








		   A P P T R A K

		  Applicant Tracker

		  User Documentation





		  (c) Copyright 1991
		    Archer Software
		  All Rights Reserved















































    ***************** DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY ********************

    THE APPTRAK SOFTWARE AND DOCUMENTATION IS OFFERED "AS IS" AND
    WITHOUT WARRANTIES AS TO PERFORMANCE OR MERCHANTABILITY,
    EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. BECAUSE OF THE DIVERSITY OF CONDITIONS AND
    HARDWARE UNDER WHICH THIS PROGRAM MAY BE USED, NO WARRANTY OF
    FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE IS OFFERED. THE USER IS
    ADVISED TO TEST THE PROGRAM THOROUGHLY BEFORE RELYING ON IT.
    THE USER MUST ASSUME THE ENTIRE RISK OF USING APPTRAK.

    **************************************************************

























































	    Table of Contents


Introduction ..............................1

System Requirements .......................1

Installation ..............................2

Inputing Applicants .......................4

Editing Applicants ........................6

Database filtering ........................7

Delete Applicants .........................7

Browsing through the data .................8

Editing and Printing Letters ..............9

Reports ..................................10

Setup (configuration options) ............12

AppTrak Q & A ............................13

Special Keys for Letter Edit Screen ...APX A

Sample printer setup strings ..........APX B

Sample database filters ...............APX C






























Introduction								1
------------
AppTrak is an applicant tracking database system designed to
compliment your paper file system. AppTrak allows you to track
all personal information such as; name, address, telephone
number and social security number. You can also track EEO
information such as; race, sex, handicap, veteran status and
EEO job classes. Other data you can track include: skills,
position applying for, department codes, current status codes,
education level, applicant's source of information and
application date.

Each applicant's file is easily accessible for instant
information. AppTrak allows you to create and save your own
customized reports. You may also create and save up to five
different letters which can be personally addressed to any
applicant on file.

Using AppTrak
-------------
AppTrak is has four different sections all of which can be
selected from the main menu. They are:

  Database - Input, edit, delete or browse data
  Reports  - Create, execute, view and delete reports
  Letters  - Edit or print personalized letters
  Setup    - Change AppTrak configuration

Each of these areas can be accessed by typing it's first
letter. Or, once a menu is open, by using the right and left
arrow keys. Press <Enter> to select a highlighted menu item.


AppTrak System Requirements
---------------------------
IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2 or compatible computer
512K RAM
DOS 2.0 or later

A hard disk is recommended for optimal performance but is not
required unless large databases will be used. AppTrak supports
most printers.























Installation								 2
------------
Diskette based systems
----------------------
You need to have a file called config.sys on the DOS diskette
with which you boot your system. There should be two lines in
this file similar to the following:

     Files=20
     Buffers=8

These are suggested settings for optimal performance. Your
settings may vary although you must have a files setting of at
least 20 for AppTrak to work properly.

If you already have a "Config.sys" file check to see what the
settings are by using the following procedure:

   1. Place boot diskette in drive A.
   2. Type: "Type a:config.sys"

The contents of the Config.sys file will be displayed on the
screen. If the Files and Buffers settings need to be changed
you may do so with any text editor or with a word processor
that reads and writes DOS text files.

Included with AppTrak is a file called config.app. You may use
this file as your config.sys file if you do not already have
one or, if you wish to replace the config.sys file you
currently have. Use the following procedure:

   1. Place your boot diskette in drive A and the AppTrak
      diskette in drive B.
   2. Type "copy b:config.app a:config.sys".

Hard Disk Systems
-----------------
You need to have a file called config.sys in the root (main)
directory of the drive which you boot your system from
(usually c). There should be at least two lines in this file
similar to the following:

     Files=20
     Buffers=8

These are suggested settings for optimal performance. Your
settings may vary although you must have a Files setting of at
least 20 for AppTrak to work properly.

If you already have a "Config.sys" file check to see what the
settings are by following these steps:

   1. Go to your root directory by typing "cd\".
   2. Type: "Type config.sys"

The contents of the Config.sys file will be displayed on the
screen. If the Files and Buffers settings need to be changed
you may do so with any text editor or with a word processor
that reads and writes DOS text files.

Included with AppTrak is a file called config.app. You may use
this file as your config.sys file if you do not already have
one or wish to replace the one you currently have. Use the
following procedure:


   1. If you are not already in the root directory of			 3
      your boot drive type "cd\" to get there.
   2. Place the AppTrak disk in drive A.
   3. Type "copy a:config.app c:config.sys".


