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PART2
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1987-08-15
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TUTORIAL
DISK SETUP
This is a step by step guide on how to use the tutorial for the
PC-ACCOUNT accounting system. The PC-ACCOUNT distribution disk has
three months of test data that you can use to become familiar with
PC-ACCOUNT. However, you should never run programs from the
PC-ACCOUNT distribution disk, but from a work disk. That way, you
will always have the data files in the original, unchanged condition.
First you will set up a tutorial work disk or directory for the
tutorial programs and data files. Then NEWTUTOR.BAT will copy the
necessary files and programs from the PC-ACCOUNT distribution disk.
SETUP FOR TUTORIAL ON A FLOPPY DISK
Format a new disk on which you will use the TUTORIAL. See the
FORMAT command in your DOS manual. If you intend to use the TUTORIAL
in drive A, copy COMMAND.COM from your DOS disk to the newly
formatted disk.
Place a write protect tab on the PC-ACCOUNT distribution disk
and insert it into drive A. Place the formatted disk into drive B.
Make drive B the default drive. You should have the B> prompt.
Enter the command:
A:NEWTUTOR
NEWTUTOR will copy programs and data files from the PC-ACCOUNT
distribution disk in drive A to your TUTORIAL disk in drive B.
SETUP FOR TUTORIAL ON A HARD DISK
Place a write protect tab on the PC-ACCOUNT distribution disk
and insert it into drive A.
Create a new directory on your hard disk for the TUTORIAL with
the DOS command:
MKDIR name
Make this directory the default directory with the CD command.
See the DOS manual for the description of these commands. Enter the
command:
A:NEWTUTOR
NEWTUTOR will copy programs and data files from the PC-ACCOUNT
distribution disk in drive A to your hard disk.
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TUTORIAL
TUTORIAL GUIDELINES
The tutorial uses the actual PC-ACCOUNT program. You will not
be restricted in what you can do. You can skip around and try
features of PC-ACCOUNT in any order. The tutorial procedures will be
in this text only, not in the program. However, PC-ACCOUNT has a
built in help facility to remind you of the commands available in
each section. You may also wish to refer to the PC-ACCOUNT reference
card at the end of this manual.
The tutorial does not have to be completed in one session or in
sequence. You may skip to sections that interest you. You may exit
the program at any time, and restart where you left off or anywhere
else.
This tutorial will demonstrate how to start PC-ACCOUNT, how to
display the account and calendar screens, and how to use many of the
features of this system.
STARTING THE PROGRAM
Make the drive that has the tutorial work disk the default
drive. Start the program by entering the command
GO
After the title screen, PC-ACCOUNT displays the main menu for
the eight major sections. Note the statement above the menu:
PRESS FUNCTION KEY 4 FOR LIST OF FUNCTIONS.
Press function key 4 now, and the screen will display:
FUNCTION KEY ASSIGNMENTS
1 - DISPLAY ACCOUNTS 1 TO 40
2 - DISPLAY ACCOUNTS 41 TO 75
3 - DISPLAY CALENDAR
4 - DISPLAY FUNCTION KEY LIST
5 - SPECIAL EXIT MODES
6 - CHANGE SCREEN COLORS
7 - TOGGLE OUTPUT - SCREEN, PRINTER, FILE, 123.PRN
8 - TOGGLE STATUS LINE ON/OFF
9 - SCROLL WINDOWS DOWN
10 - SCROLL WINDOWS UP
If you want to print a copy of this list, turn your printer on
and press the SHIFT PRTSC keys. You may do this at anytime to print
any screen. When you are in a function key routine, none of the
other function keys are operative. Touch the space bar now to return
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TUTORIAL
to the main menu.
If you would like to change the color combination of the
display, or you cannot read the text on the screen, press function
key 6 for the routine to change the display colors. If you have a
monochrome monitor, select 7 for the foreground and 0 for the
background. Experiment with the colors to find what you like. White
on blue (7 and 1) is a pleasant combination. Whatever combination
you select will be recorded in the file named CONTROL so that the
next time you run PC-ACCOUNT, it will begin with your selected
colors.
Press function key 3. This displays four months of the
calendar. The month in today's date is always the top month on the
right. Touch the space bar to return.
Press function key 8 twice to activate the status information on
the 25th line. Look at the 25th line of the screen. The month
spelled out is the accounting month that is the current month saved
in the Control file or the month that is currently being processed.
It is December for the test data. When searching through many
months, that value will change as each month is processed to indicate
which month is being searched.
The numeric date on the 25th line is the date that PC-ACCOUNT
obtained from the DOS. You may change it by using a command we will
see later. If you do not like to see this line, function key 8 will
turn it off for you. Try it. Press function key 8 again, and the
line comes back. For now, make sure that status line is on for the
next activity.
