____ _______________ _______________ / \ / \ / \ / /\ / // \ / / \ / _________// _____ \ / / \ / / //\ / /\ \ / / \ / / // \ \ / \ \ / / \ / \_______// \ \ / \ \ / / / \ \ \ \ \ \ / / / mUb \ \ \ \ \ \ / \________/__ __\_________ \ __/ \_____/ \ \ \ / \ / / \ // \\ / \_______________/ \______________________/ \_____________________/ \ \ \ / / / \ \ \ / / / \ \ \ / / / \ \ \ / / / \______________\/ \____________/ \/____________________/ P R E S E N T F U L L D O C U M E N T A T I O N T O D I G I T A H O M E A C C O U N T S Typed by SIDEWINDER/LSD. NOTE: This is another old document, but as before we have never seen it on the amiga. QUICK START FOR EXPERIENCED USERS If you have some operating knowledge of the Commodore Amiga and Workbench, and computing experience, this section will help you get going quickly by simply pointing you in the right direction. However, you will still need to refer to various parts of the manual for detailed information. 1. Firstly ensure you have a formatted disk ready. Then backup the HOME ACCOUNTS disk. 2. Read 'General Systems Overview' and 'Operating Notes' to get a general appreciation, and information on editing. 3. Run 'Home Accounts' from the backup copy of HOME ACCOUNTS. 4. Set today's date when prompted in format '01 Jan 88'. This is essential for the program to function correctly. 5. Select Option 'Account - New', and enter details of account(s) as prompted. See reference section for details. It is essential that a two character Account Code is used. The accounts in use will be shown at the bottom of the screen, and they are selected using the mouse. Credit/Debits for opening account balance is set in front of the amount. Enter '+' (optional) or '-' for credit or debit. 6. Set up Expenditure and Income types using 'Edit - Type' option. See reference section. 7. Set up a budget (optional) using 'Edit - Budget'. See reference section. 8. Use 'Edit - Regular Transactions' to set up standing orders and regular transfers between accounts. Please note: For transfers between accounts use type 'TRAN' Put credits in 'TO' account code column and debits in 'FROM' account code column when entering 2 digit account codes. The maximum and minimum balance amounts are optional, and switched on/off by clicking appropriate box. 9. Enter account transactions with 'Edit - Manual transactions'. Regular transactions are automatically included in the list of manual transactions after they have been credited or debited to the accounts. 10. The range of reports is fairly self-explanatory, but please note that not all report select options apply to all reports. For example, it is not possible to select Pie Charts for a report giving a list of manual transactions. See 'Reports' in reference section. 11. Save file with 'Project - Save' option. The above guidelines will help you to get started, but please read the reference section for more details. OPERATING NOTES HOME ACCOUNTS runs under Workbench, and menu options are selected using the mouse, as described in the Amiga manual. When editing text the keyboard is used as follows: MOUSE POINTER To move from field to field LEFT/RIGHT ARROW Moves cursor through the field SHIFT LEFT/RIGHT ARROW Moves cursor to the start/end of field DEL Delete character under cursor BACKSPACE Delete character to the left of cursor RIGHT AMIGA - Q Undo the text RIGHT AMIGA - X Clear the text Only valid keys can be used. For example, with integar fields, only numeric keys (0-9) are allowed. To move the cursor directly to a field for editing, use the mouse and point to the field in the edit box (just above the account icons at the bottom of the screen). IMPORTANT NOTE: To delete a complete line, hold down CTRL, move the pointer to the line and click the mouse. DATES When entering dates use the following format: 20 Jan 89. The program will check the date is valid, and give an error message if necessary. (See Edit - Date/Time option.) IMPORTANT NOTE: Please note that the program uses the system date in order to ensure that regular transactions are correctly inserted, and this date is saved with the file so the program knows when it was used. If you set the date incorrectly, it is likely that regular transactions will be omitted or, alternatively, added to the accounts too soon. HELP The on-line HELP screen for editor commands/options is selected from the menu options. GETTING STARTED FIRST TIME 1. Make a backup copy of the HOME ACCOUNTS disk. 2. Insert the backup copy of the HOME ACCOUNTS disk in any drive, and double click the HOME ACCOUNTS icon from the Workbench. 3. Any amendments to HOME ACCOUNTS not covered in this manual will be included on the program disk in the Notepad. Check to see if the file exists. If it does NOT then go to step 5. 