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Information about “HOME INSURANCE”
HOME INSURANCE lets you keep track of what you own, where items are
located, and how much it would cost to replace any items if lost or
stolen. Unfortunately, most of us do not find out how much property
insurance we need until after we suffer a major loss. All too often it
isn't until such a loss that we discover that our insurance coverage,
although based on replacement value, was not sufficient to cover the
complete loss. Or, worse yet, we discover we are unable to document the
true value of our possessions, resulting in a reduced and sometimes
insufficient claim return.
HOME INSURANCE gives protection against these tragedies in several ways.
First, it helps you determine whether or not you have adequate property
insurance by comparing the actual replacement values for your
possessions against the given limits in your policy. For example, many
policies limit the coverage for special items such as jewelry,
collectibles (coins, stamps, plates, dolls, etc.), guns and furs. You
categorize items by type, including the total replacement value of each,
and HOME INSURANCE lets you easily compare these amounts with the limits
specified in your policy.
HOME INSURANCE holds 10,000,000 entries, provides over 250 possible
cross references, and is completely menu-operational. It is easy to
learn and simple to use. Three user-selectable levels of operation and
user-customized field names let you modify HOME INSURANCE to meet
individual requirements.
APPNDX.DOC
A P P E N D I X A
INTRODUCTION
Home Insurance is software that allows you to keep track
of what you own, where items are located and how much it
would cost to replace something that is lost. Unfortunately,
most of us do not find out how much property insurance we
need until after we suffer a major loss. We then may
learn that our insurance coverage, although based on
replacement value, is not sufficient to cover the complete
loss. Or, worse yet, we are unable to document the true
value of our possessions and thus the insurance will only pay
to replace our lost possessions with lower quality items.
Home Insurance provides protection in several ways.
First, it provides a way for you to determine whether or not
you have adequate property insurance. For example, insurance
policies generally limit the coverage for some special items
such as jewelry, collectibles (coins, stamps, plates, dolls,
ect.), guns and furs. By categorizing items by type, Home
Insurance can give you the total replacement value for each
type of item you own. This allows you to compare what you
actually have versus the limits given in your insurance
policy.
For those special items that need to be covered for more
than a minimal amount, you generally will need to "schedule"
them. What this means is that you give your insurance agent
a list (or schedule) of the special items to be insured so
that those items are specifically identified and the
appropriate insurance supplied. Some of them may
already be covered by your existing insurance. For others
you may need to consider additional insurance. Your
insurance agent will know the details of your policy, so once
your inventory is complete, discuss it with your agent to
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determine if you need to schedule any items. Policies vary
and it will take someone familiar with your policy, such as
your agent, to provide you with specific recommendations. Of
course, Home Insurance can provide the list your agent will
need.
If you should suffer a loss, from theft, fire, vandalism
- any type of loss, Home Insurance is your record of what you
had. It will allow you to put together a list of what was
lost, providing you with model numbers, serial numbers and
descriptions. If the loss was due to theft, this provides
the police with the information they'll need to identify and
hopefully recover your things. It also provides the
insurance company with the documentation they need to replace
the lost items with items of the same or similar quality.
Insurance companies generally try to protect themselves
from people out to take advantage of them. Thus, if you
have not documented the description, model number and
serial number of the items you lost, you may not be able to
recover the full replacement value. You should keep the
receipts for every major purchase you make. This is the best
documentation. But, what if your shoe boxes of receipts also
go up in a fire? With your complete inventory on one
floppy disk you can easily keep a copy at home and another at
work or in a safe deposit box, so your records will be safe.
Using Home Insurance
Depending on the size of your home and how much you've
packed into each closet, you can expect to spend several
hours entering the list of everything you own into your
inventory for the first time. I suggest setting aside one
day to do a complete inventory. Start in one room and list
the complete contents of that room (a clip board with a pad
of paper will be helpful for this). Go from room to room
until everything is listed. If you take a break, or have
other people in your house (i.e. your kids), be careful not
to move items from room to room as this can cause some
confusion.
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If you haven't had an appraisal done recently, you might
use your Sears, Penney's or other catalog to determine the
current replacement value for some items. For others you may
need to do a little window shopping to get a good idea of
what it would cost to replace them. If you want to be
accurate, don't guess. If you guess high, you will be paying
for more insurance than you need. A low guess will result in
inadequate coverage. Valuable items should be appraised by a
professional appraiser to get a realistic estimate of their
value. Talk with your insurance agent to get his
recommendation concerning what items you should get
appraised.
Home Insurance provides level levels of detail. This
three level feature allows you to determine the amount of
information you want to store for each item. If you have
valuable things, or need more complete descriptions for
insurance use, you can keep information to a level of very
fine detail. On the other hand, if you just need a quick way
to find specific stuff (a technical word meaning anything you
own) you may use the first, less detailed, level of Home
Insurance. Since you can set up as many separate catalog
files as you wish, you can divide your inventory and
categorize each part of it in as much or little detail as you
want.
