
                              My Little Realm Enterprises

                                  -  Charging v/3.3  -
          ____________________________________________________________________

                                        Important
          ____________________________________________________________________

          Charging is protected by copyright.  It is not freeware, and it is
          not in the public domain.

          This is the Shareware (evaluation) version of My Little Realm's 
          Charging.  It is a full-featured, fully functional program.  You 
          are welcome to try it on your computer to ensure that it functions 
          on your system as it should, and that it meets your individual 
          needs.

          If after 30 uses you decide to keep using Charging, you must pay 
          for the program.  To print an order form, press <$> in the Options 
          Window or print the text file REGISTER.TXT.

          Bonus!  Get one MLR stand-alone program free with every order.
          Read DESCRIBE.TXT for details.  This offer expires 12/31/97.

          My Little Realm Enterprises stands behind all of its products with
          a 30-day money back guarantee.

          Thank you for trying Charging!
          ____________________________________________________________________
                                                                          
                                My Little Realm Enterprises


                                      -   Charging  -
                                          

                                          Contents

               General Information......................................1
                    Introduction........................................1
               Overview.................................................2
                    Interface...........................................2
                    Quickeys............................................2
                    Extended Processing Options.........................2
               Getting Started..........................................2
                    Entering Credit Card Names..........................2
                    Creating Records....................................3
                    Changing Records....................................3
                    Paying Bills........................................4
                    Exiting Charging....................................4
               Program Information......................................4
               The Options Window.......................................4
               Option 1, Entering New Charges...........................5
                    Field Definitions...................................5
                         Credit Card Key Field..........................5
                         Date Field.....................................6
                         Amount Field...................................6
                         Tax Code Field.................................7
                              Special Projects and Tax Codes............7
                         Memo Field.....................................8
                              <+> Command...............................8
                              Memo Line Amount Rules Summary............9
               Option 2, Pay Bills.....................................11
                    Reviewing Outstanding Records......................11
               Option 3, Changing a Record's Information...............11
                    Reviewing All Records..............................12
               Option 4, Print/Delete..................................12
                    Print Entire File..................................13
                    Print Outstanding Records Only.....................13
                    Print Tax Summary Report...........................13
                    Delete Records and Compress File...................14
               Extended Processing Options.............................15
                    <\> Change Credit Card Names.......................15
                         Inactive Records..............................16
                         Spelling Change...............................16
                         New Credit Card...............................16
                         Credit Card Names Must Be Unique..............17
                         Deleting Credit Card Names....................17
                         Do Not Use a Text Editor......................18
                    <+> Reset Tax Code Fields..........................18
                    <-> Delete a Specific Record.......................18 
          Charging                                                     Page 1

          ____________________________________________________________________
          
                                  General Information
          ____________________________________________________________________
          
                                     Introduction

          Keeping records may not be fun, but it is important to the 
          maintenance of a well run realm.  To that end, Charging (also known
          as the Credit Card program) has removed as much of the tedium of 
          data entry as is feasible while maintaining the accuracy and 
          completeness today's realm requires.

          Charging helps you take advantage of the great offers made by the 
          various credit card issuers.  Ford, for example, which offers Visa 
          through Citibank, lets you save as much as $700 per year for up to 
          five years for a total of $3500 that you can put toward a new Ford 
          car or truck.

          This doesn't mean you have to buy things you shouldn't buy.  On the
          contrary, you should never use a credit card to buy something you 
          couldn't otherwise afford to pay for with cash or a check.  But 
          everyone needs and buys groceries, gasoline, and medicine ... all 
          of which can be purchased with credit cards these days.  You can 
          put all of those items on your Ford Visa card to save a lot of money
          on your next car or pickup.  General Motors does something similar.
          And cards like Discover offer refunds.

          Of course, using your credit cards that much requires that you keep
          tabs on what is being spent ... just the way you keep track of your
          checking account (with MLR's Checking program, hopefully!).  
          Charging keeps you apprised of what is outstanding on each card at 
          any moment in time.

          When you start Charging, it builds the credit card screen and 
          generates the Viewing Window which contains the Quickeys and their 
          corresponding credit card names, the amounts outstanding for each 
          account, and the total amount outstanding for all accounts.  It 
          then deposits you in its Options Window.

          From that vantage point, you choose which task you wish to perform,
          be it entering new charges, paying off old charges, changing the 
          contents of a record, or printing or deleting old records.

          Throughout your processing tasks, the Viewing Window is constantly 
          monitored and updated as you add to, update and change your credit 
          card file.  So, if you ever need to know what your plastic debt is 
          at any given moment, you have but to bring up Charging.

