Contents
Time Chaser Help

Installation

Registration

Time Chaser Main Screen

Menu Bar

-Open/Create Database

-System Set Up

-Importing to the Phone Book

-Purging Data

-Printing

Appointments

-Adding an appointment

-Deleting an appointment

-Searching appointments

-Editing existing appointments

Todo's

-Add Todo item

-Delete Todo item

-Search Todo's

-Editing existing Todo's

Using the Phone Books

-Adding a new listing

-Deleting a Listing

-Searching a Listing

-Editing a Listing

-Call Back

Misc

The Diary

Calendar and Calculator

Monthly Chart

Timer

Link to Word Processor

Notes

Search

Log Window

Autodialer


Main Screen
Time Chaser Main Screen

The main screen is the information center of Time Chaser. From this screen you will be able to navigate through the program to access all of the features of the system.

The main screen is comprised of three sections: the Menu Bar, Tool Bar, Time and Date Boxes, and the Diary.

Time Chaser allows you to open an unlimited number of databases for various needs.For example you may wish to open a database for business and another for your personal needs. Each database is completely separate and supports all of the features of the system.The name of the  database that you are currently using is posted  in the title bar on the main screen.


Appointments

Time Chaser allows you great flexibility in scheduling your appointments.You may add a single appointment or you can have Time Chaser add a wide range of recurring appointments for you. Appointments can be searched by description or by selecting any part of the description. For example you could search by a single letter,word,sentence or the complete description.

Entries can be deleted from the Diary or the Search Form. Past appointments may also be logged instead of deleted for those appointments that you wish to document.


Adding Appointment
Adding an Appointment

To add an appointment click on the appointment button on the tool bar, or select "Appointments" from the Menu Bar, and the appointments form will appear.

When entering an appointment you must enter a date, a start and end time, and a description. Selecting an alarm time is optional. By completing this information  an appointment will be booked  for you only on that date at that time.You also have the option of making this a recurring appointment.

To enter a recurring appointment, complete the information boxes as described above in addition to selecting a frequency and repeat until date.To select a frequency, click on the appropriate option button : daily, weekly, every second week, Cardinal month, Ordinal month, yearly, and every ? days. If you are entering a recurring appointment then Time Chaser will expect you to enter a date in the repeat until Date Box.

Once this information has been correctly entered, click on the add button. Your recurring appointments will be entered into the system.

CHECK FOR CONFLICTS OPTION BUTTON:If you try to enter an appointment with a  time and date that conflict on an appointment already booked, Time Chaser will warn you that an appointment  has already been booked during this time. You will still be given the option of overwriting this warning and book the appointment anyway. Overwritting this warning is not recommended except in rare cases or when updating an existing appointment.

Time Chaser does not check conflicts for recurring appointments.


Delete Appointment
Deleting an Appointment

Deleting an appointment can be done three ways .From the Diary(see Diary), or from the Search Form(see Search). You may also want to delete a number of appointments in one operation. To delete a series of appointments use the Purge feature.


Search Appointment
Searching an Appointment

To search an appointment use the Search Form. See Search.


Edit Appointment
Editing an Appointment

Editing appointments can be done from two areas. By double clicking on the entry in either the Search Form or in the the Diary. After you have double clicked from either of these sources the appointment form will appear with the information on that particular appointment being displayed. Note that the Add button has changed to either Update or Searched, depending on the source that sent the information to the appointment form. Make the necessay changes and click on the Update or Searched button. The change will then be entered into the system.

Editing can only be done on one appointment at a time. If you are editing an appointment that has been entered as a recurring appointment, only the current appointment will be changed.


Todo's

Time Chaser tracks two different types of todo's, continuous , and recurring.

If a todo is entered as a recurring todo, it will apear in the Diary only on the dates indicated by the frequency feature. If the todo is a continuous todo, it will continue to show up in the diary until it is either deleted or logged.


Add Todo
Adding Todo's

To enter a Todo, click on the todo button on the tool bar or select todo's from the Menu Bar. The todo form will the appear.

