HELP TEXT

USING THE VIDEOSOFT SYSTEM

THIS PROGRAM IS DEPENDANT ON THE CORRECT DATE BEING ENTERED
IN THE COMPUTER.

The default password for full access to the private areas
is "1957".

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE FORMAT OF INFORMATION IS AS FOLLOWS :-

        1. ALL INFORMATION ENTERED IN CAPITAL LETTERS
        2. TELEPHONE NUMBERS,NAMES,MEMBERSHIP NUMBERS,Item NUMBERS
           AND Item NAMES BE JUSTIFIED TO THE LEFT.
        3. CODE NAMES SHOULD BE LEFT JUSTIFIED

        The Main Menu will have the following commands

1 - CHECK AVAILABILITY OF A ITEM

          The command will ask for a Number or failing that a Title
        of a particular Item that you wish to check. If the Item
        has been taken out already, the program will display the
        return date.
          If no Number or Title is entered, the main menu will
        return.

2 - CHANGE TO WEEKEND RATES

          This will set the rates for rentals to the weekend
        rate set up in the Item database. The program will auto-
        matically set weekend rates on Friday, Saturday and Sunday,
        however, if the Monday is a holiday it will be necessary
        to change to weekend rates for the holiday.

3 - CHANGE TO WEEKDAY RATES

          This will have the reverse effect of command 2


4 - CHECK ITEM RENTERS

          This command will index the Item database and then prompt
        the operator for a specific Item number to produce a report
        for.

5 - WHO'S GOT WHAT

          This command will prompt the user for the following :

        1 - FIND AN INDIVIDUAL ITEM

                After entering a item number, the program will display
                information about the status of the item, and if rented,
                the member number and name.

        2 - LIST ALL ITEMS THAT ARE OUT

                After being asked if a printout is required, The user
                will be given a complete list of those items registered
                as being rented and not returned.

        3 - RETURN TO MAIN MENU

                Self explanatory

6 - SALES

          This command will activate the sales invoice system. After
        entering a name, the system will prompt for sales ticket
        numbers. (maximum of six items on each invoice).
          As the item number is entered, the program will check to
        see that a valid item has been entered and display the title
        and price of the item. If the number field is returned blank, the
        program will prompt for the operator to check to see if the
        input is correct. If it is not correct, by pressing N the
        program will return to the main screen. If it is correct,
        by pressing Enter the program will print an Invoice on
        1/2 sheet paper and update the sales item data in the database.


7 - RENTALS

          This command will initiate the rental invoice system. You will
        be prompted for a Telephone Number, of a Name, or lastly a
        Membership ID Number. If none of the fields are filled with
        any information, the program will return to the main menu.
          The program will then activate a search based on information
        provided and display information about the member. If the
        member cannot be found a message will be displayed to that
        effect and you will be asked for information again.
          At the side of the screen you will see some other commands
        to deal with data displayed.

                A - Add/Zap
                    This will blank out the memo field and allow
                   the user to enter little pieces of information.
                   The information will display flashing to attract
                   attention. (I.E. Membership Cancelled  Do not Rent)

                C - Continue (Default)

                   This will continue to the next stage of rental

                E - Edit account
                   This will allow the operator to add or delete
                   money from the account balance.

                P - To view past rentals

                   This command will bring up the members past rental
                   information and whether the tape was returned late.

                Q - Quit

                   This command will return you to the main screen

                S - Continue Search

                    If the information presented does not match
                   the member, it is possible that there are two
                   members with the same search information. In this
                   case, by pressing S the program will look for the
                   next logical file and display that information.

          After verifying the information on the member, the program
        will then prompt for the numbers of the items to be rented.
        (There will be a maximum limit of six items per invoice.)
         As each number is entered, the program will verify that the
        title is in the database and then check the rental database to
        verify that this number has not been rented. After this the
        reservation database is checked to see if this number has been
        reserved for another customer. If these tests fail at any point,
        the program will advise the operator and prompt for another
        number. If a blank field has been entered,the program will
        now ask for any extra charges (such as late payments etc.)
         These will be added on the invoice. The program will then
        ask for the number of days the items are being rented for.
        (Defaults to 1 day) At this point, the program does automatic
        calculation for tax and totalling fields. It also updates the
        number of times the title has been rented and also the last
        date of rental. Then the member data is updated with the last
        rental date field and the amount spent by the member being
        added to. Lastly, the program will print an invoice on 1/2
        paper and return the operator to the main menu.