Since PC-ACCOUNT is a data base, you will be retrieving
transaction data to use later. The output produced by some commands
can be directed to the screen, the printer, an ASCII file or to a
file readable by Lotus 1-2-3. Appendix A clearly explains how to get
Lotus 1-2-3 to read this data. Press function key 7 four times and
watch line 25. This is how to direct where the output will go. A
blank space on the 25th line where the TO PRINTER was means that the
output is directed to the screen.
CAUTION: Your printer must be turned on and on-line whenever
you issue a directed command and TO PRINTER is selected. Otherwise,
the system may lock up and you may have to reboot. If this ever
happens and you cannot turn the printer on, wait about a minute and
the error may time out and return to the program.
Press function key 5. This is the Special Exit Modes function.
By entering Q, you may QUIT PC-ACCOUNT without saving data that has
not been written to disk. This is an emergency exit to prevent
saving bad data. Or you may return to DOS by entering D, which will
leave PC-ACCOUNT resident. Or resume PC-ACCOUNT by entering R.
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TUTORIAL
Press R now.
A word about defaults. When PC-ACCOUNT prompts for data, it
sometimes presents what it expects, or another option such as QUIT,
in brackets []. It may also display a range of acceptable values in
parens (). To chose the default value, press the return key. Notice
that QUIT is the default for the prompt of the main menu. This is
the normal way to exit PC-ACCOUNT and many of its routines. Note, to
select QUIT, you must only press RETURN and not enter the word QUIT.
PC-ACCOUNT lets you create files of check payees and a directory
of search codes with names. When you have the need to see either of
these lists, PC-ACCOUNT opens a window to display them. Function
keys 9 and 10 then become operative to scroll the lists in the
windows.
Function keys 9 & 10 are used instead of the up and down arrows
because you will be using the numeric keypad to enter numbers.
PC-ACCOUNT automatically turns the NumLock ON for you when it starts,
and then turns it OFF when you exit.
That takes care of all but the first two function keys. They
are inoperable now because they only work in the ACCOUNTING, EDIT
STANDARD TRANSACTIONS, and SEARCH THROUGH MANY MONTHS sections. You
can press them now, but nothing will happen.
You may use any of these function keys at any time. If you use
a function while in the process of entering data, you will return to
the exact place from where you left. Any data entered before
pressing a function key will still be there and need not be entered
again. This feature is very useful for viewing account data while
entering transactions.
The normal way to leave PC-ACCOUNT is to take the default option
[QUIT] from the main menu and press RETURN. Do not do that now
unless you want to quit PC-ACCOUNT.
Notice the cursor. It is a full rectangle. Sometimes it will
be only a line. The full rectangle cursor is a signal to you that as
soon as you enter a character, PC-ACCOUNT will act on it. You do not
have to press the return key. This will be demonstrated in a moment.
When the cursor is a line, you can press more keys or you must press
the return key to enter the data. Also note that when entering a
command letter or answering a yes or no question, PC-ACCOUNT will
accept either upper or lower case letters.
PC-ACCOUNT was designed for ease of use. Since this is an
accounting system, you will want to use the numeric keypad on the
right side of the IBM keyboard. PC-ACCOUNT sets the NumLock ON when
it starts, so the numeric keypad is always ready for you to enter
numbers. When you exit PC-ACCOUNT, the NumLock is turned OFF.
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TUTORIAL
PC-ACCOUNT does not use any of the cursor positioning keys. So get
in the habit of making all menu selections and entering all numbers
with your right hand on the numeric keypad.
The following is the main PC-ACCOUNT menu.
1 - ACCOUNTING
2 - EDIT CHECK PAYEES
3 - EDIT STANDARD TRANSACTIONS
4 - SEARCH THROUGH MANY MONTHS
5 - CHECKBOOK ANALYSIS
6 - SETUP CHECK FORMAT
7 - DELETE DIRECTED FILES
8 - EDIT SEARCH CODES
9 - PRINT REGISTRATION FORM
ENTER SELECTION [QUIT]?
This menu indicates the eight major sections of PC-ACCOUNT. The
cursor on your screen is a rectangle. This means that as soon as you
enter a digit from 1 to 8, PC-ACCOUNT will immediately proceed to
that section. If you enter and other key, other than a function key
or return, nothing will happen.
ACCOUNTING
Enter 1 to select ACCOUNTING from the master menu. PC-ACCOUNT
immediately acts on it. Press RETURN to accept the positive default
to the question about the December files. (Note, for this prompt and
this prompt only, you may enter the number 1 for yes instead of the
letter Y. This makes it easy to select the current accounting period
from the main menu by entering 11.)
You are now looking at the screen from which you will use
PC-ACCOUNT the most. In the center of the screen is the prompt
ENTER COMMAND?
In the lower part of the screen is the list of the commands that
can be executed in this section. Use Function keys 9 and 10 to
scroll through this list. The top of the screen is the work area.
Before we try any of the commands, I know you want to try the
first two function keys. Go ahead, press function key 1. You will
see the data for the first 40 accounts. Only a few are being used.
For each account, the account number, account name, last months
balance and the current balance are displayed. Press the space bar
to return to the command screen, and then press function key 2. Here
are accounts 41 through 75 and two special accounts.
