Index1

Index

ADD RECORD - Maintenance

ABOUT BUDGET PLANNER FOR WINDOWS - Menu Item

CHANGE RECORD - Maintenance

CLEAR - Maintenance

CLOSE - Menu Item

CREATING AN ASCII "TEXT" FILE

DELETE RECORD - Maintenance

EXIT - Maintenance

EXIT - Menu Item

FILE - Menu Group

FILLING OUT THE REGISTRATION FORM

FIND RECORD - Maintenance

FIRST RECORD - Maintenance

HELP - Maintenance

HELP - Menu Group

HOW TO REGISTER YOUR PROGRAM

INDEX - Menu Item

LAST RECORD - Maintenance

MAINTENANCE - Menu Item

NEW - Menu Item

NEW FEATURES - WINDOWS VERSION VS. DOS VERSION

NEXT RECORD - Maintenance

OPEN - Menu Item

PREVIOUS RECORD - Maintenance

PRINT - Menu Item

PRINT RECORD - Maintenance

PRINT SETUP - Menu Item

PRINTING THE REGISTRATION FORM

TOPICS

TOPICS... - Menu Item

TOTALS - Maintenance


Topics

Budget Planner for Windows Help - Topics

New features - Windows version vs. DOS version

Menus

   File group

   Help group

Printing

   Print menu option

   Printing from the Maintenance window

How to register your Shareware program


New Features

New Features - Windows version vs. DOS version

Budget Planner for Windows has evolved considerably from its DOS predecessor.

This is a comparison of Budget Planner for Windows to Budget Planner for DOS.

Win - The ability to name your own files and save them in any directory

DOS - Used one database file with a fixed name in the software's directory

Win - Scrollable item/amount lists capable of holding 30 entries

DOS - Individual item/amount fields holding one entry

Win - All file maintenance functions in one window (add, print, etc.)

DOS - Individual maintenance function selection from pull-down menus

Win - "Stereo" browse buttons can display your saved information instantly

DOS - Browse required locating a record before displaying

Win - More intuitive maintenance process (add, change, delete)

DOS - Confusing "press Enter from Amount field" update process

Win - "Safety" temporary disabling (gray-out) of non-related menu items

DOS - No comparable function

Win - Selection of any printer driver set up in your Windows configuration

DOS - Uses hardware ports for directing output

Win - Printer Setup for configuring your Windows printer driver options

DOS - No comparable function

Win - Using Windows' Print Manager you can continue working while you print

DOS - Program was bound until printing completed

Win - More flexible printing options (full file, range of records)

DOS - Only printed individual records

Win - Advanced help file with index and topics sections

DOS - Pull-down menu help


FILE Menu Group

The File menu group contains the following options:

   New -- Open new budget database file

   Open -- Open existing budget database file

   Close -- Close existing budget database file

   Maintenance -- File activity (add, print, etc.)

   Print -- Print options

   Print Setup -- Set print driver options

   Exit -- End and return to Windows

When you first enter the program, the Close, Maintenance, and Print options

are grayed because those functions are not used until a database file is opened.

Once a database is opened, the New, Open, and Exit options are grayed

because they are not to be used when a file is open.


HELP Menu Group

The Help menu group contains the following options:

   Topics... -- Help file topics

   Index -- Help file index

   About Budget Planner for Windows -- Title/version/author window

To select one of these items, click the Help menu and click the item of

your choice.


NEW Menu Item

Select this menu option to create a new (empty) budget database file.

All Budget Planner for Windows database files have a .CRD extension.

Select the directory to save your file in by clicking in the Directories box.

If the directory contains other .CRD files they will be shown in gray in the

file name box.  SELECTING A GRAYED FILE DESTROYS THE ORIGINAL

AND CREATES A NEW EMPTY FILE IN ITS PLACE.

You may select a different drive by clicking the Drives box.

Click the Ok button to create the new file or Cancel to abort the process.

If the file open was successful, a message window will be displayed stating

the file is open.


