PDA Software Library/pdasoftwarelib.iso/PSION/MISC/S3ABANK8/BANK8-2.TXT

Text File | 1996-09-28 | 9.5 KB | 200 lines

PART 2 - QUICK TUTORIAL
-----------------------

1.    To start the program:

    a.    Highlight 'Bank' under the BANK Icon.

    b.    Press <PSION-N> to generate a new file (or select via the FILE menu).

    c.    Select the required drive (Internal or a RAM SSD).

    d.    Type ACCOUNTS as a title (or anything else you fancy).

Remove the 'nag' screen by pressing <Enter>.  If you want
to skip this screen you will have to register your copy !!

2.    You are now in the 'top-level' screen, which contains
details of the accounts you have in the Group.  (You
actually need only one Group to run your accounts, but
personally I like to run different groups for my normal
accounts, my savings accounts and my expense account.
Basically you treat the Groups and Accounts in the same
way as you would treat directories (or folders) and files on
your PC, MAC or Psion !)

3.    Press the MENU key and then the left arrow key
and you will see the various core modules that make up the
whole program.  Selecting 'Add-In Modules' shows the
optional modules (assuming you loaded the appropriate
.OVL files).   All of these modules can be selected either by
using this MENU selection, by pressing a 'hot-key' i.e.
<Shift-PSION-C> for the Currencies, or by using the
diamond key to cycle through the screens.  This tutorial,
and Part 3 of the instructions, will take you through each
module in turn.

4.    Press <Esc> and the MENU key again for the FILE
commands.  I hope these are obvious, and are the usual
commands you expect to see in most programs.  Just note
that you will not be allowed to Delete the Group you are
working on, you will have to Open into another Group first.
(There is no requirement for a SAVE command, as this
happens automatically).

5.    Press the MENU key again for the EDIT commands
and select 'Enter new account' (or press <PSION-E>).  As
an example, type 'Current' for the short title, 'Current
Account' for the Description, and whatever you feel like for
the Opening Balance (Credit or Debit). (For real, this will be
the final figure on your last bank statement.)  Note the short
title is limited to 10 characters, the description  can be quite
a bit longer.  Don't worry about the 'Advanced Settings'
field, that is covered in Part 4.  Press <ENTER> on
completion.

6.    Now enter (using <PSION-E>) a 'VISA' account as
well,  for use later in the tutorial.

7.    Note that you can use the 'Update Account'
(<PSION-U> or <TAB>) option if you want to change the
details, or the 'Delete Account' (<PSION-D> or <DEL>)
option if you make a mistake.  I have also incorporated a
Move command (<PSION-M>) if you wish to change the
order later.

8.    The initial setting is for the Status Window to be
hidden.  You can switch it in, either half-size or full size,
using the normal Psion method (<CTRL-MENU>).  You
will see later that each module can display additional
information if you have the Status Window hidden.
Personally I like having it in view.  I suggest you experiment
later within each module, but for now leave the Status
Window in view.

9.    Note also that the Cursor keys (&
PgUp/PgDn/Home/End) allow you to select an account, or
you can press the first letter of the Account to jump to it
straight away.  Select the 'Current' account for the next
stage.

10.    Now move into the 'Transaction' Screen.  This can
be done either by pressing the Diamond key, using the
Mode MENU option, pressing <Shift-PSION-T> or, the
easiest method of all, just press <ENTER>.

11.    Now enter an example transaction, such as writing a
cheque.  Use the MENU, <PSION-E> or just press
<ENTER> to start the process.  Select the date, (to make it
easy it defaults to today's date), a description and an amount
(leaving it as a Debit in this case, as we are spending
money).  Move down to the  'Transfer' item and use the
<TAB> key or the arrow keys to see how you can select
another account if it is an inter-account transfer (i.e. a
cheque from the Current Account paying the VISA bill).
Use 'None' for now, to show a cheque being paid to an
external  agency. Skip the 'Display Advanced Functions'
field for now, that comes in Part 4, and the æUpdate Budget
CategoryÆ field, as that is also covered later.  Finally, you
can use the Reference field for anything you like, in this case
it's just a free field.  Press <ENTER> when complete.