          ____________________________________________________________________
                                                                            
          Charging                                                     Page 2

          ____________________________________________________________________

                                      Overview
          ____________________________________________________________________

          Interface.
          Charging's screen consists of three types of windows:  a Working
          Window, a Viewing Window, and an Options Window.  If you are using a
          color monitor the Viewing Window is always green, the Working Window
          red and the Options Window blue.

          You select processes (like adding, updating, or deleting records)
          in the Options Window.  In general, you create records in the 
          Working Window, and you view your outstanding amounts in the 
          Viewing Window.

                             ----------------------------

          Quickeys.
          The Quickey list in Charging consists of the names of all your
          credit cards.  You may list them alphabetically or you may make
          Quickey associations (make Quickey A American Express, Quickey D
          Discover, etc.).  In general, an alphabetical list is easier to use.

                             ----------------------------

          Extended Processing Options.
          Several processing tasks, called extended processing options or 
          EPO's, are not listed in the Options Windows, because they are 
          functions that only occasionally need to be performed.  EPO's are
          used to "extend" a program's power and functionality.  One EPO you
          should be aware of initially is the Change Quickeys function, which
          allows you to change your credit card names.  You invoke it by 
          pressing the backslash key in the Options Window.

          To find out what EPO commands are employed by Charging, enter <?> 
          (the question mark) in the Options Window.  See "Extended Processing
          Options", page 14, for a complete explanation.
          ____________________________________________________________________

                                   Getting Started

          The very first thing you need to do with Charging is make the 
          program uniquely yours.  To do that, you'll probably want to change
          some of the default credit card names and Tax codes that come with 
          Charging.

          Entering Credit Card Names.
          First, gather all of your credit cards.  After you start Charging, 
          enter the backslash, <\>, in the Options Window to start the Change
          Quickeys function.  (It's one of the EPO's for this program.)

          Charging asks which Quickey you want to change.  Enter the Quickey 
          and your cursor appears in the Viewing Window.  If you merely want 
          to delete one of the default credit card names, press <alt> + <C> 
          and then <enter>, otherwise key in the name of your credit card and
          then press <enter>.                                           
          Charging                                                     Page 3

          If you mistakenly press the wrong Quickey, press <esc> while your 
          cursor is in the Viewing Window and Charging resurrects the old 
          credit card name, even if you've already made changes.

          After you've entered all of your credit card names, press <esc> to
          advance to the next phase of this function, sorting your Quickey
          names.  If you've made letter assignments for your credit card 
          names (that is, if you've associated Quickey A with American
          Express, D with Discover, and so on), tell Charging that you do
          not want your Quickeys sorted.  Otherwise, sort them.  You'll find 
          it easier to spot the credit card name you're after if the list is 
          in alphabetical order.

          The last phase of the Change Quickeys function is the Tax codes.
          These categories are generally used for tax deductions, but can be
          used to tally anything (like part-time income, grocery expenses, 
          gas expenses, etc.).

          If you're just starting out with Charging, you might want to put 
          this section off until you've had a chance to think about how best 
          to utilize these four categories and to read the section entitled
          "Tax Code Field" found on page 6.

          After you have set up the Tax codes the way you want or if you 
          choose not to implement them at this time, press <esc> one last time
          to return to the Options Window.  And you're all set!

          Creating Records.
          To begin entering records, press <1> in the Options Window to start
          the Enter New Charges function.  Charging asks for the Quickey of 
          the charge card whose record you are entering.  Then simply enter 
          the date, amount, Tax Code and memo.  The Tax Code and Memo fields 
          are optional entries and can be skipped by pressing <enter> or the 
          down arrow key.  [Note:  Use the up and down arrow keys to advance 
          and retreat through the data fields in Charging.]

          After you've entered the memo, Charging creates the record and
          returns the cursor to the top of the Working Window expecting you
          to create another record.  If you have no more charge receipts to 
          enter, press <esc> to return to the Options Window.

          Changing Records.
          Changing a record's field data is easy.  Press <3> in the Options
          Window to start the Change function and then use the left and right
          arrow keys to find the record you want to change.  When the record
          you want to change appears in the Working Window, press <Y> or 
          <enter> to select it.

          Charging then displays in the Viewing Window the fields which you
          can change.  Each field has an associated hotkey.  Enter the hotkey
          of the field you want to change, and Charging puts your cursor into 
          that field and awaits your changes.  When you're finished making 
          changes to a field, press <enter>.  When you've finished making 
          changes to a particular record, press <esc>.                    
          Charging                                                     Page 4

          Paying Bills.
          With your credit card statement in hand, choose 2, the Pay Bills
          function.  Charging asks which credit card account is being paid 
          up.  Enter the Quickey of that account and Charging displays its 
          outstanding bills one at a time.  As each record is displayed, 
          Charging asks "Paid?  <Y>  <N>".

