Read Me File For Motoring Expenses 1. Overview 2. Installation 3. Opening the application 4. New vehicle 5. Folders created 6. Data Files created 7. Back Up 8. Help 9. Upgrading/Reloading Motoring Expenses 10. Author 11. Registration ________________________________________________________________________ 1. Overview Before starting please note the following: a. Motoring Expenses uses the mileage and dates entered when the motorist enters personal fuel data to estimate future servicing by date and mileage. b. The application may produce error messages when using new files if not enough fuel entries and servicing entries are made. It also needs servicing intervals to be entered. c. The application expects the mileage and dates to increase when fuel and servicing data is entered, otherwise errors may occur. (Mileage should not reduce for a later date!) d. The application functions best after a number of servicing and fuel entries have been made. e. The current vehicles databases are compressed on exiting the program. f. The databases are sorted by mileage except the reminder database which is sorted by date. Motoring expenses is an application designed to help the average motorist keep track of his monthly motoring expenditure. It will supply reports and statistics and help remind the motorist of when servicing of the vehicle is due. It can keep track of a number of vehicles and can produce a personal fuel consumption graph. Obviously the author can take no responsibility for any loss of data or incorrect servicing information, the program is only an aid. Any problems should be reported to the author who will try and rectify the problem. "This product includes software licensed from Symbian Ltd (c) Symbian Ltd 1999" ________________________________________________________________________ 2. Installation The application is supplied in a zipped SIS file format which has to be unzipped before the SIS file can be run to install the application. The SIS file will set up the application directory and a data folder (see Folders created). The SIS file gives options to install Motoring Expenses to the c or a d drive. Please follow the instructions carefully. ________________________________________________________________________ 3. Opening the application Once installed, the application can be opened by selecting it from the taskbar in the normal way. The first screen will display a taskbar with four buttons and a menu can be displayed by pressing the MENU button. The first task on opening is to create a new vehicle (see New vehicle) ________________________________________________________________________ 4. New vehicle The fist task is to enter a new vehicle this will create the databases required by the application to store the data for it's various tasks. A number of vehicles can be entered which is useful if you use a number of vehicles. ________________________________________________________________________ 5. Folders created The folders created are: $:\system\apps\motoring $:\system\apps\motoring\icons $:\motoring $:\motoring\backup (when the application is first opened) where $=drive letter c or d ________________________________________________________________________ 6. Data Files created The files created are: dataxxxxxxx detailsxxxxxxx intervalxxxxxxx reminderxxxxxxx preferences Xxxxxxx = the vehicles registration All these files are kept in the $:\motoring folder. where $=drive letter c or d ________________________________________________________________________ 7. Back Up There is a backup option which moves the above files to the backup folder and recreates the folders in the c:\motoring folder, these recreated files contain no records until the user starts to use the application after the backup. ________________________________________________________________________ 8. Help Pressing Shift-Control-H will bring up the help file this will close automatically on closing the Motoring Expenses application, or it can be closed independently. Check out the Motoring Expense Web Site: www.motorexpense.co.uk ________________________________________________________________________ 9. Upgrading/Reloading Motoring Expenses There is no need to lose any data when upgrading or reloading Motoring Expenses. How to upgrade to Motoring Expenses: $ = drive letter c or d as appropriate a. Remove the previous version of Motoring Expenses using the Control Panel. b. Install the new version of Motoring Expenses c. Check the $:\motoring folder for file called preferences BEFORE opening the new version of Motoring Expenses for the FIRST time. If the preferences file is present the application is now installed. If the preferences file is missing then open the new version of Motoring Expenses for the first time. Enter the vehicle registration when prompted and re-register the program if a registered user. Enter any other registrations you may be using. N.B. IF UPGRADING FROM VERSION 3.5 PREVIOUS DATA CANNOT BE IMPORTED! ________________________________________________________________________ 10. Author The author, Matthew P. Chapman, wrote the application in his spare time and is not a professional programmer. However, any recommendations/problems should be passed to him for review. Check out the Motoring Expense Web Site: www.motorexpense.co.uk He can be contacted at: support@motorexpense.co.uk Independently. ________________________________________________________________________ 11. Registration This program can be registered through RegNet - The registration network by going to the following web address: http://www.reg.net and quote product ID - 8841 Registration entitles the user to free upgrades if and when they become available and to free technical support. Check out the Motoring Expense Web Site: www.motorexpense.co.uk ________________________________________________________________________