Home Insurance is completely menu driven and easy to
operate. Since the computer does all the hard work for you,
this manual is short. We'll describe how to enter
information; what to do to edit existing entries; and how to
find the item(s) you need.
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THE THREE LEVELS OF HOME INSURANCE
The three levels of Home Insurance are: Insurance, Detail and
Complete. Each level provides progressively a greater detail
of information that can be stored for each item.
The following is a list of the information that can be
entered at each level. As the higher levels are used,
however, the data files use more disk space. Using the
Insurance level allows you to have twice as many entries on a
floppy disk as you can get at the Detail level.
Insurance Detail Complete
Description Description Description
Model # Model # Model #
ID Marks ID Marks ID Marks
Serial Number Serial Number Serial Number
Note Note Note
Value Value Value
Owner(s) Owner(s)
Location Location
Other Other
Type Type
Purchase Date Purchase Date
Updated Updated
Note -1 Note -1
Note -2 Note -2
Note -3 Note -3
Purchased From
Address
City/State
Original Cost
Note
Miscellaneous
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Home Insurance allows you to keep inventories for several
insurance policies on one one disk or you can keep each on a
separate disk. Since you can specify virtually an unlimited
number of locations and owners, each item can be pinpointed
as to who owns it and where it is located. Thus you can
include items that are in your office or at a summer home.
Home Insurance can sort them out and provide a print-out for
each location and owner.
Let's look at the type of information that can be entered
on each line:
Description - You this line is used to enter and
descriptive phrase that applies to this object. Depending on
what the item is you could include information such as the
brand name, color, the material it is made from, the style,
or shape. NOTE: You can also use the "NOTE" line at the
Detail level for additional descriptive information. Be
consistent in the type of information you enter, however. If
you use the NOTE -1 line to describe the color of an item,
always usethe NOTE -1 line for colors and nothing else.
When making entries you should be consistent when using
upper and lower case letters. During searches the software
will differentiate between upper and lower case letters.
Thus entering the work "Computer" is not the same as
"COMPUTER." I usually enter the description using all upper
case letters.
Model # - Enter the model number, if there is one.
ID Mark - This line is for any identifing marks on the
item. This could be a social security number engraved on the
back of it; a specific pattern of scratches, dents, or other
damage; or anything else that would uniquely identify this
item.
Serial Number - Enter the serial number, if there is one.
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Note - This line is provided for miscellaneous information.
You can enter an abbreviation for the type of item; or
describe the condition of the item; or any other information
you feel is valuable.
Value - Enter the current value of the item. This should be
a realistic replacement vaule, which may be less than what
you think the item is worth. If you over estimate the
replacement value of an item, you could end up paying for
more insurance than you are getting since your insurance will
only pay the minimum amount need to replace an item.
(The Detail Level)
Owner(s) - Enter the name(s) of the people who own this
item. Some of the Home Insurance functions use just the
first three letters of the owner line to identify the owner.
Be sure that the first three letters are different for each
owner. For example, if two different owners have the same
first name, start the owner line with their initials. For
example, for Steven C. Hudgik and Stephen F. Zabilanski make
the entries on the owner(s) line as follows:
SCH - Steve Hudgik
SFZ - Steve Zabilanski
NOTE: In the case of joint ownership, more than one name
can be entered on this line.
Location - Enter a description of the location of this
item. The description can be a single word such as "Bedroom"
or a complete address. Home Insurance also uses the first
three letters on this ine to classify items by their
location, so be sure that you don't duplicate the first three
letters for two different locations.
Other - Like the NOTE line you can enter whatever
information you feel is useful. You may enter more
information about the owner(s) or location, or use this line
to expand on the description of the type of item.
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Type - Use this line to classify items by type. The
classifications you use will depend on your requirements.
You can classify items by style, use or function, or any
other way. Some examples of types would be: furniture,
clothes, books, computer, stereo, auto parts, collectable,
art, coins, furs, guns, and dishes. Entering a type
classification is very important in that some items (guns,
furs, collectibles, etc.) may require separate insurance.
This is called scheduling and you should talk to your
insurance agent about this once your inventory is complete.
Like Owner(s) and Location the first three letters of the
Type designation are used to sort your inventory. You should
avoid entering types that start with the same first three
letters. By the way, you do nt need to enter three
letters on this line. You can identify item types (and
owners and locations) using a single letter or two letters.
NOTE: The searches are not limited to the first three
letters. You can search for any or all words (or individual
characters) on the Owner(s), Location and Type lines.
Purchase Date - The purchase can be important for
establishing the vaule of an item. In most cases the
specific day is not critical, so you can enter just the month
and year. For things you've owned for awhile you may only be
able to remember the year they were purchased - that's OK,
enter just the year. However, for some items, such as stock
certificates, you need to enter the exact date.
Updated - You can not enter anything on this line - the
cursor will skip over it. Each time you save a new entry or
edit an existing entry Home Insurance will get the date and
time from your computer's clock and enter them here. (Be
sure the date and time are set, if you don't have a built in
clock). This tells you how recent the information for this
entry is.
