Chapter 8: Beyond Wintix – Extended Use€¦ · Chapter 8: Beyond Wintix – Extended Use ... Network Troubleshooting tips 1. Designate one computer as the server. This will hold

Chapter 8: Beyond Wintix – Extended Use

Networks and Wintix in GeneralSince most of our customers will eventually end up connecting two computers together, this chapter is for their benefit. If you only plan to use one computer, you can safely ignore this section. This chapter is presented as a guide only. No claims are made for its accuracy or suitability for your own network. In all cases, you should take the word of an experienced individual over this manual. The world of networks is changing so fast, that by the time this manual is printed, parts of it will be obsolete.

We would like to give thanks to many of our customers for their observations, which make up most of this chapter.

The economics is simple: with two computers, you can handle twice as many customers, sell twice as many tickets, and make twice as much money. If your phone lines are jammed or you are losing customers while on hold, a network will pay for itself.

Generally, venues with more than 500 seats find that a network pays for itself in a year. Venues with more than 1,500 seats cannot exist without one.

You do not have to stop at a two-computer network. Wintix will handle as many users as your hardware will handle. Everything is transparent to your users. Wintix looks and acts the same on a network as it does alone. At this time, the record is 35 users on an in-house network.

With Wintix, two or more people can sell seats for the same performance at the same time. If they try to sell the same seat, the first one gets the seat. The second one gets a message saying that the seat is already sold. This is all built in. The Wintix program works on any network that supports the IBM Netbios file locking protocol. This includes almost everything sold these days.

The cheapest and therefore most common network is a peer to peer. All things considered, it is pretty good. It is simple (well, relatively) and reliable. If you have 3 or fewer computers, this is the way to go.

Windows 2000 and 2003 server work well. Don’t believe the advertising that says Windows is easier to use because it is point and click. It’s still a network. Whether it is point and click or a command line at some point you there has to be an understanding of what is going on.

We have been pleasantly surprised by Linux running Samba It has been simpler, faster, and more reliable than Windows (and, of course, cheaper). This is not a recommendation that you use Linux. Setting up a network is a serious matter. Whether it works or not depends on the people behind it. In particular, Linux has no tolerance for incompetence. (in other words, it’s not for ‘weenies’). You better have someone on hand who understands things like file permissions.

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First the bad part about networks: About 25% of the customer support we do is related to network problems. When you have problems on a network, you affect more people and there is lot more urgency to get the problems fixed. Backing up (and checking the backups) becomes crucial. Printer port assignments and print queues make people contemplate homicide. Frequently, a computer which works fine for word processing will generate mysterious errors when connected to a network. More than once, our customers have had to hire a second consultant to undo the damage their first consultant caused.

One college decided to install a network and the low bidder got the job. Four months later they had replaced two of the three keyboards, all three hard disks, and all three motherboards.

The network was still not up to its proper speed either. A year and a half later, they replaced the consultant and the network. Things are finally working well - to the great relief of everyone.

The good news is that networks become indispensable. They really pay for themselves. About 75% of our customers get a network after one season.

Should you do it yourself? Maybe. If you are comfortable with pulling the cover off your computer and putting cards in or if you are the type who will do a low level format of a hard disk, go ahead. Windows peer-to-peer networks are just for people like you. But, if you are the type of person who prefers a minimum of problems, get help here. A competent consultant can solve problems in one hour that might keep you baffled for six months. Not surprisingly, setting up networks is a major source of income for consultants. Of far more importance than the brand name is the quality of help you get. If you can, hire someone who works on all operating systems – not just Windows. Networks are always complicated and always cause trouble. Get the highest quality equipment available. Purchase the business model; not the home model. Check the references of the people who will be setting it up.

If you are planning to work over phone lines, PC Anywhere is the most common but requires a dedicated computer at each end of the phone line. Citrix Winview is an excellent choice for a large Wide Area Network (WAN). Linux has “remote desktop” programs like VNC. CodeWeavers and Win4Lin also have some capability here too (they are Windows emulators). Windows has Remote Desktop and Terminal Services. An inexpensive program is RAdmin. ( RAdmin.com ) The cost is $35.00 per station.

