







		   MicroCheck .10
		  by Clayton Walnum


MicroCheck is a home-finance program that helps organize 
and handle your checking account.  Using MicroCheck, you 
can enter and edit checks and deposits, as well as 
reconcile your account each month.  MicroCheck also 
prints your check data, so you can file hard-copy records 
of your transactions.  Both the current window or the 
entire check register can be printed.  Finding a specific 
transaction is a snap with MicroCheck.  MicroCheck's 
search function can find any range of amounts, check 
numbers, dates, payees, and memos.

-----------------
COPYRIGHT NOTICE:
-----------------

This program and its accompanying documentation are 
copyright 1992 by Clayton Walnum.  All Rights Reserved.  
MICROCHECK is shareware, and while it may be distributed 
freely, if you enjoy the program, you should send 
a $20 registration fee to the author at the address given 
in the REGISTER.TXT file.  Your support of shareware 
programs is greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

This program and documentation may be distributed only as 
an ZIPped file containing the files MICROCHK.EXE, 
MICROCHK.TXT, and REGISTER.TXT in unmodified form!  The 
ZIP file must be named MICROCHK.ARC.

-----------------------
MicroCheck is Shareware
-----------------------

MicroCheck is a shareware program.  This means that you 
may try the program in order to determine whether it is 
something you want to use regularly.  If after the trial 
period (in MicroCheck's case, the trial period is two 
weeks), you decide that you'd like to continue using the 
program, you must register it by sending a $20 
registration fee to the author at address found in the 
REGISTER.TXT file.

-------------------
System Requirements
-------------------

To run MicroCheck successfully, your system must meet the 
following requirements



* IBM compatible computer
* EGA or better graphics
* Windows 3.x
* A Mouse
* Optional: Printer

---------------------
Installing MicroCheck
---------------------

Before you can use MicroCheck, it must be installed on 
your system.  Although the program can be run from a 
floppy disk, it is recommended that you install 
MicroCheck on your hard drive.  This will greatly 
increase the speed at which MicroCheck can access your 
data files.  Follow the instructions below to install 
MicroCheck onto your hard disk:

1. Log onto your hard drive by typing C: at the DOS 
prompt and pressing Enter on your keyboard.

2. From the DOS prompt, type CD \ and press Enter.  This 
ensures that you are currently in your disk's root 
directory.

3. Type MD MICROCHK and press Enter to create a directory 
for your MicroCheck files.

4. Copy the MicroCheck files into the MICROCHK directory.  
(UnZIP them first, of course.)

5. Run Windows 3.x.

6. Select the window into which you wish to place the 
MicroCheck program icon, by clicking the window's name in 
the list found in the Program Manager's Windows menu.

7. Select the New... option in the Program Manager's File 
menu.

8. In the dialog box that appears, click on the Program 
Item selection, and then click the OK button.

9. When the Program Item Properties dialog appears, type 
"MicroCheck" into the Description text box, and type 
C:\MICROCHK\MICROCHK.EXE into the Command Line text box.

10. Click on the Program Item Properties OK button.  The 
MicroCheck icon appears in the window you selected.

If you want to run MicroCheck from floppy disk, you need 
do no more than ensure that the MICROCHK.EXE file is on 
the floppy disk you want to use.  Then keep this disk in 
your drive throughout your entire MicroCheck session.

------------------
Running MicroCheck
------------------

To run MicroCheck from your hard drive, double-click the 
MicroCheck icon.  When the program has loaded, most of 
the screen is filled with a window.  It is here that your 
check data is displayed.  At the very top of the window 
is the title bar, which contains the program's name and 
the name of the currently open file.  Before you load a 
file, the file name is shown as "No account open."
	Below the title bar is the menu bar.  MicroCheck's 
various functions are accessed by selecting them from 
this menu or by pressing the equivalent keystroke 
commands.  (The keystroke required is shown next to each 
item in the menu. Hold down your keyboard's CTRL key, and 
press the appropriate letter key.)
	Immediately under the menu bar are the quick-select 
buttons, which allow you to use your mouse to select 
MicroCheck's most frequently used functions without 
having to access the menu bar.  These buttons are 
inoperative until you load an account file.
	The MicroCheck main window contains scroll bars and 
arrows that allow you to see information that doesn't fit 
in the window.  You use these in the normal Windows 
fashion, by clicking or dragging them with your mouse 
pointer.  (If you're not familiar with Windows 3.x's 
operating procedures, please consult your Windows manual 
for more information.)

