Cream of the Crop 26/Cream of the Crop 26.iso/business/ezm14e.zip/EZM.MAN

Text File | 1997-05-02 | 20KB | 354 lines

            WaverlyStreet Easy Money version 1.4 USER'S MANUAL

                 GETTING STARTED - AN INTRODUCTORY LESSON

     Note: if you have not already done so, you might want to print this
manual on paper. If you are reading it on screen from the Easy Money help
utility, press <P> to print it out. (It is just a few pages long).

     When you start Easy Money for the very first time, the blank "reminder"
screen comes up, along with a note that no editor has been specified on the
command line. For now, press any key to clear this and get to the main screen.
The top line of the screen shows all the available command options. Keys that
"work" at a given screen are shown in brackets like so: <ESC> (the escape
key), <F1> (the F1 key), <INS> (the insert key), and so on. Just to the right
of <ESC>, there are four tiny arrows. These indicate which of the "arrow" keys
on your keyboard "work" at a given screen. Press the right arrow key, and the
Category box on the right side of the screen shifts color to indicate that it
is "on". Notice that the right arrow is no longer shown on the top line. This
is because the right arrow key does not do anything in the Category box. Press
the left arrow key to return to the main screen. Notice that <TAB> is an
option at the main screen. Press it, and more main screen command options will
be shown.

     The very first thing you need to do in order to use Easy Money is to set
up some income/expense Categories. For introductory purposes, please set up
three categories called "Shelter", "Wages" and "Taxes", as follows:

1)     Press the right arrow key to turn the Category box "on".

2)     Press <INSERT>. Type 'Shelter' for the category name, and press
       <ENTER>. Type 'sh' for the two-letter code, and press <ENTER> again.

3)     Do the same for 'Wages'. Use 'wa' for the two-letter code.

4)     Do the same for 'Taxes'. Use 'tx' for the two-letter code.

(Note - none of this need be permanent. You can edit and delete records and
categories at any time. For the introductory lesson, however, make exactly the
categories noted above.)

     You should now have three new categories displayed in alphabetical order
in the category box. Press the left arrow key to return to the main screen.

     Now, let's pretend that you have just spent some money on your house or
apartment, and wish to record it. Press <INSERT> at the main screen), to add a
new record. A box will pop up inquiring if the new entry is Expense or Income.
Since most records will probably be expenses, the default response is Expense
- any key other than <I> will make the entry an expense. (To record income,
you must press the <I> key.) So press a key... the Category box will turn
"on". Use the up and down arrow keys to select the SH Shelter category, and
press <ENTER>. Another box will pop up, showing the new entry as it is shaping
up so far. The current date should be displayed below the category. (Note: if
the date shown is not the current date, then you need to adjust your
computer's system date. Refer to your DOS or Windows manual for instructions.)
To accept the current date, press <ENTER>, or if the expense was a few days
ago, type in that date. (When the correct date is shown, press <ENTER>.) Now
you are prompted for the amount... type it in and press <ENTER>. Finally, type
in a note describing the expense. The note field is not very long, so be brief
and explicit. When the note is complete, press <ENTER>. The complete entry is
displayed for final review. Press <N> to abort it, any other key to accept it.
The new entry will be added to the current year's data file, and the main
screen re-displayed.

     Continuing with the introductory lesson... try out the Macro utility by
pressing <F3> at the main screen. The first item on the macro menu is Play
Macro. Press <ENTER> to accept this. Press <ENTER> again to accept the default
macro name, 'standard.mcr'. Press <ENTER> again to accept the current date.
Finally, press any key other than <N> to play the macro. Four sample entries
should be automatically posted in turn, and the program will return to the
main screen.

     Now, if you created the sample categories noted above, you should have
five entries and three categories on screen. Press the right arrow to turn on
the category box. Arrow down to TX Taxes, and press <ENTER>. Only those
records in the TX category will be displayed.

