In the text of the manual you be will instructed to press keys on the keyboard. The particular key will be in capital letters. For example the text might say, "After entering the name field press the ENTER key". Note that the ENTER and the RETURN key perform the same task.
The pawnshop software is consistent throughout, in its use of certain commands and keys to simplify its use. This is helpful in being able to learn the system quickly and accurately. Following are field entry and key definitions used by APS.
The CURSOR, or vertical “toothpick” pointer, is the moving indicator of light on the terminal screen that indicates the last position where characters were displayed or to be entered.
DATES are always entered in the format MMDDYY or MMDDCCYY, for example 012185 for the date January 21, 1985. It will be re-displayed as 01/21/85 by the AlphaPAWN software. NOTE, if the foreign date option is selected then the date entry will be DDMMYY or DDMMCCYY
For the year 2000 the date entry fields will request eight characters. The date input routine has been written so that a minimal number of characters will have to be entered and the rest will be filled in by the system. The following table shows the resulting date when the minimum numbers of characters are entered.
MM is month, DD is day, CC is century, YY is year.
The result will be displayed as MM/DD/CCYY
Number of Characters Entered |
The Entered Characters are assumed to be |
If the Chacacters Entered is/are |
If Today is 1/14/99, |
If Today is 10/9/2000, |
1 |
D |
4 |
1/4/1999 |
10/4/2000 |
2 |
DD |
22 |
1/22/1999 |
10/22/2000 |
3 |
MDD |
325 |
3/25/1999 |
3/25/2000 |
4 |
MMDD |
1217 |
12/17/1999 |
12/17/2000 |
6 |
MMDDYY |
11885 |
1/18/1985 |
1/18/1985 |
8 |
MMDDCCYY |
7032002 |
7/3/2002 |
7/3/2002 |
If the year is entered without the century then the system looks at the year to determine which century to be assigned to the year. If the year is 40 or greater then the century will be "19", if the year is 39 or less then the century will be "20". When in doubt enter the entire eight digits. The default cut off year is set in the MIAME.INI. It is located in the folder C:\VM\MIAME\MIAME.INI
Note, in some cases, the date field needs to be deleted because a date is not appropriate. To "clean out" the date use the Control-Z key, hold down the Control key and push the letter Z, then push the Enter key. This will "empty" the field
DEFAULTS |
are used extensively throughout APS to facilitate the entering process. A default is when the computer will supply the most common value to a question or data field without having to enter it. Just push the ENTER key to accept the value. |
DELETE "DEL" |
is used to erase (backspace) a part of a field of information. Press the key as much as needed to erase. Some keyboards have the delete key labeled as RUBOUT or as BACKSPACE. |
DOLLARS |
All numbers and dollar amounts do not require a decimal point unless a fractional amount is to be entered. Do not enter the dollar sign or commas. The entering of leading zeros are not required when entering numbers such as a loan number or employee numbers. Be sure to always use the number "1" instead of the lower case "l" (L), and use the numeral "0" and not the upper-case "O" (zero) when a zero is required. Note: when searching for a memo/note loan number, leading zeros are required. |
ENTER |
also known as the RETURN key, is the key to push to continue forward in a screen after an entry has been made or at the system prompt to enter a command to the system. The common abbreviations are "ret" ENTER, or "cr" and is the "RETURN" or "ENTER" key on the keyboard. |
ESCAPE "Esc" |
is the key to use to exit or quit a routine. In the documentation the key is denoted by ESC. Sometimes in order to proceed "forward" the operator will have to ESCape from the current area. In the maintenance routines when the cursor is at the "Change No. __" location push the ESCape key to "Escape from change mode". This will bring up the next option which is the "Entry complete ....". |
FAST FIELDS |
When selecting a choice on menus, or in programs, and the entry is just one letter, the system is automatically in the fast field mode. The fast field means that the ENTER does NOT need to be pushed to let the system know that an entry has been made. All fast fields have selections that are single letters of the alphabet. Therefore by looking at the single dot "." of an entry field, the operator can immediately know that entry is FAST FIELD and whether a ENTER is required. |
DATA FIELDS |
Each item of information to be entered is called a data field. The data field will have a reference field number, the name of the field, and a row of "......" designating the length of the field. For example: " 2. Last name ..............". When entering a new transaction, the system will automatically jump from field to field until either the last field is reached or a ESC is entered. At that time the system will be in the "change mode", and by entering the field number, the system will allow the field to be modified or reentered. |
FIELD LENGTHS |
When a field is to be entered in APS, a row of dots, "......", will be displayed. The number of dots shows the maximum number of characters that may be entered. Knowing the maximum size of a field will help in deciding if an abbreviation is needed. Typically if a long address is being entered it may need to be abbreviated. |
LINE NUMBERS |
Some of the entry fields will have one line number that identifies a row of data fields. The item line on loan tickets is a typical example. If after a line is entered one of the entry fields is incorrect and should be changed, at the "CHANGE NO. ...", enter the line number and push the ENTER key to skip across to the required field. |
MENU |
The APS is accessed by "MENUS", see Appendix D for a complete APS menu. A Menu is a list of routines that one makes a selection from. All selections from menus are by single letter in the "fast field" entry mode. |
MESSAGE HELPS |
APS will display message lines that will further explain what is to be entered .at the bottom of the screens. |
Question "?" |
The question mark and the designated HELP key are used to display either text help or possible values that may be entered in the current field. If help is available the message prompt at the bottom of the screen will display a "?". To have the help text displayed enter either the question mark or the help key. |
AlphaPawn |
To start the APS software, double click on the APS icon. |
TAB |
is used throughout the Display/Print routines as a key to signify "ANY" or not applicable "N/A". In screens that are full screen editing (denoted by the word "screen" on the top line). The TAB key may be used to advance to the next field. |
TIME |
the time shown on the master menu and in the Time Clock Program is on a twenty-four hour clock. This means if it shows 15:35:12 that the time is 3:35 pm and twelve seconds. |
