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Text File | 1992-10-13 | 48KB | 1,100 lines

D A T A M A N A G E R H O M E USER MANUAL SOFTWARE MASTERS P.O. Box 1592 Ellicott City, MD 21041 (410) 750-0577 What Does DATA MANAGER--HOME Do? Welcome to DATA MANAGER--HOME! This program is designed to be an easy-to-use, helpful tool in your everyday life. In one easy to learn program, we have provided you with a way to keep track of many bits of information. You will be amazed at how much you can do on your computer, and at how quickly you will be able to learn to use all the features of this program. Here are some of the things that DATA MANAGER--HOME will do: AUTOMOBILE: Can't remember when you had your last oil change, brake job or tune up? Need to track the history of a car repair? This feature not only tracks past and future activities, but you can keep notes on conversations with repair people, insurance agents, etc. BUSINESS: Keep track of the conversations you have with your prospects and clients, tickle dates you need to set, to do items resulting from the conversations and also a log of phone calls. CALENDAR: Keep track of important coming events and appointments for each family member or business associate. DIRECTORY: Keep important phone numbers and addresses at your finger tips by first name, last name, subject or a variety of other ways, including listings of "friends of" your children or business associates. FINANCIAL: Track home or business accounts, including due dates, balances, payments, outstanding debts. Assign categories to your entries and you have easy access to data by type. INVENTORY: Keep serial numbers, model numbers, purchase dates and costs of valuable home appliances, electronic equipment, furniture, and other valuable items. You can easily print out a listing to keep in another location in case of damage to your home. Repair or insurance calls are a breeze when all the pertinent information is so easily available! JOBS TO DO: This "to do" list is a great reminder for family members of the tasks that need to be accomplished. MESSAGE: Keep a phone next to the computer, and family members can type messages directly into DATA MANAGER--HOME for any user. Optional password protection means that only the intended recipient sees those confidential messages! OUTLINE: Use as a project manager, or to prepare outlines. This is very good for preparing meeting agendas. PHONE CALL LOG: Keep track of your phone call conversations as well as the numbers you called and when. SHOPPING: Tired of doing your shopping list by hand, maybe forgetting something? With this list, you can even arrange your list by aisle! How organized can you get? TRAINING: Keep track of your employee's training classes. Quickly locate who has been where and what classes have been requested and/or scheduled. WORD PROCESSING: If you have a printer, this program will let you do some simple word processing. In addition, you will be able to print out notes to people in the directory using the mail-merge facility. How did you ever live without this program? Well, from now on you don't have to. This copy of DATA MANAGER--HOME is protected under federal copyright laws. The program is distributed through both retail and shareware channels. Depending upon how you received this copy of the program determines what your responsibilities are. If you paid the retail price of $23, see the information on RETAIL USERS below. Other- wise, please read the information on SHAREWARE USERS. RETAIL USERS If you purchased the program for $23, you are permitted to install the program on multiple computers (i.e. at home and at work), however, you must ensure that only one program is being used at a time. If the program is installed on a LAN, you must ensure that access is limited to one user at a time. You may make copies of the file "DMH.EXE" to give to others for evaluation. If the program meets their needs they should follow the SHAREWARE USERS information below. You should register your copy of the program by sending us your initialization number. We will then provide you with a validation number that will eliminate the registration reminder screens. SHAREWARE USERS If you received this copy of the program either free or for a minimal fee (usually around $5) from a shareware dealer, you are a shareware user. Shareware is a concept that allows users to test a program to see if it meets their needs before they purchase it. However, the author of the program does not receive any compensation for their work unless you register and pay the price of the program. It is the payment of fees that enables shareware authors to develop and support programs. To register, please send us your initialization number along with the $23 fee. If you print an invoice, it already contains the initialization number. You will receive a manual, the latest version of the program, notices of updates, as well as some other "goodies". Registration fees should be sent to: SOFTWARE MASTERS P.O. Box 1592 Ellicott City, MD 21041 If you have a printer attached, you will be able to print out an invoice and registration form. Otherwise you should include your name, address, city, state, zip, 13 digit initialization number (found from UTILITIES and VALIDATE PROGRAM) and type of disk (5 1/4 or 3 1/2). The registration cost for DATA MANAGER--HOME is $23. (Please add tax as appropriate.) You may also charge your registration on either VISA or MasterCard. Finally, if you have any questions, suggestions, etc., please call us on (410) 750-0577. Thanks. WARRANTY AND