 08/26/87                                                              v2.20
                                  CheX
                              by Rich Young
                   Copyright (c) YoungWare Systems 1987

 A simple full screen checkbook program for your Tandy computer, IBM PC or
 compatible computer.  It assists in balancing and can also be used for
 savings accounts, credit cards and other types of debit/credit bookkeeping.

 To START a new checkbook type "CheX" and press <Enter>.  Respond with a "Y"
 or "y" to create a new checkbook.  Enter your existing balance prior to
 your first non-posted entry.  Then enter the rest of your entries that have
 not cleared the bank.

 Use <F3> to sort the items that appear on the screen.  This helps keep
 items in date order.  <F7> is used to print your checkbook, and <F10> or
 <Escape> exits the program.

 Feel free to copy and distribute this program fully intact with this
 document.  If you are using this program for personal use, please send a
 $10.00 contribution to the address at the end of this document.  By using
 this program you accept full liability;  there is no warranty stated nor
 implied.  Please don't let this program result in an overdraft on your part
 due to an oversight on my part.


I.   B A L A N C I N G:                                                 [F2]

 To balance your bank statement, move the cursor to the first non-posted
 item.  Then move to column "P" using the left arrow key.  You will find
 column "P" to the left of the date column.  The line will be highlighted.
 If the item appears on your bank statement, enter the first letter of the
 month you are posting.  (I use a lower case "j" to differentiate June from
 July.)  The system will then move the cursor down to the next entry.  Use
 the down arrow key to skip entries that do not appear on the statement you
 are balancing.

 Once all the posted items are marked, press <F2>.  The system will prompt
 you for the ending statement balance.  Enter the amount and press <Enter>.
 The difference displayed should be zero, otherwise you have entered an item
 incorrectly or have marked/not marked an item in error.  To change an item
 that has been marked as posted, you must "unlock" posted items by pressing
 <F4>.

 In the event your checkbook is out of balance, CheX may locate a possible
 error.  Please validate the suggestion prior to taking any action.  CheX
 limits the search to a single "current item", so CheX will not always find
 an item posted in error.  Also, multiple errors will not be found.

 If CheX is unable to locate an error, it will tell you if your checkbook is
 too high or too low.  Use the following to know what to look for.

 If your checkbook is too high, check the following:

    1.  Debits that require posting.
    2.  Posted credits that should not have been posted.
    3.  Posted debits that the amount entered is too low.
    4.  Posted credits that the amount entered is too high.
    5.  Entered statement balance is too low.
    6.  Running balance errors.  (see section "IX. ERRORS").

 If your checkbook is too low, check the following:

    1.  Posted debits that should not have been posted.
    2.  Credits that require posting.
    3.  Posted debits that the amount entered is too high.
    4.  Posted credits that the amount entered is too low.
    5.  Entered statement balance is too high.
    6.  Running balance errors.  (see section "IX. ERRORS").


II.   C O M M A N D   S U M M A R Y:

  F1  - Help.  Displays this document, "CheX.hlp".  May be requested at any
        prompt.  This document can be modified to fit your needs.  I use the
        SideKick editor with a right margin of 76.  Maximum number of lines
        is 400.  Putting brackets, "[]", around function keys F2, F5, F6,
        F7, F8, F9 and Alt-F8 controls the first line displayed within that
        function.
  F2  - Balance your checkbook with the bank statement.
  F3  - Sort only the items that appear on the screen.
  F4  - Unlock or lock items that have been posted on a bank statement.
 [F5] - Find an alpha string.  Starts at end and works back to the beginning
        of the book.  FIND is not case sensitive.  Use "|" for vertical
        lines.  After find, (E)nd find, (G)raph all occurrences, (M)ove to
        item, (N)ext item or (P)rint and display next occurrence.  By
        selecting (G)raph, all items that meet the FIND criteria will be
        graphed.
 [F6] - Undo any changes made to the item the cursor is currently on.  The
        old item will be displayed at the bottom of the screen.  Press "Y"
        to confirm.  Undo limit is 40 items.  Undo information is cleared
        when you go to a different checkbook level, <F9>.
  F7  - Print check or checkbook to printer or to disk.  Or, display graph.
  F8  - Options menu (set colors, cursor, sound, auto save, etc.).
 [F9] - Open auxiliary checkbook.  The current book number is displayed in
        the headings in column "To:".  From DOS, you may go directly to an
        auxiliary book by typing CheX ## at the DOS prompt, ## being a value
        of 1 through 99.
 F10  - Exit current checkbook.

 Escape   - Exit current checkbook or exit function.
 Alt-F1   - Toggle display for alternate function key definition.
 Alt-F5   - Find next occurrence of string.  Used anytime after <F5>.
 Alt-[F7] - Manual type.  Use your printer as a typewriter.
 Alt-F8   - Check print custom formating menu.
 Alt-F10  - Exit directly to DOS from any checkbook level.