Notes-1/2/3 - The next three lines provide space for you to
enter additional information about each item. You can enter
anything on these lines and Home Insurance can search to find
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any specific information you enter. I do urge you to be
consistent in what is entered on each line. For example, if
Note-1 is used to describe the color of an item, always use
Note-1 for color and nothing else.
(The Complete Level)
All of the information at this level is intended to
identify where you purchased (obtained) the item from. This
could be a dealer, wholesaler, radio station contest, gift
from a neighbor, etc. This information allows you to go back
to the original dealer, if you need to replace the item.
It may also help substantiate the value and quality of the
item for an insurance claim.
Purchased From - Enter the name of the dealer or person you
got this item from.
Address - Enter the street address for the above.
City/State - Enter the city and state the above address is
in.
Original Cost - Enter the amount you paid for this item.
If it was a gift you can enter the value of the item at the
time you received it. This is particularly important for
items such as stocks or collectables as you will need to be
able to determine your gain or loss on the item should you
sell it in the future.
Note - This line provides additional space for information
about the place your purchased the item from or it's orginal
cost. I've made this line long enough so you can enter the
dealer's phone number, if you wish to have an easy reference
for that.
Misc. - Use this line to show any other additional
information - for example you could enter an abbreviation for
the type of dealer.
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e to show any other additional
information - for example you
FILES796.TXT
Disk No: 796
Disk Title: Home Insurance
PC-SIG Version: S1.4
Program Title: Home Insurance
Author Version: 4.00
Author Registration: $59.95
Special Requirements: None.
HOME INSURANCE lets you keep track of what you own, where items are
located, and how much it would cost to replace any items if lost or
stolen. Unfortunately, most of us do not find out how much property
insurance we need until after we suffer a major loss. All too often it
isn't until then we discover that our insurance coverage, although based
on replacement value, was not sufficient to cover the complete loss.
Or, worse yet, we discover we are unable to document the true value of
our possessions, resulting in a reduced and sometimes insufficient claim
return.
HOME INSURANCE gives protection against these tragedies in several ways.
First, it helps you determine whether or not you have adequate property
insurance by comparing the actual replacement values for your
possessions against the given limits in your policy. For example, many
policies limit the coverage for special items such as jewelry,
collectibles (coins, stamps, plates, dolls, etc.), guns and furs. You
categorize items by type, including the total replacement value of each,
and HOME INSURANCE lets you easily compare these amounts with the limits
specified in your policy.
HOME INSURANCE holds 10,000,000 entries, provides over 250 possible
cross references, and is completely menu-operational. It is easy to
learn and simple to use. Three user-selectable levels of operation and
user-customized field names let you modify HOME INSURANCE to meet
individual requirements.
PC-SIG
1030D East Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale Ca. 94086
(408) 730-9291
(c) Copyright 1989 PC-SIG, Inc.
GO.TXT
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║ <<<< Disk No 796 HOME INSURANCE >>>> ║
╠═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ To print the documentation, type: ║
║ ║
║ PRINT (press enter) ║
║ ║
║ To run the program, type: ║
║ ║
║ HI (press enter) ║
║ ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
INTRO.DOC
H O M E I N S U R A N C E
VERSION 4.00
HomeCraft Computer Products
P.O. Box 974
Tualatin, OR 97062
This disk contains the following files:
HI.EXE - Introduction and copyright notice
INVEN.EXE - Main Menu and inventory program
INSUR.EXE - Insurance planning program
UTILITY.EXE - Utility functions
*.DOC - Documentation
MENU.OVL - File required for program operation
PRINT.EXE - File to print documentation
OTHER.DOC - ASCII file describing other software
published by HomeCraft
BRUN30.EXE - File required for program execution
HI-HELP.DAT - File created by Home Insurance (not required)
HI-MEN.DAT - File created by Home Insurance (not required)
INTRO.DOC - This file
Home Insurance is a home inventory and insurance planning
tool. It provides a method to keep track of what you own,
where it is located, who owns it, what it originally cost and
the cost to replace it.
The Home Insurance format is easy to use and fully menu
operated. If you should need some assistance, help is
available at every prompt. Plus Home Insurance is flexible
enough to handle everything you own, from the original Renoir
on your living room wall to the pots and pans in the kitchen.
Unlike paper records, your Home Insurance inventory can be
easily updated to reflect inflation or depreciation. Unlike
video tape records, additions and deletions can easily be made
(and without paying the cost for a new video tape recording
session). Unlike any other method of keeping a home inventory
your Home Insurance records can be quickly copied, allowing you
to keep multiple copies at separate locations (in case one is
lost).
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: IBM PC, XT, AT or compatible with 256K,
one disk drive, and DOS 2.11 or later.
USER SUPPORTED SHAREWARE
As mentioned in the documentation, this is user-supported
software. If you end up using this program, a donation of $59.95
(please add $3 for shipping - $5 for P.O. Boxes and Canada
$8 US for airmail outside North America) is requested.
This will help keep us in business so we can continue to
make improvements and support this software.