LIMITS OF LIABILITY ******************************** SOFTWARE MASTERS quarantees that the program, if used with common sense and in accordance with proper computer techniques, will operate in accordance with the printed manual for a period of 90 days from the registration date. SOFTWARE MASTERS shall not be responsible for any data that is lost. SOFTWARE MASTERS' liability will be limited under any and all circumstances to the registration fee paid for using the software. Copyright 1991 by Software Masters All Rights Reserved GETTING STARTED Congratulations on choosing to use DATA MANAGER--HOME. We think you will find that the program is an extremely useful tool in managing your day-to-day data. You will probably use the CALENDAR, DIRECTORY and MESSAGE CENTER on a daily basis. DATA MANAGER--HOME is also extremely easy to use. You will probably learn how to use most of the menu options in a matter of minutes. They all work basically the same way -- once you have learned one, you have learned them all. The best way to get the most out of your DATA MANAGER--HOME program is to take a little time at the beginning to enter all the data you've been keeping (in a million different places) into the appropriate DATA MANAGER--HOME category. While this may take a little organizing on the front end, we can promise that it will pay off in the long run every time you access DATA MANAGER--HOME thereafter. DATA MANAGER--HOME has tremendous educational value for novice computer users. DATA MANAGER--HOME users will quickly find that a computer is a tool to use, rather than a mysterious, complex box of wires. You will find that users, upon arriving at home, will usually check out the Message Center as soon as they walk in the door. You will also find that users will enjoy leaving messages for others on the computer, reducing lost or forgotten messages. Users will also learn about security levels and passwords, a common need in today's working environment. Some other features of the program are: o Calendar -- Whenever you need to enter a date, you can usually call up a calendar on the screen to view the current month. You can also view all subsequent and previous months simply by pressing the appropriate arrow keys. o Color/Monochrome -- You can switch between the two modes depending on your video card and monitor. This option is very helpful for laptops as well as some monitors. If you are not absolutely sure that you are using the best setting for you monitor, switch back and forth to pick which one works best for you. o Passwords -- The program has security levels for each main menu and submenu option. The System Manager can determine who has access to each activity. The passwords are encrypted so that they are not accessible, even using a utility program. o Keyboard Assistance -- The bottom two lines of the screen will generally contain helpful hints as to which special keys are active and the result of using them. o Text Sensitive Help -- If at any point in the program you are not sure what to do, you can press the F1 key to get on-line help on that item. o Screen Save -- In order to prevent screen damage, the main menu will automatically disappear after 30 seconds of non-access. You will then see alternating colors of slowly rising windows of the Message Center and the Calendar. (You can set the screen to turn off altogether after the 30 seconds of non-use.) Pressing any key will return you to the main menu. o Compression of Databases -- In order to purge out old data, particularly "memo fields" that are no longer needed, an appropriate menu choice for this activity has been added to the program. o Backup System -- If the program is installed on a hard drive, a menu option exists to quickly back up the databases onto a diskette in the "A:".or. "B:" drive. o Error System -- If an error should occur (damaged diskette, etc.) an error screen will appear indicating specifically what the problem is. Although the resolution of the error is sometimes difficult, having the specific problem displayed will help us more quickly resolve the problem over the phone. But enough, let's get on with the show! INSTALLING/STARTING DATA MANAGER--HOME This program will run on computers with a hard drive or from a floppy disk if the drive is a 760K or larger drive. Also, the program will automatically adjust itself to run on a color or monochrome monitor, depending on what you have. Finally, the program will run on any MS-DOS machine, whether it be an XT, 286, 386 or 486. Installing the Program on a Hard Drive: To install the program on your hard drive from the "C:\" directory, type the command "MD DMH" and press <Enter> to create a directory called DMH. Then type the command "CD DMH" and press <Enter> to change to that directory. Next, place the DATA MANAGER--HOME diskette into the floppy (A:) drive, close the drive door and type "COPY A:EXPANDH.EXE" (where A: is the drive you are using) and press <Enter>. Type EXPANDH and press <Enter> to "uncompress" the DATA MANAGER--HOME program. Finally, type "DMH" and press <Enter> to run the program. You can remove the DATA MANAGER--HOME disk from the floppy drive and put it away in a safe place, because all of the data you enter into DATA MANAGER--HOME from that point on will be stored on your hard drive. (Note to advanced users: A batch file set to CD\DMH;DMH;CD\ will provide quicker program access.) Running the Program from a Diskette: If you are going to run the program from the diskette (much slower than running it from a hard drive), put the DATA MANAGER-- HOME diskette in the