Installing AppTrak on your hard drive
-------------------------------------
Use the following procedure to install AppTrak on your hard
drive:

   1. Place the AppTrak diskette in drive A.
   2. Make drive A your current drive by typing "A:"
   3. Type "INSTALL" to load AppTrak on to C:\APPTRAK.

     *If you want to install AppTrak onto a different
      drive\path, you will need to specify the destination.
      For example, to install AppTrak on to drive D and
      directory APPTRAK, you should type "INSTALL D:\APPTRAK".

   The automatic install procedure will check to see if an
   earlier version of AppTrak is in the target drive\path
   and will avoid overwriting your AppTrak data files.

   If you do not have an earlier version of AppTrak on your hard
   drive and for some reason you have difficulty with the install
   procedure, you can perform a manual installation by following
   the instructions below:

   1. Create a directory on your hard drive by typing
      "MD\APPTRAK" and pressing <Enter>
   2. Make "APPTRAK" your current directory by typing
      "CD\APPTRAK" and pressing <Enter>.
   3. Place the AppTrak diskette in drive A.
   4. Copy the contents of the AppTrak disk onto your
      hard disk by typing "copy a:*.*".

CAUTION: IF YOU ALREADY HAVE AN EARLIER VERSION APPTRAK YOU
WILL NEED TO RUN A SPECIAL INSTALLATION AND CONVERSION PROGRAM
TO INSTALL AND RUN VERSION 3.0. CONTACT ARCHER SOFTWARE TO
RECEIVE THE UPDATE PACKAGE.

























Inputing Data								 4
-------------
Select Input Data from the Database submenu to input new
applicants. The input screen has been designed to resemble a
typical job application form.

Before inputting any data, a valid application date must be
entered. Below are examples of valid and invalid dates.

	Valid:	  01/09/88

	Invalid:  1 / 9/88
		  12/33/90
		  11/21/XX

Once a valid date has been input, entry fields for the rest of
the data will appear on the screen. Press <Enter> after each
field to move on to the next field. Press the up arrow to move
backwards through the screen.

While most of the fields on the input screen are self exp-
lanatory, the following fields may need some description:

  Salutation - How should the applicant be addressed
  in any form letters which might be sent later. For
  example, "MR.", "MS.", "DR.", etc. If no title is
  entered, the first and last name will be used as
  the salutation on letters.

  Source - Where did the applicant learn of your
  company or job opening (e.g. newspaper, school,
  personal referral, etc.)

  Handicap - Only true/false (T/F) answers will be
  accepted in this field

  Position - Job title applying for.

  Dept - Department code in which position is
  located.

  Status - Status code of applicant (e.g. A= new
  applicant, B= interviewed once, C= rejected, etc.)

  Skills - If more than one skill is entered,
  include a comma between each item. This will allow
  you to find any single skill when using the filter
  creation screen discussed later.

The Status and Dept fields accept codes which identify the
different departments and status's of each applicant. To use
these fields properly you should assign these codes carefully
and make sure all users understand the meaning of each code
and the importance of entering each exactly the same. For
example, AppTrak will treat dept codes "1 " and " 1" and "01"
as three different departments in report filtering and
sorting.

The Letter field is a special field for determining whether
the applicant has had a letter addressed to him or her. This
field may not be input or edited but is automatically updated
each time a letter is printed.




In the bottom right corner of the screen is a record counter		 5
which displays the number of applicants currently in the
database.

After the last field has been input the record will be entered
into the database and a new blank form will appear for the
next application. Pressing <Esc> at any time while inputing
will also enter the record (even if the inputing is incomplete).
AppTrak offers a duplicate entry check which will warn you if a
duplicate social security number is about to be entered. You may
choose to cancel the input, or enter the record anyway.

When finished inputing, press <Enter> or <Esc> at the date prompt
to return to the AppTrak main menu.

IMPORTANT: Do not re-boot or turn off the computer without
first exiting AppTrak. Doing so may cause a loss of data.

















































Edit Records								 6
------------
Any applicant's file may be called up for editing or viewing
by selecting Edit Records from the Database submenu screen.

When prompted, input the social security number of the
applicant to edit. If the social security number is not
available, type the letter 'N' and  press <Enter> to search by
name. You will be prompted for the applicants first and last
name (the names must be spelled EXACTLY as they appear in the
database for AppTrak to find them). Since AppTrak will find
the file much more quickly if searching by social security
number you should search by name only when necessary.

