T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S Subject Page ______________________________________________________ Introduction 1 Shareware Concept 1 Ordering and Registration Information 2 SECTION 1 Installation 3 Important Information About Entering Clock Times 3 SECTION 2 Time Clock Functions 5 SECTION 3 File Management Program View Employee Time File 6 Add Employee Time File Records 7 Clear Old Time File Records 7 View, Edit, or Add to Employee List 8 Print Hours For Selected Time Period 9 Change Employees Time Log Capability 9 Printer/Screen Options 10 Change Password 10 TimeCapture, Version 2.4 Page 1 W E L C O M E Thank you for using TimeCapture. It is designed to save you time and eliminate the hassle of collecting and totaling employee hours information. Instead of spending your time totaling work hours from time cards, you can have printed totals in seconds, and in the format you choose. TimeCapture checks to make sure employees remember to record all their work times, and "reminds" them if they forget. It eliminates the guesswork of employee "honor" systems, while still allowing those employees who are trustworthy to record times that they forget to record. TimeCapture provides the combination of time clock accuracy with the convenience of having employee hours information at your fingertips. TimeCapture can also be used to record hours worked by consultants or by those who work on a project basis; salaried persons could use TimeCapture to track the number of hours spent on various tasks. This is done by assigning different three-character codes to each project, and using the different codes to record times for different activities. The procedure for assigning codes is explained in a later section of the manual. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: 720k floppy or hard drive, DOS 3.3 or above, 256k RAM. TimeCapture is a "shareware" program and is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation. (See the explanation of the shareware principle below.) If you find this program useful and continue to use it after a 30 day trial period, you must make a registration payment of $59.00 (plus $1.00 shipping and handling in the U.S., $3.00 outside the U.S.) to Versatile Software Solutions. The $59.00 registration fee will license one copy for use on any one computer at any one time. Most site licenses are available for $99.00 (plus shipping and handling). This will license the program for multiple computers at one location. Call for details. (See registration/ordering information and description of support provided to registered users below.) Shareware is not a type of software, but a distribution method. This means it is distributed on a "try before you buy" basis which allows you to use the software for a trial period before you make your decision to buy it. The essence of this "user-supported" software is to provide personal computer users with quality software without high prices, and yet to provide incentive for programmers to continue to develop new products. Feel free to share TimeCapture with others who will find it useful, but do not pass it along altered or as part of another system. Please ensure that the original CLCK24.ZIP file is passed along or the TC.EXE, CLOCK.EXE, HELPFILE.DBF, HELPFILE.DBT, MANUAL.TXT, VENDOR.DOC, SYSOP.DOC, README.TXT, README.BAT, and VIEW.EXE files are passed along together as an archive named CLCK24. Vendors and BBS sysops: check both the VENDOR.DOC and SYSOP.DOC files for distribution and licensing information. TimeCapture, Version 2.4 Page 2 _______ ____|__ | (R) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a CompuServ message via CompuServ Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007, 3536. ORDERING INFORMATION AND SUPPORT FOR REGISTERED SOFTWARE Registered users will receive the latest version of TimeCapture, 1 year of technical support, and discounts on future upgrades. Technical support is available by Compuserve, mail, or phone. You can order by sending check or money order to the address shown below, but you will find it much easier to register by using the TimeCapture file management program. You can do this by pressing F2 at the main menu which will give you instructions for registering, and you can fill out the order form and print it from the registration screen. You can order using Mastercard, VISA, American Express, or Discover from the Public (software) Library by calling 1-800-242-4775 or (713)524-6394 or by FAX to (713)524-6398; you can also order from the PsL by CompuServe Email to 71355,470. These numbers are for orders only. To insure that you get the latest version, PsL will notify us the day of your order and we will ship the product directly to you. Any questions about the status of the shipment of the order, refunds, registration options, product details, technical support, volume discounts, dealer pricing, site licenses, etc, must be directed to the address and phone number shown below. You can also mail credit card orders to PsL at P.O. Box 35705, Houston, TX 77235-5705. You can also register using Compuserve's registration service by typeing GO SWREG at any command prompt. Look for Registration ID 