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Information about “HOME BUDGET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM”
Financial record-keeping, a desirable and enlightening habit to get
into, is usually a dreaded task and a prime target for procrastination.
HBMS was created to make it as painless as possible.
HBMS is a double-entry ledger system that helps you set up a chart of
accounts (such as rent, medical costs, clients, professional services,
bank interest, office expenses, etc.) into which you post (record) all
your expenses, income, assets and liabilities. At any time,
particularly when figuring taxes, you can see your complete financial
position, readily viewed on screen or printed in a variety of useful
reports.
Daily financial transactions can be posted to as many as 254 accounts to
generate monthly and yearly reports showing totals broken down by those
categories. For instance, how much you spent on auto repair. You pick
the codes (of one to four letters) for the various accounts, so it is
relatively easy to remember them when posting entries without having to
look up numbers, as is required by some ledger systems.
HBMS provides a budgeting function, easy editing for incorrect entries,
checkbook balancing, and check printing. It can handle 12 separate
checking accounts and up to 1140 transactions per month.
FILE1302.TXT
Disk No: 1302
Disk Title: Home Budget Management System
PC-SIG Version: S2.2
Program Title: Home Budget Management System
Author Version: 4.11
Author Registration: $30.00
Special Requirements: Printer.
Financial record-keeping, a desirable and enlightening habit to get
into, is usually a dreaded task and a prime target for procrastination.
HBMS was created to make it as painless as possible.
HBMS is a double-entry ledger system that helps you set up a chart of
accounts (such as rent, medical costs, clients, professional services,
bank interest, office expenses, etc.) into which you post (record) all
your expenses, income, assets and liabilities. At any time,
particularly when figuring taxes, you can see your complete financial
position, readily viewed on screen or printed in a variety of useful
reports.
Daily financial transactions can be posted to as many as 254 accounts to
generate monthly and yearly reports showing totals broken down by those
categories. For instance, how much you spent on auto repair. You pick
the codes (of one to four letters) for the various accounts, so it is
relatively easy to remember them when posting entries without having to
look up numbers, or such, as is required by some ledger systems.
HBMS provides a budgeting function, an audit trail (if a change is made
to a past entry, it shows), and checkbook balancing. It can handle 12
separate checking accounts and up to 1140 transactions per month.
PC-SIG
1030D East Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale Ca. 94086
(408) 730-9291
(c) Copyright 1989 PC-SIG, Inc.
GO.TXT
╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ <<<< PC-SIG Disk #1302 HOME BUDGET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM >>>> ║
╠═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ For instructions, type: README (press ENTER) ║
║ ║
║ To print a copy of a test drive of the program, type: ║
║ COPY TESTDRIV.DOC PRN (press ENTER) ║
║ ║
║ To print a copy of the order form, type: COPY ORDER.FRM PRN (Enter) ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
(c) Copyright 1990, PC-SIG Inc.
HBMS.DOC
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** the **
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** H O M E B U D G E T M A N A G E M E N T S Y S T E M **
** **
** Version 4.11 December 1989 **
** **
** **
** Copyright (C) 1988,1989 Brentson L. Worrell **
********************************************************************
********************************************************************
The fastest, easiest, and most flexible system to record
and report on most all of your financial transactions.
Brentson L. Worrell
6404 Mornay Dr.
Tampa, FL 33615
(813) 886-2282
Table of Contents page
___________________________________________________
ABOUT SHAREWARE ......................... 1
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS and LIMITATIONS ..... 2
WHAT IS HBMS and WHAT WILL IT DO? ....... 3
Sample Data .......................... 3
HOW DO I GET STARTED and USE HBMS? ...... 4
CONCEPTS ................................ 6
CONVENTIONS (usage) ..................... 8
MAIN MENU: (detailed descriptions)
*-----------------------------------------------*
| |
| INITIALIZING NEW YEAR ................ 12 |
| Begin New Year .................... 12 |
| Initial Balances .................. 12 |
| |
| SETUP UTILITIES ...................... 13 |
| Printer Setup .................... 13 |
| Adding Color ..................... 15 |
| Sound effects .................... 15 |
| |
| ACCOUNT MAINTENANCE .................. 16 |
| |
| BUDGET ASSIGNMENT .................... 18 |
| |
| LEDGER POSTING ....................... 19 |
| Action Prompt ..................... 21 |
| VIEW Ledger ....................... 21 |
| EDIT Mode ......................... 21 |
| TEMPLATES ......................... 22 |
| Printing Checks ................... 23 |
| Tips & Shortcuts .................. 24 |
| |
| RECONCILE STATEMENTS ................. 25 |
| |
| REPORTS (screen) ..................... 26 |
| |
| PRINTED REPORTS ...................... 27 |
| |
| FILE EXPORT .......................... 28 |
| |
| CLOSE/OPEN MONTH ..................... 29 |
| |
| CHANGE YEAR/PATH ..................... 29 |
| |
*-----------------------------------------------*
FOR USERS of OLDER VERSIONS(before 3.0) ... 30
ABOUT SHAREWARE
--------------------
HBMS is being distributed under the ShareWare concept. This does
not mean it is a free program. While you may give the program to
others and try it out for free, you are expected to pay a $30.00
registration fee if you continue to use it. Registration not only
includes support and keeps you abreast of updates, but encourages
authors to create and maintain quality software. If you obtained
HBMS from a ShareWare distributor that typically sells disks for $6
or less, rest assured than none of that money comes to me.
HBMS is constantly being improved. There are several ways you can
obtain a copy of the latest version of HBMS.
1. I will provide a disk and mailer for a media/handling fee of $5
for either 5-1/4 inch, or 3-1/2 inch disk. PLEASE SPECIFY (This
service is not to be considered as part of the registration fee.)
2. Send me your blank floppy in a mailer that can be re-used.
(PLEASE INCLUDE RETURN POSTAGE)
3. Download HBMS directly from my computer. Since I don't run a
bulletin board, you will have to call ahead by voice first so I
can set up my communications program on this end.
*********************************************************************
* There is an order form in a file named ORDER.FRM, included in the *
* HBMS package. Just copy it to your printer. ALWAYS MENTION WHAT *
* VERSION OF HBMS YOU ARE USING IN CORRESPONDENCE. *
*********************************************************************
Registered users will be notified of major updates or important
events. I feel that I can provide the best support for HBMS by
telephone and mail. Although the latest version of HBMS is always
kept on Compuserve and the GEnie network, please don't try to contact
me via these services.
Please share HBMS with others. You may give it away for free, as
long as you make sure that the package is complete and includes the
files listed on the following page.
All comments and suggestions are welcome.
WARRANTY
The Home Budget Management System (HBMS), is supplied AS IS.
There is no warranty of any kind, expressed or implied. I shall not
be held liable for any damages, whether direct or indirect, from a
failure of this program to operate in the manner desired by the user.
Brentson L. Worrell
6404 Mornay Dr.
Tampa, FL 33615
(813) 886-2282
- 1 -
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
IBM PC, or compatible
DOS 2.0 or later
320K RAM (program uses approx. 221K)
1 disk drive
Printer recommended, but full screen reports available
Printer should be capable of printing 132 columns,
such as a dot matrix printer using a condensed font
(approx. 17 characters per inch).
LIMITATIONS
38 categories
254 accounts (38 per category)
12 reconcilable accounts (checking)
1148 ledger transactions per month.
This program is sometimes distributed in an "ARC" or "ZIP" file
format named HBMS411.ARC or HBMS411.ZIP.
The following files make up the HBMS package:
-----------------------------------------------------------
README.BAT batch file to display introductory text
ORDER.FRM order form for registration and latest version
WHATSNEW.DOC new features in version 4.11 and others
TESTDRIV.DOC text file with demonstration instructions
HBMS.DOC main documentation
PRCHECK.DOC documentation file on how to create PRCHECK.HBM.
(needed to print checks)
HBMS.EXE main program
HBMS.OVR overlay for main program
CATS.84 sample data file
ACCOUNTS.84 sample data file
LEDGR-4.84 sample data file
-------------------------------------------------------------
HCONVERT.EXE conversion program for data created from
versions before 3.0. (available from author
and supplied to registered users only)
- 2 -
WHAT IS HBMS and WHAT WILL IT DO?
-------------------------------------
HBMS is a means to record your daily transactions and create
reports. Have you ever wondered: "Where did all the money go?". If
you kept track of your finances you would know where it went, and how
to handle it better in the future. Financial record keeping is a
desirable and enlightening habit to get into, but it's usually a
dreaded task and a prime target for procrastination. HBMS is
designed to help make it as painless as possible.
HBMS is fast, easy, and flexible. You may want to use it as a
reference on your entire financial position, or just use it as a
check register. It's easy to keep accurate and complete records of
all your financial transactions. Faithful record keeping and a
carefully designed Chart of Accounts will reward you with a variety
of useful and informative reports, either on screen or printed in
formatted statements. These reports can help you decide how to
better manage your money and the figures will be very welcome when
tax time arrives!
Along the way, while you are creating this "history" of your
finances, HBMS allows you to compare budget goals, and reconcile your
checkbook or credit card purchases. The ability to print checks was
introduced in version 4.0. HBMS will not draw charts or create other
graphics, but it does include an export feature to allow other
programs to use the data HBMS has recorded.
HBMS uses a double entry ledger system. This concept is
explained later, and it's easier than it sounds. IF YOU ARE NOT
CLEAR ON ANY CONCEPT, SEE HOW IT'S HANDLED IN THE SAMPLE DATA.
SAMPLE DATA
---------------
Supplied with HBMS you should find three sample data files
consisting of CATS.84, ACCOUNTS.84, and LEDGR-4.84. The "84"
extension refers to the year. I recommend that you first read the
rest of this document and then experiment with this data.
By running HBMS with this sample data you can easily see what the
program has to offer. You will be able to see the results that can
be achieved before you begin your own budget and have to wait for the
data to accumulate. Specify "84" as the year extension to load these
files.