4. If this file exists (i.e. there are manual amendments), double click the icon. If you have a printer, it is a good idea to print the READ.ME file for future reference. 5. Double click the HOME ACCOUNTS icon. This will load and run the program. TUTORIAL You should have backed up your Home Accounts disk, and have some idea of the facilities available. The purpose of this section is work through step by step setting up two simple accounts and a budget in one file. This will take about an hour if you are reasonably familiar with using your Amiga, and demonstrate the design concept behind Home Accounts. BASIC SYSTEM CONCEPT The system uses the following design logic: SETTING UP: 1. Enter basic information about each of your accounts. (Current, savings, credit cards, etc.) 2. Define the various items of expenditure you will be using. (e.g., Housekeeping, Petrol, Clothes, etc.). 3. Enter your budgeted expenditure for each item each month. This facility is optional. 4. Enter details of all regular transactions, such as standing orders. USING: When you use the program you enter today's date, load the current file from disk and then enter all transactions since the last update. Any bank statements can be checked using a special 'star' facility, explained later. The program will automatically enter regular transactions (by checking dates), and you will then be able to use any of the reporting options to keep a tight control on your finances. 1. Carry out procedure under 'Getting Started First Time'. 2. Amend the date as explained under 'Operating Notes' to 01 Jan 88 (see Edit - Date/Time option). This would normally be today's date, but for this tutorial it is important the date matches the examples given. You may also set or amend the time, but this is not essential. Click the 'OK' gadget. 3. Select ACCOUNT, followed by NEW. 4. Click on Account Number and then enter the account number '123-456-78', and then press RETURN. More information is given about amending or deleting information under 'Operating Notes'. 5. The next two lines will be the account name, and these will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. Enter 'Midland' in line 1 and 'Current' in line 2. Press RETURN to select the next field. 6. Accounts are subsequently referred to by a two letter code, and it is suggested you choose the first letter of each account name line, which in this case will be 'MC' (Midland Current). Enter this after Account Code. 7. In many cases you will want to ensure the account is managed within certain limits. This might be to avoid bank charges at the lower end, or simply because it would not be sensible to keep too much money in certain types of account, such as a current account. The program will give a warning if these limits are in danger of being exceeded. Firstly enter + or - depending on whether the limit is to be positive or negative. Having set this, simply enter the limit. In the case of positive limits it is not necessary to enter a + sign. In this example, move to the next section and set the max. limit to 1800, and leave the minimum as zero. The warning can be switched on and off by clicking the ON/OFF boxes. Switch them both ON. 8. Set the Opening Balance to £300. You will notice it is possible to go back and amend any field simply by pointing and clicking to move the cursor to that field. Click the OK gadget. 9. Using the same method as in steps 3 to 8 above, set up another new account with the following details: Account number: 54321 Account Name Line 1: Midland Account Name Line 2: Deposit Account Code: MD Warning Limit max: 8000 ON Warning Limit min: 500 ON Starting Balance: 1000 You will now see the two accounts set up at the bottom of the screen. Move the pointer onto one of the account boxes and click. The account is now shown in reverse video and is the one currently in use. This is the one that all reporting and editing options will apply to. Any account can be selected by clicking on the appropriate box. Try changing them, but leave the 'Midland Current' account set when finished. 10. Select EDIT, followed by TYPE. We need to enter into the system the various categories of income and expenditure that will be used by your accounts. The types refer to ALL accounts, and do not need to be set for each account. If they are not programmed in they will be excluded from the reports. Once they have been entered they are subsequently referred to by a short code of up to 4 characters. In our example we will use SALARY, HOUSEKEEPING, CLOTHES, PETROL, MISCELLANEOUS, MORTGAGE, SAVINGS and TRANSFER. In practise you will need far more, and the program will accept up to 60. The last type is used specifically for transfers between accounts, and is mentioned again later. 