                           VIDEO EXPRESS 
                          Manual--Part One

  Welcome to Video Express, the video rental system program.  If you 
rent items or sell items to customers, Video Express is for you.
  This is the first part of the manual.  This part goes over basic 
information and tells you about each section of the program.
  The second part of the manual is another file called "MANUAL2".  
"MANUAL2" gives you helpful hints, tells you the best way to handle 
common situations, and has a quick reference section to tell you the 
quickest way to view certain information.
  The third part of the manual is "MANUAL3".  "MANUAL3" discusses the 
internal workings of the program.
  Although Video Express is mostly self-explanatory, it is still highly 
recommended that all users of Video Express read the first two parts of 
the manual before doing any actual transactions.

What Knowledge Users Need to Run Video Express:
  Every user of Video Express needs to understand certain keys on the 
keyboard:
  *<Enter> key:  Confirms an action.
  *<Esc> key:  Escapes out of an action.  Whenever you do not want to 
go through with an action, you can always press <Esc>.  Many times you 
will be asked a question such as, "Do You Wish to Delete This Customer? 
Y/N."  Just press <Enter> for Yes, <Esc> for No.
  *<Backspace> key:  Deletes characters to the left of the cursor.
  *<Delete> key:  Deletes characters on and to the right of the cursor.
  *<Insert> key:  Causes characters that you type to overwrite or push 
characters to the right of it along.  If it overwrites, press <Insert> 
and it will push characters.  If it pushes characters, press <Insert> 
and it will overwrite.  The default is overwrite mode.
  *<Num Lock> key:  Causes characters on the far right of the keyboard 
to act as numbers or as arrow keys.  The default varies depending on 
your computer.
  *<Shift> key:  Every letter that you type in Video Express is 
automatically converted into upper-case in order to limit human error.  
Never worry about pressing this key.
  Whenever you are asked to fill one or more entry boxes, knowledge of 
the following keys and key combinations will help you:
  *Up Arrow key:  Go back to a previous entry box.
  *Down Arrow key:  Move to the next entry box.
  *Left Arrow key:  Move left in the current box.
  *Right Arrow key:  Move right in the current box.
  *<Home> key:  Move to the beginning of the current box.
  *<End> key:  Move to the end of the current box.
  *<Ctrl>+Left/Right Arrow key:  Move left/right one word in the 
current box. 
  *<Ctrl>+<Y>:  Deletes all characters in the current box that are on 
and to the right of the cursor.
  *<Ctrl>+<End>:  Quick save-and-exit.
  You also need to understand databases, records, and fields.  Video 
Express has databases for customers, rental items, sales items, 
invoices, and reservations.  A record is one customer, one rental item, 
one sales item, etc.  Records make up the databases.  Fields make up 
the records.  For example, fields in the customer database include "ID 
Number", "Last Name", "First Name", and "Street".

What You Need in Order to Run Video Express:
  If Video Express has run on your computer before, skip to the next 
section.  Otherwise, make sure the following conditions exist before 
running Video Express on your computer: 

  *You are using an IBM-compatible 80286 or greater computer.  If you 
don't know, don't worry.  Video Express will still run on lesser 
computers; it's just not recommended.  If it runs really slow, you'll 
know you need an upgrade.

  *You are using DOS 3.3 or greater operating system.  If you don't 
know, type "ver" at the DOS prompt.

  *The following line exists in your CONFIG.SYS file:
     files=30 (or more)
  If you don't know how to check this information, just type "type 
\config.sys" at the DOS prompt.  If you need to enter this information, 
it depends on your DOS version.  Find in your DOS manual how to edit 
text files.

  *The following lines exist in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file:
     cd\vid_ex
     video
  If you don't know how to check this information, just type "type 
\autoexec.bat" at the DOS prompt.  If you need to enter this 
information, it depends on your DOS version.  Find in your DOS manual 
how to edit text files.
  Note:  If you don't want Video Express to automatically load when you 
turn your computer on, you can enter these two lines at the DOS prompt 
instead of putting them in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

  *Video Express files have been installed on your computer.
  To install these files, just insert the Video Express floppy disk 
into the disk drive, type "a:" (or "b:"), press <Enter>, type 
"install", press <Enter>, and Video Express will be installed on your 
hard drive.

  To start Video Express, restart your computer by pressing 
<Ctrl>+<Alt>+<Delete> (In other words, press these three keys at the 
same time).  The computer needs to be restarted to make sure that the 
CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files get executed.  Wait a 
minute.....Video Express should now be up and running.

Moving Around in the Main Menu:
  You can use the arrow keys and press <Enter> on an option, or just 
press the highlighted letter of the options.  For example, if the 
cursor is positioned on "Customers" and you want to go to "Utilities", 
press <U>.
  Once you have entered one of these options, you can again use the 
arrow keys or press the highlighted letter of the options.  Press <Esc> 
to close the menu.

Menu Options:
  Each option off of the main menu performs specific functions for 
Video Express.  Each option will now be discussed:

Customers: Add
  Use this option to add a customer to the database.  First you must 
enter the ID number.  If you're not sure if this customer is in the 
database or not, just type the first few characters of the customer's 
last name and press <F2>.  Then you will be able to see all customers 
with similar last names, and you will be able to tell if the customer 
is in the database.
  After you enter an ID number, Video Express will then check to make 
sure that this ID number isn't already being used.  You may now enter 
in customer information.  When you are through entering customer 
information, press <Enter> on the last box or <Ctrl>+<End> for a quick 
exit.  The customer will be saved as long as you entered a last name.  
You will now be taken back to the opening "Customers: Add" screen where 
you can add more customers, or you can press <Esc> to go back to the 
main menu.

