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1990-06-26
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.Main Menu Help, page 1 .
Welcome to ... .
. .
Magic Gradebook Manager, Shareware Version 3.05! .
(c) Copyright 1988,1989,1990 by Charles F. Monroe .
. .
Magic Gradebook Manager enables you to easily record grades for every .
student in every class you have and print detailed reports in seconds! .
. .
For each class file you create, you may enter up to 99 students and .
record as many grades as you wish under each of 4 different activities .
(tests, quizes, etc.) for both nine weeks of a semester, limited only .
by your computer's memory. (256K is enough for most of us.) .
. .
. .
. .
.Main Menu Help, page 2 .
. .
What is Shareware? .
. .
A Shareware program may be copied and given away free of charge, but .
if you use the program, you must pay a nominal Shareware Fee. You pay .
only if you actually use the program! Please see the pages at the end .
of this help for details. .
. .
Shareware marketing depends upon the honesty and integrity of each .
user. It is a wonderful way to insure that good quality, affordable .
software is available to all who need it. .
. .
Help on how to use Magic Gradebook Manager follows ... .
. .
. .
.Main Menu Help, page 3 .
This program is menu-driven using a bar menu across the top of the .
screen──which is the Main Menu──and pull-down menus elsewhere. .
. .
To activate any item on any menu, use the arrow keys to highlight the .
item and press the Enter ─┘ key. .
. .
If you don't press a key for the number of minutes set by Time Out, .
a built-in screen blanker will blank the screen and display your .
computer's date and time until you do press a key, at which time .
your screen will return. .
. .
Four pull-down menus──File, Report, Setup, and Calendar──have their .
own special help just like this one. And you can get help while .
editing or setting up activities just by pressing the F1 key. .
. .
.Main Menu Help, page 4 .
. .
Not all menu items are available at all times, depending on their .
function. Those not available are displayed dimly (or without an .
arrowhead, if you're using black and white). For example, you can't .
edit until you have loaded a file using the File Menu. So the item .
named Edit on the Main Menu will become available only after loading .
a file. So will the items named Report, Setup, and Calendar. .
. .
Your usual starting procedure will be to highlight File on the Main .
Menu and press Enter ─┘. Then the File Menu will drop down into .
view. If you don't know what to do there, highlight Help, press .
Enter ─┘, and read the information that appears. Once you have .
loaded a file, or created a new one, you're ready to begin. It's .
easy to navigate using Magic Gradebook Manager! .
. .
.Main Menu Help, page 5 .
Here's a summary of the items on the Main Menu, with Hot Keys that .
get you there from anywhere ... fast! ... .
. .
File ... Displays the File Menu. Alt F .
. .
Edit ... Allows you to type and edit names, dates, scores, .
and assignment descriptions. Alt E .
. .
Report ... Displays the Report Menu. From there you can compile .
grade averages in seconds, and then view or print .
reports. Alt R .
. .
Setup ... Displays the Setup Menu. From there you can fully .
customize your gradebook just the way you want it. .
. .
.Main Menu Help, page 6 .
. .
. .
Calendar ... Displays the Calendar Menu. Set up a school calendar .
for any year up to 9999 A.D. in just minutes! .
. .
Title ... Displays the official title window with the copyright .
notice. .
. .
B/W or Color ... Allows you to switch between color and black and .
white on color monitors. (If your computer uses a .
monochrome adapter, this item will not appear.) .
. .
. .
. .
. .
.Main Menu Help, page 7 .
. .
Help ... Displays a menu which allows viewing help for the .
Main Menu, or printing documentation. Print Help .
prints the entire help file. Print README.DOC does .
just that. .
. .
Exit ... Exits to DOS. Always end the program using this item. .
That way, if your data has not been saved to disk, .
you'll get a warning and a last opportunity to save it. .
. .
Note: You can exit quickly from anywhere in the program .
by pressing Alt X. .
. .
. .
. .
.Main Menu Help, page 8 .
When you run Magic Gradebook Manager from DOS, you may place any or .
all of the following parameters on the command line like this: .
. .
A>GRADEBK -C -E -EGA .
. .
The possible parameters are: .
. .
-BW Forces program start-up in black-and-white. .
-C Forces program start-up in color (ignored by Monochromes). .