11. The EDIT box is used to enter data. The line which was previously edited in the EDIT BOX. Should no text appear in the EDIT BOX, this indicates that a new line is ready to be entered. If at any time, you wish to enter a new line and the edit box is full, select the first line on the screen with the mouse. Should you wish to edit an existing line, select the line with the mouse. This line is then copied into the EDIT BOX. Once editing is completed, the new line will be replaced in the listing. Enter 'SAL', and then press RETURN onto the next field. Note that SAL will be shown in the upper case, irrespective of the settings of the shift key, when the entry is completed. 12. Enter 'Salary' under the description. You will see that it is possible to enter quite a long description, should you find this necessary. When finishing editing a line, select the ENTER icon, alternatively if this is the last field, press RETURN. If this line is correct, it will be entered in the listing. If not, you will be asked to amend as required. Once entered, the next line is displayed in the EDIT BOX (if there is one). Don't forget you can refer to the Operating Notes section for more information about changing or deleting text you enter. 13. Continue to enter the following types and descriptions: HK Housekeeping CL Clothes PTRL Petrol MISC Miscellaneous MORT Mortgage SAVE Savings (regular payments to a deposit account) TRAN Transfers between accounts Make sure you press RETURN after entering the last line. Before continuing, we will have a look at the 7 boxes near the bottom of the screen, as you will find these on several screens:  scroll up one page  scroll up one line EXIT: leave editing mode UPDATE: sort field into alphabetical order depending on selected sort field ENTER: insert line into listing  scroll down one line  scroll down one page Note: Scrolling only applies when more than 13 lines have been entered. 14. Clicking on UPDATE will sort the types into alphabetical order, so try this now. 15. Now click on EXIT to finish with this screen. You must EXIT from a screen before choosing another option. You may like to have a quick look at the MEMO facility, which is accessed via the EDIT option. You have available a memo pad with each account, and this can be used to store information, such as telephone numbers. You could also use it to keep passwords, cash card numbers, etc. but bear in mind security, and do NOT leave printed copies lying around! SETTING UP A BUDGET The next step is to set up a budget. This is optional, but using this facility will certainly ease your financial management. 16. Select EDIT followed by BUDGET Having had some practise with using the edit screen you should find it straightforward to set up a budget. The various columns are: TYPE: The expenditure type (CL, HK, MISC, etc.) ACC: The account to which the budget applies (MC or MD) MONTH: The budget expenditure for that month. Although the months on the screen start from January, your budget could start from any month. 17. As with the previous screens, press RETURN to move onto the next field. Set up the following budget. You will notice that each line is totalled when you select the ENTER icon. Type Acc Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total CL MC 100 50 50 75 60 60 60 60 60 60 75 75 785 HK MC 150 150 150 150 150 150 160 160 160 160 160 160 1860 MISC MC 100 100 100 100 100 150 150 150 150 110 110 100 1430 MORT MC 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 2400 PTRL MC 50 50 50 50 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 680 SAVE MC 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 480 18. Now click on the UPDATE box, and the monthly and annual expenditure totals will be shown. Your total should be £7,635. Clearly an income of at least £636.25 per month is needed to meet this budget. Click the OK gadget to clear this screen, and then click EXIT. SET UP REGULAR TRANSACTIONS 19. Select REGULAR TRANSACTIONS from the EDIT Option. This screen is used to set up regular transactions. The system is fully automatic, and works by looking at the difference between the date you last used the program and today's date. Any regular transactions due between these dates will automatically be entered, if not already entered. In our example this will be a monthly mortgage payment, and monthly transfer of savings to the Deposit Account. 20. Set up the following data: Start Date 15 Jan 88 [This will be the date of the first standing order.] Exp Date 15 Dec 88 [This will be the date of the final standing order.] Type MORT [The type of transaction (Mortgage).] F(requency) M(onthly) [How often the order applies.] From MC [This shows the payment is from the Midland Current Account.] To [This only applies if transferring to one of your accounts, in which case the type must be TRAN for transfer. Do not enter anything for this example.] Details Mortgage [These details will be shown in the reports after the program has made the transaction.] Debit 200 [This will debit the Current Account by £200. You cannot enter an amount in both Debit and Credit.] Now select the ENTER icon, and the standing order will be set up. If you made an error an appropriate message will be given. 