Customers: Edit
  If information regarding a customer is not correct, use this option 
to fix the information.  First you must enter the customer's ID number. 
 If you don't know the ID number, type the first few characters of the 
customer's last name and press <F2>.  You can now press <Enter> on the 
correct account.  You can now edit his/her information.  If you decide 
not to edit his/her information, press <Esc>.  Otherwise, edit the 
information and press <Enter> on the last box or <Ctrl>+<End> when 
done.

Customers: Delete
  To delete a customer from the database, enter the customer's ID 
number.  Again, <F2> is available if you don't know the ID number.  You 
will then be asked if you want to delete the record.  If you press 
<Enter>, the record will be deleted.  If you press <Esc>, the record 
will not be deleted.
  If a record is ever deleted that wasn't supposed to be, you can 
recover the record by entering the ID number and pressing <Enter> when 
asked if you want to recover it.  If you aren't sure which customer you 
accidentally deleted, press <F3> to list all deleted records.
  
Customers: View
  Use this option to view all customers.  First enter an ID number to 
specify where to start the view and press <Enter>, or just press 
<Enter> to start at the top.  Now you can view all customers with 
similar ID numbers to what you typed in.
  If you wish to view by customer's name instead, press <F3> when first 
coming into this option.
  You can use <PgUp> and <PgDn> to scroll quickly through the database. 
 Use <Home>, <End>, <Ctrl>+<PgUp>, and <Ctrl>+<PgDn> to move to the 
four corners of the database.  You can also edit customer information 
as well by pressing <Enter>.  Press <Enter> again when through editing. 
 However, you will not be allowed to edit the ID number here.  You must 
do that in the "Customers: Edit" option, so Video Express can make sure 
it is a unique number.  You can also delete customers by pressing <F7>. 
 Press <Esc> or <Ctrl>+<End> when done with the view.
  Here is a description of the fields:
    IDNUM--Unique ID Number, 7 Characters Max
    LNAME--Last Name, 15 Characters Max
    FNAME--First Name, 15 Characters Max
    STREET--35 Characters Max
    ZIP--5 Characters
    PHONE--Phone Number, If You Do Not Use Phone Number As the ID 
Number
    BALANCE--Balance Due to Overdue Charges, $10,000 Max
    RENTED--Total Number Rented From Your Store, 10,000 Max
    SPENT--Total Dollars Spent at Your Store, $1 Mil Max
    LASTINV--The Last Invoice That the Customer Purchased Items On
    MEMDATE--The Date That He/She Became a Member at Your Store
    DRIVER--Driver's License Number, 15 Characters Max
    CARD--Credit Card Number, 19 Characters Max
    EXP--Credit Card Expiration Date, Month/Year
    BEEPS--Number of Times for the Computer to Beep When This Customer 
Attempts to Make to a Purchase, 9 Beeps Max
    MESSAGE1--First Line of "Other Information", 50 Characters Max
    MESSAGE2--Second Line of "Other Information", 50 Characters Max

Customers: Reports
  There are two customer reports.  The first one lists all customers in 
order of last name.  The second one lists just those customers who have 
overdue charges to be paid (i.e. an overdue balance greater than $0.00) 
in order of last name.
  This report also gives you the last invoice that belongs to each 
customer.  This is because most overdue charges will come from the 
customer's last invoice, and this will provide you quick access to the 
cause of most of the overdue charges.  It also informs you of how long 
each customer has owed you the money.
  You can have these reports display on the screen or be sent to the 
printer.

Rentals: Add
  Use this option to add a rental to the database.  First you must 
enter the unique rental number.  <M> for "Movie" is actually for "Video 
Cassettes", but <M> is used because <V> is used for "VCR's".  If you're 
not sure if this rental's description is in the database, type the 
first few characters of the description in the "ID Code" box and press 
<F2>.  Then you will be able to see all rentals with similar 
descriptions, and you will able to tell if the rental's description is 
in the database.
  After you enter a number, Video Express will then check to make sure 
that this number isn't already being used.  You may now enter in rental 
information.  When you are through entering rental information, press 
<Enter> on the last box.  The rental will be saved as long as you 
entered a description.  Now you will be taken back to the opening 
"Rentals: Add" screen where you can add more rentals, or you can press 
<Esc> to go back to the main menu.
  If you have just bought a bunch of identical rentals, there is a 
shortcut for entering them into the database.  Just press <F3> and 
specifiy how many identical rentals you have.  They will all be saved 
with the same information except each item must have a unique rental 
number.

Rentals: Edit
  If information regarding a rental is not correct, use this option to 
fix the information.  First you must enter the rental's ID number. If 
you don't know the ID number, type the first few characters of the 
rental's description in the "ID Code" box and press <F2>.  You can now 
press <Enter> on the proper item.  You can now edit its information.  
If you decide not to edit its information, press <Esc>.  Otherwise, 
edit the information and press <Enter> on the last box when done.  You 
can now edit more rentals, or you can press <Esc> to go back to the 
main menu.

Rentals: Delete
  This option is very much like the "Customers: Delete" option.  See 
this section for information.

