Copyright: Copyright 1993 Paul Davison


Grocery Manager Contents

Click on the item you want help with.

Quick Start

Follow the Steps: How to use GMW

Entering Information into Grocery Manager

Shortcut Keys

Details of How GMW Works

GMW's Error Log File Feature


Store Dropdown List: This is a list of all the saved Stores. Many screens in GMW reference the current Store - this is where it is selected.


Status Line: This line is used by GMW to tell you what's going on. For example, when GMW is making Shopping Lists it will report what it's doing here.


Quick Start

These instructions DO NOT cover basic information about GMW like how to traverse the screens. For detailed info, use help while running GMW, or see the documentation file GMW_DOCS.WRI

To make a Shopping List, first you must make a Menu. A Menu consists of starting and ending dates, and one or more Dishes for each day on the Menu.

A salad will be used for an example of how to prepare GMW to make a Menu and Shopping List for you. Here's the details of the salad:

Name: Dinner Salad

Ingredient	Qty Needed	Where in Store	Price

Lettuce	1/2 Head	Produce section	$0.69

Radishes	1/2 Bunch	Produce section	$0.59

Cucumber	1/2 Each	Produce section	$0.89

Bacon Bits	1/4 Jar	Aisle # 3	$1.39

Cheese	1/8 LB	Dairy section	$2.19

1) Go to the Edit/Store screen, enter the name of a grocery store, and then exit the screen.

2) Select the Store from the Store dropdown list (below GMW's main menu).

3) Go to the Edit/Aisles screen and enter the Aisles needed - Produce, 3, and Dairy.

4) Go to the Edit/Aisle Sort Sequence screen and arrange the aisles in the order you actually will traverse them at the store.

5) Go to the Edit/Units of Measurement (UM's) screen and enter the UM's needed to make the salad - Head, Bunch, Each, Jar, and LB.

6) Go to the Edit/Ingredients screen and enter the ingredients needed - Lettuce, Radishes, Cucumber, Bacon Bits, and Cheese. As you enter each ingredient, enter the appropriate UM, Aisle, and Price that goes with each one.

7) Go to the Edit/Dishes screen and enter "Dinner Salad" for the name of the Dish, and then pick the salad's Ingredients from the list so that they will be associated with the Dinner Salad. Enter the appropriate quantity needed for each Ingredient.

8) Go to Create/Menu, and enter a name for this Menu. Click on the Save button, then click on the Menu - Select Days button. The Menu - Select Days screen will appear, and now choose your starting and ending dates for the Menu. Next, click on the Save button. You now will see the Menu - Select Dishes screen - select at least one Dish that you want to have each day, and then press the Create Shopping List button.

To view the list, go to View/Shopping List. To print it, go to File/Print, check the box beside Shopping List, and click on the Print button. You may also either view or print the Menu that you made and hang it up somewhere as a reminder of what Dishes you're having each day.


Follow the Steps: How to use GMW

Follow the Steps is found throughout this help file. It is a logical order to follow when entering information in GMW. This is only a suggestion, and not an iron-clad procedure that MUST be followed, but it will get you going with a minimum of fuss.

There are screens that depend on certain information existing before they can be of any use to you. For example, to make a Dish, you must have already entered Ingredients, Units of Measurement, and (optionally) Aisles. If you try to enter the Edit Dishes screen and no Ingredients exist, you will get a message telling you that there must be Ingredients saved before you can enter Dishes. This list was created to help anyone understand how to easily use GMW (and keep their stress level from rising <grin>).

When first setting up GMW and entering alot of data, do it in this order:

1 Edit Stores

2 Edit Aisles (optional)

3 Edit Aisle Sort Sequence (optional)

4 Edit Units of Measurement

5 Edit Ingredients

6 Edit Dishes

7 Edit Misc Item Groups (optional)

The information now exists to create Menus and Shopping Lists.

When making a new Menu:

8 Edit Include Exclude Misc Item Groups (optional)

9 Edit Misc Item Groups (optional)

10 Creating a Menu

After returning from your shopping trip:

11 Add to Inventory (optional)


Entering Information
Entering Information into GMW

Before actually using GMW, it would be easiest to have the following information ready so that you can enter everything at once:

1) A list of meals, the ingredients and the quantities needed to make each meal.

2) The aisle names in the grocery stores you shop at.

3) The aisle that each ingredient is located on in the grocery stores.

4) How much of each item you currently have at home.

Items 2-4 are not mandatory, but if these features are used, GMW will provide a shopping list that is organized by how you traverse the grocery store, and will take into account what items you already have at home so that you don't buy more than you really need of an item. At first, you could just enter item #1, and later, after you gather the other information, enter them.

Throughout this explanation, a Spaghetti dinner will be used as an example:

Spaghetti:

1 bag spaghetti noodles (found on aisle 5 and you have 1 bag at home)

1 jar spaghetti sauce (found on aisle 6 and you have 1 jar at home)

1 lb. ground beef (found in the Meat section and you have 1 lb. at home)

                              (entering the aisle and quantity you have at home is optional)

Stores

You must have at least one Store saved. Go to Edit/Stores and enter at least one name of a grocery store you shop at.

Units of Measurement

Go to the Edit/Units of Measurement (UM) screen, and enter every Unit of Measurement that you will use. For the above example you would enter "bag", "jar", and "lb.".

Aisles

Go to the Edit/Aisles screen and enter the aisle names. Most grocery stores number their aisles, so you could just enter the numbers for all the aisles at this time. Entering Aisles is optional.

Ingredients

Now you will enter the ingredients that will be used for all meals. At this time you are just entering ingredients that are not yet associated with any particular dish, so if a can of tomato paste is used in three different meals, it only has to be entered once. Go to the Edit/Ingredients screen and enter each ingredient. Here is what would be entered for the spaghetti dinner:

Name	UM	On Hand	Store	Stocked?	Aisle	Price

Spaghetti Noodles	Bag	1	Safeway	Y	5	$1.59

Spaghetti Sauce	Jar	1	Safeway	Y	6	$2.49

Ground Beef	Lb.	1	Safeway	Y	Meat	$1.99

Dishes

Now enter the Dishes. Go to the Edit/Dishes screen and enter the information for each dish. Here is what would be entered for the spaghetti dinner:

Dish Name = Spaghetti

Ingredients	Qty

Spaghetti Noodles	1

Spaghetti Sauce	1

Ground Beef	1

When selecting an ingredient, you can only pick from the ingredients that already have been entered and saved on the Edit Ingredients screen.

