NOTE: If you have MS Word 2003 or 2007, we recommend you use our standalone version of Abacus, "Abacus SE". For more information, please click here.

The cost for the program is $20. This charge includes all taxes and handling fees. There are no additional charges. If you don't have an email address, we can always send you the unlock code via fax or mail. Just let us know your needs and we will be happy to accomodate you.

If you are upgrading from an earlier version of Abacus, the cost is only $10. Payment must be made by check or money order directly to Abacus Medical Systems, or using the online PayPal system.

I recommend you print out this file and refer to it as you go through the initial installation and operation of the Abacus. The program is really quite simple to use, but we need to go through a few steps to get things set up properly.

But first a message from our lawyers... THIS SOFTWARE AND MANUAL ARE SOLD "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES AS TO PERFORMANCE OF MERCHANTABILITY OR ANY OTHER WARRANTIES WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. BECAUSE OF THE VARIOUS HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE ENVIRONMENTS INTO WHICH THIS PROGRAM MAY BE PUT, NO WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE IS OFFERED. GOOD DATA PROCESSING PROCEDURE DICTATES THAT ANY PROGRAM BE THOROUGHLY TESTED WITH NON-CRITICAL DATA BEFORE RELYING ON IT. THE USER MUST ASSUME THE ENTIRE RISK OF USING THE PROGRAM. ANY LIABILITY OF THE SELLER WILL BE LIMITED EXCLUSIVELY TO PRODUCT REPLACEMENT OR REFUND OF PURCHASE PRICE.

If you don't want to read this whole thing...

To start using Abacus as soon as it's installed, here's all you need to do:
1. Start Word and open a document whose lines you want counted.
2. Next start Abacus by pressing the shortcut key combination, "Ctrl-Shift-A".
3. You will see a nag screen asking if you want to prepare an order form; for now, click on "No". You will then see a "Quick Help" screen with some instructions. Click on "OK".
4. Now the Abacus main screen appears. In the upper left section, choose either to "Count gross lines" or "Count as chars per line". If you choose the latter, it will count characters and spaces at 65 characters per line. You can change this and add more counting options by clicking on "Configure" (more on this later).
5. Click the "Count" button. Abacus now counts the lines in this document and displays it for you to see.
6. Click the "Save Data" button. Abacus now records the line count into the log file.
7. To see what you have just saved, click on "View log file" in the upper right section of the Abacus screen. The log file will open as a text document in Word.

"Wait... I tried these steps and it didn't work. What do I do now?"
At the end of this document you will find a Troubleshooting section that will tell you what to do next.

Would you like to count lines in several documents at one time? Change your counting options and save them? Learn how to configure the log file? Create an invoice from a log file? To learn about the many more options Abacus offers, to get answers to questions about installation and operation, or just to explore the program's many features -- read on...

How it Works:

The Abacus is an "Add-In" for MS Word (Office) 97, 2000, 2002(XP), (and 2003 and 2007). This means that the program was written in the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) programming language, and that means it can only be run from within Word. It is not a freestanding program, and you cannot use it unless Word is already running.

If you downloaded and unzipped the file "abacus30exe.zip"; and ran the unzipped file "abacus30.exe", the program files should already be installed. There are no other installation steps you need to take. If the files are correctly installed (i.e., if you received no error messages during installation), you can skip down to the section entitled "Starting the Abacus". You should have a program group with icons for this Readme file and the Uninstall program. There is no icon for the Abacus because you start the Abacus only after first starting Word, and from Word.

If you run the file "abacus30.exe", it will not start the Abacus program and will not start counting lines in your Word documents. This is just the installation program. After you run it, a message will be present on the installation program's main screen. This message will notify you that either the installation was successful or unsuccessful. If successful, you should skip on down to the section entitled "Starting the Abacus". If unsuccessful, you can email us so that we can help you manually install the Abacus files.

Installation:

If you did not see any error messages during installation, the setup process has probably completed successfully. You may be looking on your Windows desktop for the Abacus icon so you can run the program, but you won't find one -- that's not how it works. If there is an icon on your desktop, it is for the installation program, the uninstall program, this ReadMe file, or the backup program.

If you downloaded the ZIP file ("abacus30.zip"), you will find that it contains 3 files: "abacus.dot", "abacus30.dll", and "readme.htm" (this file). Since the ZIP file contains neither an install nor uninstall program, you will need to install the files manually. To do so, just follow these simple steps using My Computer or another file management program:

There are two main Abacus files that do all the work. One is named "abacus30.dll". It resides in your "windows" directory (folder), and works in the background. You never need to deal with it. (If you are using Windows NT/2000, the file is in the "winnt" directory). The other file is named "abacus.dot", and this is the guts of the Abacus program. But you don't start it by itself. That's because it is an MS Word "add-in" file, meaning that it works only when Word is working, and can be started only from within Word, just like a Word macro. The "abacus.dot" file should be located in your Word "startup" folder so that Word knows to run it each time that you start Word. Therefore, since the Abacus is already running when you start Word, you just need to know how to get Abacus to do its work for you. And for those details you need to skip down to the section entitled "Starting the Abacus".