You must enter a date in the Date Box and a description of the todo in the description box. When this information has been entered correctly click on the Add button. Your entry will be entered into the system as a non-continuous Todo

A non-continuous todo appears in the diary only on the date specified by the date box.

A continuous todo will appear in the Diary begining at the selected date and will continue to show up in the diary until it is either logged or deleted.You also have the option of making this a recurring todo if you wish.

To make an entry a  recurring todo, follow the proceedure as described above in addition to selecting a frequency and a repeat until date. To select a frequency, click on the appropriate option button : daily, weekly, every second week, Cardinal month, Ordinal month, yearly, and every N days. Highlight the item of your choice. If you are entering a recurring todo then Time Chaser will expect you to enter a date in the repeat until date box. Once your information is complete, click on the Add button. Your recurring todo will be entered into the system.


Search Todo's
Searching Todo's

To search a todo use the Search Form. See Search


Edit todo's
Editing Todo's

Editing todo's can be done from two areas. By double clicking on the entry in either the Search Form or in the the Diary. After you have double clicked from either of these sources the todo form will appear with the information on that particular todo being displayed. Note that the Add button on the todo form has changed to either Update or Searched, depending on the source that sent the information to the form. Make the necessay changes and click on the Update or Searched button. The change will then be entered into the system.

Editing can only be done on one todo at a time. If you are editing a todo that has been entered as a recurring todo, only the current todo will be changed.


Delete Todo's
Deleting Todo's

Deleting a todo can be done three ways .From the Diary, from the Search Form, or with the use of the Purge feature. Since a continuous todo does not show up in  searched lists, or purging lists, deleting a Contiuous todo can only be done from the diary one at a time.


Set Up

To access the system set up, select file and set up from the Menu Bar. The set up form will appear. From this form you may create categories and define the user define boxes located on the phone book form. The Setup screen may also be accessed from the phone book screen by clicking on any of the user define labels located in the phone book.

Creating and Deleting Categories

To create a new category, enter a description in the description box and click on  the Add button. The new category description will be entered into the system and appear in the category list box on  this form in addition to the drop down list box on the phone book form.

To delete a category, click on the desired item in the list. The item will then be highlighted. Click on delete and the item will be removed from the system.

Defining the User Define Labels

To define the user define labels just enter the new description in the appropriate box. When you click on OK all changes made to the form will be entered into the system. The new definitions for these labels will now appear in the phone book form.


Date Boxes
Time and Date Boxes

Date boxes are any boxes within the system that require the user to enter a date. Time Chaser has simplified this operation with the aid of the pop-up calendar. To enter a date click on a date box. The pop-up calendar will then appear. Use the arrows located in the upper left hand corner of the calendar to select the desired month. To select a day within the month, click on the appropriate number. Your selection will be highlighted in red. If this is the correct month and day then click on the OK button at the bottom of the calendar. This date will then appear in the date box.

Time boxes are any boxes that require the user to enter a time. Time Chaser uses a convenient pop-up time set form for this function. To select a time for a time box, click on the box and the time set form will appear. To select the time,  click on each individual number on the digital clock in the form until the desired time is displayed. This is a twelve hour clock so be sure to indicate AM or PM. When the correct time is indicated, click on the OK button. The time will then be entered into the time box.


Search Form

Time Chaser has extensive search capabilities. You may search appointments, todo's, and the phone books, by a single letter, word, sentence or any combination of the above. The search feature can be implemented from the main screen by clicking on the search button on the tool bar or clicking on"Tools" then "Search" from the Menu Bar.

Use the tool bar on the top of the search form to select the desired search database, ie Todo's, Appointment etc. The selection that you have made will highlight the letters on the current button in red. Then click on the down arrow on the drop down list box to display the available search criteria for that area. Click on the desired criteria, (this will highlight this item), and enter a key letter, word, or whatever combination of letters that you are searching for. When this is done click on the find button, and your search information will appear in the list box.

Once the information appears in the list box there are several operations that you can do on it. You can delete the information, update the information, or print the information.