WARNING: The current open month in the sample data is April. In
order to keep the program package size down, the ledger transaction
files for the first three months are missing. Since HBMS will not be
able to find these ledger files, it will refuse to do some functions
associated with these months. However, all the actual values are
stored in the ACCOUNTS.84 file.
NOTE: Before trying to print any of the sample data, go to the
printer setup section (start from the Main Menu). Make a test
printout to see if you need to override the default printer commands
contained in HBMS. Printer setup is described later in this document.
- 3 -
HOW DO I GET STARTED AND USE HBMS?
-----------------------------------------------
This documentation includes sections on CONCEPTS and CONVENTIONS
(usage), that you must know to use HBMS. Following CONCEPTS and
CONVENTIONS, is the detailed information about each selection on the
Main Menu. The Ledger Posting and Account maintenance topics are
especially important.
If you are new to HBMS, I strongly suggest that you read at least
through CONCEPTS and CONVENTIONS even before you attempt to use the
sample data. If you have already taken the "test drive", don't forget
about the sample data. It contains examples that can be very helpful
when questions arise, or you are unsure about how to do something.
NOTE: I have discovered that most of the problems that users have, are
associated with (in order of frequency), failure to read the
documentation, trying to run HBMS via a DOS shell or menu type
program, damaged or incomplete program files, and conflicts with
memory resident programs. Problems with printer setup seems to be the
most frequent trouble spot. I have given extra attention to the
printer setup documentation. Please read it carefully.
When you are ready to start your own budget, you will need only
HBMS.EXE and its overlay HBMS.OVR. Both these files should be on the
same floppy, or in the same directory. It's also very important that
you run HBMS from the directory that you place the main program. It's
ok for your data files to be located elsewhere since you can tell HBMS
where to look via the "data path" mentioned below. Please do not try
to run HBMS from another directory. Some shell or menu type programs
attempt to do this. HBMS expects to find its support files (those
with an extension of ".HBM") in the default directory. Good examples
are the two optional configuration files PRCODES.HBM and COLORS.HBM.
These files are created by HBMS via the setup section. I SUGGEST THAT
YOU ACCESS THE PRINTER SETUP TO SEE IF YOU NEED TO MAKE ANY CHANGES
FOR YOUR PRINTER, BEFORE PRINTING ANY REPORTS.
When you run the program the opening screen will prompt you for
the "year of data to load". Unless your fiscal year is different from
the calendar year, enter the last two digits, such as "89" for 1989.
Next you will be asked for the "data path". This tells HBMS where to
look for your personal data files. If your data files are to be in
the same directory as the program files, you can leave this field
blank. Otherwise you must describe what disk\directory the data files
are in. IF YOU SPECIFY A SUBDIRECTORY, A TRAILING BACKSLASH ("\") IS
REQUIRED.
- 4 -
Creating your own Budget System consists of the following basic steps:
Main Menu Selection
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Run HBMS and "Begin a New Year". (INITIALIZE)
2. Build your "Chart of Accounts". (ACCOUNT MAINTENANCE)
3. Enter any "Initial Balances" for your Assets and Liabilities.
These would be the current balances for your checking, savings,
credit cards, loans, etc. (back to INITIALIZE)
4. Assign any Budget goals you would like to shoot for and compare
later. This is an optional feature. (BUDGET)
5. If you have not done so already, check your printer setup, and
optionally select your screen colors. (SETUP UTILITIES)
6. Record your transactions over the days and months.
(This is the tough part). (LEDGER POSTING)
7. At the end of each month you will "Close the Month" in
preparation for the following month. Transactions can only be
posted in the current open month. (CLOSE/OPEN)
8. REAP THE BENEFITS of your hard work with the screen and printed
reports. If you've done it right, your complete financial
picture will be at your fingertips. (REPORTS)
9. When you reach the end of your fiscal year, use the "Begin New
Year" menu selection to set up for the next year. You can
optionally use the same Chart of Accounts. (INITIALIZE)
- 5 -
BASIC CONCEPTS
------------------
* CHART of ACCOUNTS *
HBMS requires a valid Chart of Accounts before most of its features
will function. A Chart of Accounts is simply an outline of the way
you account for your money. In order to create your own personal
Chart of Accounts you must first decide what types of financial
transactions you want to manage. Usually this will be everything, so
you can gain a true financial picture.
The basic hierarchy of the Chart of Accounts begins with the four
"Money Groups": INCOME, EXPENSES, ASSETS, and LIABILITIES. Each Money
Group is split further into CATEGORIES, and finally into ACCOUNTS.
You build your Chart of Accounts by creating these categories and
accounts to your personal preferences. Also you will assign each one
a CODE name consisting of up to four letters. You will find that
codes are much easier to type and remember than numbers or lengthy
names. Whenever you need to access an account in HBMS, you call it up
by its CODE name. Finally, there are the TRANSACTIONS. These are the
records of purchases, transfers, etc., that you enter into the
program. Remember that all your transactions are entered into
accounts. The categories and Money Groups are there for grouping and
reporting functions only.
After creating your Chart of Accounts it becomes a simple matter
of recording your transactions. This is done in the Ledger Posting
section, which I like to refer as the "heart" of HBMS.
* DOUBLE ENTRY *
HBMS is a "double entry" ledger system. This means that any type of
transaction, such as a purchase, transfer, paycheck, etc. will need a
minimum of two entries to represent it. That sounds like a lot of
work, but HBMS makes it easy! If you stop and think about it, every
financial transaction consists of at least two steps.
Lets take a simple case of writing a check at the drug store to
purchase a prescription. The first part of the double entry, would be
the decrease of the balance in your checking account. The second part
of the double entry would be the increase of whatever account you
would charge the prescription to. If your check covered more than one
purchase, then this transaction would consist of more than the minimum
of two entries. You might for example, have bought a roll of film
also. This would simply be an additional third part of this
transaction. The amount that went toward the film would be charged to
whatever account you use for this type of expense. The amount for
both items will of course total up to the amount of the check.
"Fine" you say, "but how do I represent getting money into my
checking account?" When you first start up your budget system, you
would enter your current checking account balance by way of the
"Initial Balances" section, located under the Initialize System menu.
From that point on, it's just the normal double entry system. A good
example might be a payroll check. The first part of this double entry
would show whatever INCOME account you use for paychecks, increasing.
- 6 -
If you deposited the entire payroll check into your checking account,
the second part of this transaction would show your checking account
balance going up by the same amount. Paychecks of course, are not
usually that simple. They have deductions for taxes, social security,
etc. A more realistic transaction of this nature would show your
INCOME account increasing by the gross amount of the paycheck. Income
tax and social security accounts would increase by their respective
amounts, and the remainder would go into checking, spending cash or
whatever. A transaction like this might consist of several parts.
Credit card purchases are just as easy. To begin with, your
credit card balance would go up. You are increasing a LIABILITY
account. The second part of this transaction would show a change in
whatever account you use for that purchase, by the same amount.
Making a payment toward a LIABILITY is also simple. A good way
to treat this circumstance would be to have separate accounts for the
liability, and the interest incurred from that liability. This would
be a three part transaction. The first part would show the full
amount decreasing the checking balance. The second part would show a
partial amount charged to and increasing an interest EXPENSE account
for this liability. The third part would show the remainder
DECREASING the principal in your liability account.
By now you should understand the concept of "double entry".
Money transfers work just as you would expect; Out of one account
and into the other. Remember that every type of transaction consists
of at least two parts. If you made several cash purchases in the
course of a day, you could combine them under one transaction. The
total amount would come out of your spending cash account and then
being disbursed to the other respective accounts. Save your
receipts, or make a note of them, and you'll find that its easy to
document every financial transaction you make.
- 7 -
HBMS CONVENTIONS
--------------------
Now that you have a feel for the concepts, the following operational
facts are also vital for successful usage of the program.
* SETUP **********
The SETUP section will allow you to test and change the default
commands that HBMS uses to communicate with printers. Make a sample
printout before attempting to print any reports. It also allows you
to add color.
* COMMAND LINE **********
To run the program, simply type "HBMS". There are also two optional
parameters which will allow you to bypass the opening screen. They
are the drive\path specification for your data files, and the last two
digits of the budget year. Use only spaces as separators.
HBMS <drive\path> <year extension>
example -> HBMS
HBMS b:
HBMS b:\data\
HBMS c:\budget\data\ 87
If you are specifying a subdirectory, the ending backslash "\" IS
REQUIRED. You can leave off the year extension unless you want to
load a year other than that of the system date. If so, it must follow
the drive\path specification. You might want to create a batch file
for this purpose. If you include these command line parameters, HBMS
will not prompt you for this data on the opening screen. Make sure
that the system date and time are correct. HBMS uses the system date
as a prompt for the year of data to load. It's also used to date all
printouts.
* FILENAMES **********
HBMS.EXE is the main program file. It creates the following
DATA FILES:
---------------------------------------------------
CATS .yr category names
ACCOUNTS.yr account names and values
LEDGR-m .yr transaction data for each month
TEMPLATE.yr optional file containing often used transactions
DUEDATES.yr companion file to TEMPLATE.yr
(yr = year extension of data, m = month)
You might want to keep these DATA FILES in a separate
subdirectory, or on a separate disk. You should be able to fit an
entire year of data on one disk, or maybe have individual disks for
separate budgets. In any case, when the free space gets low, HBMS
will warn you.
- 8 -
* DATA ENTRY **********
Throughout the program when you are prompted to enter data, you will
see a field in reverse video. Your data, be it a code, name,
description, etc., will be limited to the length of this field. In
some cases you will be supplied with a default answer. If it's not
what you want, just start typing. Unless you use an editing key, the
first keystroke will erase whatever was there.
The editing keys available are listed below and work just as you would
expect:
<INSERT> <DELETE>
<RIGHT ARROW> <LEFT ARROW>
<HOME> <END>
<BACKSPACE> <TABS>
<ESC>
The <ESC> key needs further mention. It can serve a dual purpose.