Registered users will recieve the latest version of
the software and user's manual, plus a FREE hard disk menu
system called YOUR MENU.
This software has been placed in circulation under the
user supported concept. Non-profit groups and individuals
are encouraged to make copies of this disk and distribute it
to their members and friends as long as the software is
provided at no cost. A distibution charge of up to
$10 may be charged to cover the cost of diskettes, handling
and duplicating, provided you have received written permission
from the author.
DISCLAIMER
THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS," THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES,
EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE
IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND ALL SUCH WARRANTIES ARE EXPRESSLY AND
SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED. NEITHER HOMECRAFT COMPUTER PRODUCTS
NOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION,
PRODUCTION, OR DELIVERY OF THIS SOFTWARE SHALL BE LIABLE FOR
ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES
ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE SUCH SOFTWARE EVEN
IF HOMECRAFT COMPUTER PRODUCTS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OR CLAIMS.
This disclaimer shall be governed by the laws of
the State of Oregon and shall inure to the benefit of Steven
C. Hudgik, his successors, administrators, heirs and assigns.
MORE INFORMATION
For more information on Home Insurance or other HomeCraft
software products contact:
Steve Hudgik
HomeCraft Computer Products
P.O. Box 974
Tualatin, OR 97062
tact:
Steve Hudgik
HomeCraft Computer Prod
MANUAL.DOC
This manual is copyrighted in 1990 by
Steven C. Hudgik - All Rights Are Reserved
SHAREWARE
This software is provided as shareware. This means you
have the opportunity to try it before you buy it.
If you find this software useful, you are requested to
become a registered user. Registered users receive the most
recent version of the software, free updates for one year,
a printed manual, and free support.
This software is copyrighted and all rights remain with the
author. However, you are granted permission to make as many
copies as you wish, provided no fee is charged if you
provide a copy to someone else. You may freely distribute this
software, if you wish, on this basis. If you need to
charge a fee to cover distribution costs, please contact
HomeCraft to receive written permission.
To register as a user send $59.95 to the address below (VISA and
MASTER CARD are accepted), plus $3.00 for shipping and handling.
($5 for Canada and $8 for airmail outside North America).
HomeCraft
P.O. Box 974
Tualatin, OR 97062
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HOMECRAFT'S COLLECTORS SOFTWARE
USER'S MANUAL
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ........................... page 2
LEVELS OF OPERATION .................... page 3
THE MAIN MENU .......................... page 4
File Names 4
Level 5
MAKING ENTRIES ......................... page 6
SAVING THE ENTRY ....................... page 7
EDITING EXISTING ENTRIES ............... page 8
Moving Through The Catalog 9
SEARCHES AND PRINTED REPORTS ........... page 10
List All 11
Searches 12
Editing After A Search 13
UTILITIES .............................. page 14
Copy Files 15
Rebuilding Indexes 16
APPENDIX (Specific Information About
The Software You Have) .............. page 19
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USER'S MANUAL
INTRODUCTION
Thank you for trying one of HomeCraft's specialty databases.
This software has been designed for storing; then organizing,
searching, sorting and retrieving the specific information
you need.
Since all of our specialty databses work in the same manner
this manual applies to them all. Specific information about
each program is provided at the end of this manual.
To run this software you will need an IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2
or compatible with a minimum of 256K of memory and two floppy
disks. We recommend that a hard disk be used if you have more
than 1000 items in your collection. This software can handle
10,000,000 entries per file - and you can have multiple files.
The result is that you can build some very large date files
using several megabytes. A minimum of a 20 megabyte hard
disk is recommended.
No other software is required (except the DOS operating system).
However, we do recommend you purchase a back up utility for your
hard disk. Your data files SHOULD BE BACKED UP any time you've
made significant changes. A good rule of thumb is to back up
you data any time you've made more entries/changes than you'd
want to type over again.
This software is completely menu driven and easy to operate.
Since the computer does all the hard work for you, this manual
is short. We'll describe how to enter information; what to do to
edit existing entries; and how to find the entry(s) you need.
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THE THREE LEVELS OF OPERATION
This software has three levels. The three level feature allows
you to determine the amount of information you want to save for
each entry. If you have valuable information, or need complete
descriptions for professional use, you can catalog your collection
at a level of very fine detail. On the other hand, if you just
need a quick way to find specific entries (or types of entries),
you can use the first, less detailed level. Since you can set up
as many separate data files as you wish, you can divide your
collection and categorize each part in as much or little detail
as you want.
Information about the specific fields and levels in the
version of the software you have is provided at the end of
this manual.
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THE MAIN MENU
The Main Menu will always be the first thing you see when you
boot up the software. If you have a monochrome monitor, and
just see dark blocks on your screen, then push F1. F1 toggles
the setting for color on and off. Dark blocks on a monochrome
monitor indicate the software is set for color and your computer
does not have color emulation.
You can make a selection from the Main Menu in one of two ways;
you can push the number associated with the function you want to
use, or you can use the up/down cursor keys to move the scroll
bar to the selection you want and then push ENTER.