     Press the left arrow to return to the main screen, to check out the
reports section. Press the <TAB> key to toggle the top line function bar to
the second set of available options. There, you will be shown that <F4> runs
the reports section. (Note: you do not need to press <TAB> in order for <F4>,
or the other secondary options to work.) Press <F4>. For now, press <A> to
include all categories. Now enter the beginning month, <ENTER>, ending month,
<ENTER>, <F> for full report, and arrow to Display on Screen, and press
<ENTER> again. Press any key other than <Y> to skip adding a note, and soon
your report will be displayed. Please try out all the options offered at the
bottom of the screen.

     Now that you have been introduced to the program, you can try out the
delete functions to remove the sample categories, and then start adding your
own!

     To conclude the itroductory lesson, press <F10> at the main screen to run
the setup utility, and try out all the options there too.

                                   ***

                     SETTING UP AND EDITING CATEGORIES

     Easy Money (EZM) organizes records according to categories that you
create. The categories can be anything you want: "food", "shelter", "hobby",
etc. To set up categories, press the right arrow at the main screen. The
category box on the right side of the screen will shift colors to indicate
that it is "on". Notice that there is now a new set of function key
assignments at the top of the screen. To add a new category, press <INSERT>.
You will be prompted to enter in a name. The name may be up to 16 characters
long. Next, you must enter in a two-character category code. (Note - the
program sorts and displays the categories according to the alphabetical order
of the CODES, not the NAMES. Also, codes need not be only the letters of the
alphabet - numbers and punctuation marks can also be used. You may use this to
arrange your category list however you want (experiment!)). Once you have
entered the code press <ENTER>. The category list will be updated, sorted, and
re-displayed.

     You may edit category names and codes by pressing <F3> while the category
list is "on". The list will again change color. Use the arrows and page up /
page down to select the category in question, and press <ENTER>. Change the
name and press <ENTER>, or press <ENTER> to leave it alone and go to the code.
Change the code (if desired). When you are done with the code, press <ENTER>
once again. EZM will now replace the old category name/code in the category
file, and in all the records associated with that category.

     To delete a category, press <DELETE> while the category list is "on". The
list will change color. Use the arrows and page up / page down to select the
category in question, and press <ENTER>. EZM will remove the category from the
category file, and then prompt you for instructions on what to do with the
newly "orphaned" records. If you chose to delete them, you must press <Y> two
times in a row. DELETED RECORDS CANNOT BE RECOVERED - THERE IS NO "UNDELETE"
FUNCTION. You may, however, chose not to delete. The records will still exist,
but they won't ever show up on any printed reports. To make the "orphans"
re-appear on reports, just re-create the category (or any category with the
same category code).

     You may merge two categories into one as follows: 1) Edit the obsolete
category name and code to be exactly the same as the one with which you wish
to merge. 2) Delete one of the two duplicate category designations, being
careful NOT to delete the records too!

                             ADDING NEW RECORDS

     Once you have your categories set up, adding records is extremely quick
and easy. At the main screen, press <INSERT>. If you are recording money IN,
press <I>, for income. (Press any other key for an expense). Next, the
category box will change color. Use the arrows and page up / page down to
select the appropriate category, and press <ENTER>. To accept the default
(current) date, press <ENTER> again. Type in the amount and press <ENTER>.
The note for the very last entry you made will be displayed. You may press the
up or down arrow keys to scroll through past notes, and use one over again,
modify one, or type over it to make a new note. Once the note is as you want
it, press <ENTER> again. The complete new entry will be displayed for your
approval. Press any key other than <N> to accept it, <N> to reject it. That's
it!

                          EDITING/DELETING RECORDS

     To edit a record, use the arrows and page up / page down to point to the
desired line, and press <ENTER>. Now use the arrow keys to point to the item
you wish to change, and press <ENTER>. Modify the field, and press <ENTER>
when done. When everything is as you want, press <F2> to save the revised
record. If you wish to abandon your changes, press <ESCAPE>. To delete the
record, press <DELETE>.

