We've all read the articles about protecting your valuable belongings in case of fire, theft or other catastrophe. Even if your homeowner's insurance covers the full replacement value of your possessions, you'll still need to provide proof of ownership of each item before the insurance company will reimburse you. If you can't provide this information, you may have a real problem getting fully reimbursed.
This is why I created "Home Inventory", a FileMaker Pro template that provides an easy way to record all the information you'll need for your insurance company. Its many features enable you to:
Ñ Maintain a complete record for each item, including descriptions, serial numbers, value, replacement cost and much more.
Ñ Easily find and update information using FileMaker Pro's search capabilities.
Ñ Print a book with complete information on all your possessions, including space for photos, at the click of a button. You can also print individual items, in case you need to update something, or want to add that new VCR.......
Ñ Print reports for your insurance company that provide value, replacement cost and other information in a condensed, "at-a-glance" format.
Ñ Enter information on your credit cards, and print a call list with customer service phone and account information in case you lose your cards (new in v1.5).
Ñ Enter information on each of your insurance policies (new in v1.5).
Ñ Get online help, and even create a backup of your database automatically.
Requirements
Home Inventory requires FileMaker Pro, version 2.0 or higher.
How To Use Home Inventory
Double click the FileMaker Pro document titled "Home Inventory 1.5". The Main Menu will appear. Click on a menu item to perform that task. All program functions can also be accessed from any screen by pulling down the Scripts menu. It's best to move around between layouts by using the scripts and buttons; using the layout menu above the notebook may produce unexpected results.
Note: The template has three primary areas: Inventory , Credit Cards, and Insurance. Each of these areas contains a sample record or two. Please don't delete an area's sample records until you've entered at least one record into that area - the scripts and buttons will not work properly if there are no records in an area.
Enter New Item
This function brings up a Data Entry screen, where you will enter information about each of your possessions. Tab from field to field, filling in the requested information. The "Room" field uses a pop up list; select the room where the item is located. The abbreviations are as follows:
BR............Bedroom
LR............Living Room
KI............Kitchen
BT............Bathroom
Other.........Brings up a box where you may type other locations
To print the page, click the "Print " button in the upper right-hand portion of the screen. To add another new item, press "Command-N" or select "New Record " from the Edit menu. To return to the Main Menu, click the "Menu" button.
View, Edit, Print Item
Clicking this item will take you to FMPro's Find Mode. In the "Item" field, type some part of the item's name and press return. The Data Entry Screen for that item will appear, and you may edit or print the information as necessary (see above).
You may, of course, search on any field's contents. Refer to your FileMaker Pro User's Guide for complete information on FMPro's extensive Find capabilities.
Item Detail Report
This function produces a list of all of your possessions, and includes the item's name, the room it is located in, the source, serial number, catalog number and type of documentation. The report is sorted by room. To print the report, press "Command-P" . When you are through viewing or printing the report, click the "Continue" button in the gray status area to the left of your screen.
Replacement Costs Report
Click here to produce a report which calculates the total value and replacement costs of your possessions. For the purposes of this program, "Value" means the price you paid for the item itself; "Replacement Cost" equals the Value plus any sales tax or shipping you paid (your insurance policy may distinguish between these terms). The report includes purchase date, item name, source, cost, sales tax, shipping and total replacement cost. It is sorted by purchase date. To print the report, press "Command-P" . When you are through viewing or printing the report, click the "Continue" button in the gray status area to the left of your screen.
Print Book
When you are through entering all your possessions, click "Print Book" to print a complete set of detailed records. This function essentially prints each Data Entry screen, with a space on each page for a photo (it's important to take a photo of each item as further documentation). The date and time are printed on the bottom of each page. You may want to place these pages in a looseleaf binder. Be sure to keep the book, photos and receipts in a safe place, such as a fireproof box or a safety deposit box.
Credit Cards
Clicking here will take you to a data entry screen where you can add information about each of your credit cards. Click the "Print" button to print each individual card's record, or the "Phone List" button to print a handy list that lists your cards, account numbers, expiration dates and the customer service phone number. You can use this list in the unfortunate event that your cards are lost or stolen, sparing you having to dig out all your statements to find this information.
Note: After you register "Home Inventory" and get your password, you may wish to leave this password enabled or change it to one of your own choosing (see the FM Pro manual for instructions on setting up passwords). Now that this template includes your credit card numbers and exipiration dates, it's a good idea to have it password protected.
