VCalc Vehicle Manager V3.8

Help and Information

General Information

Vehicle List

Setup

Advanced Setup

Maintenance Warning

Adjusting Column Widths

Entering Data

Sorting

Statistics

Graphs

Trouble-Shooting & Technical Support

Registration

Removal

Distribution


General information about VCalc:

Designed primarily for the small business or individual, VCalc stores, calculates, and analyzes the cost and efficiency of your vehicle(s) (including hourly based vehicles, like water craft and construction equipment), and alerts when maintenance is due.  Has a fast, clean, and concise user interface

Hansen Software

155 E. "C" St., Suite "D"

Upland, CA  91786

74721.3027@Compuserve.com

HTTP://members.aol.com/HansenSW1

Copyright © 1995 - present, Hansen Software

  All rights reserved

Version Changes..

Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP)


 Vehicle List:

The Vehicle List is VCalc's technique of managing data files.  The maximum number of vehicles it can contain is 100.  To enter more than 100, run VCalc using different "working directories".

To enter a new vehicle, just enter all of the vehicle information into a new line, then press "save changes".

Maintenance check from the vehicle list:  Whenever a vehicle is selected on the vehicle list, the maintenance warning is automatically calculated and displayed.

Adjusting column widths:  Different screen resolutions will require the column widths to be adjusted.  See Adjusting Column Widths

To remove a vehicle from the list, either delete the info. item-by-item, or else single-click on the vehicle, then press "delete".  Note that while this removes from the vehicle from the list, it does not delete the associated data files.  For information on deleting the data files, see modifying data files.

To make changes to the list:  Changes may be made freely, except for the filename.  Changing only the filename on the vehicle list will disassociate that vehicle from any data previously entered for it.  To change a filename, and retain any data previously entered for it, see modifying data files.

To import VCalc version 2 data, see Advanced Setup


Setup:

Category Titles:  Changing these affects what is displayed (or printed), whenever a category is referred to.

Default Category:  This determines which category will be automatically selected every time that VCalc is started.  If "Last Save Changes" is selected, then VCalc will remember which category was the last to be saved, and use that as the default.

Default Vehicle:  There are three options here:  "None", where no vehicle is loaded at start up; "Last Selected", which automatically loads the last selected vehicle; and "Vehicle List", which brings up the vehicle list when VCalc is started.

Maintenance Warning...

Adjustable Column Widths:  Checking this box, makes the column widths adjustable for both the data tables, and the vehicle list.  See Adjusting Column Widths. for further details.


Advanced Setup:

These settings have been called "Advanced", because some settings can cause problems.

Maximum number of rows in each table:  Before registration, the number of rows is fixed at 10.  After registration, the number of rows may be from 10 to 2000 (2000 is automatically set when the password is successfully tested).  Setting the number to less than 2000 may be desirable, because the scroll bar will work better when less than 2000 rows of data have been entered.  But be careful when setting this, because if the number is set to less than the number of rows of data which have already been entered, then the excess data will be lost.

Importing VCalc, version 2.x:

This procedure copies the version 2.x data and vehicle list into the version 3.x format.  If "Prompt before overwriting" is not selected, then VCalc will automatically overwrite any existing vehicle list and vehicle data files.

Since version 3 adds an extra category to what was in version 2 (which separates maintenance from repairs), it will copy the version 2 "maintenance" category into both the maintenance and repair categories of version 3.  The user should then go through the two categories, deleting those items which aren't appropriate for each.

Screen and printer fonts:  Some settings can produce a real mess on the screen, so if it looks hopeless, just enter an ordinary font like "Arial", "Times Roman", or "System", and a size of 9 or 10.  That seems to work well on most systems.

Custom Colors:

Dark colors work best, because VCalc uses light colored text on the background of the color you choose.


Adjusting Column Widths:

With different fonts and screen resolutions, the column widths will need to be adjusted.

To adjust column widths in either the data tables or the vehicle list, first select the "adjustable column widths" from the "Setup" form.  Position the mouse pointer over the line to be moved (the mouse pointer should change to a double arrow), then press and hold the mouse button (to "grab" the line).  Move the line to the desired location, then release the mouse button to release the line.  Press "Save Changes" in the Setup form to save the column widths as the default.