Some Networking SuggestionsGet good equipment. Do not expect the old computer from another department to do a satisfactory job as a server (although old computers are very useful as workstations.)

Get a fast hard disk for the server, 32-bit network cards, and a 100 base-T network. Your processor speed is not nearly as important as data throughput. Do not use the Home Edition of a Microsoft operating system. Use the professional edition.

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Give your people on the front lines the best and fastest equipment. They are the ones who make money and who are the first (and usually only) contact customers have with your organization. They need speed.

If the computer makes real mistakes - things like a sale #1,different show names on the same ticket, or the printer not working, bring the network down. Then, turn off the power to all the equipment for 30 seconds. When you turn it back on, re-index. For some reason, this cures about 75% of transient network problems.

Network Troubleshooting tips1. Designate one computer as the server. This will hold the data. Go

to the My Computer icon. Right click on the drive you want to share. Select Properties | Sharing. Tell the computer to share the drive.

2. See if you can ping the other stations. If you cannot ping the other stations, you will not go any further. You will need another computer’s IP. Get the IP address by typing:IPCONFIG Windows 2000 and XPThe command to ping (from a different computer) is:PING <IP Address>You will get back a response that says:Reply from <IP Address>If you get “Unknown host,” the computers are not talking

3. Once you can ping, click on the My Computer icon on each computer. Make sure each hard disk is marked shared.

4. Go the Network Neighborhood icon and check if you can see the other computers on the network under Network neighborhood | Entire network. You need to be able to see the computers, shared drives, and shared printers. Sometimes, you need to press F5 to refresh the screen.

5. When you get around to sharing printers, make sure the printer is set up as sharable (in the printer icon’s properties).

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WintixBeyond Wintix – Extended Use

Installing Wintix on a network – the rules from RedmondWintix is a 32 bit, pure Microsoft program. Therefore, you need to be aware of some things with networks:

1. The data files exist on the server as does Wintix4.exe.

2. There are a bunch of other files that need to be installed. These include dll’s, ocx’s, runtime support libraries, and fonts. They must be installed and registered on each workstation. If you do not install them, you will get a message, “Microsoft Visual Foxpro support library not found.”

The best way to install the program on a network, is in the beginning. Install the Wintix program on each workstation. This installs and registers the files. Next, erase the \Tix6 subdirectory from everything except the server. Then, right click on each computer’s Wintix icon. Click on Properties | Shortcut. Change the Target and Start in settings to point to the network drive. You must map the network drive to a letter first.

Initial installation, adding more workstations:

If you need to add another workstation to your network, the procedure is as follows:

1. Back up everything first

2. Install the program on the new computer before it gets connected to the network. Then, erase the \Tix6 subdirectory on the new computer.

3. Connect the computer to the network

4. Right click on the network neighborhood and map the network drive.

5. Click on Properties | Shortcut. Change the ‘Target’ and ‘Start in’ settings to point to the network drive.

6. Test the network.

Adding more workstations after tickets have gone on sale:

1. Back up everything first

2. Install a full update to the network server. Note: a “full update” is a 9mb file that contains all the files necessary to run the program – but no data. The full update will install the files necessary to run the program on a computer and not disturb the data. It is available, for free, from our website. Contact us for the current password.

3. Test the network

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Testing the NetworkThere are two types of network consultants: either competent or honest. Take your pick. Before you pay them, test the network; and make sure it passes the following three tests:1. Start the Wintix program on all computers and go to Edit the sales.

You will be able to edit sales on all computers. When 2 computers get to the same sale at the same time, the first computer gets control. The second computer gets a message "Record is in use. Press Page up or Page Down to continue." This must happen on each computer.

2. Have all computers on the network try to sell the same seat for the same performance at the same time. Once again, the first computer gets control. Everyone else gets the message "Seat is already sold."

