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W O R K L O G ============= WORKLOG was written by a freelance corporate communications consultant out of necessity. It is, basically, a "dedicated" spreadsheet for self- employed businessmen whose clients demand hourly accounting of services rendered. There is nothing particularly fancy about WORKLOG. Most of the program source code manages the workscreen and input/output to catch obvious errors and prevent "accidents." (In this respect WORKLOG is quite bullet- proof.) Otherwise, anything you can do with WORKLOG, you can do with a decent spreadsheet program. But if all you want to do is keep logs of time spent on client projects, calculate the amounts to be charged based on hourly rates you specify, and print monthly records of time spent on the projects, then you'll find WORKLOG a more efficient and, I hope, elegant solution. If your system has a fixed disk, put WORKLOG.COM on a separate directory, and you'll have a quick, easy way to keep records of the time you spend on various client projects. You'll be able to see the effect any given hourly rate has on total billings for the project for the month. And, when it's time to invoice your client, WORKLOG will print an itemized listing of your services, which you can use as a "proof-of-performance" attachment. If you do not have a fixed disk, I suggest you put WORKLOG on a floppy disk of its own. WORKLOG generates data files as it is used (1626 bytes for each month entered and saved), and you'll need a certain amount of disk space to run the program and maintain records. WORKLOG was written in Pascal and will run on IBM Personal Computers and close compatibles. It should run with any video display configuration, but, to be frank, it has only been tested with the Monochrome Display and the Color Graphics Adaptors. ========================================================================== USING WORKLOG ------------- To enter WORKLOG, simply type "WORKLOG" at the DOS prompt and hit <ENTER>. After a brief program identification the main workscreen will appear. It is from this screen that you will perform all functions. You will notice that the two bottom lines of the screen contain all the available commands. To invoke any of the commands, you simply press the highlighted letter corresponding to the listed command. Although the commands are either self-explanatory or self-documenting, you may want to take a few seconds to read through the following notes. ========================================================================== WORKSCREEN COMMANDS ------------------- N - eNter line This will probably be your most frequently used command. Use it to make an entry on the next available line. You are limited to a maximum of 24 entries per log. If the log is already full, WORKLOG will not let you make any more entries. If you haven't yet entered anything, WORKLOG will enter the heading entry mode and will not allow you to enter on line 1 until you complete the heading entry. (See "H" below). Enter any alphanumeric string up to 6 characters long in the DATE field (e.g., "Mon 12"). Enter any alphanumeric string up to 48 characters long in the SERVICES RENDERED field. Enter the amount of time you spent in hours in the HOURS field. WORKLOG keeps hours in 2-decimal-place numbers, so, for example, "1 hour, 45 minutes" should be entered as "1.75". WORKLOG will not let you skip any fields because an entry would be meaningless without all three fields. Neither will WORKLOG let you enter weird hours, such as negative numbers or numbers greater than 24. (Try it!) E - Edit line "Edit" is probably the wrong word here. This command allows you to alter an entry by typing in a new one. When you call this command, WORKLOG will ask you which line you want to change. Enter the desired line number, then proceed as with the "N" (enter new line) command. If there is no entry at the specified line number, you'll get an appropriate slap on the wrist. D - Delete line No explanation needed here. But be careful: WORKLOG cannot "undo" this kind of delete. I - Insert line Keeping entries in chronological order, or any other order you choose, is entirely your responsibility. WORKLOG is not smart enough to understand whatever notation you may be using in the date field. That's where this command comes in handy. When you invoke it, you'll be prompted to enter the line number at which you wish to insert an entry. After that, the procedure for making the insert is identical to that for entering a new line (see "N" above). When the entry is completed, WORKLOG will automatically re- number the subsequent lines. If you specify a line number with no entry, WORKLOG will assume you still want to make an entry and will default to the first available line. As with "N" (enter new line), WORKLOG will not allow you to insert if the log is already full. C - Chg. rate When you first start a new log, the hourly rate will be set to zero. You must use this command to enter your hourly rate if you want WORKLOG to automatically calculate the total time charge for the project. You can always change the rate at a later time by again using this command. WORKLOG will not accept bizarre entries (such as negative numbers) in this field. And the maximum value you can enter as an hourly rate is $999.99. (If you charge more than that per hour, you don't need this program.) G - new loG This command lets you start a new log without having to exit and re-enter WORKLOG. If you haven't already saved the current on-screen log, you'll be given an opportunity to do so. (See "S" below.) L - Load Use this command to call up an existing log. This must be a file with an .WLG extension previously created by WORKLOG using the Save command, and it must