While we’re discussing control keys, we’ll take time to mention several important keys that affect report printing: 8X11 and 1411. These keys furnish default printer control
information for reports calling for 8 x 11 and 14 x 11 size forms.
These keys may be added for individual users so that reports generated by a specific user are printed in the desired fashion.
The data screen (added thru Control Maintenance Option F6 -ADD in each module), appears as follows:
Form name can be set to the desired ID. If you are always routing reports to the same printer and always using the same paper, you can avoid forms change messages by using the same forms name for both the 8X11 and 1411 keys.
Characters per inch controls the horizontal spacing of the report. If you wish to print in condensed print, use 15.
Lines per inch controls the vertical spacing of the report. Standard spacing is 6 or you may prefer 8.
Lines per page refers to the number of vertical lines on the paper you are using. This should be a multiple of the lines per inch. For example, if you are printing on paper 11 inches long at 8 lines per inch, there are 88 lines on the page.
Last line to print on and Start printing on line both control how much white space appears on the page. Set these keys to give your report a beginning and ending margin. Printer id identifies the name of the print device your report will be routed to.
Number of copies to print governs how many copies of the report are to be printed. Max characters per line refers to how wide the report will print.
Save after printing if answered Y will cause the printed report to be retained on the print spool with a status of *SAV.
Note: if this feature is used, the number of copies to print parameter is ignored.
Print on Both Sides works best with a network printer and your printer must support the duplex feature. To print on both sides, use either a Y (print duplex) or T (print duplex and tumble the pages) depending whether you want to bind the output at the top or sides of the page. If the printer is attached to a PC or terminal, the duplex commands may be retranslated and you may not get the results you expected.
You may set these control keys to the same values for printing all reports to a single printer. If you send wide carriage reports to a different printer, use that printer id and the appropriate line length.
Be sure to create these keys in each Tire Dealer System module.
Error Log
The Tire System Error Log is accessed from the System Menu, Option 7.
All entries are written to this file by procedures performed by various operations in the system. The Daily Update and the save procedure would be examples of items recorded in this log. This file should be reviewed after each update to determine whether any
problems exist. An error list is printed if there are any errors during the Daily Update, but errors are also written to our error log for reviewing later. The Daily Update will remove all non-critical errors from the file based on the value of
control key ERRORPRG. This control key contains the number of days to keep non-critical error messages in the error log. Critical errors must be manually deleted using Option 4 - Delete.
Critical
These errors indicate critical problems such as an invoice that is out of balance or a vendor number that is not set up. These records can be deleted using the delete option after they have been reviewed, using the display option. Removing the error does not indicate that the problem causing the error is resolved. After reviewing the error, you should determine what action to take to resolve the problem.
A critical error that has not been displayed cannot be deleted. This forces critical errors to be reviewed.
Warning
These errors indicate warnings such as missing or invalid G/L accounts or a G/L account number that was substituted as a default account number. These records are purged periodically by the update function. They can also be removed using the delete option. Although these errors are only warnings, they should be reviewed to determine if any action should be taken to avoid similar errors in the future.
Informational
These errors provide information such as an invoice or work order reset status. The date and time an end of month is performed is written to this file as an informational message. These records are purged periodically through the update and they can also be removed using the delete option. Although these entries do not always indicate errors, they should
be reviewed, using the Option 5 – Display before being deleted with Option 4 – Delete.
Each error can be displayed for more information concerning the error. The program that experienced the error is displayed, along with information about the user signed on and the date and time.
MaddenCo Technical Support
MaddenCo provides assistance with questions and problems pertaining to the Tire System software as well as the AS/400. There are a number of resources available to our clients, including help text associated with menu options, the extended Help Inquiry and telephone assistance thru our Technical Support department.
Specific information on how features of the software function can be found in the Help inquiry option on the Starting menu.
This feature serves as a quick reference for most software questions. If, after reviewing these guidelines, you need more information or are unable to find a solution to a problem, it’s time to call for Technical Support.