3. Have all computers on the network print tickets at the same time. All the tickets have to come out, in batches, on the proper printer. Next, have all computers on the network print reports, receipts, and labels at the same time. Once again, all reports, receipts, and labels must print on the proper printers.

If your network does not pass these tests, it is not working properly.

Now, if you are lucky and have a good consultant, he or she will yawn and say, "That's no big deal. Those are standard tests." Once the network is up to speed (close to the speed you had before you installed the network) the consultant will leave and probably will not return until you want to add more equipment.Windows XP and Networks - lockups

Symptoms are apparent lockups on the server. Cause is that the network card on the XP machine is trying to agree on a speed with the network card on the server. They can’t quite come to an agreement and spend their time negotiating.

Solution: Right click on My computer | Properties | Device manager | Network card | Properties. One of the choices is the speed. The default is auto-negotiate. This needs to be set to 100 if you have a network with all 100 mbps cards).

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Credit Card Authorization (IC Verify, PC Charge and Authorize.net)

Note: IC Verify and PC Charge were the original programs in the field. They still work. However, Authorize.net is a better alternative for most uses. It has a minimal initial cost. It is far less trouble to set up. Best of all, it gets rid of the credit card numbers. That makes you immune to the PCI regulations. These PCI regulations are onerous. Your processor can give you some horror stories. Check the section below on credit card fraud.

A General ConsiderationsHow would you like to enter a card number and get an authorization in ten seconds? This software is not part of the standard Wintix package. It must be purchased separately. Talk to us to order it. Should you do it? Maybe. If you are handling less than $1,000.00 a day and the standard VeriFone (Zon Jr.) keypad can keep up with the work load, don't bother. But, if you have a busy office and several people needing to get to the credit card machine at once. this is the way to go. When you have 3 or more stations, the cost is justified. You only need one modem on one computer. You enter a card number from within the program. Press control-F12 and the card gets authorized. At the end of the day, you do your settlement and the money gets transferred to your bank account.

A second, bigger advantage is the way you use it. Since you can get an authorization so quickly, you can tell your customers immediately if their card was declined. That way, you will not need to call them up again if their card is declined. Calling a customer is time consuming and occasionally, the customer will decide not to come.

The report features are far beyond what your bank would give you and are genuinely useful. You can do credit card transactions two ways: either immediately or in a batch mode at the end of the day. The software can handle dial-up lines or dedicated lines. It can process either immediately or in a batch.

Windows works surprisingly well with these programs. The reason is that Windows does true multithreading so you can process in the background. The program runs in the background, therefore, you do not need a separate computer. This is the preferred configuration.

It pays for itself in a couple ways:

1. Transactions are faster - 10-15 seconds are normal for dial-up. For IP, 2-3 seconds is normal (however, your processor must support

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this). You do the transactions while the customer is on the phone and know immediately if their card is good or not.

2. Since you know immediately if the card is good, you do not need to call them back with a "bad card" message and ask for another card number.

3. You get a lower discount rate for electronic transfer

4. The address verification gives you a level of security. Many processors support this. Some processors are requiring this for phone sales.

5. Swiped transactions frequently qualify for a reduced discount rate.

6. The end-of-day settlement report gives you an additional check on how the box office has been doing.

There are some disadvantages:

1. The expense. $479 for single user up to $1,300 for the multi-user version.

2. Setting it up can be a bear. There are quirks in the setup that are undocumented. We have most of these under control though.

3. Even by computer company standards, IC Verify tech support is terrible. Expect to be on hold 30 to 45 minutes. Only 30 days support is included with the software. Additional support, per year, is $89 single user and $149 for multi-user. Note: PC Charge is much better at tech support. People there are both knowledgeable and nice.

4. Most organizations forget to put surge suppressors on their phone lines. This is OK until a thunderstorm comes along. Then, their motherboard and network cards get fried by a lightning strike

Our conclusion:

If you have a busy office, it’s worth the trouble.