If you have other things with your spaghetti, like garlic bread or a salad, but wouldn't have the same thing every time you have spaghetti, you wouldn't want to include these things as ingredients of the spaghetti, so make these items Dishes of their own. Enter salad as a Dish name and enter what you use to make the salad as the Ingredients. Do the same for the garlic bread, and then when you are creating a Menu, you can choose what you want to have with your spaghetti.

Miscellaneous Items

Next, enter any Miscellaneous Items that you want to appear on the Shopping List (this step is optional). Miscellaneous Items are anything that you would buy at the grocery store that aren't part of a meal, but you would like them to appear on the Shopping List. For example, you could include a box of cookies, or detergent and shampoo. To enter Miscellaneous Items, first you must enter them on the Edit Ingredients screen. After you have done this, open the Edit/Misc Item Groups screen. First, enter a name for this group of Misc Items. Double-click on anything in the Available Items list, and it will appear in the Group Items list. To change a quantity, click on an item in the Group Items list and then use the Plus & Minus Buttons. If you want this particluar group included when a Shopping List is made, check the Include Group on Shopping List check box.

Aisle Sort Sequence

This feature exists because you may not traverse the grocery store aisles in numerical order. You may determine what order the aisles will appear on the Shopping List when it is printed. For example, a grocery store has aisles 1 through 8, and Meat and Produce sections that don't have aisle numbers. You end up traveling through the store in the following manner: aisles 1-4, Meat, 5-8, and Produce. Aisle Sort Sequence allows you to place the aisles in this sequence so that they appear on the Shopping List in that order. If you change the way you traverse the grocery store in the future, the sequence is easily changed. To set up your preferred sequence, have the Store selected that you want to setup an Aisle Sort Sequence for in the Store list (right below GMW's main menu). Go to the Edit/Aisle Sort Sequence screen. The Sort Sequence list displays all saved Aisles for the current Store. Click on any of the Aisles, and the item will be highlighted and the cursor will change to a horizontal double-arrow. Move the cursor to the Aisle that you want to insert the highlighted Aisle above, and click again. The highlighted Aisle is now repositioned. Do this until you are satisfied with the sequence that the Aisles are in, and then click on the Save button.

Note: Entering a Sort Sequence is optional, but if it isn't done, the Aisles will appear on the Shopping List in the order that they are saved in the Aisle database.

Creating a Menu and Shopping List

Go to the Create/Menu screen and enter a name for the Menu. Click on Save and then click on Create Menu. You will now be presented with the Menu - Select Days screen. Select the  starting date that you want the Menu to begin with by clicking on a date on the calendar. Notice that the Start Date is highlighted - this means that the date you click on will become the Start Date. After clicking on a Start Date, now the End Date is highlighted. Click on a date and it becomes the End Date (click on different dates on the calendar a few times while watching the Start and End Dates - you'll catch on to what's happening). When you have the dates you want, click on the Save button. Now the Menu - Select Dishes screen appears. The screens title bar will show what dates you entered (an example: Menu - Select Dishes: 09/11/93 - 09/13/93). The Saved Dishes list has all saved Dishes, and any of these may be included on the Menu. Double-clicking on any Dish in this list puts it into the Today's Dishes list. Notice below the heading Today's Dishes is a date - this is the first day of the dates you selected on the Menu - Select Days screen. Click on the Spin Button and the date will change. To remove a Dish from the Today's Dishes list, double-click on the Dish you want removed. Continue adding Dishes to whatever day you want them on - just remember that you must have at least one Dish on each day. When you are done entering Dishes, you have a choice to make - click on the Save button, and the information you entered will be saved and the screen will close, or click on the Create Shop List button, your information will be saved, and you will be presented with the Make Shopping List screen (If you click on Save, you can come back later and make a Shopping List from the information you just entered).

TIP: If you go out to eat on a certain day, you obviously wouldn't want to plan a meal for that day. To take care of this on the menu, enter a Dish with the name "Eat Out", and don't enter any ingredients. Choose "Eat Out" as the only Dish for that date. The menu will show "Eat Out" for that date, and since there are no ingredients associated with that Dish, nothing will show up on the Shopping List to buy for that meal.

There are three selections on the Make Shopping List screen: Current Store, All Stores, and Select Store(s). Some of the selections may not be available (if there is only one saved store, then All Stores, and Select Store(s) aren't available). If you have more than one Store, you can make a Shopping List for each Store based on your current Menu. Clicking on the Select Store(s) option will reveal a list box with all the Stores in it. Select which ones you want to make a Shopping List for by clicking on them once (clicking on a selected item will deselect it). The Ignore Stocking Status check box works hand in hand with the Is item stocked at this store? check box on the Edit/Ingredients screen. If the box isn't checked, GMW checks each Ingredient to see if it is stocked at a Store, and if it is, it won't make a Shopping List for that Store. In other words, you will only get Shopping Lists for Stores where you can get ALL the items needed for EVERY Dish called out on your Menu. If you want a Shopping List for every store you've selected regardless of whether or not the store has all the items, check this box.

To print the Shopping List(s) you've just made, go to File/Print.


Details of How GMW Works

Includes: Uninstalling GMW

Entering Data

When entering data into GMW, you can capitalize anywhere you desire. The capitalized letters will appear on the printouts and View screens exactly as you enter them, but GMW doesn't discern between Potatoes and potatoes, so you can't save both as an Ingredient. If you enter and save an Ingredient, access that Ingredient later and realize that you forgot to capitalize, you may capitalize the word and resave it.

You can reuse the same word as an Ingredient and Dish. For example, you want to call a Dish "Hamburger Helper", but you also want to use that as one of the Ingredients so you get a box of Hamburger Helper at the grocery store. In this case, GMW allows the same name to be reused. If ever in doubt, just try it - the worst that can happen is that you'll get a warning message.