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TUTORIAL
Account 76 is the sum of the first 60 accounts which are
referred to as ASSET accounts. Account 77 is the sum of accounts 61
through 75 and are called BANK accounts. The sum of the asset
accounts will always equal the sum of the bank accounts.
Press the space bar to return to the command screen. Look at
the help display. There are two columns of commands. Enter the
letter to select the command. Some commands have an asterisk between
the letter and the command function. At the bottom of the right hand
command list is the statement * DIRECTED OUTPUT. This means that for
commands with the asterisk, the output can be directed to the screen,
the printer, an ASCII file or a 1-2-3 file. The direction is
selected by function key 7 as stated earlier.
The following is a complete list of the commands:
A * DISPLAY ACCOUNTS
B BUDGET
C CHANGE DATE
D DELETE A TRANSACTION
E EDIT A TRANSACTION
F * FIND ALL TRANSACTIONS FOR AN ACCOUNT
G * GET ALL TRANSACTIONS FOR AN AMOUNT
H * HELP
I INSERT TRANSACTIONS
J * SEARCH BY CHECK NUMBER
L LAST TRANSACTION NUMBER
M MOVE & SAVE DATA FOR A NEW PERIOD
N NAME AN ACCOUNT
O * MULTIPLE CONDITION QUERY
P PRINT A CHECK
Q SAVE DATA AND EXIT
R * RETRIEVE TRANSACTIONS FOR A CODE
S * SEARCH COMMENTS
T * DISPLAY TRANSACTIONS
U UPDATE FILES (SAVE DATA)
V * VERIFY ACCOUNT TOTALS
W REWRITE SCREEN
X SAVE DATA AND EXIT
Y * SKIP LINE OR PAGE
Z DISPLAY STATUS DATA
* DIRECTED OUTPUT
At the end of this manual there are two reference pages that
contain the main menu, this list of commands and other information.
Notice that the cursor is a full rectangle. Only a single
character can now be entered. If the character entered is not a
command character or a function key, nothing will happen, except that
any data in the top portion of the screen will be erased. Sometimes
it is convenient to erase the top of the screen just by touching the
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TUTORIAL
space bar. The command letter can be entered in either upper or
lower case.
To exit this section, you will enter a Q or an X. Do not do it
now unless you want to quit. When you do enter a Q or X, PC-ACCOUNT
will save the transactions and accounts if any data has been added or
changed.
The tutorial will take you through the commands in the order of
increasing complexity.
Press L. That displays the last transaction number so you know
how many transactions you have entered this month.
The A command appear to be trivial because the same information
can be found quicker with function keys 1 and 2. However, the output
can be directed elsewhere, which makes this command very useful. Try
it now. Press A. PC-ACCOUNT asks for the account number. Enter a
single account number (1-75) if you only want one account, or enter
two account numbers, separated by a space or a comma, to display a
range of accounts. The lowest number must be entered first. This
prompt must be terminated with the return key.
The T command works just like the A command. Try it and display
transaction 7. You do not have to know the number of the last
transaction to print to the end of the transactions. If you enter a
number higher than the number of transactions, like 999, PC-ACCOUNT
will substitute the number of the last transaction.
7 152.00 61 43 12/18/85 23 338 PAID VISA
The above is the display format for the transaction record. It
is used throughout PC-ACCOUNT and will be the output of several
commands. PC-ACCOUNT creates it in the input routine, which you will
see soon, and adds the transaction number (7), the date (12/18/85)
and the check number (338). The other items are what you enter. 152
is the amount, 61 and 43 are the account numbers and 23 is the search
code. It is cryptic like this so that it fits on one line. These
items will be explained in more detail shortly.
Do you want to try the printer? If so, turn your printer on.
Press function key 7 once to toggle TO PRINTER on the status line.
This can be done anytime before the return key is pressed. Try the A
or T command. Press function key 7 three more times to toggle back
to space on the status line that indicates TO SCREEN. You may also
want to try putting something in the ASCII and 1-2-3 files.
The C command will change the date the program is using and
displays on the status line. It is very useful if you did not enter
the date into DOS when the system was booted. It can also be used to
change the date to be printed on a check. Only the last 2 digits of
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TUTORIAL
the year need to be entered, even for years after 1999. If the new
date is in the same year as the default date, you only have to enter
the day and month.
Try it now. When prompted for the new date, enter the month,
day and year. These values must be separated by a comma, a space, a
dash or a slash /. The same separation character must be used twice
or the results are unpredictable. It must be a valid date. The new
date will be displayed on the 25th line.
Now you will name an account. First press function key 1 and
note that account 39 does not have a name. Return to the command
screen and enter N. Then enter 39 (no return) for the account
number. Enter any name for this account. Here case is observed.
The maximum length is 11 characters. Press RETURN to enter a name
less than 11 characters.
Press function key 1 to see what happened. To erase a name, use
the same procedure, but just press RETURN when prompted for a name.
