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Information about “ROKMAR ASSETS INVENTORY”
The ASSETS INVENTORY SYSTEM is an inventory log program from Rokmar that
enables you to keep track of your home or office assets.
In case of fire, theft, etc., your insurance company will want an
itemized list of each piece of merchandise, the model numbers, the
serial numbers, the location the article was kept, the purchase/
replacement cost, etc. This information can be difficult to piece
together with any amount of accuracy after the disaster strikes.
The ASSETS INVENTORY SYSTEM keeps track of all you own, allows for easy
updating on a regular basis, and provides a detailed inventory report of
assets sorted by type, location or user defined index. It is also able
to generate customized files for importing to spreadsheets or financial
analysis programs.
You may be amazed to find out how much money you have tied up in
household/office assets, in what areas this money is concentrated, and
in what type of merchandise! This information is useful for capital
budgeting, tax planning, developing reasonable precautions against
losses due to theft and fire, and, of course, documentation for
insurance claims.
The INVENTORY SYSTEM also provides helpful guidance on how to take
inventory, such as hints concerning often overlooked items: expensive
clothing articles, landscaping purchases, books, telephones, computer
software, lighting fixtures, custom curtains, hot water heater, kitchen
appliances and utensils, tap water filters, children's articles, outside
articles, items loaned to someone else, important papers, etc.
ASSETS.DOC
ROKMAR ASSETS INVENTORY SYSTEM
Version 2.0
System Manual
ROKMAR Computer Systems
2089 East Kern
Tulare, Ca. 93274
ROKMAR ASSETS INVENTORY SYSTEM
INDEX
Copyright Notice ............ 1
What Is It For? ............. 2
Set Up ...................... 3
Field Editing ............... 4
Program Usage ............... 5
How To Use It ............... 7
Field Descriptions .......... 8
Interfacing ................. 9
Error Recovery .............. 11
COPYRIGHT NOTICE Page 1
This software product is the copyrighted property of ROKMAR
Computer Systems, and the usual shareware limited agreement
applies:
1. No fee may be charged for the retail sale of this product
other than a reasonable copy and distribution charge.
2. This product may only be distributed in its original and
complete form, including documentation and copyright notice.
3. This product may not be distributed, whole or in any part as
a section or part of any commercial product without written
permission of ROKMAR COMPUTER SYSTEMS.
DISCLAIMER
RokMar Computer Systems, its owners, management, or associates
will not be liable for any damages or claims related in any way
to the use of this product and disclaims all warranties or
implied warranties by the distributor.
Other than these minor trivialities, feel free to copy and give
out as many copies of this product as you wish. Place an
archived version on any BBS.
Should you receive any use from this program, please contribute
$10, or if you wish to receive an updated version of this program
with bug fixes and possible enhancements, and notices to future
updates, send $15 to:
Robert O Keith, Jr.
2089 East Kern
Tulare, Ca. 93274
Anything you might send, $, suggestions, problems will be greatly
appreciated and will prompt me to produce many more products for
the home and office. The registration fee will also entitle you
to a list of other available products.
Have fun, and remember... Press F1 for Help!
WHAT IS IT FOR? Page 2
Now that I have my own Assets Inventory DataBase system, what do
I do with it? What good is it?
Most people may or may not think they have much money laying
around the house or office. In any case, most will be surprised
at how much has been collected over the months and years. In
most cases, much of this money sits around mostly unnoticed.
People who have used this product have been shocked to find out
how much money was tied up in household/office assets, in what
areas this money was concentrated, and in what type of
merchandise they had. In case of fire, theft, etc., the
insurance company wants an itemized list of each piece of
merchandise, the model numbers, the serial numbers, the location
the article was kept, the purchase/replacement cost, etc. This
bit of information can be difficult to piece together with any
amount of accuracy, especially in the midst of emotional strife.
If this information was gathered together in advance manually,
what a maintenance chore this could be: new items are bought,
sold, thrown away, lost, etc., every month.
This information is also useful for management decisions:
adequate security, fire protection, adequate insurance coverage,
or even how much money is invested by merchandise type, at
certain locations, etc. The Assets Inventory DataBase will
retain this information on a dynamic medium, where at the press
of a button the information can be listed, sorted and summed up
by type, location, etc. This product will also print a list,
ready to mail off to the insurance company or store off-site at
any time.
The Assets Inventory DataBase Contains:
- Pull Down Menu System, very simple to use.
- Pop Up windows including help windows so that you don't
become lost inside the integrated programs.
- Full Feature Search/Inquiry screens, to browse your data by
key words.
- Index Reports for your own information, (where, how much, of
what, etc.)
- Full Detailed Reports for safe storage and to mail off to
the insurance companies.
- Data Entry Input form printable on your own printer at any
time.
Can you use this?
SET UP Page 3
INSTALLING UP THIS SYSTEM ON YOUR COMPUTER.
Make a copy of this disk for your own backup at once!
An installation program is not included; they are more
complicated than simply copying the files to your hard disk, and
most of them cause more trouble than help anyway.
Installation on any Floppy Disk Drive:
Simply copy the original disk and use the copy as the
program/data disk. One disk and drive is all that is required for
use. These files may also be copied to a bootable floppy disk.
Hard Drive:
Create a directory (\ASSETS, \HOMEINV, \OFFINVEN, etc.),
anything you wish and copy the contents of this disk into the
directory. Remember, only rookies copy all of the software
including DOS to the root directory.
Example: C>COPY A:*.* A:\ASSETS
The executable program file of this system is ASSETS.EXE, so to
run, move to the drive and directory where the programs are
installed and type:
ASSETS
Example:
One floppy drive: A>ASSETS
Hard Disk:C>CD \ASSETS
C>ASSETS
The pull down menu will come up on your screen. If you have
never used this type of menu, Press F1 for Help. Press F1
anywhere inside this system, and a help screen will appear.
Important! The computer must be booted with a CONFIG.SYS file
containing a FILES= statement for 10 files or more. An example
CONFIG.SYS file is included with the system files.
FIELD EDITING Page 4
Using the data entry fields.
The data entry screens and the inquiry screens have one or
many entry fields. The data in each of these fields may be
edited after some value has been entered. The type of edits
available for each field include, inserting characters inside
data already edited, deleting characters, etc. This scheme is
similar to word processors, spread sheets, etc. Following is a
detailed list of each function and the key to be used for each.