The following are the maximum number of characters for data entered in GMW:

1) UM's: 10

2) Aisle Names: 10

3) Ingredient Names: 30

4) Dish Names: 30

5) Menu Names: 30

6) Misc Item Group Names: 30

7) Store Names: 30

8) Any numeric entry must be less than 10,000 and have no more than 2 digits to the right of the decimal point (format: nnnn.nn)

Uninstalling Grocery Manager

There are many Windows programs that install files all over your hard drive and also modify your WIN.INI and/or SYSTEM.INI files without telling you what they're up to. Removing programs like this is a guessing game, at best. To keep anyone from lumping GMW into that category of "rude" programs that are nearly impossible to uninstall, here's how to completely remove any trace of GMW:

1) First, view the file GMW.INI in your GMW directory. Look for the heading [DLL], and below it will be two items:

VBRUN200=

VBISAMMX=

Beside each of these items will be one of the following:

Installed: The file was copied to your hard drive during the GMW installation.

Overwritten: The file existed on your hard drive, but was chosen to be overwritten during the GMW installation.

Already Existed: The file already existed before the GMW install, and nothing was done to it.

Install Not Used: The GMW installation program wasn't used.

The above information will help you determine whether or not these files existed on your hard drive before GMW was installed.

In your Windows System directory you will find VBISAMMX.DLL and VBRUN200.DLL. With the above information you can decide whether or not these need to be deleted.

2) Remove all files in the GMW directory and the GMW directory itself.

3) Delete the Program Manager group and/or icon(s), if installed.

That's it! GMW doesn't use WIN.INI or SYSTEM.INI, so there's nothing to remove from these files.


Exit Button: Clicking on this button is the same as selecting File/Exit


Print Button: Clicking on this button is the same as selecting File/Print


Create Menu Button: Clicking on this button is the same as selecting Create/Menu


Cascade Button: Clicking on this cascades all the open windows (this is the same as selecting Window/Cascade).


Help Button: Clicking on this button opens the help file and shows information for whatever screen is active.


File Menu

Click on the item you want help with.


Print
Printing Reports

Check the box beside the reports you want, click on the Print button, and all of the reports are sent to the printer.

Printing to a file

Important notes about printing a Shopping List


Here's how to send any of GMW's printed reports to a file, which you can then import into any word processor and modify however you want:

Choose Printer Setup... from the File menu.

Look at the list under the Installed Printers heading, and click on the item below that best describes your situation:

Generic / Text Only on FILE:

Generic / Text Only with something other than FILE:

Generic / Text Only isn't in the list


Generic / Text Only on FILE:

Click on it, and then click on the Set As Default Printer button. You are ready to print to a file from GMW.


Generic / Text Only with something other than FILE:

Click on Generic / Text Only once, and click on the Connect button. Double-click on the FILE: selection in the Ports list, and then click on the Set As Default Printer button. You are ready to print to a file from GMW.


Generic / Text Only isn't in the list:

Click on the Add button. Double-click on Generic / Text Only, and have your Windows install disks ready. After Generic / Text Only appears under the Installed Printers heading, click on it once, and click on the Connect button. Double-click on the FILE: selection in the Ports list, and then click on the Set As Default Printer button. You are ready to print to a file from GMW.


Printing a Shopping List: There are eight columns of information for a Shopping List. If all eight are desired, you will most likely have to use landscape mode when printing so all eight will fit on the page. If you use portrait mode and expect all eight columns, a couple will probably be missing. You may not want all eight columns printed. If not, see View Screen Customizing for details on how to choose which columns you want printed, and in what order.

If you want all eight columns in portrait mode, you can print to a file, and then import it into a word processor and choose a small font that will allow all eight columns to fit on one line. See Printing to a File for instructions on how to do this.


Report Check Boxes: Check which of the report(s) you want to print, and then click on the Print button.


Print Dish Notes: This option appears only if Dishes: Brief or Dishes: Detailed is checked (and there some saved Dish Notes). All saved Dish Notes will print. This option differs from the Dish Notes checkbox in that every Dish Note isn't printed on it's own page. In other words, using the Dish Notes checkbox prints each Dish Note on it's own page, and this option fills each page with as many Dish Notes as will fit.


Print Button: Clicking this button sends all selected reports to the printer.


Printer Setup... This is the same as selecting Printers from the Windows Control Panel. Select it if you want to change which printer to use, or any printer options.


This selection closes all open windows, and shuts down GMW. If there is any unsaved information in any of the open windows, you will be asked if you want to save before exiting.


Edit Menu

Click on the item you want help with.


Edit Aisles

Click on the item you want help with.

Follow the Steps 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Enter the Aisle names from each Store on this screen. When the Edit/Aisles screen opens, the title bar will read Aisles: <Store name>. The Store name is the one that is currently selected in the Store dropdown list (below GMW's main menu). Multiple Edit/Aisles screens can be open at once - just select another Store from the Store dropdown list, and choose Aisle from the Edit menu to open Edit/Aisles for that Store.

Important information about editing Aisles


Name Box: Type the Aisle that you want to add in this box. Aisle names can be up to ten characters long.


Description Box: Enter anything you want in this box, up to 60 characters long.


Status Box: This box will display one of these:

Entering New Record

Editing: <name of Aisle>

Record: Saved


Save Button: Click this button to save the Aisle in the Name box.


Delete Button: Clicking this button will delete the Aisle that is in the Name box.


Clear Button: Clicking this button will clear anything that is in the Name box.


Saved Aisles List: All saved Aisles for the current Store appear in this box.


An Aisle can't be deleted that is associated with an Ingredient. It's association with any Ingredients must be removed, then it can be deleted.

When you delete an Aisle, it is also deleted from the Aisle Sort Sequence list.

When you change an Aisle,  the Sort Sequence and Ingredients lists reflect the change.

When you save a new Aisle and a Sort Sequence list exists, the new Aisle is appended to the end of the Sort Sequence list.


Edit Aisle Sort Sequence

Click on the item you want help with.

Follow the Steps 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

When the Edit/Aisle Sort Sequence screen opens, the title bar will read Sort Seq: <Store name>. The Store name is the one that is currently selected in the Store dropdown list (below GMW's main menu). Multiple Edit/Aisle Sort Sequence screens can be open at once - just select another Store from the Store dropdown list and choose Aisle Sort Sequence from the Edit menu to open an  Edit/Aisle Sort Sequence screen for another Store.