Here are the typical default folder (directory) locations for the file "abacus.dot":
Word 97 and 2000: "c:\program files\microsoft office\office\startup"
Word 2002: "c:\program files\microsoft office\office10\startup"

Q: "Hold the phone! I can see the names "abacus" and "abacus30", but I don't see the extensions "dot" and "dll" when I look at these files using My Computer. Why not?"
A: If this is the case, you need to tell My Computer to show you the file extensions. This is usually turned off by default in Windows XP and 2000, so we need to turn it back on. This is a simple thing to do. Open My Computer and then click (on the menu bar) on "Tools->Folder Options" and select the "View" tab. Then locate the checkbox that says "Hide file extensions for known file types". Uncheck this box and then click on "Apply" and "OK", and then close the Folder Options screen.

Other Files and Uninstallation:

When you first start the Abacus it creates more files, and they will all be located in the "c:\abacus" directory. The Abacus makes a file named "abacus.ini" to store its default user configuration preferences, and a default log file named "abacus.log" to hold your line counts. When you create new log files, it is best to keep them in this directory as well. ("Default" means the files Abacus will use unless you tell it otherwise. For more on this, read on.)

During Abacus installation, a program group and icons are created. You should find an icon for this help file and another icon for the uninstall program. To remove Abacus from your computer, double click on the uninstall icon and the Abacus files will be deleted from your computer.

Restoring an older version of Abacus:

If you upgraded from version 2.1 of Abacus and wish to return to that version, here are the steps to take:

Once you have a document open in Word and ready for line counting, just start the Abacus (Ctrl-Shift-A) and click on its "Count" button. It will count the lines in the open document and report the answer to you. Notice the Line Counting Options section. Here you can specify if you want to count:
1. headers and footers (as gross lines), gross lines, or all three;
2. just text that you have selected (highlighted); or
3. lines by counting characters and dividing by a "Number of characters per line" value (see next 2 paragraphs).

At the bottom of the screen the date is automatically displayed for you. The program uses today's date, but you may change it if need be, such as if you want to use an earlier dictation date. You can also enter a name -- perhaps the person who dictated the report, or the subject of this dictation. By default, the Abacus enters the open filename for you. One exception: For the "Count selected text" line counting option, the first selected line is assumed to be the name you want to use, and is automatically inserted. If it isn't what you want, just delete it and replace it with the name of your choice. After the line count is done, to save the data click on the "Save Data" button and the program will save the name, date, and number of lines counted in a special file named "abacus.log" in the directory (folder) named "c:\abacus". To view the contents of this log file, just click on the button "View log file". You can then edit the file, print it out, delete its contents, add up it's total number of lines, or just leave it be. New entries are always added on. Nothing is erased unless you do it. You can use this log file for billing purposes, or if you would like to prepare a more formal looking invoice, you can run the "AbacusMakeInvoice" macro to prepare and invoice from a log file.

The fifth and final button opens the Batch mode screen, which we will get into shortly.

You have the option of saving all the configuration settings you are using. If you always use the Abacus the same way (such as, always prefer the "Count as chars per line" options, and maybe a specific number of characters per line), click on "Save Settings", and next time you start up the Abacus, it will use these same settings.

To create new log files: You can change log files and create new ones. You may wish to use one log file for Doctor#1, another log file for Doctor#2, and so on. To change log files or to create a new one, click on the text entitled "Current log file". When you move the mouse over this text, the mouse cursor will change into a hand. You will find this toward the bottom of the Abacus main screen. Clicking here opens a file dialog box where you can select the log file you want to use, or just type in the name for a new log file and it will be created for you. If you then want to make this log file your default log file (the one that opens automatically each time you start the Abacus), click on "Save Settings" and Abacus will remember to use this log file until next time you change it. If you are using a log file you created and wish to go back to using the default log file ("abacus.log"), just double click on the log file's name in blue letters next to "Current log file".