appropriate drive and close the drive door. Then type the drive letter "A:" or "B:",( depending on which drive you are using), and press Enter to switch to that drive. Then type EXPANDH to expand the program. Finally type "DMH" and press <Enter> to run the program. The diskette should be left in the computer whenever the program is running because the data you enter will be stored there. Leave the diskette in the drive until after you have exited the program (by hitting the Esc key). The First Time You Run the Program: Several databases and other kinds of files will automatically be created the first time you run the program. Also, several files will be created that configure DATA MANAGER--HOME specifically to your computer's hardware. This "initialization" will take a little longer the first time you run the program, so please be patient. You will be prompted for the program owner's first name and password, which will come into play later if you choose to use the security features of the program. After the files have been created and the questions have been answered (see next section of System Configuration Questions), the main menu will come up. When you run the program again, you will go directly to the main menu. If you get an "Open Error" Message: Most new computers have a file called "CONFIG.SYS" which allows database files to be opened. If you get an "OPEN ERROR" message when you run the program, you probably do not have a "CONFIG.SYS" and need to create this file. Although an experienced PC user can quickly create this file, PC novices should ask for help in creating this file. Copying the Program for a Friend or Co-worker to Evaluate: You should copy only the DMH.EXE file to the new diskette. All database files and system configuration files will be created for the new user the first time they run the program. Copying files other than the DMH.EXE files causes problems for a new systems manager, can cause corruption to the data, and may prevent the program from running properly. In addition, copying other files violates the agreement made with Software Masters concerning the creation of evaluation copies, as well as pertinent copyright laws. To create an evaluation copy, follow these instructions: If your program is installed on the hard drive: Place a blank, formatted diskette in the disk drive and close the drive door. Type: COPY C:\DMH\DMH.EXE A: and press (Enter>. The program will be copied to the floppy disk. If you are running the program from a diskette: You'll need a computer with two disk drives. Place your DATA MANAGER--HOME diskette in one (A:) drive and a blank, formatted diskette in the other (B:). Type COPY A:EXPANDH.EXE B: and press <Enter>. The program will be copied to the diskette in the B: drive. SYSTEM CONFIGURATION QUESTIONS During the initial configuration, you will be asked several questions. The first question is whether you have a printer attached to your computer. You should either press Y or N. You can change this setting later on if you add or subtract a printer to your system. You will then be prompted for the name of a system manager name and password. It is extremely important that you enter your name correctly and then enter a password that you will be able to remember. This initial configuration will give you the highest possible security level, Level 9. That will give you the authority to add new users, set password requirements and in general, maintain the system. Please enter your name and password carefully. You do not need to set security levels at this time, but you may want to later. (See section on Security in this manual.) Next, you will be shown several helpful screens to read with the instruction "Press any key" when you are finished. It will also be pointed out in these screens that it is a good idea to read the UTILITIES--APPLICATION USAGE/SUPPORT screens before exploring the program. (It is OK to ignore this advice if you just can't wait to get into the program, but you should go back and read these screens soon thereafter!) Finally, the program will automatically configure itself to the type of computer and the speed at which your computer operates. The program will likewise configure itself to the type of monitor and video card you are using. These automatic configurations will be saved and used throughout the life of the program. SECURITY In order to maintain confidentiality of the information you store with this program, you can set security levels for most of the menu options. You can set different security levels for ADD, VIEW, MODIFY, DELETE and PRINT for each of the main menu options. You can also set security levels for the LETTER option in WORD PROCESSOR and the TEST option in VOCABULARY. Most importantly, you can set the security level for accessing the SYSTEM ACTIVITIES & DEFAULTS option under UTILITIES. Failure to do this would allow someone else access to these screens and they could lock out the system manager. Even if you do not activate any of the other security levels, you should still set this one to level 9. When you are prompted to set security levels, a "0" means no password will be required. A level of "1" or higher will require entry of a password prior to gaining access to the menu option. If you set the security level at "7" and someone that only has a security level of "5" tries to access the option, they will get an "Access Denied" message. For those menu options that a password is required (level 1 or higher), the user will be given several attempts to enter the correct password prior to returning them to the