JCSM Shareware Collection 1996 September/JCSM Shareware Collection (JCS Distribution) (September 1996).ISO/billacct/medlin95.zip/MEDLIN.ARC/GENERAL.DOC

Text File | 1995-01-05 | 14KB | 314 lines

       GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR MEDLIN ACCOUNTING SHAREWARE


     This disk contains the five programs of the Medlin Accounting
Shareware System:

     PC-GL    Double Entry General Ledger
     PC-AR    Accounts Receivable
     PC-PR    Payroll Writing
     PC-AP    Accounts Payable
     PCINV    Invoice Writing

     Registration is $25 for the PCINV program and $35 each for
the other programs.  The registration fee entitles you to the
latest versions and telephone support.  Registered versions
include your company name on the opening screen instead of the
shareware notice and no registration reminders on printed reports.
To register, send a check to:

               Jerry Medlin
               Medlin Accounting Shareware
               1461 Sproul Ave.
               Napa, CA.  94559  U.S.A.

     You may use the order form printed with the VIEWDOC program
to register by mail.  U.S. Checks, Mastercard, Visa, Discover and
American Express are accepted.  For phone orders with a charge
card, call [phone].  To order by FAX, send the order form
with charge card information to [phone].

     Running the VIEWDOC program will install the programs on a
disk or subdirectory of your choice.  The installation procedure
consists of copying ONLY the program files to another disk --
EXISTING DATA FILES ARE NOT AFFECTED AND WILL NOT BE ERASED.


INSTALLING THE PROGRAMS ON A HARD DISK

     To install the programs on a hard disk, just run the VIEWDOC
program.  You will be able to pick which programs you wish to
install and change the installation path if necessary.  If a
subdirectory has not been created, the install routine will create
one.  The programs will be copied to the subdirectory.  If you are
using PC-GL for the first time, the Standard Chart of Accounts
will be copied to the subdirectory when you install the PC-GL
program.  If you already are using a chart of accounts, it will
not be changed.

     If you have been using previous versions of Medlin Accounting
Shareware, your previous data will remain intact.  NO EXISTING
DATA WILL BE CHANGED OR ERASED BY THE INSTALL ROUTINE.

     The VIEWDOC installation program will look for earlier copies
of Medlin Accounting Shareware programs on your hard disk.  If
more than one copy of the program is found, the directories will
be displayed.  The last subdirectory found will be used as the
default subdirectory.  If no copies are found, the default
subdirectory will be C:\ACCT.

     If you wish to install the programs on a drive other than C:
drive and a subdirectory other than \ACCT, you may enter a
different drive and subdirectory.  (The drive and subdirectory
together are called the path.)  You should install all Medlin
programs on the same subdirectory for easy accessibility.

     Exit VIEWDOC by selecting QUIT from the menu.

     To run a program, first change to the subdirectory by typing:
CD \ACCT  then type the program name.  So, you would type PC-GL to
run PC-GL or PC-AR to run PC-AR.

THE MEDLIN MENU PROGRAM

     The menu program will allow you to run all of the MEDLIN
ACCOUNTING SHAREWARE programs you have installed and backup the
data.  Use the VIEWDOC program to install the MEDLIN MENU PROGRAM
on the directory or disk where the programs are installed.  If
installed on a hard disk, a small batch file called MEDLIN will be
created in the root directory of your hard disk.  You may then run
the MEDLIN MENU by typing MEDLIN from the root directory.

     When backing up your data, be sure you have a blank formatted
disk available.  Use the arrow keys to select which program data
to backup and then enter the path.  The path will usually be
either A: or B:, but you can also backup your data to another
subdirectory on your hard disk.

     Using the menu program will reduce the capacity of the
programs slightly.  So, if you are loading one of the programs
with lots and lots of data, you should probably not use the menu
program, just run the program from the DOS prompt.

     You can change paths to allow for multiple clients from the
MEDLIN MENU.  Simply choose Change Data Path and type in the new
path.