The first three items on the Main Menu are used to manipulate
the information in your catalog. You can enter new entries,
edit information already in the catalog, or search the catalog.
Items 4 through 6 are features that determine how the software
will run. We will take a quick look at these set-up functions
first.
File Name
The filename is the name used for storing your catalog on the
disk. You can have as many separate catalogs as you wish, using
a different filename for each. Up to 10,000,000 entries can be
made in each catalog.
When you push #4 the current filename will be listed and you'll
be prompted to enter a new filename. You may use up to eight
letters for a filename.
If you push ENTER without entering a filename, the software will
use a preset filename.
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You may also designate the disk drive you want the catalog
stored on. To designate a drive other than the drive you are
currently using, type the letter for that drive and then a colon
before typing the filename. For example, to use the filename
TEST on the "B" disk drive you would enter:
B:TEST
The software will automatically add .DAT to the end of all
filenames. If you should put a period in the filename or add a
filename extension such as .DAT the filename will not be
accepted.
Utilities
This leads you to another menu that provides several utility
functions. Using these utilities you can copy entrys from one
file to another, rebuild a damaged index, erase deleted entries,
reserve space on your disk for future entries and set the access
code. All of these utilities are described in detail in the
Utilities section of this manual.
Level
As we've already described you may use any of three levels of
data storage. Push #6 to select the level you want to use. A
menu will appear and you can then push the function key (F key)
associated with the level you want to use.
You can change levels at any time and make entries with a
variety of level settings. However, the software will set the
file sizes for the highest level used in that file. Thus, you
do not save disk space by making entries at the the lowest
level, if there is even one entry at any higher level for the
same file.
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MAKING ENTRIES
Entering information into the catalog is very simple. Select #1
on the Main Menu and an information entry screen will appear.
The length of the bar next to each item shows the amount of
space available for each item. The cursor will not go past the
ends of the bar.
The cursor can be moved around on the screen by using the
up/down and right/left arrow keys.
If you are using a higher level, then the PgDn and PgUp keys are
used to move from one page to another. There are three possible
pages, as each level has its own page. When you move to the
second page the first two lines from the first page will remain
on the screen. On the third page the top three lines from the
first page will be at the top of the screen. This information
is provided to allow you to see which entry you are working on.
It can only be entered and edited, however, from the first
screen.
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SAVING THE ENTRY
Once you've entered all the necessary information push the F5
key to save this entry. F5 can be pushed while any of the three
screens are displayed.
There is also a feature that will save you some time if you are
entering entrys that have basically the same information. For
example, if you have a series of entries that are very similar,
all you need to do is enter the information for the first entry.
Once that entry is saved, push F3. This will copy the
information from the previous entry.
Please note, however, that this copy feature only copies the two
screens.
When you are finished making entries, push F10 to return to the
Main Menu (after pushing F5 to save the last entry you made).
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EDITING EXISTING ENTRIES
Selection two on the Main Menu allows you to change any part of
any existing entry.
You will first be asked for the number of the entry you want to
edit.
As you make entries the software automatically numbers them
sequentially. The first entry you make is number 1; the 100th
is number 100. This number is displayed in the upper right of
the screen when you are making entries. It is also printed on
all reports.
If you don't know the number for the entry you need to change,
use the search function to find the entry. When the entry is
found you will automatically be in the edit mode (more on that
shortly).
Once you have entered the number for the entry you want to
change it will be displayed on the screen. You can then make
changes in the same way you originally entered information. So
that you can see what you've changed the original entry is
highlighted. The highlighting will not be shown at any spot
where a change has been made.
When you have made all the needed changes, push F5 to save the
edited entry.
Pushing F10, before you push F5, will return you to the Main
Menu without saving any of the changes.
Deleting An Entry
The editor is also used to delete an entry from the catalog.
With the entry you wish to delete on the screen, push the F4
key. This will not erase the entry - all the information will
still be there. The entry will be marked as deleted, however,
and will be skipped in any search of the catalog. You can
"undelete" an entry by pushing F5 to re-save the entry.
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If you wish to completely eliminate an entry from the catalog,
you can use the editor to type in a new entry in the same spot
as the deleted entry. There is also a library utility that will
erase all deleted entries from the catalog (more on that
shortly).
Moving Through The Catalog
There is one other convenient feature in the editor. You can
browse through the entries in your catalog, moving either
forward or backward, by pushing the F1 and F2 keys. F1 will
move the display back by one entry. F2 will show the next
entry.
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SEARCHES AND PRINTED REPORTS
The most useful function is the Search / Printed Report
function. This is the function you use to sort and find
specific entrys or types of entrys.
Select #3 on the Main Menu and you'll see a screen that looks
like the information entry screen. The information you want to
search for is entered on this screen (or the series of three
screens at the third level).
First, however, lets look at the functions listed at the bottom
of the screen. A menu with abbreviated prompts appears there.
To get a more detailed explanation of each prompt push the F1
key for HELP.