          If the bill appears on your credit card statement, press <Y> or 
          <enter>.  If the record doesn't appear on your statement, press <N>
          or use the arrow keys to search through your outstanding records 
          for the ones that appear on the statement.  When all of the records
          that appear on the statement have been marked paid, press <esc> to 
          return to the Options Window.

          Exiting Charging.
          You leave Charging by pressing <esc> in the Options Window.  If you
          made changes to your credit card data file, Charging so notifies you
          and asks if you want to save those changes.  You will almost always
          respond with <Y> or <enter> to save the changes.  If you do not want
          to save the changes, press <N>.  Following either response, you'll 
          be returned to DOS.  If you press <esc>, Charging instead returns 
          you to the Options Window from where you can resume processing.

          Why would you ever want to not save changes?  Home programs must
          take into account the unwanted help of children who occasionally
          get into a program and wreak havoc.  Should you find that someone
          you love is "helping you" with Charging, don't get angry.  Just 
          exit the program and don't save the changes.

          Charging is a powerful program that can do a lot for you, but
          you have to know how to make it work properly to get the most out 
          of it.  Please read the rest of this documentation carefully.  
          ____________________________________________________________________
          
                                  Program Information
          ____________________________________________________________________

          One of the marvelous aspects of Charging is that it immediately 
          tells you how much you have outstanding on each credit card and
          the total outstanding for all of your cards.  You don't have to
          request the information, it's already on the screen when you start
          up the program.  The amounts are updated as you enter new charges
          and refunds, and pay off your existing bills.
          
          The Options Window.
          You have four processing activities in the Options Window:

            ________________________________________________________________
           |                                                                |
           |           Please choose one of the following:  __              |
           |                                                                |
           |   1 Enter New Charges  2 Pay  Bills  3 Change  4 Print/Delete  |
           |________________________________________________________________|


          There are also several EPO's available.  See the section entitled
          "Extended Processing Options" found on page 14.                
          Charging                                                     Page 5

          ____________________________________________________________________

            + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
            +    There is a shortcut entry to option 1 (called the New    +
            +    Charges function).  When in the Options Window, if you   +
            +    want to enter new charges, simply press the Quickey for  +
            +    the first charge you wish to enter.  By doing so, you    +
            +    automatically start the New Charges function and enter   +
            +    your first credit card Quickey at the same time.         +
            + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

          ____________________________________________________________________

          Option # 1, Entering New Charges.

          To process a new entry (either charge or refund), choose 1, the 
          New Charges option.  There are five fields to every record if you
          have made use of the Tax codes; four if you've deleted them.

          You can abort a New Charge entry at any time by pressing <esc> in 
          any field, and no record will be created.  To return to the Options 
          Window after entering one or more charge records, press <esc> when 
          the cursor is in the Credit Card Key field.


                                  ~ Field Definitions ~

          - Credit Card Key field (single character entry, required).

          Charging positions the cursor at the top of the Working Window 
          after the Credit Card Key field label at which point you enter the 
          Quickey of the appropriate credit card.  Each charge record 
          requires its own Quickey entry.  

          After you've input a Quickey, Charging verifies your selection by 
          displaying the credit card name in the Verification Box directly 
          below the Credit Card Key field label.  If you enter a wrong albeit 
          acceptable Quickey, press the up arrow to return to the Credit Card
          Key field, and enter the correct Quickey.

          You do not have to enter your new charge receipts in any particular 
          order, so there is no need to sort them by charge card or even by
          charge (debit) and refund (credit).  
               
          If you have not made use of all thirteen Quickeys you will notice 
          that Charging does not illuminate those that are unused.  On color 
          monitors the active Quickeys are those displayed in bright yellow, 
          on monochrome monitors the active Quickeys are listed in bright 
          white.  The inactive Quickeys are displayed in standard white print.
          
          Should you select an inactive Quickey when at the Credit Card Key 
          prompt, Charging tells you that you have chosen an illegal Quickey 
          and asks for another.  If you attempt a shortcut entry from the 
          Options Window by pressing an inactive Quickey, Charging simply 
          ignores the keypress.                                           
          Charging                                                     Page 6

          - Date field (required).

          After Charging gets a valid Quickey, it asks for the date of the
          transaction, which is entered in the standard American format 
          mm/dd/yy. You do not enter the slashes, only the numbers 
          representing the month, day and year.
          
          Charging initially displays the system date in the Date field.  All
          you have to do is make the necessary modifications and press 
          <enter>.  That date, then, will be displayed automatically for 
          subsequent records until you change it again.