How to start:

Talk to the merchant services department in your bank. Get the help desk number for your processor. Then, tell your processor you are considering both IC Verify and PC Charge. Ask them which program they prefer.

Also, ask them to fax you their setup sheet. This is a valuable piece of paper that tells you how to set up either IC Verify or PC Charge according to the standards of their network. You must have this piece of paper. Only then, are ready to go to work.

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Setup NotesOne modem is all you need. At this time, our busiest customer handles 5,000 sales records a day with 28 workstations and 1 modem.

You need to set an environment variable - on each workstation - before you start (Yes, even under Windows 95, 98, and NT). The first part of the variable is the drive and subdirectory that IC Verify is located (which can be different depending on what part of the network you are on). The second part of the variable is a three-digit number corresponding to your computer workstation. For instance, let's say the IC Verify program is on the network drive J:\ICVERIFY and you are on station #1. You would enter the following command:

SET ICVERIFY=J:\ICVERIFY\REQDIR\001

Under Windows 2K and XP it’s a little different. Right click on the “My computer” icon. Select system properties and select environment. Click on the variable box and make the variable to be ICVerify. Set the value to whatever you need.

In order to test the program outside of Wintix, use program listed on the “Start, Programs” menu on the IC Verify server. You will get the popup menu. Do a test transaction. You will hear the modem pick up the phone and call out. In a few seconds, you will get an answer. If IC Verify will not work in the popup mode, it will not work from within Wintix either.

To use IC Verify with Wintix, you need to start ICVERIFY Multiuser. After it is started, it can be minimized. This is the program that runs in the background and does the work. The Wintix program will transfer and receive information from IC Verify Multiuser when you are making a sale.

Sales can also be handled through the Edit a Sale screen.

Reports are handled through IC Verify's report section. See their documentation. If you are printing receipts with IC Verify, make sure the receipt printer is turned on. Otherwise, your computer will appear to freeze. Try the Wintix thermal receipt instead of the IC Verify's receipts. To hook up the cute, little Citizen serial printer to your computer, you will need a serial cable and possibly a null modem.

Other machines on the network do not need IC Verify running. Wintix will just send their authorization requests to the IC Verify “server,” (the computer where IC Verify is running.)

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A Few TricksOn Windows 95 and 98 machines, the ICVERIFY environmental variable still needs to be set. Create an Autoexec.bat file (if it doesn’t already exist) and put the variable there.

The evaluated response has to be set to "Yes." It defaults to "No."

The request subdirectory needs to contain the full path of the shared subdirectory – including the drive letter. Of course, the drive has to be mapped to do this. Do a right click on the network neighborhood icon if you have not done so already.

The receiving/issuing field must be completely blank. It defaults to being full.

A faster modem will not help you process transactions faster. Most of the delay is due to the bank's equipment. If you can, see if the bank has a "960" number. This is similar to an "800" number but operates faster.

Windows 95/98 servers will lock up if you run ICMulti on startup. The trick is to run ICMulti just before you start the Wintix program. The “\a” option in the command line can also be used to get around this problem (see page 57 in the IC Verify Windows manual.)

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Steps to getting it working:There are a couple steps here and they are easy. Well, let's say, it's easy the second time you do it.1.Read the chapter of the manual about IC Verify2. Install IC Verify and REMEMBER WHERE YOU INSTALLED IT. Make sure that the program will dial out and do an authorization for a trivial amount. You will probably have to get IC Verify's tech support to help you with the merchant, modem, and bank setup.3. Set the environmental variable for IC Verify. On Win 95/98 this is in the autoexec.bat, on Win2K and later, it is under the My Computer | Properties | Environment screen. 4. Start IC Verify Multiuser. Make sure the dll is polling the same subdirectory that the environmental variable for which IC Verify is set.5. Start Wintix. When it comes up, do an alt-L to go to the last sale. Click on the payment tab. Look at the top of the credit card box. The environmental variable for IC Verify has to be there. 6. Click on the "Verify card" button. The charge will go through.