F2 - TOGGLE OUTPUT - Pushing F2 will change how the report
is printed. The default setting is the monitor. At this
setting each entry will be listed on the monitor, one at a time.
Push F2 to change the setting to CONTINUOUS. Now the report
will be printed on continuous paper on your printer (BE SURE
YOUR PRINTER IS ON!). The perforations will be skipped based on
66 lines per page.
Push F2 again to change the setting to SINGLE. This setting
also sends the report to your printer, however, the search will
pause once every 66 lines to allow you to put another sheet of
paper in the printer. This setting is generally used for daisy
wheel printers.
One nice feature is that no other printer set up is required.
The software will automatically work with almost any type of
printer. (Laser printers may require special settings of their
dip switches as they may not use 66 lines per page).
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When you're using either the CONTINUOUS or SINGLE setting each
entry that matches the search criteria will be displayed on the
screen. If there are a lot of entries that come close together
in your catalog, these may only be on the screen for a short
time.
Push F2 one more time to change the setting to DISK. The report
will now be stored as an ASCII file on your disk. Before the
search starts you will be given the chance to enter the drive
and filename you want to use for the report. If no name is
entered, then a preset filename will be used. Do not enter a
filename extension - the extension ".DOC" will be added to all
filenames.
List All - If you want to get a complete listing of the
contents of your catalog, or list a block of entries (for
example the entries you made today so you can check them for
correctness), then press either F3 or F4.
Pressing F3 will result in the entries being listed in the order
they were entered. After pressing F3 you will be asked for the
entry number to start the listing at and the entry number to end
it with. If you chose an ending entry number that is higher
than the total entries in the catalog, or is lower than the
starting number, it will not be accepted.
The F3 function is most useful in checking entrys you've just
entered. Select a range of entry numbers that includes your
most recent entries. The resulting printed report is an easy
way to check for typos in these new entries.
F4 is used to get a listing of all of the entries in your
catalog in alphabetical order. You must be using the indexing
feature (Index On) for this function to work. When F4 is
pressed a small menu will appear in the lower right corner of
the screen. The indexing is based on the top three items on the
first screen. Select the index you wish to use by pushing
the appropriate F key.
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Searches
To perform a search first set the F2 toggle for the type of
report you want to get. Then enter the information you want to
search for. You can use the cursor and PgUp/PgDn keys to move
through the screens just as you did when making entries. You
can enter information on any one line or all of the lines.
There are three different ways you can search your catalog.
F6 - Normal Search: When you push F6 an index search will be
conducted, if you've entered something to search for on the top
three lines of the first screen. The top three lines contain
the information most frequently searched for. Since the indexes
can use a significant amount of space only these three are
indexed. The Super Utilities (an add-on utility available
to registered users) provides indexing and sorting for all fields.
Indexing provides a way to locate specific information very
fast. Even with tens of thousands of entries the index will be
able to locate any entry within a second or two. In addition,
with indexing you can get an alphabetical listing of your
inventory.
The other type of search is a sequential search. This means
that every entry in the catalog is looked at to see if it is a
match. A sequential search starts with the first entry you made
and step through all subsequent entries until a match is found.
Sequential searches are started by pushing F7 or F8.
In a sequential search any entry that contains the information
you entered will be identified as a match. For example, in this
case if you enter "Roses," Red Roses will be identified as a
match. Entering just "os" will result in a match with Red
R"os"es.
This leads us to another important point. The both index and
sequential searches will only find exact matches in one
respect. If you search for "Rose", the word "ROSE" will not be
found as a match. The capitalization must match the way the
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word was originally typed into the catalog. For that reason I
always capitalize the first letter of every word. Another
option would be to always capitalize the entire word.
Getting back to function keys F6, F7 and F8. As we've
discussed, pushing F6 will result in a search that uses the
indexes. F7 and F8 provide two different ways to start a
sequential search.
Push F8 to start a normal sequential search. Your catalog will
be searched starting with the first entry and
continuing through the most recent entry you made.
F7 provides a special way to search your catalog. If, for
example, you are looking for entries that have the word
"Christmas" in them, both the indexed and sequential searches
will find entries in the same order every time a search is done.
Pushing F7 starts the search at a random location in the
catalog, resulting in different entries being found first.
If you are conducting a sequential search, it may take some time
to complete if you have a large catalog. To pause the search
you can push F9. To stop the search and return to the menu push
F10.
Editing After A Search
When a search finds a matching entry in your catalog, that entry
will displayed on the screen. You can then edit that entry
just as you would using the "Edit An Entry" function. Type the
changes you need to make, then push F5 to save those changes.
NOTE: The indexes are the most fragile parts of the data files.
If at any time you feel the indexes are not working properly, go
to the Utilities menu and build new indexes. The problems
should then clear up.
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UTILITIES
There are eight functions available on the Catalog Utilities
screen. Some of these are also available as a part of the Main
Menu and are provided as a convenience here. These functions
are:
Copy Files - Used to copy all of the entries from one file to
another file. This utility is intended for users upgrading from
floppy disks to a hard disk. It will transfer entries from
floppy disks to a hard disk, combining the files from several
floppies into a single file on the hard disk.