To create new user configurations: You can change user profiles and create as many new ones as you wish. You may be counting for different clients or even for different transcriptionists, and may wish to use different configuration settings for each. Here's how you do it:
1. Make a new configuration user file: To do this, click on the text that reads "Current user" at the bottom of the main Abacus screen and the Open dialog box will appear. Type in the name you want to give the new user file, such as Jane.usr, or DrSmith.usr. Notice that the name can be any valid filename (ie, you can't use characters that are unacceptable to Windows). Then click on "OK". Now the new user file is created.
2. Enter the new user configuration information in its file: To do this, after making the new user file (as described above is step 1), click on or enter all the counting options you want to use, such as counting method, batch file default directory (see below for explanation of Batch mode counting), charge in cents per line, etc. Options that can be saved are found on the Abacus main screen, the Batch mode screen, and the Configuration screen.
3. Save the new user configuration file. To do this, just click on "Save Settings" on the Abacus main screen.
Now whenever you want to use this configuration file instead of the default one (which is named "abacus.ini"), just click on the the "Current user" text and then double click on the user filename you want to use (or click once and then click on "OK"). If you want to change back to the original default configuration file ("abacus.ini"), just double click on the name of the current configuration file which is displayed in blue at the bottom of the Abacus main screen.

Counting options page: Use this screen only if you count characters in order to get a line count. Choose what you want to count, and how many characters constitute a line. For additional details, see the above section entitled "Operation".

Log file options page: This page offers five options from which to select. The options all apply to the log file. The first option, "Print character count", allows you to write to the log file the total character count of each document. You should enable this only if you count characters, and make sure it is unchecked if you count gross lines.
Next, you can decide if you want your counting options written to your log file. If you check this checkbox, the log file will report whichever counting options are active at the time you prepare the log file (which may not be the same as the counting options you used when you counted the report. So be careful how you use this one).
The small box on the upper right portion of this screen lets you enter your charge. The charge should be in cents per line, for example 9, or 10.5. Don't use any quotation marks or letters, and don't enter your charge as dollars. The value 10 is OK and will be treated as 10 cents per line, but the value .10 is wrong because Abacus will think you want to charge a tenth of a cent per line.
Underneath the checkboxes is the option to add a space between entries. If you choose to use longer filenames (see "Misc options" page), or want to print the character count in the log file, you may wish to add a blank line between entries, just to clean it up a bit.
Finally, you will see the "Message box" which you can use or ignore. If you put your name and address or a message here, it will be printed at the bottom of the log file after you add up your line counts and calculate your charges (or rather, after the Abacus does all this for you). You are then free to format the log file any way you want. This message will also be printed on the bottom of the invoice, if you choose to create one from a log file.

Batch options page: This screen is used to select batch counting options. There are four options available to you, and they can be enabled by clicking on their checkboxes. For additional details, see the above section entitled "Counting files in Batch Mode".

Misc options page: Finally, we have a miscellaneous section in the Configure options box. It has seven options:
- You can decide if you want to be prompted to save your settings, and if you want sound effects to be used with Abacus.
- Next, by default Abacus displays filenames in the Batch Mode screen (and therefore when written to the log file) in lower case. You can also elect to retain the case of your filenames when listing them in the Batch Mode screen and writing them to the log file by selecting the "Maintain case in filenames".
- On the right side of the screen we have two troubleshooting options.
First, you can elect to use the error file. If you enable this option, a message will be written to the file "error.log" each time you count lines in a file. If errors are found, they will be reported in this log file. If is of use primarily when analyzing problems counting a particular file, but is also available to you if you wish to use it.
Second and THIS IS IMPORTANT, you can let Abacus back up your "normal.dot" file for you. We highly recommend this. A healthy "normal.dot" file is necessary for proper Word and Abacus function. Unfortunately this file can easily become corrupted, especially if Word or Windows is closed incorrectly. But if you check this option, Abacus will make a new backup everyday and save it in the "C:\Abacus\Backup" folder. These backups are name "Abacus00x.dot", where x is a number from 1 to 9. Once the 9th day is reached and Abacus has made 9 daily backups for you, it starts all over with 1 ("Abacus001.dot"). Therefore you will never have more than 9 backups of the "normal.dot" file, and they will never be more than 9 days old. Then if you find that Abacus has stopped working correctly or that you otherwise need to restore a valid "normal.dot" file, just select one of your "Abacus00x.dot" files, rename it to "normal.dot", and use it to replace your corrupt "normal.dot" file.
- After the troubleshooting selections is the option of having Abacus ask you if you want to unprotect documents for counting. This assumes that the documents are protected to start with. If they aren't protected, Abacus ignores this instruction. If documents ARE protected, here's what happens:
If you check this box, Abacus will ask you for a password when it encounters a protected document. It will then unprotect the document, count the lines, and re-protect the document.
If you uncheck this box, Abacus will count the lines of any protected document the best it can. This will usually result in an abbreviated line count for any protected document.
- And the last option, at the bottom of the 'Misc options' page, is that you can also choose to use longer filenames in the log file. In previous builds of the Abacus, you were restricted to using 30 characters in the filename. The name would be followed in the log file by the date and the line count. If you select longer filenames, you can have filenames as long as 75 characters. The date and line count will then be written on the next line. If this makes the log file look too cluttered, you can choose to put a blank line between entries in the log file (see "Log file options" page in the Configurations options box).