main menu. If the user name is not in the database, they will get the message "Invalid User Name." (The system manager needs to add the name as a new user.) If the password is incorrect, they will get an "Invalid Password" message. MAIN MENU General Instructions When the main menu first appears, you will notice that the bottom two lines of the screen are generally reserved for "keyboard assistance". This area will contain instructions as to which special keys are currently active. You will also note that the F1 key is generally available for help. To select a menu option, you can either move to the option using the up and down arrow keys and press Enter, or simply press the letter for the desired menu option. If you type the desired letter, you do not need to press the Enter key as you will advance directly to the next level. Once you select an option, you will be presented with a submenu. Generally, this submenu will consist of ADD, VIEW, MODIFY, DELETE and PRINT (the print option will be shown only if you indicated you have a printer connected). For the VOCABULARY option, you will also be presented with a TEST option. For the WORD PROCESSING option, you will be presented with a LETTER option (again, if you have indicated that you have a printer connected). You can select the option in the submenu in the same way you selected an option from the main menu. You generally use ADD to add a new item to the database, VIEW to view the items that were previously added, MODIFY to modify an item previously entered, DELETE to delete an item, and PRINT to print your data if you have a printer connected. (I told you it was easy!) There are times throughout the program where you will be asked if the item is RECURRING. You should either respond with a Y or an N, depending on whether you want to add another similar activity. Entering Y will "carry over" the same data into the next input screen, and you need only modify those items that are different. If you want to add more items, but they are different activities, just answer N and you will then be provided with an empty input screen. For example, if you are going to attend a seminar on 2/15 and 2/18, you should answer Y to RECURRING when entering the first item. Then you will only need to change the "5" to an "8" when entering the second item. The other frequently asked question is whether you want the activity added to the CALENDAR. You should again either answer a Y or an N. If you enter a Y, the activity will automatically be added to the CALENDAR database. (The item will appear along with the other activities in the CALENDAR portion of the main menu screen.) NOTE: If you later delete the item from the individual database it will not delete from the CALENDAR database unless you select CALENDAR, DELETE and select the item. Finally, there are a number of databases where you can select a "CATEGORY" when VIEWING, MODIFYING OR DELETING. If you cannot remember the category you used when entering the data, simply press the F2 key to see previous entries (F2 will be displayed in the keyboard assist area) or press Enter to select all items in the database. NOTE: If you pass the field for which the F2 key is active and return to the field, the F2 message will again be displayed but the F2 key will not function. There are a number of databases that have "windows" where you can enter data into a free format. When presented with a window, you can type almost any amount of data. You can move up and down through the information in the window by using the up and down arrow keys. You can also use several word processing features like "End" to go to the end of the line and PageUp and PageDn to maneuver through the window. Finally, to exit the window, you must press the F7 key. Since most menu options work basically the same, the manual only goes into detail on the first menu option, AUTOMOBILE. Consequently, even if you do not plan to use this option, you should still read it. MENU SELECTIONS A - AUTOMOBILE You can use the AUTOMOBILE program to capture not only your planned maintenance activities, but more importantly, keep a history of activities that have taken place. In the Notes section, you can enter detailed reports of the conversations you had with service technicians, managers or sales people. For example: On January 7th, a technician told you your brakes only had about 5000 more miles before they needed to be replaced and the cost would be $69.95. You could enter that information into the NOTES window for later retrieval. If "Steve", the muffler store mechanic also told you that you should drive another 3000 miles before they would reevaluate your muffler, but that the guarantee would still be in effect even though the time had expired, you could enter that information as well. When you first add information, you will be prompted for the ACTIVITY, DATE, CAR, MILES and NOTES. The ACTIVITY entry is a summary field that should contain entries such as "Tune-up","Fix brakes" or something similar. You will then be prompted for the DATE and CAR. You can track information separately on as many vehicles as you like. If you can't remember how you entered a specific car, (ie. Ford, Van, Bronco, etc.) you will note in the keyboard assist area at the bottom of the screen that by pressing the F2 key you can see a listing of previously entered vehicles. After pressing F2, you can arrow down to the one you desire and press Enter. Doing so will automatically select that vehicle. Next, you will be prompted for MILES and ADD TO CALENDAR. If you want to make sure you don't