Bank Genie User Guide - on the Cloud

[ideasguy]

Up to now you have been using the On-Line User Guide for help for Bank Genie.

Bank Genie also allows you to access a local version of the User Guide - i.e. a copy on your own computer.

My tests show that access is snappy and very responsive when a Local User Guide is linked to Bank Genie.

I plan to set the User Guide up as a download later. The problem is you have to keep it up to date, and that would mean having to do a download each time the User Guide is changed. Ive been working on this for a few weeks now, and will be doing some more work on it in the next week, so it is subject to change for a short period yet.

Here's an alternative method - using Cloud Technology - which will give you a Local User Guide, and its a doddle to keep it up to date.

Visit this User Guide web page:
http://www.bankgenie.net/UserGuide/421/BS100S04/bs100s04.html

Read the section about getting started with Dropbox and the Dropbox User Guide.

If anyone would like to give this a try, please send me an email, or post an answer to this message.

[ideasguy]

Bruce and Anthony have sent me an email and have been invited to share.
Now lets see what they have to say

...and Phil!!

[roiphil]

  i must say first being a new convert from another banking money programme i am finding BGpro easier to use every time i come to use it, to begin with i was using BG and the other money programme alongside each other but now for the past 3 weeks approx i have only been using BG so i think i have been converted, i still have more to learn on it but the basics are nice and easy

As for the userguide and dropbox nice idea  i simply go to documents/dropbox/bankgenieuserguide and click on the number i want 400 etc click on the e (sign)  and it opens up quicker than it would on the net

I have not checked with george but that is how i assume you get into the help guide without going on the net
Phil

[ideasguy]

Thanks for that Phil. Nice to see you have made the switch

You have one more step on the Dropbox exercise, I think.
In the User Guide web page above, proceed to the section:
Changing the default location of the Local User Guide

In there you'll find a link to this screenshot:
http://www.bankgenie.net/UserGuide/bs100s04-1.gif
Do steps 1 2 and 3 to do the join up - Bank Genie to your new Local User Guide (in your Dropbox).
When you do step 1 Get a folder, find the User Guide folder in your dropbox. Then do step 2.
In step 3, select Open the user guide on my computer and click Save Changes
You have now pointed Bank Genie to your Local User Guide in the Dropbox folder on YOUR computer, not the Cloud. That's the object of this exercise .

Now go see how it works!
Use Bank Genie as normal. In any screen click the User Guide link.
That will now open the User Guide configured as above.

I'll clarify that point in the User Guide page above

[roiphil]

George your right i have to do as you have explained but i cannot find this BS100S04 GET A FOLDER BUTTON where am i looking in bank genie itself as i cant see it there or am i missing a step

[ideasguy]

Ahhh! The important cue is at the beginning of that web page on the User Guide

Heres the web page again:
http://www.bankgenie.net/UserGuide/421/BS100S04/bs100s04.html
At the very beginning, it tells you how to get to that screen in discussion here: BS100S04.

Screens which have on-line User Guide help have a hyperlink button at the bottom of the screen with the caption: User Guide (for this screen).
Right click on the hyperlink. A menu shortcut appears.
Click on the option User Guide Options.
Screen BS100S04 appears.

e.g. Try using the program Manage Transactions BS421 and right click on the User Guide link at the bottom of the initial screen. That shortcut will appear. Click the option User Guide Options. Take you to screen BS100S04.
Hows that?

[roiphil]

DOH  sorted i think, followed instruction and in BG clicked on user guide local this screen popped up C:\Users\home\Dropbox\BankGenieUserGuide\421\421.html

Off to watch the F1 qualifying, will it be vettel or alonso for 2012 world champion tomorrow

[ideasguy]

That page was in your browser?
Perfect Phil

[roiphil]

good hard to figure when you dont read the instructions properly   

[ideasguy]

Tomorrow, I'll put a few more screenshots on that page and see if that helps if others want to give it a try.

[Oscar Romeo]

For those of you who have been thinking about using one set of bank genie data files on two or more computers as I have you will be interested to know that last night George kindly gave up his time and talked me through a 2 hour demo using his "bgdata" dummy file across the free cloud "Dropbox" service.  I am travelling to South America for 2 years while my wife will stay at home for most of the time, so I clearly have a need of sharing our BG data with her in a seemless manner.  The process of down loading Dropbox was straight forward and if you do decide to use Dropbox then ask George for an invite as  both he and you will be given extra storage space.  Anyway the trial was straight forward and I was soon opening his demo file and added a transaction including adding a category to one of the bank accounts.  George then added a further transaction and we were both able to see the synchronisation of the added data.  George does warn against simultaneous addition of data as that will produce slightly different files at each end.  George suggests that if two of you are using one BG file in two different places to agree time slots for working on line.  I am keen to go live with my data file when I travel to South America next month so will be setting it up soon before I go.  For security I  will invoke Password Protection and also in the Setup pull down programme, Bank Accounts BS 403, I will only show the last 4 digits of my account numbers, replacing the others with xxxx as does VISA and Mastercard etc, I will also remove Bank Sort Codes.  Food for thought. 

[ideasguy]

Thank you form that very comprehensive summary of our test session last night Richard.
Much better than I would have done!

Just one little thing to clarify:- RE:

George does warn against simultaneous addition of data as that will produce slightly different files at each end. 

The files on each local computer (at each end as it were) will actually always be identical, as Dropbox ensures they are synchronised.
However, simultaneous additions by 2 users (and I mean at precisely the same time - 1-2-3 Go over a phone as tested by Barry and I in the session documented in previous postings in this forum topic) could lead to only one of the additions being saved in the files belonging to the database on the cloud.
The other record is saved, but Dropbox appears to save this in a copy of the file. These copy files cannot be read by Bank Genie. It recognises the original file only, so the other record is effectively lost.
Thus, simultaneous addition, editing and deletion must be avoided - to avoid data "leakage".

I hope you will enjoy your stay in South America and please keep in touch with us on the forum. Any photos you post will be much appreciated

[ideasguy]

We are still feeling our way around this Dropbox "thing".
The User Guide folder "acquired" some extra "conflicting" files.
Barry and I did some testing to try and reproduce this but its quite a complex thing and needs more work.

To get clear of the conflicting files, I deleted the original BankGenieUserGuide folder which was shared out to those who participate. My intention was to recreate the folder and repopulate with a clean list of files.
Unfortunately, all the shared access details was also deleted!

Ive now recreated a new folder for the User Guide.
Its called BankGenie-UG.
Ive invited all those who shared the old folder to share the new.
After accepting the invite:-

• delete the BankGenieUserGuide in your respective dropbox folders (and on your own Cloud space).
  
• Change the settings in Bank Genie (using screen BS100S04) to point to the new User Guide folder which should appear in your local dropbox

[roiphil]

Hi George i have done all above apart from i cant find BS100S04  in BG any clues as to where it would be much appreciated 

[ideasguy]

http://www.bankgenie.net/UserGuide/421/BS100S04/bs100s04.html
At the very beginning, it tells you how to get to that screen in discussion here: BS100S04.

[roiphil]

Thanks  its the user guide it did not click  its at the bottom of screens etc, anyway updated and checked all works fine on desktop, laptop to do later thanks