Key Function
____ __________________________________________________________
Ins This will toggle into or out of the insert mode. The
cursor will be a block character when inside the insert
mode. When inside the insert mode, any data above and to
the right of the cursor will be moved over and the data
typed will be shoved inside, inserted.
Del The Delete Key: The character above the cursor will be
deleted and the data to the right will be moved over to
fill the space created by the character deleted.
BS The Back-Space Key: The cursor will be moved to the left;
any data above the cursor will be deleted; the data to the
right will be moved to the left.
--> The right arrow key: The cursor will be moved one
character to the right, no data will be affected.
<-- The left arrow key: The cursor will be moved one character
to the left, no data will be affected.
Up The up arrow key: The cursor will jump up to the previous
data entry field.
Down The down arrow key: The cursor will jump down to the next
data entry field.
Return The return/entry key: The cursor will jump down to the
next data entry field.
Esc The escape key: This will exit the mode of the program
without doing any updates to the database.
PROGRAM USAGE Page 5
A Walk through of the system.
This section will be listed in sections in the order of
initial usage. Any semi-experienced user can breeze over this
section quickly and not work through the exercises, but keep in
mind the overall program flow and the uses of each function.
TRACK
This screen is used for doing quick data updates, such as for
users who wish to track items that are always moving, or for
simply relocating items without risking the update of other data
fields.
RPTFORM
Print an input form. This is the last option on the menu. Once
this is printed, you may print as many as you wish or make
photocopies of the printed version. With this version you can
manually take inventory, listing the pertinent data on the
sheets, then use the sheets as data entry forms to sit at the
computer and enter the data. The first field on the sheet is the
key field. This can be any value you wish, but it must be unique.
Numbering the items is usually the simplest way to choose a
unique key, but the add function will accept any unique string of
characters.
ADD
Enter the data. This is the first option on the menu. Simply
transcribe the data directly from the input sheets into the add
function. Press F1 if any field is confusing, a pop up help
window will appear. A full description of each field is described
in a later chapter.
UPDATE
If you make any entry mistakes, use the third menu option. These
functions will allow data entry record modifications or to delete
the entire record. Again, Press F1 for guidance.
PROGRAM USAGE (cont.) Page 6
INQUIRY
At any time, you may wish to search through the data for a
particular item, to do this, use the forth menu function.
This is the most complicated screen, but don't worry, it
does no updates so you can not hurt anything by pressing the
wrong button. The three inquiry screens work basically the same
but work against different keys, TYPE, LOCATION and the USER-
DEFINED key. Specific key info is at the upper left of the
screen. A quick run through:
- Enter the screen via the menu.
- Enter the key value desired.
This may be the whole key, the first few characters of
this key, or to begin at the beginning, leave the field
blank. Then press F2 to begin the search.
- Continue to press F2 to search from the last record on
the screen...
- Or, Enter a different search key value...
- Or, Press F7 to scroll backwards; F8 to scroll forward.
- The up/down arrow keys will move the high-lighted line
upward or downward.
- Press the F3 key, and the high-lighted record will be
shown in detail inside another window in the middle of the
screen.
RPT INDX
These reports are for your use as management information. Simply
selecting the menu option desired and pressing return will
bring up a selection window. By selecting a specific key, such as
location, only the records at this location will print. Living
the field blank will cause all records to print.
RPT FULL
These reports are detailed reports sorted by the menu option
chosen. They are for your permanent off-site storage and to be
sent to insurance agencies, etc.
HOW TO USE IT Page 7
Anyone who has been through a fire, burglary, or any of
numerous disasters, and have had to try to list everything they
own, how much the items were worth, and prove it, (Serial
numbers?) all this in the midst of an emotionally trying time,
wishing they had been better prepared. Insurance companies
usually request an updated listing of inventories every six
months. Pictures should also be included with this list. An even
better solution is a video tape recording of the articles, time
and date stamped. The entire room can be panned across catching
everything in the room.
Don't forget articles left inside closets or behind/under
furniture.
Anything one might forget to take a snapshot of usually
shows up in a video tape, somewhere in the background. Remember
to get a shot of the camera. Of course, pictures are not enough,
serial numbers, costs, etc. are still required. You should
also keep your own version of this file, but include photocopies
of receipts, and store this off-site in a safe location.
How many think to keep backups of software off-site? This
system will tell you how important that might be.
Hints/Reminders:
- Include items often forgotten in this list:
Expensive Clothing Articles Landscaping Purchases
Books Telephones
Computer Software Lighting Fixtures
Customized Curtains The Hot Water Heater
Kitchen Appliances and Utensils Tap Water Filters
Children's Articles Outside Articles
Credit Cards
- Search through the closets, garages, in the automobiles,
off-site storage, cellars, etc., places not frequently
visited.
- Items that may be lended to someone else at the time
inventory is taken.
- Include important papers which may become lost or destroyed.
FIELD DESCRIPTIONS Page 8
Field Description Size Cobol Pic
----------------- --------------------------- ------ ---------
ASSET_KEY A unique key 5 X(5)
DESC The Description of the 25 X(25)
article of value.
TYPE The Type code. A category 8 X(8)
for the article, ie., tools,
equipment, etc.
LOCATION_STORED The Location Code where the 8 X(85)
article is stored, ie.,
garage, off-site, xa-01-01,
etc.
USER_DEFINED A User-Defined code for any 8 X(8)
special purpose requirement,
ie., persons name, sub-
breakdowns of Type or
Location, anything you wish.
DATE_PURCHASED The date the article was 6 X(6)
purchased. (MMDDYY)
PURCHASE_COST The purchase cost or value 7 9(5)v99
of the article. (characters)
PURCHASED_FROM Description of where the 25 X(25)
article was purchased from.
APPRAISAL The appraisal value, if 9 9(5)V99
applicable.
MODEL_NUMBER The article model number. 10 X(10)
SERIAL_NUMBER The article serial number. 20 X(20)
COMMENT1 First line of Comments. 50 X(50)
COMMENT2 Second line of Comments. 50 X(50)
INTERFACING Page 9
This feature is for the advanced computerist, and is not
required to use this package as it was intended. If, though, you
are interested or have a special requirement, such as including a
portion of this data in a financial statement, or using a
spreadsheet for more elaborate calculations on the data, or even
want to extract the data maintained here and upload it into
another database, you will want to read this section completely.