forget a future activity, enter "Y" to add the ACTIVITY to the CALENDAR file. Finally, you will be given an opportunity to enter your comments, conversations, etc. into the free format NOTES window. You can continue to enter as much information as you want. The information will scroll within the window. When you are through entering NOTES, simply press the F7 key to exit the window. If you select VIEW, MODIFY, DELETE or PRINT, you will first be asked which car you are selecting. Again, if you cannot remember how the cars were entered, you can press F2 to assist you. If you do not want to restrict your activity to a specific car but want to see them all, simply press the Enter key without making an entry. In this section, you will be prompted for the Activity, Date, whether the activity is Recurring, and whether you want to add the activity to the Calendar (displayed on main menu screen). You may have to abbreviate the activity, but there should be plenty of room. The date entered must be a valid date (i.e.15/47/55 is not acceptable.) For more information about RECURRING and CALENDAR, see the General section under MAIN MENU. When using the PRINT option, you will be asked if you want to print the entire file (limited to a specific car if you choose to limit the list) or if you want to print only specified activities along with the NOTES that were entered. If you select the individual entries with the NOTES, you will then be provided with a scrolling window of records. You can scroll to the record you want, press the Enter key and that record will be printed. You can then move to any other records you want to print in a similar fashion. When you are finished selecting records, simply press the Esc key to return to the main menu. The paper will automatically be ejected at this time from the printer. (The printer needs to be on-line when you return to the main menu.) C - CALENDAR The CALENDAR option is designed primarily to capture future activities and information pertaining to those activities. It is not designed to record past events (unlike the AUTOMOBILE file). Each time you run DATA MANAGER--HOME, a comparison will be made between your computer's system date and the dates of the calendar activities. If any dates are in the past, you will be asked if you want to delete all activity dates that have passed. If you press Y, all old dates, along with their NOTES, will be deleted from the file. Pressing the N will leave the old activities intact. When adding data, you will be asked for the ACTIVITY, DATE, TIME (including AM/PM) and PERSON. A pop-up calendar is available when prompted for the DATE. To display the calendar, simply press the F5 key. (You will note that the F5 indicator will be displayed in the keyboard assist area at the bottom of the screen.) The pop-up calendar will display the current month with the current day being highlighted. To view other months, press the following keys: next month : right arrow previous month : left arrow same month, next year : up arrow same month, last year : down arrow To return to the input screen after viewing the calendar, press the Esc key. The final item you will be prompted for is RECURRING. Answering "Y" to this question will retain all of the data you just entered into the screen for the next item you will be entering. You only need to change the information that changed. When entering NOTES information, you can enter such reminders as "Take chart to meeting" as well as any other reminders you want to enter pertaining to that activity. D - DIRECTORY This program will enable you to do several things. You will be able to quickly find someone's phone number (and address) simply by searching by their first name, last name, subject or "friend of". For example, if you are a tennis player and you need to find a substitute for a match, you can easily list all individuals for whom you have entered "tennis" as the subject. Or, if you need to get in touch with your child, who is spending the afternoon with their friend Mary, you could either have the program list all "Mary"s, or list all the phone numbers where the "friend of" entry is the name of your child. Another useful feature is the ability to merge the WORD PROCESSING notes with entries in the DIRECTORY. In other words, if you wanted to send out a note concerning a tennis activity to all individuals (or some individuals) in the "tennis" subject, this is easily accomplished. Instructions for doing that are in the WORD PROCESSING section. When first entering data into the DIRECTORY, you will be asked to enter the name and address of the individual. If you don't know the answer to some of the questions, simply press Enter through any unknown answers. When entering SUBJECT or FRIEND OF, you can press F2 to review a list of prior entries into each of these fields. You will also have a NOTES section where you can put additional information like the person's work/home phone number or other pertinent data. When retrieving data, you will be able to "search" on several different fields and then be able to select from the possible entries by pressing the Enter key while on the record you want to review. F - FINANCIAL This program works much the same way as AUTOMOBILE in that you save historical data. You will be able to query the file to list all your bill due dates, balances, payments, outstanding debts, etc. for any individual account or for all accounts in specific categories. Although it may take extra time to enter in the data for your bills and payments, I think you will find having quick access to