The List menu appears when the Aisle Sort Sequence screen is active.

Note: Entering a Sort Sequence is optional, but if it isn't done, the Aisles will appear on the Shopping List in the order that they are saved in the Aisle database.


When the Sort Sequence window is active, the List menu will appear on GMW's menu bar. The List menu has two choices:  Default & Undo. Default changes the Sort Sequence to a list of the saved Aisles in alphabetical order. Undo restores the Sort Sequence back to the way it was when you first opened the Sort Sequence screen.


The Sort Sequence List displays all Aisles that you have entered and saved on the Edit/Aisles screen. Click on any of the Aisles, and the item will be highlighted and the cursor will change to a horizontal double-arrow. Move the cursor to the Aisle that you want to insert the highlighted Aisle before, and click again. The highlighted Aisle is now repositioned. Do this until you are satisfied with the sequence that the Aisles are in, and then click on the Save button


Save Button: Click on this  button when you are done arranging the Aisles in the sequence you want. Keep in mind that when changing a Sort Sequence, any Shopping List that used this Sort Sequence when it was made should be recreated so it will reflect your new Sort Sequence.


Edit Dishes

Click on the item you want help with.

Follow the Steps 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Dishes are entered here. Any saved Ingredient may be associated with any Dish. Each Dish can have up to 2,000 Ingredients. Later, you will pick the Dishes you want on each day of a Menu, and the Ingredients it takes to make the Dishes will show up on the Shopping List.

The Sort menu appears when the Dish screen is active.


Name Box: Type the Dish name that you want to add in this box, or click on the button to the right of the Name box to see a list of saved Dishes. Click on any of the names in the list to view this Dish. A Dish name can be up to 30 characters long.


Status Box: This box will display one of these:

Entering New Record

Editing: <name of Dish>

Record: Saved


Saved Ingredients List: This is a list of all Ingredients that are saved in the Ingredients database. Double-clicking on any of these selects the Ingredient to be part of the Dish, and it appears in the Ingredients in Dish list. The number that is in the Quantity box will appear with the Ingredient.


Ingredients in Dish List: This is a list of all Ingredients that are part of the current Dish. You may remove any Ingredient by double-clicking on it. Clicking on any of the Ingredients in the Ingredients in Dish list highlights it, and then when you use the Plus or Minus buttons, that Ingredients quantity changes accordingly. The UM for each Ingredient is listed also.


Quantity List: This is a list of the Quantities that are associated with the Ingredients. To change a number in this column, click on it, then use the Plus and Minus buttons, or type a number in the Quantity box and press return.


Quantity Box: Type the desired  number in the Quantity box. Double-click on the Ingredient you want to add to the Dish, and the Quantity appears beside the Ingredient.


Plus & Minus Buttons: Clicking these buttons increment & decrement the number in the Quantity Box.

Clicking near these buttons with the left and right mouse buttons performs the same action as clicking on the Plus  & Minus buttons, respectively.


Save Button: Click this button to save a Dish.


Delete Dish Button: Clicking this button will delete the Dish that is in the Name box.


Clear Button: Clicking this button will clear anything that is in the Name box, Ingredient in Dish list, and Quantity box.


Dish Note Button: Clicking this button opens the Dish Note screen where any notes you may want to keep with the current Dish can be entered and saved.


Clear List Button: Click on this button to clear just the Ingredients in Dish list.


Include Exclude Misc Item Groups
Include/Exclude Misc Item Groups

Click on the item you want help with.

Follow the Steps 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Just before creating a Shopping List is a good time to look at which Misc Item Groups you have marked to be included on the Shopping List, and make any adjustments before creating a new one. Open the Edit/Include Exclude Misc Item Groups screen to see which Groups are tagged for inclusion on a Shopping List. This screen is a shortcut that allows you to quickly decide which Misc Item Groups should be included when a Shopping List is made. It performs the same function as using the Include Group on Shopping List checkbox on the Edit/Misc Item Groups screen, but is quicker since you can see all the Misc Item Groups on one screen, change the ones you want, and then save them all at once.


Group Names: This is a list of all the saved Misc Item Groups.


Include?: Click on the item you want to change. They will alternate between Yes and No with each mouse click. If Include is Yes, that Misc Item Group will be included on any Shopping Lists you make until you change Include to No.


Save Button: Click on this button to save any changed information and exit the screen.


Edit Ingredients

Click on the item you want help with.

Follow the Steps 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Ingredients are entered here. The Name, UM, and Store fields are required before you are allowed to save an Ingredient.The On Hand and Price fields default to zero. If you don't want to keep track of what quantities you have at home, just leave the On Hand field zero. If you don't want GMW to total your Shopping Lists for you, leave the Price field zero.

Each Ingredient exists under every Store. Each Store may not carry every Ingredient, so this is where the Is Item Stocked at this Store checkbox comes in. If the Ingredient isn't stocked at a particular Store, don't check this box.

Note: When using the Ingredient screen, the Store dropdown list (below GMW's main menu) disappears because the Ingredient screen has a Store dropdown list of it's own.


Save Button: Click this button to save an Ingredient.


Delete Button: Clicking this button will delete the Ingredient that is in the Name box.


Clear Button: Clicking this button will clear anything that is in the Name, UM and Aisle boxes.


Status Box: This box will display one of these:

Entering New Record

Editing: <name of Ingredient>

Record: Saved


Name Box: Enter the Ingredients name in this box. It may be up to 30 characters long.


UM Dropdown List: Choose a UM from this list to be associated with the Ingredient.


On Hand Box: Type the desired  number in the On Hand box.


Quantity Plus & Minus Buttons: Clicking these buttons increment & decrement the number in the On Hand box.

Clicking near these buttons with the left and right mouse buttons performs the same action as clicking on the Plus  & Minus buttons, respectively.


Store Dropdown List: Choose the Store from this list that you want to edit.


Is item stocked at this Store Check Box: Checking this box tells GMW that this Ingredient is carried at this Store. This information is used when Shopping Lists are created to tell you whether or not you can go to a certain Store to get all the Ingredients you need.