Entering Data into the Tables:

Dates:  Enter dates as either mm/dd/yy or mm-dd-yy.  When entering a date in the year 2000 and beyond, enter the year in four digits.

Long-term expenses:  When entering an expense which covers a long period, enter it as smaller monthly expenses, rather than as a single larger expense.  For example, if insurance is paid semiannually, break the expense into 6 equal monthly payments, then enter that into the table.  Doing this will produce more informative statistics and graphs.  To help with this task, a feature called "Table Filler" has been added.  Table Filler takes an expense, divides it into any number of smaller monthly expenses, then enters them into the table.  Table Filler is accessed by a button at the bottom of the main screen, when one of the last five categories is selected.

Auto-entry of dates and mileages:  To automatically enter the current date into a date "cell", or the latest mileage into a mileage cell, first select the cell to receive the number, then press "x".   The date entered is based on the computer's internal clock, and the mileage entered is based on the highest mileage found in the fuel table.

Adjusting Column Widths...

What's the difference between "repairs" and "maintenance"?  Basically, for the purposes of using VCalc, "maintenance" is service which is planned in advance, and repairs are done on an "as needed" basis.  Data entered by this method is helpful, because "repairs" can then be seen in the statistics and graphs as an indicator of the vehicle's condition (vehicle wears out, repairs go up...).  "Maintenance", on the other hand, is fairly consistent over the life of a vehicle.


Version Changes:

Version 3.1 (first public release of V3.x):

Released 7/25/96.

1)  Added an eighth category, to separate maintenance from repairs.

2)  Added a "maintenance warning", to alert the user when maintenance is due.

3)  Vehicles can be entered and edited directly on the vehicle list.

4)  Annual history stats can display up to 50 years (7 at a time).

5)  Added the option of category selection by using a drop-down menu.

6)  Many minor revisions and refinements.

Version 3.2:

Released 8/7/96.

Fixed a minor problem encountered during the import of version 2 data (in some situations, an error message was erroneously displayed).

Version 3.3:

Released 8/20/96.

1) Fixed a problem with the auto-insertion of dates into the maintenance category.

2) Added the auto-insertion of mileages (or hours) into the maintenance and repairs categories.

3) Minor modifications to documentation.

Version 3.4:

Released 8/29/96.

1) Eliminated the sample data files.  It was discovered that there was a potential for the sample vehicle list to overwrite an existing version 3 vehicle list during a V3.x to V3.x upgrade.

2) Minor modifications to documentation.

Version 3.5:

Released 11/4/96.

1)  Included notification of Hansen Software's Web site's new download capability.

2)  Repaired a minor problem with the stats form.  An avg. MPG calculation of 0.00 could be generated, when neither a "mile" or "hour" vehicle type was selected from the vehicle list.  This was a rare problem, but VCalc will now default to "mile" in that situation.

3)  Repaired another minor problem with the stats form.  The stats form could start with an inaccurate default "ending mileage", when the maintenance warning was de-activated.

Version 3.6:

Released 1/8/97.

This version marks a pretty significant upgrade to VCalc, and therefore may have been better named V4.1, but for a variety of reasons was named V3.6 instead.  It includes the following changes:

1)  Top buttons now stay down when pressed, and are highlighted.

2)  Adds a two stage maintenance warning:  Indicators turn yellow during the "early warning" period, and red from then on.

3)  Vehicle list can now be set to pop up when VCalc is started.

4)  Screen layout is slightly modified (5 buttons across bottom, and all "unused" space now used for text).

5)  Dates are now displayed with the year in 4 digits, to handle the upcoming millenium change.

6)  The option of a "drop-down menu" for category selection has been eliminated.

7)  Many minor revisions and refinements.

Version 3.7:

Released 1/16/97.

Repairs two minor problems, and makes two minor improvments:

1)  Adds a "data has changed" warning prior to the loading of the Table Sorter and Table Filler forms.  This warning is present in all versions except V3.6, where it was inadvertantly left out.

2)  In V3.6, calling up the help file from the graphing module using F1 (instead of from the menu) would produce an error.  This has been repaired.

3)  The colors used for editing the category tables and the vehicle list table have been changed, so that selected text is distinguished from other text.

4)  During table sorting, the mouse cursor is displayed as an hourglass (to show that sorting is in progress).

Version 3.8:

Released 2/7/97.