If an entry field contains data, hitting the ESC key will erase it and
leave you with a "null" (empty) field. If the entry field is empty
(or zero in the case of a number), the ESC key will act just as if you
had hit the ENTER key to accept the null value. You will often see a
help prompt on line 25 that will say "<ESC> to quit". In most cases,
what this really means is that HBMS will respond to a null value by
canceling the current mode and returning you to a menu. The ESC key
is usually all you need to "back up" out of anything.
Beginning with version 4.1, numerical entries are treated
differently. They now resemble a "calculator" style of input. Number
entries can be cleared by either the Backspace key, the ESC key, or by
the first digit typed.
The <F1> key has multiple uses. In most parts of the program you
will need to supply a code for the account you are interested in. If
you can't remember the code you assigned to it, hit the F1 key and you
will be able to browse through your Chart of Accounts on screen. When
you first access this CODE-HELP feature, you will see the four Money
Groups along the top of screen. The highlighted one will have its
associated Categories displayed. The Left/Right arrows select
different Money Groups, and the Up/Down arrows move between different
Categories. If you summoned help from a Category field, striking
ENTER will insert the highlighted code into your entry field for you.
If you were in an Account code field, the ENTER key will display the
Accounts for that Category. From that point you can move the cursor
to the account you want, hit ENTER and it will be inserted. The
ESCape key will back up one level at a time and will not insert any
data.
The F1 key has other uses in the Ledger Posting and Setup
sections. It's function there is explained later.
<KEYPAD> will be seen in some parts of the program on the prompt
line. It refers to the Up, Down, PgUp, PgDn, Home, and End keys.
They work exactly as you would expect. Use them to "navigate"
through the data. The control keys work in addition to these keypad
keys for you "WordStar" fans.
The <+> and <-> keys are used to step months forward and backward.
- 9 -
* FISCAL YEAR *********
Usually, the file extension of all the above mentioned data files
will be the last two digits of the year. Beginning with version 4.0,
HBMS can have a fiscal year different from the calendar year. If
this is the case, the file extension of the ACCOUNTS and CATS files
will be different. This extension uses the last two digits of the
first year, appended with the last digit of the second year. For
example, the Accounts file for the 88/89 budget year would be
"ACCOUNTS.889".
* CHART of ACCOUNTS REQUIREMENT **********
HBMS will refuse to do most of the functions on the main menu until
the following requirements are met. You must have assigned AT LEAST
ONE CATEGORY FOR EACH OF THE FOUR MONEY GROUPS, and there must be AT
LEAST ONE ACCOUNT FOR EACH CATEGORY. If you get a warning and can't
remember what accounts and categories you have assigned, go to the
printed reports section and print out the "Raw" account data. It
will show you what has been assigned and how it has been arranged.
* CODE SELECTION **********
Sometimes you will be provided with a starting code. After that,
your prompt will be the next code in order of their appearance in the
Chart of Accounts.
* INFORMATION CHARACTERS **********
The ">" sign shows up in many of the reports, both on screen and in
print. Depending on where you see it, it could mean that the check
has been cleared or that the account is flagged for reconciliation.
The "*" sign also shows up on screen and in print, and means that the
specified budget has been exceeded.
* RECORD NUMBERS ************
Transaction record numbers are displayed on the Ledger Posting screen
and in various reports. While they are necessary for HBMS, they can
also be helpful if you are trying to reference a particular entry. If
you spotted a transaction in a Sorted report that you wanted to look
at (or possibly edit), use the record number to help you locate it in
the VIEW mode of the Ledger Posting section.
* SAVING DATA **********
In an effort to speed up the program, HBMS keeps all account values
for the whole year and all transactions for the month you are working
with, in memory. HBMS is now much more careful with your data. If
needed, it will save all data when leaving any of the sections listed
on the Main Menu. However, you can still force a save from the
"Action Prompt" in the Ledger Posting section. If you are entering a
lot of transactions, it's probably a good idea to save data
occasionally to prevent possible loss. A power outage or (should I
dare mention) a program crash could negate any data that was entered
since the last save.
- 10 -
* I/O ERROR TRAPPING **********
HBMS will sense Input/Output problems such as a paper out condition,
printer offline, full disk, drive door open, etc. However, some
computers seem to take forever before they time out and signal an
error condition. If things seem to stop for no reason, please wait
at least a minute before you give up or try to reset the computer.
When HBMS saves data it rewrites the respective data file completely.
It does not do any appends. If a problem is encountered, HBMS will
display a warning message and give you a chance to correct the
situation. If it's a full disk, you can substitute another disk with
more room as an emergency measure. If you have to resort to this, I
suggest that you immediately quit the program and inspect your data
disks. If there are any duplicate files, make sure that you retain
only the ones with the latest date and time stamp. There is a notice
in the Close/Open Month explanation about what to do if things go
wrong.
PLEASE keep backup copies of your data. HBMS is as reliable as I
could make it, but backups are good insurance.
- 11 -
INITIALIZE SYSTEM
----------------------
* BEGIN NEW YEAR *
When starting a budget system for the first time, or at any time when
HBMS cannot find a valid ACCOUNTS file, you will be given the option
to go directly to the Begin New Year section. Any other time this is
just a normal selection from the Initialize System menu. At this
point you will be asked for year of data, first fiscal month, and
beginning month information.
With version 4.0, I added the ability to have a "fiscal year"
different from the calendar year. Please be careful with this and
don't get the first fiscal month and beginning month confused. Unless
you are starting a budget system in the middle of your fiscal year,
the beginning month of data will be the same as the first fiscal
month.
If you already have an existing budget system and need to start a
new year, you will probably want to reuse your existing Chart of
Accounts. If this is the case, HBMS will allow you to do so, and will
optionally transfer Asset and Liability balances, as well as Budget
data. In order to take advantage of this, make sure you have a COPY of
your current data files (ACCOUNTS.yr & CATS.yr) on your NEW data disk.
Start HBMS with your existing year data files just as you normally
would. Go to the Initialize System menu and select Begin New Year.
After the new year has been initialized you can delete the old copies
of data. NOTE that if you pass any balances forward, they will come
from the current open month in the old budget.
* INITIAL BALANCES *
This section allows you to enter the current balances of assets and
liabilities when you first start your budget system. After you are up
and running you should have no need to enter initial balances again.
If you add an asset or liability account in a later month, its
beginning balance will be initialized through normal transactions.
- 12 -
SETUP UTILITIES
---------------------
This section is designed to create configuration files which will
override the defaults in HBMS for color and printer support. Be aware
that on startup, HBMS will look for these configuration files only in
the default drive or directory. If found they will be loaded and
replace the normal default values. This means that you should make
sure that these files (if needed) are in the same drive\directory that
you run HBMS from.
PRINTER SETUP
-------------
HBMS is designed to make full use of the various options available
on most dot-matrix printers. For example, printed reports use
enlarged text in the titles. Double-strike, underline, and italics
are also used. These features enhance the readability of reports,
but are not absolutely necessary. HBMS can work without most of them,
as explained later.
Most printers use a system of control codes and ESCape sequences
to turn on and off the different fonts, enhancements, etc. HBMS comes
with default printer commands which work with most Epson compatible
printers, but you can edit these commands if they fail to work with
your brand of printer. The first thing you should do when you reach
this section is to use the F1 key to print out a sample page of text.
This sample sheet will contain text in every font used by HBMS. READ
THIS SHEET CAREFULLY! I can not stress this point enough. Not only
does it allow you to see if the different options are working
properly, it offers insights on how HBMS uses these commands. If you
do need to make changes, you must consult your printer manual. It
should give you the information you need to edit each particular
command.
If you fail to get a readable copy of this sample printout, or
are having no success with getting HBMS to work with your printer, try
the following. "Nullify" all 15 of the commands. When I say nullify
a command, I mean select the number of the command and use the ESC key
to erase all characters in that field. Once you have a "clean slate",
you have two choices:
1. Save the data so that HBMS will load and use these empty printer
commands instead of trying to use its defaults. Set up your
printer manually, or by any means that you can, so it will print
in small type (approximately 17 characters per inch). Your
reports will not be as nice, but at least they will work, and
not "word wrap" (go past the right margin).
2. Start trying to make each command compatible, one at a time. I
suggest that you start with the CONDENSED ON and CONDENSED OFF
commands. The CONDENSED commands set the printer to use small
print, 17 characters per inch (17 cpi), or something close
depending on your printer. Otherwise, you will need a wide
carriage printer. Next try the 1/8 line feed command. It will
allow you to get more information on a sheet.
- 13 -
When entering printer commands, you will find that some of the
characters can not be entered directly from the keyboard. The ESC
character, and other characters with an ASCII value of less than 32
are examples of this. You must enter these characters by entering
their ASCII values, surrounded by double quotes. For example, the
Epson command for Pica font consists of two characters, the ESCape
character and the letter P. The ASCII value of the ESC character is
27. This PICA command can be entered in two ways:
"27""80" (80 is the ASCII value of P)
"27"P (this is the easier way)
As you can see, if you needed to enter two unprintable characters in
succession, both ASCII values would have to be surrounded in their own
quotes such as "27""24". Also pay special attention to the case of
printer commands. An 'ESC A' is different from an 'ESC a'.
HBMS is set up to detect empty printer commands and adjust things
accordingly. This includes title spacing and page lengths. IF YOU DO
ENTER A PRINTER COMMAND, HBMS WILL TRY TO USE IT EVEN IF IT IS WRONG.
It's sometimes better to nullify a command and let HBMS adjust, than
to have it try to act on a faulty command and possibly cause trouble.
The only absolutely necessary command is the one for condensed print.
If your printer uses wide paper, you could even get away without this
one too.
If you need to make changes, consult your printer manual and
experiment. Some printers will have to be reset, or put into an
alternate mode before you can get results. The INITIALIZE PRINTER
command is sent before every report that HBMS prints. In most cases
this command can be left blank, but if needed, this is the place to
insert a reset or change mode command.