Aisle Dropdown List: Choose an Aisle from this list to be associated with the Ingredient. If you don't want an Aisle to be associated with the Ingredient, choose {NONE} from this list.


Price Box: Enter the price of the Ingredient here. You can enter a different Price for each Store for the same Ingredient. GMW will use this informaion when creating Shopping Lists to help you do some comparison shopping to see which store would be cheaper to go to for a given Shopping List.


Price Plus & Minus Buttons: Clicking these buttons increment & decrement the number in the Price box.

Clicking near these buttons with the left and right mouse buttons performs the same action as clicking on the Plus  & Minus buttons, respectively.


Edit Misc Item Groups

Click on the item you want help with.

Follow the Steps 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Step #7   Step #9

This is where you enter Items that you want to appear on the Shopping List that aren't part of a meal. Before an Item can become part of a Misc Item Group, it must be saved via the Edit/Ingredients screen.

The Sort menu appears when the Misc Item Group screen is active.


Misc Item Groups are handy for things like cleaning items, spices, snacks, and anything else that might not be on a Menu but you want on the Shopping List.

When you create a Menu, any Misc Item Group that has it's Include Group on Shopping List checkbox checked will have it's Items included on the Shopping List.


If you need to make any changes to Items within a Misc Item Group before creating a Shopping List, now is the time to do it. Use the Edit/Misc Item Groups screen to call up the desired Group and make any needed changes.


Sort Menu: This menu has three choices: On, Off, and Now. These choices pertain to the Saved Items list on the Misc Item Groups screen, or the Ingredients in Dish list on the Edit Dishes screen. When adding an Item to the list, the Items can be immediately alphabetized when each one is added (On), never alphabetized while adding them (Off), or alphabetized when desired (Now). The ability to turn the sorting off is provided in case the sorting routine noticably slows down your computer (and annoys you). The choices on the Sort Menu can be activated by their shortcut keys: On = Ctrl-N, Off = Ctrl-F, Now = Ctrl-W. The current setting (On or Off)  is saved when you exit, and reused when you open the screen again.


Save Button: Click this button to save changes to the Misc Item Group.


Delete Button: Clicking this button will delete the current Misc Item Group.


Clear Button: Click on this button to clear everything in the Name box, Available Items, and Group Items lists.


Clear List Button: Clicking this button will remove all Items from the Group Items and Qty lists.


Status Box: This box will display one of these:

Entering New Record

Editing: <name of Group>

Record: Saved


Name Box: Enter the Groups name in this box. It may be up to 30 characters long.


Include Check Box: Check this box if you want the Items in this Group to be included in Shopping Lists you make. Any Group with this box checked will be included in all Shopping Lists made until you uncheck this box.


Quantity Box:Whatever number is in the Qty Box will be associated with the Item that you double-click on in the Available Items list.Change the quantity by typing a new number into the Qty box and pressing the return key.


Plus & Minus Buttons: You may update an Items quantity by clicking on any Item in the Group Items list to highlight it, and then clicking on the Plus or Minus buttons. Clicking near these buttons with the left and right mouse buttons performs the same action as clicking on the Plus  & Minus buttons, respectively.


Available Items List Box: This is a list of all saved Ingredients. Double-clicking any of these moves it to the Saved Items list.


Group Items & Qty Lists: This is a list of all Misc Items in the current Group. Double-click on any item to remove it from the list. Each item's UM is also listed.


Edit Quantities on Hand

Click on the item you want help with.

This screen presents you with a list of all saved Ingredients, and lets you manipulate their Quantities on Hand.


Ingredients List: When you click on an Ingredient in this list, it's Quantity on Hand is put in the Quantity box so you can change it.


Quantity Box: When you click on an Ingredient in the list, it's Quantity on Hand is put in this box so you can change it. You may update an Ingredient's quantity by clicking on the Plus or Minus buttons, or typing a new number into the Qty box and pressing the return key.

Note: If the selection Allow Negative on Hand Values is selected on the User Setup screen, you will be allowed to enter a negative number in the Qty Box, but the only way to enter a negative number is with the Minus button.


Plus & Minus Buttons: Clicking these buttons increment & decrement the number in the Quantity Box.

Clicking near these buttons with the left and right mouse buttons performs the same action as clicking on the Plus  & Minus buttons, respectively.


Save Button: Click this button when you are done changing the Ingredient's quantities. The new quantities are saved, and the screen closes. After saving new quantities on this screen, all existing Shopping List quantity information will be out of date. Recreate any Shopping List that you want to reflect quantities accurately.


Zero Qtys Button: Click on this button, and a dialog box will ask for confirmation that you want to set all the Ingredient's Quantities on Hand to zero. Click on yes to zero all quantities.


Edit Stocking Status

Click on the item you want help with.

This is where you can quickly change the Is item stocked at this Store? status for one or more Ingredient(s).


Ingredient Names: This is a list of all the saved Ingredients.


Stocked?: Click on the item you want to change. They will alternate between Yes and No with each mouse click. If Stocked is Yes, you are saying that the Ingredient is stocked at the current Store.


SaveButton: Click on this button to save any changed information and exit the screen.


Edit Stores

Click on the item you want help with

Follow the Steps 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Enter the names of the Stores that you will be using in GMW on this screen. Before entering various screens, you will pick a Store from the Store dropdown list, which is below GMW's main menu.


Save Button: Click this button to save a Store.


Delete Button:  Clicking this button will delete the Store that is in the Name box.


Clear Button: Clicking this button, will clear anything that is in the Name box.


Status Box: This box will display one of these:

Entering New Record

Editing: <name of Store>

Record: Saved


Name Box: Type the Store that you want to add in this box. It can be up to 30 characters long.


Edit Units of Measurement

Click on the item you want help with.

Follow the Steps 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Enter any UM's that you want to use with the Ingredients on this screen.

Important information about editing UM's


Name Box: Type the UM that you want to add in this box. It can be up to 10 characters long.


Status Box: This box will display one of these:

Entering New Record

Editing: <name of UM>

Record: Saved


Saved UM's List Box: All UM's currently saved in the UM database will be in this list box. Double-Clicking on one of them will put it in the Name Box, and you may edit or delete it.


Save Button: Click this button to save a UM.