A few other things you may want to know about Abacus operation:

1. When you set up your document, you have a number of options how you wish the page layout to appear. You can find these options in the main Word menu under "View". When The Abacus counts lines, it will change the view to "Print Layout", as opposed to "Normal", "Online Layout", etc. It does this so that it can get an accurate header and footer count. When you finish counting, Abacus then changes the layout back to whatever you were originally using.

2. When the Abacus program first starts, it checks with your computer to get today's date, and prints it in the Date edit box at the bottom of the program's main screen. You may change this to any date you wish.

3. When the Abacus first starts in the "Count selected text" mode, it also gets a name to put in the edit box above the date edit box. The name it uses is the first line of the selected text in the current active document. You can always change the text it places in this edit box.

4. To total the number of lines you have saved in the log file, just click on "View log file" and the program will tell you the total line count and ask if you want it printed at the bottom of the page. This is only available after you have registered and paid for the program.

5. When you count lines as "Count as chars per line", headers and footers will be counted the same way as the body of the document. Therefor if you choose to count bold words, it will count bold words in the document and bold words in the headers and footers. The same rule applies to italicized and underlined words, and shifted characters.

6. In the Date box on the main screen, you can change the date's format from "Month, day, year" to "mm/dd/yy" by double clicking on its editbox (the box that holds the date). You can then change back to the other format by double clicking again. You can also delete the date and enter a date of your own choosing.

7. New releases containing minor bug fixes or upgrades are called "builds". When we release a new upgrade, we post it to our web site along with its build number. You can check the build number of your copy of the Abacus by double clicking on copyright message at the bottom of the Abacus main screen.

8. The rules for counting Tables are a bit quirky. A table is organized as a series of rows and columns. Each block within a table is called a "cell". Here's what Abacus does:
Counting gross lines: If the table is in the body of the document (not in the header or footer), as long as the first cell of each row has at least 1 visible character in it, the Abacus will count that row as a line of text. If the table is in a header or footer, Abacus will count how many rows the table has (whether there is anything in the cell or not), and report that as the table's line count.
Counting chars per line: Abacus will just count how many characters there are, just like when counting the rest of the document. It will count shifted, bold, italicized, and underlined characters if you selected them in the counting options configuration box. This applies to both the body of the documents as well as headers and footers.

9. If you right click on the counting option "Count selected text" you may see a messagebox asking if you wish to enable your custom Abacus plug-in. This only applies to those users who have customized versions of Abacus and can otherwise be safely ignored.

Abacus Macros:

The Abacus contains 5 macros. These macro names can be viewed in the Word macros window, which you can open from Word by clicking on "Tools->Macro->Macros->Macros in" and then selecting the file "abacus.dot". You can also access the Macros screen by simultaneously pressing the Macros shortcut key combination, "Alt-F8". Here are the five Abacus macros:

1. "AbacusCountLines". This is the macro that starts the Abacus program.
2. "AbacusLogFile". This macro opens the log file and offers to add up its line counts.
3. "AbacusMakeInvoice". This is the macro you use to make an invoice from a log file. Let's explain this one in a little more detail next. (See below under "Creating an Invoice".)
4. "AutoExec". This macro won't do anything if you click on it. It is a macro that runs automatically when Word first starts.

If you are a registered user of Abacus and are upgrading from any earlier version, the cost in only $10. Just send us a check or money order, and the name under which you originally bought Abacus. We will then email you your new unlock code. You can also pay for the upgrade using PayPal online.

To order the Abacus from NorthStar Solutions you must have a valid email account, and order the product from their internet site (ie, no email, no phone calls, and no snail mail to NorthStar Solutions; just internet credit card orders). You will then order Product # 4413.

You can also order the Abacus from RegSoft.net. You will order Product # 38659. They will also accept online, phone, and FAX orders, but you must obtain a telephone number from them at their web site.

The credit card company will confirm the credit card transaction, notify us immediately, and we send you the registration code via email. The cost is still just $20 for a single user, and remember, that charge includes all taxes and handling fees.

3) Online PayPal: You can pay for Abacus using the online PayPal system. Just log on to PayPay and click on "Send Money". When the "Send Money" screen appears, fill it out as follows:
Recipient's Email: sales@theabacus.biz
Amount ($): 20 (for each copy)
Type: Goods - Non - Auction
In the message area just indicate that you are buying Abacus. If you are upgrading from version 2.1 to version 3.0, the cost is only $10, which can be paid using this same PayPal system.