Rebuild The Indexes - The indexes are the most fragile part of a
data base. This function allows you to replace your indexes should
the index files be damaged.
Condense Data - When a entry is deleted from the catalog all
of the information remains in the file and it can be recovered.
If, however, you would like to completely erase all of your
deleted entries (i.e. to reduce clutter), this function will
permanently remove them from the file.
File Name - Used to change the current filename being used for
cataloging. (This function is also provided on the Main Menu).
Reserve Space - This function will set aside space on your
disk for future entries in the catalog.
Level - Allows you to change the level in use. (This function
is also provided on the Main Menu).
Security Code - Allows you to limit access to your catalog.
(Not available in the shareware version).
Customize - Allows you to change the titles on three of the
lines, one on each level.
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Now let's look at each of these in more detail.
COPY FILES
This function will take all of the entries in any data file and
add them to the end of any other data file.
Select #1 on the Utilities Menu and we'll see how this works.
A series of prompts will lead you through the copy process.
First you will be asked for the letter of the disk drive from
which you'll be copying entries. Push the letter that corresponds
to the drive you want to select. When you push a letter (only
A-F may be selected) the selected drive designation will appear
at the bottom of the screen.
Next push the letter for the drive that contains the file you
want to copy to. This can be the same drive as you will be
copying from.
The file you are copying to does not need to exist yet. A new
file will be created, if required.
The names of the data files on the disk you are copying from
will now be displayed. You must enter the name of one of these
files. If you enter the name of a file that does not exist, or
is not a existing data file, the copy process will be stopped.
When you enter the filename, DO NOT enter the .DAT filename
extension.
When you push ENTER the filename will be displayed at the bottom
of the screen and the list of data files on the disk you are
copying to will be displayed. Enter up to eight letters as the
filename to copy to. This filename does not need to be in the
list of data files. If you select a file used by another
program, that file will be erased and replaced by your catalog
data. That's why the filenames are displayed, so can see what
is already on the disk.
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The next screen shows the names of the files you are copying to
and from. In addition, the number of entries already in each
file will be shown. All of the entries in the top file will be
copied to the second file listed. They will be added to the end
of the second file.
The level setting for each file will be shown. You may
continue the copy process when the levels do not match, but only
data for matching levels will be copied. For example, if one
file is set at the second level and the other is set for the
third level, only the data for the first two levels will be
copied. You can exit at this point and reset the level for
either file, if you want them to match.
The indexes are not updated in the copy process. If you are
using the indexes, you will be given the opportunity re-index.
REBUILD THE INDEXES
The function will erase the existing index files and rebuild them
from scratch. Everything is automatic once you start the process.
Since each file must looked at individually rebuilding the indexes
for a large catalog could take some time.
CONDENSE DATA
What do you do if you're running out of space on a floppy disk?
One option, if you've deleted quite a few entries, is to remove
those deleted entries from your catalog file. Option 3 on
the Library Utilities menu will do that for you.
When you select #3 you'll be asked to confirm that the correct
data file is being used. Push the letter "Y" if it is the
correct file. All of the entries in that file will be checked
and if an entry is marked as deleted, it will be removed from
the catalog. The catalog will be reduced in size by the number
of entries that were deleted. (Note: The file size reported by
DOS will not change).
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FILE NAME Option 4 on the Library Utilities menu works in the
same way as the change filename function on the Main Menu.
RESERVE SPACE This function is used to save space on your
disk for future entries in your catalog. You will be asked for
the number of additional entries you plan on making. Disk space
will be reserved for these additional entries. (See appendix A
for the maximum number entries on a floppy disk).
Reserving space does two important things for you: It sets
aside space on your disk so that if your disk should become full
due to other activities, you will still have "reserved" space in
which to make entries in your catalog. This is particularly
important when using floppy disks. Reserving space also helps
to keep your data files in adjacent sectors on the disk (more
important for hard disk users). As files become fragmented, and
spread among more widely separated sectors, the access time for
getting data from those files becomes greater. In addition,
highly fragmented files are more likely to be damaged over time
than files composed of adjacent sectors.
This software can not put fragmented files back together. To do
that you will need software such as the Mace Utilities, PC-
Tools, or the Norton Utilities. If you have any of these, and
plan on creating large files (1000 or more entries), I'd suggest
unfragment your hard disk first, then reserve the space for your
catalog files.
LEVEL You can change the level you are using in the same way
as at the Main Menu.
SET SECURITY CODE This function is not available in the
shareware version in order to protect the security of
registered users.
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INDEX ON/OFF
This function turns the indexes on or off. I recommend that
if you are using floppy disks, that you turn the indexes off
to save disk space. Hard disk users should have the indexing
on to increase the speed of some searches.
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off
to save disk space. Hard d
OTHER.DOC
OTHER SOFTWARE PUBLISHED BY HOMECRAFT:
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THE COLLECTORS SERIES
All of the software in the collector's series has been specifically
designed for a certain type of collection. Each allows you to catalog
your collection using 21 different characteristics and you can perform
searches based on any combination of the information you've entered.