Deleting an Entry

To delete and entry click on the entry to highlight it, and click on delete. A message box will appear to confirm the delete. By clicking on OK button in the message box, your the entry will be deleted from the system.

Updating an entry

To update an entry that appears in the list box, double click on the desired entry. You will then be sent to the area that the entry was entered, ie if it was a telephone entry you will be sent to the appropriate phone book, and all the information will appear in  the form as previously entered. Make the necessary changes and click on the update or searched button as required. Your update will then be entered into the system.

Printing the Entries

By clicking on the print button, all the entries displayed in the list boxes will be sent to the printer. Be sure that your printer is set to portrait orientation.


Using the Phone Books

Time Chaser maintains two separate phone books, white pages and yellow pages, which allows you two distict phone directories for each data base.

Both phone books maintain the directories the same way, and both have the same functionality and options, so all descriptions on the phone book will apply equally to both.


Adding a Listing
Adding a Listing to the Phone Book

To add a listing to the phone book, click on either the white page or yellow page button on the tool bar, or select Phone Books from the Menu Bar.The phone book form will appear.

Fill in all the required information on the form and click on the Add button. You are only required to fill in the contact name, the rest of the information is optional.

Category

Located in the upper right hand corner is a category list box. You may select a category for a listing,( ie suppliers, customers),  by clicking on the arrow located on the right hand side of the drop down menu and highlighting the desired item in the list. You can create an unlimited number of categories by selecting File then Set Up from the menu bar.

Notes

Each phone entry can have a note attached to it. To enter a note for a specific entry, select an entry by  clicking on the entry from the listings list. This will fill the phone book form with the previously entered information on the contact. Once the entry has been selected, click on the notes button on the tool bar. This will bring up the notes form. Enter the note or make any corrections to an existing note and click on close when done to close the note window. Click on Update on the contact window and the note will be entered into the system, attached to the specified entry.  The note can be edited at any time using the above proceedure. Any time a contact has a note attached to it, the notes button will be highlighted in red when the contact information is being reviewed.

Additional

This feature allows the user to enter multiple contacts that share the same company and address information. Recall an existing entry to the form and click on the additional button. This will clear all the information except the address information. Add the new entry as previously described.


Delete a Listing
Delete a Listing From the Phone Book

To delete a listing from the phone book,  click on the desired selection for deletion from the listings box . This will recall the listing information of that contact to the phone book form. If this is a listing you wish to delete then click on delete and the listing will be deleted from the system.


Search a Listing

To search a listing use the Search Form.  See Search


Edit a Listing
Edit a Phone Book Listing

The  information displayed in the phone book window can arrive from several different sources. Clicking on an entry in the  listings box on the phone book form is one source. Double clicking on items in searched lists will also bring you to the phone book form with previously entered information on a contact being displayed.

When a contact has been selected from one of these sources, information on that contact will be displayed on the phone book form and the Add button on the tool bar will change to either Update or Searched, depending on the source of the information.You may now make any necessary corrections to the entry.

When the changes have been made, click on the Add,  Update or Searched button and your corrections will be entered into the system.


Registration
Time Chaser Registration

Mail Registration

Compuserve Registration

Credit Card Registration

Non Registered Users

Non registered users may order through CompuServe, by credit card, or by mail. Upon Registration you will receive a  disk containing a registered version as well as a manual file which can be printed out for those who prefere a written manual over the help menu. Your order will be shipped out within 24 hours of placing the order. For most countries in the world you should allow for about two weeks for delivery. From our experience orders to the United States sometimes take up to four weeks.

To Our Registered Users

Registered users of Time Chaser may order the most recent version of the program for $19.95 U.S. funds($26.00 Canadian) regardless of the latest version ordered.  Canadian residents must include 7% GST (Ontario residents must include the GST plus 8% PST).

Upgrades can ONLY be ordered through the mail,not through compuserve or PSL. We regret this inconvenience and are working to correct the situation.