This name function does not affect the amount in the account and can
be used at any time. The name will be saved in the account file when
you exit the accounting section.
We will now get to the heart of this financial system, the
commands to add, change and delete transactions. First try the
delete a transaction command.
Enter the command D, then enter the transaction number 7. The
transaction to be deleted will be displayed to make sure that you are
deleting the right one. Before you press RETURN to delete this
transaction, note the amount and account numbers. Press function key
2 and note the amount in accounts 43 and 61 to compare after the
delete. Press the space bar to return to the work screen. Press
RETURN to enter the default answer and delete the transaction.
Return to the account data screen using function key 2 and
compare the values now in the accounts affected by deleting the
transaction. All transactions with a transaction number higher than
the one deleted are now one transaction number lower. Press L to see
the total number of transactions.
Next, you will edit a transaction. This is a valuable feature
since there occasionally is some change to be made. Enter the
command E and select a transaction by number. Select the item that
you wish to change and you will be prompted to enter the new value.
You may wish to check the account screen before and after making
a change. Remember, you may use the function keys anytime. For the
edit command, however, check the account screens to inspect balances
before selecting items 1, 2 or 3. Because, as soon as you select
item 1, 2 or 3, the transaction is backed out and the account
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TUTORIAL
balances are changed immediately. Press RETURN to quit the edit
mode.
Now, the most important part of all...entering a transaction.
Enter the command I for insert transactions. You will now be working
on the insert screen. Let's look at it first. Find the transaction
number at the top of the screen. Next, locate the cursor. It is on
the input line. If you entered a RETURN now, you would quit the
insert mode and return to the command screen.
The input routine uses free form input. It is a fast way to
enter data because it uses the minimum keystrokes. The prompts are
displayed in the lines above and below the data entry line where the
cursor is now. A minimum of three data items must be entered for a
valid transaction, the dollar amount, and two account numbers (any
two account numbers from 1 to 75). The comment and search code are
optional.
We are going to enter a transaction for the purchase of four new
tires which we charged on our Sears credit card. The tires cost
$225.57. The PC-ACCOUNTs account number for Sears is 42. The
account we enter car expenses against is number 3.
The first value to enter is the amount. Type 225.57 using the
numeric keypad, but do not press RETURN until told to. Also, never
enter the dollar sign. Now press the space bar three times to move
the cursor under the I in IN. The IN account is the Sears account.
We are putting $225.57 into the Sears account to have when the Sears
bill comes. Enter the Sears account number 42.
Press the space bar twice to position the cursor under the U in
OUT. Enter the car account number, 3. We are taking the $225.57 out
of the car account.
Press the space bar six times and enter the comment, 4 New
Tires. Enter a space. We have designated a search code of 28 for
car expenses. Find it at the bottom of the screen. Before entering
this code we must enter the sign that will tell PC-ACCOUNT that we
are finished with the comment and that the search code follows. So
enter the | followed by a space. It is on the key that is to the
right of the left shift key on the IBM PC keyboard. Then enter 28.
The screen will look like
$ ASSET
AMOUNT IN OUT COMMENT | SEARCH CODE
[QUIT]? 225.57 42 3 4 New Tires | 28_
BANK
OUT IN
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TUTORIAL
Press the return key. PC-ACCOUNT reads the input string and
responds with
$225.57 ENTER INTO 42 SEARS 6/26/86
WITHDRAW FROM 3 CAR
SEARCH CODE 28 Car Expense
4 New Tires
IS THE TRANSACTION OKAY [Y]?
PC-ACCOUNT interprets the transaction input data and displays it
as it understands it. The account names and search code nomenclature
have been added and so has the date.
If the transaction is okay, press RETURN. If not, enter N and
start over. Since a check is not being printed by this transaction,
the screen will be erased and you will be prompted for the next
transaction.
Here are a few notes about the free form input. You could have
entered
225.57 42 3 4 New Tires | 28
or
225.57423 4 New Tires|28
or many variations of this. The only space required by PC-ACCOUNT is
the one between the 3, the second account number, and the 4, the
comment. If the car account had been a two digit number or the 4 was
spelled out, Four, even that space would not be required. If that
space were not there, PC-ACCOUNT would think that the out account
number is 34. The comment and the search code are both optional.
Only use the delimiter | when entering a search code.
You may use spaces to make it clear to you, but spaces are only
required to remove ambiguities. The same for the amount. If the
amount is $10, then just enter 10 followed by a space and then the
account numbers. If the first account number is a single digit, that
would also have to be followed by a space. The comment can be as
long as you wish.
There are more examples on this in the reference section of the
manual. It will become easier as you use it, and you will appreciate
its speed. This is a case where you let the computer do a lot of
work to figure out what you want, rather than you doing more work to
make it easier on the program.
Review the INPUT command in the reference section of the manual
for more discussion on the concept and rules of free form input.
Enter a few transactions different ways and see what happens. That
is what a tutorial is for. You cannot hurt anything. Play with it.
