Task Master 2.4c Copyright (c) Robert K. Summers 1988-93 All Rights Reserved. Distributor: RKS Software, 3820 N. Dittmar Rd., Arlington, VA 703-534-1726 (Voice) 703-534-4358 (FAX) 703-534-7812 (BBS) Task Master is an all-purpose project tracking program. Its purpose is to help you keep track of office tasks, projects, assignments, correspondence, and other work - easily. LICENSE You are licensed to use this copy of Task Master on a SINGLE machine and to make archival copies for the sole purpose of backing up the program. If you have more than one computer, you must purchase separate copies of Task Master for each computer. DISCLAIMER AND WARRANTY Task Master is provided on an "AS IS" basis, with no implied warranty regarding merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. RKS Software, Inc., and the author, make no representations or warranties with respect to the contents hereof, and specifically disclaim any implied warranties. By using this software you agree that RKS Software, Inc., and the author, will not be liable to you or any third party for any use of (or inability to use) this software, or for any damages (direct or indirect) whatsoever, even if RKS Software, Inc. or its agents are apprised of the possibility of such damages occurring. In no event shall RKS Software, Inc. or the author be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential or other damages. The entire risk related to the quality and performance of the program is on you. A NOTICE TO: USER GROUPS SHAREWARE DISTRIBUTORS ELECTRONIC BULLETIN BOARD OPERATORS PC user groups, shareware distributors, and electronic bulletin board operators are welcome to add Task Master to their libraries. If you have received Task Master through a user group, a shareware distributor, or an electronic bulletin board, please remember that any diskette fee you paid DOES NOT constitute licensing the software, and you are still obligated to pay the $39 registration fee to RKS Software, Inc. if you decide to continue using Task Master beyond the 30 day trial period. Page 2 SHAREWARE TRIAL You may have procured this software from another source such as the libraries on Compuserve, a BBS, a shareware disk vendor, or from a friend. That's fine!. We encourage registered users to introduce new users to Data Master by providing them with an unregistered copy. Try it out for up to 30 days, and if you decide to continue using it, pay the license fee of $39. You'll receive a registered copy and other benefits described below. Shareware gives users a legal but limited trial period to test the software before purchase. Task Master in shareware form is fully functional and completely documented. However, telephone support is not available to unregistered users. You must purchase the program (called "registering") before you can get telephone support. HOW TO REGISTER Our toll-free order line is 1-800-242-4775. See TASK MASTER REGISTRATION at the end of this User Manual for additional information. If you are a member of COMPUSERVE, just GO SWREG. The $39 registration fee will be charged to your COMPUSERVE account. COMPUSERVE will notify us immediately of your registration and we will mail your registered copy of the lastest version immediately. BENEFITS OF REGISTRATION 1. FREE LICENSED COPY OF THE MOST RECENT VERSION OF TASK MASTER, sent to you immediately by first class mail. Your registered copy will include any new features which have been added since the shareware copy was released, and will include corrections for any bugs or problems reported to us. In other words, the latest and the greatest. 2. PRINTED USER MANUAL, containing complete operating instructions for using Task Master. 3. FREE TECHNICAL SUPPORT by phone, FAX, Compuserve E-mail, RKS Software BBS, or by regular mail. We will gladly help you with any problems or questions you may have. 4. DISCOUNT on upgrades to future versions. If you don't register, we can't notify you of new versions of Task Master. Page 3 SOME QUESTIONS What is Task Master? Task Master is a very powerful, yet easy to use project management program. With it, you can create a file of projects, assignments, tasks, etc., and easily keep track of all the work going on in the office. You can query it for any selected subset of records, e.g., all of Smith's delinquent projects. You can produce reports in any of several formats, or design your own reports. It has a sophisticated pop-up appointment calendar, a pop-up calculator, and other useful business tools. Task Master is network-ready. It will run as a multi-user program on Novell and other local area networks. What equipment do I need? Task Master is designed to work on any IBM PC/XT/AT/386/486 or compatible computer, with a monochrome or color monitor. It requires 384K of working memory. Task Master works with any dot matrix or laser jet printer. Task Master is designed for use on a hard disk system. If you do not have a hard disk, you may want to consider a less powerful project management program. Page 4 INSTALLATION Make a working copy of the program disk and put the original away in a safe place. 