Now, remember, you need to do each of these steps in this order. But, once you do, success is guaranteed.

Using IC Verify & PC Charge with cardswipesCardswipes, if you can afford them, make your box office appear state of the art. You want what are called “wedge interface.” Cardswipes are expensive (about $280), but they do pay for themselves. All you do is plug them in and they are ready to go.

Remember, though, in order to use them, you must leave the card number blank in the credit card field. Then, Wintix will recognize the blank card number as blank and ask you to swipe it. This is also true for Tixsales.

For an amusing diversion, start up your word processor and swipe a few cards through. Swipe your drivers license and supermarket savings card. See what you get.

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Credit card fraud and security practices These are notes from the Intix workshop on Credit Card Fraud workshop on January 11, 2006. 3 people led the workshop: a security consultant, a banking industry executive who dealt with credit card fraud, and a lawyer who dealt with IT issues.

Opinions are from the author. In every case, you should heed the advice of a knowledgeable person in the field over our opinions. At the very least, ask your card processor and merchant bank.

At this time, there is no Federal law covering data security in this area. State laws are varied. 23 states have different laws with different requirements. Security professionals are the only ones who can keep up.

The specifications are at https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/tech/index.htm Among other things, you need a firewall with “stateful packet inspection,” anti virus software, security procedures, and a policy manual. AmbironTrustWave has a short list at http://www.atwcorp.com/pciDataSecurityStandard.phpTake the self-assessment questionnaire. It will not cost you anything and will open your eyes to what the bankers are expecting of you.

Failure to comply results in 1. Fines ($20K to $500K)2. Loss of your merchant account3. Liability for 3rd party fraud (the sky's the limit here)4. Replacement of the compromised cards ($25 to $50 per card)

Everyone will be hacked. It’s not a question of “If.” It’s a question of “When.” Therefore, you need a security policy. The policy:

1. Is required2. Functions as a guidepost for everyone3. Helps people see when their behavior deviates4. Functions as a guide for systems work

External security audits are needed. The prices for these range from $10K to $110 K

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https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/tech/index.htm

http://www.atwcorp.com/pciDataSecurityStandard.php


If a break-in or security fraud is found, police, bank examiners, and lawyers come to call. This may include the press. They will ask 3 questions. They will ask in this order:

1. Where is your security policy?2. What training does everyone have?3. What did they have access to? For how long? Can they do it again? (audit logs are handy here)

Management will ask, “Who do I have to tell?”For clean up, use a 3rd party only.Password standard practice is to change passwords every 90 days90% of the time, credit card fraud is an inside job. Therefore, merchants need to have background checks as part of the security policy.Encryption algorithms must be accepted standards that are subject to peer review. Microsoft gets away with their own algorithms because they know how to play the system. Generally, they are accepted in court as a “good faith” effort. However, you can also purchase programs that will give you the password to any Microsoft document (ask Tony Blair and George Bush about the Downing Street Memos).

Keep encrypted credit card numbers only as long as necessary (such as a week after the show date). Never save unencrypted cards.CVV2 – must never be saved.

Is it serious? Yes.

When an organization with as much political influence as the ACLU can be shut down (as happened in New York), you are not going to have a chance.

After reading all the above, if you still want to save credit card number and be able to see the entire card number, you can do it.

1. Click on File | Initialization.

2. Check the box, "Require passwords."

3. Click on the Credit cards tab and check the box, "Save the full credit card number"

4. Click on Save settings

5. Click on Tools | Password | Edit the list of users. Login as sysadm and you will be at the list of users.

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6. Select the user that will have this permission and edit their permissions. Select the permission: Edit the clerk and netname when editing a sale

7. Save the changes and quit the program. Next time that clerk edits a sale, they will see:

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Accessing Wintix Data with External ApplicationsThis section is for people who like to go poking around in their files with a database manager. If you are not interested in learning the internals of file structures, relax. There is no need to know anything in this section. However, if you are the type of person who will not rest until the computer is working as hard as it possibly can, this section is for you.

