Welcome to PC Accountant’s ProBooks
“Read Me Now or Read Me Later “
Let’s just say it will probably make your ProBooks experience a whole lot more pleasant, if you read this brief introduction now, instead of jumping in head first and hoping for the best. There are a few notes on installation, and some interface basics you’re really going to want to know to fully appreciate some of the features we’ve put into ProBooks.
Quick Start
What kind of computer do you need to run ProBooks
ProBooks will run on most computers running any version of Windows from
version 95 or higher. A minimum of 64MB of RAM memory is recommended for
Windows 95/98/Me and 128MB for Windows NT/2000/XP.
You will need about 40MB
of free disk space to install ProBooks. It takes just a few minutes to
install ProBooks from CDROM or from downloaded installation files.
Installation in the folder recommended by SETUP is suggested. You may install ProBooks in a different directory if you choose.
Run SETUP.EXE either from the CDROM or from the folder you downloaded to from the internet.
To start ProBooks in Windows, select Probooks from the Start menu, or double click on the ProBooks icon on the desktop.
For More Detailed Information on Setup and Installation...
Please refer to Setup & Installation.
We encourage you to read (or at least scan) the rest of this chapter.
Using the ProBooks Model
A fully configured set of books named 'ProBooks Model' is installed when you install ProBooks.
Use the ProBooks Model company to familiarize yourself with ProBooks. Later, you can use the model to try things out when you’re not sure how something’s going to work.
Don’t use the ProBooks Model for your own set of books. Add a new set of books for your company when you’re ready to get started. Add a new set of books by selecting Companies/Clients from the Setup System menu.
Setting Up Your Own Set of Books...
When you’re ready to set up your own set of books, please refer to the section Getting Started at the end of this chapter.
ProBooks Interface Basics
ProBooks follows the Windows interface style Use [Tab] and [Shift]+[Tab] to move between fields and buttons.
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ProBooks has four basic types of screens.
Menus are used to select a particular function. There are main menus like System, Sales, and so on, and there are sub menus for Reports and Utilities.
Card screens are used for maintaining information in various lists or files for Customers, Vendors, Items, and so on.
Entry form screens are used for entering things like invoices, purchases, payroll hours, and so on.
Report screens are used for printing or displaying the information you’ve entered through the card and entry form screens.
In addition, ProBooks uses Lookup Lists and Messages extensively.
Lookup lists help you find what you’re looking for.
Messages let you know what is happening, provide relevant information, or ask you something. Messages might inform you that a report is being printed, or ask you whether to save or cancel changes you’ve made.
ProBooks tries to put most of the options you need at any given time on
the screen where you can see them in the form of Buttons. We have found
that this is easier and more friendly than having to poke through pull-down
menus looking for the option you need.
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The [RightMouse] button has various features.
In Group Menus
In a group menu, the [RightMouse] button will activate the ProBooks main menu, from which you can select one of ProBooks group menus.
In Lookup Fields
Lookup fields are any field which is to be filled in with an item from one of ProBooks lookup lists or card files. This might be an Item number, Customer number, or name, etc.
When the cursor is in a lookup field, the [RightMouse] button will activate the appropriate lookup list.
When you select an item in the lookup list, the item will appear in your lookup field.
In Lookup Lists
In a lookup list, the [RightMouse] button will activate the KeyPad, which has options for navigating and manipulating lookup lists.
In Numeric Fields
In numeric fields, the [RightMouse] button will normally activate the Calculator.
If you select [Save=] the calculator window will close, and the current calculator value will appear in your numeric field.
If you select [XCancel] the calculator window will close, and the value in your numeric field will remain unchanged.
In Date Fields
If the cursor is in a date field, the [RightMouse] button will normally activate the Calendar.
If you double-click on a date in the calendar, the calendar window will close, and the date you selected will appear in your date field.
The Rest of the Time
If you’re not currently in a Group Menu, a Lookup List, and the cursor is not in a Date, Numeric, or Lookup field, the [RightMouse] button will normally activate Help for the current help topic.