1. Place the distribution disk in drive A. 2. At the A:> prompt, type INSTALL. The default installation directory is c:\TM, but the installation program will allow you to change this if you wish. 3. The install program will install the Task Master files start Task Master for you. 4. To start Task Master any time in the future, go to the TM directory, and type TM. INSTALLATION ON A NETWORK: Follow the installation instructions above for installation on a hard disk. The network supervisor must assure that Task Master users are given Read, Write, and Create rights in the Task Master directory. Ideally, they should be given all rights in the Task Master directory. The network supervisor must also assure that the Task Master directory is the current directory when the program is executed. Page 5 CONFIG.SYS FILE DOS uses the CONFIG.SYS file to set certain defaults for your computer. It should be in the root directory of your fixed disk. If you do not already have a CONFIG.SYS file you should create one that has these two lines: FILES=21 BUFFERS=16 In a network environment, you may need to set the FILES value to a higher number, e.g., FILES=31. If you already use a CONFIG.SYS file that does not include settings for files and buffers, you should add the two lines above to the file. You can do it with any text editor. If your CONFIG.SYS file already contains settings for files and buffers greater than these, you can leave them as they are. In most cases, Task Master will be able to detect whether you have a color or monochrome monitor. If you have a monochrome monitor and the Task Master screens appear to have a bright, washed out look, type TM M to start Task Master. The extra M tells Task Master to use monochrome, not color. STARTING TASK MASTER Go to the Task Master directory on your hard disk. Type TM at the DOS C:> prompt to start Task Master. The first time you run Task Master it will automatically create the master database, called PROJECTS.DBF, and other necessary program files. Opening Screen - the opening screen contains our copyright statement. The next screen displays the message "Updating for delinquent projects." TM is checking for projects with due dates earlier than today's date. If it finds any, their status code will be changed to DEL (delinquent). Page 6 MAIN MENU: You can use any or all of the fields in each record to record project data. NOTE: you can change the following field labels to suit yourself. See Option K on the Services menu. Number: TM automatically numbers your records from 1001 to 99999. When you hit record 100000, TM will start over at 1001 again. Type: This field allows you to categorize your records. As you will see below, one of your report options is to produce a project report categorized by type. You can invent any category types you want, e.g., CORR (correspondence), MED (medical), NY (New York), HIPRO (high priority), etc. We suggest you record the types you invent in the TYPES look-up database accessed through the main menu VIEW option (discussed below). The TYPES look-up database does not interact with the program in any way. It is just there so you have an on-line place to record your "types" codes for reference. Project: This field allows you to record the name of the project. Description: This field allows you to describe your project. Assn Office: This field allows you to record the abbreviation of the office to which the project is assigned. The OFFICES look-up table accessed through the VIEW option on the main menu, allows you to record the abbreviation and the full name. TM uses this look-up table to print the full office name on project control forms. Contact: This field allows you to record the name/phone of the person to contact for information about the project. Assigned: This field allows you to record the date the project was assigned. TM automatically assigns today's date as a convenience, but this may be over-typed. Due: This field allows you to record the project due date. Completed: This field allows you to record the date the project was completed. When you enter a date in this field, TM automatically places COM (completed) in the Status Code field. Curr Status: This field allows you to record a narrative description of the current status of the project. Page 7 Status Code: This field allows you to record the current status code of the project. TM uses three status codes automatically. You may add any others you want. The three standard TM status codes are WIP for Work in Progress, COM for Completed, and DEL for Delinquent. WIP is assigned automatically when you add a new record. The CODES look-up table accessed from the main menu VIEW option shows the three standard status codes. If you invent any other status codes, this is a good place to record them for future reference. Comments: This field allows you to record any comments or notes you may have about the project. When you have finished adding data for a new record, TM will ask you if you want to save the record. If you answer no, TM will return you to the main menu. If you answer yes, TM will add the new record to the database, and ask you if you want to print a project control form. The project control form is designed to provide a working cover sheet for the project documents. When the project is completed it can be filed with the project papers to document project history. If you have created a memo (F2 key) for this project, it will be printed on the bottom half of the project control form. You may select any main menu option by pressing the first letter of the option, or by placing the lite-bar over the option and pressing the Enter key. Add: Select this option to add new records. Edit: Select this option to edit any record. When editing a date field, you may increment or decrement the date by pressing the + or - key, as appropriate. Next: Select this option to display the next record. Previous: Select this option to display the previous record. Find: Select this option to locate any desired record. Zap: Select this option to delete the current record. Page 8 Reports: Select