A third option for finding the correct record to edit is to
press the funtion key <F2>. This will allow you to browse
through the records in your database. See page 8 for details
on the browse feature.

The Edit screen is identical in appearance to the Input
screen. Any information on the screen may be changed with the
exception of the Letter field. (Please see Input Applicants on
page 4 for an explanation of the Letter field). Press <Esc>
when finished editing or viewing the file, any changes made to
the file will be saved and you will return to the main screen
to search for more records.

To exit Edit mode press <Enter> or <Esc> at the social
security prompt.





































Delete Applicants							 7
-----------------
To delete records from your database, select Delete Records
from the Database submenu. You may delete any number of
applicants all at once using the powerful filter screen (This
screen is also used to filter reports so that only pre-
specified records will show up on your reports, and to filter
records for browsing).

Filtering the database
----------------------
The filter screen allows you to build a set of rules
(criteria) which AppTrak will follow for selecting records.
Down the left side of the screen is a window with a list of
all of the fields in the database. Not all of the fields can
fit on the screen at once, so cursoring to the bottom of the
window will cause the top fields to scroll out of sight.
Highlight the field you want and press <Enter>. Next, select
the operator you wish to use from the operator window.
Depending on the field you selected, you may not be able to
select certain operators. For example, If Last Name is
selected then "Less Than" cannot be selected as an operator.

After an operator is selected, a third window will appear in
the upper right corner. From this window you may elect to
continue by choosing "And" or "Or". You will then return to
the fields window to select another field. As you build your
set of rules they will be displayed in the large window on the
bottom right half of your screen.

When you have selected all of the fields you need, choose
"Done" from the final window. At the bottom of the screen you
will be given the option of seeing the percentage of the
entire database which meets the criteria you have just
selected. Depending on the type of computer you are using this
may take several minutes if there is a large number of records
in the database (1000 or more). See Appendix C for some
examples of setting database filters.

Printing Deleted Records
------------------------
Upon returning to the main screen you will be given an
opportunity to abort the deletion request. If you choose to
proceed, you may then choose to have an optional printout of
deleted records. This is usually helpful for purging
corresponding paper files from your paper system.

Before AppTrak prints the deletion list it will check to see
if your printer is ready to receive data. If it is not turned
on, or not online, an error message will occur. You will then
be given the  option of aborting the printout by pressing
<Esc> or retrying by pressing any other key. Aborting the
printout will NOT cancel the deletion request.













Browsing through the database						 8
-----------------------------
To scan the records in your database, select Browse from the
Database submenu. Browse will display on your screen 16
applicant records at a time. All of the fields cannot be shown
on the screen at one time so only first name, last name,
application date, social security number and telephone number
are shown. The applicant records will be shown on your screen
in the order in which they were input.

Movement keys within Browse

	Down Arrow......Move down a record
	Up Arrow........Move up a record
	Page Down.......Move down 16 records
	Page Up.........Move up 16 records
	Home............Move to first record
	End.............Move to last record

To edit or view any complete record while browsing, simply
move to the appropriate record and press <Enter>. The browse
screen will be replaced by the Input/Edit screen. Here, you
can make changes or simply view more information. Press <Esc>
to return to the browse screen.

You do not have to always browse the entire database if you
are looking for something in particular. When Browse is
selected you will be asked if you want to Browse the entire
database. Answering "N" for no, will bring up the database
filter screen. Here, you can select the criteria of the
records you wish to view. For example, you can view only those
applicants who have secretarial skills, or certain application
dates.

Depending on the size of your database and the type of
computer you are using you may see a slight degradation in
browse speed if you have most of the database filtered out.

For a detailed explanation of the filtering feature, see the
section on deleting records (the same procedure is used to
select records for deletion). Also, see Appendix C for
examples of creating filters.
























Editing and Printing Letters						 9
----------------------------
Edit
----
AppTrak provides the capability of sending personalized
letters to any applicant on file. Five letters can be stored
within AppTrak to provide the flexibilty of selecting the
letter which best suits a given situation. To print or edit
these letters select "Letters" from the main menu.

To edit a letter, select Edit Letters from the Database
submenu. Another menu will appear with the names of the five
saved letters. Use your arrow keys to select the appropriate
letter and press <Enter> to bring the letter up on your
screen.

At the bottom of the letter edit screen is a small chart detailing
some of the keys used while editing. For example, CTRL-Y =
"Delete Line". This means that the <Ctrl> key should be held
down while the Y key is pressed. In Appendix A is a complete list
of all commands which can be used while editing letters. Letters
may be edited as often as you like.