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TUTORIAL
When you are entering a transaction, PC-ACCOUNT displays your
list of search codes in a window at the bottom of the screen. If you
have more than nine, use the function keys 9 and 10 to scroll the
list. It will look like this:
Scroll Search Codes with FUNCTION KEYS 9 & 10
1 Miscellaneous
2 Medical Expenses
3 Income
5 Tax Deductible
20 Mortgage
21 Paid Gold VISA
22 Paid Master Charge
23 Paid VISA
28 Car Expense
If there are a large number of search codes, the list can be jump
scrolled with the ALT key in combination with the A, S, Z, or X keys.
The A and S keys scroll by page and the Z and X keys jump to the
beginning or end. The S and X keys are on the right and move the
data in the same direction as the Function 10 key does. Try it.
Just remember to press the ALT key while doing it.
Now we will print a check. Use the blank paper in your printer
for this. We want to pay the Sears bill of $225.57. The check will
be written on the checking account number 61. Enter the transaction
$ ASSET
AMOUNT IN OUT COMMENT | SEARCH CODE
[QUIT]? 225.57 61 42 Paid Sears Bill
BANK
OUT IN
Money will be taken out of two accounts, the checking account,
61, and the Sears asset account, 42. Notice the prompt for the BANK
account numbers. The IN and OUT are the reverse of the ASSET account
numbers. Accounts 61 through 75 are all treated as BANK accounts and
follow the bottom prompt. Press RETURN to enter the transaction.
When you respond that the transaction is okay, PC-ACCOUNT will
ask if you want to print a check. Press RETURN for yes. Immediately
PC-ACCOUNT will open a window to display your payee list. Press
function keys 9 and 10 to scroll the list of payees to find the Sears
record. You can also use the ALT A, S, Z, or X to jump scroll the
payees as it was described above for the search codes. Play with
this by scrolling up and down. Later you will sort this list.
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TUTORIAL
PC-ACCOUNT asks if you want to print a check only for bank
accounts for which you created a check format file.
Enter 7, the sequence number of the payee record for Sears, and
press RETURN. You can now verify the selection. If it is wrong,
enter N for no and go back to the list otherwise press RETURN for
yes. Next, enter the check number or accept the default. Turn the
printer on and hit return when ready.
The format of the check printed may not fit your personal
checks. This can be changed by using the routine in section 6 of the
main menu, SETUP CHECK FORMAT. The procedure is described in the
SETUP CHECK FORMAT section of this manual.
That is all there is to insert transactions. Enter a few and
play around with it and shortly you will have it mastered.
Function keys 1 and 2 are useful when entering a transaction.
Remember, you may press a function key anytime without affecting what
you are doing. For example, if after you entered the 225.57 on the
input line, you wanted to find the Sears account number. Press
function key 2 to look for it. PC-ACCOUNT then returns exactly to
where you left off and you would not have to reenter the 225.57.
Press RETURN to quit the input mode.
The P command just prints a check. It is the same check
printing routine used by the insert command. It can be used to test
your check formatting and alignment or to reprint a check if one is
not printed correctly.
Enter P and print one for the fun of it. Select a payee and
enter the amount. Accounts are not involved and a transaction record
is not created. This routine asks for the checking account number
(use 61), but only to get the check format data for the printer.
The B command activates a routine that will auto enter recurring
transactions from a file. There are three files for these
transactions. They are created and edited by section 3 of the main
menu, EDIT STANDARD TRANSACTIONS.
Enter B. Select 2, BUDGET. PC-ACCOUNT will enter the Insert
mode, but will take the input data from the file named TRANSDIS. You
may either accept or reject each transaction. When you have
completed the budget distributions, enter B again and try the checks,
selection 1. These records even know to whom to write the check.
There are six commands that search the transaction records.
They are F, G, J, R, S and O. Look at these commands on the help
portion of the command screen. The word ACT stands for ACCOUNT. You
can search and display all transactions for an ACCOUNT, AMOUNT, CHECK
NUMBER, CODE or a text string in the comments. The CODE is the
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TUTORIAL
search code that you devise and enter into the transaction with the
Insert command. Note that the output of all of these commands can be
directed.
Enter F. You can enter one account number or a range of account
numbers. Enter 61 and press RETURN. If more than 7 transactions are
found, the bottom of the screen will be erased to display them. To
erase the transactions now on the top of the screen, press the space
bar.
Enter G. Enter the amount 175. When back in the command mode,
enter G again and enter the amount 1*0. The asterisk is a wild card
and will select transactions where the amount is between 100.00 and
199.99. The zero after the asterisk is a position holder and can be
any character, even another asterisk.
Enter R. Enter the search code 30. Try directing the output to
your printer by using the function key 7 toggle. Be sure to toggle
the directed output off (to the screen) when the printing stops.
Enter S. When prompted for a string, enter Paid. This command
is not sensitive to case. It is not necessary to enter the whole
comment nor start at the first character in the comment. Check the
reference section for how to use the wildcard character ? with this
command.
