The records file back and forth

The records returned from Timer will contain all this information, most of it by adoption. Names (employees, vendors, and customers,) service items, and classes must all come from the main QuickBooks company file. A sequence of file handling is necessary. This will often be done through a network, using a plan designed relative to the net. For those moving data on floppies (sometimes called sneakernet) the movements will be in approximately this manner:

QuickBooks, on the central computer, exports lists.

Timer, on the local computers, generates a new data file and imports the list file.

Timer records time worked, normally one person at each station.

Timer exports the records of time worked, most easily exporting all waiting activity records

QuickBooks imports the time records.

All files must circulate under DOS filenames, datafile.iif as an example. The format of all files is Intuit Interchange Format, and the suffix .iif must be used. The eight characters of the file name can be letters, numerals, or one or more of a select few special characters, for several trillion combinations. Making these eight characters significant is up to you. Typically, each employee will hand in one file each week. Of course, there is “typically,” and then there is your office.

These files are important accounting records. To keep them straight, a good plan is needed. Rules must be set for naming the various files. Folders (directories) must be set up to contain the files. The flow of floppy disks must be decided, including retention time and repeated use of the same disks. If some of the computers are old, a small reliability advantage will be gained by identifying activity record disks to individual computers. To gain this advantage, blank floppies should be purchased, and formatted on the computer where data will be written.

Planning now will save time later.

Operation of the Timer is easy, XE "setup:Timer" XE "Timer setup" and should soon become a familiar routine. Setup is something else. If Intuit had provided a standard setup, nobody would use it. There are a wide variety of office situations, managed by a wider spectrum of personalities. You have one option: do it yourself.