To order upgrates, complete the mail order form(see "Registration by "Mail" located at the top of the screen.), and BE SURE to include the registration number of your most recent copy of the program on the order form. Please NOTE  that your name must match a registration number previously registered with us.

Licensing

Time Chaser is not public domain software, nor is it freeware.  The use of Time Chaser is subject to the following conditions: Non registered users are granted to use Time Chaser on a 30 day trial basis  for the purpose of determining whether  the program is suitable for their needs. The use of Time Chaser other than the 30 day trial period requires registration. The use of unregistered copies of Time Chaser is strictly prohibited.

InfoWare Solutions Inc. does not warrant that Time Chaser will meet your requirements or that the operation of the software will be uninterrupted or error free. Nor do we offer any warranties or guarantees of any kind. You are free to use Time Chaser in any way you see fit, but at your own risk.

We have made every effort to ensure that this software is as efficient and error free as possible. If you should find an error or possibly a feature that you would like to see incorporated into the software, please let us know. Some of our best ideas come from you.


Mail Registration

To get a hard copy of the following form select file menu Print Topic

To Register By Mail (CHECK OR MONEY ORDER ONLY)

Non Registered Users

Please register my copy of Time Chaser. I am sending a check or money order for $39.00 U.S. funds.
(Canadian residents only may send $52.00 Can. funds plus 7% GST. Ontario residents must also include 8% PST).

Registered Users

Please send me your most recent version of Time Chaser. I am sending a check or money order for $19.95 U.S. funds(or $26.00 Can. funds plust GST plus PST where applicable)
Latest registration number___________________________________________

Signature:________________________________________________________

Name:___________________________________________________________

Address1:________________________________________________________

Address2:________________________________________________________

City:_____________________________________________________________

State or Prov._____________________________________________________

Zip or Postal Code_________________________________________________

Country:__________________________________________________________

Telephone(optional):_______________________________________________

How did you learn about Time Chaser
_________________________________________________________________

Send completed form with payment to
InfoWare Solutions Inc.
1355 Richmond Rd.
P.O.Box 7256
Ottawa, Ontario
K2A 4E3
Canada


Credit Registration
Phone Registration (Credit Cards Only)

You may order with MasterCharge, Visa, Amex or Discover from Public (software) Library by calling
-800-2424-PSL
or
-713-524-6394
or by fax to
-713-524-6398
or by CIS Email to 71355,470

Office hours CST Mon-Thurs 7:00a.m. to 6:00p.m.  and 7:00a.m. to 12:30p.m. on Fridays

You may also mail credit card orders to
PSL
P.O.Box 35705
Houston, TX 77235-5705

Make sure you specify  "Time Chaser" order #11464 , $39.00 U.S. funds will be billed to your credit card.

Credit Information should include card number , name as it appears on the credit card,  and billing address for the card

Please NOTE: The above numbers are for credit card orders only. Any other questions about the status of the shipment, registration options, site licenses, product details,technical support or volume discounts must be directed to the address below, or CIS Email 74003,757 or through our BBS at (613) 825-2444.

InfoWare Solutions Inc.
1355 Richmond Rd.
P.O.Box 7256
Ottawa, Ontario
K2E 3E4  Canada


Compuserve Registration

To register through Compuserve GOSWREG and select registration ID # 2968. A registration fee will be billed to your compuserve account.


Installation

From Floppy Disk Supplied By InfoWare Solutions Inc.

MS Windows 3.1 or later is required

For your convenience we have included an installation utility with Time Chaser. Insert our disk into your floppy drive to view the files from the file manager. Double click on setup.exe from the file manager. The program will automatically be installed on your system.

Manual Installation

VBRUN300.DLL module is required. (if you do not have this module, it is available on most on line services at no additional cost ). Create a unique subdirectory on your hard disk. Copy the following Time Chaser files into that subdirectory.