None of the HBMS printouts are designed to be printed in PICA (10
cpi) font, but the PICA command is used when setting up for condensed
(17 cpi) font. Because of the way some printers work, HBMS sends a
PICA command immediately before it sends the condensed command. This
will assure that you get approximately 17 cpi.
If your printer has no ELITE (12 cpi) command, it may be replaced
with whatever command you use for CONDENSED ON.
WHEN PRINTING, THERE WILL BE A PROMPT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN
THAT TELLS YOU WHETHER HBMS IS USING ITS DEFAULTS, OR HAS LOADED YOUR
CONFIGURATION FILE.
If you still have trouble setting up your printer, call and I'll
be glad to help if I can. In some cases, I may have the correct
commands for a particular printer, or be able to get them. If you get
your non-compatible printer to work, please consider sending me a copy
of the test printout and a "print screen" that shows the commands you
used. I get calls all the time for help with printer setup. I can't
possibly keep track of all the different types of printers and your
help would be appreciated. Information on successful laser printer
setups would be especially welcome.
- 14 -
ADDING COLOR
-------------
Beginning with version 4.01 of HBMS, the program defaults to black
and white screens to be compatible with as many monitor combinations
as possible. If you use a monochrome monitor, you do not need to
make any changes.
HBMS is designed to take full advantage of color monitors. If
color is desired, use this section to select them. On the menu there
is a selection to insert a default set of colors. Use this as a
starting point. The F1 key will display a sample screen with the
colors you have selected. Be careful that you don't set any
foreground colors to the same color as the background.
Once you are happy with your selections, make sure you save them.
A configuration file named COLORS.HBM will be created. If you don't
save before leaving, colors will revert back to those you began with.
Again, if you have a monochrome monitor, or want to start color
selection from scratch, make sure there is no file named COLORS.HBM in
your default directory when starting HBMS.
SOUNDS
-------
The beeps and chirps will be noticed most in the Ledger Posting
section. They can be helpful when one person is dictating data, from
notes, to another who is doing the typing. In this way the person
doing the dictating can listen for the chirps and will know when the
next bit of information is needed. He need not watch the screen.
These sound effects may be annoying to some, and can be turned on
or off in the Setup menu. Their state will be stored and will not
have to be reset when the program is started again.
- 15 -
ACCOUNT MAINTENANCE
-------------------------
* CHART of ACCOUNTS * (Add, Delete, Change)
Your Chart of Accounts can be brief, with just a few accounts, or
it can be like an "outline" of your financial transactions, very
detailed with multiple accounts under many categories. You might want
to keep special accounts just for tax related items. I like to keep
separate principal and interest accounts on liabilities. By doing
this I have an accurate running balance on how much I owe.
Great care should be taken in creating your Chart of Accounts. I
cannot stress this point enough. With a little thought you should be
able to come up with a personalized Chart of Accounts that will
require minimal "grooming" as you go along. A well defined Chart of
Accounts will allow HBMS to report accurate net worth values.
If you are still a little "fuzzy" on how it should be done, print
out a Chart of Accounts from the sample data. It will give you some
ideas. Some users have said they used the sample data as a starting
point for their own Chart of Accounts. They just loaded up the sample
data, went to the Initialize System Menu and selected "Begin New
Year". Since HBMS allows you to "reuse" an older chart of accounts,
it was simpler to just edit the codes and names to personal taste.
While I don't recommend this, it is an alternative.
All data in HBMS is stored as Account values. The Categories are
there only to group the Accounts for more informative reports. The
Categories fall in one of the four money groups: INCOME, EXPENSES,
ASSETS, or LIABILITIES.
NOTE: Categories must be created first, so that accounts will
have somewhere to be assigned.
When you add or change an asset or liability account, you will be
asked if you want it to be reconcilable. To be eligible for the
reconciliation features in HBMS, accounts must be flagged as such.
Also, you will not be prompted for a check number in the ledger
posting section if the account is not flagged for reconciliation.
*** THERE IS A LIMIT OF 12 RECONCILABLE ACCOUNTS. ***
Accounts may be added, changed, or deleted at any time during the
budget year. While using the program, accounts and categories will
be referred to by a code which you also assign. These codes can
consist of up to four characters. Try to keep them short and easy to
remember. Codes are not case sensitive. You can enter them in lower
case and HBMS will convert them to upper case.
The restrictions that apply are as follows:
* THERE MUST BE AT LEAST ONE CATEGORY FOR EACH MONEY GROUP.
* THERE MUST BE AT LEAST ONE ACCOUNT FOR EVERY CATEGORY.
- 16 -
* Total number of categories can not exceed 38.
* Total number of accounts can not exceed 254, and no more than
38 accounts per category.
* No more than 12 reconcilable accounts.
* Accounts may be moved to different categories as long as they
don't cross money group boundaries. (EXAMPLE: an account under
an income category may not be moved to an expense category)
* Account names or codes may be changed, but this may lead to
confusion if printed reports under the first part of the year,
differ from those after the change is made. None of the other
data contained in these accounts will be changed.
* Category codes and names may be changed but the confusion
factor mentioned above still applies.
* Accounts may be deleted only if they have had no action during
the year (this includes initial balances).
* Categories may be deleted if they do not have any accounts
assigned to them. This constraint may be avoided by moving all
accounts from under the category to be deleted, to other
categories first.
* If you cancel the reconciliation ability of an account, you
should go back and unmark any transactions that have been
reconciled to avoid confusion, but this is not a requirement.
* RESEQUENCE ACCOUNTS *
The order in which categories and accounts appear in your Chart
of Accounts can be different from the order in which they were
entered. After creating or editing your Chart of Accounts, you may
change their order of appearance by selecting "Resequence Accounts".
The current order will be displayed and you will be allowed to change
them around to suit your taste.
If you want to resequence Accounts, you have to specify their
"parent" category. Likewise, if you want to resequence Categories
you will have to specify the money group.
- 17 -
BUDGET ASSIGNMENT
---------------------
HBMS allows you to assign a budget figure for each month. By
using this feature you may set goals for your projected income and
expenses. While it may sound unusual, you may even set budget amounts
for assets and liabilities. You might want to set goals for your
savings, or budget how soon you plan to pay off a debt. Of course it
wouldn't make sense to budget for your checking account, as its
balance varies to no set pattern.
After selecting an account to budget for, the values for each
particular month will be shown along with a grand total for the year.
If you want to make changes, answer "n" to the prompt, and you will be
allowed to enter figures for each month. If all your months will have
the same budget value, you can select "m", enter the amount, and HBMS
will insert them automatically.
If you decide you don't want to budget for an account, just enter
a zero value for each month. If all months have a zero budget value,
your reports will show a "n/a" in place of a budget figure.
Please note that budget figures can be updated at any time, but
you will only be allowed to change values for the months which have
not been closed.
When you exit the Budget Assignment section you will automatically
be presented with a summary of your budget status.
- 18 -
LEDGER POSTING
--------------------
The Ledger Posting section is the part of the program where you
enter transactions. It's the heart of HBMS, and where you will spend
the most time. As mentioned before, HBMS is a double entry ledger
system, meaning that at least two entries will be needed to represent
a completed transaction. Before attempting to go any farther, you
should have read about double entry in the Concepts part of this
documentation. There are some other terms that HBMS uses that you
need to become familiar with. They are capitalized in the text below.
For any type of transaction, be it a check, cash, credit, or
transfer, you will have to decide what account it will be drawn from.
Most of the time you will be working with a checking account or a cash
account. I will be referring to this as the SOURCE account. Once you
have determined which SOURCE will be used, you must decide how its
balance will be effected. Will it be INCREASED or DECREASED?
When you access the Ledger Posting section you will see what looks
like a blank check at the top of the screen. The cursor will be
flashing at the ACTION prompt. At this point, for a normal
transaction entry, you would enter either an "I" or a "D" character.
The "I" or "D" tells HBMS whether you want to INCREASE or DECREASE the
SOURCE account.
Once you have decided on the "Action" and provided the code for
the SOURCE account, you will be prompted for: the check number (if the
account has been flagged for checking), the date, a description of
this SOURCE account, and it's amount.
Now for the other half of this double entry transaction. If you
were writing a check, you would need to specify what item(s) this
check was written for. List these purchases in the lower half of the
screen, where they will be disbursed into their respective accounts.
I will refer to these as TARGET accounts.
You need not worry whether these "TARGET" account balances will
increase or decrease. HBMS will make that decision for you. In fact,
THERE IS NO PLACE IN THE LEDGER POSTING SECTION WHERE YOU WILL HAVE TO
PROVIDE A NEGATIVE SIGN. Once you have specified whether your SOURCE
account is Increasing or Decreasing, HBMS takes care of the rest and
makes sure your double entry transaction balances.
There are many examples of transactions in the sample data. If
you print out a "Transaction Report" from this sample data you will be
able to see how to do most any type of transaction needed. For now,
I'll step through a simple transaction of writing a check to the Drug
store.
Step 1. At the ACTION prompt you would select "D" to DECREASE
checking. (SOURCE ACCOUNT)
Step 2. Enter the code for your checking account. At this point
HBMS will show you the current balance for that account.
- 19 -
Step 3. Enter the check number. This field is optional and it will
be skipped if the SOURCE account has not been flagged as
being reconcilable.
Step 4. Enter the date.
Step 5. Enter to whom the check was written. This field is also
optional. (You might not want to describe a multiple
spending cash transaction.)
* Step 6. This step is where some of the flexibility of HBMS shines.
In the case of a checking transaction you would want to
enter the full amount of the check. Later, as you disburse
the money to the TARGET accounts, HBMS will prompt you with
the remaining balance of the check as you go along.
In the case of a spending cash transaction you might want to
leave the SOURCE amount blank. As you enter the separate
amounts in the TARGET accounts, HBMS will keep a running
total for you.