21. The next stage is to set up the automatic transfer of £40 per month on the 20th of each month. In this example it will run for two years. (The design of the file can be carried forward if necessary each year.) Enter the following data: Start Date 20 Jan 88 Exp Date 20 Dec 89 Type TRAN F(requency) M(onthly) From MC To MD Details Regular Savings Debit 40 Note that the type is TRAN; this means a transfer between accounts. 22. EXIT from regular transactions. SET UP MANUAL TRANSACTIONS One of the most common procedures you will be following will be to enter the day by day transactions, and this is explained next. 23. Select EDIT followed by MANUAL TRANSACTIONS. We will assume you have just been paid by a transfer direct into your current account. This is how the transaction is entered: Enter the Date of transaction. (02 Jan 88). 24. Enter the Type of transaction. (SAL, as defined earlier.) 25. The next column has a '*'. This is the 'star' facility for checking your bank statement against your computer. When you receive your Bank statement enter a '*' here, and the transaction will then be included in the balance at the right hand side of the screen. Leave this blank for now, and move onto the next field. 26. Enter details, (Salary), and then £752.69 in the Credit Column. Press RETURN, and the line will be checked and entered into memory. 27. Now enter a cheque expense for clothes: Date 21 Jan 88 Type CL * (leave blank) Details Chq 3421 Smiths Ltd Debit 28.99 28. And now a cash withdrawal for misc expenses: Date 06 Jan 88 Type MISC * (Leave Blank) Details Cash Machine Debit 50 29. Click the UPDATE box, and you will notice that even though they were entered in reverse order, they will be sorted correctly. It is also possible to sort in order of type, Debits or Credits, and this is explained in the reference section. 30. EXIT from the manual transactions. REPORTS The next stage is to briefly look at the Report Options, but before doing so we will 'force' the program to enter the standing orders for January. This would not normally be done, as they would be entered automatically each time you use the program. However, for the purposes of this tutorial we will jump from 1st January to 31st January. 31. Select SET DATE/TIME from the EDIT menu and change the date to 31 Jan 88. select UPDATE from the ACCOUNT menu. This will insert standing orders for January. A dialogue box will appear to confirm the file has been updated. 32. Select REPORT followed by REGULAR TRANSACTIONS. 33. All report options are selected in a similar way, and any incorrect selections will just result in no output. Using the mouse, make the following selections: Screen/Printer or Cancel Select screen and you will see a listing on the screen of your regular transactions. There are several rules to bear in mind when using the report options, and these are explained in the reference section. If you did not get the report you expected, please see reference section. 34. Finally, we will save the masterpiece! Select PROJECT followed by SAVE. Enter a file name up to 8 characters followed by the extension .HA and then click on the OK gadget. If the file had already been saved or loaded, the previous name would be given as default. This tutorial has not covered all option in detail, but sufficiently to give the basic operation logic. It is suggested you continue to experiment, and refer to the reference section for more information. Try entering various transactions with the EDIT MANUAL TRANSACTIONS option, and then display the comparison of actual expenditure against Budget with BUDGET PROGRESS option in the form of Bar Charts. REFERENCE SECTION This section covers each of the menu options in detail. It is suggested that you work through the tutorial section in order to grasp the basic system design. The method of using the editing and selection facilities is covered in 'Operating Notes', but refer to the Amiga manual if you are not familiar with basic concepts, such as copying disks, formatting and selecting with the mouse. HELP An on-line HELP screen is available. This summarises the editor commands/options. PROJECT PROJECT - HOME ACCOUNTS This is the copyright screen. PROJECT - NEW FILE This option simply erases the current file from memory, ready to start again if needed. A warning will be given, with a request for conformation before proceeding. GENERAL NOTES ON FILE SELECTION When loading/saving