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Boot Disc 8
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boot-disc-1997-04.iso
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PDA_Soft
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Psion
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misc
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SnaBank
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Bank1.faq
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1996-11-23
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5KB
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133 lines
SNABANK1.FAQ
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Frequently Asked Questions
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1. When I update a Transaction that had 'split categories' the Budget
Categories didn't update. Why ?
Memory limits I'm afraid. I have enough memory to store one category, so that will
be updated if you update or delete the transaction. However, I cannot spare the room
to store up to 4 more categories with the split values. Therefore, if you use 'split
categories, remember it is a 'once-only' update of the categories.
2. I keep getting 'No System memory' reports when I have plenty available.
In fact, the system is complaining that the program is exceeding it's maximum
128K that it is allowed. it has nothing to do with the total system memory, as
the program checks that itself before it starts. I have tried to squeeze every
last byte out of the system, but in some cases I have tried too hard. To cure it
just select 'Cache Size' in the Set Preferences menu and reduce it by 1000 bytes
at a time until the problem goes away.
3. I can't get the Quicken Export/Import to work ?
Here's a few pointers:
a. The QIF file is simply a set of instructions in an ASCII text
file, so it can be examined with any text editor. So, do an Export
from SNABANK and then compare that with a QIF file from Quicken (or
MSMONEY) and see if you can see any difference.
b. If the Import command doesn't recognise your file, make sure it
has a QIF extension, and if you still get the <No Files> message then
press <TAB> and navigate your way to where the file is stored (normally
it defaults to looking in the \SNABANK\ directory.)
c. Remember you have only 100 transactions/per account before you
need to archive some, so if your Quicken account has more than that then
do it in a few goes.
4. Why can't I have more transactions, categories, rooms etc etc...."
There are two factors which preclude having any more of these parameters.
The first relates to those aspects such as Budget Categories, Rooms, and
Accounts, where they are needed in a dialog to select just one. The way
the Psion dialog works limits the total length of all the descriptions to
255 characters. Initially, I made it so there were, for example, 25 Budget
Categories of a description length of 10 characters. However, this was
rather a simplistic approach, as many of the categories, such as 'Car' and
'Gas', were much less than 10 characters. Accordingly, in later versions,
I have allowed many more categories and just monitored the length of the
descriptions. If the total approaches 255 you are warned that you will have
to reduce the length of some existing categories before you enter any more.
The second factor is the usual one of memory. Unlike a PC, where the
majority of the memory map is available, in the Siena, each program is limited
to 64K for the program and 64K for the data. As the program stands, I
suspect I am using 63.9K for the data, as the original program will not
run on a Siena until the variable names are compressed. As such, to get the
functionality that the program offers I have had to limit some of the
data allocations.
This is most noticeable in the Transactions available (100/account).
Although this seems rather a small number, it should be perfectly acceptable
provided you use the program as it was intended to be used and not try and
use it as you would Quicken, which has unlimited storage. The idea is that
only those transactions which have not been confirmed by a written statement,
and therefore may need changing, are held in the 'live' account. Once a
bank/credit card statement has arrived, all the transactions on the statement
should be transferred to an archive file, which can be of unlimited size.
The ONLY difference between the 'live' transactions and the archived
transactions is that the archived transactions cannot be altered. However,
if they have been reconciled against a statement, this should not be necessary.
Therefore, for most bank/credit card accounts the 'live' account should
contain only about 1-2 months worth of transactions. Personally I find that
90 transactions is more than sufficient for this purpose. However, if you
are having trouble, there is nothing to stop you having 2 accounts to
represent your single account, which would then allow you 200 transactions !!.
Hope that explains the main query I have had over the program.
For information, the following limits are currently in force:
Core Program
20 Accounts per Group
100 Transactions per Account
20 Default Transactions
50 Standing Orders/Future Transactions
9 Currencies
Unlimited entries in Archive file
Budget
50 Budget Categories (or about 240 characters in total description length)
Shares
50 Shares (or about 240 characters in total description length)
Unlimited Entries in History
Fuel
10 Vehicles
13 Fuel Consumption Entries
Unlimited Entries in History
House
10 Houses
20 Rooms
20 Categories
100 Items per Room or per Category
Planner
25 Agencies in Planner
Expenses
8 Expense Account Trips
60 Transactions per Trip
30 Categories (or about 240 characters in total description length)
10 Default Entries
Unlimited Entries in Archive
Al