OPEN Menu Item

Select this menu option to open an existing budget database file.

All Budget Planner for Windows database files have a .CRD extension.

Select the directory to open your file from by clicking in the Directories box.

All other .CRD files will be shown in the file name box.  You may type the

name of the file to be opened and click the Ok button or double-click on the

file of your choice.

You may select a different drive by clicking the Drives box.

Click the Ok button to open the new file or Cancel to abort the process.

If the file open was successful, a message window will be displayed stating

the file is open.


CLOSE Menu Item

Select this menu option when you are finished with an open database file.  If

the file close is successful, a message window will be displayed stating the

file was closed.

Alternately, you may double-click the main window close box to exit the program

and automatically close the open file without displaying the close message.


MAINTENANCE Menu Item

The Maintenance window is the "nerve center" of Budget Planner for Windows.

The following functions are performed from the Maintenance window:

   Add -- Insert new record into file

   Change -- Modify contents of an existing record

   Delete -- Remove an existing record

   Totals -- Calculate budget statistics

   Clear -- Erase the window entry field contents

   Print -- Print a file record

   Help -- Access the help file

   Exit -- Close the Maintenance window

   First file record ("I<") -- Display first record in a file

   Previous file record ("<") -- Display the previous record from current

   Find file record ("I?I") -- Locate a specific record in a file

   Next file record (">") -- Display the next record from current

   Last file record (">I") -- Display the last record in a file


PRINT Menu Item

Budget Planner for Windows offers two methods of printing:

   Print menu option (available in the registered version of BPW)

   Printing from the Maintenance window


PRINT SETUP Menu Item

This menu option opens a Windows' Print Setup box to allow you to configure your

print settings.


EXIT Menu Item

Clicking the Exit menu option ends the program and returns you to Windows.


TOPICS... Menu Item

Clicking the Topics... menu option opens the help file and displays the help

topics article.


INDEX Menu Item

Clicking the Index menu option opens the help file and displays the help index.


ABOUT BPW Menu Item

ABOUT BUDGET PLANNER FOR WINDOWS Menu Item

Clicking this menu option displays the information window for Budget Planner for

Windows.  It contains the following information:

   Program Title

   Program Version

   Author

   Copyright Year

This window is provided for information purposes.


Add Record (Maintenance)

To add a record into a budget database file:

First, from the Maintenance window, click the Add button.  A message will prompt

you to fill in the entry fields.  The date and time are filled in and are not

editable in add mode.  You can only modify the date and time in change mode.

Second, fill in the Description, Budget Amount, Item, and Amount fields.  The

Item and Amount fields are scrollable lists which may hold up to 30 entries.

NOTE: only Item/Amount entries greater than $0.00 will be calculated in the

Totals fields.  If the Description and/or Budget Amount fields are not filled

in, a message prompts you to do so.

Third, after entering information in the entry fields, click Add again.  A

message will be displayed showing the record was added to the file and if you

wish to repeat the process to click the Add button again.

To abort the add process at any time, click the Clear button.


Change Record (Maintenance)

To change the contents of a budget database record:

First, from the Maintenance window, locate the record you wish to modify.  Use

the browse buttons ("I<" "<" "I?I" ">" ">I") to display the record's contents in

the entry fields.

Second, modify any entry field -- Date, Time, Description, Budget Amount, Item,

and/or Amount.  If you change the Budget Amount and/or any Amount list item,

click the Totals button to recalculate the statistics values.

Third, click the Change button.  A message informs you that your changes were

successfully saved.

To abort the change process at any time, click the Clear button.


Delete Record (Maintenance)

To delete a budget database record:

First, from the Maintenance window, locate the record you wish to modify.  Use

the browse buttons ("I<" "<" "I?I" ">" ">I") to display the record's contents in

the entry fields.

Second, click the Delete button.  A confirmation message asks if you are sure this

is the record you want to delete.  Click the Yes button to delete the record or the

NO button to abort the delete.  If you click the Yes button the deletion is

immediate and irreversable.  The only ways to recover a deleted record is to

add the record again or restore the database file from a backup.