This database application package contains a very useful
report writer/data extractor. This can be used to create your
own reports, specify any subset of fields to extract, browse the
data very quickly, extract data into an ASCII file uploadable to
any word processor, spreadsheet, database package, report writer,
etc. This feature does not work under the menu system, so you
will have to be at the operating system prompt to use these
commands.
The command name is ASREPORT.
The following descriptions will use the A> prompt. Don't be
confused if you are using a different disk drive and see
something else.
For a demonstration, type:
A>ASREPORT ASSETS
The entire list of records will scroll across your screen.
This is interesting if used as a browse of the data. Now try:
A>ASREPORT ASSETS ASSET_TYPE DESC
Notice that only the data fields you selected, and in the
order you selected appear. Interesting? The format of this
command is:
A>ASREPORT ASSETS [file-element1 file-element2 ...]
The file elements are those listed in the previous chapter
and must be spelled exactly. If the file elements are not used,
all elements will be extracted. If listed on the screen, the
right most elements will be truncated. Now lets print something:
A>ASREPORT ASSETS TYPE DESC LOCATION_STORED PURCHASE_COST > PRN
Another way to do this would be:
A>ASREPORT ASSETS TYPE DESC LOCATION_STORED PURCHASE_COST > MYFILE
A>COPY MYFILE PRN
The first method extracts the data and redirects the I/O to
the printing device. The second method extracts the data and
redirects the I/O into a file of your own choosing.
INTERFACING (cont.) Page 10
Why extract the data into another file?
This is one of the nicer features of this system. This file
can be imported into any spreadsheet, (Lotus 123, etc.),
database, or word processing program. The data may be used by
the spreadsheet program to be reformatted, sorted in other ways,
or used for more elaborate calculations. The database may use
this data to be uploaded into other databases or report the data
in other formats. The data may be included into a word processor
for use inside a financial report, or for any other special
purpose.
ERROR RECOVERY Page 11
The error messages displayed in the error window at the
bottom, or inside other windows at various locations should be
obvious, ie., RECORD NOT FOUND, etc. There is one killer: INDEX
CORRUPTED.
The index corrupted message means that the database has been
corrupted, and the whole system is hung up. Nothing will work.
All is not lost.
To recover from this, a special program was developed called
ASINDEX.
To recover, type:
Floppy system:
A>ASINDEX ASSETS
Hard Disk:
C>ASINDEX ASSETS
A corrupted database happens when inside the system and the
power is lost, if there is a disk error, etc. It is not a normal
condition and should not happen frequently.
REMEMBER TO BACKUP YOUR DATA REGULARLY!!!
The database routines used in this system will put the disk
drive through its paces. Occasionally, a machine will return a
"index corrupted" message when using any of the functions which
access data. This could mean that the disk drive is slightly out
of alignment, even though most of other programs may work. If
this is the case, reindexing and running the system on another
machine may be necessary.
Technical Information:
Equipment needed: IBM-PC (128K)
Floppy or hard disk
Color or Monochrome monitor
Printer
Configuration: Printer Port (LST1:)
(If necessary to print to another port, use
the MODE command or the PSWAP utility to redirect
printer output.)
Files contained on this disk:
ASSETS.EXE - The main program to execute
ASSETS.HLP - The help data file
ASSETS.DOC - The usage manual
ASSETS.DAT - The main data database file
ASSETS.X01 - The key index file
ASSETS.X02 - The type index file
ASSETS.X03 - The location index file
ASSETS.X04 - The user-defined field index file
ASREPORT.EXE - The report writer program
EXTRACT.EXE - Date extractor
ASINDEX.EXE - The reindexer program
PSWAP.EXE - Printer swap utility
PSWAP.DOC - Printer swap documentation
CONFIG.SYS - System file (must have >=10 FILES=)
TECHMAN.DOC - Manual for customization
CUSTMENU.* - Files for the custom menu system
CUSTMENU.DOC
ROKMAR Simple Menu System
Version 1.0
System Manual
ROKMAR Computer Systems
Copyright (c) 1990
ROKMAR SIMPLE MENU SYSTEM
FEATURES
* Easy to use, no user training necessary
* Execute applications and commands with one keystroke,
no need to remember the tricky syntax
* Executes any program, DOS command or BAT file
* Isolate users from the confusing and cumbersome DOS
language
* Setup new menus in minutes; utilizes the full power
of DOS
* No need to learn complicated menu languages;
setup menu with a simple data entry screen
* On-line help available
ROKMAR SIMPLE MENU SYSTEM
INDEX
Copyright Notice ............ 1
What Is It .................. 2
Installation ................ 3
Program Usage ............... 4
Menu System Usage ........... 13
Appendices
Field Editing ............... 17
Example Menu Setups.......... 18
Useful DOS Commands ......... 20
Technical Info .............. 22
COPYRIGHT NOTICE Page 1
This software product is the copyrighted property of ROKMAR
Computer Systems, and the usual shareware limited agreement
applies:
1. No fee may be charged for the retail sale of this product
other than a reasonable copy and distribution charge.
2. This product may only be distributed in its original and
complete form, including documentation and copyright notice.
3. This product may not be distributed, whole or in any part as
a section or part of any commercial product without written
permission of ROKMAR COMPUTER SYSTEMS.
DISCLAIMER
ROKMAR Computer Systems, its owners or other related parties will
not be liable for any damages or claims related in any way to the
use of this product and disclaims all warranties or implied
warranties by the distributor.
WHAT IS IT? Page 2
A menu system is a DOS command executor, similar to a DOS
shell. What it does is:
- to store one or many sometimes complicated and cumbersome
commands in a group which will accomplish something, like run a
program or backup a disk drive,
- present these command sets on the screen in the form of a
catalog or list and,
- provide a means of conveniently executing these commands
or group of commands by simply pressing a key.
The system should pop right back after the command is
finished and allow another command to be executed.
This menu system is designed specifically for removable disk
systems. Each disk or cartridge can contain its own menu
installation. As a disk is swapped with another, pressing the "Z"
key will display the new system title and new menu selections.
