On Disk Monthly 75/odm75.zip/CCTRAX.HLP

Text File | 1992-12-21 | 15KB | 373 lines

                   C C T r a c k e r
                     Program Manual

CC  Tracker  is a program designed to help  you  maintain
personal registers of your various credit cards.  You can
maintain up to 1,000 different credit card accounts, with
up to 1,000 transactions per account!

This  program is ideal for computerizing your credit card
registers.   Entry screen flexibility lets you enter your
data quickly and accurately,  and special search features
let you create sub-lists almost instantly.   CC Tracker's
strengths  are that it's very friendly,  convenient,  and
intuitive.

                   Program Requirements

CC  Tracker requires a Color Graphics Adaptor,  256k RAM,
and DOS 2.1 or greater to run.

CC Tracker can be run from a floppy disk system, but with
very limited space available for data;  or a floppy  disk
can be used as a data disk within a hard disk setup (with
nearly the same limitations).   A  hard disk is  strongly
recommended,   however,   for full use of  the  program's
storage potential and speed, and a printer (dot-matrix or
laser preferred, but not required) is needed,  of course,
to utilize the program's printing functions.

                     Program Features

CC Tracker supports a mouse.   You can turn off the mouse
with  a "/NOMOUSE"  command line parameter.   A  context-
sensitive  help  screen/scrollable manual  and  a  quick-
select  help  index  are  always  available  for  on-line
viewing or printing through the <F1> key.

The  <Esc>   key is always available to return you  to  a
previous point, abort any process, or quit the program.

A  sudden,  unexpected power loss--  caused by,  say,   a
thunderstorm-- during program execution causes no loss of
new  data,  because CC Tracker physically writes any  and
all  file changes to the disk immediately,   rather  than
wait  until the end of the program to update the files as
many other programs do.  Also,  data files are always re-
sorted and re-packed on the spot whenever any file record
is  changed or deleted.   All sub-listing and indexing is
done  with  dynamic-array  pointers  in  memory,   so  no
temporary physical files clutter the disk.

A  "button"  at the bottom of the screen often  indicates
that the <Up Arrow>/<Down Arrow>  keys are available  for
various  cursor functions.   Also note that  the  <Home>,
<End>,  <PageUp>, <PageDown> and <SpaceBar> keys can also
be used to cursor quickly and intuitively.

Pop-Up, 3-D effect shadowed "windows" are used throughout
the program in a visually appealing manner.

The  "point & shoot"  selection method is  available  for
most program choices.   The program always remembers your
previous  choices,   and offers those same choices  as  a
default  path during subsequent visits to that portion of
the program.

A   consistent  screen  format  is  used  throughout  the
program.  The header, or top, box indicates where you are
in the program.   A  "button"  at the top right corner of
the  screen reminds you that help is just an <F1>   touch
away.    The  bottom of the screen will  contain  various
other  buttons  of information that always let  you  know
what your options are at any particular point.

User  input boxes are word-processor capable,  with arrow
cursoring, insert/overtype/delete functions, etc.   Also,
user  input  boxes are usually presented with a  "default
entry"   already typed in,  based on the  program's  best
guess of what you would probably want to enter.   If  you
don't  like the default entry,  simply start typing  from
the left-most position in the input box,  and the default
entry will instantly disappear at the first keystroke. If
you wish, however, you may edit the default entry so long
as you begin editing at any character position other than
the left-most position.

CC Tracker is also very friendly about date entries.  You
simply  enter  a  month number,  date number,   and  year
(optional), separated by a slash, dash, period, or comma.
If you don't enter a year, CC Tracker assumes the current
year.  CC Tracker then restructures the entry into a more
readable form for you.

Finally,   CC  Tracker uses a special and  very  friendly
method  for  entering dollar amounts:  You just type  the
numbers, and CC Tracker manages the dollar sign,  commas,
and  decimal place for you!   The amount "fills in"  from
right  to left,  re-formatting automatically as you enter
the numbers.   To enter $234.56, for example,  you simply
type "23456"--  CC Tracker takes care of the rest.    Use
the <BackSpace> key to correct entry errors.

                   Starting the Program

To start,  type "CCTrax"  at the DOS prompt and press the
<Enter>  key.   CC Tracker first displays the Title Page,
and  then  presents the Account Index Screen.    In  this
screen,   "3x5  cards"  of all accounts in the index  are
displayed one at a time.  One of the fields on every card
is called the "DOS Password" field.