CHASER.EXE
CHASER.HLP
SYSIN.STP

Copy the following files into your windows\system directory

MSAFINX.DLL
MSCOMM.VBX
THREED.VBX
VBRUN300.DLL

After these files have been installed, from the file manager, double click on Chaser.exe


Diary
The Diary

The desk diary is your day at a glance. Your todo's and appointments are always displayed for the date indicated in the Date Box located directly above the todo page of the diary.  From the diary you can reschedule, delete, and log  todo's and appointments.

Rescheduling Todo's and Appointments

To reschedule a todo or an appointment that is listed in the diary, double click on the desired entry. Time Chaser will then send you to the appropriate form and display all previous information on that entry. Make all necessary corrections and click on Update. The changes will be entered into the system and send you back to the diary. Note: You cannot reschedule a Continuous todo.

Deleting Todo's and Appointments

To delete a todo or appointment that is listed in the diary, click on the entry to highlight it, then click on delete on the bottom of the appropriate page. Time Chaser will ask you to confirm the deletion. Upon confirmation the entry will be deleted from the system.

Logging Todo's and Appointments

Time Chaser gives you an alternative to deleting past todo's and appointments. If you should want to document an entry instead of completely deleting it you may log it .To log a todo or appointment that is listed in the diary, click on the entry to highlight it, then click on Log on the bottom of the appropriate page. This entry will be deleted from the todo or appointment list, but will be retained in the log file which can be reviewed or printed at any time.

Diary Tabs

Along both sides of the diary are lettered tabs. This is your access to the quick phone book. The quick phone book will display contact names along with their home and business phone numbers. Clicking on a lettered tab will initiate the quick phone book with all contact surnames from either the white page or yellow page phone books that match the letter tab chosen. You can switch from white to yellow pages and vice versa by clicking on the window located directly above  The letter "A" tab.

 When the quick phone book form is visible you may elect to view contacts by category. Todo this click on the category button. A list of categories will appear in a list box. Double click on the desired item and the quick phone book will list only those contacts which have been entered with that category. Clicking on the category button twice will hide the category list.


Importing Data
Importing To Phone Book

Time Chaser allows for the importing of data from other data bases. Time Chaser imports a comma delimited ASCII text file only. TO AVOID ANY PROBLEMS YOU MUST FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY. To import data to the phonebooks, select "File" and "Import White or Yellow Pages" from the menu bar.

If you are moving data from an existing database program, you should use the export ASCII text function of the database program. Most all database programs have this function.

You must rename this file either WHITE.TXT ot YELLOW.TXT, depending on which phone book you are importing to, since these are the file names that Time Chaser will look for when you select the import function. Now move this file into the directory where your Time Chaser data for the phone book you are importing is kept. WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU IMPORT THE NEW DATA INTO A NEW DATABASE, CREATED BY THE OPEN/CREATE DATABASE FUNCTION, TO ENSURE THAT EXISTING DATA IS NOT CORRUPTED IF THE PROCEEDURE IS DONE INCORRECTLY. Upon creating a new database in Time Chaser, the program will have created a subdirectory with the same name of your new database.Move your IMPORT file into this directory.
Now that you have the IMPORT file  in the database directory you must edit the file using an ASCII text editor(the DOS editor works well as does the windows notepad for smaller files).

The data records must be preceded by a single text record that defines the data fields

This text record must be located on the very first line of the data records.This line defines the order and number of fields in your import file. Some files created by an export ASCII function will have this text record on the first line, others will not. The following are examples of both.

With a text record on the first line

"last","first","address1","company","city","state","zip"
"Jones","Ann","12 Main St","ABC Company","New York","NY","11202"
"Smith","Bob",22 10th St.","XYZ Company","Butte","MO","33245"
etc....

Without a text record on the first line

"Jones","Ann","12 Main St","ABC Company","New York","NY","11202"
"Smith","Bob",22 10th St.","XYZ Company","Butte","MO","33245"
etc....
Note: In the first example there are no spaces in the text record. Also notice that the text record corresponds exactly in order and number of fields to the data records that follow.