Refines the details of detecting and handling "data has changed" situations:

1)  Previously, two situations could bypass detection that the data had changed in a table, and therefore bypass the "data has changed" warning.  One situation was where editing was not concluded (still in edit mode), and the other situation was where only one character had been entered into a cell.

2)  Previously, the entire category data was recalculated and redrawn on the screen when the user chose not to continue in a "data has changed" situation.  In V3.8, techniques were developed so that this no longer necessary, and therefore is a bit cleaner and faster in that situation.

Registered users of VCalc version 2 may upgrade to version 3 for only the price difference.


 Table Sorter:

Table Sorter reorganizes the current category, based on the selected criteria.

Note:  If the data is not saved after sorting, then the previous order will be restored the next time the category is selected.


 Statistics:

When the statistics form is opened, some default values are entered into the top section:

Start Date = The date entered in the vehicle list.

End Date = The current date, as returned by the computer's internal clock.

Start Mi.|Hr. = The Mi.|Hr. entered in the vehicle list.

End Mi.|Hr. = The highest Mi.|Hr. VCalc could find in the fuel category.

Edit these as necessary or desired.  Calculations are made using only those entries which fall within both the Mi.|Hr. and the date criteria.  When adjusting these, make sure that the date criteria and the Mi.|Hr. criteria coincide, otherwise some of the stats could be inaccurate.

To eliminate a category from the sum-total at the bottom, un-check the box beside it.


 Graphs:

The graphing module is actually a separate, stand-alone program, which is designed to work seamlessly with VCalc.

For information on setting the dates and Mi.|Hr., see Statistics.

VCalc graphs are pretty straight-forward.  Just select a graph, then press "create graph".  The graphs can then be modified through File > Setup.  The graphs can be printed in B&W or color, and can be copied to the clipboard for use in other programs.  To print a "color" graph on a B&W printer, the best results are usually seen by choosing the coarsest "dithering" mode available for your printer.

As with most all graphs, they aren't very useful until a significant amount of data has been entered.  As more data is entered, the graphs become more informative about the vehicle's cost and efficiency.


Trouble-Shooting & Technical Support:

If you experience a problem with VCalc, first try to determine whether the problem is actually within VCalc.   One way to determine this, is to see whether a similar problem occurs with other programs.  If it does, then the problem probably isn't within VCalc, but rather with either the hardware or operating system.

If you experience a problem with VCalc, then contact Hansen Software.  Include the following:

1)  Your name, as it's written in the registration form.

2)  Description of the problem.  The more information that is provided, the better the chances are of quickly working it out:

a)  Error messages which are displayed (the error code is especially helpful).

b)  Printouts of data, stats, and graphs.

c)  Copies of data files.

d)  Information on the circumstances in which it occurs.

Hansen Software's support policy:

1)  For unregistered users (the "trial period"), support is supplied, though at the discretion of Hansen Software.

2)  After registration, support is supplied for a minimum of six months from the date of registration.  After six months, support will most likely continue, though at the discretion of Hansen Software.  Support is provided primarily via E-Mail and USPS mail.

3)  "Bugs", if any are found, will be fixed promptly.   The updated program files will be immediately uploaded to the following sources:

a)  Compuserve (Go: WinProd.  Search the files using "VCALC*.*").

b)  America Online (keyword "Quickfinder", then keyword "VCALC").

c)  Exec-PC BBS ((414-789-4360)

d)  Hansen Software  World Wide Web Site.  This site also has update-only files, which contain only the files necessary to upgrade from  previous versions, and therefore are much smaller in size.

e)  Updates may also be delivered by the mailing of a floppy disk, though a $3.50 S&H fee is charged.


Registration:

Before registration, data entry is limited to 10 rows per category.  After registration, the limit is 2000 rows.  To register, enter all of the user information (E-mail address optional, and will be used only for VCalc notices), printout the info., and mail it along with payment to Hansen Software.  Within two weeks, the password will be delivered which will allow the full use of VCalc, along with technical support as described in this help file.  If a printer is not available, then hand-writing is acceptable (but be sure to include the "copy number" and "version number").

A personal name must be entered in the first line of the registration form.  If registering for a company, then a good way is to enter the owner's name in the first line, followed by the company name in the second.