-E Sets "expert" mode. Skips start-up screens. .
-EGA Use with EGA's and VGA's to speed up screen output by .
omitting snow checking. .
-B: Let's you choose a data drive (use any valid drive letter). .
-NOSPOOL Disables print spooling even if DOS spooler is present. .
. .
.Main Menu Help, page 9 .
Here are seven reasons why Magic Gradebook Manager is likely to be .
the best little gradebook program you've ever found ... .
. .
1 It's AFFORDABLE. .
2 It attempts to be user friendly, and has help screens to .
explain what's going on wherever you are in the program. .
3 The Edit Grid allows the easiest possible full-screen editing .
of your gradebook. .
4 The pop-up windows give you a sense of where you've been and .
where you're going at all times. .
5 If you have a suggestion for improvement, you can write to the .
programmer at the address on the last page of this help. .
6 Upgrades and enhanced versions will be forthcoming. .
7 Registered Users receive Upgrade notices and discounts. .
. .
.Main Menu Help, page 10 .
Shareware Fees .
.
Individual Registered User $20 .
.
School Building Site Licenses $65 per building plus .
$2 per teacher using the program .
.
The school and each listed teacher .
become Registered Users. .
.
All Registered Users receive user-support, free notification of future .
upgrades, and drastic discounts on those upgrades! .
.
Please see next page for remittance information ... .
.
.Main Menu Help, page 11 .
Dear user, .
. .
You'll be glad you decided to use Magic Gradebook Manager! If you have .
any suggestions for improvement, please let me know. .
.
Please remit Shareware Fees by check or money order payable to: .
. .
Charles F. Monroe .
351 Ft. Worth Ave., Apt. #203 .
Norfolk, VA 23505 .
. .
Sincerely, .
Charles F. Monroe .
. .
. .
.Setup Help, page 1 .
. .
. .
. .
The Setup Menu lists all the options you need to fully customize .
each Magic Gradebook Manager file. .
. .
To access any item, simply highlight it and press Enter ─┘, just as .
you did to view this help. .
. .
An explanation of each item's function follows ... .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
.Setup Help, page 2 .
Activities .
. .
Use Activities to setup your grading activities for the entire .
semester. For each nine weeks marking period, you may type in up .
to 4 activities, select any of 3 grading methods for each, and .
specify the percentage weight of each. You may also customize the .
relative percentage weights of both nine weeks and the final exam. .
. .
Activities are grading devices such as TESTS, QUIZES, etc., that you .
type underneath the column headed "Activity". .
. .
Press F1 from the Activity Setup window to get help on how to set up .
your activities. .
. .
. .
.Setup Help, page 3 .
Plus/Minus Option .
. .
Whenever you select LETTERS as a grading method for an activity, Magic .
Gradebook Manager checks the Plus/Minus Option to see if it is ON. If .
it is ON, you will be allowed to place pluses (+) and minuses (-) .
after letter grades. .
. .
Use this option to turn the Plus/Minus Option ON or OFF. If you .
attempt to turn it OFF after recording any letter grades with a plus .
or minus, you will be asked if you wish to remove the pluses and .
minuses before turning it OFF. .
. .
Whenever you see LETTERS/± in the lower right corner of the screen, .
you know that the Plus/Minus Option is ON. .
. .
.Setup Help, page 4 .
. .
Grading Scale .
. .
This item displays the minimum average percentages for each letter .
grade and allows you to change them. .
. .
To change the preset values, type your new values next to the old .
ones, pressing Enter ─┘ after each new value. .
. .
These are the values Magic Gradebook Manager will use to convert .
PERCENTS and POINTS to letter grades when compiling grade averages. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
.Setup Help, page 5 .
. .
Letter Grade Values .
. .
This item allows you to adjust the numerical equivalents of letter .
grades by typing in the minimum value of each. .
. .
When letter grades are averaged, any average greater than or equal to .
the minimum value but less than the next higher minimum value would .
receive that letter grade. .
. .
Note that to assign a letter grade a value for computing, the minimum .
value is not used. Instead, the average of the minimum values of .
the letter grade and the one just above it is used. .
. .
. .
.Setup Help, page 6 .
Class Name .
. .