You can disable this function of the [RightMouse] button, by setting RightMouseHelp to [F]alse, in Company Setup screen 1.
ProBooks Menus (System, Ledger, Reports, Utilities, etc.)
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The ProBooks System Menu
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Selecting a menu option
Select a menu option by pressing [tab] or [shift]+[tab]. As you move through the menu option buttons, information about what the button does will be displayed in the information window.
To select the highlighted button press [Enter], or click on any button with the mouse.
Select [Menu] to activate the ProBooks Master menu.
Select [Help] to activate the ProBooks Help system.
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ProBooks Card Files (Customers, Vendors, Items, etc.)
ProBooks Card Files
Customers Companies/Divisions Payment Terms
Vendors Sales Reps DOS Printers
Jobs Contacts
Fixed
Assets Checks
Employees
Lookup Mode and Edit Mode
All card screens have a lookup mode and an editing mode.
While in Lookup mode you can ‘flip’ through the cards in your file.
While in Lookup mode use [UpArrow], [DownArrow] or [Home], [End], [PgUp], [PgDn] to move to different records in the file. Use [Tab] or [Shift]+[Tab] to move between the control panel and lookup buttons.
While in Edit/Add mode you can make changes to the record that’s displayed.
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Editing a record or Adding a new record
To activate Edit mode, select [Edit], or click on any field/text box. To add a new record, select [Add].
To return to Lookup mode when you are finished editing or adding, click again on [Edit], or press [PgDn], or [Ctrl]+[W]. A message asking if you want to save the changes you made will be displayed. Select [OK] to save any changes, [No] to cancel the changes and restore the original information.
Popup a Lookup List
Most often you’ll probably find the record you want fastest by selecting the button for the field you want to lookup by, then typing the first several characters of whatever it is you’re looking for. If, for example, you are looking for Customer SMITH COMPANY by name, select [CUstomer] to activate the Customers list, then type SMI.
There are other ways to find things. You can select [Find] to find something in a particular column or ‘Look For’ something in any field in the entire file.
ProBooks Lookup Lists are described in more detail later in Using ProBooks.
Using the Arrow Keys
Press [UpArrow] to select the previous card, [DownArrow] to select the next card.
Press [Home] to move to the first card, or [End] to move the last card.
Press [PgUp], [PgDn] to skip twenty cards up, or twenty cards down.
Using Find, Filter, Key
[Find], [Filter], and [Key] provide other ways of locating specific records, or groups of records. Find, Filter and Key are also found in the Lookup List popup Keypad, and are explained in more detail in the next section.
Screen
Select [Screen] to tab through multiple screen cards.
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Keeping Notes on Your Customers, Vendors, Items, etc.
Memo
Select [Memo] to edit the memo field for the currently displayed card. The Memo field is an unlimited length field you can use to keep any kind of information you want. For example, for a Customer, you might use the memo field to keep notes on your conversations, and so on.
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Info
The [Info] button is one of ProBooks most valuable features. It gives you instand access to all kinds of detailed information on your Customer, Vendor, Item, etc., right when you need it. You can even prepare, and print or send a message, without leaving the current card, invoice header, or whichever screen you’re working in.
And you can access this information any time, no what what you’re doing. Because most all of your cards, are always available. Simply select Help, then Lookup.
Any time you need information, ProBooks has it for you, no matter what you’re doing.
Info
When you select [Info] the Info control panel appears over the card file control panel.
The Info panel has similar buttons and functions for Customer, Vendors, Items, Emplyees, etc.
For example, we’ll describe what each button does in the Customer Info control panel.
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Items
Items will display a report showing all lines items from sales invoices to this customer. You can see what your customer bought, the sales price, etc.
The report format can be modified to include other information you might want to have available at the touch of a button.
Orders
The Orders button will display a listing of any outstanding sales orders for this customer.
Quotes
The Quotes button will display a listing of any outstanding sales quotes for this customer.