First, the warning:

You can do real damage here. The most intelligent and energetic person will cause the most damage. Backup everything before you go to work. Second, do not mess around with the ABBREV, ABB, SHOW_DATE, and SHOW_TIME fields. These fields are what link all the files together. If you change just one letter, even just making it lower case, you will end up with records that the program cannot find later. Also, when you are finished, re-index all the files you touched.

Just because the Wintix system will produce a bunch of reports, does not mean that is all it can do. The files are industry standard .DBF database files, which can be accessed, read and written to by many programs. Some of those programs are:

Database ProgramsSome database programs are:

• Open Office - Base• Access• Foxpro• Tip: When you get a report and send it to a file, the output is

always an old-fashioned dBase 3 file. Therefore, any database manager or spreadsheet will be able to use it.

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Spreadsheet ProgramsSome spreadsheet programs are:

• Excel• Open Office Calc

Warning: Although these spreadsheets will read Wintix data files, they will not be able to write to them. Do not overwrite any of your working files with the stuff that spreadsheets export. The reason is that spreadsheets change the file structures and do not tell you they have done so. ALWAYS create a temporary file and bring that into the spreadsheet. The way to do this is to get a report and send it to a file

If you happen to make a mistake and do save some of the information, Wintix will not work. You will get messages about corrupt files and type mismatches. All you can do is restore from backup. Best of all, you can make all the mistakes you want on the temporary file. If you destroy it, you can always create it again.

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About Wintix Files

Database Files

The Master File

MASTER.DBF

Format: Foxpro 2.x

This is where information about the show is kept. This is a thing like the title of the show that is common to all performances. There are two parts to this file. Master.dbf is the data file. Master.fpt is the memo field. You must have both of these for the program to work.

The Customer file

CUSTOMER.DBF

Format: Old-fashioned .DBF (if your Remarks field is not a memo type field)

Foxpro 2.x (if your Remarks field is a memo type field)

This is where all the information about a customer is kept. Each record is linked to records in the Mainsale file by the Account number.

The Shows file

SHOWS.DBF

Format: Foxpro 2.x

This is where information specific to each performance is kept. These are things like the date and time of the performances. This file also has a memo field - Shows.fpt. You must have both the .DBF and the .FPT file for the program to work.

The Mainsale file

MAINSALE.DBF

Format: Old-fashioned .DBF

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This is where all the information about a sale is kept. It includes such things as the sale number, who bought the tickets, when the tickets were sold, and the time and date of the performance.

The Oldsales file

OLDSALES.DBF

Format: Old-fashioned dBase III+

This is where the sales records go after they have been removed from the active files. The structure is the same as the Mainsale file.

Seating Charts and PlansThese are separate files where all the seating information on the seat layout is kept.

Plans are labeled with their name and the extension .PLN.

Seating chart file names are a combination of the show's three letter abbreviation, the first digit of the show time, and the month and date of the performance. They have the extension .CHT.

Note: For further information on the Wintix files, see Appendix A, Database Structures.

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Tricks and hints

House seatsQuestion -- what is the best way to do house holds?? Thus far, the only thing we have found is to sell to ourselves with a phony price code and then edit or cancel the sale later. Seems that there should be a better way.

There are two ways:The low security method:Change the status field on the plan to be something like an "H." Then, on each chart, the house seats show up as "H." The seats will look like they are sold, but everyone will still be able to sell them. Teach your people that "H" is for house seats and they better have an explanation if they sell any of them.

Oh yes, you also need to use the "New plan for a show" function if you already have the performances set up and have been selling tickets for them.

High security method"Sell" the seats for each performance in the section you want at the price code for house seats. These seats cannot be resold until someone goes into that sale and releases those seats. Usually, only the box office manager has permission to do this.

Of the two methods, our customers have usually found the low security method to be the easiest to implement.