III.   F I E L D S:

  Item    - Item number.                       Range =    1 - 9999
  P       - Posted code.  Used by balancing.  1st letter of statement month.
  Chk#    - Check number.                      Max =          9999
            A check number of zero will suppress automatic check numbering.
  Date    - Date written.  Primary sort key.   Max =      12/31/99
  Debit   - Check amount.                      Max =     99,999.99
  Credit  - Deposit amount.                    Max =     99,999.99
  To:     - Check written to.                  Max = 20 characters
  Note    - Notes.                             Max = 12 characters
            a. On item #1, it is used as a checkbook name in the heading.
            b. When preceded by a "-" or "=", it is not printed on checks.
  Balance - Running balance.                   Max =  9,999,999.99


IV.   K E Y B O A R D:

 The following control keys are supported.

  Home       - Top of checkbook.          Enter       - Next column.
  End        - Bottom of checkbook.       Right Arrow -  "    "
  Page Up    - Up one page.               Tab         -  "    "
  Page Down  - Down one page.             Left Arrow  - Back up one column.
  Backspace  - Back one character.                 Use to move to column P.
  Escape     - Exit book or function.     Up Arrow    - Up one line.
  "0" (zero) - Clears date or Check #.    Down Arrow  - Down one line.
  "."        - Decimal point or "00" depending on option V.14 below.

 While entering numeric fields, the alphanumeric key board will emulate a
 ten key in the following manner:

                -----------                   ------------
                 \ 7  8  9 \                   \ 7  8  9  \
                  \ U  I  O \     same as       \ 4  5  6  \
                   \ J  K  L \                   \ 1  2  3  \
                    \ M     . \                   \ 0     .  \
                     ----------                    ------------

 Note: If you start an entry in error, back spacing to the beginning of the
       field will restore the original field.  Once you move off the field,
       you may use <F6> to undo any changes made to the item.  Undo has a
       limit of 40 items and is cleared when you go another checkbook, <F9>.


V.   O P T I O N S   M E N U:                                           [F8]

 Options are stored by checkbook.  You may use different options for each
 auxiliary book.  Enter value to change and press <Enter>; use arrows to
 move.  Use <Escape> to exit.  A prompt will appear confirming your desire
 to save changes.  Press "Y" to use the changes that you made.

  1-5 Color codes       - Use codes 0 through 255.  Codes 128 through 255
                          blink.  To the right of the selected color the
                          highlighted version of the color is represented.
                          Use the right arrow key to update this value.
  6 Border color        - Enter 0 through 15 to change the border color.
  7 Suppress snow       - (Y or N)  Some color monitors will produce 'snow'
                          when the screen is being displayed.  Press 'Y' to
                          suppress this snow.  This will make screen display
                          slower.
  8 Form feed line #    - Number of lines to do a printer page break, 0=off.
                          There is 66 lines to a normal page.
  9 Auto exit # minutes - If a key is not pressed after ### minutes, the
                          system will clear the screen, save all updates
                          and exit your checkbook for safekeeping.
 10 Auto save # minutes - Number of elapsed minutes to do a full save.
 11 Auto save # updates - Number of adds or updates to do a full save.  A
                          full save also occurs prior to any print operation
                          that could hang the system.
 12 Auto read # of items- (0 to 255)  Number of items to be read
                          automatically into the input buffer.  Auto read
                          works in between key strokes.  Use 255 to set to
                          maximum items or up to 999 items.
 13 Check print LPT:    - (1 or 2)  Selects which printer checks are printed
                          on.  Does not affect checkbook printing.
 14 Decimal entered     - (Y or N)  Determines if decimal points are entered
                          on dollar amounts.
 15 Sound duration      - (0 to 9)  Zero turns sound off.
 16 Size of cursor      - Use <Page Up> and <Page Down> to change.  Cursor
                          size format is TTBB, where TT is the top scan line
                          and BB is the bottom scan line.


VI.  P R I N T   and   A U D I T:                                     [F7]

 <F7> is used to print a check or your checkbook.  For check print see
 section "VII. CHECK PRINTING:" below.  Checkbook printing is to paper or to
 disk.  The format is similar to what appears on the screen.

 During the print process the running balance, audit entries, check sequence
 numbers and item sort order is validated.  Errors are indicated with a ">"
 on the printout and by a message at the end of the run.

 If the running balance is in error, the computed balance is inserted in the
 "To:" column of the item in error.  This error indicates loss of data and
 should be reconciled.  Data loss can be caused by turning the machine off
 while the checkbook is being saved.

 Audit entries are notes you insert that confirm the running balance.  This
 is done by typing a "=" in the first position of the note field.  Then the
 system will insert the current running balance for that item.  Should this
 running balance ever change, the print process would flag the entry as an
 error.

 Sequence warnings messages indicate that a check number was entered
 incorrectly or used out of sequence.  I suggest that you try to use your
 checks in sequence so that the print process can help validate the
 integrity of your checkbook.

 Item sort sequence errors could indicate a date entered in error or that
 your entries have not been sorted.  This is just a warning and may not
 require any action.


VII.   C H E C K   P R I N T I N G:                                    F7-C

 To print a check, move the cursor to the check you want printed.  Press
 <F7> and option "C".  Align your check to the date line and press <Enter>.
 The check will be printed using the format defined in the check format
 menu.  Don't forget to sign your check.