Register
The Register button will activate the Sales Register dialog, with the current customer pre-selected, so you can run a sales register, just for this customer (or for any other customer).
Aging
The Aging button will activate the Receivables Aging dialog, with the current customer pre-selected, so you can run a receivables aging, just for this customer (or for any other customer).
Ledger
The [Ledger] button will activate the Customer Ledger dialog, with the current customer pre-selected, so you can run a customer ledger, just for this customer (or for any other customer).
Contact
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Keeping Track of Contacts or Sending a Message
Contact
The [Contact] button will activate the Contact dialog, so you can review previous contact records, or prepare a new contact record or message, for thiscustomer (or for any other customer).
A contact record could be just a record of a converstaion or meeting, but can also be used to quickly prepare a letter or message, and print it for mailing, or fax it directly to your customer from your computer (provided your computer has fax capabilities).
ProBooks will date, address, and sign the message, you need only enter Subject, Message, and if you like, a note.
ProBooks will save the message, so you can refer to it or print it later, and also keep a detailed time card showing how much time you spent working on it.
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Preparing a Quick (or Long) Message to Your Customer
Add
Select [Add] to create a new contact record.
Subject
Enter the subject of the contact or message, then press [Ctrl]+[W], or select [File], then [Close] from the menu bar.
Message
Enter the message text, then press [Ctrl]+[W], or select [File], then [Close] from the menu bar.
Select [Preview] to preview your message, or select [Print] to print the message.
You can control the way your message appears, by selecting from any forms (templates) you’ve set up to use with your contact/message records.
If you have fax software that allows you do fax from your computer, you can fax your message directly from ProBooks.
ProBooks will save your message so you can refer to or reprint it later, and records how much time you spent preparing it.
Report
Printing the Information in a Card
Rep
Select [Rep] to load a Report Writer Quick Report setup for the currently displayed card, or to load any other Report Writer setup.
A Quick Customer report would use the same report form (CUSTOMER) as the Customer List, but the beginning and ending range will be pre-selected to print only the current record.
Add
Select [Add] to add a new card. When you select Add, the key field, for example CustNo for Customers, will default to the next record number in the file. To assign your own CustNo, simply type over the number.
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Select [Copy] to make a copy of the currently displayed record, with a new code or ID. This saves re-entering of information when most of the fields for the new card are the same as in the card you’re copying.
Edit
Select [Edit] to activate edit mode to enable editing of the currently displayed card. When you’re finished making changes, select [Edit] again (or [Done]), then confirm or cancel your changes.
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Deleting a Card
Delete
Select [Delete] to delete or undelete the currently displayed card. When you delete a card, the word ‘Deleted’ appears at the bottom of the control panel.
Undelete
Deleted cards are not physically removed from the file until your Customer Cards session is completed. Until then, you can ‘undelete’ and record marked Deleted by selecting [Delete] again.
Remove Deleted Records Now?
When you select [Done] to complete your Customer Cards session, you will be asked if you want to remove deleted records. If you’re using single user ProBooks, and you’re sure you want the deleted cards to be removed permanently (that means you can’t get them back), select [Yes], and the deleted records will be removed from the file
If you’re on a multi-user system, your network administrator may advise you to select [No] when asked if deleted records should be removed. This is because records cannot be removed from the file while other users are also accessing the file. If this is the case, your network administrator will ‘Pack’ the data files periodically to remove these deleted cards.
Done
Select [Done] to end your card file session.
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ProBooks Lookup Lists (Customers, Vendors, Items, etc.)
All lookup lists respond to a sequence of keys pressed on the keyboard. After a delay of about 1 second the keyboard sequence is reset. For example: pressing SMI will take you to SMITH. If you press H in less than 1 second, you will stay at SMITH. If you wait 1 second, pressing H will take you to HINES.