Door salesThirty minutes before the show starts things go crazy. Even though we have the fastest computers on the market, they cannot sell and print tickets fast enough. How do we fix this?You don’t fix it. You want everyone excited 30 minutes before the performance starts. And, computers will never be able to handle a crowd of excited people yelling and throwing money at you. You need to handle door sales a little differently.

1. Go to the Tools | Ticket printing | Print unsold seats for a performance. Put “Door sale” as the price.

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2. Set up tables and have your staff sell tickets. All they need to be taught is to collect the money and tear the stub. If you have more than 1 price available (like Child), stamp the stub and each end of the ticket with a self-inking rubber stamp.

3. When the lights come on and the show starts you will have 3 thingsa pile of moneya pile of stubsa small pile of unsold tickets

4. Go back to your computer. Go to edit the show, look up the performance and uncheck the “Use a seating chart” field. This will change that performance to a general admission performance. Then, you can enter your door sales as one sale. You can enter the number of tickets in each category and all the money collected.

This system does work. Under the circumstances, it is frequently faster than 1 person sitting behind 1 computer at a box office window.

The Cancelled Sales GraveyardEvery time we cancel a sale, it leaves behind a sales record marked as a Cancelled sale. How do I get rid of these things?Wintix handles its records vaguely like a double entry bookkeeping system. Under standard accounting principles, mistakes are never erased, they are crossed out. Cancelled sales are the same type of thing.In order to get rid of the unwanted sales, they are put into a show called The Cancelled Sales Graveyard and then that show is removed. Therefore:1. Click on Show | Utilities | Add a new show. Make the title to be

The Cancelled Sales Graveyard (or something else that makes sense to you). The Abbreviation needs to be CANCELLED SALE (spelling is important here). The 3 letter abbreviation can be anything. Click on the Add this show button and you will have a cancelled sales graveyard.

2. Now, take a look at all the cancelled sales. The title will be The Cancelled Sales Graveyard. By entering the new show, you have automatically connected all the sales records with the new show.

3. Step 3 is to get rid of The Cancelled Sales Graveyard. Click on Show | Utilities | Remove a show. Remove the show called The Cancelled Sales Graveyard. All the cancelled sales will go with it. Well, they are not really gone, just transferred to the Oldsales file. You can look them up and get information if you really have to. The important thing is that they do not show up in the reports any more.

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4. Add another Cancelled Sales Graveyard. Click on Show | Utilities | Add a new show. Then all your future cancelled sales will have a place to go.

Inspiration for this method comes from the ‘brass rat’ joke. Next time you meet us at a convention, ask for the rest of the story.

Standing room only seats and invisible seats

This is a common situation in cabarets and dinner theatres. In those places, there is a stack of extra chairs at the back of the room. 15 minutes before each performance, the waitresses drag them to the proper tables.

Go into your seating plan and find a corner that is not used. Add a couple seats there. Make the status to be a different color (or, leave it blank). Call the section "Overflow seating." Be sure to enter the valid price codes.

Then, when you need a couple extra seats, click where the extra section you entered is. You will find the seats can be sold. When the tickets print out, they will have "Overflow seating" in the section. That way, the ushers know where to put the extra people.

Of course, if you *want* the seats to be displayed, you will need to run the utility, "Update charts from a plan."

A variation on this trick is to use the invisible seat method. In that method, you add the extra seats in the extra space around each table. You leave the status blank and the seats will not show up. But, the seats will still be salable.

More than 1 service charge for the sale

You can add any amount you want for the sale. However, it's all lumped in as a single service charge. This is normally done for things like restoration fees that are a fixed amount (or percentage) per sale. It's quick and easy. It makes sense to the people who *work* in the box office.

If your accounting people want specific service charges to be accounted for, do it their way. They will want a listing (report) of each individual charge, how much, and who it was charged to. The only way to do this is to add another sale for just the service charge. Click on the running total button to find out how much each sale is (F11 in Tixsales).

It's a little more work for you but the accounting department will be happy.