Hansen Software

155 E. "C" St., Suite "D"

Upland, CA  91786

74721.3027@Compuserve.com


Distribution:

Distributing VCalc in its unregistered form is encouraged.  Distributing VCalc in its registered form is unethical, and is against the law (both U.S. copyright law, and international treaties).  Violators are financially liable for any estimated losses.

To assure unregistered distribution, avoid distributing the file "VCALC3DF.DAT" (the file which contains registration information).

The easiest way to distribute VCalc, is in the original "package" in which it was received.  If this is not available, then distribute these files only:

VCALC38.EXE  	Main program

VCALC38.HLP  	"Help" file

VCALCG38.EXE  	Graphing program

GSW.EXE  	A background program which handles the details of graphing

THREED.VBX  	A "custom control", which produces 3D effects

TRUEGRID.VBX  	A "custom control", which handles the details of the table functions

CMDIALOG.VBX  	A "custom control", which handles the details of the selection of colors, printers, and fonts.

GRAPH.VBX 	A "custom control" which works with GSW.EXE

MSAFINX.DLL  	A "dynamic link library", for some of the statistical calculations

COMMDLG.DLL  	A "dynamic link library", which works with CMDIALOG.VBX

GSWDLL.DLL 	A "dynamic link library", which works with GSW.EXE

README.WRI  	A "Write" file to provide user info. prior to installation.

FILE_ID.DIZ 	Used by BBSs for program description.

VBRUN300.DLL	A "Run Time" dynamic link library for MS Visual Basic programs

Professional Shareware Distribution:  VCalc may be distributed freely (in its unregistered form), without requesting permission, though notification will be appreciated.  .DOZ files are available from the Hansen Software.

Thank you for distributing VCalc.


VCalc Versions 2 Registered Users:

Registered users of VCalc V2.x may upgrade to version 3 for only the price difference between the two versions, $5.00.

To upgrade, enter your current registrant information and password into the registration form of this program, write "upgrade" on the printout, and mail it to Hansen Software along with a check for $5.00.  Within two weeks, you should receive the new password by mail.


 The Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP)

The ASP is an association of shareware authors, publishers, and distributors.  To become a member, applicants must meet several standards of professionalism, and must continue to do so.  The following statement is provided to you, by the ASP:

"Hansen Software is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP).  ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you.  If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help.  The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products.  Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI  49442-9427 USA, FAX 616-788-2765 or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536."

(Internet address 70007.3536@Compuserve.com)

The ASP also has a site on the World Wide Web at "http://www.asp-shareware.org".


Removal

To completely remove VCalc from a computer, merely delete all of the files in VCalc's directory, then delete the icon from Windows.


Maintenance Warning

When maintenance events entered in the maintenance category are "due", several indicators are activated to alert the user:  The maintenance category button lights up in red;  The event is highlighted in the maintenance category in red; And the "light" in the vehicle list will activate when the vehicle is selected.

Un-checking the "Activated" box will hide all visible signs of the maintenance warning.

The early warning feature turns the indicators yellow during a period prior to the actual event.  The length of that period (days, miles, or hours) depends on the user's settings in the Setup form.


Modifying data files

The following information is provided in case data files need to be moved, renamed, deleted,...

VCalc stores a vehicle's data in eight separate files.  They are named <filename>.DT1, <filename>.DT2, <filename>.DT3,... up to <filename>.DT8, where "<filename>" is what is entered in the vehicle list.  When VCalc saves them, they are saved in the current "working directory".

For former users of version 2, the version 2 method of file naming was similar, except that the 3 digit extension was slightly different:  .1DT, .2DT,... .7DT.


Hansen Software on the World Wide Web

Hansen Software has a site on the World Wide Web which provides the latest information about VCalc, and downloads of the latest versions (including update-only .ZIP files).  The address is:

HTTP://members.aol.com/HansenSW1

Please notify Hansen Software if you have any problems accessing or downloading from this site.


VCalc Limitations

"International"

VCalc will only work properly when the Windows' "International" settings are on "United States".  With all other settings, either the date format, and/or the currency format will conflict with VCalc's programming.  Also, VCalc does not support metric units of measure.

Number of Vehicles

The maximum number of vehicles that may be entered into the vehicle list is 100.  To enter more vehicles, run VCalc using different "working directories".

Number of data entries

Prior to registration, data entries are limited to ten per category.  After registration, the limit is 2000 per category.