You can also move to the beginning of the list by pressing [Home], to the end of the list by pressing [End], up or down a page of cards by pressing [PgUp] or [PgDn], up or down one card by pressing [UpArrow] or [DownArrow]. Or use the mouse and click on the arrow pointers or scroll bar on the window border to scroll through the cards.
Most often you’ll probably find the record you want fastest by typing the first several characters whatever it is you’re looking for. If, for example, you are looking for Customer SMITH COMPANY by name, type SMI.
There are other ways to find things. You can ‘Find’ something in a particular column or ‘Look For’ something in any field in the entire file. Press [F1] for details on all of the features of ProBooks’ Lookup Lists.
Special Lists
Accounts and Jobs
When you use the Chart of Accounts list or the Jobs list, you can search on either account or job number, or account description or job name, by simply typing numbers to lookup by account or job number, or typing characters to lookup by account description or job name.
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The sort order changes automatically, depending on whether a number key or character key is pressed.
Adding a new item to the list
Press [Ins] or [Del] to activate the ‘card’ file maintenance screen for the list you are in (if it’s not already active behind the list).
Selecting the highlighted item
Double click the mouse on an item, or press [Enter] or [Esc] to select the highlighted item and close the list window.
More lookup list features
Press [F1] or [?] for a complete list of lookup list features and the hot-keys to activate them.
Or click the [RightMouse] button to activate the Keypad dialog.
If you just don’t feel like using the keyboard, you can use the Keypad to help find things in your lookup lists.
When a lookup list is displayed, just click on the [RightMouse] button to activate the Keypad.
First Occurrence of a Letter or Number
Just click on a letter or A-Z or 0-9 to skip to the first occurrence of a letter or number in the list.
Beginning or End
Click on the up or down pointer to move to the beginning or end of the list.
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Selecting the Index Key or Sort Order
Index Key
Select [Key] to activate the Keys list and select a different index key on which the list should be sorted.
Normally, only a few columns from the selected file are displayed in a lookup list. After you select a new index key, if the key is different than the primary key for the file, all of the columns in the selected file will be available in the list.
If you need to look up frequently on a key that doesn’t appear in the Keys list, you can add a user defined index key. Lookups are dramatically faster when the field you want to lookup on is indexed. For more information on setting up User Defined Index Keys, please refer the the System chapter of your manual.
Order
Most lists have at least a primary index key and a secondary index key. In the customer list, the primary key is Custno, the secondary key is Company.
Select [Order] (or press [Alt]+O to switch between the primary and secondary index key.
Find
Select [Find] to activate the Find dialog box. In find, you can enter something to look for in the currently selected index key.
For example, if the current key, or sort order, is Customer, you could enter ‘Jack J’ to find ‘Jack Jones’.
In Find, you can also change the current index key selecting [Order], or select [Browse] to view the selected file in a browse window.
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Filter
Select [Filter] to set a filter to display only records that meet certain criteria.
ProBooks offers you several ways to set a filter:
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Looking For Something
With Look for Something you can look for records in which a particular field either begins with, or contains, what you’re looking for.
What you want to look for.
In Field
The field you want to look for something in.
If you select [=], ProBooks will look for fields that begin with what you’re looking for.
If you select [$], ProBooks will look for fields that contain what you’re looking for.
For example: Jack Jones begins with ‘Jack’ . Jack Jones contains ‘Jone’
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Selecting From the Filters List
The filters list displays any filters you have stored in Report Writer setups for the currently selected file.
Report Writer setups are saved when you select [Save Setup] from the extended Reports dialog, or when you add or edit a Report Writer setup card.
You can add new filters to the filters list, by adding a Report Writer setup which has only two fields filled in: File1 and Filter
To access your Report Writer setups select [Report Writer] from the System menu.
For more information on creating filter expressions and creating Report Writer setups, please refer to the Report Writer chapter of your manual.
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The Expression Builder helps you build filter expressions. The lists show the names of the fields in your data files, and the popup list the FoxPro functions and operators you can use in expressions.