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Cash drawers

Cash drawers can be connected to a printer, serial port, or parallel port. They can be attached as terminal or pass-through. The difference is that in pass-through mode, the cash drawer has a printer attached. In terminal mode, the cash drawer is at the end of the printer cable. Nothing else is attached. As far as your computer is concerned, all a cash drawer does is open when a character seven is sent.

You need to be aware of only a few things:

1. Position the drawer carefully. If the drawers are not in the correct location, they will bang people in the belly.

2. A cash drawer opens when “Cash” is contained in the payment type. It opens when that payment type is selected. Therefore, an easy method to open a cash drawer is to select a payment type “Cash.”

3. Credit cards and coupons are inserted through a slot in the front of the cash drawer.

Cash drawers that are connected to COM ports bring all the joys of COM ports. In other words, you need to configure the settings. Windows is supposed to do this under the Start | Settings | Control panel | Ports icon. Set the speed to 9600 baud, No parity,8 bits,1 stop bit. This is the default for many (but not all) serial port devices.

If the drawer does not work, try setting the port from DOS with the command: MODE COM2:96,N,8,1 If this command works, you will need to put it in your Autoexec.bat file. To test a cash drawer connected to a serial port, go to DOS and type:

MODE COM2:96,N,8,1 (or whatever COM port you are using)TYPE CON > COM2Control-G and press enter

The cash drawer will open. To get out of this mode, use control-C.

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Pole displays

Pole displays can be connected to a serial port. or a parallel port. You need to be aware of a few things:

1. A pole display shows 2 lines when the amount of the sale is calculated. The top line is determined by you. Half the bottom line is determined by you. Wintix inserts the amount on the other half of the bottom line.

2. There is also a scrolling display. This comes on when you start the program or leave a sale screen. If you do not want this to show up, leave the scrolling display blank.

Pole displays that are connected to COM ports bring all the joys of COM ports. In other words, you need to configure the settings. Windows is supposed to do this under the Start | Settings | Control panel | Ports icon. Set the speed to 9600 baud, No parity,8 bits,1 stop bit. This is the default for many (but not all) serial port devices.

This can be complicated. You may find that it is worth the extra money to purchase pole displays with a parallel port interface.

If the pole display does not work – or displays “funny” characters, try setting the port from DOS with the command: MODE COM2:96,N,8,1 If this command works, you will need to put it in your Autoexec.bat file. To test a pole display connected to a serial port, go to DOS and type:

MODE COM2:96,N,8,1 (or whatever COM port you are using)TYPE CON > COM2ABCDEFG and press the enter key. The display will show “ABCDEFG” on the first line. To get out of this mode, use control-C

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Warning with both cash drawers and pole displaysBe careful of where you send the cash drawer and pole display output if you have a serial mouse. This can lead to a hard-to-diagnose problem.

The problem occurs when the program tries to send data to the same serial port that the mouse is connected to. The program knows that the COM port is available and tries to send data. The mouse driver does not know how to handle the data. All you see is that your mouse is frozen. You can use your keyboard, but not the mouse. Furthermore, the mouse will not work in any program after that. All you can do is re-start the computer.

Solution:Using the keyboard, go to the cash drawer and pole display setup windows.

1. Turn off the cash drawer and pole display.

2. Save the settings.

3. Restart your computer. You will have your mouse back.

Note on the Mode button:

The mode command needs to be installed whenever you use a serial port. Usually, this is put in either the Autoexec.bat or the Autoexec.NT. Click on this button, and the mode command will be sent. Sometimes this will not work (particularly with NT). If that turns out to be the case, you can force this command by having Wintix call a batch file called Mode.bat. this batch file needs to be in the same subdirectory as Wintix. Here is what you need in it:

MODE COM1:96,N,8,1

And, the Mode command will be sent.

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Chapter 8: Beyond Wintix – Extended Use€¦ · Chapter 8: Beyond Wintix – Extended Use ... Network Troubleshooting tips 1. Designate one computer as the server. This will hold