Delete Button: Clicking this button will delete the UM that is in the Name box.


Clear Button: Clicking this button, will clear anything that is in the Name box.


You can't delete a UM that is associated with an Ingredient. You must first remove the UM from being associated with any Ingredients, then delete the UM.

When you change a UM, any Ingredient that it was associated with will reflect the change.


Edit User Setup

Click on the item you want help with


Confirmation Prompts: There are places in GMW where you are asked to confirm the choice you have just made, such as when you delete or update a record. Leaving this box unchecked disables these prompts.


Show Zero Quantities on Shopping List: This is easiest to explain by showing an example. When Show Zero Quantities is checked, this is what can appear on the Shopping List for a particular item:

---------------  Quantity --------------

Needed        on Hand      to Buy

  10.00            10.00                 -

You don't need to buy any of this item because you need 10 for your current menu, and you already have 10 at home.

If you uncheck the Show Zero Quantities checkbox, this line won't appear on your Shopping List.


Subtract Quantities Needed: Checking this box will subtract the Quantity Needed of each Ingredient on the Shopping List from the Quantity on Hand for that Ingredient. If you don't keep inventory of what you have on hand, then leave this unchecked.


Allow Negative on Hand Values: Checking this box will allow the Ingredient's Quantity on Hand values to be negative numbers in certain situations. Here's an example:

If Quantity on Hand for tuna is 1, Quantity Needed is 3, and you specify on the Add to Inventory screen that you only bought 1 can when you were at the grocery store, the Quantity on Hand amount for tuna would be -1. Here's what happens when the Add to Inventory function is run when Allow Negative on Hand Values is checked:

New Quantity on Hand = (Current Quantity on Hand + Quantity Bought) - Quantity Needed

The tuna example would be: New Quantity on Hand = (1 + 1) - 3, so New Quantity on Hand would be -1.

If Allow Negative on Hand Values isn't selected, and  the above formula's result  is less than zero, the Quantity on Hand will be set to zero.

This feature could be useful if you needed an item that the store didn't have and you want to remember that you still need it.


Default Number of Days: If you usually make a menu for 14 days, then enter 14 here and when you create a menu, the starting and ending dates will span 14 days.


Save Button: Click this button to save the current settings and exit.


Create Menu

Click on the item you want help with.


Creating a menu consists of three screens:

1 Menu - Select Name

2 Menu - Select Days

3 Menu - Select Dishes


Menu - Select Name

Click on the item you want help with.

Follow the Steps 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This is the first step in creating a Menu. On this screen you select a Menu name from the list or create a new one.

Next: Menu - Select Days


Save Button: This button saves the current entry.


Delete Button: Click on this button to delete the current Menu name.


Clear Button: Click on this button to clear the Name box.


Menu - Select Days Button: Click on this button when you have selected a saved Name from the list and are ready to proceed to the next step in making a Shopping List, which is the Menu - Select Days screen.


Create Shop List Button: Click on this button to create (or recreate) a Shopping List for a saved Menu. The Menu - Select Dishes screen will open.


Status Box: This box will display one of these:

Entering New Record

Editing: <name of Menu>

Record: Saved


Name Box:  Type the Menu name that you want to add in this box. It can be up to 30 characters long.


Menu - Select Days

Click on the item you want help with.

On this screen you select the starting and ending dates for your Menu.

Next: Menu - Select Dishes


Month Increment & Decrement Buttons: Use these to see the next or previous month.


Start Date: The Menu starts on this date. Set this date by clicking a date on the calendar when the Start Date is highlighted. If you want to set the Start Date and it isn't highlighted, click on the Start Date box to highlight it, then click on a date.


End Date: The Menu ends on this date. Set this date by clicking a date on the calendar when the End Date is highlighted. If you want to set the End Date and it isn't highlighted,  click on the End Date box to highlight it, then click on a date.


Calendar: If the Start Date is highlighted, clicking on a date on the calendar will set it to that date. If the End Date is highlighted, then clicking on a date will set it.


Save Button: Click this button after picking the starting and ending dates you want, and you will then be presented with the Menu - Select Dishes screen


Menu - Select Dishes

Click on the item you want help with.

This is where you choose which Dishes you want on each day of the Menu.

Next: Make Shopping List


Saved Dishes List Box: This list contains all the Dishes that you may choose from to include on your Menu. Double-click on any Dish and it will be added to the Today's Dishes list for the currently selected day.


Today's Dishes List Box: When this screen first displays, you will see the date of the first day that you want the Menu to start with (Sat, Sep. 11, 1993, in this example). Choose which Dishes you want for each day by double-clicking on any Dish in the Saved Dishes list. To remove a Dish, double-click on the Dish you want removed.


Spin Button: Use the spin button to go to the different days in your menu. You don't have to start with day one and end with the last day on your menu. If you know what you want to have on next Saturday, use the spin button to get you to that day, fill in the Dish(es), and go on to whatever day you want to fill in next. Just remember that you must have at least one Dish on each day.

There are shortcut keys for the spin button: Ctrl-D for Down, and Ctrl-U for Up.


Save Button: When you click on this button, each day is checked to see if it includes at least one Dish. If not, you are notified of this, and given an opportunity to correct the problem. When all is ok, The Menu information is saved (a Shopping List isn't created).


Create Shopping List Button: Clicking on the Create/Shopping List menu selection opens the Make Shopping List screen, where you choose if you want the current Menu made for one, all, or selected Stores. See Make Shopping List for more details.


Make Shopping List

Click on the item you want help with.


Make Button: Click on this button to begin making the Shopping List(s).


Make Shopping List for:

Current Store: Selecting this will make the Shopping List just for the current Store.

All Stores: Selecting this will make the Shopping List for all Stores.

Selected Store(s): Selecting this will open the bottom half of the screen, and you can select which Store(s) you want the Shopping List created for. Click on Stores List for more details.


Ignore Stocking Status: Checking this box tells GMW to ignore whether or not an Ingredient is stocked at a certain Store. If this is unchecked, GMW checks each Ingredient to see if it is stocked at a Store, and if it is, it won't make a Shopping List for that Store. In other words, you will only get Shopping Lists for Stores where you can get ALL the items needed for EVERY Dish called out on your Menu.