1193. Versatile Software Solutions, Inc. P.O. Box 147 Fairborn, Ohio 45234 (513) 878-0315 Compuserve 71155,614 TimeCapture, Version 2.4 Page 3 SECTION ONE Installing TimeCapture TimeCapture will work just fine on that old XT you don't use any more, and it will work on any other IBM XT, AT, PS/2, or compatible machine. In most cases, you will have already put the TimeCapture files in a directory, and intend to use the program in that directory. If you intend to use TimeCapture in another directory, you should create the directory and copy the files into that directory before proceeding. The necessary files that TimeCapture needs will be created, configured, and initialized automatically the first time you run the CLOCK program. No other installation will be needed. You may want to add the directory path for TimeCapture to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, so that you can access the program from any directory on your computer. This is relatively simple to do if you are familiar with using a text editor to make these kinds of changes. Consult your DOS manual for details. I M P O R T A N T The internal clock on your computer must be set correctly in order for the times to be recorded accurately. To do this, type TIME at the DOS prompt and press the enter key. The computer will display the time it "thinks" it is, and prompt you to enter the correct time if the time it displays is wrong. If the time is correct, press the enter key and continue. If it's incorrect, enter the correct time, being sure to enter it as 24 hour or military time. For example, 9:00 AM is entered as 9:00, but 5:00 PM is entered as 17:00. You must also check the date to ensure it is correct. Type DATE and press the enter key. The date will be displayed, along with a prompt to change it if it's incorrect. As before, if the date is correct, press the enter key to continue. If it's not, enter the correct date and press enter. Many computers will maintain the date and time settings, even when turned off. If yours does, you shouldn't have to bother with the settings again - BUT YOU SHOULD PERIODICALLY CHECK THEM TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE CORRECT. Don't assume the computer maintains the correct time and date. If your computer doesn't maintain the correct settings when turned off, you basically have two options: you can set them via the DATE and TIME commands every time the computer is turned on, or you can leave the computer run all the time. Another reason to check to make sure the date and time are correct is that some programs will alter these settings. TimeCapture, Version 2.4 Page 4 I M P O R T A N T When clock times are entered in the programs: If an employee is prompted to enter a time (the only time this happens is in the time clock programs, and only when you enable them to do so), they must always enter their times in 12 hour times. That is, 5:00 PM is entered as 5:00; the program will also ask them to enter AM or PM to designate that. It is done this way to avoid confusion and errors on the employees' part. However, when the administrator enters a time in the CLOCK program, they MUST enter the time as 24 hour time. In this case, 5:00 PM would be entered as 17:00. THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IF THE TIMES ARE NOT ENTERED CORRECTLY, THE TOTAL HOURS WILL NOT BE CALCULATED CORRECTLY. TimeCapture, Version 2.4 Page 5 SECTION TWO TimeCapture TIMECLOCK FUNCTIONS To start the TimeCapture timeclock program, type TC and press the Enter key (see instructions to follow for running the memory-resident version of the timeclock program). The window for the employee personal code will appear. The employee enters their personal code and is prompted if an incorrect code is entered. "Button" Functions Six "buttons" will appear on the screen. The buttons on the screen are marked to show what each one does. They show TIME IN, TIME OUT FOR LUNCH, TIME IN FROM LUNCH, and TIME OUT. Pressing the appropriate key will record the time in the employee time file and display the employee's name, recorded time, and type of time recorded on the screen. If an employee doesn't take a lunch break, then only the TIME IN and TIME OUT buttons will be used. TimeCapture will only record the time worked. There are certain safeguards built into TimeCapture. If an employee records their TIME IN, their file is checked to ensure that they remembered to record their TIME OUT on the last day that they worked. When they record their TIME OUT FOR LUNCH, their file is checked to ensure they recorded their TIME IN for the day. In each instance that a time is recorded, the employee's file is checked to make sure no "blanks" are left. If a blank is found, the computer will beep and a window will appear on the screen informing the employee of the information that was omitted. The employee files can be set to do one of two things at this point: the employee may be told to contact the appropriate person to report the error, or the employee may be allowed to enter the missing time. If the employee is allowed to enter the time, they will be prompted to enter the correct time, and a message is displayed indicating the employee's name and time