If a text record exists in your Import.txt file

You must modify your text record to the field names that Time Chaser understands. In the example above the first title is "last_name". Time Chaser refers to this field as"Last", so you would have to change the title from "last_name" to "last".
The following titles are used by the Time Chaser import function:
"Company" refers to the company name
"Address1"
"Address2"
"City"
"State"
"Zip"
"Country"
"First" refers to contact first name
"Last" refers to contact last name
"Title"
"Blank"refers to a field that is to be ignored by Time Chaser
"Salutation"
"Birthday"
"Spouse"
"Business_Phone"
"Home_Phone"
"Fax_Phone"
"Car_Phone"
"User1"
.
.
"User6"
If the import file has fields that Time Chaser does not use then you must enter "Blank" for each of these fields. It does not matter if there are five fields or fifty as long as there  is a title entered for each and every field.

You must change the text record on the first line to correspond exactly to these titles. The text record must be the first line of the Import.txt file, and there can be no spaces on the line. Also the complete text record must be on one continuous line.


Purging Data

As time passes, some past appointment and todo information is no longer of value to you. Keeping this unnecessay information in the system takes up space and can slow  processing in some cases. It is a good idea to do some periodic house cleaning every now and then. You can accomplish this with the purge feature.

To access the purge feature select File then purge (appointments or todo's) from the Menu Bar. A select dates form will appear. Enter a start date and end date in the appropriate Date Box and click on OK. All entries between these dates will be deleted from the system.

Be sure to log any entries that you might want to reference in the future since these records will not exist after the purge function has been implemented.

Note: It is also a good idea to backup your data before you purge any entries. To backup your data just copy all the files in the database directory that you are purging, (except chaser.exe and chaser.hlp ), to a floppy disk.


Calendar and Calculator
The Calendar and Calculator

There is a convenient calendar and calculator built into Time Chaser. To access either of these features, click on the appropriate button from the tool bar or select from the Menu Bar.

If the calendar is accessed by this method it is only used as a handy reference tool for looking up dates and days. The calendar can also be accessed by clicking on a Date Box.


Month Chart
The Chart

Time Chaser creates a monthly time chart as you schedule your appointments. The time chart displays your monthly appointment schedule at a glance. To access the chart, click on the chart button on the main screen tool bar or select chart from the Menu Bar.

The month that the chart displays will default to the current Diary month. Select the month that you wish to display by changing the date on the main screen to a day in the month that you wish to review, then click on the chart button.

The chart will display the selected month with the dates across the top and the time of day down the left hand side in one hour increments. Wherever an appointment is scheduled, that time block will be filled in red. Any white areas on the chart is unscheduled time.

To view your appointments for any given day, just click on the column of your choice, and all of the appointments scheduled for that date will appear in the appointment view form. At this point you will have the option of deleting existing or adding new appointment entries. To hide this pop-up view form, click on the close button on the bottom of the form and you will be returned to the chart.

To return to the main screen, click on the close button on the top left corner of the chart.


Timer
The Timer

Time Chaser offers a unique timer function for those who wish to time the duration of certain events. This feature can be used as a billing tool as the timer will report the elapsed time of an event while calculating the dollar amount based on the rate the user assigns. To access the timer, click on the timer button on the main screen tool bar or select tools and timer from the Menu Bar.

If you wish to time an event without assigning a rate, click on the start button and the duration box will now display the elapsed time.

To time an event that you wish to determine a dollar value based on a set rate, enter a dollar value in the rate box, select either the per minute or per hour option button, and click on the start button. The timer will now display the dollar amount based on the elapsed time and chosen rate and the clock init box will contain the time the timer was last initialized.

The timer can be started or stoped by clicking on the start and stop buttons respectively without reseting the timer. This allows you to keep a running total of the duration between starts and stops.

To reset the time, click on the reset button or close the timer using the close button.

To hide the timer without turning it off, click on the hide button. The Timer Button text on the main screen will be highlighted in red while the timer is still active.This is useful if you wish to do other tasks while timing an event.

Once an event has been timed, you may stamp this information to a contact's notes in the phone book, or to the log file.