Page 3
INSTALLATION
INSTALLING UP THIS SYSTEM ON YOUR COMPUTER.
Make a copy of this disk for your own backup at once!
Because of the variety of hardware configurations, an
installation program is not included. The core system only
contains a few files, so simply copying the files one at a time
only takes a few seconds.
The menu system requires these files be contained in the
current directory. Simply copy these files to your work area and
the installation is complete.
CUSTMENU.EXE
CUSTMENU.CFG
CUSTMENU.HLP
The COMMAND.COM file must be available to the current directory,
either in the current disk:directory, or specified in the PATH=
statement.
The main system files are:
CUSTMENU.EXE - The main menu program
CUSTMENU.CFG - The menu configuration file
CUSTMENU.HLP - Help screens for maintenance portion
Page 4
CUSTMENU.EXE
CUSTMENU [drive:][path][configfile]
The main menu program
PARAMETERS
drive: - The drive letter of the disk which contains the
configuration file. When the program is begun, a config file must
exist on that drive for the menu program to be able to load an
initial menu. This drive becomes the default drive and at the end
of each command line, the menu resets the current drive back to
this drive.
Default: The drive where the menu program is executed from.
path - The directory which contains the configuration file. When
the program is begun, a config file must exist in this directory
for the menu program to be able to load an initial menu. This
directory becomes the default directory path and at the end of
each command line, the menu resets the current drive back to this
directory.
Default: The directory where the menu program is executed from.
configfile - The menu configuration file. This file contains the
command titles, the specific disk title, and the group of
commands themselves.
Default: CUSTMENU.CFG
Page 5
SCREEN:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
05/05/1989 ROKMAR Simple Menu System Version 1.0
******* Disk Title *******
A - Format Disk in Drive A I - ROKMAR HouseHold Inventory
B - Copy Disk (A -->B) J -
C - Check disk A for errors K -
D - Print a file L -
E - Show disk label M -
F - N - Star Wars (Shoot-em-up)
G - O - Chess program (Sargon)
H - Run Basic P - Black Jack (Basic program)
F9- Update Menu Z - Reload Menu Configuration
(Press after changing disks)
Press the letter for the selection. (ESC exits
menu)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Page 6
To run a command, simply press the preceding letter. When the
command(s) are complete or exited, the menu will take over again
and display the menu on the screen.
Pressing F9 will place you inside the maintenance module and
screen.
Pressing the Z key will cause the program to reread the
configuration file and redisplay the changed menu. This is
usually done when a different disk is inserted into the drive.
To exit from the menu system, press the ESC key. The program will
confirm that you want to leave the menu system on purpose.
Pressing the Y key will cause the menu system to terminate.
Page 7
MENU MAINTENANCE
This module is contained inside the main menu program. It is
executable by pressing F9.
SCREEN:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
05/05/1989 ROKMAR Floppy Disk Menu System Version 1.0
Press F1 for Help
Press F2 to Update
Press Esc to Exit
******* Disk Title *******
A - Format Disk in Drive A I - ROKMAR HouseHold Inventory
B - Copy Disk (A -->B) J -
C - Check disk A for errors K -
D - Print a file L -
E - Show disk label M -
F - N - Star Wars (Shoot-em-up)
G - O - Chess program (Sargon)
H - Run Basic P - Black Jack (Basic program)
Selection: _ (A -> P or * = DISK TITLE)
Description: _________________________
Command: ________________________________________________
Enter the selection, then overtype the desired data. F2 updates.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Page 8
The top part of the screen contains a display of the current menu
configuration including the disk menu title. As each selection of
the menu is updated, the menu display is refreshed.
FIELDS
SELECTION: This element is the selection letter. The valid
letters are A through P and *. Entering the * in the selection
field will allow the disk menu title to be updated.
DESCRIPTION: This is the selection description which will appear
on the screen and describe the program, system or action to
happen when that selection is chosen.
COMMAND: This is the field where the commands themselves actually
reside. One or more commands can be placed on this line,
delimited by a tilde (~). Any command that can be entered at the
DOS prompt (A>) can be entered here. There is no difference
between each command. The menu handles each command the same as
DOS would require, using the same input format. Appendix A
contains examples of this.
Page 9
MENU SYSTEM USAGE
The system can either be started automatically when the computer
is booted by placing the command in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, or
once the menu program is running, swapping disks and pressing the
Z key will reload the next disk's menu configuration file and
display this on the screen.
Once the menu us running, it waits for a selection to be made.
The computer can be shut off anytime without exiting the menu
program.
The command to run the menu program is: CUSTMENU
Points to know and keep in mind in setting up the menu:
(full explanation follows)
1. Commands on another drive should begin with the drive letter.
2. Multiple commands can be executed from one selection.
3. If there too many commands to fit on a command line, put them
inside a bat file.
4. The menu program returns to the drive letter and directory
from where the menu program was executed.
1. Commands on another drive should begin with the drive letter.
When executing commands on another drive, the command line in the
menu should start by setting the current drive to the drive where
the commands reside. Example:
[C:~CD \LOTUS~123 ]
The first part of the command line sets the current drive to the
C drive. This tells the computer where to find the programs to
execute.
An exception to this is when the commands are located in an area
specified by a PATH statement. For example, if a command was
located at B:\DOS and a path was specified as PATH=C:\DOS, this
command could be executed from anywhere and DOS would know where
to find the command. (DOS restrictions apply here and should be
understood before using the PATH method).
Page 10
2. Multiple commands can be executed from one selection.
As many commands as could fit on a command line can be
concatenated in the command line. As each command completes,
control is passed immediately to the next command on the command
line, as if someone had typed the command immediately into the
computer.
Example: to run lotus again:
[C:~CD \LOTUS~123 ]
For the sake of redundancy also notice that each of these
commands are the same as would be typed at the DOS prompt. The
tilde (~) is used instead of hitting the enter key. In this case
the commands being executed are:
A>C:
C>CD \LOTUS
C>123
In summary, the commands entered on the command line are exactly
the same as would be typed on the screen at the DOS prompt. The
menu system simply passes each command to DOS to be executed,
then DOS passes control back to the menu program, which will
execute the next command on the command line if one exists. When
the commands on the command line have been executed, the menu
program will clear the screen and redisplay the menu selections
screen.