----------------------
Starting a New Account
----------------------

Before you can use MicroCheck, you must create a new 
account.  This procedure creates all of the files the 
program needs to keep track of your checking activity.  
You must complete this process only once for each account 
you want to start.
	To create an account, select New... from the File 
menu or press CTRL-N.  The New Account dialog box 
appears, prompting you for the personal information the 
program requires.  Type your name and address, using your 
keyboard's tab key to move from one field to another.  
(The name and address you enter will appear in the Check 
Entry dialog box, simulating the appearance of an actual 
check.)
	After entering your name and address, enter the 
starting balance for your account.  If you're setting up 
an account for an already existing checking account, the 
best time to determine the starting balance is right 
after you receive your bank statement and have balanced 
your account.
	Finally, you must enter your account's "base 
filename."  MicroCheck uses this filename as the starting 
point for creating the files needed for your account.  
You can use any name, up to six characters, for this file 
name.  If your last name is Smith, for example, you might 
want to name your account "SMITH."
	When you've entered all the information properly, 
click on the New Account dialog's OK button to proceed.  
At any time, you can click on the Cancel button to abort 
the new-account function.
	When you click the OK button, MicroCheck creates a 
file for each month, named XXXXXX0.DAT, XXXXXX2.DAT, 
XXXXXX3.DAT, etc., where "XXXXXX" is the file name you 
entered into the New Account dialog box.  The program 
also creates a file named XXXXXX.MCK, which contains the 
other information that you entered in the New Account 
dialog box.


------------------
Opening an Account
------------------

The account-creation process described above need be done 
only once for each account you wish to use.  However, 
every time you run MicroCheck, you must open the account 
on which you want to work.
	To open an account, click on the Open... selection 
of the File menu or press CTRL-O.  The File Open dialog 
box appears, showing whatever .MCK files (MicroCheck data 
files) are present in the MICROCHK directory.  Double-
click on the .MCK file for the account you wish to open.  
The New Month dialog box appears.  Select the month on 
which you want to work, by clicking the appropriate 
option button with your mouse and then clicking on the OK 
button.  (Click on the Cancel button to abort the Open 
function.)  The data in the selected month loads, and the 
title bar shows the name of the file.  If the month you 
chose contains no transactions, MicroCheck's main window 
will show no data; only the file's name in the title bar 
will be shown.

---------------
Entering Checks
---------------

Once you open an account, you'll probably want to begin 
entering checks.  To do this, click on the Enter... entry 
of the Checks menu, press CTRL-E on your keyboard, or 
click on the Enter quick-select button.  The Check Entry 
dialog box appears.  The Check Entry dialog contains 
fields for all your check's data, plus three buttons 
across the bottom.  You can move between the check fields 
by using your keyboard's Tab key.  To move forward, press 
the Tab key.  To move backward, press Shift-Tab.  To jump 
quickly to a specific field, click on the field with your 
mouse.
	The "#" field is the check number.  This field 
automatically advances by one each time you enter a 
check; so if you're processing your checks in order, you 
won't have to type anything in this field after the first 
check has been recorded.  Note, however, that there are 
two reserved check numbers that you may not use for your 
normal checks: 0000 and 9999.
	You should use a check number of 0000 for any 
transaction (other than a deposit) that was performed 
without a written check.  For example, you might withdraw 
money from your checking account using an ATM (automatic 
teller machine).  Although you haven't actually written a 
check, you must nevertheless record this transaction.  
You do this by giving it a check number of 0000, and then 
filling in the rest of the check normally.
	The check number 9999 is reserved for deposits.  Any 
time a transaction credits your account, this check 
number signals MicroCheck to add the amount of the 
transaction to your balance rather than subtract it.
	When you've entered all the information for a check, 
you must click one of the buttons along the bottom of the 
Check Entry dialog--or simply press Enter to enter the 
current check and set up the dialog for the next.  
Clicking on the Next button has the same effect as 
pressing Enter.  Clicking on the OK button enters the 
current check, and then closes the Check Entry dialog.  
Clicking on the Cancel button closes the Check Entry form 
without adding the current check to your account data.