 To help the alignment process, you may press "-", "." or "_".  These will
 be printed on the check document.  Pressing the left and right arrow will
 move the carriage back and forth on some printers.  This should not affect
 where the next print field will be printed.

 If the name of the person you are writing the check to is longer than the
 "To:" field, you may continue his name in the note column.  To do this you
 type over the vertical line between the "To:" column and the "Note" column.
 Check print will then print the note field as part of the name.


VIII.   C H E C K   F O R M A T   M E N U                           Alt-[F8]

 If you use the check printing feature, you may need to change the standard
 print format.  Press <Alt-F8> to bring up the custom check formating menu.
 Formats are stored by checkbook.  You may use a different format for each
 auxiliary book.  Enter value to change and press <Enter>; use arrows to
 move.  Use <Escape> to exit.  A prompt will appear confirming your desire
 to save changes.  Press "Y" to use the changes that you made.

   1 - 15  Enter formating information for each field you want printed.
           Fifteen fields may be defined.

     Line feeds         - Number of line feeds prior to printing the field.
                          Note: Most printers use 6 line feeds to the inch.
     Micro line feeds   - Since some checks are not typewriter spaced, you
                          may need to do partial line feeds.  Only use this
                          if you know how to make your printer do micro line
                          feeds.  Use option #16 below to define the proper
                          escape sequence for your printer.
     Spaces             - Number of spaces to print prior to printing the
                          field.  Most printers use 10 or 12 spaces to the
                          inch.  CheX's default format uses 12 spaces to the
                          inch.
     Field Code         - Alpha codes "a" through "z" and "0" through "8".
                          Used to define which field to print.  These codes
                          are defined on the right side of the Check Format
                          Menu.

  16 Escape sequence for micro feeds - The escape sequence your printer
                          requires to do micro line feeds.  The sequence
                          needs to be followed with the commands to return
                          the printer to a normal print mode.  Each
                          character is a decimal number from 0 to 255.  Each
                          character is separated with a "/".


IX.   G R A P H:                                                       F7-G

 Press <F7> and option "G" to graph your checkbook.  Three standard business
 graphs are supported.  Each bar represents the month indicated on the
 bottom.  Up to sixty months can be displayed.  Scaling is based on the
 highest value over the last 24 months.  Years are represented by different
 colors on the month line.  Both total debits (checks) and total credits
 (deposits) are graphed together until one exceeds the other.  Up arrows
 represent amounts that exceed the scaling.

 A single "B" is the balance. Down arrows represent negative balances.
 Balance is the average daily balance.  The graph may not be accurate if the
 checkbook is not in date order.

 Three month weighted average is a graph smoothing technique.  Each month is
 represented by taking the current month times three, the prior month times
 two and the month before that times one.  Then the sum is divided by six.

 On color monitors, debits are graphed using the checkbook's heading color.
 The rest of the graph uses the detail line color.

 You may also graph selected items using the "F5 FIND" command.  Scaling is
 based on the highest value over the last 60 months.


X.   E R R O R S:

 To exit the program press <Escape>, <F10> or <ALT F10>.  In the event that
 power is lost or the system hangs prior to exiting the checkbook could have
 serious errors.  Errors in the running balance will be flagged during the
 checkbook printing process, <F7>.  The running balance may be corrected by
 reentering an item dollar amount above the running balance error, but it is
 up to you to determine what data has been damaged or lost.  See section
 "VI. PRINT and AUDIT" above.


XI.   F I L E   I N F O R M A T I O N:

  CheX.exe     - The checkbook program.
  CheX.hlp     - This document.  Used as a help screen.  You may delete it.
  CheX.ad1     - Your name and address for envelope print.
  CheX.ad#     - Free form text print files for check printing.  # = 2 or 3.
  CheX.pif     - Used for running under MS Windows.  You may delete it.
  ChexBk##     - Checkbook.  Created by CheX.  ## = book # 01 - 99.
  ChexPr##     - Created by CheX on print to disk.  You may delete it.
  ChexPr##.old - Old copy of ChexPr##.  Temporary.  Save this if you get a
                 disk error while printing your checkbook to disk.


XII.   P R O G R A M   I N F O R M A T I O N:

 CheX will run in 150K but runs better in 256K.  CheX does not use any
 overlays.  All the files used by CheX have character fields and records
 that are terminated with a carriage return/line feed. This is so that the
 files may be listed or used by other programs.  The help file may be
 eliminated or modified to meet individual needs.  See the description for
 <F1>, above.

 Special thanks to Rick Mendosa of the Santa Barbara Radio Shack Computer
 Center.  Rick did all the beta testing and provided constructive criticism
 and suggestions.  He also proofed this document and came up with CheX's
 name.  Thank you Rick!

 I hope you find this program as useful as I do.  Please send a $10.00
 contribution to encourage these ShareWare endeavors.  Thank you in advance.


                         --------------------------
                         |      Rich  Young       |
                         |   YoungWare Systems    |
                         |   6060 Ashley Place    |
                         |   Goleta, CA  93117    |
                         --------------------------

 (end of CheX.hlp document)