Please note that any letter changes must be saved with the
<Ctrl>-W  key combination. Pressing <Esc> will abort the edit.
If <Esc> is pressed any changes made to the letter will not be
saved.

Print
-----
To print a letter, select Print Letters from the menu. As when
editing, you will choose the appropriate letter from the menu
of letter names. You will then be prompted for the social
security number of the applicant which the letter will be
addressed to. Pressing <Enter> at this prompt without entering
a number will cancel the print order and return you to the
main menu.

If a social security number is entered the name of the
applicant will appear on the screen, along with a prompt
asking for confirmation of the name. If "Y" (yes) is selected
a letter addressed to the applicant will be printed. If the
social security number is not on file you will be prompted to
re-enter it.

If the social security number is not known, you can browse the
database to find the appropriate applicant by pressing <F2> at
the social security prompt. Highlight the applicant which the
letter should be addressed to and press <Enter>.

After the letter is printed, a field called "Letter" will be
updated to "T" (true) showing that the applicant has received
a letter.













REPORTS 								10
-------
When you select "Reports" from the AppTrak main menu. A second
menu will appear which has the following options:

 Execute Saved Report - Print a previously created report.

 View Saved Report - View report titles and columnar format
		     of selected reports.

 Delete Saved Report - Delete a previously saved report.

 Create New Report - Build new report form.

Creating Reports:
Select "Create New Report" from the menu. A list will  appear
down the left side of the screen of all the fields which may
be chosen for your report. Use the arrow keys to make your
your selections. You may have up to seven fields per report.

In the lower right corner of the screen your selections will
appear as you choose them. This is the same order which the
fields will appear on the final report.

If less than seven fields are desired press <Spacebar> after
the last field is selected. This will terminate the selection
process and take you to the next step.

Your report will be sorted in the order of the first two
fields you select. For example, if the following fields are
chosen in order;  Application Date, Last Name, First Name,
Position and Telephone - the report will be sorted first by
Application Date then by Last Name.

After you have finished selecting the fields for your report
you will be prompted for a name for your report. This is not
necessarily the title of the report. It is the name you will
use later to retrieve the report (should you decide to save
it). AppTrak will not proceed until a name is entered. Next,
you will prompted for the first and second title lines which
will appear on top of the report. After naming your report you
will have three choices as follows:

   Execute and Save Report - Print report and save format for
			     later use.

   Execute Report - Print report, but do not save it.

   Return to Menu - Exit report screen and return to main menu
		    (Do not print).

If "Execute and Save Report" is selected, later you may print
the report by simply choosing its name from the list of saved
reports. A maximum of 15 reports may be kept at any one time.
If you wish to save a report and 15 reports have already been
saved then you must choose a report to be replaced from a list
which will pop up on your screen. The reports that you save
can be replaced as often as you wish. If you get to this point
and decide that you do not want to replace any of the current
reports, simply press <Esc> to return to the main menu.






Report Options								11
--------------
Before printing, you may filter the output of the report using
any criteria you wish. For example, you can print all
applications for a specific position in the last three weeks.
Select filter from the options menu to bring up the filter
selection screen. See the Delete Records section for details on
filtering the database.

Place the cursor on Destination in the report options menu and
press <Enter> to change the destination to your screen.

When all options are set select Print Report and press <Enter>
to execute the report request.




















































Setup									12
-----
Some of the settings in AppTrak can be changed to fit your
specific needs. You may change the right and left margins on
the form letters, and you may turn color off or on. You can
also send setup strings to your printer to change the fonts or
orientation of your reports.

Letter Margins
The left and right margins on your form letters (not reports)
can be adjusted by selecting this option. Simply enter the new
margins and press <Enter>. Margin settings are reflected on
the screen when editing letters.

Printer Setup
Using this option you can send specific control characters to
your printer which will allow you to print with different
fonts, type sizes and orientations. When this option is
selected, you will be asked to input a "setup string" to be
sent to the printer each time a report is printed. This setup
string will remain in the system until it is removed or
replaced by another. A sample setup string which will make a
Hewlett Packard LaserJet Series II printer print in landscape
mode (sideways) is: CHR(27)+"E"+CHR(27)+"&l1O"

Many printer manuals give sample setup strings for the BASIC
language. Those samples are the same format you should use for
entering setup strings in AppTrak with one difference. BASIC
requires a dollar sign after the "CHR" characters in the
string. So, in BASIC the above LaserJet example would be:
CHR$(27)+"E"+CHR$(27)+"&l1O". Do not include the dollar signs
when inputing setup strings for AppTrak. If your printer
manual includes samples  setups for dBase, you should use
those samples as a guide for inputing AppTrak setup strings.