this data will be worth your time. In addition to the normal information you enter, you will be prompted for a CATEGORY. To gain the most from the system, you may want to categorize your accounts into such categories as"Utilities", "Charges", "Stores", "Insurance", etc. Later on, you will be able to restrict your searches by that category. Again, if you forget the categories, simply press the F2 to view and select from the categories previously entered. You can VIEW or PRINT your data by business expenses, tax deductions, paid, unpaid, type of account category, etc. Finally, the NOTES window is available for narrative comments such as "On 1/17, Mrs. Brown said that since the refrigerator was not delivered, I do not need to make a payment this month." (Hint: When entering data, use the F2 key to make sure you are entering data consistently and to save typing time.) I - INVENTORY In this section, you will be prompted for Item, Category, Date Purchased, Where Purchased, Purchase Cost, Serial Number and Value. You can use this database to track many different categories of information by using the category option. You can use it for insurance purposes, equipment at the home, collections, etc. Just press <Enter> for any prompt that does not apply to what you are inventorying. If you are using this program to create a log for insurance purposes, it is a good idea to print out the listing and store it somewhere else. E - EXERCISE In this section, you will be prompted for Name, Date, Activity, Length and Time. You can later measure your progress by selecting the Name you want to view. If the security level is set to "1" or higher, you will only be able to view the data that applies to the name and matching password. J - JOBS (TO DO) In this section, you will be asked for Activity, Person, Due Date, Add to Calendar and Priority (1-9). You can view this list by selecting a specific person. These entries can also be added automatically to the Calendar database. L - LIBRARY You can use this menu option to keep an up-to-date inventory of your entire collection of audio and video recordings. When selecting TYPE, simply enter CD, VCR, CASSETTE, FILM, or whatever. For those items that have a digital counter location, enter the number for quick access later on. M - MESSAGE In this section, you can leave messages (telephone or other) for any user that has access to the PC. If you have the security level set to "1" or higher, only those individuals who have been added as users to the system will be able to retrieve their messages (see Security Section). Again, if security is on, messages can only be viewed by the intended individual, and only the individual that left a message will be allowed to modify or delete the message they left. However, if security is not in place, anyone will be able to add, view, modify and delete anyone's messages. Finally, if a printer is connected (and you have so indicated in the PRINTER/CLEAR-SCREEN OPTIONS), you will be able to print out a message before answering the question about whether the message should be deleted. To print the message, press the F10 key when the F10 message appears in the keyboard assist area in the bottom two rows of the screen. (Because of the nature of the Message Center program, the PRINT option to print all messages will not appear in the menu.) The printer will automatically eject after you exit the message. When the password requirement is in effect for leaving messages, you will be able to type your message before being asked for your password. This eliminates the need for someone to go through the password routine before they can start taking a phone message. However, only valid users will be allowed to leave messages. O - OUTLINE You can use OUTLINE as a project manager or simply to prepare outlines. Although it is similar to the other programs, there are some major differences. Generally, to use OUTLINE as a project manager, enter "Y" when asked if you want "Person/Date" entries. If you only want to create outlines for meeting agendas or similar lists, answer "N". When you want to insert a new item in an outline, you just go to the spot where you want to insert the line and press the Ins key. A new blank line will be inserted for you to enter your data. However, prior to entering data, you must first decide upon the level of outline. In other words, are you creating a new I, A, 1, a, etc.? These choices can be seen by pressing the right arrow key to move "in" to the outline or the left arrow to move back out. (You probably will need to see this on the screen to understand these instructions.) Once you have selected the appropriate level you will then be able to enter your data. If you said you wanted to also show individual names and due dates, you will be prompted for that information as well. To delete a line, simply go to the line and press the Del key. For both of the above activities, the outline will renumber itself appropriately. For example if you have an A, B and C under roman numeral I and add an item between the A and B, the new item will become B. The former B and C will then become C and D. There will be some times where, because of the outline structure, other things will happen. For example, if you add a new roman numeral II between IA1a and IA1b the program will create empty lines for the missing items. Or, if you try to delete a IA but there is an IA1 and IA2, the program will not let you do so until you delete the sub-items. Again, you have to play with this to understand it. W - WEIGHT In this section, you will be prompted