Rentals: View
  This option is very much like the "Customers: View" option.  See this 
section for information.
  Here is a description of the fields:
    CATEGORY--Whether It's a Movie(M), Game(G), VCR(V), or Misc.(I)
    CODE--Unique Rental Code, 5 Characters Max
    DESCRIPT--30 Characters Max
    PRICE--The Price Code
    GROUP--Optional Grouping, Like Comedy, Horror, Sega, Etc., 2 
Characters Max
    INSTORE--If It's In the Store, Yes or No (True or False)
    TIMES_RENT--How Many Times It Has Been Rented, 10,000 Max
    PURDATE--The Date You Purchased It
    COST--The Purchase Cost, $10,000 Max
    LASTINV--The Last Invoice That It Was Rented Out On
    LASTCUST--The ID Number of the Last Customer Who Rented It Out
    LASTCUST2--The ID Number of the 2nd-to-Last Customer
    LASTCUST3--The ID Number of the 3rd-to-Last Customer

Rentals: Reports
  The five rental reports show 1) your complete rental inventory 
showing cost of each item, 2) simple rental listing for customers to 
see, 3) three-column condensed rental listing, 4) rental listing for a 
certain price code, and 5) list in order of times rented.  You can 
press <F5> to list games only, <F6> to list movies only, or <F7> to 
list VCR's only.
  You can have these reports display on the screen or be sent to the 
printer.

Sales: Add
  This option is very much like the "Rentals: Add" option.  See this 
section for information.

Sales: Edit
  This option is very much like the "Rentals: Edit" option.  See this 
section for information.

Sales: Delete
  This option is very much like the "Customers: Delete" option.  See 
this section for information.

Sales: View
  This option is very much like the "Customers: View" option.  See this 
section for information.
  Here is a description of the fields:
    CATEGORY--Whether It's Candy(C), Food(F), Movie(Y), or Misc.(Z)
    CODE--Unique Sales Code, 5 Characters Max
    DESCRIPT--30 Characters Max
    PRICE--Current Sales Price, $10,000 Max
    QTY_BOUGHT--How Many You Have Bought, 100,000 Max
    QTY_SOLD--How Many You Have Sold, 100,000 Max
    LASTINV--The Last Invoice That It Was Sold On

Sales: Reports
  There are two sales reports.  The first report shows you how much you 
bought, how much you sold, and how much there should be left in the 
store of each item.  They will appear in order of sales code.
  The second report just lists the items in order of description.  This 
list would be good for the customers to see or to help you enter the 
items in on invoices.

Transactions: Add Invoices
  To begin an invoice, enter in the ID number of the customer.  If you 
don't know the customer's ID number, type in the first few characters 
of the customer's last name and press <F2>.  You will then see all 
customers with last names similar to what you typed in.  If the 
customer is there, press <Enter> on the right one, and that customer's 
account will appear.  If the customer isn't in the database yet, type 
in the new ID number, and you'll be able to add the number to the 
database.
  The data for that customer will now appear on the screen.  Here you 
can make sure the customer information is correct.  If it is not 
correct, you can press <F3> to fix it.  Also, if he/she has items 
currently overdue or overdue charges to be paid, Video Express will 
beep to alarm you.
  If you need more information on the cause of the overdue beeps, press 
<F6>, and you will be positioned at the last invoice for that customer. 
 Video Express keeps track of the return date and time of items turned 
in overdue in the right end of "Description".   Press <Enter> to view 
previous invoices or press <Esc> when done viewing invoices.
  Now a message appears on the bottom of the screen saying, "Proceed 
with the Invoice?"  If you press <Esc>, you will be taken back to the 
opening "Transactions: Add Invoices" screen.  If you just press 
<Enter>, an invoice will appear.  At the top of the invoice you can see 
the invoice number, the customer's number, the rent date and time 
(current date and time), and the due date and time.
  Start the invoice by pressing one of the letters that are displayed 
at the bottom of the screen, depending on what the item is ("M" is the 
default).  If you want to cancel the invoice at this time, just press 
<Esc>.
  After you press one of the key letters from the bottom and <Enter>, 
you must enter in the code number (if it is a rental or sales item).  
As soon as you enter in the code number, Video Express will search for 
that item in the appropriate database.  If the item is a sales item, 
you will be prompted for the quantity, with the default being "1".   
Now the price will be retrieved.  If it is a rental item, it will 
retrieve the price according to its price code.  If it is a sales item, 
it will retrieve the price associated with that sales item in the sales 
database.  You can enter up to ten items per invoice.
  If the customer has an overdue balance to pay, an <O> will 
automatically appear as the first item on the invoice.  To charge it, 
just press <Enter>. The balance due will be retrieved from the customer 
database and will appear in the "Total Price" box.  To charge the whole 
balance, just press <Enter>.  To charge a portion of the balance, 
change the amount and press <Enter>.  The customer's "Overdue Balance" 
will be automatically updated to reflect the remaining overdue charges 
to be paid, if any.
  To activate a special, just press <S> and <Enter>, and the special 
that you specified in the "Settings: Special" option will be in effect. 
 See that section for more information.
  If you entered wrong data and you want to go back to fix it, press 
<B> and <Enter>.  You can now redo the previous line.  You can also 
press <F3> to edit customer information, <F5> to edit the unit price, 
or <F8> to change the due information.  If you want to edit the unit 
price, press <F5> before entering in the code number.  When done 
entering items, press <Q> and <Enter>.
  If you want to give the customer a discount, do so and press <Enter>. 
 Now the tax and the amount due will be calculated.  If the customer 
doesn't give you the exact amount, the change amount will be calculated 
for you.  At this point, you can print or cancel the invoice if you 
want.  When through, you will be taken back to the opening invoice 
screen, where you can enter more invoices, or press <Esc> to return to 
the main menu.