Page 11
3. If there too many commands to fit on a command line, put them
inside a bat file.
Most needs can be met by placing several commands inside the 60
byte command line. For example:
[ECHO Type EXIT to return to the menu~COMMAND ]
But other times more room than this is needed. BAT files can be
used for this need. Example:
REM *** This BAT file is to check the hard drive if it does not
REM *** seem to want to boot up.
REM
ECHO OFF
ECHO
ECHO **** Check a disk for errors ****
ECHO
ECHO Load in the DOS system disk into drive A.
ECHO When this is done
PAUSE
Save this as SYSA.BAT.
The command line would be:
[SYSA~A:~CHKDSK C:/F ]
This might be for working on the C drive after a crash.
Page 12
Another Example:
REM This is a BAT file to load the accounting system
REM into the background, then to start up the system
REM
ECHO Load the GL system disk #1 in Drive A
PAUSE
ACCTSYS
ECHO Load the GL system disk #2 in Drive A
PAUSE
GL
Save as GLA.BAT.
The command line would be:
[GLA ]
Yes, some applications are setup this complicated. The first part
of the BAT file are comments as documentation. The first ECHO
statement tells the operator to load in the GL disk #1, then
runs the program ACCTSYS. This is for security or something. Then
the next ECHO statement tells the operator to load in the GL
application disk, then the BAT file runs the GL application.
4. The menu program returns to the drive letter and directory
from where the menu program was executed. Remember, the default
drive and directory can be set on the command line.
Each time a selection is invoked, the system resets the
computer to the default drive and directory. For example if the
menu program was executed initially from the A drive and the root
directory (\), and the menu executes a program from drive B and
directory \lotus, when the program completes, the computer will
be back to drive A and the root directory.
With this in mind, short cuts can be made when setting up
the menu when programs are executed from the same drive and
directory where the menu program resides.
For example, if the menu and lotus both exist on one disk and
the same directory, the command line would be:
[123 ]
If lotus exists on another disk and directory, then the command
line becomes:
[C:~CD \LOTUS~123 ]
Notice how simple the first example was.
APPENDICES
FIELD EDITING Page 13
Using the data entry fields.
The data entry screen has three entry fields. The data in
each of these fields may be edited after some value has been
entered. The type of edits available for each field include,
inserting characters inside data already edited, deleting
characters, etc. This scheme is similar to word processors,
spread sheets, etc. Following is a detailed list of each
function and the key to be used for each.
Key Function
____ __________________________________________________________
Ins This will toggle into or out of the insert mode. The
cursor will be a block character when inside the insert
mode. When inside the insert mode, any data above and to
the right of the cursor will be moved over and the data
typed will be shoved inside, inserted.
Del The Delete Key: The character above the cursor will be
deleted and the data to the right will be moved over to
fill the space created by the character deleted.
BS The Back-Space Key: The cursor will be moved to the left;
any data above the cursor will be deleted; the data to the
right will be moved to the left.
--> The right arrow key: The cursor will be moved one
character to the right, no data will be affected.
<-- The left arrow key: The cursor will be moved one character
to the left, no data will be affected.
Up The up arrow key: The cursor will jump up to the previous
data entry field.
Down The down arrow key: The cursor will jump down to the next
data entry field.
Return The return/entry key: The cursor will jump down to the
next data entry field.
Esc The escape key: This will exit the mode of the program
without doing any updates to the database.
Page 14
EXAMPLE MENU SETUPS
1. Run from Drive A: Menu on Disk 1, program on Disk 1
Menu Description: [Lotus ]
Command Line: [123 ]
2. Menu on Drive A, program on drive B
Menu Description: [Lotus ]
Command Line: [ECHO Load lotus disk in drive B~PAUSE~B:~123 ]
3. Menu on Drive A, program on hard disk C
Menu Description: [Lotus ]
Command Line: [C:~CD \LOTUS~123 ]
4. Run from Drive A: Menu on Disk 1, program on Disk 2
(This is not a usual setup; see #7 for a better alternative).
Menu Description: [Lotus ]
Command Line: [123A ]
Bat File1: ECHO Load lotus disk in drive A
PAUSE
A:
123
Bat File2: ECHO Load menu disk in drive A
PAUSE
A:
(the menu program does not have to be run again)
5. DOS Command: Display a directory
Menu Description: [Show Directory of Drive A ]
Command Line: [DIR A:~PAUSE ]
6. Exit to DOS temporarily, then return to menu
Menu Description: [Exit to DOS, then Return ]
Command Line: [ECHO Type EXIT to return to menu~COMMAND ]
Page 15
7. Menu program on disk A, config file on drive B
(To start this, begin menu by: CUSTMENU B:)
Menu Description: [Lotus ]
Command Line: [123 ]
8. Print an ASCII file
Menu Description: [Print an ASCII file ]
Command Line: [RPRINT ]
or
Command Line: [PASSF File name to print,TEMP~PRINT TEMP~DEL TEMP ]
Note: RPRINT and PASSF are special utilities included with the
CUSTMENU system.
9. Copy files
Menu Description: [Copy files ]
Command Line: [RCOPY ]
or
Use the "Exit to DOS" approach
Note: RCOPY is a special utility included with the CUSTMENU system.
10. CUSTMENU calling another CUSTMENU
This will allow more than 20 menu selections. Add a selection
on the main menu that calls another menu.
Menu Description: [DOS commands menu ]
Command Line: [CUSTMENU CUSTMENU.CF2 ]
The configuration file CUSTMENU.CF2 assumes that you have created
another configuration file.
Page 16
USEFUL DOS COMMANDS
The following are a list of standard DOS commands which are
useful in setting up some menus. A full explanation of these
commands are in the DOS system manual.
CHDIR - Change the current directory to the one specified by
this command.
CD - Same as CHDIR.
CHKDSK - Checks a disk's file system index. Good to have in the
autoexec.bat.
ECHO - Display a message on the screen.
MORE - Allows the viewing of ASCII files, one page at a time.
PAUSE - Display "Hit a key to continue..." and wait for a key
to be pressed.
REM - Allows comments in a BAT file.