---------------
Editing a Check
---------------

If you find that you must edit a previously entered 
check, use your mouse to double-click the check's entry 
in the window.  The Check Edit dialog appears.  This form 
is identical to the Check Entry dialog, except the Next 
button is no longer functional.  When the dialog appears, 
make whatever changes you wish to the check's data, and 
then click on the dialog's OK button.  If you click on 
the Cancel button, the check entry remains unchanged, 
even if you changed fields in the Check Edit form.
	If you make changes to the amount of the check, your 
balance is, of course, updated to reflect those changes.

--------------------
Searching for Checks
--------------------

If you need to locate a check or group of checks, you can 
use MicroCheck's search feature.  To access this 
function, click on the Search... option of the Checks 
menu, press CTRL-H on your keyboard, or click on the 
Search quick-select button.  The Search Parameters dialog 
box appears.  Each search-parameter field in this dialog 
contains default values.  If you were to use all of the 
default values, you would search for every check in your 
account.
	Fill in the parameters for the search, using the Tab 
key or your mouse to move between the dialog's fields.  
When you've filled in your search parameters, press Enter 
to begin the search, or click on the dialog's OK button.
	During a search, the parameters you entered are 
compared to the data found in each record of your 
account.  If the transaction matches every criterion in 
the search, MicroCheck adds it to the check list.  Note 
that both of the text fields in the search parameters, 
Payee and Memo, allow partial matches--that is, a payee 
search parameter of "Ta" matches checks with such payees 
as "Tammy Brooks," "Tabitha White" and "Tadbury Lumber."  
To find every check with a payee field beginning with 
"G," enter "G" as the payee parameter.  Also note that 
the search function is not case sensitive.  To 
MicroCheck, the letter "G"" and the letter "g" are the 
same value.  Finally, note that the string "ANY" in the 
Payee or Memo fields matches any entry.
	When the search is complete, the Check Search dialog 
appears, showing the first transaction that matches your 
search parameters.  This dialog is identical to the Check 
Entry dialog, except the OK button is disabled.  To see 
the next check that matches your parameters, click on the 
Next button or press Enter on your keyboard.  To abort 
the search, click on the dialog's Cancel button.
	Note that, although the Check Search dialog's edit 
fields allow you to change the displayed data, there's 
really no point in doing this, because any changes you 
make will not be saved to the file.  In other words, you 
can't edit checks during a search.

---------------------
Selecting a New Month
---------------------

Often, when entering transactions, you may have to move 
from one month to another.  To close the current month 
and move to another, click on the New Month... entry of 
the File menu, press CTRL-M on your keyboard, or click on 
the Month quick-select button.  The New Month dialog 
appears.  To select a new month, click on the appropriate 
month button.  Then click on the dialog's OK button or 
press Enter on your keyboard.  To exit the dialog box 
without selecting a new month, click on the Cancel 
button.
	When you select a new month, MicroCheck saves the 
currently open month's data to your disk (if necessary), 
and then opens the new file.  MicroCheck then displays 
the new file's transactions in the window and changes the 
file name in the window's title bar.

-------------------
Printing Check Data
-------------------

MicroCheck provides two methods of printing your checking 
account.  In the File menu, you will find the selections 
Print Window and Print Register.  The former prints only 
those checks in the current window; the latter prints the 
entire account.  Click on the appropriate menu selection, 
or press CTRL-P or CTRL-G, respectively.