Menu Bar

The menu bar is comprised of a collection of menu items that when clicked on  will access a function of the system. Many of these functions can be accessed using buttons on the tool bar but not all. The list following this heading on the help contents screen list the functions not accessable from the tool bar.  You can find this menu along the top of the main screen.


Link to Word Processor

Time Chaser allows the user to launch your favorite word processor directly from the phone book screen, and will automatically insert the date, name, address, and salutation into a new or prewritten letter.

Select the listing from the listings box, in the phone book form, that you wish to send a letter. When the information on the desired listing is displayed, you are ready to call the word processor. Next click on the letter button  located on the tool bar and the letter form will appear.

Enter the full path and filename of the word processor that you wish to launch.Note: the word processor must be a windows application and follow standard format( ie.  c:\wpwin\wpwin.exe).

Creating a new letter

If you are creating a new letter, while in the letter form, select the new letter option button, then select the appropriate option button if you wish to include the company name or just the contact name in the letter. Use your word processor as you normally would to create and print the finished letter. By exiting the word processor, you will return to the Time Chaser program.

Sending to a form Letter

If you wish to send a prewritten form letter, you must first create the letter using your word processor leaving out the date,name, address, and salutation. Then save the form letter.

From the phone book in Time Chaser click on the letter button. The letter form will appear. Make sure the path and file name of your word processor is correct( as described above). Select the directory containing your form letter from the directory list box , then highlight the form letter file in the file list box and click OK. The word processor will launch and the selected form letter will appear with the date, contact name, address, and salutation inserted in the letter. Print or save the file  as you normally would. By exiting the word processor you will be returned to Time Chaser.


Open/Create Database

Time Chaser allows you to create an unlimited number of databases. Each database will have the same functionality and options. To open or create a database select file and open/create database from the Menu Bar.

To Create a New Database

Once in the open/create database form, create a new subdirectory for your database by entering the full path to the new directory. This subdirectory must be a subdirectory branching from the application directory. Time Chaser aids you in this operation by providing you with the path to the application directory. All you really have to do is provide a name for the new directory and add it to the default application path.

After you have entered the path, you must provide a label for this database. Enter this name in the label box.Once this information has been completed, click on the OK button located below the label box. The new database will be entered into the system, added to the database list, and the new database will become the current database as illustrated in the current database box.

Opening an Existing Database

To open an existing database,double click on the desired item in the database list. The selected database will now be current as illustrated in the current database box.


Printing

Time Chaser prints out a variety of reports for your convenience. Some information is printed directly from specific forms such as the Search Form, or the contact profile printed from the phone book. These print descriptions are described under their respective topics. Other information can only be printed by accessing routines from the Menu Bar by clicking on "Print" from the menu bar and selecting the appropriate print routine. The routines are described below.

Printing the Phone Books

When you opt to print either the white pages or yellow pages phone books, Time Chaser prints the entire phone book out for you. Time Chaser prints out the contact names, address', and all four phone numbers entered into the system.

Printing Appointments

Time Chaser allows you to print out appointments for any range of dates. To print appointments select print and appointments from the menu bar. A pop-up window will appear requesting a start and end date for printing your appointments. Enter these dates in the Date Boxes and click on OK. All of your appointments between these two dates will be printed. Time Chaser will print out the  date, start time, end time, and the description for these appointments.

Printing Todo's

Time Chaser allows you to print out todo's for any range of dates. To print todo's select print and todo's from the menu bar. A pop-up window will appear requesting a start and end date for printing your todo's. Enter these dates in the date boxes and click on OK. All of your todo's between these two dates will be printed. Time Chaser will print out the  date,  and the description for these todo's.


A date which occurs on the same day every month( ie the 15 th of the month).


A date which appears on the same day of the same week in every month (ie The second Tuesday of the month).