You can also obtain site licenses from us for extremely reasonable rates. Please contact us directly with your needs, and we will quote you a price. You can also download or view our site license schedule online.

We also write customized versions of the Abacus for companies that have specialized line counting needs. Our programming fees start at only $50 per hour. Please email us to discuss your project and we will be happy to give you a cost and time estimate.

Thanks for your support!

-- Bill Kneeland, Abacus Medical Systems
February, 2008

Installation
How do I install Abacus?
How can I tell if I have the latest version of Abacus?
How do I put Abacus on the Word toolbar?
My Abacus shortcut key stopped working! How do I fix it?
My computer crashed and I need to re-install all of my programs, including Abacus. How do I do this?
I upgraded from an earlier version of Abacus, and now nothing works. What do I do next?
When I purchase Abacus will you send me a CD or disk with the program files?

Operation
It's installed, so now what do I do?
I have it running, but now what?
I keep getting a run-time error. What does this mean?
What else do I need to know about the 'normal.dot' file?
Can I use Abacus to count more than one document at a time?
Will the Abacus count my tables?
What other special Word objects can Abacus count?
When I start Word with Abacus installed, it tells me "The macros in this project are disabled" and it won't run Abacus. What do I do?

Log file, Batch screen, and other options
How do I use the log file?
Can I make more than one log file?
Can I make more than one user configuration?
Will Abacus record my subtotal for each Batch I run?
It's not recording my line counts or charges correctly in the log file. What should I do?
When I save the log file, it asks about Encoded text. What gives?
Can Abacus make an invoice for me?
I have a question that you haven't answered!

INSTALLATION

When you first downloaded the Abacus, you had your choice of downloading the file "abacus30.exe" or "abacus30.zip". If you downloaded "abacus30.exe", this file will install the program files for you. You just have to run the program and let it do it's thing. If you downloaded "abacus30.zip", you must first unzip this file. This is done using any standard unzipping program, such as PKZip from PKWare. Once you unzip the program, it will produce 4 new files named "abacus.dot", "abacus30.dll", "wdbackup.exe" and "readme.wri". You then need to install the files manually. Here's where they go:

After running the installation program, the installation program itself will tell you if the installation was successful. If it was, you can skip down to the section on Operation (below). If there was a problem with installation, the program should display a message indicating what went wrong.

If the installation message indicates "I was unable to find your MS Word startup folder", then you will have to find the Word startup folder yourself. As the message indicates, this is the time to push the Panic button, which will then tell you what you need to do next. The panic button message will tell you: "We need to locate Word's startup directory". Usually, this is a subdirectory (folder) of "Office" so first you need to know where the Office files are located. (The default directory is "c:\program files\microsoft office\office\startup". However, Word 2002 uses the path "c:\program files\microsoft office\office10\startup".) Often this problem occurs because these files are on a drive other than C:, such as drive D:, etc. If this is the case, the likely path is: "d:\program files\microsoft office\office\startup".

If the installation message indicates "The Abacus files have not been successfully copied to their directories.", then you need to make note of which file was not successfully copied (it will display this on the program screen) and notify us. We will help you finish installation from that point.

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The current version of Abacus is 3.0. We periodically add features, make minor changes, or even fix bugs. When we do so, we designate it be afixing a "build" number. You can check your version and build number by clicking on the copyright message at the bottom of the Abacus main screen.

If you are a current registered user of version 3.0 of Abacus (any build), you are entitled to upgrade to the latest build free of charge. You just need to download and install the latest release from our web site by clicking here.

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You can start the Abacus from the Word toolbar, but first you must manually place an icon (or even just the text) on the toolbar. To do this, first start Word and click on "Tools->Customize", and then on the "Commands" tab. From the "Categories" box on the left, select "Macros" and click on it so that it's highlighted. Now in the "Commands" box on the right, you should see "AbacusCountLines" (it may say "Abacus.Counter.AbacusCountLines"). Click on this text, and while holding the left mouse button down, drag this text onto the Word toolbar. When you have it placed where you want it on the toolbar, release the left mouse button. It will now say "Abacus.Counter.AbacusCountLines", which is a bit unwieldy. To simplify it, right click on this text. A new menu will appear. In this menu, you can change the text or select an icon. Then just close the "Customize" box and you're all set.

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It's possible that your 'normal.dot' file has become corrupt and needs to be deleted. To do this, close Word and perform a Search on your computer ("Start->Search->For Files or Folders") for "normal.dot" or "normal.*". When you locate the file "normal.dot", rename it to "normal.001". [WARNING!!! MACROS, AND OTHER MS WORD SETTINGS WILL BE LOST IF YOU DO THIS!!!]