Transactions: Returns
  This is the option for returning rental items.  Enter in the ID 
number of the rental item.  Now Video Express will show you that the 
item is now checked in.  If it didn't need to be checked in, a message 
will tell you so.  If you didn't mean to check this item in, just press 
<Esc>.
  Now Video Express will search for the invoice that the item was 
checked out on.  When it finds the invoice, it will check to see if the 
item is turned in late.  If so, it will tell you this and add the late 
fees to the customer's overdue balance, with the late fees being equal 
to the cost to re-rent the item for each day it is late.  If it is 
after your due-time, it will ask you how much to charge for today.  If 
you wish to change the customer's overdue balance, you may do so by 
pressing <F3>.  At this point, you can return more items or press <Esc> 
to return to the main menu.
  If an item is turned in late, Video Express will record the return 
date and time on the invoice in the right end of the "Description" 
column.  This is useful for when customers deny late charges because 
you can look up the actual invoice and tell them when it was rented 
out, when it was due, and when it was returned.

Transactions: View Invoices
  This option allows you to view invoices.  Just enter the number that 
you want to start viewing the invoices at (with the default being the 
last invoice), press <Enter>, and you will be able to view past 
invoices.  You can view previous invoices by pressing <P> and <Enter>, 
or you can view next invoices by pressing <N> and <Enter>.  Notice the 
right-most column called "Ret".  This stands for "Returned" and tells 
you if the item has been returned.
  You can also add items to an invoice or edit items in an invoice 
<F4>.  You can also view the customer account <F3>, print it <F5>, void 
it <F7>, or edit the due information <F8>.  You can not edit an invoice 
that has ten items on it, a voided invoice, or a refund invoice.
  You can also view by customer by pressing <F3> when you first come 
into this option.

Transactions: Overdue
  This option will display all overdue items.  It searches through all 
the invoices and displays which items are overdue.  It will also show 
who rented it out, his/her telephone number, and when it was due.  All 
you have to do is tell whether you want to display the items to the 
screen or the printer, and then all overdue items will be displayed.
  If you should ever want to know what will be overdue at a specific 
time in the future or what was overdue at a specific time in the past, 
you can press <F3> when first coming into this option to specify a 
different time.

Transactions: Rented Out
  This option will display all items that are rented out.  It searches 
through all the invoices and displays which items have not been 
returned yet.  Besides this, it is identical to the "Transactions: 
Overdue" option.  Look at that section for more information.

Transactions: Customer Status
  This option searches through the invoices for a particular customer 
and displays all items that are rented out.  It will also show each 
item's due date and time and how much late fees the customer owes on 
each item so far, and also what the charge would be if charged for 
today.  Then it will show all items that are reserved for that 
customer.
  You can use <F2> at the start of the option if you do not know the 
customer's ID number.  You can press <F3> to view the customer's 
account. 

Transactions: Rental Status
  Whenever a customer asks about a specific rental, you can use this 
option to see everything you need to know about that item.
  Type the first few characters of the description and press <F2>.  Now 
press <Enter> on the correct description.  If there are more than one 
copies, it doesn't matter which one you select.
  "Held" is the number of reserved copies that should have been 
retrieved off the shelf and held for customers.  "Warn on Return" is 
the number of reserved copies that aren't in the store, and therefore 
Video Express will warn you to hold them upon return.  If there are no 
more copies available, a faint beep will sound.
  The description of each copy must be exactly the same for all copies 
to be listed.  To check and fix this, go into "Rentals: View", and 
press <F3> and <Enter> twice.  To edit, press <Enter> on the 
description.

Transactions: Reservations
  There are five options in reservations.  Each will now be discussed:

Add Reservations:
  This option is where you add reservations.  Video Express will 
determine, by the number of copies that your store has, if the 
reservation is o.k. to add.  If you can't add a reservation for a date, 
Video Express will let you specify a different date in case you would 
like to reserve it for a different date.
  If you try to reserve an item for the current day, Video Express will 
check to see if the item is in the store.  If it isn't, Video Express 
will check to see if it is due back today.  If it is due back today, 
Video Express will reserve it and warn you to hold it when the item is 
returned.  If it is not due back today, you will not be allowed to 
reserve the item for the current day.
  After you reserve an item, you can cancel the reservation by pressing 
<Esc>.  Otherwise, press <Enter> to confirm.
  Notice that you can press <F3> at any time to view and edit the 
customer's information. 

View Reservations:
  This option lets you view all reservations.  This is also where you 
would edit or delete a reservation.
  First, enter a description to start at, or just press <Enter> twice 
to start at the top of the movies.  You can view by date instead by 
pressing <F3>.
  To edit, just press <Enter> where you would like to edit, and press 
<Enter> when done.  Notice that you can not edit the description.  If 
you ever need to change the description, just delete it <F7>, and add 
another reservation.  This is so that Video Express can check for you 
to make sure you entered the description in correctly.
  If you ever edit a reservation date, Video Express will make sure 
that the change is possible.
  Be careful about deleting reservations.  Once you delete one, you can 
not get it back.

List Day's Reservations:
  This option lists all reservations for a given day.  You will most 
likely want to call these people to tell them that they can pick up 
their reserved rentals now.  Be sure not to call them when the "Warn On 
Return" column says "Yes".  This means that the item has not been 
returned yet, and you must wait until the item is returned before you 
can call the customer.
  The number by each item in the "Warn On Return" column is the order 
of reservation.  For example, if three copies of the same movie are 
reserved and none are in yet, each person has an order number that was 
given to them at the time they reserved it.  When the first one comes 
back, the customer with number "1" will get it.
  However, if you want to give that copy to one of the other two 
customers, Video Express will allow you to do this and will switch the 
"Warn On Return" to the other customer.
  This list is sorted by customer number.  This is so that if a 
customer has more than one reservation, they will appear in the listing 
together.
  As you rent reserved items out to customers, the item will be deleted 
off of the reservation listing.  Also, a beep will sound to inform you 
that the reservation was found and deleted.