12.    Add a few more transactions, and to demonstrate
the Transfer function, do a VISA payment by paying a
cheque as before, but selecting VISA in the Transfer field.
Press <ENTER> when complete. You are offered the
opportunity to change the description and value, just in case
you want them to be slightly different.  Now press <ESC>
(or Shift-PSION-A or via the MENU), to get back to the
Accounts screen, select the VISA account, and check the
transfer went in OK.

13.    Go back to the transactions in the Current Account
and practice updating entries (<PSION-U> or <TAB>) and
deleting entries (<PSION-D> or <DEL>).  Note that the
Update menu replaces the Transfer field with an Attribute
field (leave this at the moment, it is explained next).  Also,
note that if you press <CTRL-MENU> key to remove the
Status Window, you will see the additional details in the
Reference field displayed on the screen.  Also, you can
select a small font using <PSION-Z>, which will allow
larger numbers and descriptions to be displayed without
overwriting or truncating, or the Swiss font through the 'Set
Preferences' menu.  The font size is screen specific, so you
can have different settings in each screen.

14.    We can now simulate receiving a bank statement.
At the  start, the Initial Balance figure should match the
starting  balance on the previous statement (In real life, if it
doesn't, you must have made a mistake reconciling the
previous statement!).  Now reconcile each entry on the
statement, using <PSION-R>, <R> or, more easily, the
Space Bar (This 'single-key' option can be disabled if you
don't like it, using the 'Set Preferences' menu).  Once you
have a reconciled entry, the Initial Balance window changes
to Reconciled Balance.  After each entry is checked, the
new Reconciled Balance should match the balance on the
statement (in the UK that is, I find in the USA they do not
have 'running balances' on their statements.)

15.    Having confirmed the statement, we should now
archive the entries  (You must do this regularly, as you can
hold a maximum of only 100 transactions in each Account,
see the FAQ file for a fuller explanation of why.   Press
<PSION-V> to create an Archive file.  This will default to
the same disc/directory as the normal data, but can actually
be put anywhere.  (The way I personally use this facility is
to call the archive 1996  and use it till the end of the year,
archiving all accounts into it.  Then I will change the
filename to 1997, and use that.  Once I feel I will not
require regular access to the 1996 archive again, I will store
it on a floppy and delete it from the SSD.  Another method
many people use is to have a separate Archive file for each
account; basically, the choice is yours.)  Now archive the
account using <PSION-A>, and store the reconciled
transactions in an Archive file.  (If required, you also have
the flexibility of archiving or deleting ALL entries, archiving
or deleting by category, specifying an end-date, and
updating the balance or not as required.)  Note that the
system defaults to Appending the data to the Archive file,
but at a later date you may wish to overwrite an Archive.

16.    You can then view the archive at any time by
pressing <Shift-PSION-V> (or by using the Diamond key or
the MENU).  When the file gets quite long, there is a 'Find'
and 'Find Next' option which matches text in the Description
or Reference fields to enable you to find a transaction.
There is also an 'Find Date' option if that is how you wish to
navigate through the file.  If, at a later date you wish to use
another archive file just use <PSION-S>.  As this is just a
practice session, I suggest you now delete the Archive file
using <PSION-K>   Press <ESC> or <ENTER> to remove
the message, then <ESC> to get back to the Accounts
screen and use <PSION-V> to specify your preferred name
for the future.

17.    Another option I have included is the 'Deferred
Transaction' idea, where you can put in a transaction which
you know will happen in the future, but not include it in the
balances. To see this, go into the Current Account, select
the transaction, and use the menu or just press D or
<PSION-G> (Illogical I know, but I ran out of letters !!).
The entry will then be ignored in all future calculations, but
is there as a reminder.

18.    By popular request, I have also included an option
to draw a line under a transaction (<PSION-L> or <L>).
You can use this to indicate a credit card statement date for
example.  Finally, you can also have a 'warning' flag
(<PSION-W> or <W>) which triggers a warning every time
you leave the program.  I use this to show that a cheque
should have been paid, but I haven't actually written it yet !

19.     In the Transaction screen, you can switch between
accounts by using <PSION-S> or by pressing the right/left
arrows.

This completes the initial quick tutorial, and if this is all you
need you can stop here.  However, the program has much
more built in, so you might wish to continue with Parts 3 & 4.