Sometimes this problem can be solved by just resetting your shortcut keys. To do this, first start Word and then click on "Tools->Customize". When the "Customize" screen then appears, click on the "Keyboard" button at the bottom of this screen. On the right side of the "Customize Keyboard" screen you will see a button entitled "Reset All". If you click on this, it will probably reset your Abacus shortcut key. You can then close the "Customize" screen, close and reopen Word, and the Abacus shortcut key should work normally. [WARNING!!! ALL OF YOUR SHORTCUT KEYS WILL BE LOST IF YOU DO THIS!!!]

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First, download the Abacus from our web site at:
http://www.theabacus.biz/about.htm
and install it on your computer, just as you did originally. The file you are downloading is named "abacus30.exe". Next you will need your unlock code. If you know what it is, you can now just enter it as you did before by starting Word and Abacus, and clicking on the copyright message at the bottom of the Abacus main screen. If you can't find your unlock code, send us an email with your name, the name or email address you used when you bought the program, and the year you bought it. We will look up your unlock code and email it to you.

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If this happens, it's best to start from scratch. We manually un-install the previous version of Abacus and then re-install the new version. To do this, follow these steps:

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No. We have an easier (and we think better) system. When you pay for Abacus, we email you an unlock code and instructions. You then apply the unlock code to your current trial version of the Abacus, and this will convert it from the trial to the full, registered form of the program. This way you can download new releases ("builds") of version 3.0 of the Abacus free of charge, and make sure you always have the latest features without having to purchase it again.

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OPERATION

Once the files are installed, the Abacus counting program can be used. The program is an MS Word Add-In. This means that it must be run from within Word -- you can't run the program on it's own. The correct process is to start Word, open (or prepare) a document, and then run the Abacus line counting program.

The Abacus program is run the same way a Word macro is run. If you are familiar with this process, you will have no problems using the Abacus. If you don't know how to use a Word macro, just read on.

The easiest way to start Abacus is to use its built in shortcut key. To do this, simultaneously hold down the "Ctrl-Shift-A" keys. This will start Abacus. But there are other ways to do this...

Another way to start Abacus, which is actually the most time consuming, is to click on "Tools->Macro->Macros" and then click on the "Macros in" box at the bottom of the screen. Here you will see a number of entries listed, one of which should be "abacus.dot". If you don't see "abacus.dot" listed, then the Abacus is not installed where it belongs (in the "startup" directory) and we need to go back to "Installation" again. However if you do see "abacus.dot" listed, just click on it. Then up above, under "Macro name", you will see "AbacusCountLines". Click on this and then click on the "Run" button. This will start the Abacus program. If it's not clear what to do next, see the following section.

A better way to use the Abacus is to start it from a toolbar or as a menu item. To do this, click on "Tools->Customize->Commands", and then under "Categories" click on "Macros". Now to the right, under "Commands" it will say (among other things) "Abacus.Counter.AbacusCountLines". Click on it. At this point, you want to "Drag and Drop". While holding down the left mouse button (still on "Abacus.Counter.AbacusCountLines"), drag the mouse to a toolbar or a menu. Then let go of the left mouse button, and voila! You should now have a shortcut to start the Abacus. Notice that in this same box (toward the bottom), is a button labeled "Keyboard". If you click on this you will be given the option of assigning a shortcut key to the Abacus. This is another convenient way to start the program. The choice is up to you.

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There's nothing like having choices, and now you can choose how you want to count lines. Notice that on the left side of the main screen you have 4 counting options. The first one will count all headers and footers. The second option is pretty straight forward -- it just counts the number of lines in the document. Doesn't matter how many characters are on the line -- to this option, a line is a line. However it will not count blank lines or lines that just have spaces, tabs, or carriage returns. If you select one of these option, just click on the "Count" button and the Abacus will tell you how many lines you have.

Option #3 works a bit differently. Here you must first select (highlight) a portion of text in your document. Having done that, click on the "Count" button to get a line count. If you don't highlight some text first, the Abacus will tell you and therefore be unable to count anything.

The fourth option is totally different from the first 3 because it doesn't really count lines. It counts characters. After it counts the number of characters in the document, it divides by the number of characters in a line and gives you a mathematically calculated line count. If you select this option you can also determine what other options you want to use, ie, what characters to count and what to ignore. To use these options, click on the "Configure" text in the middle of the Abacus main screen and then click on the "Counting options" tab. Here you have more options. First you must determine how many characters constitute a line. The default is 65 but you can change it to anything you want. Notice there are several check boxes. If you uncheck all of them, the Abacus will count the number of visible characters, divide it by the number of characters per line, and give you a line count. If you check "Count blank spaces/tabs/returns", the Abacus will do just that and add that number of characters to the count. If you check the option "Count headers and footers", it will count how many characters are in the headers and footers and add that to the count. If you choose "Bold characters", the Abacus will add a character count for each bold character it finds. This counting rule also applies to underlined and italicized characters. If you check the "Shifted chars" options, the Abacus will examine each character to see if you had to use the shift key to type it. If so, it then adds the number of shifted characters to the count. And you can use any combination of these counting options. So to summarize, if you counted shifted chars and bold chars, and if your document consisted of the word "abacus", it would be counted as 6 characters. However, the word "Abacus" would be 7 characters due to the capitalized "A", and the word "ABACUS" would be 12 characters, as all 6 characters are counted twice (because they are capitalized). If the word "ABACUS" appeared bold, it would now be counted as 18 characters: 6 for the letters, 6 because they are capitalized, and 6 more because they are bold.

