system settings

See Also: More Settings

System Setting Options

To open the system settings window click on the “System Settings” tab or type alt “S”.

Here is where we can play with color to give a different look to the program. I’ve found that selecting various shades of the same color can create some great combinations but please don’t be afraid to create your own masterpieces. Generally speaking, the various windows are easier to look at with colors which are not too deep. Try toning down colors with the light/dark slider to the right in the color dialog window.

Custom Colors: Your system displays windows using the colors setup in this window. The various colors are not used consistently throughout the program, rather they are mixed up to keep things interesting.

To change one of the system colors, click on the color square to the right of the color you wish to change. Colors are selected from a color dialog window.

The colors of your system can be changed as often as you desire. After changing colors the system automatically updates the colors used in both the Settings and Contact windows.

Auto Dialer: -

To use this feature you need to have a modem connected to your computer, connected to your phone line.

Comm Port - This is your computer’s port setting that your modem is connected to. In many cases, external modems are installed to comm port 2 and internal to comm port 3. If you do not know which comm ports what… you will need to experiment to find what your setting should be.

Local Area Code - Enter your local area code. This will enable the computer to identify whether the call it is dialing is local or long distance.

Dialing Enabled - When checked, your system’s auto dialing feature will be enabled. There will be a phone pad displayed on the Contact Window which is used to dial the call.

Local Prefix - The local prefix string will dial before dialing a local number. This field can be used to turn off call-waiting by inputting *70 followed by a comma, (a comma tells the modem to pause.) Normally there will be nothing in this field.

Long Distance Prefix - The Long Distance Prefix string will dial before dialing a long distance number. Normally you will enter a 1 into this field.

Long Distance Suffix - The Long Distance Suffix string will dial the long distance prefix, the suffix and the contact’s area code and phone number. This can be used in conjunction with the long distance prefix to utilize a calling card number. A standard calling card setup would require a 0 entered into the long distance prefix, several commas ( a comma tells the modem to pause) and your calling card number entered into the long distance suffix. Normally this field will be left blank.

System Dates:

Week Ending - Select the day of the week that you wish to have your weekly summary end on. This date is also used elsewhere in the weekly summary system.

Company Year Start - This is the month used to tell the system which month to base weekly summary reports from. your weekly summaries year to date section will also be calculated based from this date. I would recommend setting this date to July 1st, to reflect the M.K. year.

Sales Year Start - This is the month used to calculate your customer’s sales beginning year date. I would recommend January 1st for this date.

The Company Year date and the Sales Year date can be changed at any time. After changing the system dates for either year, you should run the update button associated with the year you changed. This can be done by clicking once and following the instructions on the screen. The update should also be performed at the beginning of the year to update your data base for the new year.

Alphanumeric Zip Codes This feature is used to change the formatting used for the zip code field from numeric to alphanumeric. If you’re located in Canada, you will want to check this option so that you can enter zip codes with letters in them. If you check this setting, you should leave it checked. Any alphanumeric zip codes which entered will not be displayed properly if this setting is not left on.

Main Database Path - Displays the path of your original installation. Generally this will be c:\dawin\dawin.mdb which is the default. If you change the default when installing, it will be reflected here. Dawin..mdb is the main Microsoft Access database for the system. This file contains all of your entered information. (contacts, inventory, sales, expenses, appointments…) All updates need to be installed into the same path as the original program.

Backup Path - Every time you exit the system, a backup of your database (dawin.mdb) is created at this location. You can change the location of the backup or disable this feature by changing this field. If you have multiple hard drives, you may want to change this to a directory on another drive. If the directory does not exist, the system will automatically create it. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SET THIS PATH TO THE “A” DRIVE OR ANY 3 ½ FLOPPY SINCE THE FLOPPY WILL NOT BE LARGE ENOUGH TO SAVE YOUR DATA. You can disable the auto backup by typing “OFF” into the backup path field.