CC Tracker has a special start-up option that allows  you
to bypass the Account Index Screen and go directly to any
register  you  wish  to  see.   You  do  this  by  typing
"CCTrax",  a space, any part of the "DOS Password"  entry
found  on the 3x5  card of the register you wish to  see,
and then the <Enter>  key.   See the below example of how
to take advantage of this feature:

Let's say you add a VISA card account to your index  and,
in  the  "DOS Password"  field,  you type "My usual  VISA
account".    At  any  later time when you  start  the  CC
Tracker program, you can enter, for instance,

                    cctrax usual visa

at  the DOS prompt,  and press the <Enter>  key.    After
displaying the Title Page, CC Tracker internally searches
the "DOS Password" field of all the accounts in the index
for a case-insensitive partial match on the command  line
parameter "usual visa".  If it finds a match (as it would
it  this example),  CC Tracker bypasses the Account Index
Screen  and  goes  directly  to  the  register  of   that
particular  VISA  account.    This  is  a  practical  and
convenient   time-saver  if  you  access  one  particular
account most of the time.

Note that the above example implies that CC Tracker  will
find a match of partial phrases.   For example,  it would
have  also found a match in the above example if you  had
entered "my",  or "visa account",  or even "sa ac"  after
typing  "CCTrax"  at the DOS prompt.   Any  command  line
parameter  that matches any part of the password for that
account, in upper or lower case (or any combination) will
trigger a match.


                 The Account Index Screen

After displaying the Title Page,  CC Tracker presents the
Account Index Screen.   The accounts are displayed one at
a time on a "3x5 card" as you scan through the index with
your cursor keys.  From this point, you can:

<Enter>   Select the displayed account
          to access the account's register
  <Ins>   Add an account to the index
   <F4>   Edit the displayed account information
  <Del>   Remove the displayed account from the index
  <Esc>   Quit the program


              Adding an Account to the Index

Choosing this option allows you to add an account to  the
Account Index.   Cursor through the fields and enter  the
information.    The only required entry is  "Type  Card",
because  that field is used to alphabetically insert  the
new entry into the Account Index.

As  you highlight each field,  a  "hint line"   box  will
display  a  brief explanation and/or suggestions  of  the
information being sought.

When  you're finished and ready to accept the new  entry,
just press the <F10> key.

               Editing an Existing Account

You  may edit the basic information of any account at any
time.    Simply display the account on the 3x5  card  and
press the <F4> key.  A  screen format similar to the "Add
Account" format will appear with hint lines to assist you
in  your editing.   The previous field data are available
as  default  entries for quick  and  convenient  editing.
Press the <F10> key to accept the changes.

Note  again  that  the  input  boxes  are  word-processor
capable.   You can use the various cursor keys,  and  the
<Ins>/<Del>/<BackSpace>   keys for fully functional  word
processing.

               Deleting an Existing Account

You  may delete an account from the Account Index at  any
time.  Display the account on the 3x5 card and then press
the <Del> key.

As  a safeguard,  CC Tracker will beep and a caution  box
will  pop up advising you of the proposed action,  asking
you to confirm your wishes by typing the "y"  key.   Upon
confirmation,   the  account will be permanently  deleted
from the Account Index.

If  you  change your mind,  or inadvertently pressed  the
<Del> key, just press the "n" key to abort the action.

               The Account Register Screen

Pressing the <Enter>  key on a displayed 3x5  card in the
Account  Index  screen  selects  that  account  for  data
display,   and you are presented with a register of  that
account's transactions.  At this point, you can:

  <Ins>   Add a transaction to the account
   <F4>   Edit the highlighted transaction
  <Del>   Delete the highlighted transaction
   <F2>   Print the account
   <F6>   Search the account
  <Esc>   Return to the Account Index


       Adding a Transaction to the Account Register

Pressing the <Ins> key pops up a "New Entry" box in which
you  are  provided  fields to enter  the  necessary  "New
entry"  data.   At any time during entry,  the <Esc>  key
will allow you to abort the new entry.

Upon  completion,   the  new  entry  is   chronologically
inserted  into  the  account  register.    If  necessary,
intermediate balances are instantly updated.