For more detailed information on building expressions, please refer to the Report Writer chapter of your manual.
Look
Select [Look] to activate the FoxPro Find/Look For dialogue. Look For works like the search feature in a word processor. It searches the entire file for the specified characters.
Look For can be helpful when you’re only sure of a minor detail about the item you’re looking for, and you’re not sure what field it might be contained in. But since look for searches the entire file, it can take a long time if the file is large.
All
When you select a lookup button in a card screen, like [Custno] in Customers, normally only a few of columns from the selected file will be displayed in the lookup list.
Select [All] to display all of the fields for the selected file in the lookup list. When you select [All] the list will normally be expanded to fill the screen.
Ins
Select [Ins] to activate the ‘card’ file maintenance screen for the list you’re in (if it’s not already active behind the list).
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Controlling the Size and Position of Lookup Lists
You can re-size each lookup list as well as move it to a different position on the screen . The size and placement of the list will be stored in your user preferences file, and the next time you activate the list, it will be the same size and in the same position.
To re-size the lookup list using the mouse, click on the lower right corner of the list window and drag the corner of the window.
To re-size the lookup list using the keyboard, press [Alt] and release it, then, from the Foxpro menu bar at the top of the screen select Window, Size. Adjust the size of the list window using the Arrow keys, then press [Enter].
To move the lookup list using the mouse, click on the upper border of the list window and drag the window to the desired position.
To move the lookup list using the keyboard, press [Alt] and release it, then select Window, Move from the Foxpro menu bar at the top of the screen. Move the window to the desired position using the cursor keys, then press [Enter].
For more information on your user preferences file, please refer to topics Preferences, and Setup Workstation in the section Workstation Setup, in the System chapter of your manual.
ProBooks Entry Forms (Invoice, Order, etc.).
ProBooks Entry Forms
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Sales Quotes A/R Cash Receipts General Journal
Sales Orders Production Order Cash
Receipts Journal
Sale Invoices Bill of Materials Cash Disbursements Journal
Sales
Returns Assembly Components Repeating Journal
Purchase Quotes Job Estimate Reversing
Journal
Purchase Orders Payroll Hours Chart of Accounts
Purchases Invoices Payroll
Checks AP Checks
Inserting or Deleting an item
You’ve probably always wished you could insert an item or comment in an invoice form, or delete an existing item. In ProBooks you can.
Press [Ins], select the position in the scrollable list you want to insert an item using the mouse or the arrow keys, then press [Insert] again.
Press [Del] select the position in the scrollable list you want to delete an item using the mouse or the arrow keys, then press [Del] again.
Selecting the highlighted item
Double click on an item, or press [Enter] or [Esc] to select the highlighted item for editing.
More entry form features
Press [F1] or [?] for a complete list of lookup list features and the hot-keys to activate them.
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ProBooks Reports & Forms (partial listing)
Check Register Cash Receipts Register Sales Forms
Trial Balance Sales Register
Purchases Forms
Income Statement Purchases Register Sales Analysis
Balance
Sheet Inventory Register Sales Commissions
Income & Expense Detail Payroll
Register and lots more
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ProBooks Customizable Reporting
User Defined Reports and Forms
The [Form] option is available for almost every ProBooks report.. User defined reporting allows users to create and save any number of customized report formats using the features of ProBooks Report Writer.
A custom report setup can be created whenever the standard reports do not meet your particular needs or requirements.
You can select a filter, change the sort order and select the range for the report.
ProBooks includes more than one hundred report form and label form examples. Each can be customized using the report form designer, to satisfy your specific preferences or requirements.
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ProBooks Reports & Forms Customization
The advanced report setup window has additional options.
You can save your report setup so you can load it again later, or modify an exiting setup
You can modify the report for using the report form designer, or select a different report form to use with this setup.
You can also open a Browse window to view your data, or export your data to another file, in several formats.
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The Report Writer incorporates an expression builder which helps create reports by letting you select fields from a list, and placing them at the desired position in the report form.