                         REVIEWING RECORDS ON SCREEN

     You may browse through all the current records by using the arrow keys,
page up / page down, and the home and end keys. To narrow your view to only
the records within a certain category, press the right arrow at the main
screen. The category box will change color. Use the arrows and page up / page
down to select the appropriate category, and press <ENTER>. In this mode, you
will be able to see the entire note field (which is cut short on the main
screen). You may edit and delete records just as if you were at the main
screen.

                              SEARCHING RECORDS

     At the main screen, press <F6> to search all your records for a
particular word, or the first part of a word. The program will search the note
field of all of the current year's records, and when the target word is found,
will display the full record on screen. Press <ENTER> to resume searching,
<ESC> to stop.

                                  DATA YEARS

     EZM keeps a data file and a category file for each calendar year. When
the program starts, the current year's data is selected by default. The first
time the program is run in any given year, new files (empty files) will
automatically be created. If there is an existing category list from the
prior year, and you wish to continue with the same categories in a new year,
DO NOT manually create any categories when the year changes! Instead, start
the program and press <F9> to change data years. Press the down arrow once to
go to the prior year, and press <ENTER>. Now press <F9> again, and select the
current (default) year. Press <Y> when the program asks if new files should be
created. The old category list will be copied, and become the basis for new
year's list. The new category list is completely separate from the past year's
list. You may delete or add categories to one year, without having any effect
on any other year.

     To work with a previous year's data, press <F9> at the main screen, and
use the arrow keys to scroll backwards. Press <ENTER> when the desired year is
indicated. If there are no files found, you will be prompted to either back
out, or have the program create new files. If you chose to create new files,
the category file for the year you were just looking at will be copied over.

                             GENERATING REPORTS

     Press <F4> at the main screen to launch the reports utility. Now press
either <A>, to include all categories, or <S> to build a special list of
categories just for this report. Once your categories are selected, enter in
the starting month, and then the ending month. Next, select either a summary
report, or the larger full report. Finally, select where the report is to be
sent - printer ports 1 through 3, the screen, or a file. If you select file,
you must type in a complete path and file name. The resultant ASCII file may
be imported into any word processor.

     If you wish to quickly add a few notes to the report before printing it,
select print to screen, then press <E> (while in the file browser) to start
your external text editor.

                    MACRO FILES - (AUTOMATIC DATA ENTRY)

     Some of your expenses are probably identical (or nearly so) at regular
intervals; the most obvious example being all those payroll deductions your
employer makes for you. Rather than making a number of individual entries
each time you get a paycheck, you can write a Macro File which will do most
of that repetitive work for you.

     To help with creating your own macro files, a template file is included,
called 'template.mcr'. Once you have gone through the introductory lesson,
and run the sample 'standard.mcr', you will want to make your own macro
file(s). To do this, proceed as follows:

1)     At the main screen, press <F3> to bring up the macro menu.

2)     Select the third item, Make New Macro, and press <ENTER>

3)     Your external editor will start, and open the file 'template.mcr'.

4)     Immediately use your editor's "save as" function to save the template
       as a file called 'standard.mcr' (over writing the sample 'standard.mcr'
       file). Now work with the new 'standard.mcr', and leave the template
       file intact for later.

5)     Follow the instructions in the template file to create your own macro
       files.

     In case you have lost the sample and template, here is the basic macro
file format: Plain ASCII. Three lines per entry; category code, amount, note.
Sample entry for $ 100 expense on shelter:

sh
-100
lost my template file!

     Once you have created a macro file, make sure you test it carefully. Run
a report and check to make sure all the information is being recorded
properly.

     Note that even if the dollar amounts vary from paycheck to paycheck, it
will probably still be quicker to run a macro and then edit the entries,
rather than to make individual entries.

                                     SETUP

     There are a number of user-defined characteristics of EZM that you may
modify by using the SETUP utility. To start SETUP, press <F10> at the main
screen. Select a SETUP option with the arrow keys and <ENTER>. Press <ESCAPE>
to leave setup and save all configuration information.