files, the File Selector Requester will appear. The Path Edit Field displays the current directory which can be amended as required. The Name Field is the file name, incuding extension (e.g., demo.ha). It is recommended that the extension .HA is used on all Home Accounts' files. The Pattern Field is used to select which files appear in the window and can include any valid AmigaDOS wildcards. The default is for all files with the .HA extension. If you change the Pattern Field or the Path Field and need to re- display the files, select the asterix box (to the right of the Pattern Field). To scroll the window one page at a time, select the  or  box as appropriate. Select a file using the mouse, or by typing the name in the Name Field. To accept the option and load/save a file, select the OK gadget. Use CANCEL to abort. PROJECT - LOAD This option is used to load a complete file into memory. HOME ACCOUNTS loads the complete file into memory, and does not need to access the disk again until the complete file is saved. This ensures the fastest possible program operation. 1. If there is already a file in memory you will get the warning 'Loading New Data Will Overwrite Any Existing Data'. Select 'OK' to continue with load, or 'Cancel' to stop. 2. This is two windows. The smaller window has the file and programs listed. The selection and disk directory options are in the larger window. 3. To load a file, point at the required file name, click once and confirm with the 'OK' gadget. The last file used will be given as a default option. If this name is still required click 'OK'. Selecting a file not created by Home Accounts will result in an error message. 4. Having now loaded a file, if you wish to use the EDIT or ACCOUNT you will need to select an account from those listed at the bottom of the screen by clicking on the required box. Scroll the directory using the up and down arrows. It is also possible to use 'wildcards' and file paths in the directory listing, and these can be set after the 'Directory:' prompt. The default option is for the drive with .HA extension displayed. A detailed description of this facility is beyond the scope of this manual, and for most users the default option should suffice. PROJECT - LOAD TEMPLATE This option is used to load all details of a file, but without any transactions, i.e., Account details, Type description and Budget. This is useful when continuing accounts into the next financial period. All you will need to do is amend Types and/or Budget if necessary. The method of loading is exactly the same as for loading a file. PROJECT - SAVE This option is used to save all file details to disk. It cannot be selected if a file is not in memory. 1. The method for saving is very similar to loading, with the last file name used given as the default option. The program will check disk space before saving, and give a warning if there is insufficient space. If this happens, you will need a new disk. See 'Project - Load' for further information. PROJECT - QUIT This will clear the HOME ACCOUNTS program and file (if loaded) from memory. You will be given the option to save files first. ACCOUNT ACCOUNT - AMEND This option will only be available if an account is selected (in reverse video) at the bottom of the screen. It will allow you to change basic account information, but this should be done with caution as subsequent reports will be affected. The cursor can be moved directly to any field by clicking at the required place. Click 'OK' to save the changes in memory, or 'CANCEL' to leave. Details of each field are given below. ACCOUNT - NEW This is used to set up a new account, up to a maximum of 10. 1. Click on Account Number and enter Number (up to 19 characters including spaces), as shown on statement, cheque book, etc. Press RETURN to move to next field. 2. Enter Account Name (up to 7 characters in each of two lines). Press RETURN to move to next field. 3. Enter Account Code (1 or 2 characters). This is used later to refer to this account instead of entering the full name. It is suggested that you use the first character of each account name line. For example 'MC' for 'Midland Current'. 4. Maximum Balance warning limit. With some accounts, such as current or low interest accounts, it is normally desirable to keep the balance below a pre-set limit. If the limit is entered here the program will display a warning if it is exceeded. You may find it helpful to enter an amount less than the limit as an 'early warning' (optional). Enter + or - for credit or debit, and then enter the absolute amount in pounds (+ is optional). The warning facility is switched ON or OFF by clicking the appropriate box. 5. Minimum Balance warning limit. This is the step 4, above, but gives the minimum desired (or allowed) for this account. 