----------------
Canceling Checks
----------------

When you receive your statement from the bank each month, 
you must go through your account and mark those 
transactions the bank has processed.  This is the first 
step in "reconciling" your account, a process that 
ensures that your figures match those of your bank's.
	To enter MicroCheck's cancel mode, click on the 
Cancel... entry of the Checks menu, press CTRL-L on your 
keyboard, or click on the Cancel quick-select button.  
The Cancel Mode message box appears, informing you that 
you are now in the cancel mode.  Press Enter or click the 
OK button to close the message box.  Now, to clear a 
transaction, double-click the transaction in MicroCheck's 
main window.  An asterisk appears next to the 
transaction.  To remove the asterisk, double-click the 
transaction again.
	When you're finished canceling transactions, quit 
the cancel mode by clicking on the Cancel... selection of 
the Checks menu, pressing CTRL-L on your keyboard, or 
clicking on the Cancel quick-select button.  The Cancel 
Mode message box appears again, informing you that the 
mode is now off.

------------------------
Reconciling Your Account
------------------------

Once you've gone through your statement and canceled all 
cleared transactions, you may reconcile your account.  To 
do this, click on the Reconcile... entry of the Checks 
menu, press CTRL-R on your keyboard, or click on the 
Reconcile quick-select button.  The Reconcile dialog box 
appears, requesting your account's ending balance as 
shown on your bank statement.  When you've entered this 
amount, click on the dialog's OK button or press Enter on 
your keyboard.  MicroCheck then reads through your check 
files and, after making calculations, displays a final 
report.  If the amount shown at the bottom of this report 
is zero, then your figures agree with the bank's (always 
a great feeling). Otherwise, either you or your bank made 
a mistake.
	Press Enter to exit the Reconcile Report dialog box.

----------------------
Adjusting Your Balance
----------------------

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you simply cannot 
get your account to agree with your bank statement.  
Usually this means you've made a mistake somewhere in 
your account (maybe a check is made out for a different 
amount than what you recorded) that you have not been 
able to find. Although you should always try to reconcile 
your account properly, there may be times when you have 
to give up.  In those cases, the best you can do is 
adjust your account's balance to agree with your bank's.
	To make this adjustment, enter a dummy check or 
deposit transaction for an amount that will bring your 
balance into agreement with the bank's.  When entering a 
dummy check, use the number 0000.  These dummy 
transactions should be canceled, just as if they had 
appeared on your statement.

-------------------------------
Displaying Your Account Balance
-------------------------------

MicroCheck ordinarily displays your account balance on 
the right side of the quick-select button bar.  You may, 
however, want to keep this information more confidential.  
If so, you can turn off the balance display, by selecting 
the Show Balance selection of the Options menu or by 
pressing CTRL-B on your keyboard.  When you select this 
command, MicroCheck removes the balance line from the 
screen.  It also removes the checkmark next to the option 
in the menu.  To turn the balance display back on, select 
the Show Balance command again.

-------------------------
Saving Your Checking Data
-------------------------

You can save your checking data at any time, by selecting 
the Save... option of the File menu or by pressing CTRL-S 
on your keyboard.  When you do, the data in the currently 
opened file is saved to disk, after which you can 
continue working on the account.

--------------
Closing a File
--------------

MicroCheck allows you to open only one account at a time.  
If you'd like to switch to a different account, you must 
first close the active one.  You don't need to exit the 
program to do this.  Instead, use MicroCheck's Close 
command.  To select this command, click on the Close 
entry of the File menu or press CTRL-C on your keyboard.  
If you've made changes to the current account, you'll be 
asked if you want to save the changes.  If you've made no 
changes to the account, MicroCheck removes the account's 
window from the screen, after which you may open another 
account.

-------
Exiting
-------

You may exit MicroCheck by selecting the Exit entry of 
the File menu or by pressing CTRL-X on your keyboard.  
Like Close, the Quit selection is a safe way of closing 
your account.  If you've made changes to the current 
account, you'll be asked if you want to save the changes.