this option to display a list of available reports. There are five fixed-format reports, plus a user-defined report. If you select one of the fixed format reports, you will be given the option of sending the report to the printer, screen, disk file, of the form letter file. Send the report to a disk file if you want to edit the report with your favorite word processor. Send the report to the form letter file if you want to edit the report with Task Master's word processor. The user-defined report is quite powerful. It allows you to create your own reports, and save the report specifications for future use. You can create an unlimited number of user-defined reports. See Appendix B - Report Writer for details of operation. Services: Select this option to display a list of important utilities. A - Purge completed records - This feature allows you to keep your file up to date by getting rid of records of completed projects. We suggest that before you purge completed project records, you set the filter to completed records and print a copy of report # 1 so you will have a file copy of the records for future reference. B - Print control sheet - This feature allows you to print a duplicate copy of the project control form, e.g., in case the original is damaged. C - Write form letter - Select this option to prepare form letters. You can merge data from your records into your form letters, and them print them. See the instructions which are part of the form letter utility. D - Set Printer Options - Select this option to (1) set the lines per page (default is 55) for the five pre-formatted reports, and (2) set the printer orientation to regular dot matrix, laserjet portrait, or laserjet landscape (default is regular dot matrix). E - Set next number - Use this feature to manually set the next project number. The next number to be assigned is shown. Changing the next number is normally NOT something you would want to do, since Task Master takes care of numbering projects in exact sequential order for you. However, if you want to reset the next number to one of your own choice, you can do it here. As in all parts of Task Master, you can press Esc to back out of this procedure if you change your mind and decide not to change the next number. Page 9 F - Set date format - Use this feature to select the date format you prefer. G - Toggle auto-statcode - Use this feature to turn the automatic status code update on or off. When you toggle the automatic status code update off, Task Master will not automatically check for delinquent records when the program starts, and will not automatically change the status code when you edit records. All status codes must be entered manually when automatic status update is toggled off. H - Report/form heading - Use this option to change the heading on the project control form and reports. I - Save As - Use this option to save your project records to an ASCII, dBase, or mailmerge file. >> Save to ASCII file: Select this option to copy your records to an ASCII file. You may copy to an ASCII file in which the records are fixed length or variable length. Fixed length ASCII files are called SDF (System Data Format) files. Variable length files are called DELIMITED files. In fixed length SDF files, records are fixed length, each separated by a carriage return/line feed. Fields are fixed length and there is no field separator. Character fields are padded with trailing blanks, numeric fields are padded with leading blanks, date fields are written in the form yyyymmdd, and logical fields are written as T or F. The end-of-file mark ia 1A hex or CHR(26). In a delimited file, records are variable length, separated by a carriage return/line feed. Fields are variable length and separated by commas. Character fields are enclosed in delimiters (the double quote mark is the default delimiter). Leading and trailing spaces for numeric and character fields are truncated, date fields being written in the form yyyymmdd, and logical fields are written as T or F. The end-of-file mark is 1A hex or CHR(26). >> Save to dBase - Select this option to copy the projects file, or selected fields in the projects file, to another dbase file. Task Master records are stored in a standard dbase file called PROJECTS.DBF. >> Save to mailmerge file - Select this option to copy your records to a file which can be read by the WordPerfect or Microsoft Word word processing programs. Page 10 J - Change Field Labels - use this option to change the screen labels of the data fields. These labels will also appear on the Project Control Sheet. K - Reindex files - Task Master uses automatically maintained files called indexes to keep your records in order by number, due date, office, type, and status code. Power outages, power surges, brownouts (voltage reductions), or other power-related problems affecting your system can adversely affect these index files without your knowing it. If your records ever seem to be out of sequence, just use this feature to rebuild the index files. L - Import dbase Records - Task Master's data files (PROJECTS.DBF and PROJECTS.DBT) are in the industry-standard dbase format. This option allows you to import records from other dbase files into Task Master. Your existing Task Master records are not affected. The new records are just added to your existing records. IMPORTANT: After importing new records, you will have to do two things: 1. Number the new records. Use the F3 Set Index key to place your records in Number order. Because the new records have no numbers, they float to the top of the file, before those records with numbers. Task Master does not allow you to change the project number in Edit mode. Therefore, select View from the main menu, then Projects, to access the projects in browse mode. Highlight the Number field of the first blank record, press Enter, and insert the correct new number. Repeat this for all new records. 