8 - CHECK ON A MEMBER

          You will be prompted for a Telephone Number, or a Name,
        or lastly a Membership ID Number. If none of the fields are
        filled with any information, the program will return to the main
        menu.
          Information on the member will then be displayed in a similar
        fashion to the rental screens.

9 - COMPANY DATA

          For this part of the program, you will be required to know
        a password to allow access to sensitive data. Please note
        however, that this will not protect you data from individuals
        bent on destroying information, and that you should always have
        a reliable backup of your data kept in some other location to
        protect yourself.
          After entering the correct password, the operator will be
        given another screen for manipulating the information.
          The default password for original startup is "1957  "

A - RETURNS

           After entering this part of the program, the user will be
        requested for numbers of items being returned to the store.
          The program will verify that the item had indeed been
        registered out and if not, display a message to that effect.
        If the item is late, a date will flash to advise the operator
        that this item is late. If the item is found in the database,
        it will attach a return date to the file and prompt the operator
        for the next item number.
         (There will be a maximum of 19 Items returned at one time).
        If the number field is returned blank, the program will return
        to the main menu.

B - CHECK OLD INFORMATION

        1 - CHECK A MEMBER

          This program will prompt the user for a member number to
        check. If the member is not in the database, the operator
        will be informed. Then the program will ask if a printout
        is required. The program will list off the items that
        the customer had previously rented.

        2 - CHECK A ITEM

          This program will prompt the operator for a item number to
        check. If the number is not in the database, the operator
        will be informed. Then the program will ask if a printout
        is required. The program will list off the members that have
        previously rented the item.

C - LIST RETURNS TODAY

          After prompting for a printout, this program will list off
        the items that have been returned today.

D - WHAT'S DUE BACK TODAY

         This program will, after prompting for a printout, automatically
         print out a list of those items that are due back in today
         or any previous date.

E - WHAT WENT OUT TODAY

          This program will, after prompting for a printout, give
        the operator a list of the items that were rented today
        and a total number of items rented.


F - RESERVATIONS

        1 - MAKE A RESERVATION

          This part of the program will ask the user for a telephone
        number, name or membership number. After identifying the
        member, information about the member will be displayed as
        in rental or sales. You will be able to see if the member has
        any outstanding late charges before continuing. You will then
        be prompted for a item number or item title. The program will
        store this information to be called up later.

        2 - LIST RESERVATIONS

          This part of the program will allow the operator to make out
        a list of reservations for a specific date. It can recall the
        information to the screen or print out the information.

        3 - DELETE RESERVATIONS

          This program will allow the user to delete past reservation
        data. The operator will be given all of the reservation dates
        available for deletion. After entering a specific date, the
        program will delete all reservations for that date.

Q - QUIT PROGRAM

          At the end of the day the program will automatically
        remove all returned items from the active files and
        update the old returns database. The program will print out
        a sales recap for the day and zero out the totals. At the
        end of the month, total figures will also be printed if
        requested and similarly at the end of the year.
          If the program is being stopped in the middle of the
        day, the operator will be given the opportunity to quit
        without removing data or updating databases.

COMPANY DATA SCREEN

  After entering the correct password, the operator will be
given access to the company data. The screen will enable
the user to edit and or enter data into both the member and
title databases. There are four levels of security with each
level having an increasing ability to change data.

The following commands are available :

1 - ENTER/EDIT ITEM DATA   (All levels)

        1 - ENTER ITEM DATA

                  Upon entering a number, the program will automatically
                verify that the number has not already been entered in
                the records. The operator will then be given a
                screen to enter data into the database. There are
                spaces for two different rates. At the end of the entry
                the program will ask the user to verify the data and
                then enter the information.

        2 - EDIT ITEM DATA

                  After entering a number, the program will verify that
                the number exists. You will then be provided with all
                of the information on the number. You will be able to
                change any of the information and once again be
                prompted for verification.

        3 - RETURN TO COMPANY DATA MENU

                  After entry or edit sessions this will return you to
                the company data menu.

2 - ITEM DATA REPORTS  (No Employee Access)

        1 - ITEM LIST BY TITLE

                  This will provide the operator with a complete
                list of items in the database sorted by title.

        2 - ITEM LIST BY NUMBER

                1 - COMPLETE LIST

                  This will provide the operator with a complete
                list of items in the database sorted by number.

                2 - SELECTED LIST

                  After proving starting and ending numbers, the
                program will print out a list for those items.

        3 - ITEM LIST BY CATEGORY

                 This will provide the operator with a complete
                list of items by category. You will asked for
                a category to print and only those meeting that
                criteria will be printed.