6. Enter opening balance, with credit or debit as indicated under step 4. you may wish to leave this as zero and make the initial entry in the account the opening balance, which gives the advantage of setting it against a budgeted amount. 7. It is possible to move the cursor directly to any field with the mouse for any further changes. Click 'OK' to enter this account in memory, or click 'CANCEL' to restore. ACCOUNT - UPDATE Selecting this option will cause the program to insert any outstanding regular transactions since the file was last saved to disk. This is done automatically when a file is loaded, and so this need not be done manually unless you change the date during the session. ACCOUNT - DELETE This facility will only apply if an account has been selected at the bottom of the screen. A warning will be given: 'Are you sure you want to delete this account?'. Click 'OK' to delete the entire account, and all the entries, or 'CANCEL' to ignore. EDIT GENERAL EDITING NOTES See also 'Operating Notes'. At the bottom of the screen you will see 7 boxes, just above the account names. These are selected with the mouse, and have the following effect: /: Moves the listing one page. /: Moves the listing one line. EXIT: Used to exit from edit mode. UPDATE: Will update the listing, and sort as required. ENTER: Enter the line with cursor in memory. SORTING It is possible to sort listing in order of date, type, details or amount. 1. Move the mouse to centre of field to be sorted. Hold down the SHIFT key and click with the left mouse button. 2. Release the mouse button and SHIFT. 3. Move the mouse to UPDATE box and click. The listing will be sorted accordingly. DELETING LINES The line you wish to delete must not be the line that the cursor is currently on. To delete a complete line, hold down CTRL, move the pointer to the line and click the mouse. To restore a field during editing use the AMIGA-Q combination of keys. EDIT - REGULAR TRANSACTIONS This is used to set up all automatic entries, such as standing orders. When the program makes an automatic entry it is listed along with all manual transactions, and in reports. See also general Editing Notes for information on moving the cursor, deleting lines, sorting, etc. 1. Start Date: This is the date the first transaction will be made. 2. Exp Date: This is the date the last transaction will be made. Clearly it must be after the start date! 3. Type: This is the type of transaction, as previously defined under 'Edit - Type'. If you are setting up a trnsfer between two accounts you must use the type TRAN. 4. F: This indicates the frequency of the transaction, as detailed below. D Daily W Weekly F Fortnightly M Monthly B Bi-Monthly Q Quarterly H Half yearly Y/A Yearly or Annually 5. From: The account to be debited. To: The account to be credited. You should only make an entry in either FROM or TO, not both unless it is a transfer between two accounts, with the transaction type TRAN. 6. Details: This is text for your future reference, and any entry here can be used for subsequent searches in the REPORTS Option. 7. Debit or Credit: Enter the actual amount of the transaction in the appropriate column. (Not both!) 8. Click the ENTER box at the bottom of the screen. 9. When all changes are complete click the EXIT box. EDIT - MANUAL TRANSACTIONS This option is used to enter and/or amend ALL transactions, including regular transactions that have already been added to the account. It also has a facility to help easy reconciliation with bank statements. It is essential that an account has previously been selected from the bottom of the screen before this option can be used. See also General Editing Notes for information on moving the cursor, deleting lines, sorting, etc. 1. Date: Enter the date of the transaction. The month in this date is used for comparing actual expenditure with budgeted expenditure in the 'Report - Budget Progress' option. 2. Type: Enter the type, as defined with 'Edit - Type'. 3. '*' Facility. The amount of this transaction will only be included in the final account balance if a '*' is entered in this column. It is suggested that you omit the '*' until after the transaction has been checked with your statement, so ensuring the balance will agree with your most recent statement. 4. Details: Enter any information you wish about the entry. This field can be used for searches later. 5. Credit/Debit: Enter the amount of the transaction in the appropriate column. 6. Press RETURN when the line is complete. Any errors will be indicated, and the cursor will move to the field ready for amendment. 