In Windows, each report object can be formatted with any available font, and you can include bitmaps (for pictures or logos) in your report forms.
The number of reports that can be created is virtually limitless.
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Using ProBooks Help and Accessories
LookFor
You can look for help on a particular topic by searching the list of topics, or the entire text (Details) of the help file.
Index
Select [Index] to display the Help Index of all help topics.
Lookup
You can access most card files, in fact,t just about any ProBooks data file at any time. This includes adding, changing, looking up, displaying info, etc.
Report
You can run ProBooks Report Writer setups almost any time (depending on the number of windows already open).
Log
You can re-display the last report, or group of reports, or forms you displayed (from PCA.LOG) You can also edit, cut, paste, and copy all, or portions to the clipboard and save your changes to a file with a different name.
You can print any help topic, the Display/Log file, or, a text file.
Edit
Select [Edit] to edit any text file.
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You can use the calculator to calculate numbers anytime by selecting [Calc] from the Help menu.
Using the calculator while working in a Form or Card
When editing most numeric fields in forms or cards, you can activate the Calculator by:
When the ‘Popup’ button appears to the right of a numeric field, you can also click on the popup button to activate the calculator
You can use the calculator to calculate numbers.
The number in the numeric field will appear as the current calculator value.
The calculator works like a standard calculator.
The last several entries are displayed like a calculator tape. You can print the calculator tape, including the entries no longer visible, by selecting [Print].
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Once you’ve made your calculations, you can either save the result to the field you were working in, or leave the field you were working in unchanged.
=Save
Select [=Save] to close the calculator and return the new calculator value to the field in your form or card
XCancel
Select [Xcancel] to close the calculator, and leave the number in your form or card unchanged.
You can use the calendar to find a date at anytime, by selecting [Caln] from the Help menu.
Using the Calendar While Working in a Form or Card
When editing most date fields in forms or cards, you can activate the calendar by:
When the ‘Popup’ button appears to the right of a date field, you can also click on the popup button to activate the calendar
You can use the calendar to lookup a date, and enter the date in a form or card.
When you popup the calendar the date in the date field will appear as the current calendar date.
Last Month
To advance the calendar to the next month, click on the[Rightpointer], or press [Ctrl]+[RightArrow].
Next Month
To move the calendar back a month, click on the[LeftPointer], or press [Ctrl]+[LeftArrow].
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Last Year
To advance the calendar to the next year, click on the[UpPointer], or press [Ctrl]+[UpArrow].
Next Year
To move the calendar back a year, click on the[DownPointer], or press [Ctrl]+[DownArrow].
Today
To set the calendar to today’s date, select [Today].
Done
Select [Done] to close the calendar and return the new calendar value to the field in your form or card
ProBooks can record keyboard macros which can be played back using any combination of the [Ctrl], [Shft], [Alt] keys and almost any other key.
Macro Sets
You can keep any number of keyboard macro sets. The default Macro set is named PCA.FKY and is loaded automatically each time you start ProBooks.
Be careful with Macros. If you have a macro designed to run from a group
menu, and you accidentally start the macro from another part of the program,
it can be very annoying, and possibly even make a mess of things.
If you have complex macros, we suggest you save the macro set with another
name, and load the macro set only when you want to run your macros.
You can also play back your macros by adding them to the Options menu.
For more information, please refer to the topic Options that follows.
Saving Macro Sets
To save macros you’ve just created to a macro set with a name you choose, activate Help, then select [Macros], then select [Save]. Enter the name you want give this set of macros and select [Save].
The macro set will be saved in a file with the extension .FKY
ProBooks Backup/Restore does not backup these macro set .FKY files. Be
sure you back these files up using DOS, File Manager, or whatever method
you prefer to make backups of your files.
Loading Macro Sets
To load macros from a macro set you’ve previously saved, select Help, then select [M]acros, then [L]oad. Select the macro set you want to load.
