POSnet - complete BETA version.

[Dale Harris]

Since this note was originally posted the network version has been released.
<hr>
Well gang here is yet another BETA test version of POS for networks. What makes this one special is that ALL net network features have been implemented and the only thing left to do hunt down any remaining bugs and squish them. This is where you come in, finding the bugs.

The new network features in this version are receiving merchandise in your store and taking an inventory for your store. So those are the features that need testing the most. But don't stop there, test the whole thing. Bugs that have previously been reported have been squished in this version, maybe.

Remember that not only is this the network version of the program but it is also the “stand alone” version and that the program needs testing in both modes. It does not help if this version works fine on networks but is buggy when used for “stand alone” applications. So those of you out there who do not have a network have something to test also.

Below are the new instructions that will be in the user’s guide for running POS over the network. I need a critique on them also. Do they make sense, are they too complicated, are they complete enough?

Here is the download link. http://keyhut.com/pos3.htm

As always make sure that you have backed up all your current program and data files and it is best to do your testing from the backups leaving your original files intact.
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NETWORKING THE CASH REGISTER

This program can be used as a "stand alone" register or it can reconfigured to run over a network. A "stand alone" register is where there is only one register in the store. All sales must therefore be rung on this one register because it is the only one. This makes for a very simple system in that there is only one set of data files and only one way to access them, which is through the one register.

But what if your store is so busy that one register will not handle the customer traffic? You could run two copies of this software on two stand alone registers but this leads to problems. If you are using a stock table what is sold on one register will not be noticed by the other register. If you have two identical inventories (one in the stock table of each register) then when an item is sold from one register it will be subtracted from the inventory of that register but not from the other register. So to function properly you will need to have the registers linked together over a network so that they can share data files.

Of course to run the registers over a network the first thing you will need is two or more computers linked over a network.

SETTING UP COMPUTERS TO RUN "CASH REGISTER" OVER A NETWORK

When used over a network various "folders" must be set up on each computer being used as a cash register. First, each register must have what is called a "Local" folder. This folder will keep all the program files and data files that are used by that register. These are called, of course, your "local" files. While you can name this folder anything you wish and place it anywhere you want on the hard drive, to keep it simple please name this folder POS and place it at this PATH - C:\POS

Into your C:\POS folder you must place all the program files from the Cash Register program. You must create this folder on each computer on your network that is being used as a cash register and place into that folder all the program files from the Cash register program. If in the future you wish to upgrade the Cash Register program to a newer version you will have to load the new version into each C:/POS folder on every computer that is being used as a cash register. You may now place the icon from the POS.EXE program on your computer screen's desk top to be used to start the Cash Register program. Remember, your "Local" is located at C:\POS on each cash register computer.

Now you must create one "Global" folder. The global folder will hold all the data files that are shared by all registers. This folder is only created on ONE of the networked computers. This folder should be created on the most used cash register computer because if your network goes down only the computer with BOTH a "Local" folder AND the "Global" folder will be able to ring up sales until the network comes back up.

While you can name the "Global" folder anything you wish and place it anywhere you want on the SERVER hard drive, to keep it simple please name this folder GLOBAL and place it at this PATH (assuming that your server hard drive is F: ) F:\GLOBAL

You must also place all the Cash Register program files into the "Global" folder" and of course if you wish later to upgrade the Cash Register program to a newer version you will have to copy the new version program files to the "Global" folder also.

SETTING UP THE PROGRAM TO WORK OVER A NETWORK

The stand alone version of the Cash Register program and the network version of the Cash Register program are the EXACT SAME PROGRAM FILES. To convert POS into POSnet all you will have to do is to enter a network PATH into the POSCONFG.EXE program, give each register a register letter, A-Z, and declare one of the folders to be "Global" while the other folders are "Local".

If you are converting from a "Stand alone" setup to a network setup (meaning that you have been using the cash register program for a while on one computer that has not been used over a network and you now want to use the program over a network using the same computer plus others connected to the network) then first create the local folders on the other computers and the global folder on ONE of the computers. Now over the network copy ALL of the files from the existing local folder to ALL of the other local folders AND the global folder.

If you are new to the Cash Register program then create a local folder on each of the computers to be used as a register and the global folder on ONE of the register computers. Now copy all the program files to each of the local folders AND the global folder.