7. When all changes are complete click the EXIT box. EDIT - MEMO This facility is used to store any information about the selected account, such as: Telephone numbers Address Personal Codes Card Numbers See also General Editing Notes for information on moving the cursor, deleting lines, etc. EDIT - BUDGET This is used to plan and monitor a budget for any accounts. The program can, however, be used without the budget facility if you prefer. See also General Editing Notes for information on moving the cursor, deleting lines, sorting, etc. 1. Type: Enter the transaction type, as defined under 'Edit - Type'. 2. Acc: Enter two character code for the account the budget will apply to. Make sure the code is correct, and that it has been defined under 'Account - Amend'. You may use the special code '**' if you wish the budgeted amount to apply to all accounts. The amount entered in the budget will then be spread evenly across all accounts. 3. Month: For each month enter the budgeted expenditure. 4. When each line is complete select ENTER, and the total for that line will be shown in the right hand column. 5. When all lines are complete click the UPDATE box, and each month total, and the annual total will be shown. Click 'OK', and the budget will be sorted into order of Type or Account, as selected under General Editing Notes. 6. When all changes are complete click the EXIT box. EDIT - TYPE This option defines the various types of income and expenditure used by the accounts. It is essential for these types to be defined prior to using them in other options. Up to 60 may be defined, along with descriptions. Don't forget to define TRAN for transfers between accounts, as explained under 'Edit - Regular Transactions'. See also General Editing Notes for information on moving the cursor, deleting lines, sorting, etc. 1. Enter a short code, up to 4 characters, for the expenditure or income type, making sure the code is not already in use, e.g., CAR for car expenses, MORT for mortgage, etc. 2. Enter a description. 3. Press RETURN to enter the line in memory, and when all changes and additions are complete click UPDATE to sort the list. 4. When all changes are complete click the EXIT box. 5. The types and descriptions can be printed for future reference with the 'Report - Type' option. EDIT - DATE/TIME This will allow you to amend or set the date and time. More information is given under 'Operating Notes'. REPORT The Reports options allow the listing and analysis of your accounts, using either the screen or printer. Printing may be aborted by pressing and holding down one of the mouse buttons. UNRECONCILED TRANSACTIONS If you wish to include ALL transactions in budget or manual transactions reports, select the Unreconciled gadget ON. REPORT - REGULAR TRANSACTIONS This option will list all regular transactions set up with 'Edit - Regular Transactions' to the screen or printer. If all you require is a screen listing it will probably be easier to use the 'Edit' option, as this also allows transaction changes and scrolling up and down. 1. You will be asked to select Screen, Printer or Cancel. If selecting the printer option ensure it is switched on and connected first. Listings to the screen are one screen full at a time. Press any key to continue. 2. The next selection will be from the main options at the top of the screen. REPORT - MANUAL TRANSACTIONS This allows selection and listings of all transactions in any account, including any regular transactions already made. It is necessary to decide the required search criteria before proceeding. Once set they will remain for this session, unless changed. This selection method also applies to budget reports, although the Output to Pie Chart and Bar Graph only applies to budget selections, which is why they have no effect here. 1. Select the month(s) required with the mousem or 'All' for the year. Selected months will be shown in reverse video. 2. Select the account(s) required with the mouse, or 'All Accounts'. 3. Select the Type(s) of transactions required, or 'All Types'. 4. Select 'Screen' or 'Printer' for the destination. 5. Optionally you may select 'Search For Occurences of:' at the bottom of the screen. This allows you to list only entries which contain the character, or continuous string of characters, listed here in the 'Details' field. For example, in its simplest form entering 'refund' will list all entries with the word refund, refunds, etc. However, this facility also has 'wildcard' options for even more complex searches. A wildcard is simply a special character which can replace any individual character, or sometimes a group od characters, rather like the blank tile in Scrabble! The special wildcard characters are: ? Matches any character * Matches zero or more occurences of the preceding character + Matches one or more occurences of the preceding character. These options are best explained with simple examples: PATTERN MATCHES Fund Fund, refund, refunds Mil*ward Millward, Milward or even Milllward! ab*c ac, abc, abbc, abbbc a?c abc, afc, azc ab+c abc, abbc, abbbc ab?