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Macros are saved when ProBooks is exited to the currently active Macro file. The default macro set, PCA.FKY is restored each time ProBooks is started.
Recording Macros
To record a macro press [Shft]+[F10] and follow the prompts in the Keyboard Macro Definition dialog.
To stop recording a macro press [Shift]+[F10] again.
To clear a macro, press [Shift]+[F10], select the key combination of the macro you want to clear, select [Overwrite], then simply press [Shift]+[F10] again and select [Save].
Editing Macros
The Support Library (runtime) version of FoxPro which comes with ProBooks does not include the ability to edit macros.
The Standard version of FoxPro does include the ability to edit macros.
If you want to make extensive use of macros, you may want to consider purchasing the Standard version of FoxPro 2.6.
Adding Notes to a Help Topic
You can add notes to any Help topic.
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Notes can be used to record your own references, reminders, or to record specific instructions your company may have on using a particular feature of ProBooks.
Help notes are stored in a separate file from ProBooks help, and linked by the topic field. From time to time, updates of ProBooks help file will be available. These updates will not affect your help notes.
To add or change a help topic note select [Note] from the help menu.
Select [Whatsnew] to review Whatsnew, information that may not be included in the manual or in the help file.
Most menu, form and report windows are fixed in size.
Lookup Lists, and Editor Windows (PCA.LOG and Help/Edit) can be resized using the keyboard by selecting Window, Size, then using the arrow keys to resize the window, then pressing [Enter].
Yyou can resize a window using the mouse, by clicking on the window size icon in the lower right corner of the window frame, then holding down the mouse button, and dragging the mouse.
When you resize or reposition a widnow, Probooks remembers the size and position, and the next time you activate the same window it will appear in the same position and size.
In ProBooks for Windows you can resize a window using the mouse, by clicking on the window frame, holding down the mouse button, and dragging the mouse.
You can maximize a window (make it fill the screen), or return to the normal window size, using the keyboard, by selecting Window, then Zoom.
You can maximize a window (make it fill the screen), or return to the normal window size, using the mouse by clicking on the maximize window icon in the upper right corner of the window.
Most ProBooks windows are closed using the keyboard by selecting [Done].
You can also close most windows, using the mouse, by clicking on the close window icon in the upper left corner of the window or the [X] in the upper right corner of the window.
If there is more than one window visible on the screen, you can usually close the foremost window by clicking outside the window.
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Formatting Lookup List and Browse Windows
To activate the Browse options menu, select [Browse] from the menu bar.
Browse/Change selects whether the list or browse window is formatted as a list or grid (like a spreadsheet) as in the left partition, or as a form, as in the right partition.
‘Browse’ formats the list like a grid, as in the left partition.
‘Change’ formats the list like a form, as in the right partition.
You can display both formats at the same time in a partitioned list, as in the example above.
Grid
Grid selects whether grid lines are displayed.
Link Partitions
When partitions are linked, moving the record point in one partition moves the record pointer in the other partition.
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When partitions are not linked moving the record pointer in one partition does not move the record pointer in the other partition.
Change Partitions
Select [Change Partition] to activate the other partition, if two partitions are displayed.
Font
In ProBooks for Windows, select [Font] to select the font used in the list/browse window.
Size Field
Select [Size Field] to change the size of a column in a list formatted as a grid.
Move Field
Select [Move Field] to rearrange the columns in a grid.
Resize Partitions
Select [Resize Partition] to resize partitions in the list/browse window.
Goto
Select [Goto] to activate the FoxPro Look For dialog.
For more information on finding a record in a list, please refer to the Lookup Lists section in this chapter.
Seek
Select [Seek] to activate the FoxPro Seek dialog. The Seek dialog is similar to ProBooks Find dialog, but offers fewer options.
For more information on finding a record in a list, please refer to the Lookup Lists section in this chapter.
Toggle Delete
Select [Toggle Delete] to mark a record for deletion.
When a record is marked for deletion it is not removed from the file until the file is ‘Packed’.