Insurance
This layout provides a place for you to enter information about all the various insurance policies you've collected from employers, banks, credit cards, etc. Click the "Print" button to print out each individual policy's record.
Help
The "How to Use Home Inventory" portion of this manual can be accessed without leaving the program. Click "Help" to display these instructions.
Backup
Place a disk in your floppy drive and click "Backup". A file called "Copy of Home Inventory" will be saved to the disk. Don't forget to back up your records! All that data entry won't help you much if your computer is stolen and you don't have any other copies of the information....
Register
Click here to read information on how to register your copy of Home Inventory, and print a registration form.
Other Products
If you've found Home Inventory to be useful, you'll also want to try Video Library. It's a full-featured FileMaker template for tracking information about videotape collection. Read all about it in the "About Video Library" document, included in this folder. You'll find Video Library on CompuServe, America Online, and the Info-Mac archive on the Internet.
About Shareware
Shareware is copyrighted commercial software. You are permitted to use "Home Inventory" free of charge for a trial period of thirty days. At the end of this time, if you find the program useful and intend to continue using it, you must send in the registration form with a check or money order for $15 (US). The registration form is the last chapter of this manual and can be printed separately.
Registered users of Video Library are entitiled to a discount of $5 off the registration fee for Home Inventory. You can also save time and money by registering Home Inventory and Video Library together for only $25 - just choose the option you prefer on the registration form.
If you are a CompuServe member, you may register online at GO SWREG. Just select the registration code 3759, which is specific for this file. The registration fee of $15 will be added to your CompuServe bill, and I will send your password immediately by e-mail. This is especially handy for users located outside the US; you won't have to go to the bother o f getting a check or money order in US currency. If you're registering Video Library and Home Inventory together for the special price of $25, use registration code 5853.
Upon receipt of your registration fee, I will send you a password which will unlock the file and permit you to add and modify layouts, change calculations, and create or edit scripts. I will also enclose instructions on how to remove the "Enter Password" dialog box that appears when you launch the program.
This system benefits both the author and the consumer - programmers can develop and distribute quality software without the expense of a retail product launch, and the user never has to pay for a product that doesn't meet his or her needs. But this is a true "honor system" - and it doesn't work unless users pay for programs they use and distribute these programs to their friends and colleagues.
Please distribute this program freely to bulletin boards, online services,user groups and your friends. Any such distribution MUST include all the files in the original archive or disk: Home Inventory 1.5 and Home Inventory Manual. This program may NOT be distributed by commercial shareware distributors without the author's express written consent.
Customization
As a special service to registered users, I will do some limited customization on the database without charge. For example, if you would like your name, address or other information on the reports, I will be happy to make these changes at NO additional charge if I can send you the file via e-mail. If you require a disk mailed to you, I must ask $5 for postage, handling and disk costs.
If you would like more extensive customization done, such as new reports, changes in layouts or screen design, or additional calculations, I will do this at a small additional cost, which will be determined by the nature and extent of the requested work.
Should you require other FIleMaker Pro databases for office or home use, please contact me with a description of your project and I will be glad to provide you with a very reasonable quote.
Technical Support
I regret that I am unable to provide telephone support at this time. I do have accounts on several online services, however, and promise prompt responses to e-mail queries.
Contact me at:
CompuServe 72511,461
America Online LynneRose
Internet lynnerose@aol.com
If all else fails, send a letter to:
Lynne Malchiodi
600 Lewis Road #205
King of Prussia, PA 19406
THIS PRODUCT IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY REPRESENTATIONS OR ENDORSEMENTS REGARDING THE USE OF, THE RESULTS OF, OR PERFORMANCE OF THE PRODUCT, ITS APPROPRIATENESS, ACCURACY, RELIABILITY OR CORRECTNESS. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE USE OF THIS PRODUCT IS ASSUMED BY THE USER. IN NO EVENT WILL LYNNE MALCHIODI BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL, RESULTING FROM ANY DEFECT IN THE PRODUCT, EVEN IF LYNNE MALCHIODI HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THIS DISCLAIMER SHALL SUPERSEDE ANY VERBAL OR WRITTEN STATEMENT TO THE CONTRARY. IF YOU DO NOT ACCEPT THESE TERMS YOU MUST CEASE AND DESIST USING THIS PRODUCT IMMEDIATELY.
Claris and FileMaker are registered trademarks of Claris Corporation.
All other company and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
FileMaker Pro ⌐ 1988-1994 Claris Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