2. Reset the next automatic number. Select Set Next Number on the Services menu, and set the next automatic number. For example, if the last number you assigned to the new records was 2209, you would set the next automatic number to 2210. M - Import ASCII records - This option allows you to import records from ASCII files. After importing new records, you must assign record numbers and set the next automatic number as described above. Page 11 View: Select this option to browse through the records of your main PROJECTS database and the four look-up databases. This option, like all others, obeys the filter condition. Press the Esc key to exit View mode and return to the main menu. Quit: Select this option to quit TM. FUNCTION KEYS F1 function key - press F1 to display the Users Manual. While in the help screen, you may Search for any desired subject, and print all or any portion of the User Manual. F2 function key - use this feature to view or edit the text in the memo field of the current record. You may enter any text you want. We suggest you keep your comments short, however, since disk space used for memos means less space available for records. Press Ctrl-W to save any changes. Press Esc to exit without saving changes. F3 function key - use this feature to select the index, or order, of your records. The default order is due date. When Task Master starts, you will be looking at the project with the earliest due date. With the F3 function key, you may set the order of your records to due date, number, type, status code, or office. A small arrow will point to the active order. When you select Next, Previous, or View the Projects database, the order of your records will obey this setting. F4 function key - use this feature to make a copy of the current record. The copy will automatically be assigned the next project number. F5 function key - use this feature to display a pop-up calendar and appointment notepad. Press Esc to make it disappear. F6 function key - This is a useful calculator that includes all the basic operators: addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), and division (/), plus exponentation (^) and a full-featured memory. Whenever you press an operator ('+', '-', '*', '/', or '^'), the previous number is shown above the display window. This is handy for when you are processing a list of numbers and forget where you were. Page 12 Memory Functions: To access memory functions, press "M", then one of the flashing keys: 'R' -- recall number stored in memory 'C' -- clear memory (reset to zero) '+' -- add current number to number stored in memory '-' -- subtract current number from number stored in memory '*' -- multiply number stored in memory by current number '/' -- divide number stored in memory by current number F7 function key - use this feature to display your record count. Remember that everything obeys the filter. With a filter set, this feature will tell you how many records you have that meet the filter condition. This can be extremely useful when someone wants to know how many projects of a certain kind there are. F8 function key - exit to DOS. This feature allows you to exit to the DOS prompt where you may do anything you like. To return to Task Master, type EXIT and press the Enter key. Caution: always return to Task Master and quit Task Master normally before turning off your computer. F10 function key - this is one of your most powerful features. Use this feature if you want to work with a selected sub-set of your records. Choose the Quick Filter, or the Super Filter. Page 13 QUICK FILTER Use this to define simple filter conditions. For example, if you want to work with only those records where "Smith" is contained somewhere in the Comments field, enter SMITH on the Comments line of the filter-setting screen. Press the PgDn key and you will be working with only that subset of records. If you were interested only in the delinquent (DEL) Smith records, you would also enter DEL on the Status Code line. You cannot include the Number field in a quick filter, but you can include the Memo field. If you want to include only those records that have the word Indian ANYWHERE in the Memo field, just enter INDIAN on the memo line of the filter screen. Look at the three date lines of the quick-filter screen. There are two date blocks on each date line, preceeded by >= (greater than or equal to) and <= (less than or equal to) signs. You can specify a time period for the filter by entering dates in the date blocks. You can use the first date block by itself or in combination with the second date block to specify a precise time period. For example, if you wanted to set the quick-filter for all delinquent projects where the word Smith was contained somewhere in the Comments field and the projects were assigned between 09/01/88 and 10/15/88, you would enter "08/31/88" and "10/16/88" on the Assigned line, "DEL" on the Status Code line, and "SMITH" on the Comments line. Press the PgDn key and you will be working only with those records that meet the filter condition. If you wanted to set the filter for only those projects assigned on one specific day, enter just that date in the first date block. Page 14 SUPER FILTER This feature lets you use a sophisticated Query Builder to construct