This item allows you to record the name of the class or course. .
. .
Examples would be "10Y ENGLISH" or "BASIC ALG"──anything that you .
can fit into 11 spaces. .
. .
Period .
. .
This item allows you to record the period in which your class meets. .
. .
Simply type the period number and press Enter ─┘. .
. .
. .
. .
.Activity Setup Help, page 1 .
. .
To start a new activity ... .
. .
Highlight the dashed line --------- and type the name you .
want to give the activity (TESTS, QUIZES, etc.). .
. .
To delete an activity ... .
. .
Highlight it, space over its name, and press Enter ─┘. If .
grades would be lost, you'll be warned first. .
. .
To change an activity's name ... .
. .
Highlight the old name and type the new name. .
. .
.Activity Setup Help, page 2 .
. .
. .
To change a Grading Method ... .
.
Highlight the old method and press Enter ─┘. Keep pressing .
Enter ─┘ until you get what you want──either PERCENTS, .
LETTERS, or POINTS. If changing methods would erase data, .
you'll be warned first. .
. .
To change the Percent of Grade of an activity ... .
. .
Highlight the old percent of grade and retype it. .
. .
. .
. .
.Activity Setup Help, page 3 .
. .
To change the Grading Method of the Final Exam ... .
. .
Use the same procedure as you would to change any other grading .
method. Just press Enter ─┘ until you get what you want. .
. .
Percentage Weight values on the right of the Activity Setup window .
represent the averages of the Nine Week marking periods and the .
Final Exam. .
. .
The values you type for them will be used to compile semester grades. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
.File Menu Help, page 1 .
. .
The following pages provide assistance in using the File Menu. .
. .
Note that you must load a file before you can begin using the program. .
. .
To load a data file... .
. .
Highlight Load on the File Menu and press Enter ─┘. A window will .
appear displaying the files on your disk in the current directory. .
. .
Then use the arrow keys to highlight the name of the file you wish .
to load and press Enter ─┘ again. You will then be asked to type .
the file's password, unless it is the same as a previously loaded .
file. .
. .
.File Menu Help, page 2 .
. .
. .
To create a new data file... .
. .
Highlight Load on the File Menu and press Enter ─┘. A window will .
appear displaying any files already there. With the words .
--new file-- still highlighted, press Enter ─┘, type your file .
name, and press Enter ─┘ again. .
. .
You will then be asked if you want to create a new file by the new .
name. Press Y for yes. Then enter a password for the new file. .
. .
Then proceed to the Calendar and Setup menus before Editing. .
. .
. .
.File Menu Help, page 3 .
. .
To save your data to disk... .
. .
Highlight Save on the File Menu and press Enter ─┘. Your data .
will be instantly saved to disk under the current file name. .
Look for the drive light to come on when this happens. .
. .
You can also save your data while editing by pressing Alt Q. .
.
Note: As an assistance to you, Magic Gradebook Manager displays .
an asterisk after the word File in the lower lefthand corner .
of the screen any time you have made changes to your data .
that need to be saved. .
.
. .
.File Menu Help, page 4 .
. .
To change disk drives... .
. .
Highlight Change Drives on the File Menu and press Enter ─┘. The .
current drive letter will be displayed and you will be asked to .
type the new drive letter. Do so and press Enter ─┘. .
. .
To change directories... .
.
Highlight Load on the File Menu and press Enter ─┘. Then use the .
arrow keys to highlight a directory name (these end with \) and .
press Enter ─┘. Remember that ..\ means the parent directory. .
Normally, you will not need to change directories unless you are .
using a hard disk. .
. .
.File Menu Help, page 5 .
To change the file mask... .
. .
Highlight Change File Mask on the File Menu and press Enter ─┘. .
Then type the new file mask and press Enter ─┘ again. Your new .
mask will be saved to disk and used everytime you run Magic .
Gradebook Manager. .
. .
What in the world is a file mask? It is a symbolic filter that .
keeps unneeded file names from being displayed when you load a .
data file. It looks just like a file name, except that it contains .
the symbols ? and *. ? represents any character and * represents .
any group of characters. The mask *.*, for example, will display .
all files, and the mask *.SM1 will display only those files ending .
with .SM1. .
. .
.File Menu Help, page 6 .
