Notes for New Users of Mile Manager Deluxe 1. The Online Help System. We have designed the help system that is included with Mile Manager, to be very complete and thorough. There are introductory topics of all kinds, in the "Introductions and Overviews" index. You will also find detailed step-by-step instructions, on every topic from entering data, to viewing colored charts and printing reports. We would like to draw your attention to the INDEX and SEARCH buttons that are located at the top of the Mile Manager HELP window. Using these buttons can help you find any topic, very quickly. The program is designed to be easy and intuitive to use, however. As soon as you get aquainted with the basic look and feel of the application, you will find it to be a snap to use. 2. All About the Guided Tour The first time you start the application, you will be asked whether you wish to view the "Guided Tour." (The situations when the application will ask whether you wish to see the tour, are outlined below.) This tour consists of two things : (a) A sample database named "MM_TOUR.VEH" that is installed and stored in the "\database" subdirectory (or sub-folder) of the directory (or folder) where you have chosen to install the Mile Manager application. This sample data file contains enough data for you to print numerous reports (and try out different report options as you do so.) You can also generate and view colored charts and graphs, search and sort data, and generally try out the features in the application. (b) A set of specially written HELP topics, in the application's main help file, that are designed to be read as you tour this sample data file. These help topics will take you step-by-step through the basic layout and features of Mile Manager. You will also be shown how to enter, retrieve, and display data in different ways, and how easy it is to produce customized, printable REPORTS. This "Guided Tour" is highly recommended for new users, but is of course optional. Also, you can start the tour at any time, by selecting it from the Mile Manager main screen's HELP menu. The tour is easily "escapable" at any moment, since it is an interactive tour that relys on your own actions to "play along." This means that if you begin the tour, you can quit anytime, so you don't have to worry that you will lose control of your machine to a pre-programmed sequence of steps. Saying No to the Tour Finally, if you decline the tour at start up, when the program offers it to you, you may then be asked if you still wish to have Mile Manager load the example data file ("mm_tour.veh"). If you say yes, this sample data file will be loaded for you, so that you have something to look at and experiment with, as you explore the application on your own. If you say NO, then here again you can later do it manually, for yourself. To load the sample data file yourself at any later time, simply go to the "FILE" menu on the Mile Manager main screen and select the option to open a database. Then select "mm_tour.veh" which is located in your application's "\database" subdirectory. Start-Up Guided Tour Messages (On vs. Off) In the beginning, each time you launch Mile Manager from a program cold start, you will be asked whether you wish to see the tour or sample data file. These messages will cease to occur at application startup, when either of two conditions apply : (i) You choose an "AUTOLOAD FILE" from the Mile Manager "Preferences" menu (on the main screen.) This tells the application to load a file of your choosing, when the application launches. (This file can be one you are creating and working on yourself, or can be the same sample data file that we have been referring to, that is supplied with the application.) Anytime an "autoload file" has been selected and enabled, the application loads this data file immediately, and doesn't ask you if you want to see a tour topic or sample data file. (ii) The application becomes registered. Once a registration code is entered, the application no longer presumes you to be a "new user," so the appliction then stops offering you the option to begin one of the tour topics, when it launches. (There are several Guided Tour topics. You may wish to view them at different times, as you get aquainted with Mile Manager. Or, go to the Guided Tour Index in the main help file, and select a topic that interests you.) Again, you can always manually launch the tour, even after the application is registered (and the start-up tour messages no longer occur.) Simply select the tour option, from the Mile Manager HELP menu, on the main screen. 3. Getting Outside Help As mentioned, the HELP files that come with the application are very detailed and well-indexed. Most of the time, you will find answers to your questions, sitting right there on your desktop, just a few mouse clicks away. We have worked very hard to put all the information that you need, right there at your fingertips, to save you time and minimize your need for outside tech support. Therefore we encourage you to begin by consulting the help system, (remember those SEARCH and INDEX buttons in the Help window !) whenever you have a question. If you still have a question after checking in the help system, you are welcome to contact us at any time by email. Simply send your questions to: MileMgr@aol.com or 72114.1226@compuserve.com and we will be happy to hear from you. We hope you enjoy Mile Manager Deluxe ! Best Regards from Multiminder Systems...