This series is unique in that each of the programs has three levels
of operation providing screens for beginning collectors through professionals.
Thus you only need to catalog the information that is important to you.
The following software is a part of the collectors series:
FOR RECORD COLLECTORS (LPs, 45s, CDs, cassettes, etc.)
FOR RECORD COLLECTORS - Classical Music Version
FOR RECORD COLLECTORS - Jazz Version
BOOK MINDER (Books and magazine articles)
FOR COMIC BOOK COLLECTORS (comic books)
FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS (Slides, negatives and prints)
THE FILM & VIDEO TAPES (movies, TV shows & home videos)
FOR SPORTS CARDS (baseball cards, football, etc.)
THE INFORMATION INDEX (Misc. information such as
recipes, dieting instructions, jokes, trivia,
exercise instructions, etc.).
FOR COIN COLLECTORS
FOR ANTIQUE DOCUMENTS
FOR MEMORABILIA COLLECTORS
FOR SPACESHIPS
FOR STAMP COLLECTORS
FOR SHIP MODEL COLLECTORS
FOR GUN COLLECTORS (available 4/30/90)
Plus there's more collector's software on the way!
THE SUPER UTILITIES FOR COLLECTORS
To add more flexibility to the software in our collector's series we have
developed the Super Utilities for collectors. These add-on utilities
provide the following functions:
<> User defined report formats. You can set up your reports to
look like you want them. Supports wide carriage printers.
<> Any/all lines can be indexed and alphabetized.
<> Multiple level sorts can be done. Thus, for example, in Book
Minder you can get a listing of books in alphabetical order by
author with each author's books listed in alphabetical order by
title.
<> The ability to create "child" databases using the results of a search/
sort to create the new database.
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HOME FINANCIAL SOFTWARE
Home Loan (The Financial Calculator) - Home Loan not only calculates the
$35.00 monthly payment for nearly any type loan, it
provides tables showing the effects of various loan
options at a glance. Calculation of amortization
tables, the value of an annuity, present value, and
future value are also provided. In addition, Home
Loan has special sections to help plan for your
retirement, calculate the value of your IRA, plan
for your children's college expenses and to do
equity calculations for your home.
Home Insurance (Home Inventory and Insurance Planning) - provides a way for
$59.95 you to keep track of what you own, where it is
located, what it cost, and any identifying marks.
Home Insurance uses the same user interface as the
collectors series and thus each item in your
inventory can be cataloged using any of 22
characteristics (serial #, model #, color, etc.)
Home Insurance also provides several other features
to help with your insurance planning. A life
insurance estimator will take your current financial
status and your future plans, and calculate the
amount of life insurance you need. An insurance
records file provides a convient place to store
vital information about your insurance policies.
Home Money Manager IIa - home budgeting and checkbook software. Includes
$29.00 check printing, tracking of tax deductible
transactions, unlimited split transactions, over
800 expense catagories, credit card tracking, and
many more advanced features.
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EDUCATIONAL
Play 'n' Learn - combines 7 education games (plus an additional 12 variations)
$10.00 for very young children - ages 18 months to 4 years. These
games include:
Amanda's Letter Lotto > learn the alphabet
Zach-A-Doodle > Etch-A-Sketch type game
Color Screen > a very simple game that changes screen colors
Color Match > learn colors and the alphabet
Word Whirl > learn about words and names
Next Number > learn numbers 1-9
Black Board Shapes > learn to match shapes
The Play 'n' Learn games are also designed to help your
learn about using computers. They teach skills ranging
from just getting a response from pushing any key, to
multiple key combinations and making menu selections.
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For more information on any of the above write to:
HomeCraft
P.O. Box 974
Tualatin, OR 97062
If you missed any of the information, push CTRL NUM LOCK to pause the
screen and any other key to restart it.
u missed any of the information, push CTRL NUM LOCK to pause the
screen and any other key
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #0796
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
APPNDX DOC 14464 2-16-90 11:51a
BRUN30 EXE 70680 4-07-87 10:48a
FILES796 TXT 2961 3-22-90 3:36p
GO BAT 38 10-19-87 3:56p
GO TXT 1002 1-01-80 12:26a
HI EXE 10801 2-16-90 11:37a
INSUR EXE 27377 2-02-89 6:05a
INTRO DOC 4224 2-16-90 11:26a
INVEN BMS 44 1-01-80 12:23a
INVEN DAT 0 1-01-80 12:23a
INVEN EXE 100612 2-16-90 11:40a
INVEN INV 210 2-16-90 11:53a
MANUAL DOC 27776 2-15-90 6:35p
MENU OVL 150 1-01-80 12:23a
OTHER DOC 5888 2-03-90 11:26a
PRINT EXE 4385 2-03-90 1:24p
READ ME 2816 2-15-90 7:06p
UTILITY EXE 66532 2-16-90 11:37a
18 file(s) 339960 bytes
12288 bytes free