The O command lets you set up a multiple condition query for the
search, and is explained in the reference section.
Enter J. When prompted for a checking account number, enter 61.
Enter 350 - 355 for the check number.
The Y command is used to advance the page on the printer or in
the file ACTLIST. It prompts if you want to skip a line or skip to
the top of the next page. If you select line, it will ask how many
lines. If you have not selected TO PRINTER or TO FILE before
entering Y, it will give you a message and quit. If you want to try
it, select TO PRINTER with function key 7, turn the printer on,
enter Y, and answer the prompts.
There is one more command in the command help list that you have
not tried. That is M. That tells PC-ACCOUNT to perform the End Of
Month processing. The transaction and account files for the current
month are marked closed and written to the disk. No more
transactions can be entered for that month. All of the account
amounts are copied from the right column to the left column. Both
columns will then be identical. The current month is advanced. Two
new files are created for the new month and the transaction counter
is set to zero.
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TUTORIAL
The data from all previous months can still be used. That is
the real benefit of PC-ACCOUNT, as a data manager for your home
accounting. The data from closed months can be accessed one at a
time in the Accounting section or searched as a group in the Search
Through Many Months section.
You may enter M now if you wish to start a new month.
Press Z. This displays some program parameters, the current data
file names, the maximum number of data records and the amount of
free data space. Press the space bar to erase the work area. Press
W. It rewrites the command screen.
Check that you are now in the command mode and the output is NOT
directed to the printer or a file. Press H. H is for HELP and is
easy to remember. See what happened! Now press H again. Direct the
output to your printer with the function key 7 toggle and press H
again. Direct the output TO FILE and press H again. The help list
is now in the file named ACTLIST. You can use the DOS command TYPE
to view it after you quit PC-ACCOUNT and you can read it into your
word processor.
Press V. It displays the account sums in accounts 76 and 77, as
on the function key 2 screen. The purpose of this command is to
direct the output of these totals.
Enter the command Q. This returns you to the main menu and
saves your account and transaction files if any changes have been
made.
Let's go back into the accounting section again, so enter 1.
Enter N to the prompt about the files for the current month. Notice
that in the next prompt the default month number is the previous
month. Usually, if you do not want the current month, you want to
check on something from last month. But you can enter any month for
which you have data. The next prompt is for the year. Entering that
will produce the command screen.
You can not add or delete any transactions for a month that has
been closed, but you may edit the transactions and change the search
code, check number and comment. Enter T to see the transactions and
enter 1 99 to select all. Press function key 1 or 2 to check on the
account data for that month. Enter Q to return to the main menu.
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EDIT CHECK PAYEES
Enter 2 in the main menu to edit the check payee file. In this
section of PC-ACCOUNT you may display the payee list, add, change,
delete and sort the records in it. The screen will look like this:
EDIT CHECK PAYEES ROUTINE
1 - DISPLAY 2 - ADD, 3 - CHANGE, 4 - SORT, 5 - DELETE
ENTER SELECTION [QUIT]?
When you enter this routine, the payees are displayed on the
bottom of the screen. If you have more than 9, scroll the list with
function keys 9 and 10.
Enter 1 to display the payee records. When there are more than
22 payees there is a prompt to quit or continue. The output of this
display selection can be directed to the printer, to a text file or
to a 123 file. Use function key 7 just like in the accounting
section to direct the output.
Enter 2 to add a payee to the file. Enter your name to the name
request. Enter the words Good Luck to the prompt for the memo on the
check. Usually you will enter the account number you have with the
payee. When prompted for another payee, press RETURN to quit.
If you scroll to display the last payee record before you enter
a new record, the new record will be displayed at the bottom of the
scroll. Otherwise, you will have to scroll to see it. Note the
sequence number of the payee record that you just entered.
Enter 3 to change a payee record. Enter the sequence number of
any payee and the record will be displayed. You may select to change
the payee name or memo. When selected, you will be prompted to enter
the complete name or memo again. The changed record maintains the
same position in the list of payees.
The list of payees may be sorted just by entering 4. Try it,
then scroll through the list to view it or use selection 1 to display
the new list.
Enter 5 to make a deletion. Enter the sequence number of the
payee record you entered with your name. PC-ACCOUNT then displays
that record for verification. You can answer yes or no to select its
disposition.
A word of caution on sorting and deleting. Standard transaction
records have the sequence number of the payee record for the check.
When a payee is deleted, all payee sequence numbers higher than the
one deleted are decreased by 1. Sorting may also reposition all
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payee records.
If the payees get out of sync with the standard transactions,
the situation is easily corrected the next time the standard
transaction is used. If the standard transaction displays the wrong
payee, you can then re-select the right payee from the scrolled list
and the standard transaction file will be updated automatically.
Press RETURN to quit the edit check payees routine when you are
ready.