List All Reservations:
  This option simply lists all the items in the reservation database in 
order of the dates that they are reserved for.

Daily Reservation Calculation:
  You must run this option the first thing every morning, before any 
items get checked out.  It will tell you which rentals to pull off the 
shelf because they're reserved for the current day.  It will also find 
and tell you which items that it will warn you to hold upon return.
  After you have run this option the first thing in the morning, you 
can run this option again whenever you want.  It may be handy if you 
want to view all reservations for the current day in order of 
description.  To have this option automatically pop up first thing 
every morning, you can set that in the "Settings: Controls" option.

Transactions: Refund
  If customers demand money back for a purchase, you may decide to give 
them a refund.  This is the option to do that.  It works very similar 
to the "Transactions: Add Invoices" option, only quantities are shown 
as negative to reflect items coming back into the store.  After you 
enter in the item's code number, you will be prompted to edit the unit 
price just in case the price has changed since the transaction or to 
give back a partial refund.  When done entering items, press <Q> and 
<Enter>.
  If you gave the customer a discount in the original transaction, you 
can take some or all of it back here.  Then the tax that you're 
supposed to give back will be calculated, and a final refund amount 
will be calculated.  At this point, you can print or cancel the invoice 
if you want to.  The "Returns" portion of this option will now be 
executed.

Transactions: Income Reports
  There are five income reports:  daily, weekly, monthly, annual, and 
hourly breakdown.  First you must enter the password because many video 
store managers don't want their employees accessing this information.  
Now select the income report of your choice.
  For the daily report, you will be prompted for which date to report 
on, with the default being the current date.  If you want the report to 
be on a different date, change the date.  Otherwise, just press 
<Enter>.  For the weekly report, you will be prompted for which week to 
report on, with the default being the week ending today (Both the 
beginning date and the ending date will be included in the report).  If 
you decide to change the beginning date, the ending date will 
automatically be adjusted to reflect a week.  However, you still can 
change the ending date if you want.  Therefore, you can have the report 
cover whatever time span you want to.  The monthly and annual reports 
are similar to the weekly report.
  "Hourly Breakdown" breaks down the income into each hour.  This can 
be useful for scheduling employees or for giving employees a commission 
or a bonus.  The default will show you each hour of the current day.
  After you press <Enter> on the dates, the report is generated.  This 
option adds up the data from all the invoices in the invoice databases 
within the specified time frame.  Each hour listed represents the 
beginning of that hour (i.e. 11 AM covers 11:59).  When the report is 
done, you can print it out if desired.

Settings: Rental Prices
  Each rental item must be assigned a price code.  This is where you 
specify the prices for each day of the week that correspond with each 
price code.  You can set up to 15 different price codes.  You can also 
choose the letter or number that identifes each price.
  You can go into the "Rentals: Reports" option and run the "Price 
Code" report to make sure your rentals have the proper price codes.
  When done, press <Enter> on the last box or press <Ctrl>+<End> for a 
quick exit.

Settings: Return Day
  This is the option to run when you change the number of days until 
rentals are due or the time when rentals are due.  When the 
"Transactions: Add Invoices" option is run, it takes the number of days 
corresponding to the correct day of the week and adds it to the current 
date to get the due date.  As for the time, make sure you enter it in 
24-hour format.  For example, type in "17:00" for 5:00 PM.
  You can also have the due-time be the same as rent-time by pressing 
<F3> on the days of the week that you would like for it to occur.
  When done, press <Enter> on the last box or press <Ctrl>+<End> for a 
quick exit.

Settings: Special
  This is the option where you can set a special.  Just specify the 
number of rentals in the special, the total price, the number of days 
until due, and the due time for each day of the week.
  To activate this special in the invoice, just press <S> and <Enter>, 
and the next x number of rentals will not be charged to the customer.  
Notice also that the due-date and due-time have been changed according 
to what you specified in this special.
  Caution:  If you ever press <S> and <Enter> and then go back over it, 
you will have to reset the due date and time with <F8> if the price 
special's due date and time is set different than normal.
  When done, press <Enter> on the last box or press <Ctrl>+<End> for a 
quick exit.

Settings: Comments
  Video Express allows you to specify three lines of comments that 
print out on every invoice, such as "OPEN DAILY 10 AM TO 8 PM".  They 
will automatically be centered when printed out, so don't put any 
leading spaces on each line.  If you don't want any comments to print 
out, you can set this in the "Printing" option.

Settings: Colors
  This is where you can change the colors on your screen.  The 
currently-used colors are displayed in the boxes on the screen.  Use 
the guide at the bottom of the screen to determine which colors to use. 
 Colors with a "+" are only available for the "Foreground Color" and 
the "Prompt Foreground Color".
  You can use the same color more than once except for in the following 
conditions:  1) "Foreground Color" can not be the same as "Background 
Color" or "Border Background Color", 2) "Prompt Foreground Color" can 
not be the same as "Prompt Background Color", 3) "Prompt Background 
Color" can not be the same as "Main Box Color", and 4) The "Prompt 
Foreground"/"Prompt Background" combination can not be the same as the 
"Foreground"/"Background" combination or the "Foreground"/"Border 
Background" combination.
  If you are totally confused, don't worry.  Whenever you change the 
colors, Video Express will display the colors and ask you to confirm 
the color selection.  All you have to do is press <Enter> to confirm or 
<Esc> to restore the previous colors.
  If you have a monochrome screen (where only two different colors are 
available), use one of two following color combinations:  1) 
W,N,N,N,W,N or 2) N,W,W,W,N,W.