more complex filter conditions. With it you can define very complex filter conditions and save these definitions for future use. Although very sophisticated, it is very intuitive to use. After you have added several records, you should experiment with this filtering feature so you can see how powerful it can be. See Appendix A for details. The filter condition you select affects everything TM does, including reports. You do not need to use this feature if you don't want to, but if you experiment with it and understand its power, you will use it often. When you set a filter condition, a "filter on" reminder message will appear to remind you. When you clear the filter, the message disappears. When you set a filter condition, EVERYTHING YOU DO conforms to the filter, including printing reports. Page 15 APPENDIX A - QUERY BUILDER The query builder allows you to define a condition which a record must meet in order for the record to be used by your application. When you Quit the query builder with a query active, your application will have access to only those records which meet the query condition. Think of the query condition as a filter. Records that do not meet the query condition are temporarily filtered out. The other records in your database are still there, but they are temporarily hidden. You can turn the query (filter) off by selecting Zap from the query builder menu. All your records are now available to your application. When you select the query builder, you will be presented with the following menu: Build a new Query Add to current query Count matching records Zap (remove) existing Query Save current Query to disk Restore Query from disk Delete stored queries What is current Query Edit current Query View records matching Query Quit Build a New Query: When you select this option, you will be presented with a list of the fields in the database you are working with. Here is an example: Database Field List < Deleted? > ITEM AMOUNT DATE CHECK_NO TO CATEGORY COMMENTS OK MEMO Page 16 Place the lite bar over the field you want, and press Enter to select the field. If you select the Deleted? option, you will be prompted to answer T (True/Yes), or F (False/No). T (True/Yes) means you want to include 'deleted' records in your query. If you answer F (False/NO), this means you want to exclude 'deleted' records from the query condition. A 'deleted' record is one which has been marked for deletion but has not yet been purged, or packed, from the database. In most cases, you will ignore this option. If you have selected a character type field, the query builder will display a menu of choices, as follows: = (EXACTLY EQUAL TO) <> (NOT EQUAL TO) < (LESS THAN) > (GREATER THAN) <= (LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO) >= (GREATER OR EQUAL TO) $ (CONTAINS) !$ (DOES NOT CONTAIN) ?* (WILDCARD MATCH) S (IS SIMILAR TO) B (BEGINS WITH) E (ENDS WITH) If you have selected a numeric type field, the query builder will display a menu of choices, as follows: = (EXACTLY EQUAL TO) <> (NOT EQUAL TO) < (LESS THAN) > (GREATER THAN) <= (LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO) >= (GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO) Select the appropriate option, and the query builder will prompt you as necessary to complete your specification for the field you have selected. Page 17 The query builder will then present the following menu of choices: DONE AND OR AND NOT OR NOT For many simple queries, you can select DONE. When first learning and experimenting with the query builder, you will probably want to select DONE and use the 'View records matching query' option to see the results of your query specification. If you wish to include other field specifications in the query expression, you can select one of the other options, as appropriate, and repeat the same procedure as above. An example may help. Let's say your query expression at this point is something like LASTNAME = "SMITH", and you wanted to work with only those SMITH's who live in California. Assuming your database contains a two character STATE field, you would: 1. select AND instead of DONE. 2. select STATE from the field list. 3. select EXACTLY EQUAL TO or CONTAINS (CONTAINS is often better) 4. enter CA for the state name. 5. select DONE. Your query expression now contains the appropriate references to both fields. When you have created your query expression, Query Active will flash on the screen. You can now select another option from the query builder menu. If you Quit the query builder, your application will filter your records so that only those records meeting the query (filter) condition will be used. Add to Current Query: Select this option to add more specifications to your query expression. Count matching records: Select this option to have the query builder count the number of database records that meet the query condition you have specified. Zap (remove) existing query: Select this option to remove the existing query condition. This restores access to all the database records. Page 18 Save current query to disk: Select this option to save the current query condition so you can use it later without having to redefine it. When you select this option, you will be prompted for a description of the query condition. Enter any description you want. Restore query from disk: Select this option to restore a previously saved query condition. Delete stored queries: Select this option to have the query builder display a list of stored queries. Select the one you want to delete and the query builder will remove it from the query file. What