Now it is time to setup the Cash Register program to function over the network. Go to the LOCAL folder on one of the computers and run the POSCONFG.EXE program and go to the "Network" feature. First enter the PATH to the global folder. Assuming that the server drive is F: and you created the global folder on the server drive at \GLOBAL then the PATH you would enter would be F:\GLOBAL You now must give this register a "register letter" from A to Z. When using the program later, under some conditions, it will be very important to know from which register a transaction was rung. The "register letter" will be printed after every transaction number on every receipt, i.e. 1234A, so you must give each register a different "register letter." This software will NOT check to make sure that each register has a different "register letter" YOU must make sure that each one is different on each register. On the lower right of the screen you must make sure that this folder is set up as a LOCAL folder, press [TAB] to change it if you need to. When everything is correct press [ESC] to return to the main POSCONFG.EXE menu.

Now repeat the above process for each of the other registers.

Now you must go to the GLOBAL folder and do the same thing. Even though the program will be running in the global folder you must still enter the PATH. You must still enter the "register letter" because while the POS.EXE program in the global folder will not allow you to ring up transactions it will allow you to open and close the program thereby printing opening and closing receipts. Since the closing receipt from the global folder will give you the sales from the entire store it would be very helpful if you knew which one it is. And this time you must set the folder as the GLOBAL folder. This is important because it will prevent the program from doing things in the global folder that it should not do and allow the program to do things that the copies of the program in the local folders cannot do.

So why are there local data files and global data files? Global data is shared by all the registers, things like the stock table, tax rates, customer info, sales history, employees, receipt headers and footers, coupons, passwords, etc. This data can be accessed and changed by any register and the changes will then apply to all the registers.

Local data applies to only the register it is entered on, for example hardware issues. It is possible that each register is cobbled together from different parts at different times as new registers were needed. Different registers could be run on different computers running different versions of Windows (or DOS) attached to different receipt printers and different cash drawers. Therefore settings for things like printer setup, printer programming, color or B&W, keyboard beep, open cash drawer settings, etc. are all local.

To find out if something is "local" and must be set on each register or "global" and can be set from one register and will then apply to all registers use the POSCONFG.EXE program to access the feature you are interested in. If there is this symbol (L) near where you enter the data or setting then it is local, if the symbol is not there then it is global.

Two of the things that are local are the journal and the record of past sales. This is why the receipts have the register letter following the transaction number. If you need to void a sale you must do it from the register that originally rang up the sale, it is the only one that will have the record of that particular sale in it's .REC file so that you can void it.

The journal is also local. This allows you to deal with just one register when trying to make sure that no sales have gone "missing." If you print your journal you do not have to compare the transaction numbers from each printed journal roll to make sure that the transaction numbers are sequential. For example, transaction number 2568 is on journal E and then 2569 is on A and 2570 is on journal C. Each register journal is separate and has its own sequential transaction numbers.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN "STAND ALONE" AND NETWORK OPERATION.

Sale parking.
Sales can be parked from any register and can then be picked up from any other register. However if one register is parking or picking up a sale the other registers will not be able to access sale parking until the first register is finished or has waited to get into this feature for 3 minutes. This is because if two registers access the parking feature at the same time it is possible to give two different sales the same parking ID or to park the two sales in the same slot thereby losing one of the parked sales.

Stock table.
It is not a good idea to make structural changes in the stock table while sales are being made on other registers. Do not delete current items and moving current items around in the stock table is a REALLY BAD IDEA. When a sale begins the POS.EXE program locates where every item in the stock table is. If that item moves while the sale is being processed then the item cannot be found.

Changing prices, tax rates, or other information is OK but if the item has already been rung into the sale on another register those changes will not be reflected in that one sale.

Closing the registers.
The only noticeable change in closing an individual register is that you will not be able to reset the merchandise data from the register. The closing receipt will only report sales from that one register. All of the figures on the closing report (except "tips") are also from only that register. You MUST close every register before you close the "Global" register.

After all the registers have been closed you must run the POS.EXE program from the GLOBAL folder. Closing out this global register will print on the closing report the sales from the whole store, all the figures on the global closing receipt are a total of all the registers added together. Only when you close the global register will you be offered the option to reset the merchandise data. The global register cannot ring sales, returns, no sales, or voids.