To abort the delete process, click the NO button and then the Clear button.


Totals (Maintenance)

The Totals button calculates the budget statistics of the current record.

The budget statistics are:

   Total Items

   Total (budget items) Amount

   Difference (from budget amount)

   Percentage (of budget amount)

When adding, changing, or deleting a database record, the budget statistics are

updated by clicking the Totals button.


Clear (Maintenance)

The Clear button erases all values from the entry and statistics fields

and resets the add process to its beginning.


Print Record (Maintenance)

To print your budget database record, click the Print button.  A standard

print box will be opened.  Choose your printer and click the Ok button to

print.  If you are using Windows' Print Manager, the print job will be spooled

to the selected printer.

Since the Item and Amount lists can hold up to 30 entries, the lists are printed

to the length of the last Amount item greater than $0.00.

To abort the print process, press the Cancel button in the print box.

Creating a printable ASCII file of a database record


Help (Maintenance)

Clicking the Help button opens the help file and displays the Maintenance

help article.


Exit (Maintenance)

Clicking the Exit button closes the Maintenance window and returns you

to the main window.


First Record (Maintenance)

Clicking the First Record ("I<") button displays the first record of the

database file.  File records are sorted in descending order from most recent

to least recent by date, time, and description.

To clear the display, click the Clear button.


Previous Record (Maintenance)

Clicking the Previous Record ("<") button displays the previous record from the

last viewed record in the database file.  File records are sorted in descending

order from most recent to least recent by date, time, and description.

To clear the display, click the Clear button.


Find Record (Maintenance)

The Find Record ("I?I") button is used to locate a specific record without

having to "scroll" from record to record.  It is normally used to find records in

the middle of a database containing several records.

Clicking the Find Record ("I?I") button opens the Find Record window which

displays a list of budget descriptions in the sorted order of the database

file.  File records are sorted in descending order from most recent to least

recent by date, time, and description.

To select a record, highlight the description of your choice and press the Continue

button.  The record is immediately displayed in the window.

To abort the search, click the Cancel button.  This will display the last record

of the database file.  Click the Clear button to clear the display.


Next Record (Maintenance)

Clicking the Next Record (">") button displays the next record from the last

viewed record in the database file.  File records are sorted in descending order

from most recent to least recent by date, time, and description.

To clear the display, click the Clear button.


Last Record (Maintenance)

Clicking the Last Record (">I") button displays the last record of the database

file.  File records are sorted in descending order from most recent to least

recent by date, time, and description.

To clear the display, click the Clear button.


How To Register Your Program

As you exit Budget Planner for Windows, you will come to the Register BPW / Exit

window.  This window contains two buttons: Print Registration Form, and Exit.

Click the Print Registration Form button to open the Registration Form window.

Filling out the Registration Form

Printing the Registration Form


Filling out the Registration Form

To complete the Budget Planner for Windows Shareware Registration Form, fill in

the following fields:

   Name   Address   City   State   Zip Code   Number of Copies

Click the Totals button to generate the proper prices and the Print button

to print the form.


Printing the Registration Form

To print your Budget Planner for Windows Shareware Registration Form, click the

Print button.  A Windows Print box is displayed.  Select your printer and click

the Ok button.  To abort the print process, click the Cancel button.

Creating a printable ASCII file of the Registration Form


Creating a Print File

In addition to printing your database records and Shareware Registration Form,

you also have the option of saving your output as an ASCII "text" file.

To create a text file:

Be sure you have the Windows Generic / Text printer driver loaded in your

Windows directory.

Be sure the driver is configured to File instead of an LPT port.

Select the Generic / Text driver when you wish to create a text file.

When you click the Ok button from the Print box a small window will appear

prompting you to enter a file name.  It is recommended that you use a .TXT

extension with your file name.  You may use a path along with your file name.

Click the Ok button from the file name box and the text file will be created.