                    Note:  The numbers representing the month, 
                    day and year must be in double digits 
                    (e.g., 09/09/93).

          Charging accepts dates for the current month and the two previous 
          months, so you have at least two months and as long as three months
          to enter your charging records.

          Charging does not let you enter future dates.                         
                                   ___________________

          - Amount field (must be less than $10,000, required).

          Charge amount entries must be positive amounts less than ten 
          thousand dollars.  Do not enter dollar signs or commas, just the 
          numbers and the decimal point if it is necessary.  

          What if the amount is a refund (credit)?  The <enter> key is a 
          toggle (i.e., a switch if you will) between the two amount fields 
          you see in the Working Window as long as neither field has an 
          amount in it.

          To get a feel for this capability try switching between the two 
          fields before you enter an amount ... just press <enter> a few times
          while Charging is expecting an amount from you.  You'll see the 
          cursor jump from the Charge field to the Refund field and back 
          again.

                         Note:  You can use the down arrow key 
                         in lieu of the enter key to switch
                         amount fields.

          If you inadvertently enter non-numeric data in one of the amount
          fields, Charging displays an appropriate error message and asks you
          to reenter your amount.  Press any key to get rid of the error
          message window and enter the correct amount.

          - Tax Code field (single character, optional)

          Enter the number of the Tax code, if relevant, or press <enter> if
          you want to skip this field.  If you have deleted all of the 
          default Tax Codes and haven't defined any of your own, this field 
          does not appear in your Working Window.                        
          Charging                                                     Page 7

          When Charging comes to this field, it displays a field prompt of 
          your Tax codes at the bottom of the Working Window .  If you 
          created three categories consisting of gasoline, charity and 
          business expenses, they would appear as:

                         1   Gasoline     2   Charity  
                         3   Bus. Exp.    4

          To tag a charge card record as an expense, for example, press <3> 
          when you're in the Tax code field.  If you have undefined Tax 
          codes (as selection 4 is), Charging does not let you enter them.  

          You can use your Tax codes to track any kind of credit card expense,
          be it groceries, gasoline, professional expenses, whatever.

          If you wish to change Tax codes in mid-year, be sure you use the 
          <+> EPO to reset the Tax codes you want to change.  For example, if 
          you had set up Tax code 1 to be business expense and later that 
          same year you decided to change it to charity, you would have to 
          reset Tax code 1 to blank before making the change.  Otherwise, 
          all of those records with a Tax code of 1 which were business 
          expenses would be included with your new Tax code records that are 
          charitable deductions.  Refer to the section entitled "Extended 
          Processing Options" on page 14 for more information.

          ________                                                   _________

                          Special Projects and the Tax Codes

          If you find yourself facing a large project for which you want to 
          track the costs, make one of the Tax codes "Projects".  Let's say 
          you're planning to build a deck in the backyard, and you want to 
          keep track of the expenses, so you make Tax code 4 "Projects" (or 
          "Deck", if you wish).  Then whenever you charge something related 
          to the deck project, you simply tag that record with Tax code 4.
          In this way you can monitor your deck expenses.  

          To move on to the next project you have to clear all of the records
          that have a 4 in the Tax Code field.  You can either manually change
          all of those records, or, when in the Options Window of Charging, 
          use the <+> EPO.  It resets the Tax Code field of all of the records
          with the Tax code you specify to blank.  It affects only those 
          records that have a current year date.

          - Memo field (20, optional).

          General Use.
          The Memo field, while optional, is nonetheless quite useful.  For 
          example, if several members of the realm have the same charge card, 
          identifying the person who made a charge can be beneficial should 
          questions about the purchase arise later.  

          In other ways, the Memo field can be used to identify the store 
          where a purchase was made in the event a general card (like 
          Discover, VISA, or MasterCard) was used.                        
          Charging                                                     Page 8

          The Memo field is also handy if you purchase a product that is 
          covered by an extended warranty offered by the credit card issuer.  
          Numerous charge card companies now offer to double a manufacturer's 
          warranty if you charge an item on their cards.  Use Charging's Memo 
          field to make a note of the warranty's expiration date, in addition 
          to the item purchased.

          <+> Command.
          If you plan to use Tax codes, described above, you can use the Memo
          field to deduct a portion of the charged amount that is not 
          relevant for that category using the <+> command.  If one of your 
          Tax codes is for business expenses, and you charged a purchase of 
          business items and a personal item, you must deduct the cost of the 
          personal item from the total amount of the charge.  This is what 
          the <+> command does.  It tells Charging to deduct a certain 
          amount, called an overage, from the amount of the charge.

