old subject

[user]

hello dale,
compliments again on an excellent pos program. asking again for 3 small features.

1. could the program be config. with an option so that for eg. i could setup a register to print only customer sales check,meaning that as soon as they log into the register interface and scan a product and press + it goes straight to option 1.CANCEL & 2. PRINT CUSTOMER SALES CHECK ,
PRINT SALES CHECK being default (for speed), without the PRINT RECEIPT, COMPLETE SALE option then after printing sales check it will park the sale which comes to my second feature

2. ( had asked before but i think i didnt explain myself correctly the first time ) . could the parking be setup with a default number (with option to change) to what ever number u want to change it to , meaning u enter parked sale screen and the default park code is one(1) then for speed sake u just press enter, u enter parked sale screen again and automatically its 2 and so on and so forth instead of having a look through and see available number especially if the is a lot of parked sale there . hope that makes sense.

3. last - would be the opposite of 1. - meaning that the register has an option to go straight to park sale screen and then u enter the park code retrieve parked sale press + 1. CANCEL 2.PRINT RECEIPT, COMPLETE SALE, no.2 being default, without the PRINT CUSTOMER SALES CHECK option.

in other words 1 register doing only sale parking and another register doing only print receipt and complete sale

i hope i made much sense

[Tina]

When we park we use the current transaction #. I have it setup so there is a limit of just 3 parking spots for sales. The only time I park is when someone forgets their $, or if there is a problem with the order, or if Grandma takes 10 years to dig her change out of her purse.. I could ring 2 or 3 orders while she is still digging..

I think an autopark is a cool idea indeed, but then again it's no big deal for me to enter a # in either..

Tina

[Dale Harris]

User,

Some interesting features there but I do not think that there are many people who are asking for them.

1) I do not remember anyone asking for a register that would just print sales checks, especially a sales check that only has one item on it.

2) The advantage of having to create your own parking code for a sale is that you are then more likely to remember it when you have to find that particular sale to unpark it. Or you can use something that will help you remember it like the table number in a restaurant. If you want a random parking code just close your eyes and hit some keys.

3) Once again, no other requests for this.

[user]

thanks for your prompt reply dale,

i have been using your program for more than a year now and it is perfect for me so far,
but recently a friend of mine who is very impresed with your program, he runs a mini-wholesale/variety type store , so from time to time it'll really get busy eg. christmas, back to school ect., because of this wholesale type setting
this is how we usually do it

there is a "picking" station/area where the customer will choose his/her product
a double "picking" slip is printed one for the clerk to go and retrieve the product and one for the customer to take to the cashier on the picking slip is a number when entered by the cashier will bring up the list of goods and the amt. , after the customer pays the amt. a receipt is printed and stamped, the customer goes back to the pick up window with the receipt and pick up the goods.

it may sound like a lot of back and forth but trust it works out well during the busy period.
this way a customer only goes to cashier when they are sure and finished as they have a slip showing items/amt ect., thus saving time

so i use your "parking Feature" as a picking slip
and the register as a cashier.

thats y the parking feature could end up having more than 30-40 sale parking at a time , thats y i would want it automated so that the clerk would not have to stop and check through 30-40 numbers for an available number. it could be automated with the option to backspace or delete and enter what ever you want if the clerk chooses to .

thats y i was asking for the option to be able to config a computer to be used as only cashier or only picker




please dont get me wrong i would'nt want u to change the program,
just set those features as an option for those who would like it , ( if its not too much trouble)

thanks again

[Bobby]

just an idea, you could use the transaction number. that way, the cashier does not have to make up the number, and unless you have more than 9999 transactions, you will not repeat a number. also, the "picklists" can ref to the sales slips.

bobby

[Dale Harris]

User,

Of course implimenting autoparking numbers would require that I modify the program. First I would have to modify the POSCONFG.EXE program to permit autoparking numbers to be an option, which would not be that much of an actual problem because there is plenty of code space in that file (it would just take time.) However then I would have to modify the POS.EXE program to actually generate the numbers and that would be a problem because I have many new features that many people want and almost no programming space left to put them.

And how would you like the numbers to be generated? They could not be purely random because then the program would have to check that the random number was not already being used and then generating a new random number. They could not be sequential because it is possible that the last number used to save a sale would be the next number used to retrieve a sale. A special file could be used to store the numbers for comparison using additional memory to store the numbers and additional code (and memory) to perform the search. But memory is the problem, there is no memory left to waste.

Another consideration is my time, I do not have enough of it. While everyone thinks that their feature would be really simple because they can explain it in 25 words or less and therefore it will not take me more than maybe 10 minutes to add it to the program, this is never true. I have to consider how the feature will work, look up and figure out where in the program the code will go and how the new code will interface with the old code. I do not have 30,000 lines of code permanently in my brain. To revisit an old feature I have to go find the code and then figure out how it works. And then after creating the new code and adding it to the program I have to check out the entire program to make sure that the new code has not screwed up some other totally non-related feature that has worked for years. My best guess on adding your feature would be a week, but I always underestimate.

On the other hand when you are asked to enter a new number to save a sale all the numbers currently being used are displayed on the screen in numerical order (or alpha-numeric order if you are also using letters.) When presented with the series 45, 46, 52, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59 how difficult would it be to pick a number that is not being currently used?

But overcoming all these obstacles could be justified there was not a simple way for a user to enter a new parking number (look in the list and pick a number not there.) And if a significant percentage of the 100,000 current users of DHPOS were telling me that they really need this new feature (currently only one person is asking for this.)

So I will put this feature into the “think about it” pile but to actually get it into the program would require that lots more people tell me that they really need it and that they are then willing to postpone other features like gift cards and customer accounts.

[Guest]

thats a very good idea bobby, you see 2 heads are better than 1 ..
(dale & booby's) that is .
thanks again dale for taking time out to respond , it still would be nice if by default the transaction no. would be the default parking code with the option to backspace or delete and put in a number/letter or both for eg. a table no. as dale said.

i see someone is requesting a feature almost similar to mine , i think the heading is "DRIVE-THRU", so there is hope for me yet.

thanks again keep up the good work.

[SwedaGuy]

Guest, Are you trying to run a restaurant? You seem to be describing a "multiple service round" feature common in restaurant POS. Sounds nice, but kind of outside the realm of what this program is designed for--if I'm understanding, in fact, what this program is designed for...