Stores List: This is a list of all the saved Stores. Click on the ones you want a Shopping List created for, and then click on the Make button.


Add to Inventory

Click on the item you want help with.

Follow the Steps 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

The purpose of this screen is to let you change the quantity you bought, since you don't know before going to the store whether or not you'll be able to get everything on your list, or just may decide that you want more of an item than the quantity that is on the Shopping List.

When you click on the Save button, the numbers in the Qty Bought column are added into the Qty on Hand numbers that are found on the Edit/Ingredients screen.

If you don't want to keep inventory of what you have at home, just ignore Create/Add to Inventory.


Item: This is a list of all the items on the selected Shopping List.


Qty Needed: This is the quantity needed to make all the Dishes on the selected Menu.

Qty on Hand: This is the quantity you currently have at home.

Qty Bought: This is QtyNeeded - Qty on Hand. If the quantity you purchase is different than the quantity shown, click on the item, and change the Qty Bought to what you actually bought.


Qty Box and Plus/Minus Buttons: Whatever number is in the Qty box will be associated with the Ingredient that you click on in the Shopping List. You may update an Ingredient's quantity by clicking on any Ingredient in the list to highlight it, and then clicking on the Plus or Minus buttons. Changing the quantity can also be done by typing a new number into the Qty box and pressing the return key. Also, clicking near the Plus & Minus buttons with the left and right mouse buttons performs the same action as clicking on the Plus  & Minus buttons, respectively.


Save Button: Click on this when you are done editing the quantities, and they will be added to the current On Hand quantities of these items (using this feature is optional).


View Menu

Click on the item you want help with.

Choosing any of the items on the View menu allows you to view the selected report onscreen. If you want to print the report, go to File/Print.

Multiple column view screens allow the columns to rearranged and hidden. Click on View Screen Customizing for details.


View Screen Customizing

The picture is an example using the View Shopping List screen.

The order in which the columns appear can be changed . Just click on the heading of the column to move (the mouse pointer will change shape), and then click on the heading of the column to swap it with.

Your preferred arrangement is saved and will be used any subsequent time you view the screen again.

The following reports have user configurable columns:

Ingredients - Current

Ingredients - All

Ingredients - without Store Info

Shopping List

The printed reports for the above items mirror the saved viewing preferences with one exception:

Ingredients - All: Name, UM, and On Hand will always be the first three columns on a printed report.


The items in this menu are the available columns that can be viewed. The columns with check marks beside them are the visible columns, and the ones without check marks aren't visible. Clicking on any of the selections that don't have a check mark will make that column visible, and clicking on any of the selections that have a check mark will hide that column.


View Aisles: You will be presented with the option of viewing the current Store's Aisles, or all Store's Aisles. Select which you want, and the view screen will open.


View Aisle Sort Sequence: You will be presented with the option of viewing the current Store's Aisle Sort Sequence, or all Store's Aisle Sort Sequences. Select which you want, and the view screen will open.


View Dishes: You will be presented with the option of viewing the Dishes in a Brief or Detailed format. Brief shows you only the Dishes names, and Detailed includes all information pertaining to each Dish. Select which you want, and the view screen will open. If you want to view the Dish Note for a certain Dish, Double-click on the Dish Name.


View Ingredients: You will be presented with the option of viewing Ingredient information for the Current Store, All Stores, or without Store Info. If you choose Current Store, you are presented with two choices: All Items or only Items with Stocking Status = Yes. Select which you want, and the view screen will open.


View Menu(s)

Click on the item you want help with.


Saved Menus List: Click on each Menu that you want to view, and then click on the OK button to view them.


OK Button: Click on this button to view the selected Menu(s).


All / None Button: When the button says All, click on it and all Menus will be selected for viewing. If the button says None, clicking on it will deselect all the Menus.


View Misc Item Groups: You will be presented with the option of viewing the groups in a Brief or Detailed format. Brief shows you only the Group's names and whether or not they will be included on Shopping Lists, and Detailed includes all items in each Group. Select which you want, and the view screen will open.


View Shopping List
View Shopping List(s)

Click on the item you want help with.

Click on any of the rows in the picture below for an explanation of how the Shopping List works:


This example shows a quantity of 2 needed, 0 on hand, so 2 should be bought. The single unit price is $0.39, and the price for a quantity of two is $0.78.


This example shows a quantity of 1 needed, 1 on hand, so 0 need to be bought. The extended price is $0.00 since none are needed.


This example shows a quantity of 2 needed, 1 on hand, so 1 should be bought. The single unit and extended prices are both $1.49.


This example shows a quantity of 1 needed, 0.50 on hand, so 1 should be bought. The single unit and extended prices are both $2.45. Note that the quantity to buy is 1, not 0.50. Since you can't buy half of an item, GMW rounds up automatically.


Saved Shopping Lists: Click on each Shopping List that you want to view, and then click on the OK button to view them.


OK Button: Click on this button to view the selected Shopping List(s).


All / None Button: When the button says All click on it and all Shopping Lists will be selected for viewing. If the button says None, clicking on it will deselect all the Shopping Lists.


View Stores: Choosing this selection produces a list of all Stores.


View UMs: Choosing this selection produces a list of all Units of Measurement.


Window Menu

Click on the item you want help with.


Cascade, Tile, Arrange Icons: These commands rearrange any windows that are currently open in GMW.


All open windows in GMW are listed here. Selecting one will make it the active window.


Shortcut Keys

Sometimes you may rather press a key than click a mouse, so here's a list of shortcut keys that are in GMW:

Key	Function	Comments

Ctrl-C	Clear	Shortcut for the Clear button

Ctrl-D	Delete	Shortcut for the Delete button

Shortcut for the Down spin button on the Menu - Select Dishes screen

Ctrl-E	Erase	Used on Misc Item Groups & Dish screens to erase only the list of Ingredients

Ctrl-P	Print	Shortcut for the Print button

Ctrl-S	Save	Shortcut for the Save button

Ctrl-U	Up	Shortcut for the Up spin button on the Menu - Select Dishes screen

Ctrl-X	Exit	Shortcut to close a screen


GMW's Error Log Feature

When an error happens in GMW, it is recorded in a file named ERRORLOG.TXT. You can find this file in your GMW directory (if an error has happened).