recorded. The procedure to set the employee files to allow the employee(s) to log their time is explained in a later section. Another safeguard will not allow an employee to record the same time twice. This means that an employee cannot record their TIME IN (for example) twice in one day. However, this also means that if the employee hits the wrong button when recording a time, they can't record the correct time. If they try, they will be prompted with a message to contact the appropriate person about the error. There is no option in this case to allow the employee to record the time. TimeCapture, Version 2.4 Page 6 SECTION THREE TimeCapture EMPLOYEE FILE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM To start the file management program, type CLOCK and press enter. A window will appear, prompting you to enter a password. Enter your password and the program will continue. (Initially your password will be "CLOCK". The procedure for changing the password is in a later section. You are encouraged to change your password soon after installing TimeCapture.) Press the Escape key at any point where the computer is asking for input (such as asking you to type in a name or a code), and the program will return to the Main Menu. This allows you to "back out" if you make a wrong menu choice. If you have installed TimeCapture in a new directory, the program will ask you if it is a new installation, and whether you want to initialize all data files (erase all data). If you have been using TimeCapture previously, and are moving the program and its data files (really YOUR employee data files) to another directory or computer, you'll want to answer "N" to this question. If you are installing the program to another computer or directory to use in a new environment, you'll want to answer "Y" to this question to remove old data from the files. Menu Choices View Employee Time File: This option allows you to view and also change entries in the employee time files. It allows you to select from three different files: the current file, a historical file on the hard drive, or a more permanent historical file with older records kept on a floppy disk. The program will ask you if you want to work with the Current file or a Historical file. If you choose to use the Current file, you will be using the most recent information kept in a file on the hard disk. The program will automatically ensure all hours totals are updated before displaying the records. If you choose Historical file, you will be given the choice of an historical file kept either on the hard disk or on a floppy. If you choose the historical file on the hard disk and you haven't saved any information to this historical file, the screen will show no records. (See the section on Clearing Old Time File Records for instructions on how to save information to historical files.) If you choose the historical file from the floppy, the program will ask you to enter the drive letter for the floppy drive you are using. Type the correct drive letter and press enter. The program will prompt you to insert the disk into the drive; insert the disk and press any key to continue. If you haven't saved any information to a historical file on the floppy (or you use a floppy that doesn't contain the correct storage file), you will get an error message. If you wish to continue, insert the correct floppy into the disk drive and press any key. Otherwise, press the Escape key, and the program will return to the main menu. TimeCapture, Version 2.4 Page 7 This option is also useful when an employee has forgotten to record their time or has recorded a time incorrectly and you need to go into the file and make changes. Active keys are shown in the legend at the bottom of the screen. The delete key deletes a line; if you delete a line by mistake, you can press the Alt and U keys together to "undelete" lines. This will undelete ALL lines that were deleted. If you press the enter key while a line of information is highlighted, you can edit that line. Please note: if any times are changed or entered, they MUST be entered as 24-hour times (ie 6:00 PM is 18:00) or the hours worked will not total correctly. Add Employee Time File Records: If you need to add working time for an employee when they are not actually at your place of business (attending seminars, etc), you can do so from this screen. An information entry screen will appear that has areas for the employee's personal code, first name, last name, time in, time out for lunch, time in from lunch, and time out. When you enter the employee's personal code, their first and last name are automatically entered in the appropriate blocks on the screen. If you can't remember an employee's personal code, press F6 and a list of the employees' names and personal codes will appear; highlight your choice and press enter, and the code and name will be automatically entered. The computer will beep and display a message if you try to enter an invalid code. As indicated above, all times MUST be entered as 24-hour times (ie 6:00 PM is 18:00). Clear Old Time File Records: This is used to delete records that are no longer needed in the file. As in the view file option, you have