reside on the same disk and directory as WORKLOG. (See "S" below.) When you enter the filename, WORKLOG assumes the .WLG extension, so you don't need to type it in. If you haven't saved any on-screen log at the time you invoke this command, you'll be given the opportunity to do so. S - Save You can save your on-screen log at any time by using this command. WORKLOG will accept any DOS filname up to 8 characters. Don't bother entering an extension because WORKLOG automatically adds a ".WLG" and will not accept any characters after the first eight. If you had previously loaded a log from a disk file and you've made some changes or additions to it during this session, WORKLOG will ask you if you want to save your updated log back to the same filename. If you answer affirmatively, WORKLOG will rename the old version with a .BAK extension before saving the new. The same is true if you specify a file that already exists. The only time WORKLOG overwrites a file is when you save back to an existing filename that already has a .BAK version. In that case the old .BAK will be wiped out by the new. P - Page You are limited to a maximum of 24 entries per log. (If you need more than that, you'll have to start a second log for the same project and month.) But WORKLOG can only display either the first or last twelve entries at one time. If you have more than twelve entries, you can toggle back and forth between pages 1 and 2 using this command. Most of the time page toggling will be automatic. For example, if you want to insert at line 15 but are looking at page 1, WORKLOG will switch over to page 2 for you so you can see what you're doing. H - edit Heading If you want to alter your log heading (client, project, month, and year), you can do so with this command. When you start a new log, this is the first command you should invoke. In fact, if you try to make a line entry without first entering heading information, WORKLOG will automatically go into the heading entry mode. (See "N" above.) You can enter any alphanumeric string up to 47 characters long for the CLIENT and PROJECT fields. For the MONTH field, simply enter a number between 1 and 12. The YEAR field only accepts 4-digit whole numbers between 1900 and 9999. (We should all live so long.) For MONTH and YEAR you also have the option of entering "C". This makes a call to DOS, and if the system date has been properly set, you'll end up with the current month and year in the respective fields. R - pRint Sorry I couldn't use "P" for this, but "Page" gets the letter because it is bound to be a more frequently called command. When you select this command, you'll be presented with two options. I did this because I was too lazy to study up on the variations in printer control codes. My printer (an IBM Quietwriter) can print extended ASCII characters (above 127 decimal), so I used them to create a more appealing printout. If your printer can do the same, try entering "Y" at the print option question. I think I've avoided using any control codes that are unique to the Quietwriter printer, so most printers with the extended character set should work. If your printer produces garbage characters or goes berserk with this option, enter "N" at the question. This latter option prints with unfancy characters, like "-" and "=", so there shouldn't be any problems. X - eXit Another self-explanatory command. If you forgot to save your log, WORKLOG will give you the opportunity to do so before putting you back in DOS. ========================================================================== OTHER FEATURES -------------- Using WORKLOG should be fairly instinctive. Single-letter entries, such as the commands, do not require termination with the <ENTER> key. Everything else does. The backspace key does what you'd expect it to do when you're making field entries. But I've added a few features that'll make life easier, especially on those occasions when you come to the realization that you've messed up but good. Commands with potentially annoying consequences have additional steps that give you the chance to get out before you regret the move. You can start any single field over again by hitting the <ESC> key. And, most fields give you the opportunity to cancel and undo the entire command by entering a "U". ========================================================================== SUGGESTIONS? CONTRIBUTIONS? ---------------------------- WORKLOG does not pretend to perform fancy calculations. Specifically, it adds and multiplies. And unless you have the need to keep logs of time spent on multiple projects, it's quite useless. But if, like me, you are self-employed and have clients who require you to account for your time, you may find WORKLOG handy. As I stated at the outset, I wrote WORKLOG out of necessity. It does the job for me, and I'm pleased that it gives me yet another justification for owning a PC. I'd be even more pleased if someone else out there finds this program remotely useful. If you do find WORKLOG convenient and useful, I would appreciate a voluntary contribution of, say, $15. If you've done any programming, you know that even a "simple" program like this represents many hours of work. (A worklog of the time I spent developing WORKLOG would make long, boring reading.) If my efforts help make your life easier or give your business a look of greater professionalism, a monetary show of appreciation would encourage me to continue in this vein. I am sure there are many ways in which I can improve WORKLOG. I look forward to receiving comments and suggestions from users. Please send any comments, inquiries, and/or contributions to... Harron K. Appleman 25 Waterside Plaza Suite UU New York, NY 10010 I can also be reached via CompuServe (ID# 73047,576). ###