          <+> Command Example.
          Let's say you bought some business items that cost $135.48 and a
          personal item for $45.40.  On that record's Amount (charge) line 
          you would enter 180.48 (the total amount of the charge), and on the 
          Memo line you would enter: 

                                Memo:  +45.4 birthday gift

          which tells Charging to subtract that amount, $45.40, when it 
          calculates the Tax totals.

          When you run the Tax Summary function, you'll find out exactly how 
          much you spent on business expenses because at the end of the Tax 
          Summary Report the final tabulations are listed in this fashion:

                                Groceries    Bus. Exp.   Bus. Inc.    Charity
                  Tax totals:    $2500.36     $650.55        $0.00   $1002.00
             Less deductions:     $430.00      $45.40        $0.00      $0.00
               Final results:    $2070.36     $605.15        $0.00   $1002.00
          
          The tabulations show that the business expenses totaled $650.55, but
          that $45.40 (the price of the personal item) was deducted from that
          total, leaving an actual business expense of $605.15.

          Note:  If a record does not have a Tax code (i.e., the Tax code 
                 field is blank), Charging ignores any <+> command that 
                 appears on that record's Memo line.
                                         __________

          To be sure you're getting the deductions you want, run the Tax 
          Summary function (option 4, selection 3).  In addition to the credit
          card name and the record number, Charging prints the Memo line in 
          toto and, in parentheses, any valid Memo line amount it finds.  
          Charging                                                     Page 9

          If you aren't getting an amount in parentheses when you expected 
          one, you have probably entered the Memo line amount incorrectly.  
          If so, you can use the Change function in the Options Window to 
          correct the record.  Remember, the record numbers appear on the Tax 
          Summary Printout so you can go directly to the records in question 
          if you need to make any changes.  (Refer to Option # 4, Selection 
          # 3, Print Tax Summary Report, below, for more information.)

                            Memo Line Amount Rules Summary

               1.  Amount must immediately follow a plus sign (+)
               2.  Amount must be followed immediately by a space
               3.  Amount can appear anywhere on the line, along with
                        other notes you wish to append
               4.  Amount must be less than $1,000.00
               5.  Amount must be a positive number
               6.  Only one amount on a Memo line 
               7.  Amount on Memo line must be <= the charge (debit) amount
               8.  Do not include dollar signs or commas in the amount

          Note:  Memo line deductions are not allowed on credits.  If your 
          entry is a credit (refund on a returned purchase), Charging does not
          look for a deduction on the Memo line.  In other words, Charging
          does not subtract a Memo line amount, even a valid one, from a
          credit when it comes time to calculate the Tax Summary results.
          ____________________________________________________________________

          Option # 2, Paying Bills.

          Charging asks which credit card account you're paying, so you have 
          to enter the appropriate Quickey.  Then Charging displays your 
          current outstanding records for that particular account and asks if
          each charge or refund has been paid.  That is, is it listed on the 
          statement account (which you should have in hand).  You respond yes
          or no by pressing <Y> or <N>.  This is a single character entry so 
          don't press <enter> after your response.  As a matter of fact, 
          <enter> is equivalent to <Y> with this query.

          When you come to the last record in a given account, Charging tells 
          you that you have reached the end of the file.  If you wish to 
          peruse the outstanding records before you leave the Pay Bills 
          function, you can use the direction arrows to do so.  If you 
          inadvertently mark a bill paid, use the arrow keys to return to 
          that record and when Charging asks if it has been paid, respond 
          <N>, and Charging rectifies the situation.

          Once you leave the Pay Bills function, your master file is updated.
          If you discover after leaving Pay Bills that you have incorrectly 
          declared a record paid, you must use the Change function to correct
          it.  You cannot access a paid record by invoking the Pay Bills 
          function.                                                    
          Charging                                                    Page 10
          
          You will note at the bottom of the Working Window that Charging 
          displays the record number of the displayed charge or refund.  This 
          is the displayed record's placement in your master file.  So even 
          though you know you have only three outstanding records for a 
          specific credit card, the first record number could be 182, the 
          second 201, and the third 206.  

          Reviewing Your Outstanding Records.
          You can use option 2 to view your outstanding records for a 
          particular Quickey.  Use the arrow keys to browse through your 
          file.  When you're finished, press <esc> to return to the Options 
          Window.
          ____________________________________________________________________

          Option # 3, Changing the Information in a Record.

          Charging asks which record you wish to change.  If you know, fine, 
          enter the record number (or a close approximation) and Charging 
          takes you to it.  If you're off by a few records or if you didn't
          know the record number and pressed <enter>, you can use the 
          directional keys to browse through your file.  When Charging 
          displays the record you want to change, press <Y> or <enter> to 
          select it.