Step 7. Now you will begin to disburse this money to the TARGET
accounts. If all the money is intended to go to one account
only, enter the full amount. Otherwise, enter the partial
value.
Step 8. Enter the code for the TARGET account selected. (The F1 key
is available for help.)
Step 9. Enter a description for the TARGET transaction. This field
is also optional, but it helps to describe each item for
future reference. (see Tips & Shortcuts)
Step 10. Now you have fulfilled the minimum of two entries for a
transaction. If the value you entered in step 7 accounts
for all the money in the SOURCE account you will be
finished. Otherwise you will be able to keep adding entries
to be drawn from the SOURCE.
A null entry at the TARGET amount tells HBMS that you are
finished. When finished you will be asked if everything is ok. If
the source account has been marked as reconcilable, there will be an
additional choice to accept and print the check. If you made a
mistake in an entry, answer "n" and you will be allowed to go back and
make corrections. See the explanation on Editing.
The entire transaction can be aborted at any time by entering a
null value for a code prompt.
NOTE: If you answer no to the "Above OK?" prompt, the automatic
prompting for the remaining balance will not be in effect. This was
done so as not to change any TARGET amounts that may have been
correctly entered. Beginning with version 4.1, there are
circumstances where you can have HBMS insert the remaining balance by
using the F1 key. The requirements are: you must be in "edit" mode,
you must have entered a non zero value in the SOURCE amount, and of
course the cursor must be at a TARGET amount.
- 20 -
ACTION PROMPT
-------------------
There are many other choices you can make at the Action prompt. A
HELP LINE WILL BE DISPLAYED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN TO REMIND YOU
WHAT IS AVAILABLE. From the action prompt you also have the
opportunity of going directly to the Screen Reports or the Account
Maintenance section. Need to check a balance, or add an account on
the fly? You can do it from here without going back through the main
menu. Under most conditions HBMS will remember any data that you had
entered, but had aborted prematurely. When you get back, just keep
hitting the <ENTER> key and HBMS will recall it.
The View Ledger mode is accessed from the Action prompt. From
this view mode you have the opportunity to review and/or edit previous
transactions.
Templates are called from the Action prompt by entering a "T".
In order to activate this feature, you must have built and stored at
least one template screen previously. The Template, View, and Edit
modes are explained in detail later in this document.
HBMS will always save your data to disk whenever you return to the
Main Menu, but you still have the ability to Save data from the Action
prompt. If you have been entering a lot of transactions, it might be
wise to save this data occasionally.
The <ESC> will abort everything and take you back to the main
menu.
VIEW LEDGER
--------------------
If you enter a "V" in response to the Action prompt you will be
allowed to view any transactions already recorded for the entire year.
This can be very handy if you don't remember if you have entered
something. First, you will be prompted for a beginning month to view.
The initial transaction screen for that month will be displayed just as
you entered it. From this point you can "scroll" through the screens
at will by using the keypad keys. The PgUp and PgDn keys jump 50
records at a time. The "+" and "-" keys change months. The "ESC" key
returns you to the Ledger Posting screen. If you need to make a
change, bring up the intended Ledger screen into view and enter an
"E" to access the edit mode.
EDIT MODE
------------------------
If you make a mistake in your data entry, you can correct it by
getting into EDIT MODE. This can be done in several ways. Most
often it is done by answering no to the "Above OK?" prompt. Exceeding
the limit of an assigned source value will generate a warning and put
you in edit mode also. Edit mode allows you to go back and change any
of your entries. You can step through them one at a time, in a
similar fashion to the way they were first entered. However there are
some other valuable features available only in Edit mode. They are
explained later in the TIPS and SHORTCUTS section.
ANY TIME YOU ARE IN EDIT MODE THERE WILL BE A FLASHING REMINDER
NEAR THE TOP OF THE SCREEN.
- 21 -
If you are using the VIEW feature to review some previously
entered transactions, the Edit mode is also available. There is one
restriction on editing from the VIEW mode. Editing is allowed in the
current open month only. If you need to make a change in an earlier
month, you will have to reopen each month until you get back to it.
See the CLOSE/OPEN month menu. While editing from a screen in VIEW
mode, you also have the ability to wipe out the entire screenful of
transactions. If this is what you want, enter a "K" (for Kill all) at
the Action prompt. You will be given a chance to abort before
accepting this command. Remember that if you try to edit individual
entries first and then decide to "Kill All", the entire ORIGINAL
transaction will be wiped out, including the attempted individual
changes. The <ESC> key at the Action prompt will abort all changes
and return you to the View Mode. Again, be sure and read the TIPS and
SHORTCUTS on Editing.
TEMPLATES
------------------
New for version 4.1 is the ability to build "Templates". If you
have repetitive types of transactions that you enter at least once a
month, why not store a sample of this transaction screen to disk where
you could call it up with just a couple of key strokes! Monthly bills
and paychecks would be good candidates for this type of feature.
In order to take advantage of this, create an often used
transaction screen, just as you would normally. When you reach the
"Above OK?" prompt, enter a "T" for Template. The Template assignment
screen will pop up and ask you to assign a number, and enter a
descriptive title for this transaction. You will also be asked for a
due date, but I will explain that later. Just hit ENTER for now.
Your template will be stored in a file named TEMPLATE.yr. The file
extension will match that of your data files. Now, whenever you need
to make this type of entry again, you can call it up from the Action
prompt by hitting "T". The same template screen (now titled Template
Selection) will appear and you will be able to select any of up to 30
templates that have already been built. Your selection will be
displayed on the Ledger Posting screen, ready for you to accept it.
If it needs editing, just answer no to the "Above Ok" prompt.
Also new for version 4.1 is the ability to assign a "due date" to
any of the templates you have built. If you would like to be reminded
that you need to pay a bill, or make some other type of transaction,
just assign the dates that apply. There is room for up to 24
different dates. In other words you could instruct HBMS to remind you
that a template needs to be entered, up to 24 separate times in a year
(even more if you go back and edit it). These dates should be entered
in a four digit format. September 4th would be entered as "0904".
November 23rd would be "1123". They should also be in calendar
sequence, starting with the earliest reminder. The reason for this is
that when you select a template to be inserted in the Ledger screen
that has a due date assigned to it, that date will be deleted and the
next one in sequence will take it's place.
- 22 -
If you don't want this reminder feature then leave the first date
field blank. Otherwise you can assign as many as you like, up to 24.
The first dates assigned (if any) will be displayed on the template
selection screen next to the title. If any of them fall earlier than
the current system date, they will blink. Also, on your first entry
into the Ledger Posting section, HBMS will check the template file
dates and warn you if any of them have come due. The actual dates are
stored in a file named DUEDATES.yr, and like the TEMPLATE file, they
will reside in your data directory.
You can edit these dates, or the title if necessary. Just access
the Template Selection screen from the Action prompt, enter the
desired template number, and hit the UP arrow instead of the ENTER
key. If you enter a null value for the title, the entire template
will be deleted. The dates can be edited as desired.
BE AWARE that assigning and storing a transaction screen to a
template, does NOT enter it into your transaction file. You have to
call it back up from the Action prompt, and answer yes to the Above Ok
prompt in order to save it.
PRINTING CHECKS
----------------------
A check printing instruction file is needed to allow HBMS to
print checks. The documentation on how to create this file is
contained in the PRCHECK.DOC file. The check printing feature can be
triggered by a "P" response either in the View mode, or at the "Above
OK" prompt in the Posting mode. If the SOURCE account has been marked
as reconcilable, and HBMS is able to find the PRCHECK.HBM file, check
printing will take place. Be aware that a "P" response to the "Above
OK" prompt will also accept the transaction as being correct.
- 23 -
TIPS and SHORTCUTS
------------------------
a) EDITING: If you make a mistake and would like to correct it before
you reach the "Above OK" prompt, you can use the UP arrow. It
will step the cursor up a line at a time. NOTE that once you use
the UP arrow, the editing mode will be in effect.
Once you are in the editing mode, the DOWN arrow will step you
down a line at a time also. (If you are not in editing mode the
Down arrow acts just like the ENTER key.) These UP and DOWN
arrows can save you a lot of time if you have to go back and
correct something on a whole screenful of data. The cursor will
always stop at either the Action prompt, or an amount field. If
you are at the SOURCE amount, remember that you have two options.
If you enter an amount, HBMS will use it to monitor Target
amounts, and provide you with a remaining balance if requested
with the F1 key. If you leave the SOURCE amount blank, there will
be no checks made on the TARGET amounts, and a "running balance"
will be displayed.
Another editing feature added in version 4.1, is the ability
to "delete" a whole TARGET transaction line. The CTRL-Y key does
this job (Hold down the Control key and hit "Y"). The entire
TARGET line will be deleted, and any remaining Targets below will
move up. This feature is especially useful when editing Templates.
b) HBMS will remember the last check number for every checking
account. If you make any entry other than a number (such as
"jrnl" for a journal entry), it will not increment the check
number.
c) If you enter the tilde <~> character only, HBMS will copy the
SOURCE description entered in step 9. See the paycheck
transactions in the sample data for an example.
d) The "+" and "-" keys can be used at the Action prompt in place of
"I" and "D" for Increase and Decrease.
e) If you have a keyboard macro utility such as Borland's SuperKey,
you can program it to insert entries into the Ledger that you use
repeatedly. Please be careful if you decide to try this. It can
cause some confusion and possibly missed data if you try to go
back and correct something while you are in the middle of a macro.
f) NOTE: I find it helpful to save my receipts from each day and jot
down any other transactions. At the end of each week I commit
these transactions to HBMS via the Ledger Posting section. You
may want to do this on a daily basis. In either case, you will
then have a printed record of all your transactions available.
- 24 -
RECONCILE STATEMENTS
------------------------
When your bank statement comes in, use this section of HBMS to
reconcile your checkbook or credit card statement. You do this by
"MARKING" each check that has cleared the bank and appears on your
statement. The reconciliation feature only works on accounts that
have been flagged as such in the Account Maintenance section. With
version 4.0 the ability to keep track of Liability accounts is
possible also.
