of the defaults is called 'cheque', you also
    have the option of automatically incrementing cheque numbers.

i.    You now have the option to have a horizontal line in the transaction
    screen to highlight a certain entry (last entry in Credit
    Card statement ?).  Use PSION-L or L to set it.

j.    Pressing first letter of Account name selects account.

k.    The Export command now allows you to export a USA version of Quicken.
     Dates are then exported as (MM/DD/YY).

l.    When you enter a new Standing Order, you can specify a different value
    for the first payment of a Standing Order.

m.    Search routine in Archive screen can now operate from current record
    as well as start/end of file.

n.    You now have an option to specify number of decimal places in display.
    Accessible from Preferences sub-menu in Config menu.

o.    You now have the option to remove an Account from the 'Net Worth'
    calculation. Option given on creating or updating an account.

p.    You can now have a car names containing spaces, or starting
    with a number.

q.    You can now have 'Amount Remaining' in the final column in Budget
    screen instead of 'Spend'.  (<PSION-T> to toggle)

r.  I've implemented a 'memopad' feature along the lines of
    that used in the Agenda 'To-Do' list.  Each Group has it's own
    dedicated notepad, which is accessed through <PSION-+> in
    the main Accounts screen.

s.    After a number of requests, you can now have 'Initial Balance'
    or 'Current Balance' in the transaction screen. (<PSION-T> to toggle)

t.    You can now create an Archive file from the Transaction screen, as this
    is the screen you are most likely to be in when you realise you need
    to generate one.

u.    When you archive entries, I have changed the dialog to 'Archive/Remove',
    rather than 'Archive/Delete'.  This is to differentiate between the 2
    delete options.  Now, the 'Delete Transaction' option will remove a
    transaction if it was entered in error.  The 'Archive/Remove' option
    will also delete a transaction, but the overall balance will still
    take the entry into account.

v.    I have added a message on startup to show to whom the program is
    registered.  If you don't like the name it comes up with, ask me for
    another registration code !!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
--------------------------------

So Far, only one:

"Why is there a limit on the number of transactions ?"

Because the transactions always need sorting in date order, I decided to
load them all into memory.  This necessarily led to a limit on the number
of transactions per account.  Remember, the idea of the program is to hold
in an account only those transactions that haven't been reconciled against
a written statement.  Once this has been done, they can be archived in a
separate account which can hold unlimited transactions, but they cannot
subsequently be altered.  I started with 50 transactions to save memory,
reasoning that this was a reasonable number for a month's transactions in
an account, but soon realised that 100 was more realistic, so that was
changed.

That actually reminds me of another point:

Because all users are different, I store the maximum allowable number of
accounts, transactions, standing orders etc... as variables.  Therefore,
changing the limits simply means adjusting the variable allocation and
re-compiling.  Therefore, within reason, and allowing for some programming
limitations, I can provide individual versions of the program for anyone
with special requirements.


All comments (and registrations - See REGISTER.TXT) still gratefully
received.

Alan Richey