          After you select the record you wish to change, the fields you can
          change are listed in the Viewing Window next to their corresponding
          hotkeys.  Make the necessary changes, and press <esc> when you are 
          finished with that record.

          Charging asks you for the record number of the next record you want
          to change.  If you haven't any more records to change, press <esc> 
          once more to return to the Options Window.

          Reviewing All of Your Records.
          If you need to see all of your records (outstanding and paid) for 
          all cards, you can select the Change function.  Use the arrow keys
          to peruse your file.  Press <esc> to return to the Options Window.
          ____________________________________________________________________

          Option # 4, Printing and Deleting the File Records.

          This is the final option in the Options Window, and it displays a
          sub-menu offering several selections:

                         1.  Print entire file
                         2.  Print outstanding only
                         3.  Print tax summary report
                         4.  Delete records/compress file
                         5.  Return to the Options Window

          If you want to abort any of the above print functions (selections 
          <1>, <2> or <3>), press <esc>.                            
          Charging                                                    Page 11

          Selection # 1, Print Entire File.

          This printout lists all of the data stored in each record in your 
          file in addition to the record number.  At the end of the report, 
          Charging prints the total outstanding charges and refunds.
                                   ___________________

          Selection # 2, Print a Report of the Outstanding Charges.

          This function prints a one line banner for each credit card listed
          in your charging Quickey file.  Under each banner are listed the 
          records that are outstanding for that particular charge card.  

          Printed are:  the date, memo, record number and the amount of the 
          charge or refund.  If a card does not have an outstanding amount, 
          its banner is still printed, with a message indicating as much, so 
          you'll know that its records have been checked.

          The outstanding report also prints the total outstanding charges 
          and refunds at the end of the listing.
          
          Selection # 3, Print Tax Summary Report.

          The Tax Summary Report prints each charge or refund under one of 
          the appropriate Tax codes that you created using Charging's Change 
          Quickeys function.  If a record has no Tax code entry, it is 
          omitted from the listing.

          Those records with a Tax code and a valid amount on the Memo line 
          have their Memo line amounts totaled and deducted from the total 
          amounts in each Tax code category.

          If you do not define a Tax code, the message "No code ID" is printed
          in its stead in the Tax Summary heading, and Charging prints a 
          notice that it found a Tax code that is undefined.  This is merely
          informational; you need not define every Tax code.

          If you define a Tax code, enter some records with that code, and 
          then delete said Tax code, Charging warns you that you have records
          with an undefined Tax code when you run this function.

          This poses no threat to the integrity of your system or your data, 
          but you should be aware of this situation should you enter a new 
          category in that Tax code.

          Should you decide to use that Tax code at a later date for a 
          different tax category, you must first reset all of the Tax code 
          fields on the older records that have that Tax code.

          For example, if you start the year with Tax code <2> as Medical, 
          you cannot later change it to Charity without first resetting all 
          of those records that are listed as Medical records.  To reset your
          Tax codes, use the <+> EPO defined in the "Extended Processing 
          Options" section beginning on page 17.              
          Charging                                                    Page 12

          If you do not have any defined Tax codes, you will not be able to 
          run the Tax Summary Report function.

          Each tax record generates two lines of output.  On the first line
          are the record number, the date (in MM/DD format), and the credit
          card name.  On the second line are:  the Memo, the Memo line amount,
          if there is one, in parentheses, and the amount.  Example:

                                                 Charity   Bus. Exp.  .......
               107  10/08  Discover
                 +21.75 for a present  ( 21.75)               120.45

          This sample tax record is record number 107, created on October 8,
          of the selected year (which appears at the top of the report), for
          the credit card Discover.  The second line shows the memo which is
          "+21.75 for a present", and since there is a valid Memo line amount
          Charging prints it (in parentheses), and finally, the amount of the
          charge (printed under the Business Expense heading).

          At the end of the Tax Summary report, Charging prints the totals 
          for each category, subtracts the deductions, and shows you the
          final tallies.
          
          Selection # 4, Delete Old Records and Compress File.

          To make the system easy to use, Charging does not require you to 
          delete each record separately because even with a simple <Y> and 
          <N> response, deleting hundreds of old records individually can be 
          tedious.  Thus, Charging deletes all of the records in the file 
          whose year date is less than the current year date except those 
          which are still outstanding.  

          If you wish to keep your old credit card records, you can direct 
          Charging to dump the records to be deleted to a floppy drive at the
          time of the delete process.  You don't have to save the deleted 
          records, but you might want to find some piece of information 
          stored on one.  If you decide to save them, Charging creates a dump
          file called SAVECARD.MLR on your floppy.