* MARK/UNMARK *
When first entering this section, you will be prompted with the
earliest month that contains uncleared transactions. You can enter
any month that falls within the beginning month and the current open
month.
A screenful of all transactions for that month will be
displayed. The lines for the first and last transaction for that
month will be highlighted. The Up/Dn arrow keys move the cursor to
the transaction you need to clear. If there are more transactions
than can be seen at one time, the screen will scroll. To mark a
transaction as being cleared, use the ENTER key. A ">" symbol will
appear and signify a cleared transaction. The ENTER key functions as
a toggle and will turn the ">" mark on or off. The PgUp, PgDn, HOME,
and END keys work just as you would expect, and will move you through
the data. When you are ready to switch months, use the "+" or "-"
keys to step the month forward or back. The ESC key will save the
changes and return you to the Reconciliation menu.
HBMS examines each month you access to see if all transactions
have been cleared. However if you unmark a transaction in a month
that previously had all transactions cleared, and then mark it back
again, HBMS will think that this month is the last one that was
completely cleared. This month and all the remaining months may be
reconciled correctly. This condition will be resolved when you ask
for a Summary Report, mentioned below.
* SHOW ALL UNCLEARED TRANSACTIONS *
This feature will display the uncleared transactions in the order
they were entered. There is no scrolling capability here as there
was in the MARK/UNMARK section, only a screen pause.
* SUMMARY REPORT *
This section is where you check to see if your records and the bank
statement agree. Make sure that you have entered (via the Ledger
Posting Section), and cleared (via MARK/UNMARK feature), any bank
charges, interests, or other miscellaneous entries that appear only on
your bank statement. You will be prompted for the ending balance on
your statement. If you have not browsed through all the uncleared
transactions before asking for a Summary Report, HBMS will quickly
tally them up. Everything you need to verify your statement will be
displayed. If you receive a discrepancy warning, the information
presented should help you figure out if it was a data entry error, a
failure to make an entry, or even a bank error.
- 25 -
REPORTS (screen)
---------------------
In this section you have access to almost all data that HBMS has
to offer. Upon entering, you will be prompted for the latest month
you want to look at. Next, enter the code of an account to view.
After a short delay for HBMS to calculate some totals, you will be
presented with the "MONTH" view of data. From here you can select
among three other formats which include: a PERCENTAGE VALUE report,
an ANNUAL VIEW, and a SORTED LEDGER. You also have the opportunity to
change accounts. By just striking <ENTER> you will be able to keep
the format you are in and select another account.
In the SORTED view, the transactions will be sorted by date first,
then check number or record number (depending on the type of account).
In the PERCENTAGE view you will not only be presented with
percent values for the selected account, you will also see the values
for its associated category. Monthly values and year to date values
will be displayed. These percentages use MONTH and YTD totals when
compared with INCOME and EXPENSES. They use TOTAL BALANCES when
compared with ASSETS and LIABILITIES.
The following table shows how the values are divided to arrive at
a percent figure. They are listed in the same relative locations
that you will see on screen. (The dashed line represents a division
symbol. The resulting quotient is multiplied by 100.)
Month Actual Ytd Actual |
-------------- ------------ |
Month Category Ytd Category |
|
|
Month Actual Ytd Actual | Month Category Ytd Category
------------ ---------- | -------------- ------------
Month INCOME Ytd INCOME | Month INCOME Ytd INCOME
|
|
Month Actual Ytd Actual | Month Category Ytd Category
------------- ----------- | -------------- ------------
Month EXPENSE Ytd EXPENSE | Month EXPENSE Ytd EXPENSE
|
|
Month Actual Ytd Actual | Month Category Ytd Category
------------ ------------ | -------------- ------------
Total ASSETS Total ASSETS | Total ASSETS Total ASSETS
|
|
Month Actual Ytd Actual | Month Category Ytd Category
------------ ---------- | -------------- ------------
Total LIAB. Total LIAB. | Total LIAB. Total LIAB.
- 26 -
PRINTED REPORTS
---------------------
Beginning with version 4.1, any printed report can be directed to
a file, instead of the printer. When you reach the "Printer Ready?"
prompt, answer "F" instead of "Y". You will be asked to supply a
valid DOS filename to store the data. This "disk" printout will be
stripped of all printer commands.
* SORTED LEDGER REPORT for the month *
Prints the transactions with their values and balances, for all
accounts that had activity for the selected month. They will be
sorted by account and appear in order of the Chart of Accounts.
Entries in individual accounts will be sorted by date, then check
number if applicable.
* SORTED LEDGER by ACCOUNT *
Prints the sorted data for a selected account, for up to a whole year.
* TRANSACTION REPORT *
Prints a copy of your ledger transactions just as you entered them.
You might want to print out the transactions after every ledger
posting session. If so, HBMS will remember the last record printed
for the month and prompt you for the next unprinted record number. I
usually have posting sessions about 4 to 5 times a month, but wait
till the end of the month to print out a Transaction Report. If I
need to see a transaction that has not been printed yet, I use the
"VIEW" feature in the Ledger Posting section.
* FINANCIAL STATEMENTS *
Prints the Income and Expense Report, and a Balance Sheet Report. The
Income and Expense Report prints all the monthly oriented data
including averages, budget figures, budget left, etc. Similar to the
Monthly Totals screen report, any actual dollar amounts that have
exceeded your budget projections will be flagged with an asterisk.
The Balance Sheet gives you an opportunity to print out just the Asset
and Liability information.
* ANNUAL ACTUALS *
Prints the monthly totals up to and including the current month. All
figures are in whole dollars because of space limitations.
* ANNUAL BUDGET *
Prints monthly budget figures for the entire year.
* CHART OF ACCOUNTS *
Prints a list of accounts grouped in their respective categories
according to the sequence you have selected.
- 27 -
* INITIAL BALANCES *
Prints a report similar to the Balance sheet but contains the
beginning balances for your assets and liabilities. These figures do
not show up on any other report.
* RAW ACCOUNT INFO *
This printout is provided in case you get into trouble while working
with your Chart of Accounts. HBMS will not let you do most of the
Main Menu functions until you have met the requirement of: at least
one account per category and at least one category for each money
group. From this report you will be able to determine if you have an
"orphan" category, or no categories in a money group. THIS REPORT
SHOULD BE PRINTED AND SAVED after creating or changing your Chart of
Accounts. In an emergency, the record numbers could possibly be used
to recreate a new accounts file. (Check with author for details.)
FILE EXPORT
-----------------
File exporting was changed in version 4.1 since the "print to
file" capability was added. Now it writes the data to an ASCII file
in a "Standard Data Format". Any text (in this case the account name)
is surrounded by quotes, and each field is separated by a comma. Most
graphics and spreadsheet programs will accept this format.
The two available reports are very similar to the printed versions
of the ANNUAL ACTUALS and the BUDGET REPORT. Each line will start
with the account name. Following it will be zero values for any
months between the first fiscal month and your beginning month, if
they were different. Next will be the Month To Date values for each
of the months up to the current month. Lastly there will be zero
values for any remaining months in the year. This means that all 12
months will be represented, but the months that are not applicable
will contain zero values. Also, if you have a fiscal year different
from the calendar year, the first value written will be from your
first fiscal month, and progress from there (just as it is on the
printed version).
If you ask for a combination report, the MTD value will be written
first, followed by its budget value. If you view this text file, you
will notice that MTD values contain a decimal point, while the budget
values do not.
You can also specify that the category name and/or a blank line is
inserted in the report.
When asked for a file name, you can use any legal DOS name. Be
sure to include a path if necessary. Entering a null file name aborts
the export.
- 28 -
CLOSE/OPEN MONTH
--------------------
This section does just what you would expect. At the end of each
month you should select the "Close Current Month" routine. HBMS will
read the entire ledger for the current month, update totals, and
declare the following month open.
Remember that ledger posting and editing can only be done in the
current open month. If you have to go back to a previous month to
make additions or changes, use the reopen feature.
*******************************************************************
* If for any reason you feel that the figures for your data *
* are wrong or missing, try reopening each month until you get *
* back to a valid month. Then close each month until you get *
* back to where you started. HBMS calculates all it's values *
* from the data you enter in the Ledger Posting section. When *
* you close a month, HBMS reads this data from the ledger files *
* and recalculates its totals on a monthly basis. *
*******************************************************************
CHANGE YEAR/PATH
--------------------
If you have several years of data or more than one budget system,
you can change to them without quitting the program. When you select
"Y" from the Main Menu, the opening screen will reappear and you will
be able to change the year and data path.
- 29 -
TO USERS of HBMS WITH VERSIONS OLDER THAN 3.0
-----------------------------------------------------
If you have accumulated data under older versions of HBMS you will
have to run the program HCONVERT.EXE to update it to the current file
format. The check reconciliation feature required that I change the
format. In doing so I also incorporated the STARTUP.HBM file into the
ACCOUNTS file. Once you have run your data through the conversion
program you can delete the STARTUP file. P L E A S E ... use COPIES
of your older data. The conversion program will replace them in the
process. If something goes wrong you can start over.
The program HCONVERT.EXE is supplied only to registered users.
See the ShareWare registration procedures near the beginning of this
document.
The old CREDIT/DEBIT format has been scratched and replaced with
INCREASE/DECREASE. Although it worked fine in the way HBMS approached
it, it was confusing to many who are trained in accounting and viewed
it with a different meaning. I hope this will clear up any
misconceptions about the way HBMS handles ledger transactions.
I am using a new screen writing technique beginning with v3.0 that
writes directly to memory. Report speed has improved significantly.
HBMS now loads all it's data in a "block" format. Also the ledger
transactions for the month are now held in memory. Loading data now
takes less than 25% of the time it did before. Sorted ledger displays
really fly now. If you are using a floppy based system you should see
a big improvement.