access to three files: the current file, a historical file, or a permanent file on floppy disk. The current file was designed to hold current records until no longer needed; for example, the records could be kept in this file for a two-week pay period until checks are issued to employees. These records would then be moved to the historical file, and deleted from the current file. However, records may be kept in the current file for as long as you wish. With the current and historical files, space is being used on your hard disk drive. By moving these records ultimately to a permanent file on floppy disk, you save hard disk space. However, having the records in either file on your hard disk allows much faster access time while you are still using them, so you'll want to leave them on the hard drive while you are still accessing them regularly. One function of TimeCapture is that it automatically checks to see if you have made any changes each time you access the current file, and recalculates total hours if any changes have been made. While this operation is typically very fast, a large amount of records maintained in the current file will slow this operation proportionately to the amount of records kept in the file. For this reason, it is preferable to move current records to the historical file when you are done with them. When you begin the clearing time file operation, you will first be asked if you want to use the Current file or Historical files. If you pick the Current file, you will be asked what date you want to choose as the oldest record to remain. Once you make your choice, all records prior to this date will be deleted from the file. These records will automatically be copied to the historical file on hard disk. TimeCapture, Version 2.4 Page 8 If you choose to work with the historical file, you will be asked if you want to copy them to a floppy or delete them. If you choose to delete them, you will be asked what date you want to remain as the oldest in the file. All dates prior to this date will be deleted. If you choose to copy them to a floppy, you will be asked for a date for files to retain. Once you have made your choice, if you choose to copy the records to floppy, you will be asked to type the drive letter for the floppy you want to use. After you type in the drive letter and press Enter, records prior to the date you indicate will be copied to the historical file on the floppy disk and deleted from the historical file on the hard disk. Note: if you try to copy historical records to the same drive from which you are running the program, you will get a warning message on the screen. All this is trying to tell you is that when these historical records are copied to the permanent file, they are intended to be copied to a floppy, not a hard drive. If you are running the program from a floppy, the records should be copied to a separate floppy so that the disk with the permanent records can be filed away. If you want to copy the historical records to the permanent file on the disk and/or drive from which you are running the program, you can, it's just not recommended. View, Edit, or Add to Employee List This function enables you to to view and modify the file that contains all the employee names and personal codes. Once you choose this option, a screen appears with 6 "buttons": F2 (Add Name) does just what it implies: adds new names to the list. This is what you use to first put your employees' names in the file, and to add any new names in the future. You will first be prompted to enter the employee's personal code. These codes can be assigned by you or chosen by the employee. They must be 3 characters long and can be any keyboard character, but bear in mind that you want something that can be entered with a minimum of time and effort, and you want something the employee will remember! A suggestion is to use the employee's initials. After entering the personal code, you will be asked to enter the first name of the employee. If you are going to use middle initials, the initial should be added just after the first name in the same field. After you type the first name and press Enter, you will be asked to enter the last name. If you are a consultant or project-oriented person, and want to use TimeCapture to record time spent on different projects, you can enter the project name as the "employee name". Assign a different three-letter code for each project. Then, just as an employee would "clock in" and "clock out", you would use different codes to record times for different projects. F3 (Remove Name) deletes an employee's name from the list. You will be asked to enter the personal code for the employee you want to remove. Enter the code, and that name disappears from the list. F4 (Edit Name) allows you to change the first and last name information. Type in the personal code of the name you want to edit, and you will be successively prompted to enter the first and last name of the employee. If you need to correct a personal code after entering it wrong, you will have to delete it and re-enter it. You cannot enter a personal code that is already in use - the computer will display a warning window if you attempt to do that. Esc (Main Menu) returns you to the main menu. Page Up and Page Down simply moves you up and down in the file when you have more than one "page" of names. TimeCapture, Version 2.4 Page 9 Print Hours For Selected Time Period After you make this menu selection, you will be asked four questions about how you want to print the information: 1. Do you want to print from the Current file or the Historical file? (If you choose the Historical option, you will also be asked whether you want to print from the Hard disk or a Floppy, and the drive letter of the floppy drive if you choose Floppy drive.) 