Settings: Company Info
  This is the option to run when you change your name, address, or 
phone number.  Your name will appear at the top of the screen, and all 
of the information in this option will print out on all of your 
invoices and reports.

Settings: Agreement
  This is the agreement that prints out on all of your invoices that 
contain rental items.  You can change it however you want.
  To delete a line, press <Ctrl>+<Y> at the beginning of the line.  To 
save, press <Enter> on the last box or press <Ctrl>+<End> for a quick 
exit.
  If you do not want any agreement to print out at all, you can set 
this in the "Printing" option.

Settings: Defaults
  This option is where you can set the defaults of Video Express to fit 
your needs.  For example, if you sell a lot more movies than candy, you 
can change the sales category default from "C" to "Y".  If most of your 
rentals have a price code other than "A", you can change that default 
as well.

Settings: Controls
  This option allows you to control certain aspects of Video Express.
  "Grace Hours on Returns" allows you to give customers extra hours to 
return movies before charging them.  For example, if you want your 
customers to bring their movies back by 3:00 PM, but you don't want to 
charge them until 5:00 PM, you would set this to 2 hours.  The point of 
this is to try to get your customers to bring the movies back early, 
but to not charge them if they're not too late.
  "Start Entry on Second Box" will skip the first box when manipulating 
rental and sales items, and on the invoices as well.  Change this to 
"Y" if you don't like having to press <Enter> on "M" all the time.  And 
on the invoices, you can enter "O", "S", "B", or "Q" in the "Code" box 
so that you don't have to go back to change it.  However, if the item 
is a sales item or a rental item that is not a movie, you will have to 
press the up-arrow key to go back and change it.
  "Customer ID Number for Sales Items Only" is a dummy account in the 
customer database that you will use when they don't have any items to 
rent out.  However, you may still want to use the customer's real 
account if it is a large purchase so that the customer's "$ Spent" gets 
properly updated.  You can use "0" for the dummy account, or you can 
pick a different number if you like.
  "Price Code for Rental's Unavailability" is a code that you will 
assign to each item that can be no longer be rented out, either because 
it is sold, lost, or damaged.  You can use "Z", or you can pick a 
different letter or number if you like.
  "Last Date" is used by Video Express to manipulate the reservations 
each morning.  This should only be changed on emergencies.
  "DRC" stands for "Daily Reservation Calculation".  See that section 
for more imformation.

Settings: Printing
  This option allows you to configure the printing to suit your needs.
  "Top Margin" should be left at zero because the paper in most 
printers are usually already forwarded one inch when the printing 
starts.  However, if you are using a laser printer, you may need to 
change this.
  "Word Processor Line Length" allows you to make each line in the word 
processor smaller so that when you print the file, it will cover more 
of the paper lengthwise.
  This option is also where you set the label specifications to fit the 
type that you have.  The current specifications are for the most 
popular type (3 1/2 by 15/16).
  "Label Length" is usually derived by multiplying the length by 10.  
However, if you choose to print the labels in condensed print, multiply 
the length by 17.

Settings: Password
  Two options in this video program require passwords:  "Transactions: 
Income Reports" and "Utilities: Master Invoices".  This is the option 
where you change the password.  You must know the current password in 
order to change it.  If the password has never been changed on your 
computer before, the current password is "STEVE".  The password can be 
anywhere from 1 to 15 characters long.
  If you don't care if employees have access to the income reports or 
you trust them on not deleting invoices, you can set Video Express to 
bypass the password here. 
  Just in case you ever forget your password, there is a master 
password.

Utilities: Reindex
  This option re-sorts the databases according to the various sortings 
that Video Express uses.  You should run this option when the power 
goes out or other abnormal termination occurs, or when odd things start 
to happen with the databases.  This option also permanently removes 
records that you have deleted.

Utilities: Create Reports
  If the previous reports do not fulfill your needs, this option will 
allow you to create your own reports.  You can sort a database however 
you want, list what fields you want, and limit the records to however 
you desire.
  First select the database.  If you select "Multiple Copies",  Video 
Express will take the rentals database (sorted by description), 
calculate how many copies of each rental that you have and the total 
times rented and cost, and will create another database, unless you 
tell it not to.  This will be handy if you want to list the rentals in 
this fashion rather than each copy separately.  The CODE, PRICE, GROUP, 
and PURDATE fields are taken from the first copy.
  If you select "Customer Rentals", Video Express will create a 
database containing every item that a customer has rented.
  Once you select the database, three columns appear on the screen.  
The first column is for sorting.  Press <1> on the primary field that 
you want to sort on, press <2> on the next field, etc.  You can pick as 
many fields as you want, but Video Express will only recognize the 
first four fields.  You should never need to go past four sorting 
fields, and stopping at four will make the sorting process go faster.  
If you do not care if the database is sorted, leave this column blank, 
and the records will appear in order of how they were entered into the 
database.
  Next you must select which fields you want to appear on the report.  
Again, press <1> for the first field, <2> for second, and so on.  If 
you want to include more than nine fields, just keep pressing <9> on 
the extras.
  Now you can limit the records that will appear on the report.  Just 
press <Enter> on the field that will limit the data.  Then you will be 
asked to specify if you want the field equal to, less than, greater 
than, etc., and then you will be asked to specify a value.
  Look towards the bottom of the screen and you will see the current 
criteria as to what you just specified.  You can limit the data more by 
pressing <Enter> on another field.  You can clear the criteria line by 
pressing <F8>.  If you wish to print out all records in the database, 
make sure the criteria line is cleared.
  Warning:  Please do not enter quotes or the "&" character in your 
criteria specifications.  Errors will result.
  You can also pick a title for your report by pressing <F3>.
  When everything is set to your desires, press <F4>, and the data will 
be displayed to the screen.  Here you can check if the report turned 
out as you planned.  If it didn't turn out as you planned, press <Esc> 
and try again.  If the report turned out fine, you can print by 
pressing <F5>.
  If you choose to print, Video Express will determine if each record 
can be printed out on one line.  If it can't, you will be asked if you 
want to print condensed if possible.
  Video Express will also determine if more than one column per page is 
possible.  If this is possible and you agree to use multi-columns, you 
will be asked if you would like to print in condensed form.
  When done printing, you can specify more reports, or you can press 
<Esc> to go back to the main menu.
  To save the report specifications so that you won't have to re-enter 
them in each time, press <F2>.  To load the specifications, press <F6>. 
 You can also use these specifications for labels, form letters, or for 
converting to ASCII files.

