The program GAS_LOG is Copyright 1987 by Peter B. Eby. It may be copied
freely with the provision that the copyright notices must remain intact
and written permission from the author must be obtained before this
program may be sold or modified.


               INSTRUCTIONS FOR RUNNING GAS_LOG

PURPOSE:

    Keeping an accurate record of your automobile expenses is not a
    big job, and can pay real dividends in showing you when you need
    to get a tune-up.

SYSTEM REQUIRED:

    520ST with mono or color set at medium resolution.

GETTING STARTED:

    Make sure that MERC.GAS is on A: if you want to see an example.

    Double-Click on GAS_LOG.

    Put the mouse on File and click on Retreive. Select MERC.GAS.
    In a few seconds you will see a series of rows and columns that
    show a listing of my automobile expenses.

    Don't be alarmed that it shows metric units. GAS_LOG handles both
    systems and converts units as requested.

MOVING AROUND:

    Use the arrow keys to move the big black cursor around. If you want
    to change anything, place the cursor over it and type in new data
    followed by an arrow key or Return key.

    If you move the cursor to row 20 and press down, the screen will
    roll up, showing you another row. There are 400 rows available.
    Don't hold the cursor down or up, unless you enjoy waiting.

    Shift-up and shift-down will move you 20 rows at a time.

    Home and shift-home will take you to the first row, and the last row
    that contains data.

ENTERING YOUR OWN DATA:

    Put the mouse on Worksheet and select Erase. This will clear out
    all data in memory.

    Put the mouse on Units and select the units that you normally buy
    gas, the odometer type of your car, measure of economy, and cost
    per mi or km. This only has to be done once! This information will
    be saved on your disk file.

    Get out your gas receipts and enter your data. It doesn't hurt to
    keep maintenance and repair costs too.

    After you are done, put the mouse on File and select Save. Enter
    your own file name with a .GAS suffix.

TIPS:

    After entering data in a cell, don't press return, press an arrow key.
    this will save you a keystroke.

    Keep a pencil on your dashboard and make sure you keep track of the
    amount of gas and the amount. If you use a charge card, make sure that
    these are entered. EVERY TIME !

    You don't have to write your mileage each time that you fill up. The
    program will calculate the economy between times that you write it down.

    If you have 2 vehicles, keep a seperate file for each. Name them after
    your vehicle: HARLEY.GAS, JUNKER.GAS, BEEMER.GAS, etc.

    Don't enter negative amounts. That will be possible in release 1.1

PRINTING:

    Point the mouse to File and click on print. If it locks up, maybe
    your printer isn't on.

    A summary showing your overall economy and cost per mi/km is printed
    out at the end. In release 1.1, this will be on an alert box for those
    without a printer.

INTERNATIONAL TRAVELLERS:

    This is especially usefull when travelling between Canada and the U.S.
    because it will convert the gas between litres and gallons for you. Just
    enter the units that you purchased, move the cursor over the gas amount
    that you want converted, Point the mouse to Convert and click on litres
    or gallons. Wow!

    You have to convert the dollars yourself because the conversion rate
    changes day by day.

CANADIANS:

    This program uses American gallons in calculating mpg. This will give
    you lower reading than you are used to. Multiply the mpg by 6/5 and you
    will have miles per Imperial gallon.
    Did you know that Canadian ounces are slightly smaller than american
    ounces?

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Please tell me what you think of this program, or if you find any
undocumented features (bugs). Suggestions for improvements are welcome.

Peter Eby       (306) 586-0137
43 Arlington St.
Regina, Saskatchewan
Canada   S4S 3H7