     USER NAME: Enter in your name as you would like for it to appear on Easy
Money reports.

     PASSCODE: If the passcode is set to anything other than 0, then the
program will require that the correct passcode be entered upon start-up. The
passcode may be up to four characters long, and each character must be one of
the numbers 0 through 9.

     CURRENCY CHARACTER: Change this to whatever character you wish to have
represent money.

     SCREEN COLORS: Select this item to run the color configuration utility.
To modify an item, move the pointer to it and press <ENTER>. The color will be
changed to the next highest color number. (0 through 7 for backgrounds, 0
through 15 for foregrounds.) Once you have the colors the way you want them,
select "Save these colors and EXIT". You may also return to the default
colors. (Note: you must "save" the default colors too.)

     SCRATCH FILE PATH: Certain EZM functions make extensive use of temporary
files. If you have a RAM drive set up on your computer, you may experience
some increased performance by directing EZM to use the RAM drive for these
"scratch" files. The RAM drive needs to be larger than your largest
[YYYY]EZM.DAT file. The path you type in must end in a backslash ( \ ). See
your DOS manual for information on RAMDRIVE.SYS.

     REMINDER UTILITY: EZM incorporates a (completely un-related) little
utility to help make sure that you don't forget up to 10 "VERY IMPORTANT BITS
OF INFORMATION". You may toggle the reminder utility to run either every time
you start the program, not at all, or only every time you start the program in
a new month (my favorite). To toggle the operational mode, select Show
Reminders: and press <ENTER>. To enter a new, or edit an existing reminder,
point to it and press <ENTER>. Work on the date, press <ENTER>, and then do
the note (and press ENTER).

                         EXTERNAL TEXT EDITORS

     In certain areas of the program, you may call up an external text editor
to modify reports, or to create and modify macro files. The external editor is
specified on the DOS command line, or in a Windows program item command line
field, in this format: ezm[version number] [complete path and filespec for
editor executable]. Note the space between the ezm call and the editor call.
For example, to use the READ editor with Easy Money 1.4, type:

     ezm14 read

on the command line. If no editor is specified on the command line, Easy Money
will attempt to use EDIT. (EDIT was furnished with MS-DOS version 5 on (I
believe)) EDIT is not particularly satisfying, but works OK as long as your
reports are not large. Eventually however, you will experience "out of memory"
errors when calling EDIT. I have found that a shareware editor called READ
works excellently for this purpose. READ can be found on the internet at
http://users.aol.com/wellscom/ , or at any of the major shareware archives.

                        MISCELLANEOUS FUNCTIONS

     CALCULATOR: At the main screen, or while viewing a specific category of
records, you may press the space bar to pop-up a very simple calculator. To
use the calculator, type in the first value and press <ENTER>. Now use the
down arrow key to scroll through functions. The calculator can add, subtract,
multiply, and divide. When the desired function symbol is displayed, press
<ENTER>. Now type in the second value, and press <ENTER> a third time. The
whole little math problem and the answer are displayed. Press <Y> to do
another calculation using the product of the last one as the first value.
Press any other key to quit the calculator.

     BACKUP FILES: At the main screen, press <F7> to run the backup utility.
Have a floppy disk ready, and press the letter of the floppy drive. This will
copy all files with .DAT and .MCR extensions to the floppy drive for
safekeeping. Should your hard disk files be destroyed somehow, you may copy
the backup files back into the EZMONEY directory. (Read your DOS or Windows
manual for instructions on how to do this.)

     RE-SORT the data file: Press <F5> at the main screen to re-sort the
current data file. Records are sorted according to date and category code.
During normal operation, new records are placed in order as they are entered.
The only way that records would get out of order is if you were to edit them
and change either the date or the category.

                                     ***

            WaverlyStreet, P.O. Box 14249, Columbus, Ohio, 43214 (US)

Questions/comments to the address above, or via E-mail to: [e-mail]

  Easy Money (tm) Copyright (C) WaverlyStreet, 1996-97. All Rights Reserved