        4 - ITEM RENTAL REPORT

                 After being prompted for a starting item number
                and an ending moving number, the operator will be
                provided with data on how well the items have been
                renting. This is invaluable to keep track of which
                items are good renters and those that should be
                removed from the store.


3 - CUSTOMER DATA REPORTS  (No Employee Access)

        1 - CUSTOMER LIST BY NAME

                  This will provide a complete membership printout
                by name. It will take up to one hour to print depending
                on the speed of your printer. Make sure that you
                can do this without interruption.

        2 - CUSTOMER LIST BY NUMBER

                1 - COMPLETE LIST

                  This will provide a complete list of members
                in numerical order. Once again, this could take some
                time to do without interruption.

                2 - SELECTED LIST

                   After entering a start and ending number, the
                program will provide a list of those members.

4 - ACCOUNTING MODULE  (Owner Access Only)

          The program automatically saves information on the sales
        and rental totals for tax calculation purposes. You have
        the ability to view sales figures that have been saved
        by the following categories

        1 - DAILY SALES TOTALS

        2 - MONTHLY SALES TOTALS

        3 - YEARLY SALES TOTALS

5 - DELETE MEMBERS/ITEMS RECORDS /RESERVS ( No Employee or
                                               Assistant Manager Access)
          This part of the program will enable the user to delete
        any of the members, items or old data stored in the
        databases. It is advisable to delete old data that is
        automatically stored by the program at least once every
        six months and to go back six months before that. This
        way you always have at least six month information stored
        on disk. After the records have been deleted, the databases
        will be packed and reindexed. This may take up to ten
        minutes on an XT computer, so make sure there won't be
        any interruptions when you do it.

6 - PRINT LABELS

          This part of the program will print labels for member
        addresses and also for item titles.

        1 - MEMBER LABELS

                1 - ADDRESS LABELS

                          This will print address labels for blocks of
                        members. The operator will be prompted for
                        a starting member number and also a finishing
                        member number. If only one member label is
                        required, the operator can put in the next
                        highest number and the program will stop
                        after one label.

                2 - MEMBERSHIP CARD LABEL

                          This will print out membership card labels
                        for blocks of members. Once again the operator
                        will be prompted for a starting and finishing
                        member number. Information will be formatted
                        for making membership cards.

        2 - ITEM LABELS

                1 - LABELS FOR TAGS

                  This program will print information for tags. It
                will include the number, title, category of the item.

                2 - LABELS FOR CASSETTES

                   This program will print information for the
                 cassette. It will include the number, title
                 and category of the item.

                  Both of these programs will again prompt the operator
                 for a starting and an ending item
      number to print.


7 - INFORMATION MODULE (Owner Access Only)

          This module will identify the store name and address that
        prints on the invoices. It also stores information on the
        messages that print on invoices, the passwords to gain access
        to the data menus, tax rates for federal and provincial or
        state tax and in cases where an invoice is not required for
        rentals, the invoice print option. It also controls the type
        of monitor display and security levels for employees.

8 - BACKUP MENU

          This program will allow the operator to backup the various
        databases to removable disks. The only valid drives are A or B.


9 - ENTER/EDIT MEMBERSHIP DATA

        1 - ENTER MEMBERSHIP DATA

                After providing the system with a number, the number will
        be checked against the database to ensure that there is no
        other matching number existing already. Then the system will
        provide an entry screen for data to be placed in the database.
          At the end of an entry, the system will prompt the operator
        to ensure that the data is correct. If any of the information
        is incorrect, the operator can escape from the entry at this
        point. After this, the system will update the files and indexes
        for the new member.

        2 - EDIT EXISTING MEMBERSHIP DATA

                After being given a number, the system will check for
        a match in the database. If there is no match to the number
        entered, the system will inform the operator. If the number
        exists, the edit screen will appear with all of the inform-
        ation on the member. The operator will be allowed to change
        everything entered except for the membership number. Once
        again the system will prompt for correctness and then replace
        all of the old information with new information

        3 - RETURN TO PRIVATE MENU

                This command will return the operator to the private
        menu screen.

A - REMOVE DELETED DATA

          This will enable the user to remove those records marked
        for deletion

B - REINDEX DATABASE

          From time to time, it may be necessary to reindex the
        databases. dBase occasionally loses the index or in the
        event of a power failure while adding records may lose an
        index. This will rebuild all of the indexes.

C - RETURN TO MAIN MENU