EDIT STANDARD TRANSACTIONS
You should be at the main menu. Enter 3 to enter standard
transactions. The screen will present this menu:
EDIT STANDARD TRANSACTIONS
1 - CHECKS, 2 - BUDGET, 3 - OTHER TRANSACTIONS
ENTER SELECTION [QUIT]?
There are three files that contain standard transactions.
Regardless of what they are called, you can insert any transaction in
any of them. The names are just to give you an idea of which file to
use. Enter 1. Read the note on the screen, then press the space
bar.
Does that screen look familiar? This section is really a subset
of the Accounting section. Notice that there are less items in the
Help list. These commands all work with transaction records and in
the same way as in the Accounting section. The purpose of this
section is to create a file of recurring transactions to be processed
automatically.
Notice that the Help command is listed along with another
command, W. The W command erases and rewrites the screen. Enter Q
to go back to the first menu of this section.
Each of these three files has a purpose. The CHECKS file is
usually used for recurring transactions that pay bills that are
always the same amount. These would be mortgage, car and loan
payments.
The BUDGET file can be used to execute your monthly budget. For
example, enter your income into a CASH account and a BANK account.
Your budget allocates your income from the CASH account to other
accounts for different purposes, so much for the car, insurance,
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medical expenses, utilities, savings, etc. The transactions in the
BUDGET file can distribute these funds from the CASH account to the
other accounts automatically.
Use the Other Transactions selection for whatever you wish.
This routine creates or changes the files TRANSCKS, TRANSDIS and
TRANSOTR.
Quit the EDIT STANDARD TRANSACTIONS sections when ready.
SEARCH THROUGH MANY MONTHS
This section is where the power of PC-ACCOUNT becomes apparent.
You do not enter your transactions into a computer just to have
something to do. You are a manager of a important financial
enterprise. Managers make decisions. And to make decisions, you
need information. Your past financial transactions hold the data you
need to recognize trends. PC-ACCOUNT helps you to organize and
retrieve that data.
To use this section, the transaction data for the months that
you want to search must all be on the default disk drive. The test
data provided is for the period of 10/85 to 12/85. If you select a
month whose files are not on the default disk, PC-ACCOUNT will tell
you, then continue after you press the space bar.
Proceed to the main menu and enter 4. Enter the period of time
you wish to search by month and year. Search from 10/85 to 12/85.
PC-ACCOUNT prompts for this information. Again you will see the now
familiar command screen. But there are fewer commands available.
Note that the selected search period is displayed at the top of the
help window.
Start by entering F 2 RETURN. This will find all the
transactions for account number 2. Note, as PC-ACCOUNT searches each
month's file, the name of the month is displayed on the status line.
If the command box is erased by a long list, press the space bar to
retrieve it. Now enter F 1 RETURN. Next retrieve by the search
code. Enter R 20 RETURN. Enter R 30 RETURN.
Now try searching by amount. Enter G 1000 RETURN. Enter G 1*00
RETURN. See the difference the asterisk makes.
Try searching the comments with the S command. Use the string
'aid' to find all transactions with the word Paid. Enter Q to return
to the main menu.
Just imagine how easy it will be to get a list of all your
charitable contributions, miscellaneous tax deductible items, bank
finance charges, etc. at tax time next year.
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TUTORIAL
CHECKBOOK ANALYSIS
Enter 5 for the checkbook analysis. This menu will be
displayed.
CHECKBOOK ANALYSIS
1 - RECONCILE A CHECK STATEMENT
2 - VERIFY CHECKBOOK ARITHMETIC [QUIT]?
We will start with the second option first. Enter 2, then enter
Y to see the instructions. Read them carefully, then press RETURN.
Enter 61 for the account number and 11 85 11 85 for the start and
final dates.
PC-ACCOUNT scans the transaction file for transactions using
this account. It then displays the transaction record followed by a
line that shows the total or balance that should be in your checkbook
ledger. The amount of the transaction is underlined to quickly
orient your eyes when going from the ledger to the screen. Press
RETURN to continue or enter N to quit.
When you get to the end of your data, you have the opportunity
to enter any adjustments. Try it by entering -100 to see what
happens, and then enter 1000. Enter RETURN to quit. That returns
you to the main PC-ACCOUNT menu.
The Reconcile A Check Statement is normally done when you
receive your statement from the bank. The goal is to get the amount
PC-ACCOUNT displays as a total to equal the closing balance on your
statement.
Note. Before you reconcile your actual bank statement, scan the
statement for any charges the bank may have added that you have not
entered into PC-ACCOUNT. These are charges such as interest paid or
charged, charges for new checks, stopped payment or bounced check
charges. Enter all of these as transactions into PC-ACCOUNT before
starting to reconcile.
To Reconcile A Check Statement enter 5, Checkbook Analysis, from
the main menu and then enter 1 and Y to see the instructions. Read
these carefully, then press RETURN. Enter 61 for the account number
and 11 85 11 85 for the start and final dates.