for Name, Date and Weight. To measure your progress, you can view the database by selecting your name in the VIEW option. If the security level is set to "1" or higher, you will only be able to view the data that applies to the name and matching password. P - PHONE CALL LOG This menu option can be used to track your phone calls with any notes you want to make. You can use this information to validate a long distance bill or simply to have a valuable history of phone conversations and dates. R - RECIPES In this section, you will be prompted for Title, Category, Ingredients and Instructions. You should think about how you want to categorize your recipes before you begin. For example, you could begin all breakfast recipes with a code "B" category, lunches with a code "L" and dinners with a code "D". You could begin all cakes with a "C", etc. You can further break down the choices with the second letter by showing all meat recipes for dinner with a "DM", all chicken recipes for dinner with a "DC" etc. You have up to 3 letters to categorize the recipes. After you categorize the recipe, you will have a window for Ingredients and then a second window for Instructions. You can print individual recipes or listings of recipes by category. S - SHOPPING In this section, you will be prompted for Item, Quantity, Store Category, Item Category, Aisle and Priority. You can enter categories such as "Grocery", "Hardware", etc. so that your shopping list will be restricted accordingly. When you access your list, you will also be prompted as to whether you want the items in Store Order, Aisle Order or Item Category Order. For example, if you had entered aisle information, the list can be printed out in aisle order. If not, you could print out your list in Item Category Order such as dairy, cans, freezer, etc. Finally, you will have the option to delete all items in your list after it has been printed. T - TV SCHEDULING In this section, you will be prompted for Name of Show, Date, Time, AM/PM, Recurring and Add to Calendar. For those shows that you want to add more than once, just show Y for Recurring. The information will be carried over to the next screen and you only need to change the appropriate items, probably the date. You can also add the TV show to the calendar database to be displayed on the main menu screen. U - UTILITIES See the next section dedicated to Utilities. V - VOCABULARY TEST Even though the title indicates vocabulary, this menu option can be used for a number of different learning exercises. Basically, the format is in the form of a question and an answer. You will enter the questions as the WORD/PHRASE and the answers as the TRANSLATION. When you select the TEST option from the submenu, you will be asked which way you want to be tested. You will be presented with a random set of WORD/PHRASES and you must supply the TRANSLATION, or you can be presented with the TRANSLATION and you must supply the WORD/PHRASE. You can set up multiple databases when you answer the prompt LANGUAGE/SUBJECT. Some of the subjects you can enter are foreign languages (Spanish, French, etc.), math problems (3 x 6, 1/8 + 3/5, etc.), states and capitals, and regular english vocabulary information. When you are in the TEST mode, you will be given three attempts to provide the correct answer. If you are unsuccessful, you will be provided with the answer. No totals or final score will be displayed or calculated. W - WORD PROCESSING This option is dependent on having a printer connected to the computer. You don't have to have a printer connected to ADD, VIEW, MODIFY or DELETE Word Processing documents. However, you do need to have a printer connected to select the LETTER option. When using this word processor, you can use the PageUp and PageDn keys to move a page at a time, the Ctrl PageUp and Ctrl PageDn keys, respectively, to move to the top and bottom of the document, the Ins key to switch back and forth between insert and typeover mode, and the normal up and down arrow keys. You can also merge a word processing document with the DIRECTORY database. To do this, select LETTER from the submenu (only shown if you have indicated that a printer is attached.) You will first be asked for the name of the document creator. All possible documents will be displayed in a window for you to select by pressing Enter. You will then be asked whether you want to merge your letter with DIRECTORY or NO MERGE. You will then be given the option to select a specific category of entries in the DIRECTORY database. You can either select a subject, or press the <Enter> key, which will provide you with the entire database. Once you have made this choice, a window of all possible items will be displayed. To print a letter, just put the "prompt line" on the name you want to select and press the <Enter> key. (This may be confusing to read, but I think you will find it easy when you do it.) You will remain in the window to select as many entries to merge with the letter as you like. At the bottom of the list, you are also given the option to send the letter to all individuals on the list. UTILITIES There are a number of submenus that are available by selecting the UTILITIES menu. The first submenu will automatically come up for all users regardless of how the security levels are set. The items in the first submenu are as follows: A - APPLICATION USAGE/SUPPORT This menu option provides a general description of the program, licensing, copying, and support. It should be read by all users. If you have a printer attached to your system, this menu option