The  "New  Entry"   box  contains  the  following  fields
described below:


Date:

The  date  is  entered  first,  and CC  Tracker  is  very
forgiving as to how you enter it.   For instance,  if you
enter "6,21" CC Tracker will know that you wanted "06-21-
90"   to be used and will make that entry for you.    The
allowable   range  of  dates  is  from  1980   to   2075.
Therefore,   the program will accept 01-22-75,  as in the
year 2075.

Type:

For  "Type  Entry",  you are presented with  a  "point  &
shoot"  box of choices.  "PURC", representing "purchase",
is  your first choice on the list,  and will probably  be
your most often used selection.

Description:

A  description  field is provided for any description  or
comment  you want to make regarding the new entry.   Used
wisely,   this field can be used to  associatively  index
otherwise  unrelated  entries  when  using  the  "Search"
features  of this program.   For example,  if you  make a
point of including the phrase "Rx" in your description of
all medical purchases on that account, you can  later get
an sub-listing consisting exclusively of all transactions
that  have  "Rx"  in the description field.   Select  the
section  titled "Searching the Account Register"  in  the
Help Screen Index for more details.

If a "CCTrax.Lst" text file is found at program start-up,
Check  Tracker  uses it by popping up a window  with  the
contents of "CCTrax.Lst" listed as choices you can select
for this field.  The first choice in the window is always
a blank line that you may  select  in case you don't want
to use any of the listed choices. "CCTrax.Lst" is a plain
Ascii text file meant to be custom-written by you,  and I
strongly encourage you to take advantage of its features.
Up to 15 entries of 37 characters each are allowed in the
list.


Amount:

Here you can enter any amount-- less than $100,000--  per
transaction.    As mentioned earlier,  the user input box
for amounts is very friendly: Just enter the numbers, and
CC  Tracker  handles all the related punctuation  as  you
type.   Some amount must be entered; that is,  CC Tracker
will not accept a $0.00 entry for a transaction.

Upon pressing the <Enter>  key,  CC Tracker automatically
processes  the  new entry and returns you to the  Account
Register Screen with the new information included.



            Editing a Highlighted Transaction

If you highlight a transaction and press the <F4> key, CC
Tracker  presents  you with a series of pop-up boxes  and
"point  &  shoot"  choices to guide you in  changing  the
date, description, or amount of that transaction.

If  you change the date,  the transaction is  re-inserted
chronologically  in  the register  and  the  intermediate
balances are updated.

If  you  change the amount,   intermediate  balances  are
updated  from  the  point  of change to the  end  of  the
register.

           Deleting the Highlighted Transaction

If  you highlight a transaction and press the <Del>  key,
CC  Tracker  will  beep and a caution  box  will  pop  up
advising  you  of  the proposed action,   asking  you  to
confirm  your  wishes  by typing  the  "y"   key.    Upon
confirmation,    the  highlighted  transaction  will   be
permanently deleted from the account register.

If  you change your mind,  or inadvertently  pressed  the
<Del> key, just press the "n" key to abort the action and
safely return to the account register with no harm done.


              Printing the Account Register

Pressing the <F2> key will present you with pop-up "point
&  shoot" boxes that assist you in choosing the available
printing options.  You can choose to print:

     *  The whole account, or
     *  A sub-list of the account defined by
        beginning and ending transaction dates.

Make  sure  that  your printer is on-line  and  ready  to
print.    To reduce code size and increase program speed,
CC Tracker is not embedded with any error-checking  code.
If the printer is off-line, CC Tracker may freeze.

              Searching the Account Register

When this powerful option is selected with the <F6>  key,
CC  Tracker presents a series of pop-up boxes that  guide
you  through  a tangle of choices to define a  search  of
your  account  register.   You can compile a sub-list  of
transactions   based  on  a  certain  Date,   a   certain
Month/year,  a given Year,  the Type of transaction,  the
Description,    or   any  Amount  entry.    Searches   by
Description are case-insensitive and may be partial.

Once  compiled,   the  sub-list is displayed and  may  be
printed.    The number of matching transactions and total
debit/credit amounts of the sub-list are also displayed.



                   Quitting CC Tracker





Choosing the <Esc> key from the Account Index screen will
pop  up  a box that asks you to confirm that you wish  to
quit CC Tracker by pressing the "y" key.

If  you  change your mind,  or inadvertently pressed  the
<Esc>   key,  you can press the "n"  key to return to the
Account Index.

         End of    C C   T r a c k e r   Help Screen