Reports.
While closing on a register is local, making a report (option #8) is global. So if you press [7] to see the closing screen it may tell you that the local sales for that register are 345.67 but if you press [8] to make a sales report it may tell you that the sales are 1234.56 for all the registers.

INVENTORY AND RECEIVING
On a "back room" computer you can run only the RECEIVE.EXE and INVENTOR.BAT programs if you wish. You will also have to run the POSCONFG.EXE program once to configure the folder as a "local" folder and enter the PATH to the global folder. This assumes that the back room computer is also on the network and you can actually run several back room networked computers if you wish to.

When run over the network you will not need to, or be able to, copy files from one drive to another as all the data files will actually be kept in the global folder.

After you have entered your received merchandise or your inventory into the data storage file you will still need to load that file into the stock table, however only the copy of the POS.EXE program in the global folder will be able to load the file.

If you do not wish the registers to be able to receive merchandise or enter inventory then remove the RECEIVE.EXE and INVENTOR.BAT from those local folders. Note: taking inventory requires both the RECEIVE.EXE and INVENTOR.BAT files.

[chasmit]

DHPOS is the best thing that has happened to
my computer since electricity.

[peewee3ie]

thank you for another beta of your pos program. i will try to test it over the next three days.

[Chas]

Hey Dale,
I am finally able to print to a file to take advantage of my usb printer using Aprint. It looks like it only prints 39 line accross instead of 40 & the slip printed like this


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
141 MY PLEASURE TO SERVE YO 02
04642 1 CHAS 18:31
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

instead of

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
001 MY PLEASURE TO SERVE YOU 02
04642 1 CHAS 18:31
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

it left the U out of YOU, so I changed it to this and it prints fine!!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
001 YOUR CASHIER TODAY WAS 02
04642 1 CHAS 18:31
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

001=Store # or location 02=register #


Chas

[ChrisKraus]

Wow, 5.0 is over with and now its 6.0. Cool.

[Dale Harris]

Chris,

Actually it is beta 5.0<u>6</u>.

[chasmit]

Dale,
You said to wait til 'say 5.06' to download &
try a 5.x as a single-register application.
I downloaded it and ran it through my 386
bug-checker and it came out clean as a
whistle.
chasmit

[Dale Harris]

Chasmit,

Please do not confuse the BETA versions with the regular release versions.

The copies of the network compatable versions of the program that have been uploaded so far are BETA test versions and therefore are not part of the numbering system for the regular release versions.

Once I have a BETA version that is deemed bug free and stable then it will be released as Version 5.0.

[chasmit]

Aha!
I see that now.
Thanks Dale.

[Dale Harris]

Come on folks, only one stinking bug found in the last 30 hours? I know that I am not that good.

Where is Barry when you need him?

[Dale Harris]

Well we may have a new "Barry." Payphone has reported two serious bugs in version BETA 5.06 both of which occur when using the POS program in network mode from the global folder.

1. While closing the register, when resetting the merchandise data the program will die.

2. When in the stock table either backing up or restoring the stock table will cause the program to die.

Also Robman reported that when ringing up an item that the inventory was not being displayed correctly.

All these bugs have been squished in http://keyhut.com/pos3.htm

[BarryHart]

Barry's still here.

Just a bit busy.

Noone will ever replace the "original Barry".

[Dale Harris]

Original Barry,

Still busy? I really want to release this thing but I cannot believe that there are not any bugs still to be found even though I cannot find any.

Come on Barry, I am depending on you and anyone else, find something wrong please.

[usmilitaryman13]

Hey dale,
when r u gonna make it to where u can enter
employee pins in posconfig ???? because right now
it takes forever to set up multiple employees (w/pins)
email me back at usmilitaryman13@yahoo.com

thanx,
JDR
PS although im only fifteen i really think your software and concept behind
which you writ it is really cool

[Dale Harris]

usmilitaryman13,

Good call. The bug only occured when the "sales history" was turned on. It has been squished and the new beta version can be downloaded here http://keyhut.com/pos3.htm

Also for those who normally take checks with check numbers up to one billion you can now enter 9 digit check numbers