. .
Using Copy to... .
. .
This feature allows you to make a copy of any Magic Gradebook .
Manager data file. The new copy will contain all the data of .
your current file except dates and scores. You'll find it great .
for saving time in setting up calendars and activities. .
. .
Highlight Copy to ... on the File Menu and press Enter ─┘. Then .
type the name of the file which is to be a copy of your current .
file and press Enter ─┘ again. .
. .
Note that the new file will have the same password as the previous .
one. .
. .
.File Menu Help, page 7 .
To clear your data... .
. .
Highlight Clear on the File Menu and press Enter ─┘. If your data .
has not been saved to disk, you will get a warning first. .
Otherwise, clearing is instantaneous. .
. .
Note: (1) Clearing your data erases it──along with any changes .
you have made since the last save──from the computer's .
memory and from the screen, but NOT FROM THE DISK. .
. .
(2) Use this feature when you don't want unauthorized .
persons looking at your data. .
. .
(3) It's a good idea to save your data before you clear it. .
. .
.File Menu Help, page 8 .
To change a file's password... .
. .
Highlight Change Password on the File Menu and press Enter ─┘. .
Then type the current password and the new password of your choice, .
pressing Enter ─┘ after each. .
. .
Note: (1) When you type the current password, it is not displayed .
on the screen. .
. .
(2) The new password is not saved to disk until you save .
your current data. .
. .
(3) Forget your password? See accompanying documentation. .
. .
. .
.File Menu Help, page 9 .
. .
. .
To set the number of minutes before Time Out ... .
. .
Highlight Time Out on the File Menu and press Enter ─┘. Then .
type a number from 1 to 255 and press Enter ─┘. Or press Esc not .
to change the number. .
. .
The Time Out Number is the number of minutes Magic Gradebook .
Manager will wait before it blanks the screen and displays a .
date and time message. The new number you type is also saved to .
disk and is used each time you run the program. .
. .
. .
. .
.File Menu Help, page 10 .
. .
To set the Auto Save Number ... .
. .
Highlight Auto Save on the File Menu and press Enter ─┘. Then .
type a number from 0 to 255 and press Enter ─┘. Or press Esc not .
to change the number. .
. .
The Auto Save Number is the number of minutes Magic Gradebook .
Manager will wait before it automatically saves any changes to your .
current file. The new number you type is also saved to disk and is .
used each time you run the program. .
. .
Setting the Auto Save Number to 0 disables auto saving. .
. .
. .
.Report Menu Help, page 1 .
The Report Menu enables you to .
. .
1 Compile grade averages using 4 different methods .
2 View the Class Summary and Half-Page Individual .
Summaries on the screen .
3 Print any of 9 different gradebook Reports .
4 Select an appropriate printer .
5 Setup Magic Gradebook Manager to print .
to your own custom printer .
6 Choose the reporting period and report date of .
your reports .
7 Include or omit class rank on your reports .
8 Place a heading on your printed report .
. .
. .
.Report Menu Help, page 2 .
. .
To Compile Grade Averages .
. .
Highlight Compile Grade Averages and press Enter ─┘. Then select .
one of the four compilation methods which are available. All four .
methods work identically to compute Activity Averages: percents, .
points, or letters (using their numerical values) are averaged as you .
have entered them. .
. .
The Gradepoint Method converts all Activity Averages, including the .
Final Exam, to letter grades and uses their numerical values to .
compute Nine Weeks and Semester grades. .
. .
However ... .
. .
.Report Menu Help, page 3 .
. .
If you are using percents for all activities including the Final Exam, .
you will be allowed to select the Percent Method. Then only percent .
values will be used throughout the compilation process and all letter .
grade averages will be based upon the resulting percent averages. .
. .
Both the Gradepoint Method and the Percent Method have a second .
version (noted by a ± symbol) which keeps pluses and minuses on Nine .
Weeks and Exam letter grade averages. OTHERWISE PLUSES AND MINUSES .
ARE STRIPPED. .
. .
This is especially important when compiling semester grades, as .
significantly different results may be obtained. The option is .
provided to meet the needs of as many school systems as possible. .
. .
.Report Menu Help, page 4 .
. .