Brentson Worrell
6404 Mornay Dr.
Tampa, FL 33615
(813) 886-2282
- 30 -
PRCHECK.DOC
CHECK PRINTING for HBMS 4.11
-------------------------------
Beginning with version 4.0, check printing is supported. In
order to be compatible with different check forms, HBMS requires
instructions on what information you want to print, and where to
locate it. You will have to supply HBMS with this information in the
form of a text file named PRCHECK.HBM.
You can use any word processing program that creates pure "ASCII"
files to create PRCHECK.HBM. It can contain up to 40 lines of
instructions. Each line consists of three items and should be in the
following format:
Number of CRLF's, Number of SPACES to skip, INSTRUCTION
Each of the above three items must be separated by one and ONLY ONE
space. Do NOT include the commas. The Number of CRLF's refers to
carriage return/line feeds. It represents how many lines you want to
skip from the last position of the printhead. The Number of SPACES
to skip refers to how many spaces to skip from the last printed field
on your check. INSTRUCTION refers to either an item to print, or a
print command. If you enter "2" for the number of CRLF's, and "10"
for the number of spaces to skip, the instruction would be executed
at 2 lines down from the last printhead position and 10 spaces from
the left margin. The INSTRUCTIONS are not case sensitive and only
the first three characters necessary. You can use the rest of the
line for comments. HBMS executes each line in succession. This
means a printer command must come before the item(s) it is intended
to affect. Also there are NO BLANK LINES ALLOWED, EACH LINE MUST
BEGIN ON THE LEFT MARGIN, and THE LAST LINE MUST CONTAIN THE
INSTRUCTION "END". The other instructions you can send to HBMS are
listed on the next page.
HBMS will look for PRCHECK.HBM on the default drive\directory
(the same directory you run HBMS from), when you make the first
request to print a check. If found and loaded, it will check each
line for a valid instruction. If HBMS finds an instruction it cannot
understand, an error message containing the line number of the
problem will be displayed. By necessity, creating a successful
PRCHECK.HBM file is a trial and error process. It requires that you:
(1) Create and/or edit PRCHECK.HBM
(2) Run HBMS
(3) Print a sample check to see if it meets your expectations.
You probably won't have everything placed right on the first attempt.
This trial and error process can become a frustrating experience, but
it's necessary to allow flexibility in check forms. I suggest that
you print a check from the "VIEW" mode of Ledger Posting, and use
regular paper until you get the desired results. You should be able
to hold a regular sheet of paper and your check forms up to the light
to compare them.
- 1 -
The instructions that HBMS understands are:
Field
Instruction Length Meaning
----------- ------ -----------------------------------------
MONth 2 Month (in digits)
DAY 2 Day (in digits)
SYR 2 Short form of year (last two digits)
LYR 4 Long form of year (1988)
DATe 8 Full date (10/01/88)
CK# 4 Check number
PAYee 40 Source description
AMO 10 Amount of check in digits
SCRipt * Amount of check in script
MEMo 40 Target description
BALance 10 Balance of account after check was written
$$$ 1 Dollar sign "$"
END 0 Tells HBMS this is the last line in file. MANDATORY!
S50 0 Script field length of 50
S60 0 Script field length of 60
S70 0 Script field length of 70 {DEFAULT}
S80 0 Script field length of 80
S90 0 Script field length of 90
INItialize 0 Initialize printer
LF8 0 1/8th inch line feed
LF6 0 1/6th inch line feed {DEFAULT}
PICa 0 Pica print size {DEFAULT}
ELIte 0 Elite print size
CD+ 0 Condensed print ON
CD- 0 Condensed print OFF {DEFAULT}
IT+ 0 Italics print ON
IT- 0 Italics print OFF {DEFAULT}
LG+ 0 Enlarge print ON
LG- 0 Enlarge print OFF {DEFAULT}
DS+ 0 Double strike print ON
DS- 0 Double strike print OFF {DEFAULT}
The script field length instructions need further explanation.
When HBMS prints a scripted amount that does not take up the full
field, it pads the right-most side with "*" characters for security
reasons. If the check amount is large, the script representation
could be very long and take up more room than the default field
length of 70 spaces. If this happens, HBMS will print out the entire
script, but it will possibly throw off the spacing of any other
fields on the same line. Even in condensed font it may be hard to
fit long script amounts on your check form. However, most amounts
under $100,000.00 can be handled in 60 spaces. One example that
would take 57 spaces is "SEVEN THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-
SEVEN AND 77/100". If you want to specify a script field length
other than the default of 70, this length instruction must come
before the actual script instruction.
- 2 -
The following 15 lines of instructions are an example of a
PRCHECK.HBM file:
3 8 CK# line feed 3 times, move 8 spaces and print check number
0 39 DATe do not line feed, step 39 spaces and print date
0 0 ELI change to elite font (12 cpi)
2 9 PAYee 2 line feeds, 9 spaces, and print to whom check was made
0 0 PICa change back to pica font (10 cpi)
0 2 $$$ 2 spaces on same line and print a dollar sign
0 0 AMO immediately print how much check was written for
0 0 S60 set script field length to 60
0 0 CD+ change to condensed font (17 cpi) for script & memo
0 0 IT+ set italics print on for script
2 2 SCR 2 line feeds, 2 spaces and print amount in words(script)
0 0 IT- turn italics off
2 8 MEMo 2 line feeds, 8 spaces and print what check was for
0 0 CD- turn condensed off
5 0 END tell HBMS this is the last line of file (required!)
The above file of instructions would allow HBMS to print a check
similar to the example below. The labels "Chk#:", "Date:", "Payee:",
and "Memo" are assumed to be existing on the form already, and the
smaller font is not represented.
----------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| Chk#: 1001 Date: 10/01/88 |
| |
| Payee: Corner Drug Store $ 14.95 |
| |
| FOURTEEN AND 95/100 **************************************** |
| |
| Memo: School supplies |
----------------------------------------------------------------
Brentson Worrell
6404 Mornay Dr.
Tampa, FL 33615
(813) 886-2282
- 3 -
TESTDRIV.DOC
TEST DRIVE ..... the Home Budget Management System
Welcome to the HBMS "test drive". This file and the sample data
has been included for demonstration purposes. Following the steps in
this document can be the most efficient way to acquaint you with HBMS,
show off SOME of its capabilities, and help you decide if the program
will serve your needs.
The time period for this data is from January through April, 1984.
However, in the interest of disk space, the ledger files for January,
February, and March are missing. This means that you will be unable
to view or print transaction entries for these three months. Also you
should not try to reopen March. The actual totals for these months
are still recorded in the accounts file.
Be aware that this data is fictitious. If some of the amounts or
descriptions seem odd, bear with me.
Please follow the steps closely and resist the temptation to
experiment on your own until you have been completely through this
"Test Drive".
Make sure that the files HBMS.EXE, HBMS.OVR, CATS.84, ACCOUNTS.84,
and LEDGR-4.84 are on your disk. It might be helpful to check off the
steps as you go along. Having a copy of the documentation to refer to
could also be handy.
Throughout this document the verb "strike" will mean to tap the
intended key only. You will not have to use the ENTER key. The verb
"enter" will mean type in your data and strike the ENTER key.
**********************************************************************
**********************************************************************
1. Start the program by typing HBMS and strike ENTER. Enter "84"
as the year of data. Leave the data path blank (just hit
ENTER). You should be at the Main Menu screen. Notice that it
reminds you of the current open month and fiscal year.
First we will explore the Reports section, as these reports will be
the end result of your financial record-keeping.
2. Select "R" for Reports. Accept "4" as the Month to Report.
3. You will be prompted for an Account Code. Enter "EL" to select
Electricity, and you will be presented with the "Monthly" view
of this account.
The data inside the heavy outlined box is for the Account only. Notice
that a red star flags both April, and Year To Date Actuals as being
outside the budgeted limits. Electricity falls under the UTILITIES
category, which is displayed below. Similarly, UTILITIES is part of the
EXPENSES money group, which is used to calculate your NET INCOME.
4. Notice the prompt on the bottom line of the screen, and strike
"A" for an annual view of Electricity.
The data in this screen is pretty much self explanatory.
5. Strike the ENTER key and you will be prompted with the code of
the next account to report on. Striking the ENTER key again
will accept that prompt.
You will find that by just using the ENTER key alone you will be
able to step through the accounts in the order they appear in the
Chart of Accounts.
6. Bring the Repair/Improvement account on screen by entering "RI"
at the account code prompt.
7. Strike "S" to select a Sorted Ledger view of Repair/Improvement.
8. You will be prompted with a beginning month of 4 (April).
NOTE: In a normal budget you would be able to start at the
beginning of the year, but since the first three months of ledger
entries have not been included in the sample data, please accept 4
as a starting point.
All the transactions involving Repair/Improvement for April will be
displayed. The numbers under the "Rec" column are the record numbers
of the transactions as they were entered in the Ledger Posting
section.
9. Before leaving the sorted ledger screen, enter "CK" in the
account code field to view the checking account. Notice that the
screen will pause when it fills so you can view the data before
it scrolls off. At this point you can strike <ENTER> to continue
scrolling or strike <ESC> to end this account and select another.
By now you should have the idea of how to select the different views
and step through the accounts, but there is one more way of observing
data on screen, and it resides in the Ledger Posting section.
10. Leave the Screen Reports section by using the ESC key.
11. From the Main Menu, strike "L" for the Ledger Posting section.
12. Notice the bottom line on the screen and enter a "V" at the
action prompt to view the previously entered transactions.
13. Accept month 4 as a starting point.
You will be presented with the first transaction screen in April,
exactly as it was entered. You can browse through the other
transactions by using the Up, Down, PgUp, PgDn, Home, and END keys.
14. When finished, use the ESC key to get back to the Ledger Posting
screen.
At this point you have seen some of the screen reporting capabilities
of HBMS. The printed reports are just as informative, but please
wait until later to try them. In some cases you will have to
configure your printer first, as HBMS is designed to make full use
dot matrix capabilities.
