

                           I'M NO ACCOUNTANT (TM)
                Business Journal Templates for LOTUS 1-2-3 (R)
                    Copyright 1991 Willis E. Howard, III
                            All rights reserved.


               Distributed by Microsmith Computer Technology
                     POB 1473  Elkhart, Indiana  46515


     The shareware version of the I'M NO ACCOUNTANT Business
     Journal Templates for Lotus 1-2-3 (R) includes these files:


            JOUR165.EXE     The shareware distribution files for
                            the I'M NO ACCOUNTANT (TM) Business
                            Journal Templates are in compressed and
                            archived form in self-extracting file
                            JOUR165.EXE.  Give a copy of JOUR165.EXE
                            to your friends or associates for
                            evaluation.


            JOUR165.TXT     You are reading that file now.


     The operation of the software is explained in the printed manual which
     is supplied with registered copies of the distribution disk.



                             I'M NO ACCOUNTANT (TM)
                 Business Journal Templates for LOTUS 1-2-3 (R)
                      Copyright 1991 Willis E. Howard, III

     
     Thank you for your interest in the I'M NO ACCOUNTANT (TM) software.

     The manual on disk which you have received describes the functions of
     the current version of the software.  Any changes made to the software
     since the manual was written will be explained below.

     Please read the other text files contained within JOUR165.EXE because
     they will also have important information.


     Q.  Why write another single entry bookkeeping system?

     A.  I looked at a lot of software to find the right system for my
     business.  Nothing I evaluated seemed to fit.  I'm no accountant and
     didn't really want to become one.  I wanted a simple system that was
     easy to use.  I wanted to limit my data entry to what I had to have in
     my checkbook register anyway, plus one classification account number.
     I wanted easy access to the data so that I could make changes when
     errors were found.  By using 1-2-3, data exchange with other programs
     was also easy.  Using macros, new features could be quickly added and
     tested.


     Q.  What about security?  Can my data be accidently changed during
     data entry?

     A.  During data entry through the I'M NO ACCOUNTANT menu system and
     data entry screens, there are no commands to change data in the
     journal.  However, the spreadsheet can be cleared with the JOURNAL
     CLEAR command, but only after giving a new starting balance and giving
     the old file name as the new file name.  Changes can be made from the
     1-2-3 READY mode.  If there should be no access to previous data
     during data entry, new data can be entered into a cleared template.
     After you review the data for accuracy, you can use 1-2-3 to extract
     the journal entries of the new spreadsheet and then copy them to the
     end of the full spreadsheet.


     Q.  How do I view the current balance?

     A.  After loading the spreadsheet, press the ENTER key to access the
     1-2-3 READY mode.  Then press the ALT B key which will position the
     spreadsheet in the balance column under the final entry.



     Q.  Why are month numbers used to indicate when checks clear the bank
     during reconciliation?

     A.  Sometimes you need to prove that bills have been paid by providing
     a copy of your cancelled check.  When you use the number of the month
     (1 for January, etc.) to indicate when an item cleared the bank, you
     will only need that number to locate the envelope containing that
     month's cancelled checks.  Any non-zero number indicates that an item
     has cleared the bank.  An empty cell, a zero, or a string in the MONTH
     column will show that item as outstanding after reconciliation.


     Q.  Why are there two initial entries in the journal?

     A.  The first entry contains the starting balance which is needed.
     The second entry insures that 1-2-3 commands such as {end}{down} will
     position the pointer at the end of the journal and not at the end of
     the spreadsheet.


     Q.  What happens if I use a transaction date earlier than the starting
     date given during the JOURNAL CLEAR setup?

     A.  This is not recommended.  A JOURNAL BALANCE command will sort the
     journal by date.  If the record containing the initial balance does
     not remain the first record, the bank balance will not be properly
     indicated.


     Q.  What happens if I make an error entering the date?

     A.  If you notice an error made during data entry, press the ESC key
     until the MAIN menu appears.  Then press the ENTER key to activate the
     1-2-3 READY mode.  From this mode you can change any cell.  To change
     a date near the bottom of the journal, press the ALT B key to position
     the spreadsheet at the end of the journal.  Then press the left arrow
     until the pointer is positioned in the DATE column.  Press the up
     arrow until date is selected which you want to change.  To change the
     date, enter the new date as a string.  That is, press the single quote
     key and enter the date as '1/1/91 and then press the ENTER key.  To
     convert the string to a date, press the ALT S key.  Press ALT A to
     activate the I'M NO ACCOUNTANT menu.


     Q.  I noticed that all of the code for the macros is a part of the
     spreadsheet.  What will happen if I change the macros?

     A.  The macros control data entry, storage and extraction.  In
     addition, they determine how the data is viewed on the screen.  If you
     modify the macros, you could jeopardize the integrity of the software.
     In addition, the variables and named ranges are important for the
     operation of the software.  In general, you should only be changing
     data in the journal containing account information, and only when you
     are correcting an error made during data entry.



     Q.  How do I get rid of the sign-on delay?

     A.  This is explained in the printed instructions attached to your
     license.


     Q.  Why are symbols such as "/" not allowed in my company name?

     A.  When you type in the company name, everything you type is used as
     the title for a printout.  These special characters are interpreted by
     1-2-3 and may produce unexpected results.  To be safe, use only
     letters and numbers in the company name.


     Q.  The manual states that JOUR10.WK1 is supplied only to
     registered users.  Why is this template also found in the
     self-extracting shareware distribution file?

     A.  A decision was made to distribute both templates to all users,
     including those who have obtained only the shareware distribution
     copy.  This will allow a better decision to be made before buying.
     This will be explained in the manual during the next printing.


     Q.  What causes the delay to be shorter than the 15 seconds
     mentioned in the manual?

     A.  The new version of the software has shortened the delay
     to only 2 seconds.  This will make it easier for the users
     to load and run the templates.