If you have not turned the Plus/Minus Option ON (from the Setup Menu), .
the second versions of the Gradepoint and Percent Methods will not be .
available to you. .
. .
. .
When an activity uses points, Magic Gradebook Manager will pause and .
display the maximum points found for that activity (which is the .
sum of the highest points for each day), the highest individual score, .
and a custom value which would curve the class average to a grade of .
C. You may change the custom value. Then highlight the value you .
wish to use and press Enter ─┘. .
. .
. .
. .
.Report Menu Help, page 5 .
. .
. .
To Select An Appropriate Printer .
. .
Highlight Printer Setup and Select Another Printer, pressing Enter .
─┘ after each. A list of printers will appear, the last of which is a .
custom printer whose name and printer codes you can change. .
. .
Highlight the name of the printer you wish to select and press Enter .
─┘. It's just that easy. .
.
. If your printer is not listed, read the next page ... .
. .
. .
. .
.Report Menu Help, page 6 .
Setting up for printers not listed ... .
.
You can configure Magic Gradebook Manager to communicate with any .
printer. Highlight Printer Setup and Setup Custom Printer, pressing .
Enter ─┘ after each. .
. .
Doing so will cause the Custom Printer Setup window to appear. From .
this window you can type in your own printer's name and its control .
codes which you will find in your printer manual. From then on, the .
printer name you type will appear as the last printer in the printer .
list instead of Custom Printer and you can select it as described .
on the previous help page. .
.
Use the Printer Test to make sure you have entered the correct codes. .
.
.Report Menu Help, page 7 .
Before printing a report ... .
. .
Before printing a report, you will need to compile grade averages .
and verify that all items in the Report Status window are correct. .
. .
If any item needs changing, highlight the name of the item in the .
Report Menu and press Enter ─┘. .
. .
. .
Notice that, depending on the reporting period you have selected, .
certain reports are not available for printing. Only those reports .
which are relevant to your selected reporting period will be .
available. If you are using a custom printer, reports requiring .
any control codes you have omitted will also not be available. .
. .
.Report Menu Help, page 8 .
To Print a Report .
. .
First compile grades and verify that all items in the Report Status .
window are correct. .
. .
Then highlight Print Reports and press Enter ─┘. .
. .
Next, highlight the name of the report you wish to print and press .
Enter ─┘ again. Keep selecting any options that may appear until .
Print Now? (Y/N) appears. Then prepare your printer and press Y. .
. .
Note: Any grades that you have entered into your gradebook that are .
dated after the report date will not be reflected in the .
printed report. .
. .
.Calendar Menu Help, page 1 .
.
In order for Magic Gradebook Manager to keep track of the dates in .
your gradebook, you must use the items on the Calendar Menu to set .
up a calendar. In just a few short minutes, you can set up the entire .
semester. The items are ... .
.
View ... Displays the current calendar. .
.
Revise ... Displays the current calendar, but allows to you to .
revise marking periods and holidays. .
.
New Calendar ... Asks you for the beginning year and month and then .
instantly displays a new calendar for you to use to .
set up marking periods and holidays. .
. .
.Calendar Menu Help, page 2 .
To revise or set up a new semester calendar ... .
. .
Highlight Revise or New Calendar and press Enter ─┘. If you select .
New Calendar, type the year and month when asked, pressing Enter ─┘ .
after each. Then a six-month calendar will be displayed. .
. .
The procedures for revising or setting up a new calendar are .
identical. All you have to do is indicate on which dates the marking .
periods begin and end. Then indicate which days are holidays. .
Simply use the arrow keys to move to the date which you wish to mark .
as the beginning or ending of a marking period or as a holiday. Then .
press the appropriate key as indicated at the bottom of the screen. .
. .
. .
. .
.Calendar Menu Help, page 3 .
On color monitors, the marking periods and holidays are color coded .
for your convenience. .
. .
When you are finished making your changes, press F2 to keep your .
changes. They won't actually be saved to disk until you save your .
current file. Note that these changes will be saved only in your .
current data file. Calendar setups are data file specific! .
. .
If you decide not to keep your changes, press Esc. The next time you .
view your calendar, you'll see that it has gone back to what it was .
before. .
. .
You may press the F1 key to view this help any time while working on .
your calendar. .
. .