Page 17
Technical Information:
Equipment needed: IBM-PC (128K)
Floppy, cartridge or hard disk
Color or Monochrome monitor
Operating System: DOS 2.0 or higher
System files
CUSTMENU.EXE - The main menu program w/maintenance module
CUSTMENU.CFG - The menu configuration file
CUSTMENU.HLP - Help screens for maintenance program
FILE1227.TXT
Disk No: 1227
Disk Title: Rokmar Assets Inventory
PC-SIG Version: S2.0
Program Title: Assets Inventory System
Author Version: 2.0
Author Registration: $15.00 for version with updates.
ROKMAR HOME/OFFICE ASSETS INVENTORY SYSTEM is an inventory log program
that enables you to keep track of your home or office assets.
In case of fire, theft, etc., your insurance company will want an
itemized list of each piece of merchandise, the model numbers, the
serial numbers, the location the article was kept, the purchase/
replacement cost, etc. This information can be difficult to piece
together with any amount of accuracy after the disaster strikes.
The INVENTORY SYSTEM keeps track of all you own, allows for easy
updating on a regular basis, and provides a detailed inventory report of
assets sorted by type, location or user defined index. It is also able
to generate customized files for importing to spreadsheets or financial
analysis programs.
You may be amazed to find out how much money you have tied up in
household/office assets, in what areas this money is concentrated, and
in what type of merchandise! This information is useful for capital
budgeting, tax planning, developing reasonable precautions against
losses due to theft and fire, and, of course, documentation for
insurance claims.
The INVENTORY SYSTEM also provides helpful guidance on how to take
inventory, such as hints concerning often overlooked items: expensive
clothing articles, landscaping purchases, books, telephones, computer
software, lighting fixtures, custom curtains, hot water heater, kitchen
appliances and utensils, tap water filters, children's articles, outside
articles, items loaned to someone else, important papers, etc.
PC-SIG
1030D East Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale Ca. 94086
(408) 730-9291
(c) Copyright 1989 PC-SIG, Inc.
GO.TXT
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ <<< Disk #1227 >>> ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ To start program type: ASSETS ║
║ ║
║ ║
║ Type "README" for information ║
║ ║
║ ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
(c) Copyright 1990, PC-SIG Inc.
~
LICENSE.DOC
LICENSE AGREEMENT
(C) Copyright 1988, ROKMAR Computer Systems
All rights reserved.
ROKMAR Computer Systems grants the user the right to reproduce,
distribute and use copies of ROKMAR Household/Office Inventory
System, Version 2.0 programs and documentation providing that no
payment or commercial benefit, other than a reasonable
distribution fee, be charged without written permission from
ROKMAR Computer Systems, and that no modifications be made to
programs or documentation.
ROKMAR products are being constantly updated and enhanced.
Payment of $15 entitles the user for an updated version of the
system as it becomes available, and notices of enhancements. Your
support enables this "shareware" distribution system to continue,
allowing you to test the usefulness of a system on your hardware
before you purchase it. Your payment would be greatly
appreciated.
Send payment to:
Robert O. Keith Jr.
2089 East Kern
Tulare, Ca. 93274
DISCLAIMER
RokMar Computer Systems or any of its management will not be
liable for any damages or claims related in any way to the
use of this product and disclaims all warranties or
implied warranties by the distributor.
REGISTRATION FORM
To obtain the latest release of this product, please fill out the
form below.
Date: _____________
Name: _____________________________________
Company: ________________________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Quantity Description Cost Total
________ ROKMAR Floppy Disk Menu System $6.95 _________
________ ROKMAR HouseHold/Office Inventory $15.00 _________
________ ROKMAR Records Management System $30.00 _________
Shipping cost if overseas add $2.00 _________
If diskette format is 3.5, add $2.00 per _________
Indicate format 5.25[ ] or 3.5 [ ]
TOTAL: =========
COMMENTS
Your comments and suggestions about this product are greatly
appreciated. Please comment on shortcomings or suggestions on how
this product could possibly better suit your needs.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
PSWAP.DOC
ROKMAR Utilities
Copyright (c) 1989
PSWAP
PSWAP - There are no input parms.
This utility swaps the printer ports LPT1 <--> LPT2. Once
swapped, they will stay swapped until swapped back, or the
computer is rebooted.
The use of this is to easily swap between two printers
without having to reconfigure software, hardware, etc. This is
especially useful inside batch files or menu systems.
SAMPRPT1.BAS
10 ' ************************************************************************
20 ' ***** Example report: Simple list report sorted by model number. *****
30 ' ************************************************************************
40 ' ****** extract record description
50 OPEN "R",#1,"tempsort.dat",241
60 FIELD #1, 5 AS ASSETKEY$,25 AS DESC$,8 AS TYPE$,8 AS LOCATION$,8 AS USERDEF$, 8 AS DATEPUR$, 11 AS PURCOST$,25 AS PURFROM$,11 AS APPRAISAL$,10 AS MODELNO$, 20 AS SERIAL$,50 AS COMMENT1$, 50 AS COMMENT2$, 1 AS CR$
70 '
80 LINESPERPAGE = 55
90 PAGECOUNT = 0
100 LINECOUNT = 0
110 TOTAL = 0
120 GOSUB 320 ' Print the column headers
130 '
140 IF EOF(1) THEN 250
150 GET #1 ' read the next record
160 '
170 IF VAL(PURCOST$) < 100 THEN GOTO 140
180 '
190 ' ******* record selection
200 IF LINECOUNT >= LINESPERPAGE THEN GOSUB 320
210 TOTAL = TOTAL + VAL(PURCOST$)
220 LPRINT ASSETKEY$;" ";TYPE$;" ";DATEPUR$;" ";MODELNO$;" ";SERIAL$;" "; PURCOST$
230 LINECOUNT = LINECOUNT + 1
240 GOTO 140
250 '
260 ' ******** exit section
270 LPRINT " Total: ";
280 LPRINT TOTAL
290 CLOSE #1
295 SYSTEM
300 END
310 '
320 ' ************************************************************************
330 ' ***** Print heading routine. *****
340 ' ************************************************************************
350 PAGECOUNT = PAGECOUNT + 1
360 LINECOUNT = 5
370 LPRINT CHR$(12) ' print a form feed character
380 LPRINT DATE$;" ********* ROKMAR example report *********";
390 LPRINT " page: ";PAGECOUNT
400 LPRINT " List of items over $100.00"
410 LPRINT
420 LPRINT "Key Type Date Purch Model# Serial# Purch Cost"
430 RETURN
TECHMAN.DOC
ROKMAR ASSETS INVENTORY SYSTEM
Version 2.0
Technical Reference Manual
ROKMAR Computer Systems
Copyright (c) 1990
ROKMAR ASSETS INVENTORY SYSTEM
INDEX
Introduction ................ 1
Copyright Notice ............ 3
ASREPORT .................... 4
BASIC Reporting ............. 6
Data Dictionary ............. 8
Custom Help Windows ......... 9
Custom Report Menu .......... 10
Page 1
INTRODUCTION
This document describes the internal workings of the ROKMAR
Assets Inventory System and methods to customize the report
outputs.