2. Do you want to print a Complete listing or a Summary listing. The complete listing prints a complete detail of hours worked by day for each employee, including all times registered. The summary listing just shows the total hours worked for a given time period. This would be what you would normally use to total hours for issuing paychecks. All you want to know is the total hours worked for each employee. 3. Do you want to print a listing for all employees or a single employee? If you choose single employee, you will be asked to enter the personal code of that employee. If you don't remember the employee's personal code, press F6 and the list of employee names and codes will appear. 4. You will be asked to enter the beginning and ending dates for the time period you want to print. You may notice that some of the employees' times have an asterisk printed beside them. This is to indicate that the employee logged their own time for that entry, if you have allowed some of your employees to do that. This allows you to track the number of times an employee logs their own time, so that you can remove the employee's ability to log their own time if deemed necessary. Change Employees Time Log Capability This option displays the employee code file on the right, including a column marked "LOG". The "LOG" column shows "Yes" if the employee is allowed to log their own time, and "No" if they aren't. To the left are shown the different button functions, which allow you to add or remove single employees as well as adding or removing the log capability for all employees at a time. The default when you add a new employee to the employee codefile (explained in an earlier section) is that they will not have the login capability - but you can always add it later. TimeCapture, Version 2.4 Page 10 Printer/Screen Options This allows you to change various printer options, and to indicate whether you are using a color or monochrome monitor. Printer Port: This gives you a total of 7 options for printer port: LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, LPT4, COM1, COM2, and printing to a file. If you choose to print to a file, the program will prompt you to enter the file name. You can use any valid DOS 8-character filename and 3-character extension, such as "TEXTFILE.TXT". You can view or print the file using any word processor that supports unformatted text files. You can also view or print the file using DOS commands such as MORE or TYPE (to view), and PRINT (to print). See your DOS manual for details on these commands. Formfeeds After Printing: You can enter 0, 1, or 2 to indicate you want no formfeeds, 1 formfeed, or 2 formfeeds after printing. Lines Per Page: Enter the number you desire or the appropriate number for your printer. Left Margin: Enter the number of spaces for the left margin. Printer Control Codes Before Printing: To use this option, you should be familiar with your printer control codes. By entering the proper control codes for your printer, you can enable the special features it has that can be activated by control codes, such as condensed printing. Check your printer manual for the codes. You must enter the control codes exactly as they must be sent to the printer. Example: if your printer control code for condensed print is the escape code followed by an asterisk, then enter "ESC *" (without the quotes). Note: If you do not want or need to use these control codes, leave this option and the next option blank. You do not have to use these two options unless you want to. Printer Control Codes After Printing: Similar to the above option, this is normally used to return the printer to the state it was in prior to enabling any special features (such as turning OFF condensed printing). Again, the control codes must be entered exactly as they should be sent to the printer. Color/Monochrome Screen: The default for this option is "B", for Black and white (or monochrome). Enter "C" for a color monitor. Date Format: TimeCapture supports six international date formats: American, British, French, German, Italian, and Ansi. A window appears at the top of the screen, indicating the various options. The type of format is shown beside each choice, and you must enter the number that corresponds to your choice. Change Password This will open a window and prompt you to enter your new password. Initially your password will be "CLOCK". Your password can be any combination of letters, numbers, or symbols. After you enter your new password, it will be displayed in another window along with a message advising you to record it for safekeeping.