                    Suggestion:  Keep all of your dump files on a
                    single high density floppy disk.  If you are
                    also using MLR's Checking program, you can put
                    its dump files on the same disk with no 
                    conflicts.  Keep this disk, then, solely for
                    the Checking and Charging dump files.

          If a record's year date is less than the system's year date and the 
          record is still outstanding, Charging writes out a copy of the 
          record to your floppy, while retaining the original copy in your 
          master file for you to update later on.  The file sent to the 
          floppy is saved under the filename SAVECARD.MLR.              
          Charging                                                    Page 13

          To keep your credit card file manageable this procedure should be 
          run once a year, ideally at the beginning of the year after most of 
          the previous year's charges have been paid.
          
          You do not have to save the current year's deleted records on the 
          same disk that you saved the previous year's.  If you do, Charging 
          notifies you that there is a previous dump file on the disk and asks 
          you to select an appropriate action from the following sub-menu.

                         1  Abort this function
                         2  Delete the old dump file
                         3  Replaced the floppy, try again
                         4  Rename the old dump file

          If you decide you want to keep the old dump file, you must either 
          remove the floppy and put in another (selection 3) or tell Charging 
          to rename the old file (selection 4).  Charging keeps the base name 
          SAVECARD and appends a unique extension.  You can also direct 
          Charging to erase the older version of the dump file (selection 2) 
          and proceed with the Delete/Compress function or, finally, you can 
          elect to abort the D/C function altogether (selection 1).  

               Note:  Do not confuse the Delete/Compress function with 
               the <-> (Delete) EPO.  The Delete EPO removes a specific 
               record from your file regardless of its paid status or 
               creation date.  The Delete/Compress function removes your 
               old paid records (those with a year date that is less than 
               the current system year date) and compresses your file.

          One final reminder, if you need a copy of your Tax Summary Report 
          (option 4, selection 3 -- see above), be sure you print it out 
          before you run the Compress/Delete function.

                                     Warning!  

          Potential problems await you if you do not keep your system's date 
          accurate, especially with this function.  You risk losing your 
          entire file, for example, if you've allowed your system date to lag 
          a year or two behind and then correct it before running this 
          procedure.  If, for instance, you've been creating records while 
          the system year date was 1991, when in fact the real date was 1992, 
          and then you correct the date prior to running this function, 
          Charging will delete all of the records that have a year date that 
          is less than the current year date that are not outstanding ... 
          which in this case could be most of your file.  Please, keep the 
          date accurate.

          If you find yourself with a date error, determine the extent of 
          the damage by viewing your records using the Change function.  If 
          there aren't too many records with incorrect dates, note their 
          record numbers and use the Change function to correct them (after 
          you've corrected the system's date), then run the Delete/Compress 
          function.  If there are a lot of bad records, put off running the 
          D/C function until next year.                                 
          Charging                                                    Page 14
          ____________________________________________________________________

                              Extended Processing Options

               EPO  Definition

               <\>  Change or delete your credit card names in the Viewing 
                    Window.  Press the backslash key when in the Options 
                    Window to invoke this function.

                    Change Quickeys asks which credit card name you want to 
                    change or delete.  Press the appropriate Quickey, and 
                    Change Quickeys highlights the Quickey in the Viewing 
                    Window and waits for you to make the necessary changes in
                    its Quickey field (where the credit card name is).

                    If you press the wrong Quickey, press <esc> while your
                    cursor is still in the Viewing Window and Change Quickeys
                    restores the original credit card name, even if you've
                    typed in changes.

                    After you press <enter> in the Viewing Window, Change
                    Quickeys does one of two things depending on whether there
                    was a credit card name in the Quickey field you just 
                    modified.

                    One:  If the field was blank before you entered a credit 
                    card name, Change Quickeys adds that name to the credit 
                    card Quickey list and then looks at the entire credit 
                    card master file to see if any records with that Quickey 
                    exist.  If it finds any, it makes them inactive.
                    
                    Inactive Records.
                    An inactive record is one you are no longer be able to 
                    access using Charging.  You can view an inactive record, 
                    and it is included in Tax Summary Reports, but you won't 
                    be able to change its contents.

                         Caution!  Once records are made inactive they
                         can never be made active again.

                    Two:  If there was a credit card name in the Quickey field
                    before you entered the current credit card name, Change 
                    Quickeys displays this sub-menu:

                           _________________________________________
                          |                                         |
                          |     This is a:                          |
                          |                                         |
                          |          <1>  Spelling change           |
                          |          <2>  Credit card change        |
                          |          <3>  Cancel                    |
                          |                                         |
                          |          Selection:  _                  |
                          |_________________________________________|   
          Charging                                                    Page 15

                    Spelling Change.
                    You will sometimes find that you've misspelled the name
                    of a credit card entry after you've created a number of
                    charging records for that Quickey.  To have Change 
                    Quickeys change all of the records in the entire file 
                    that have the old name to the name you have just entered,
                    select 1, Spelling change.