The most user requested feature of any application is the ability
to create custom reports. Reports are one of the most important
and useful outputs from an application, and certainly one of the
most visible. The usefulness of the report can be degraded when
the report heading and field names are described in a generic
fashion using terms not used by the company. Most users want to
customize their reports and create business specific versions
that are immediately recognizable. This document will tell you
how to do just that.
This application is built over a relational database model. This
means that fields in files can be linked to fields in other
files. The fact that this system sits on a database allows us to
be able to extract data by field name without having to know
where that data is. A quick example would be to try this program:
Type: ASREPORT ASSETS ASSET_KEY DESC
The screen will display the data fields from the records from the
file ASSETS sorted by ASSET_KEY. We have written our first
report; see how simple this can be. This program and a list of
all the data fields are described later.
Page 2
INTRODUCTION (cont.)
There are two custom reporting methods available with this
system: the method described above using program ASREPORT, which
is a simple data lister; and a second method which allows
complete format control of the data. Any extraction and
formatting scheme is possible from printing small gum labels to
printing large 162 character wide reports to any printer type.
Method two requires some programming expertise or the desire to
fiddle around with some code. Since these reports are read only
from extracts, no harm to the database is possible, so you can
not hurt anything by tinkering.
Page 3
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
This software product is the copyrighted property of ROKMAR
Computer Systems, and the usual shareware limited agreement
applies:
1. No fee may be charged for the retail sale of this product
other than a reasonable copy and distribution charge.
2. This product may only be distributed in its original and
complete form, including documentation and copyright notice.
3. This product may not be distributed, whole or in any part as
a section or part of any commercial product without written
permission of ROKMAR COMPUTER SYSTEMS.
DISCLAIMER
ROKMAR Computer Systems, its owners, management, or associates
will not be liable for any damages or claims related in any way
to the use of this product and disclaims all warranties or
implied warranties by the distributor.
Page 4
ASREPORT PROGRAM
This program us useful for quick report lists to the screen, to a
printer or to an ASCII file that can be imported to any
spreadsheet or wordprocessor to create business statements.
This program is not incorporated into the application in general,
but runs under DOS. This program can be included into the custom
menu which is a part of the ASSETS custom report system in
general. The name of the program is ASREPORT.EXE.
The following descriptions will use the C> prompt. Don't be
confused if you are using a different disk drive and see
something else.
For a demonstration, type:
C>ASREPORT ASSETS
The entire list of records will scroll across your screen.
This is interesting if used as a browse of the data. Now try:
C>ASREPORT ASSETS ASSET_KEY DESC
Notice that only the data fields you selected, and in the order
you selected appear. Interesting? The format of this command is:
C>ASREPORT filename [file-element1 file-element2 ...]
The filename in this case is ASSETS.
The file elements are those listed in a later chapter and must be
spelled exactly. If the file elements are not used, all elements
will be extracted. If listed on the screen, the right most
elements will be truncated. Now lets print something:
C>ASREPORT ASSETS ASSET_TYPE DESC USER_DEF > PRN
Another way to do this would be:
C>ASREPORT ASSETS ASSET_TYPE DESC USER_DEF > myfile
C>COPY MYFILE PRN
The first method extracts the data and redirects the I/O to
the printing device. The second method extracts the data and
redirects the I/O into a file of your own choosing, then prints
the file.
Page 5
ASREPORT PROGRAM (cont.)
Why extract the data into another file?
This is one of the nicer features of this program. This file can
be imported into any spreadsheet, (Lotus 123, etc.), database, or
word processing program. The data may be used by the spreadsheet
program to be reformatted, sorted in other ways, or used for more
elaborate uses. A program may use this data to upload into other
databases or report the data in other formats. The data may be
included into a word processor for use inside a business report,
or for any other special purpose.
Page 6
BASIC REPORTING
This section describes a more elaborate reporting system. This
system is more complicated, but is without limitations in its
usage for reporting, extracting, etc.
This section is called BASIC reporting because it actually uses
the BASIC language distributed with every MS-DOS/PC-DOS operating
system. BASIC has all the power of any report writer program and
more. It is virtually as simple to use, but is not limited in
power as most every report writer programs available.
Report writing is typically composed of three parts:
1. Extraction: The data is read from the data files and written
to an ASCII file.
Extraction is done in ASSETS by a program similar to ASREPORT,
called EXTRACT. This program is used from DOS in the same way:
C>EXTRACT filename [file-element1 file-element2 ...]
2. Sorting: The ASCII file is then sorted in the order the
output is desired.
Sorting is then done by a sort program. DOS supplies a sort
program called SORT. The only problem with this program is that
it will only work with files small enough to fit into memory.
Sorting can be done with any sorting program available from
numerous sources. If your database is not too large, the DOS sort
will work fine. A typical example would be:
C>SORT <infile >outfile
Notice that in this case the sorting routine sorts the data in
the order that the elements are in the record. This means that
when extracting the data, you should list the elements to extract
by the extract program in the order you wish to sort by.
3. Output Formatting: The sorted ASCII file is then read and
written to the printer in some defined format. This can be done
with any language, but examples are supplies using BASIC.
The program should:
- Read in each record of data from the ASCII file.
- Either select or reject this record.
- Format the output report line with the data and write this line.
Any of the programs ending in .BAS are examples of report
programs.
Page 7
BASIC REPORTING (cont.)