is current query: Select this option to have the query builder display the current query. Edit current query: Select this option if you want to manually edit the current query condition. Unless you are an experienced database programmer, you will probably not want to do this. View records matching query: Select this option to view the records which match the query condition you have specified. Quit: Select this option to quit the query builder and return to your application. The query builder can seem daunting at first. We suggest you simply experiment with it, building simple query conditions to get the feel of it. As you become more comfortable with how it works, try more complex queries. Remember to save queries which you may use again. This will save you the trouble of redefining them. Page 19 APPENDIX B - REPORT WRITER The Report Writer allows you to create custom reports, output the reports to printer or disk, and save the report specifications for future use. The Report Writer menu displays 12 command options down the left side, a column which gives the column number, and five columns which show the report specifications. The command options are: Load REPORT: Select this option for a list of previously defined and saved reports. Highlight the report you want, press Enter, and the all the specifications for the selected report will be loaded into the Report Writer. Create REPORT: Select this option to create a new report. When you select this option, you will be asked to name the report. After naming the report, you must select Edit REPORT to define the new report. Save REPORT: Select this option to save your report. Edit REPORT: Select this option if you want to define a new report you have just Created, or change a report you have just Loaded. When defining a new report you have just Created, the lite-bar will be over column 1 of Column Contents. Press Enter to display a list of database fields. Place the lite-bar over the field you want to use in column 1 and press Enter. The name of the field you have selected will appear in the Column Contents column. Whether you are specifying the second column for a new report, or editing an existing report you have Loaded, the editing procedure is the same. Use the arrow keys to move the lite-bar to the Column Contents, Column Title, Width, Pict, and Total columns. Use the ENTER key to change the contents of a column. Use the INSERT key to add a new column. Use the DELETE key to delete a column. Use the ESCAPE key when finished editing. To Add: To add a new column to the report, place the lite-bar over the Column Contents column where you want to insert the new column, and press Enter. Select the desired field from the list of fields which will be displayed. Page 20 To Change: To change the contents of any of the five report specification columns, use the arrow keys to place the lite- bar over the item you want to change, and press Enter. If you are changing an item in the Column Title column, you will first be asked to specify the column width, and will then be asked for the new title. The Column Title column initially contains the name of the field you have selected. The Width column shows how wide the column is. If you want to change the width of a column, select this item and enter a new column width. The default is the width of the field. The Pict column lets you specify a picture, or mask, for numeric fields. Please ignore this column since Task Master does not contain numeric at this time. Delete Report: Select this option to delete previously saved reports. Headers/Footers: Select this option to enter page titles and/or page footers. Filtering: Select this option to set a filter, i.e., specify the criteria which records have to meet in order to be included in the report. See the Query Builder section for a full discussion of how to specify a filter condition using the Query Builder. Grouping Order: This option is only available if the database has an active index. You can find out if you have an active index by choosing Grouping Order from the command list, and then selecting View current sort selection. If there is no active index, the report writer will tell you. You may use this option to have the report writer group your data into major and secondary groups. A group change is a point where a change takes place in one of the keys in an indexed database. Report subtotals will be printed at a group change. If your database has one or more active indexes, the report writer will present a menu of index choices. Pick the index you want to use for the report. Page 21 Next, the report writer will ask you if you want to select a major group from the index key. If you answer Yes, the report writer will present a menu of major group choices based on the index you have chosen to use. For example, if your index is based on the expression LNAME + FNAME, the menu will show two choices: LNAME LNAME+FNAME If you select the full expression (LNAME+FNAME), the report writer will not ask you if you want to use a secondary group. If you select LNAME, the report writer will ask you if you want to select a secondary group from the index key. If you answer Yes, the report writer will present a menu of choices based on the unselected portion of the index expression. In the example we are using, the menu would consist of the single choice FNAME. If this seems confusing, don't worry. Experiment with it a little by producing sample reports, and you will quickly see how it works. Other Options: Select this option to customize the look of your report. There are five categories within