The date, time, and error number is recorded in the file. This information can be very helpful when reporting a problem that has happened (Click on Help/About for information on how to contact Absolute Value Software).The file is pure ASCII text, and can easily be viewed with a text editor (like NOTEPAD.EXE, which comes with Windows).

The contents will look something like this:

[Errors]

12/03/93 23:39=202-N0022-6

12/04/93 12:09=202-G0312-1

Deleting or editing this file will in no way harm GMW. GMW only saves messages to this file, and GMW will automatically make the file if it doesn't already exist.


Deleting Items in GMW

Sometimes when you want to delete certain items you'll get a message something like "This Ingredient is currently associated with one or more Dishes. These associations must be deleted before the Ingredient can be deleted. Would you like a list of these Dishes?". GMW doesn't allow you to remove an item that is being used elsewhere in the database. The official term for this is referential integrity, but in GMW it's called "association".

An example of an association would be a Dish "Spaghetti" with the Ingredient "Cheese" in it. GMW wouldn't allow you to delete the Ingredient "Cheese" until it was removed from the Dish "Spaghetti". Furthermore, if the Dish "Spaghetti" was in a Menu, you couldn't delete the Dish "Spaghetti" unless the Menu was deleted that contains the Dish "Spaghetti".

If you try to delete an item that is being used in this manner, GMW will give you the option to view a list where the item is being used, and you may choose to let GMW remove all of the associations so that the item may be deleted.

Details of the associations in GMW:

Ingredients in Dishes and Misc Item Groups: If you want to delete an Ingredient that is part of a Dish or Misc Item Group, GMW will remove that Dish from every Ingredient and Misc Item Group. Other Ingredients in the Dishes & Misc Item Groups will not be affected.

Aisles used in Ingredients: If you want to delete an Aisle that is part of an Ingredient, GMW will remove that Aisle from every Ingredient that it is saved under and the affected Ingredients won't be associated with any Aisle.

UM's used in Ingredients: If you want to delete a UM that is part of an Ingredient, GMW will prompt you for a replacement UM. This is necessary because UM's are a mandatory part of an Ingredient, and can't be left blank.

Dishes used in Menus: If you want to delete a Dish that is part of a Menu, GMW will remove every Menu that has that Dish in it. Any related Shopping Lists will also be deleted. Please note: GMW doesn't remove only the Dish from the Menu, it deletes the ENTIRE MENU.


This is a spin button:

Click on the up arrow to increment the number

Click on the down arrow to decrement the number


Grocery Manager is from:

Absolute Value Software

Paul Davison

4325 SW Stoddard Dr.

Aloha OR 97007

U.S.A.

CompuServe email: 72327,1673

Internet: 72327.1673@compuserve.com

PAUL DAVISON on the RIME (RelayNet) ASP Conference


ASP Ombudsman Statement

"Paul Davison is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP).  The 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 49442-9427 or send a Compuserve message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536- 9427 or FAX 616-788-2765".


Registering Grocery Manager

The registration fee for Grocery Manager is $25 + Shipping.

Registering entitles you to:

1) A licensed copy of GMW. It doesn't have the "Unregistered Evaluation Version" reminder on the main screen and printouts, or the opening info screen

2) Free updates, automatically sent to you, for one year from registering.

3) Support for Grocery Manager. You may contact me in a number of ways:

      a) US Mail. Send to:

           Paul Davison

           Absolute Value Software

           4325 SW Stoddard Dr.

           Aloha, OR 97007

      b) CompuServe email. My account number is 72327,1673.

      c) Internet. Address messages to: INTERNET:72327.1673@compuserve.com

      d) RIME (RelayNet) ASP conference.

There is no time limit to receiving support after becoming a registered user. Feel free to contact me in either of the above mentioned ways, and I will respond as soon as I can. CompuServe is the fastest way to get a message to me. It is extremely rare that I am not on CompuServe daily.

Please feel free to contact me if you are evaluating Grocery Manager and have any questions, problems or comments.

Special Offer

I am offering a special deal to save you some money (and save me some work!): if you have a CompuServe account and would be willing to receive the registered version via CompuServe's private electronic mail, I will only ask a total of $28. This is the cheapest option, and (oddly enough) the fastest delivery method. Since you already have the Shareware version of GMW, you have the files that are the largest part of GMW - the DLL files. These files rarely change, so I would send you whatever files you would need to update you to the latest version. If you have CompuServe's Standard Plan, it won't cost any more than your normal monthly fee to receive GMW via electronic mail (with the Standard Plan, CompuServe charges you to SEND electronic mail, not to RECEIVE it). You will receive your registered copy of GMW the quickest way possible, and the cheapest (is this legal?)! This is a really great way to go if you aren't in the USA!

Payment Methods

If you want to pay by check or money order, choose one of these methods:

1) Click on Help/Register, fill in the blanks, click on Print, and a ready to mail form is printed. Include check or money order, fold the form twice, put a stamp on it (and some tape to hold your check or money order in!), and its ready to go - no envelope needed.

2) Print the file ORDER.TXT, fill it in, put it in an envelope with your check or money order, and mail it.

If you want to use Visa, Master Card, Discover, or American Express, any one of the four following ways may be used:

1) Call 1-800-2424-PsL, or 713-524-6394

2) Fax 713-524-6398

3) CompuServe mail to PsL @ 71355,470

4) Mail information to:

PsL

P.O. Box 35705

Houston, TX 77235-5705

The credit card orders are done through a company called Public (software) Library. They notify me of your order, and I ship it to you. They are providing a valuable service for Shareware authors like me so that you can use your charge card to register our software.

Be sure to specify the Windows version of Grocery Manager, because there also is a DOS version.

IMPORTANT: Do NOT call PsL for any other reason than to place an order. Any questions about the status of the shipment of the order, refunds, registration options, product details, technical support, etc, must be directed to Absolute Value Software.


Help Menu

To get help on almost any screen in GMW, press the F1 key or click on the Help Toolbutton


Contents: This selection opens the help file and displays the Contents screen.


Search: This selection opens the help file's search box so you can immediately type in a word or phrase to search for.


The About screen displays (among other things), how to contact the author and the version number of Grocery Manager