*c any string starting with ab and ending with c. It is worth remembering that this search facility will search the entire line of the transaction including date, amount, description, or any combination. If you need to find one of the wildcard characters itself, then precede it with a backslash (top right of keyboard). 6. Select unreconciled ON/OFF gadget as appropriate. 7. Click 'OK' to list the transactions, or cancel to return to main options. It is essential that selections are made at steps 1 to 3, but other selections are optional. REPORT - TYPE This lists the expenditure and income types, as previously defined. If all you require is a screen listing it will probably be easier to use the 'Edit' option, as this also allows type changes and scrolling up and down. 1. You will be asked to select Screen, Printer or Cancel. If selecting the printer option ensure it is switched on and connected first. Listings to the screen are one screen full at a time. Press any key to continue. 2. The selection will be from the main options at the top of the screen. REPORT - BUDGET This lists the budget, as set up with 'Edit - Budget'. If all you require is a screen listing it will probably be easier to use the 'Edit' option, as this also allows budget changes and scrolling up and down. 1. You will be asked to select Screen, Print or Cancel. If selecting the printer option ensure it is switched on and connected first. Listings to the screen are one screen full at a time. Press any key to continue. 2. The selection will be from the main options at the top of the screen. REPORT - BUDGET PROGRESS This allows the budget to be compared with actual expenditure for any month(s), and an estimated balance at the end of the month for the current month. It is necessary to decide the required search criteria before proceeding. Once set, they will remain for this session, unless changed. This selection method also applies to manual transaction reports, although the 'Search for occurence of' facility only applies to transaction listings which is why they have no effect here. 1. Select the month(s) required with the mouse, or 'All' for the year. Selected amounts will be shown in reverse video. 2. Select the account(s) required with the mouse, or 'All Accounts'. 3. Select the Type(s) of transaction required, or 'All Types'. 4. Select 'Screen' or 'Printer' for the destination. It is essential that the printer's graphic facilities are compatible, and the computer correctly configured. The output is directed to the printer as selected in Preferences. Output is sent to the PRT: file under AmigaDOS. 5. Select 'List', 'Pie Chart' or 'Bar Graph'. List: This gives in table form budgeted expenditure, actual expenditure, and the difference between the two. Also, the current month (as set with 'Edit - Date/Time') will have an estimated balance at the end of the month. This is calculated by the program by looking at the differences between budget and actual expenditure so far, and then projecting an estimated balance for the last day of the month. This figure is useful for deciding if the account has too much or too little to meet the expected expenditure for the month. Pie Chart: This shows the proportion of each expenditure type compared to total budget and total actual expenditure each month. Bar Chart: This shows similar information to the pie chart, but helps to assess the actual amount, as opposed to comparison with the total. 6. The next selection will be from the main options at the top of the screen. END OF ACCOUNTING PERIOD PROCEDURE Normally the program will handle up to one year's worth of transactions. Also, the budget facility if used is for a period of up to one year which makes 12 months about right for starting a new file. However, there is no reason why your accounting period should not exceed one year, or on the other hand last for say six months if you make a large number of transactions. Whichever period you choose the program allows simple carry forward and amendment of account and budget details. 1. Select 'Project - Load Template' using the file name of the file to be carried forward to new accounting period. This will load all details except transactions. 2. Amend/Delete/Add expenditure types using 'Edit - Type' option. 3. Amend budget for the new accounting period using 'Edit - Budget'. 4. Amend regular transactions using 'Edit - Regular Transactions'. 5. Check for any other changes you might need, such as on memo options, accounting details, etc., and then save the new file with 'Project - Save' option. IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure you choose a new file name, preferably on a new disk. END.