INSTALLING THE PROGRAMS ON A FLOPPY DISK

     Installing the programs requires formatting a program disk
and a data disk, then using the VIEWDOC program to copy the
programs to the program disk.  If you already have a program disk
and data disk, skip formatting and just run the VIEWDOC
installation program to copy the new programs to your old program
disk.

FIRST TIME INSTALLATION - FORMATTING DISKS

To format the data disk, put your DOS disk in drive A: and a blank
disk in drive B: and type:   FORMAT B:

     Leaving your DOS disk in drive A:, create a program disk by
putting another blank disk in drive B: and type:   FORMAT B:/S

     Put away your DOS disk.

     Move the formatted program disk to drive A: and put the
supplied disk (this disk) in drive B: and type:   B:VIEWDOC

     Select and install the programs you plan to use to the disk
in drive A:. The INSTALL PROGRAM will copy the main program as
well as the configuration program (included if you have registered
for the program).  Exit the VIEWDOC program by choosing QUIT.

     If you are running PC-GL for the first time, copy the
standard chart of accounts to the data disk by entering:
COPY A:PC-GL.COA B:
at the DOS prompt.

     To run any program, place the program disk in drive A: and
the data disk in drive B: and type the name of the program.  For
example, type PC-GL to run the PC-GL program or PC-AR to run PC-
AR.  The first time you run the programs, choose Program
Configuration and change the Data Path to B: so the programs will
read and save data to the data disk in B: drive.


POP-UP CALCULATOR

     All Medlin Accounting programs have a built in five function
pop-up calculator that works like a standard pocket calculator (if
there is such a thing).  Press the <F10> key and a small box will
appear in the lower right of your screen.  Enter a number and use
the <+> and  <-> keys to add and subtract.  To multiply or divide,
use the <*> or </> keys and then the equal <=> key.  You may use
the percent <%> key instead of the equal <=> key to multiply or
divide by a percentage.  If you call the calculator from a
numerical entry field, (when _________.__ is displayed), the
calculated amount may be plugged into the entry field.  Press the
<Enter> key twice when leaving the pop-up calculator to plug the
calculated amount.

COMMAND LINE OPTIONS

     The Program Configuration option within each program allows
you to specify a data path and screen colors for each program.
You may also specify the desired data path and colors by adding
them to the command line separated by blank spaces.  The commands
are in the following order:  DATA PATH, BORDER COLOR, DATA COLOR,
PROMPT COLOR AND BACKGROUND COLOR.  For example, if you run PC-GL
by typing:     PC-GL B: 3 14 10 1
The program looks for data on the B: drive and uses Cyan borders,
Yellow data, Light Green prompts with a Blue background.

     The programs always default to the color mode if you have a
color board in your computer.  Adding /bw to the command line will
force the programs to run without colors if your computer has a
color or graphics board and a monochrome monitor.

     Putting the data path on the command line can be used to run
multiple clients or businesses.  You can put each business on a
separate floppy disk and then run the program by typing:  PC-GL A:

     On a hard disk, you may put each business in a separate
subdirectory and place the subdirectory name on the command line.
For instance if you had a business named SMITH and a business
named JONES you could make a separate subdirectory for each
business under the ACCT subdirectory.  Then, when you run the
program by typing:    PC-GL SMITH
the program would read and write data to the SMITH subdirectory.
You may also use the Change Data Path option in MEDLIN MENU to run
different companies in different subdirectories.  If you don't
understand what a subdirectory is on a hard disk, you may wish to
read your DOS manual a bit first.


THE KEYBOARD

     The programs make liberal use of the PC's ten key pad for
both numbers and commands.  At some places in the programs, the 10
key pad produces numbers and at other times the 10 key pad
produces directional commands.  The programs disregard the Num
Lock status, so it is unnecessary to turn your Num Lock on and off
as you switch from arrow keys to numbers.  The 10 key pad will
produce numbers or commands depending on what is needed at that
point in the program.  One slight side effect of this process is
that for keyboards having separate arrow keys, pressing the arrow
keys will produce numbers at times when the arrow keys are not
needed.