can print out a registration form. C - CHANGE PASSWORD (USER) This menu option is always available to users, regardless of their security level and any password restrictions. If the security system is put in place by the System Manager, users should use this option to change their passwords on a frequent basis. They will be prompted for Name, Old Password (and if it matches) a New Password. V - VALIDATE PROGRAM This menu option will only be displayed if the program has not been validated. If you select this option, an Initialization Number will be displayed on the screen and you will be asked to enter the Validation Number. To secure the validation number, you can print and mail the invoice (which lists the Initialization Number) from the APPLICATION USAGE/SUPPORT option or call us at (301) 750-0577. To secure the validation number, send the prepaid registration form to Software Masters in the envelope provided. We will then return the validation number to you. Failure to register your program will result in the display of registration reminder screens after 30 days. S - SYSTEM ACTIVITIES & DEFAULTS This menu option (which can be password protected) leads to the options described below: A - ADD NEW USERS As the system manager, you will use this option to add new users. When you add users, the database will be checked to make sure that the name was not previously entered. You will then be asked for the security level you want to assign the new user (! is the lowest level, 9 is the highest). Lastly, you will be asked for the beginning password for the user. It is generally a good idea to give the user their own name as an initial password. They should then change their password to something that only they know. (For more information, see the section on Security.) B - BACKUP OR RESTORE DATABASES This option can be used to backup the databases from a hard drive to the A: drive. You should obviously use the backup option frequently. If the program is not installed on a hard drive, this option should not be selected. If you use the restore option, you will completely replace all DATA MANAGER--HOME databases that are on the hard drive with the older databases from the last time you did a backup. Consequently, you should only select the restore option in extreme circumstances. C - COMPRESS DATABASES You should periodically select this option to delete the "window" data for those individual entries that have been deleted. This option is used to compress the databases that contain word processing "windows" that have been deleted because, unfortunately, the "windows" of data are not deleted when you delete individual items. The compression of other records is automatic. D - DEFAULTS You can use this option to set the following defaults: o Printer connected: This option is used to inform the program that you either do or do not have a printer connected. The answer will remain in effect until you reselect the option and change your answer. Pressing Y will allow you to print Messages, print lists and merge Word Processing letters. o Complete versus rising screen blank out Your monitor can be damaged by displaying a particular screen for extended periods of time. In order to prevent the main menu from "burning" an image on the monitor from continuous display, the main menu will either totally blank out or create "scrolling" windows that move and change colors at regular intervals. You will be asked whether you want total screen blank out or scrolling windows. When you first start the program, it will be set to give you the scrolling MESSAGES, JOBS and CALENDAR so you can tell at a glance if you have any messages, jobs or current calendar items. If, however, you do not want anything to be shown on the screen, you can use this option to set the screen to a total blank out. In either mode, the screen will not change for 30 seconds from when it is first displayed. If you want the main menu to remain continuously without going into either of the screen-save modes, just press the down arrow to the next selection on the menu when it first appears. o Color versus monochrome display The program will automatically detect the type of video card and set the colors appropriately. However, there are times where you may want to manually override the setting. The most common example is a laptop with a color card, which will work best in monochrome mode. There are other types of monitors, such as CGA, where the monochrome may be easier to read. o Verification of deletions without confirmation Normally, when deleting records, you will want to view them prior to deleting them. However, if you will be deleting a lot of records and you do not want to take the time to view each record prior to deletion, set this option "N". When you are then presented the scrolling window of records for deletion, simply pressing the Enter key on a record will delete it. NOTE: Be careful that you do not hold down the <Enter> key too long when selecting this option or you may inadvertently delete extra records. M - MODIFY A USER PASSWORD This section can be used when a user forgets their password. R - REINDEX DATABASES If an error message is ever displayed during the operation of the program, or if an item that you think was entered does not appear in the database, you should select this option. Occasionally a database "index" will become corrupted and reindexing may correct the problem. S - SECURITY LEVELS This section is used to set password security levels for all available menu options. (See the section on Security for more information.)