If you have stayed with me this far and have been favorably
impressed, please continue and I'll demonstrate two different methods
of entering ledger data into the system.
15. You should be at the Ledger Posting screen with the Action prompt
waiting. Accept "D" for Decrease.
16. Enter "CK" for Checking as the "source" account. The current
balance for that account will be displayed.
17. Enter "123" as the check number.
18. Enter "16" as the date.
19. Enter "The Drug Store" for the Payee. (Source description)
20. Enter $14.73 for the amount of the check. Notice how the amount
turns to a negative value. That's because you will be decreasing
the balance of that account (by writing a check).
Now you will disburse the money to the "target" accounts.
21. Instead of accepting the full amount, enter $9.95 as a target
amount.
22. Enter "FC" for the target code.
23. Enter "Processing" for the target description.
24. You will be prompted with the remaining $4.78 as the value for
the next target amount. Accept it.
25. Enter "RX" for the account code.
26. Type in "Vitamins" for the description but DO NOT hit ENTER.
27. This will be a good chance to experiment with the editing keys
of HBMS. Try the HOME key, the END key, the INSERT and DELETE
keys. Save the ESC key for last.
28. Striking ESC should blank the description field. Type in the
Tilde "~" character only and hit ENTER.
This action will automatically enter whatever was in the Payee/Payor
field above. It can come in handy on certain types of transactions.
29. At this point you will have to decide whether the above
information is ok. Strike "N" for no. Now you are in the "EDIT"
mode. Use the ENTER key to step through the fields by accepting
each value until you get back to the Rx Drugs description.
Change the description back to "Vitamins".
30. Accept the information as being ok.
For the second and last screen we will do a Spending Cash transaction.
31. Strike "D" for Decrease, enter "SC" for Spending Cash, and accept
the same date. There is no check number, and in this case,
nothing in the Payee field.
32. Leave the source amount field empty for this transaction.
When the source amount is left empty, HBMS will keep a running total
as you disburse the money to the target accounts listed below.
33. Enter $2.05, "BM" for Books/Magazines, and any description you
desire.
34. Enter $3.53 and "EO" for Eating Out.
Notice how a running total is being tallied for Spending Cash in the
source amount field.
35. At this point you could continue to list as many items that you
bought with spending cash on this date. When finished leave an
amount value empty and you should be prompted for the "Above Ok"
decision.
36. You can return to the Main Menu by striking ESC at the Action
prompt.
Please be aware that HBMS has many more features, and even some short
cuts. By now though you should have an idea of what HBMS is designed
to do. I hope it suits your needs.
WHATSNEW.DOC
HBMS HISTORY FILE
VERSION 4.11 (December 1989)
----------------------------
Released to fix the following bugs. (no new features)
1. If entries were made out of date sequence, the new sort feature
incorporated in v4.1 could cause balances to be displayed wrong
on sorted reports and in the reconciliation section. No data
was affected, only the report was in error.
2. The "Ledger by Account" printed to a printer normally, but when
directed to a file, it printed the header only.
VERSION 4.1 (November 1989)
----------------------------
NEW FEATURES:
1. Repetitive or similar transactions can now be saved to "templates".
Whole screenfuls of transaction data can be easily inserted with
a couple of keystrokes.
2. Ability to assign due dates to these templates to remind you about
any transactions due.
3. The editing features in Ledger Posting have been improved:
a. Now you have the ability to delete a "Target" item without
affecting any remaining lines below it.
b. When editing, you now have the option of retaining the "Source"
amount or setting it back to zero. If retained, HBMS will act
just as it does when the data was first entered. In other
words, a checksum will be kept and you will be alerted if you go
over the source amount, or stop before satisfying that amount.
Before, HBMS would allow you only one chance to do this.
c. In order to make the above feature easier to use, the Up and Down
arrows work slightly different now. Before, if you used Down
arrow at the ACTION prompt, it jumped straight to the first
Target amount. Now it stops at the Source amount.
d. In normal posting mode, if you enter a source amount HBMS will
prompt you with the remaining balance on Target amounts. When
editing, this feature was disabled so that any correct amounts
would not be changed. Now if you are editing, and do not set the
source amount to zero, you have the option of using the F1 key to
insert the remaining balance.
4. New "calculator" style input for numerical entries. A number field
can be zeroed by the first typed digit, a Backspace, or an ESCape.
5. ESCape key now works more consistently. No more having to hit ENTER
on a "null" value, the ESC key will do. Also, if you decide not to
accept a prompted value (such as an account code), the first typed
character will erase whatever was there before. No more having to
use ESC to blank the field first.
6. "Setup" now incorporated in the main program. (no HBSETUP.EXE needed)
7. Sorted Ledger reports are now sorted by date first, then check #.
8. All printed reports can now be directed to a file.
9 File export now writes in a "Standard Data Format" to an ASCII file.
It is comma delimited and strings are enclosed in quotes.
10. Budget "Totals" routine changed to a multiple entry scheme.
11. All "entry" fields appear in the same color now. (makes it more
consistent and easier to select colors)
BUGS FIXED (from v4.01)
----------
1. If you tried to "KILL" the last transaction screen of data left in a
month, HBMS saw negative record numbers, and would fail.
2. If you went to Reports, View, or Account Maintenance from the Action
prompt (in Ledger Posting section), there was a slight possibility
that a printed check might show the wrong balance or month.
3. Now, absolutely no printed report will be more than 59 lines for 1/6"
line feed, or 79 lines for 1/8" line feed. Some printers insist on
providing their own form feed if the page exceeds 60/80 lines.
4. If you used the "Y" selection from Main Menu to load data from a
different year or disk, AND the current open month on the new data
was the same as the data you just left, AND you had already accessed
the Ledger Posting screen, HBMS would continue to use the old LEDGR-
m.yr data until you attempted to change months. This was a nasty
bug, but there was only a remote chance that ALL the circumstances
would be met.
5. If you left the "Data path" field on the opening screen blank, there
was a small possibility that HBMS could check the wrong disk for free
space.
6. In the reconciliation section, if your HBMS balance was a negative
amount, and did not agree with your statement amount, an incorrect
"difference" amount could be reported.
=======================================================================
VERSION 4.01 (February 1989)
-----------------------------
NEW FEATURES:
* Provided new documentation on HBSETUP program as well as clarifying
other parts of main documentation.
* Started to include the information to print checks, which was
previously provided to registered users only.
* HBMS will now display in black and white, unless you create an
appropriate COLORS.HBM file via the HBSETUP program. This avoids
problems with amber monitors on color cards.
BUGS fixed (from v4.0, main reason for this release)
-----------
* In the re-sequence routine, all previous versions did not prevent you
from specifying the same position number for both the code to be moved,
and its intended position. This of course would serve no useful
purpose, but if it did happen, the code would be rendered inaccessible.
Also the Category resequence screen failed to list the position numbers.
* In the Ledger Posting section: (1) if you were prompted with a
remaining balance in a TARGET amount field, and (2) used the DEL key to
delete the numbers shown but left leading spaces, and (3) decided to
abort by striking the ENTER key, the program would hang. This should
have been a rare occurrence because the ESC key is far quicker and
easier to use than the DEL key, and this event could only happen under
a combination of the above three circumstances.
* In the Reconciliation section, if you cleared all checks in the last
fiscal month, the program would flag the first month as having
uncleared checks. Ordinarily this would cause no harm unless you
started your budget in the middle of your fiscal year. HBMS would not
find the missing "LEDGR" files (inexcusable bug). Also if you "edited"
a checking transaction, it would not adjust the last uncleared month if
necessary. (minor annoyance)
* In check printing, if you tried to print a date field after printing
a script amount, the date would be corrupted. (Should have been a rare
request.)
* When trying to print a "Sorted Ledger by Account" and the account in
question contained no entries the page length was not checked. If this
happened near the bottom, it could cause it to run over.
* Would not let you "change" an account in a "full" category. This
condition could be overcome by changing the account to another category
first, making the change, and then changing back to the full category.
=======================================================================
VERSION 4.0 (November 1988)
----------------------------
NEW FEATURES:
* Faster operation throughout.
* Improved documentation.
* The long awaited transaction editing ability.
* You can now have a fiscal year different from calendar year.
* Check printing by user-designable format.
* Select your own screen colors.
* New setup program for colors and printer commands.
(improved printer support)
* Ability to go straight to Account Maintenance or Reports from the
"Action prompt" in Ledger Posting.
* Change to a different budget year and/or path without quitting.
* Ability to reconcile liabilities. (credit cards purchases, etc.)
* Delete accounts already marked for reconciliation.
* Much more careful with your data. Full I/O error trapping allows a
second chance when a full disk or other Input/Output problems occur.
* Handles paper out or other printer errors.
* Ability to pause during printout or abort printout.
* Now resets printer back to normal after printouts.
* Erases the data area in reports when changing accounts.
(avoids confusion)
* New opening screen and command line parameters.
* Escape key now works on all menus.
* New insert feature on input routines.
BUGS FIXED:
* If the beginning month was different from the first fiscal month,
the average totals would be calculated wrong.
* An extra title page was sometimes printed on income/expense printouts.
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #1302
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
ACCOUNTS 84 11025 11-12-89 5:44p
CATS 84 594 11-12-89 5:44p
HBMS DOC 86851 12-10-89 8:10p
HBMS EXE 75936 12-10-89 8:10p
HBMS OVR 67108 12-10-89 8:10p
LEDGR-4 84 6954 11-12-89 5:44p
ORDER FRM 2337 12-10-89 8:10p
PRCHECK DOC 8500 12-10-89 8:10p
README BAT 4315 12-10-89 8:10p
TESTDRIV DOC 9496 12-10-89 8:10p
WHATSNEW DOC 9549 12-10-89 8:10p
FILE1302 TXT 2739 7-10-90 2:15p
GO BAT 40 1-01-80 6:00a
GO TXT 745 1-01-80 3:09a
14 file(s) 286189 bytes
28672 bytes free