But there's more to this story. You will notice on the "Counting options" page an option entitled "Only count when turned on/off". This applies to counting bold, italicized, underlined, and shifted characters, and here's how it works. If you check this box, it will count bold (and italicized and underlined) chars in a group. If you have a group of bold chars, it will add one char count when the bolding starts, and a second char count when the bolding ends. So if the word "abacus" were typed in bold, it would be counted as 6 chars for the 6 visible letters plus 2 chars for bold -- one for turning bold on and one more for turning bold off (assuming the word is preceded and followed by non-bold characters). The rule with shifted characters is the same, but there is one exception: If you have a single shifted char, it will count as only one additional char count. We did this because otherwise, each time you start a sentence you would be getting two additional char counts.

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This message is generated by Word and indicates that something is interferring with the normal operation of Word or of a macro. (The Abacus is like a giant macro, and like macros, works using the Visual Basic for Applications - VBA - programming language.) The explanation for this error message is typically one of these:

1. The most likely explanation is corruption of the "normal.dot" file. This file is used by Word to store certain settings, such as AutoText entries, your Word configuration, etc. It is also used by Word macros, the VBA programming language, and The Abacus. This file occasionally becomes corrupted and when it does so, errors and error code messages result. The best line of defense is to back up your "normal.dot" file from time to time, and then use the backed up copy to replace the corrupt one if corruption of the "normal.dot" file should occur. We have a simple, free backup program that does just this, and can be downloaded from our web site. However if you already have a corrupt "normal.dot" file, or suspect that you may have one, we suggest you delete it (and Word must be closed to do this). When you next start Word, a new "normal.dot" file will be automatically created. Unfortunately, all your custom settings will be lost, and you need to be aware of this before deleting the file. The location of "normal.dot" on your hard drive depends on the version of Word you are using. We suggest you use "Start->Find->Files or Folders" and a file management program like the Windows Explorer applet to locate and/or delete the "normal.dot" file.

2. A second possible source of a runtime error would be if you have MS Works installed on your computer. This program is like a little brother to Office. It has a word processor, spreadsheet program, and more. But sometimes it interferes with normal Word (and Word macro) operations. If you already have Office on your computer, it is unlikely you also need Works. We therefore recommend you consider deleting MS Works if you are having trouble with Word or its macros (or Abacus).

3. A specific run-time error -- error message 5 -- sometimes occurs in combinations of Word and Windows that don't like the way VBA processes "wildcard" filenames. We have seen this in some installations of WindowsME and in the Word97/Windows2000 combination. We have changed the appropriate programming code in Abacus and believe we have this problem under control. If you are encountering this error code, you will need to download and install the latest build of Abacus (v 3.0) from the Abacus web site. To check your build number, double click on the Abacus main screen where you see the copyright message. If no new screen opens, you have an older build and should upgrade.

4. If you upgraded from version 2.1 to version 3.0 of the Abacus, and are getting a runtime error message when you first try to run the program, your computer may be trying to use both the old and new Abacus at the same time. The solution is to manually delete the Abacus files, thus assuring that we have rid the computer of all old ones, and then re-install version 3.0 of the Abacus. To do this, reboot Windows and make sure you DO NOT restart Word. Then locate and delete these 3 files: "abacus.dot", "abacus.dll", and "abacus.ini". Next install the Abacus from its installation program, "abacus30.exe". Now start Word and start Abacus. You will need to insert your unlock code for version 3.0 again, but then everything should be working fine. One other note: this problem can also occur if you have more than one version of Word on your computer. Abacus may be installed in the wrong Word version's folder. So if you have more than one version of Word, make sure that the file "abacus.dot" is in the "startup" folder of the version of Word that you want to use.

5. Finally, if the above steps don't eliminate your error messages, you should consider re-installing Word. Sometimes files become corrupt, are overwritten by other programs, or are accidentally deleted. A clean re-installation can usually solve these problems. And if you bought your computer with Word pre-installed, I strongly suggest you obtain the CD (if you don't already have it) from which it was installed. We have seen numerous problems on computers with Word pre-installed, probably because of the reasons above.

