POS version 7.0 released 9-14-08. SELL TICKETS

[daleadmin]

Well folks the POS program has a major new feature that almost no one will use, but I had fun writing it. The program will now sell tickets to just about anything. This new feature is so big that I have bumped up the version number to 7.0. It is also way too big to describe in this post so if you are interested click on this link to the online user’s guide. http://keyhut.com/postip6a.htm#ticket

There is other stuff…

When the register is locked or closed the pole display will now display a message asking customers to find another register.

For those folks trying to run this program on a PDA, or other computer that does not have function keys, you can now simulate [F1] to [F10] by holding down [ALT] and then pressing [1] to [0]. For example [ALT] + [4] will simulate [F4]. [ALT] + [-] = [F11] and [ALT] + [=] = [F12]. But you cannot use the number keys on the numeric keypad for this.

From the main Cash Register menu you can now press [F8] to look up a stock number or [F9] to look up a gift card balance.

There was a problem when using “groups” when you have a sale partially rung and then press [F10] to sell a gift card or [CTRL] + [TAB] for timers, that when you returned to the sale the program would not restore the partial sale. This has been fixed.

In the KITCHEN program a [?] would often print on the screen for no reason and you would have to press [ENTER] to continue the program, real annoying. Also there was a problem with activating the cutter bar on the printer. If you did not use an employee list the kitchen program would only print the top line of an order on a printer. These problems have been fixed.

Plus a bunch of other things that I cannot remember have been slightly fixed or improved, 7.0 has been a long, strange journey.

Dale

[bdude]

Just loaded this up on my mac under Dosbox and it works perfectly! well done

[vxlancin]

How do you run this on a pda?

[daleadmin]

I have no idea how you would run this on a PDA. Ian-UK in the chat room said that he could do it except for the function keys so that is why I added the [ALT] + [number] thing.

Dale

[IAN]

short quick version,,, if you have a pda you'll probly be able to connect it to a pc with microsofts activsync. the pda will most likly running microsoft's mobile pda software so you need to load in to it a DOS emulator from you main pc downloaded off the net, (do a google on dos pda, or similar words to it). once installed you have basically dos box on the pda.... and with that dos box is just the same way to set up and install as your normal pc, i extracted the files and copy them from pc to a folder in the pda, go to the folder in the dos box and away you go... some ideas i had was...
have the sample files for the barcode scanner to work as key wedge,
the pda's normally come with wireless, could connect a wireless print server and connect that to a recipt printer and then cash drawer.
the serial cable/port, you might be able to use for printers connected directly.


well thats it for the quick version
i hope someone will too be inspired to have a tinker

ian-uk

[cb_papi]

I saw in posconfig a selection named secret stuff which does nothing. Is this just for fun?

[daleadmin]

It is fun for me.

It is supposed to display a text file. Does it do that for you?

Dale

[dave something]

I experienced a 'misfeature' in the employee reports. Instead of printing one report for each employee who had sales/transaction data in their 'file,' I got about 30 reports, one for each 'place holder' in the employee list. I had two employees work that day, have a total of 9 employees set up in the system. It printed the two employees data-filled reports correctly, but then printed 28 empty reports. By empty I mean all data elements were shown as a zero value, but all the formatting/labels, etc., were printed. I am operating under the assumption that the program still intends to print reports for employees who have transaction data stored for the current day, and that a 'no data' employee's report would not print.

This report ran using at Autoreport file created after upgrading the software. I deleted the old Autoreport file before creating a new one.

I am using version 7.0 and I print directly to an Epson parallel receipt printer, not through Aprint.

I ran the FIX_HIST.exe program after upgrading and have no issues with the data set in any other area of the program (at least that I have 'seen' yet).

Dave

[daleadmin]

Here is another snappy new feature, ticket reports.

You can make a report of the ticket sales for any event. You access ticket reports from the “Ticket sales” feature of the POSCONFG.EXE program. Then select the new option “6. Ticket reports.” You can then select any event and the report will appear on the screen. I could describe what information is on the report, but an even better idea is to download this file http://keyhut.com/theater.exe (make a backup of the old file first) to the folder that is holding your POS program files and just make your own report and see what is there.

Note, you can use the data from current ticket sales for an event that uses assigned seating. However the previous version of this file did not save the data required to make an event report for events that use general seating. Only from sales rung up using this version of THEATER.EXE will you be able to make a report from an event using general seating. So start using it NOW.

NOTES: Ticket reports use the “receipt” printer and the “receipt printer” settings from the “Printer setup” feature POSCONFG.EXE program. Ticket reports are always 80 characters wide even if you have set receipts to print 40 characters wide. So a ticket report will come out looking really weird if you print it on a 40 character wide receipt printer. When the report is displayed on the screen you can press [TAB] to print the report or save it as a text file.

HOW ABOUT SOMEONE TRYING THIS OUT AND REPORTING BACK?

Dale

[daleadmin]

The ticket reports are now even better. You can now select multiple reports to be in the document and the selected reports will be added up for you into a total report. Here is the documentation http://www.dhpos.com/ticket.pdf

The latest is version 7.0b and you can download it from the same place at http://keyhut.com/theater.exe

Make a backup of the old file first and download to the folder that is holding your POS program files.

Dale

[Tomi Päivinen]

It is fun for me.

It is supposed to display a text file. Does it do that for you?

Dale

I think the "Secret Stuff" option in Posconfig is unnecessary, because it ruins the otherwise tactful and formal appearance of the program. If it needs to be there, you could name it "Manual" or such.

[daleadmin]

Well no one has ever accused me of being tactful or formal before, I do not know how to respond.

The information in the "Secret stuff" feature is all things that I get multiple emails about. Since I spend a great deal of my DHPOS time responding to the same questions over and over I try to cut down on the emails to have more time to write code.

So I thought that putting the information into the program would be helpful, but how to get anyone to read it? "Read me" would not work because all that information is in the manual and no one reads that. Then I thought of "Don't click this" figuring that was subversive enough to do the trick but some users would not click it thinking that it would make their computer explode. For 2 seconds I was going to use "Click here to die" but someone would sue me for that.

But people all want to know secrets so i named it "Secret stuff. It worked on you.

Dale

[Tomi Päivinen]

So I thought that putting the information into the program would be helpful, but how to get anyone to read it? "Read me" would not work because all that information is in the manual and no one reads that. Then I thought of "Don't click this" figuring that was subversive enough to do the trick but some users would not click it thinking that it would make their computer explode. For 2 seconds I was going to use "Click here to die" but someone would sue me for that.

But people all want to know secrets so i named it "Secret stuff. It worked on you.

[daleadmin]

A few last tiny tweeks to the Tickets feature.

If you change the header on a event you now have to option of saving it
as the same event. This is useful if you entered something wrong when you
created the event, like a typo in the event name.

If you are selecting an event and press [F1] you will still get a list of
all events but instead of starting at the beginning you will start from the
date entered.

This is just a download of the THEATER.EXE program http://keyhut.com/theater.exe

[bdude]

I'm running POS through Dosbox, and when I try to sell tickets, a printer error comes up even though I'm using FILE: and other receipts/reports print correctly