Notes

Each phone entry can have a note attached to it. To enter a note for a specific entry, select an entry by  clicking on the entry from the listings list. This will fill the phone book form with the previously entered information on the entry. Once the entry has been selected, click on the notes button on the tool bar. This will bring up the notes window. Enter the note or edit an existing note, and click on close to close the note window. When the Update button on the contact window is clicked, the note update along with all other changes to the entry will be entered into the system.  The note can be edited at any time using the above proceedure. Any time a contact has a note attached to it, the notes button will be highlighted in red when the contact information is being reviewed.

The notes form supports the cut ,copy and paste feature to allow you to import and export notes to and from the clipboard. There is an automatic time and date stamp feature which will print out the current time and date to your notes screen. To implement this feature, place the cursor on the notes screen where you wish to place the stamp and click on the Time and Date Button. The current time and date will be printed to the screen.

The notes form contains a timer stamp which will stamp out information on the most recent timed event. For instruction on timing events please see timer.


Log Window
The Log Window

The log window will display all of the previously logged items since the last time that it was cleared. To access this window select the View Log  button from the tool bar or select Tools and Log View from the menu bar.

Deleting log Entries:

As a safety precaution single entries can not be deleted from the log file however; you may delete the entire log file itself

To clear the entire log file, simply click on the Clear Log File Button. A message box will appear asking you to confirm the deletion. Upon confirmation, your log file will be deleted from the system. It is a good idea to print out a hard copy of the file before you delete it since after the deletion the entire file is removed from the system.

Timer Stamping to the Log File:

Time Chaser will stamp a timer entry to the log file. Before you create a timer entry to the log, you must first time an event on the timer (see Timer). Time Chaser will stamp an entry into the log indicating the duration , the rate, the amount, and the client you wish to charge in the following format;
00:01:40 @ 25.50/Hr. = .71 John Doe and Associates

Printing the Log File:

To print the log file, click on the Print Log File button in the Log Window. A complete list of all the entries that have been logged will be sent to your printer.


Autodial
Autodialer

In order for the autodial feature to work properly, certain proceedures must be followed correctly.

Selecting the Number to Dial

To select the number to appear in the autodialer window, click on the appropriate option button located on the right of the desired number. Once your selection has been made, click on the telephone icon to show the autodial window.

Autodialer Window

Once in the autodial window,  select the proper com port from the drop down combo box, and the proper dial type by clicking on the appropriate option button. You may also enter long distance information into the corresponding text boxes such as long distance prefix and suffix. If you are entering area codes into your phone entries  ,you should also set your local area code in the local area text box.  When Time Chaser sees that the area code of the number that you wish to dial is different from your local area code, it will automatically add the long distance prefix and suffix as well as the area code to the number that you wish to dial. If you are not including area codes in your telephone entries,  you should leave the local area code text box blank.

Adjusting the Telephone Number String

By clicking on the check boxes you can add or delete numbers from the telephone string . For example, if the call is long distance by does not require and area code you may click on the area code check box to remove the area code from the string. This will also act in reverse to add the area code to the string, and will work this way for all of the check boxes.

You may also wish to delay dialing between certain numbers within the string for dialing through a PBX or certian long distance operations. To do this, insert a comma where you wish a delay to ocurr. You may insert as many comma's as you wish depending on how many and how long the delay should be. The pause time for each comma depends on the configuration of your modem but  usually defaults to two seconds for each comma on most modems.

Dialing and Hanging Up

To dial the number click on the telephone icon and Time Chaser will dial the number for you. If the sound for your modem is turned on,  you should hear the status of your call. If the line is busy, click on cancel and try again later. If the phone begins to ring, pick up the phone and click on the talk button to disconnect the modem and continue on with your call.


Call Back
Call Back Contact

While a contact is being displayed in the phone book window, you may elect to use the contact call back feature.

This feature will automatically compose a call back description and enter it into either your appointments, or todo's description field when the window appears.

First, check the desired boxes in the Call Back frame to select the format of the description(First Name, Last Name, Company). The phone number that appears in the description will be the number selected from the phone book (Home, Business,car,fax).

Finally select either the Todo's or Appointments icon. The appropriate window will appear with the description field already complete. The remaining proceedure is the same as entering either an appointment or todo. See adding appointments and todo's.