Utilities: Word Processor
  If you ever need to type letters or other documents, this option is 
where you can type them.  If you are planning on doing a very large 
document (around 20 pages or more), you should use a better word 
processor.  For small files on the other hand, you can type them here 
so that you do not have to exit Video Express.
  First pick the document that you wish to edit or print.  If it is a 
new document, press <Enter> on "New File".  Now you can edit the 
document.  If you would like to print it, press <F5>.  When done, you 
can save and exit <F2>, or just press <Esc> to exit without saving.
  When you first come into this option, you can rename or delete files 
that have been saved.  Press <F3> to rename a file or press <F7> to 
delete one.
  Here are some keys and key combinations that will help you in the 
word processor:
  <Home> = Far Left          <Ctrl>+<Home> = Top of Screen 
  <End>  = Far Right         <Ctrl>+<End>  = Bottom of Screen 
  <PgUp> = Up 1 Screen       <Ctrl>+<PgUp> = Very Top 
  <PgDn> = Down 1 Screen     <Ctrl>+<PgDn> = Very Bottom 
  <Ctrl>+ Left/Right Arrow Key = Left/Right One Word 
  <Ctrl>+<Y> = Delete Line   <Ctrl>+<K>,<B> = Reform Paragraph
  To refresh your mind during editing, just press <F1> at any time to 
view these keys and key combinations.
  You can also do form letters by pressing <F6> to activate form-letter 
mode.  Press <F6> to load the field names into the document.  To print 
them, press <F5>, and you will be asked to print one, specs, or all 
customers.  "Specs" refers to specifications saved in the "Utilities: 
Create Reports" option.  This will be handy if you want to print out 
the form letters in a particular order or to only print out customers 
meeting certain criteria.  Before printing, make sure that form-letter 
mode is activated.

Utilities: Labels
  If you have label stickers that can be used on your printer, you can 
print out customers, rental items, sales items, or your company 
information on the stickers in this option.
  The two main uses of this option are for labels containing your 
company information to put on your items or for mailing labels when you 
want to send letters to your customers. 
  Since there are many different sizes of label stickers, Video Express 
allows you to set the label specifications in the "Settings: Printing" 
option.
  Once the stickers are in the printer, choose "Test Printer" to see if 
the stickers are aligned correctly.  Keep selecting "Test Printer" and 
adjusting the stickers until they are aligned correctly, then select 
"Continue".  Then pick the database that you want the labels to come 
from and answer other various questions that Video Express needs to 
know.  Then the labels will be printed out.
  If you pick a database, you will be asked if you want one record, 
specs, or all records to be printed out.  "Specs" refers to 
specifications saved in the "Utilities: Create Reports" option.  This 
will be handy if you want to print out the labels in a particular order 
or if you only want records that meet a certain criteria to be printed.

Utilities: Master Invoices
  As your invoice database starts to accumulate, you may want to close 
some invoices to the "Master Invoice" database to improve the speed of 
transactions.  You will not be able to close invoices that contain 
items that are not returned yet, and you will not be able to close the 
last invoice, for this one is kept to maintain the numbering of the 
invoices.
  The income reports automatically access both invoice databases.  And 
when you need to view a customer's last invoice with <F6> when it's in 
the master invoice file, Video Express will automatically load the file 
and display the invoice for you.
  "View Master" is exactly the same as "View Invoices", except you are 
viewing the master database.
  "Delete From Master" allows you to delete invoices from the master 
invoice database, but there should be no need to do this.
  "Start Over" deletes all the invoices out of both databases and will 
start over with invoice # 1.  You should never need to run this option 
either, unless you have just started using Video Express and want to 
delete the invoices you created for practice.
  "Reindex Master" reindexes the master invoice database file.  It is 
put in a separate option than the rest of the reindexing because it 
will take a long time after a few years, and the only time you will 
need to run this option is when you lose power while closing invoices 
to the master file (In this event, reindex in both places).

Utilities: Zip Codes
  This option shows the zip code database.  This is where all zip codes 
are stored.  Whenever you add or edit a customer, Video Express 
accesses this database to make sure it knows the zip code.  If it is a 
new zip code, Video Express will ask you the city, state, and area code 
that the zip code refers to, and will store the information in this 
database.
  You can edit any field by pressing <Enter> except for on the ZIP 
field.  This is to make sure that no zip code is entered twice.
  If you need to change that field, delete it <F7>, and add a new zip 
code in the "Customers: Add" option.  You don't have to enter a new 
customer in order to add a zip code to the zip code database.  After 
entering the new zip code, just press <Esc> on the "Phone" entry box.