For more information on deleting records and packing files, see Deleting a Card in the section Using ProBooks Card Files in this chapter.
Append Record
[Append Record] adds a blank record to the end of the list.
Normally you should not append records from within lookup lists or browse windows. Use the [Add] button in the card file control panel instead.
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Formatting Editor and Display/Log Windows
To activate the Edit Preferences dialog box, select [Edit], then [Preferences] from the menu bar.
Create Backup Copy
If [X] Create Backup Copy is checked, a copy of the original file will be saved with the extension .BAK, when you make changes to a file.
Save Text with Ctrl-Z
When [X] Save Text with Ctrl-Z is checked, an ‘end-of-file’ character is added to the end of the text file. This is a common practice in text files, but it’s not necessary for most applications.
Save Text with line feeds
If [X] Save Text With Line Feeds is checked, a ‘hard return’ (ASCII 13) character is saved wherever the line wraps in the window.
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If you plan on using the text file in a word processor, you should probably leave this box unchecked.
Justification
Select left, center, or right, to control how the text is justified in the window.
Save These Preferences
If you check [X] Save These Preferences, the selected preferences will be applied whenever you edit another file with the same extension (.LOG, .TXT, etc.)
Drag and Drop Editing
In ProBooks for Windows, if [X] Drag and Drop Editing is checked, you can ‘drag and drop’ selected text within the editor window.
To drag and drop, mark the text you want to move by either:
Then:
Wrap Words
If [X] Wrap Words is checked, lines longer than the width of the window will be wrapped.
When viewing Display/Log windows, is usually preferable to
It can be very difficult (maybe impossible) to make sense of columnar information,
as in most ProBooks reports, when word wrap is on.
Auto Indent
If [X] Auto Indent is checked, when you indent a line, subsequent lines in the same paragraph will be indented automatically.
Status Line
If [X] Status Line is checked, the status line, displaying line, and column number will be displayed at the top of the screen.
Cut and Paste
To cut and paste text, first mark the text you want to move by either:
Then press [Ctrl]+[C], or select [Edit], then [Copy] from the menu bar.
Next, move the cursor to the place you want to paste the text you cut, by clicking with the mouse, or using the arrow keys.
Then press [Ctrl]+[V], or select [Edit], then [Paste] from the menu bar.
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To save the file you’ve changed, press [Ctrl]+[W], or double click on the close window icon with the mouse, or select [File], then [Save] from the menu bar.
To close the editor window without saving any changes, press [Esc], or
double click on the close window icon with the mouse, or select [File],
then [Close] from the menu bar.
Printing in ProBooks
Select Printer
Select [Select] to activate the Select Windows Printer dialog box and select a Windows Printer. You can also select varions options like paper size and orientation. If you need to add a printer, or change additional printer options, select [Setup] instead.
Setup
Select [Setup] to activate the Windows Control Panel Printers dialog box. The Printers dialog box allows you to set additional options for Windows printers, and to add additional printers to you Windows printers list.
Select [Print] to print to the select printer.
Select [Display/Log] to print to a file, then display the file in an editor window. For more detailed information on [Display/Log] see the topic Printing to Display/Log that follows.
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Printing a ‘Report Form’ Report
When ProBooks will be printing using a report form, the name of the report form will display in the print dialog box, and an additional button, [Preview], will appear.
There are also some additonal considerations to take into account if you select [Display/Log].
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Preview
[Preview] displays a graphical ‘what you see is what you get’ (WYSIWYG) view of what your printed report will look look. This WYSIWYG view can be useful to determin of your report formatting is the way you want it, but most users find [Display/Log] far more useful if you’re interested in looking at the information in the report, as opposed to how it’s formatted.
Display/Log
Select [Display/Log] to print to a file, then display the file in an editor window. For more detailed information on [Display/Log] see the topic Printing to Display/Log that follows.
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Like it, hate it, wish it would...
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or wherever you’d rather be.
Please send us your comments, complaints,
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Email us at:
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