-------------------
Starting a New Year
-------------------

MicroCheck's calendar runs from January to December.  
That means that, come January 1, you must clear out the 
old files and start anew.  Before you do this make sure 
you have backed up your MicroCheck data! If you fail to 
do this, you will have no way to refer to the previous 
year's files!
	Before you can set up a new year, you must close the 
account you have open (if any).  Then click on the New 
Year... entry of the Utilities menu or press CTRL-Y on 
your keyboard.  MicroCheck asks whether you really want 
to create a new year. If you click on the Yes button, 
MicroCheck asks if you've backed up your files.  If you 
select the Yes button, MicroCheck asks a final time, just 
to be sure--remember, this function destroys existing 
MicroCheck files on your disk.  Finally, a File Open 
dialog appears.  Click on the .MCK file for the account 
you wish to set up for the new year.
	MicroCheck then goes through your entire account, 
deleting all canceled transactions and moving uncanceled 
transactions into a special file called "Month 0."  The 
Month 0 file can be manipulated just like any other 
month's file and is simply a place where unprocessed 
transactions from the previous year are stored until your 
bank statement shows that they have been processed.  When 
you get your bank statement, you should go through Month 
0, canceling checks as you would for any other month.
	When the New Year process is complete, your account 
contains check data only in Month 0 (and only then if you 
had uncanceled transactions in your account, which is 
likely); all other months are cleared.  (You made that 
back-up, right?)

-----------------------------------------------
Tips on Using a "Computerized" Checking Account
-----------------------------------------------

In order to use a home-finance program like MicroCheck 
effectively, you need to adopt some new habits.  For 
example, it's not practical to load the program every 
time you write a check.  Instead, you should set aside a 
time every week when you enter, in one sitting, all the 
checks you've written that week.  A "computerized" 
checkbook's biggest advantage is not the ease with which 
you can enter checks into your account, but rather the 
way it simplifies such activities as reconciling your 
account, printing reports, and finding specific checks.

Norton Desktop for Windows 1.0 users: Due to a bug in the 
way Norton Desktop for Windows 1.0 adds its own entries 
to system menus, it is not fully compatible with programs 
written using Borland's Turbo Pascal for Windows.  
MicroCheck was written using Turbo Pascal, so to run it 
under Norton Desktop 1.0, you must make changes to your 
Norton Desktop configuration.  To do this, click on the 
Preferences entry of Norton Desktop's Configure menu.  
The Configure Preferences dialog box appears.  Now, turn 
off the three options listed in the Control Menu box, and 
then select the dialog's OK button.  Finally, so that the 
new options take effect, exit and restart Windows.
	If you'd like to avoid the above work-around, you 
can call Symantec, the publishers of Norton Desktop.  
They are aware of the incompatibility with Turbo Pascal 
for Windows and will send you new, updated Norton Desktop 
disks.

----------------
IMPORTANT NOTE!!
----------------

This is the first version of MicroCheck and, as such, 
should be considered to be in "beta" condition.  In other 
words, although the author has tested the program 
carefully, there may be small bugs that he missed during 
the development and testing of the program.  If you 
experience problems or discover a bug in the program, 
please inform the author, by writing to the address found 
in the REGISTER.TXT file.  Please include as much 
information as possible when reporting a bug, in order to 
make it easier to track down.
	If shareware contributions make it feasible, newer 
versions of MicroCheck will be released periodically.  
Therefore, if you have suggestions for future versions, 
please feel free to write.

-----------------------
BOOKS BY CLAYTON WALNUM
-----------------------

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Please see the REGISTER.TXT file for ordering 
information.

If you like, you may contact MicroCheck's author via 
email on any of several online services, at the addresses 
that follow:

CompuServe: 70303,3633
GEnie: C.WALNUM1
Delphi: ANALOG4
America OnLine: CLAYWALNUM