Utilities: Backup / Restore
  If your hard disk goes bad, you may lose all of your data.  This is a 
good reason to backup the data files to floppy disks, about once a 
week.  Just put a disk in the disk drive and specify the disk drive 
letter to backup to.  If you are using a new disk, format it first.  
"Backup" will delete all data on the disk, so don't use any disks that 
have data which you wish to keep.  However, use the same disks to back 
up your data over and over again.  There's no reason to use different 
disks each time.
  If your hard disk does go bad, replace the hard disk, install Video 
Express, pick the restore option, and most of your data (depending upon 
when the last backup was) will be saved.
  You can also use this option to copy your data files to a different 
computer.

Utilities: Disk Format
  In order for this computer to use new disks, you must format them 
first.  You can do this at the DOS prompt, or you can do this much 
easier under this option.  To make the proper selection, look on your 
disk and determine the size and density of the disk.  Now your disk can 
be properly formatted.  "DD" stands for "double density", and "HD" 
stands for "high density".
  Warning:  Don't format any disks that have data on them which you 
wish to keep.  This option will delete all data on the disk.
  Note:  This option will only work correctly if you have a 5 1/4 high 
density disk drive in drive "A" or a 3 1/2 high density drive in drive 
"B".  Most newer computers come with this setup. 

Utilities: DOS Command
  This option allows you to run DOS commands from within Video Express. 
 If you ever need to change your computer's time or date, select this 
option and type in "TIME" or "DATE", and then enter the correct time or 
date.  These are the two main reasons of using this option.  If you are 
familiar with other DOS commands, you can use those here as well.

Utilities: Sale of Rental
  When it's time to sell a rental item, this option will save you a lot 
of time.  All you have to do is enter the ID number of the item.  Video 
Express will automatically change the item's price code to "unavailabe" 
and change its group to "SD" for sold.  It will then add a sales item 
to the sales database, containing the same code# and description as the 
rental item.  Now the item is ready to be sold on an invoice.

Utilities: Unused ID Numbers
  You most likely number your rental and sales items in order.  You may 
also number your customers in order if you do not use phone number as 
the ID number.  At some point in time, you may want to search for gaps 
and fill them in.  This option will find all the gaps for you.  Just 
specify the database and where to send the report, and the gaps will be 
found.

Utilities: Database Count
  This option shows you how many records are in each database.  
Whenever you want to know how many customers, rentals, etc. that you 
have, run this option.

Utilities: ASCII Conversion
  Use this option to convert your databases into text files that can 
easily be imported into a spreadsheet, word processor, or another 
database program.  Pick the database, and then you will be asked if you 
want specs or all records to be converted.  "Specs" refers to 
specifications saved in the "Utilities: Create Reports" option.  This 
will be handy if you want the data to be converted in a particular 
order or to only convert records meeting certain criteria.

Function Keys: <F1> Through <F12>
  At the bottom of the screen, you will see the status of the 12 
function keys that Video Express uses.  If the function key is 
highlighted, the key is active, meaning that you can use the key if 
you'd like.
  Here is a description of the 12 function keys that you see at the 
bottom of the screen:
    <F1>:  Help--Press this key after pressing <Enter> on any option 
off the main menu for online help with that particular option.  The 
most important information from this manual will be there for your 
assistance.
    <F2>:  List--If this is highlighted, you can press this key to see 
all records in the current database.
    <F3>:  Invoice--This will perform the "Transactions: Add Invoices" 
option.  
    <F4>:  Reserve--This will perform the "Transactions: Reservations" 
option.
    <F5>:  Returns--This will perform the "Transactions: Returns" 
option.  This key is also used at certain instances to print data.
    <F6>:  Overdue--This will perform the "Transactions: Overdue" 
option.
    <F7>:  Daily Report--This will perform the "Transactions: Income 
Reports", "Daily" option.  This key is also used at certain instances 
to delete records.
    <F8>:  View Master--This will perform the "Utilities: Master 
Invoices", "View Master" option.  This allows you to quickly view a 
customer's invoices in the master invoice database.
    <F9>:  Alarm--This lets you set the alarm at any time.  When the 
time has come that the alarm has been set to, the computer will beep 
five times.  It only sets one alarm at a time, and it can be set no 
longer than one day in advance.  If you turn off the computer, you will 
have to reset the alarm.  To test it, just enter in the current time.
    <F10>:  Calendar--This lets you find out what day of the week a 
certain date falls upon at any time.  The current day is highlighted.
    <F11>:  Note Pad--This lets you take notes at any time.  If your 
computer does not have <F11>, <Shift>+<F1> will also work.  See 
"Utilities: Word Processor" for a list of editing keys.  Press <F2> to 
save and exit.
    <F12>:  Calculator--This lets you perform calculations at any time. 
 If your computer does not have <F12>, <Shift>+<F2> will also work.  
Just type in your calculation and press <Enter>.  Don't use the "=" 
sign.

Exiting Video Express:
  To exit Video Express and return to the DOS prompt, press <Enter> on 
"Exit".  You should always use "Exit" to shut down Video Express.  You 
should never turn off the computer before exiting Video Express.  To 
let you know that Video Express was properly shut down, it will say 
"Video Express Successfully Terminated".

Restarting Video Express:
  To start Video Express after you have exited the program, just type 
"video".  If you have changed directories since the exit, type 
"cd\vid_ex" and press <Enter> prior to typing in "video".

Practice:
  Video Express has a practice program so that you can play around with 
the program or train new users without affecting your data files.  Just 
type "practice" at the DOS prompt, and the practice program will 
appear.  When done practicing, "Exit" the program, and the original 
program will appear.