See Appendix B for some examples of setup strings for the
Hewlett Packard Laserjet and Epson printers.

Color On/Off
If your computer has a any kind of color graphics adapter,
AppTrak will detect it and initially show all screens in
color. The color may be turned off (and back on again) by
selecting this option on the Setup menu. This option is
especially useful for paper white VGA monitors, laptops and
some Compaq monitors.





















	APPTRAK  Q & A							13


Q. How can I view the applicant database in
   order to look up a social security
   number?

A. Select Browse from the Database submenu.
   The names, social security numbers, dates
   of application and telephone numbers of
   all or part of the database will be
   displayed on the screen. See page 8 for
   more details on using Browse.

Q. I make changes to my saved letters using
   the Letter Writer, later when I print the
   letter those changes are not there. Why?

A. Make sure you press <Ctrl>-W to save any
   changes you make.

Q. Why does the cursor skip over the Letter
   field when I am inputing or editing
   applicant records ?

A. The Letter field will always be "F"
   (false) until a letter is printed to the
   applicant when it will automatically
   update to "T" (true). To insure accuracy
   of this field it may not be changed.


Q. Sometimes the cursor will not move when
   I'm trying to make a menu selection.
   Why?

A. The most likely cause of this problem is
   that NUM-LOCK is toggled "on". Make sure
   NUM-LOCK is off so that the keypad is
   not entering numbers.


























		 Appendix A

   Special Keys Used While Editing Letters

   Movement Keys:
   --------------
   Up Arrow............Move up one line
   Down Arrow..........Move down one line
   Left Arrow..........Left one character
   Right Arrow.........Right one character
   <Ctrl>-Left Arrow...Move left one word
   <Ctrl>-Right Arrow..Move right one word
   <Home>..............Go to beginning of
		       current line
   <End>...............Go to end of
		       current line
   <PgDn>..............Go down one screen
		       (longer letters)
   <PgUp>..............Go up one screen
   <Ctrl>-PgDn.........Go to end of letter
   <Ctrl>-PgUp.........Go to beginning of
		       letter
   <Enter>.............Go to beginning of
		       next line

   Editing Keys:
   -------------
   <Delete>.........Delete character at cursor
   <Backspace>......Delete character left of cursor
   <Ctrl>-Y.........Delete the current line
   <Ctrl>-T.........Delete word right
   <Tab>............Insert tab spaces
   <Ins>............Toggle insert mode
   <Ctrl>-W.........Save letter
   <Esc>............Exit letter edit with no changes































		 Appendix B

   Sample Printer Setup Strings

   Epson
   -----
   Near Letter Quality: chr(27)+chr(120)+"1"
   Pica (10 cpi): chr(27)+chr(80)
   Elite (12 cpi): chr(27)+chr(77)
   Condensed: chr(27)+chr(15)
   Reset (printer default): chr(27)+chr(64)

   HP LaserJet
   -----------
   Compressed: chr(27)+"E"+chr(27)+"(s16.66H"
   Landscape: chr(27)+"E"+chr(27)+"&l1O"
   Reset: chr(27)+"E"

















































		     Appendix C

   Sample Database Filters
   -----------------------
   Filter all applications received in May 1990.

      1. Select "Application Date"
      2. Select "Greater Than or Equal"
      3. Enter "05/01/91" when prompted.
      4. Select "And"
      5. Select "Application Date"
      6. Select "Less Than or Equal"
      7. Enter "05/31/91"
      8. Select "Done"

   Filter all applicants who have word processing or typing
   skills.

      1. Select "Skills"
      2. Select "Equal to"
     *3. Enter "WORD PROCESSING" where prompted
      4. Select "Or"
      5. Select "Skills"
      6. Select "Equal to"
     *7. Enter "TYPING"
      8. Select "Done"

* Reminder - AppTrak is case sensitive. What that means is
that "Word Processing" and "WORD PROCESSING" are NOT the same.
Make sure that a standard input format is used at all times
when inputing data.

When entering data for your filtering criteria, you may
shorten the key word or words in order to capture all possible
in forms in which it may have been input. For example, The
skills for two different applicants have been input as
follows: "TYPES 60WPM" and simply "TYPING". You can capture
both in a filter by entering "TYP" in step 7 above, since the
first three letters of each are identical. This technique can
be used when building filters for any field in which a
character string is entered for a match.


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