                    This is also called a global change.  Every record in the
                    entire data file with the old credit card name (that is 
                    currently active) will have its credit card name changed 
                    to the new credit card name.

                    New Credit Card.
                    If the credit card name you just entered represents a new
                    charge card, select 2.  Change Quickeys will change the 
                    outstanding records, if there are any, with the old name
                    to the new name and make all of the other (paid) records 
                    with that Quickey inactive, as described above.

                    Only the outstanding records with the old credit card
                    name are affected by the # 2 (new credit card) selection.
                    The records that have the old credit card name that are 
                    marked 'paid' will be made inactive.

                    Credit Card Names Must Be Unique.
                    If you have AT&T's Visa card and Ford's Visa card, for 
                    example, you could make the former's Quickey name "Visa 
                    -- ATT" and the latter's "Visa -- Ford".  You cannot just
                    enter "Visa" twice, however, because Charging needs to be
                    able to distinguish between the two credit card names.

                    Deleting Credit Card Names.
                    You can delete credit card names from your active list 
                    (those accounts that appear in your Viewing Window), but 
                    Charging does not let you delete a credit card name that 
                    has an outstanding balance.  You can change a credit card
                    Quickey name, but you cannot leave the name field blank.

                    After you delete a credit card name from your credit card
                    Quickey file, Change Quickeys erases the credit card name
                    in the Viewing Window (if there are no outstanding bills),
                    and makes all of the records with that Quickey inactive.

                                        ___________________

                    When you've finished updating your credit card name 
                    list (i.e., when your cursor is at the "Which Quickey 
                    would you like to change?" prompt), press <esc>.    
          Charging                                                    Page 16

                    Charging then asks if you want your Quickey list sorted.
                    This is largely a matter of taste.  If you don't have many
                    cards or if you've made letter associations for your 
                    credit cards (i.e., <A> for American Express, <B> for 
                    BanCard/One, <D> for Discover, and so on), tell Charging 
                    not to sort your list.  The sort is ascending alphabetic.

                    After you've replied to Charging's query about sorting 
                    your Quickey list, it asks if you want to change your Tax
                    codes.  The list supplied with Charging is of a general 
                    nature and includes: Medical, Charity, Child care and 
                    Expenses.

                    You can change any of them.  Charging tallies your 
                    expenses (or incomes, if you wish) for these four 
                    categories when you run the Tax Summary Report.  See
                    Option # 4, Selection # 3, Print Tax Summary Report, in 
                    this document for complete details.

                    Note:  If you have previously used My Little Realm's
                    Records of the Realm program to set up your credit card
                    Quickeys, they are used automatically by Charging.

                    Once you have installed Charging, however, you are no 
                    longer allowed to use the Records of the Realm program to
                    change your credit card Quickey file.  You must Charging's
                    <\> EPO (Change Quickeys) function to do so.  This is to 
                    insure the integrity of your credit card data.  Please do
                    not attempt to thwart this protective measure.  It is for
                    your benefit.
          

                                           Warning!

                    Do Not Use a Text Editor.
                    It is imperative that you do not attempt to change your 
                    credit card Quickey file by using a text editor.  Always 
                    use Charging to make the necessary changes.  Charging not 
                    only oversees the changes to your credit card Quickey 
                    file, but also makes the requisite changes to your credit 
                    card data file at the same time.

                                    - - - - - - - - -

               <->  Delete a specific record from your charging accounts 
                    file.  You must first select the record to be deleted, 
                    finding it and selecting it the same way you do in the 
                    Change function.

                    Charging then highlights that record's contents and asks 
                    if you are sure.  Review the contents carefully.  If you 
                    are sure you want that record deleted from your master 
                    file, press <Y>.  You cannot press <enter> for <Y> for 
                    this final query.                                   
          Charging                                                    Page 17

               <+>  Reset Tax code status in all records that have a specific
                    Tax code to blank.  
                    
                    For example:  If you've set up one of your Tax codes as a 
                    special projects code, you can reset the Tax code status 
                    on all of the records with that Tax code to blank.  Only 
                    the records with a current year date are affected.

                                    - - - - - - - - -

               <#>  Switch color modes between color and B/W.

                                    - - - - - - - - -

               <?>  Display the EPO symbols and definitions available for 
                    Charging.
          ____________________________________________________________________

                                      +  The End  +     
          ____________________________________________________________________

          (c) Copyright 1991 - 1995 John L. Salisbury             