     These programs have been developed and refined over a period
of eleven years.  I'm sure you'll find them better than anything
else available.  So, relax, take a deep breath, and get your books
in order.

THE MOUSE

     The mouse can be used in place of the arrow keys.  The left
button equals the <enter> key and the right button equals the
<Esc> key.  Pressing right and left buttons together is the same
as the <C> Change key.

WINDOWS SETUP FOR MEDLIN ACCOUNTING

Install the Medlin programs you wish to use AND the Medlin Menu.

Copy the files MEDLIN.PIF and MEDLIN.ICO from the Medlin disk to
your Windows directory (usually C:\Windows).

* IF MEDLIN DISK IS IN A:  Copy a:medlin.pif c:\Windows
                           Copy a:medlin.ico c:\Windows

* IF MEDLIN DISK IS IN B:  Copy b:medlin.pif c:\Windows
                           Copy b:medlin.ico c:\Windows

<1> Start Windows and Program Manager.
<2> Choose the program group you wish to install to, and double
click the icon to open it. (If you wish to have Medlin in its own
group select FILE, then choose NEW from Program Manager and make a
new group first.)
<3> Select FILE, then choose NEW.
<4> Select Program ITEM and choose OK.
<5> Type description (Accounting, Payroll, etc.).
<6> Enter MEDLIN.PIF for the command line.
<7> Leave working directory blank (Medlin menu will handle this).
<8> Choose a shortcut key if desired (see Windows manual).
<9> Select CHANGE ICON, select OK, choose BROWSE, double click
MEDLIN.ICO, select OK, then choose OK.

This will setup the Medlin programs to run full screen from the
Medlin Menu. You can always alter the MEDLIN.PIF to fit your needs
with the PIF editor.

Windows is a trademark of the Microsoft Corporation.

NETWORK CONSIDERATIONS

The Medlin programs work with the data in RAM for fast operation.
As there is no file sharing or locking inside the programs, you
should set your network to NOT allow multiple user/workstations
access to data files.  We recommend all Medlin data be in the same
directory and that you set the data directory for single user
access only.

NEW FEATURES FOR MEDLIN ACCOUNTING SHAREWARE (1995 versions)

COMMON FEATURES

Mouse support added to all programs.  Report printing options are
set once in "Program Configuration" instead of each time a report
is printed.


PC-GL 5.0   Double Entry General Ledger
Go back to the previous period to print reports, enter, edit and
view entries WITHOUT having to delete the current transactions.
Print reports for a past period or a series of past periods.  Can
go back to previous year if a new year was started with version
5.0.  Increased capacity to 10,000 transactions per period with
600k of memory free.

PC-AR 5.0   Accounts Receivable
Go back to the previous month to print reports/statements, enter,
edit, and view transactions without deleting current data.  Edit
sales codes at any time.  Prints sub-totals by sales code group.
Can print laser or sheet feed labels on form 5160 - 30 per page.

PC-PR 4.0   Payroll Writing
1994 W-2 printing.  Go back to the previous payroll period to
print reports and checks, enter, edit, view data without deleting
entries from the current period.  1995 version available in
December.  Print W-2's for the current or prior year if the new
year was started with version 4.0 or higher.

PC-AP 5.0   Accounts Payable
Records and prints data for 1099 forms.  Go back to the previous
period to print reports/checks, enter, edit, and view invoices
without deleting current data.  Recall YTD invoice & check totals
at any time. Enter an invoice and mark for payment with the <*>
key.  Great for a COD payment!  Select method for entering due
date, days until due or use the same method as the invoice date.
Imports employee names from PC-PR.  Increased capacity to 4000
invoices per month.

PCINV 5.0   Invoice Writing
Recall any invoice in the current month for viewing, reprinting,
editing, or duplicating.

                               ****

     This program is produced by a member of the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP).  ASP wants to make sure that the
shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a
shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the
member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can
help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does
not provide technical support for members' products. Please write
to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442-9427
or send a Compuserve message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman
70007,3536.  FAX: [phone].