Lesson 3: Time-Related Items In the last two lesson, we have shown how to use the warehouse and the daily list, both of which are independent of time. In the next two lessons, we will discuss time-related items. To clarify Lessons Three and Four, we define some terms below. It will help you to remember that we use these terms precisely. Definitions Appointment. Any entry in the calendar section with a time associated with it. The first character of the description must begin with a digit. Memo. Any entry in the calendar section without a time associated with it. The first character of the description must not begin with a digit. Item. Either an appointment or a memo. Current date. The date that will flash if you enter the calendar screen. Today. The day set by DATE$ in BASIC when you enter TMPC. TMPC does not change DATE$, and of course, it might not really be "today", as in our example. Calendar day ("Cday"). One day on the calendar. Business day ("Bday"). Mondays through Fridays, excluding business holidays. We will structure our examples around five different "events" in Tom's workday. Each event shows a different feature of the time-related section of TMPC. Adding an Appointment Tom gets a telephone call from one of the company salesman. There will be a meeting with Drynan to review the results of the lab program. "Just a minute", Tom replies. He enters TMPC. Page: 14 Lesson 3: Time Related Items Tom presses [Right-Arrow] to move to the calendar screen. He presses [Right-Arrow] again to activate the cursor arrows for the calendar. "When is the meeting?" he asks. Finding out that it is on the 23rd at 2:30 Pm, he presses [Down-Arrow] [Down-Arrow] [Left-Arrow] [Left-Arrow] to move over the date. Then, he presses [Enter] to deactivate the cursor arrows. He presses [Down-Arrow] to see appointments and deadlines for the 23rd. Screen 6 ** **0-01/23/84 Appts:------------------ ** ***9 1/2 Interview: J. Bunyan **%c**11 Security Committee Meeting ** *** p** ** *** *- +** ** **0 In the first lesson, this screen showed Tom's appointments for the 11th, or "today". However, the screen actually shows appointments for the current date, and the current date is set to today whenever you enter TMPC or return to the first two corridor screens. As an exercise, you may want to try it now. Move to the screen to the left of the appointment list; then move back. You will see today's appointments, instead of those for the 23rd; then, move to the calendar. The calendar will show today's date again, not the 23rd. Move the date back to the 23rd as before and continue with our example. "The 23rd is fine with me", Tom says, seeing the dearth of activity for that afternoon. He exchanges a few remarks about the Drynan lab results with the salesman. While doing so, he presses [Down-Arrow] [Down-Arrow] [Right-Arrow] to select the item right before the position of the meeting: Page: 15 Lesson 3: Time Related Items Screen 6 ** **1-01/23/84 Appts:------------------ ** ***11 Security Committee Meeting ** c** ** *** p** ** *** *-%+** ** **0 TMPC does not automatically sort appointments by time; you must put them int he right order. This gives you flexibility to enter the times in any format you want. Tom presses [Down-Arrow] to edit the appointment immediately before the addition: Screen 9 ** *************************01/23/84**** ** *11 Security Committee Meeting **** ** * **** ** ************************************* % ** ****** ******* ******* ************** **edit***warning*type****repeat********* ********* 0*****Cday****none*********** Then, he presses [Down-Arrow] to enter Text. He adds the meeting as follows: Page: 16 Lesson 3: Time Related Items ---------------------------------------- |11 Security Committee Meeting | |2 1/2 Drynan Meeting | | | | | | | | | | | | | ---------------------------------------- After pressing [F8], he thinks it would be nice to have several days' warning of the upcoming meeting. So, he presses [Right-Arrow] and [Down-Arrow] and enters the number "5" for the number of days warning. After pressing [Enter], he presses [Right-Arrow] [Down-Arrow] to make the warning for five business days: Screen 9 ** *************************01/23/84**** ** *2 1/2 Drynan Meeting **** ** * **** ** ************************************* % ************** ** ****** ******* ******* ************** **edit***warning*type****repeat********* ********* 5*****Bday****none*********** TMPC allows you to express warnings in terms of either Cdays or Bdays. Five Bdays is usually a week, unless there are holidays involved. To see the effect of the warning, move back to the calendar and set the date to January 16. Check the appointments for that day, and you will see a deadline for the meeting, showing 5 Bdays left. Now that the meeting has been scheduled, Tom exits TMPC and continues with his business. Rescheduling an Appointment Page: 17 Lesson 3: Time Related Items Tom gets another call from a salesman. "Synquil just called", he says. "They want to reschedule the meeting next Wednesday from 10 to 2:30". Tom enters TMPC and moves directly to the appointment list by pressing [Down-Arrow] [Right-Arrow]. He selects the Synquil meeting: Screen 6 ** **6-01/11/84 Ddlns:------------------ ** *** 5 Bdays:10 Synquil Presentation ** c** ** ***-01/11/84 Memos:------------------ p** ** *** *-%+**-01/11/84 Ddlns:------------------ ** **0 Then he presses [Down-Arrow] to edit the appointment: Screen 9 ** *************************01/18/84**** ** *10 Synquil Presentation **** ** * **** ** ************************************* % ************** ** ****** ******* ******* ************** **edit***warning*type****repeat********* ********* 5*****Bday****none*********** You will notice that the date changed from "today" to the date of the Synquil meeting. This is what happens whenever you select a deadline and edit it: The date changes to the deadline date. Tom realized this; he used it as a shortcut to move to next week. Before changing the time of the appointment, he presses [Up-Arrow] to see if there are any afternoon appointments. "Just fine", he says, since 2:30 is free. He presses [Down-Arrow] [Down-Arrow] to enter TEXT and changes the "10 to "2 1/2". He presses [F8], then presses [Up-Arrow] to see if the order is OK: Page: 18