this option: Page Dimensions: Use the choices in this category to set the desired page length, page width, top margin, and left margin. Group Headers and Totals: Use the choices in this category to give the major or minor groups, if any, a title. The default titles are Major Group: and Minor Group:. You can also select any underlining characters you may want to use for the gropu headers and totals. Eject (new page) Options: Use the choices in this category to specify how you want the report writer to eject pages. Separator Characters: Use the choices in this category to specify separator lines and characters for titles, individual detail lines, columns, etc. Page 22 Miscellaneous Options: Use the choices in this category to specify whether you want to include a standard two line header on each page consisting of the page #, date, and time. You can also specify whether you want a full or summary report. You would use a summary report primarily for numeric reports where the major group totals were all you were interested in. The printer setup and exit codes allow you to send printer control codes to the printer at the beginning and end or the report. For example, if you are working with an Epson dot matrix printer, and want to print a report in condensed print, you would enter 15 as the setup code and 18 as the exit code. For a laserjet printer, the setup code for condensed print is 27,38,107,50,83. For landscape mode, enter 27,38,108,49,79 for the setup code. The exit code for laserjet printers is always 27,69. Printer control codes can vary widely from printer to printer, so check your printer manual for the exact codes for your printer. Unless you are very familiar with the printer control codes used by your printer, you will normally leave the printer setup and exit codes blank. Leaving them blank means that the printer will print in whatever font the printer is currently set for. Print Report: Select this option to send the report to the printer or to a disk file. We suggest using the disk file option until you are sure you have the report just the way you want it, since the disk file option displays the report on the screen while also writing to the disk. You can see right away whether the report looks the way you want it to. You can suspend or quit report production by pressing the Esc key at any time. If you tell the report writer to prepare a disk file, you will be prompted for a file name. Report Status: Select this option to see a summary of the total configuration being used by the report writer. Page 23 ASSOCIATION OF SHAREWARE PROFESSIONALS Robert K. Summers is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware- related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a Compuserve message via Compuserve Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. IMPORTANT FINAL NOTE WE ASSUME NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR LOSS OF DATA. Please make regular backup copies of your records to protect against accidental erasures or system malfunction. Your records are in the file called PROJECTS.DBF. Memo field data is in the file called PROJECTS.DBT. These two files must be backed up at the same time. In addition to the DOS backup.com and restore.com programs which come free with each copy of DOS, there are several commercial programs available for saving and restoring copies of your records. These include Fastback Plus, PC Tools Deluxe, and Norton Utilities. Should you ever need to restore backed-up files, please reindex your records (Services Menu) after restoring. TECHNICAL SUPPORT We will be glad to help with any problems you may have. You may contact us for technical support by: -Compuserve E-Mail at 72357,2034 -FAX...... 703-534-4358 -Voice.... 703-534-1726 -BBS...... 703-534-7812 -Mail at: RKS Software, Inc. 3820 N. Dittmar Road Arlington, VA 22207-4565 -- TASK MASTER REGISTRATION -- CREDIT CARD ORDERS ONLY You can order with MC, Visa, Amex, or Discover from Public (software) Library by calling 800-242-4775 or 713-524-6394 or by FAX to 713-524-6398 or by CIS Email to 71355,470. You can also mail credit card orders to PsL at P.O.Box 35705, Houston, TX 77235-5705. THE ABOVE NUMBERS ARE FOR ORDERS ONLY Any questions about the status of the shipment of the order, refunds, registration options, product details, technical support, volume discounts, dealer pricing, site licenses, etc, must be directed to RKS Software, Inc. at 703-534-1726. To insure that you get the latest version, PsL will notify us the day of your order and we will ship the product directly to you. NON-CREDIT CARD ORDERS If you prefer to pay by check, please complete this form and mail to RKS Software, Inc., 3820 N. Dittmar Rd., Arlington, VA 22207. Enclose your check for $39.00, plus $4.00 shipping/handling for U.S. and Canada, and $6.00 shipping/handling for other international orders. We accept all U.S. and foreign Postal Money Orders, and will also accept checks drawn on foreign banks. SEND TO: Name: _________________________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________ City: _______________________ State: ________ ZIP: ___________ Phone:_________________________________________________________ Send: ___ 5 1/4 inch disk __ 3 1/2 inch disk Whether you order by credit card through The Public (software) Library, or by check to RKS Software, you will receive directly from RKS Software, Inc. a copy of the most recent version of Task Master, entitlement to technical support, and notification of future upgrades at a discounted price. ---------------------------------------------------------------