The starting balance is taken from the previous months balance
in the starting months account file. It is important that all
transactions for this account have cleared the bank before the
starting month. If they have not, then you must know the amount of
each that have not cleared. You can enter them later in the
adjustments. It is always best to start with a month far enough back
so as to start where all transactions have previously cleared.
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The format of this screen is similar to the verify checkbook
screen except for the prompt. It asks if the deposit or check has
cleared. If yes, press RETURN, otherwise enter N.
Here is what PC-ACCOUNT does in this mode. It searches for a
transaction against this account. When it finds one, it looks to see
if the transaction has already cleared. If it HAS, then it adjusts
the total it is carrying and continues on. It does not display the
transaction or the total. If the transaction HAS NOT cleared, then
it displays the transaction with the transaction amount underlined.
It does not adjust the total it is carrying, before it displays this
total.
This total represents the checking account balance BEFORE this
transaction. Also, this total is not necessarily the same as in your
check ledger because it does not include any previous transactions
that have not cleared.
If you respond that this transaction (check or deposit) has
cleared, then PC-ACCOUNT adjusts its total (but does not display it)
and marks the transaction as cleared with a lower case x. If you
have selected a directed output, then the transaction record is
written to that output.
If the transaction is between two bank accounts, then when only
the first has cleared, it is marked with a lower case i. When only
the second is cleared, the record is marked with a lower case o.
When both are cleared, it is marked with the x.
All of the transactions that are displayed on the screen are
directed to the output. Those that were marked cleared in a previous
run are not displayed in subsequent runs. This is to give you a log
of all uncleared transactions and the action taken (cleared or not
cleared) in this run. It is strongly recommended that you direct the
output to the printer or to a file.
When all of the transactions in the month have been searched,
and if any have just been marked as cleared, then the transaction
file will be written to the disk.
As you mark a transaction in PC-ACCOUNT as cleared, also put a
mark on that transaction on your bank statement. The bank statements
transactions are not always in the same order as in PC-ACCOUNT, and
you want to be sure to get all of them. When all of the transactions
on your bank statement have been checked, you can quit.
You now have the same opportunity as in the previous mode to
make any adjustments. Here are two possible adjustments that you may
have to make. One is a check that has not cleared from many months
ago, and you started this run after that month. Its total is in the
total that PC-ACCOUNT is carrying but not in your banks total. So
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you must subtract it as an adjustment. Another is any service charge
or finance charge that the bank has on their statement and you have
not entered into this system yet.
If PC-ACCOUNT finishes checking all its records and there is an
unmarked transaction on your bank statement, then you know that was
not entered into PC-ACCOUNT. You should enter the amount as an
adjustment at the completion of this routine. Be sure to enter it
and any other adjustments as transactions later into PC-ACCOUNT.
These transactions must go into the current month. You may mark it
as having cleared with the EDIT command in the accounting section.
This all sounds complicated. It is, but the computer is doing
all of the work. Once you get the hang of it, you will be able to
reconcile a multi-page statement in a few minutes. It's a thrill to
see the total that PC-ACCOUNT displays is equal to the final balance
on the bank statement to the penny. And it can do it every time.
This feature alone is worth the cost of PC-ACCOUNT.
After you become accustomed to PC-ACCOUNT, you will never have
to write in your checkbook ledger again.
When you quit the adjustment screen, you will be in the main
menu again.
DELETE DIRECTED FILES
When output is directed to files, it is appended to whatever is
in the file. When you want to start a new file, use this section to
delete the old files. Enter 7. ACTLIST is the text file and 123.PRN
is the file that can be read by Lotus 1-2-3. (See Appendix A).
Enter 1. PC-ACCOUNT responds with the notice that either the
file was deleted or not found. So, if you are not sure, delete it
anyway. If it is not there, no harm is done. Enter 2. Press RETURN
to quit.
EDIT SEARCH CODES
Enter 8 in the main menu to edit the search codes file. In this
section of PC-ACCOUNT you may display the search codes, list, add,
change, delete and sort the records in it. The screen will look like
this:
EDIT SEARCH CODE ROUTINE
1 - DISPLAY 2 - ADD, 3 - CHANGE, 4 - SORT, 5 - DELETE
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ENTER SELECTION [QUIT]?
This routine works exactly like the EDIT CHECK PAYEE section.
Please refer back to that part of the tutorial if you have any
difficulty understanding the functions. In this section, select
search codes to be changed or deleted by their sequence number, the
first column of numbers displayed. The codes can have any integer
value between -32768 and 32767.
SORT sorts the search code numbers, not the nomenclature. The
minus sign in negative search codes causes them to appear in unusual
places.
When you enter this routine, the search codes are displayed on
the bottom of the screen. If you have more than 9, scroll the list
with function keys 9 and 10.
Enter RETURN to quit the edit search code routine when you are
ready.
PRINT REGISTRATION FORM
Align the print head just below the top edge of the paper. Turn
your printer on. Press 9. A registration form will be printed.
Just fill in the blanks, attach a check for $45, and mail.
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