Finally, all three of these steps should be placed into a .BAT
file as a packaged report program. This will require the use of a
text editor such as the DOS EDLIN program, or a word processor
which creates ASCII output files.
This .BAT file can then be run from the DOS prompt or placed
inside the custom reporting menu supplied with ASSETS.
Following is an example, the file name is SAMPRPT1.BAT:
REM ******************************************************
REM **** SAMPLE REPORT 1, SIMPLE LIST BY KEY *****
REM ******************************************************
ECHO OFF
EXTRACT ASSETS > TEMP.DAT
SORT <TEMP.DAT >TEMPSORT.DAT
GWBASIC SAMPRPT1
DEL TEMP.DAT
DEL TEMPSORT.DAT
Notice the three main parts of a report program: extraction,
sorting then formatting done here with GWBASIC. The BASIC program
used here is SAMPRPT1.BAS.
An example type of custom report might be:
The user defined field 1 has been defined by your company to be
the department responsible for the record. You will want a report
which lists all records by department, then by client, then by
record number.
EXTRACT ASSETS USER_DEF ASSET_KEY DESC
APPRAISAL DATE_PURCHASED > rptfile.tmp
SORT <rptfile.tmp >sortfile.tmp
GWBASIC MYRPT.BAS
DEL rptfile.tmp
DEL sortfile.tmp
The BASIC program could put your company's name on the heading
and describe the report as you use it. The field USER_DEF could
be called DEPARTMENT CODE (or whatever you wish).
You can even select only specific departments to print; in fact,
any selection criteria you wish is possible. There are no limits
at all imposed on a creative user.
Page 8
DATA DICTIONARY
The two data files are described here. For an in-depth
textual description of each field, refer to the help windows.
File ASSETS
Field Description Size Cobol Pic
----------------- --------------------------- ------ ---------
ASSET_KEY A unique key 5 X(5)
DESC The Description of the 25 X(25)
article of value.
TYPE The Type code. A category 8 X(8)
for the article, ie., tools,
equipment, etc.
LOCATION_STORED The Location Code where the 8 X(85)
article is stored, ie.,
garage, off-site, xa-01-01,
etc.
USER_DEFINED A User-Defined code for any 8 X(8)
special purpose requirement,
ie., persons name, sub-
breakdowns of Type or
Location, anything you wish.
DATE_PURCHASED The date the article was 6 X(6)
purchased. (MMDDYY)
PURCHASE_COST The purchase cost or value 7 9(5)v99
of the article. (characters)
PURCHASED_FROM Description of where the 25 X(25)
article was purchased from.
APPRAISAL The appraisal value, if 9 9(5)V99
applicable.
MODEL_NUMBER The article model number. 10 X(10)
SERIAL_NUMBER The article serial number. 20 X(20)
COMMENT1 First line of Comments. 50 X(50)
COMMENT2 Second line of Comments. 50 X(50)
Page 9
CUSTOM HELP WINDOWS
Be sure to make a copy of the original help file before altering
this file!
The help windows are also user customizable with any text editor.
Caution must be exercised here in that the windows follow a
special format. The format is :
<field > Must be 8 characters
Text
<next >
The last help window should be terminated with an <end>.
Refer to the current help window file distributed with the
system. This file is ASSETS.HLP.
The window automatically adjusts itself to the size of the text
created by the user. This does not mean that the text can be of
any size; any sentences going past the edge of the screen will be
truncated. This will not hurt anything, so if it happens, just
return and shorten the sentences of the help text.
Customizing this file can be helpful when a company is making
special uses of the fields provided. One example might be if the
user defined field #1 is used for a persons name. The help window
might become:
<user-def>
The enter the person's name that is
responsible for this record.
Be sure to left justify this field and
always type with caps on.
Page 10
CUSTOM REPORT MENU
Provided with the ROKMAR Records Management System is a menu
system to run any custom reports without leaving the ASSETS
system. This menu system is documented in a separate document:
CUSTMENU.DOC.
This menu system can be replaced by any other menu system the
user might feel more comfortable with. When the user selects the
custom reports menu from the main ASSETS pull-down menu, the
ASSETS system simply executes an external DOS command. The
command that ASSETS performs is "CUSTMENU". Since the menu system
supplied with this system is CUSTMENU.EXE, this program is run.
The command that ASSETS does is equivalent to doing:
C>CUSTMENU
This means that any program or .BAT file called CUSTMENU could be
run instead. To install another menu system, create a .BAT file
called CUSTMENU.BAT which runs your favorite menu program and
remove the CUSTMENU.EXE program from the directory. Then load all
your report programs that you have into your menu. Commands that
you might also place here are programs to backup your data, etc.
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #1227
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
README 1ST 837 4-03-89 6:38p
ASSETS EXE 95427 2-09-90 11:24p
ASSETS DOC 25942 2-07-90 3:08a
ASSETS HLP 2011 9-25-89 3:48p
ASSETS DAT 1732 5-06-89 5:08p
ASSETS X01 1024 5-06-89 5:08p
ASSETS X02 1024 5-06-89 5:08p
ASSETS X03 1024 5-06-89 5:08p
ASSETS X04 1024 5-06-89 5:08p
ASINDEX EXE 24348 2-04-90 11:33a
ASREPORT EXE 25674 2-07-90 3:16a
PSWAP EXE 5582 5-15-89 10:18p
PSWAP DOC 646 5-16-89 7:28p
TECHMAN DOC 17976 2-07-90 3:00a
LICENSE DOC 3940 4-03-89 6:42p
CUSTMENU EXE 25460 2-03-90 4:52a
CUSTMENU HLP 719 5-03-89 9:51p
CUSTMENU DOC 26549 2-03-90 5:43a
CUSTMENU CFG 1505 5-06-89 5:03p
EXTRACT EXE 23156 2-04-90 11:54a
SAMPRPT1 BAS 1795 2-04-90 12:04p
SAMPRPT1 BAT 106 2-04-90 11:59a
CONFIG SYS 31 5-20-89 6:16a
GO BAT 17 7-09-90 5:52a
GO TXT 852 7-09-90 5:52a
FILE1227 TXT 3109 7-09-90 5:51p
26 file(s) 291510 bytes
20480 bytes free