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MS Word uses this file to store some of your user configuration data, like AutoText settings. It is also used by macros, including The Abacus. Therefore if normal.dot becomes damaged (or "corrupt"), some macros, including The Abacus, may not work properly. If the file does become corrupt, the easiest solution is to just close Word and then delete it (normal.dot, not Word). The next time you start Word it will create a new and un-corrupt normal.dot file.

Because of the problem of corruption of this file, we have developed a simple and easy to use software program to back up and restore normal.dot (and the 'custom.dic' file). You are welcome to download and use this file, wdBackup, free of charge. We also include "wdBackup" with the current installation of Abacus, version 3.0.

You can also read more about the normal.dot file in the June 2001 newsletter.

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You bet! Click on the button named "Run batch mode", and a new screen will appear. At the top the default directory ("c:\") is listed. You can change it to any directory you want. Later, when you exit this screen, if you click on "Save Settings" (on the main program screen), Abacus will remember this directory and use it next time you go to the batch screen.

But back to the directory (folder) listed at the top of the batch screen. Underneath it, you will see all DOC files located in that directory. To select a document for line counting, either double click on it, click once one it and then click on the "Add" button, or click on the "Add All" button to select all documents in this directory. When selected, the document name will appear in the lower box. Then when you have selected all the documents you want to count, click on "Begin Count". Abacus will count the lines in these documents using whatever counting parameters you previously specified in the line counting options of the main screen. The line counts will then be written to the log file that you have selected as the current active log.

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Yes. When counting gross lines, it will count any table's row as a line if the first cell in that row has visible text in it. If that first cell is empty, then the Abacus will think it's just a carriage return and will ignore it. When counting as characters per line, it counts all characters.

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Abacus can also count lines of text (if you count gross lines) or characters (if you count characters and convert them to line counts) in textboxes, footnotes, and endnotes. If you count characters, Abacus will count the characters in these three special Word objects the same way it counts them for you in the body of the document but with one exception. Although Abacus can count your visible characters, spaces, and shifted characters, it will not count those characters that are bold, italicized, or underlined.

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Word is telling you that you may be trying to start a file that could contain a virus or otherwise damage your computer. This is normal Word behavior for any "add-in" file (such as Abacus), and does not mean that anything is wrong. However, you MAY have to change your security level.

You can change Word's security level, and allow it to accept all add-in programs that use macros. This will solve your problem with Abacus, but it also leaves your computer susceptible to Word viruses. Some users may be at little risk, but only you can decide what's right for you. You can read more about the macro security options in the Word online help files. But if you wish to change your macro security level, here's all you need to do: Start Word and click on "Tools->Macro->Security". On the "Security Level" page, click on "Low" then on "OK", and then restart Word.

Our current build of the Abacus is digitally signed, meaning that Word will let you, the user, decide if you want to load Abacus when Word starts. If your security level is set on "High", Word will ask you if you want to allow macros from Abacus Medical Systems (or Sorcerer Software). Just tell it "Yes", and Word and Abacus should then run normally.

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LOG FILE, BATCH SCREEN, AND OTHER OPTIONS

In the unregistered trial version of the program, the log file will just record your line count after you click on the "Save Data" button, or after clicking on the "Begin Count" button when working in batch mode. But in the full version of the Abacus, you can do more. With the full version you can save line counts without those annoying "nag" messages. But more importantly, the Abacus will save your line count, add up the total of all your line counts, and calculate the charge for all line counts in the log file. You can also customize the log file with features such as your own header, graphics, etc.

Now...there are two more things you need to know about the log file. To use it to calculate your charges, you first have to tell Abacus how much you charge per line. To do this you need the full, registered version of the product. Click on the word "Configure" on the main screen and a new screen will appear. Select the "Log file options" page. At the top, enter your charge in cents per line. Enter just the number -- no words or dollar/cents signs. Then click on "Use". But while this screen is open, you also have a second configuration option. In the larger box, you can enter a message that will appear at the bottom of your log file after you calculate the charges and are ready to print it. This message could be your name and address, a "Thank you for you business" type message, your tax ID number, or anything else you would like to add for your clients.

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Absolutely. On the main screen you will see a button with the label "Change log file". Click here and a file dialog box will open. You can select a log file that you previously created, or type in the name of a new one that you would like to create. Then click on "OK". If you want to continue to use this log file as your default log (ie, the one that is automatically opened every time you start Abacus), click on "Save Settings".

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Yes. If you click on the text that says "Current user" (on the Abacus main screen), a file open dialog box will appear. Enter the name for the new user configuration and click on "OK". The current configuration settings will then be saved to this new configuration file you just created. Every time you start Abacus it will automatically use the default user configuration, named "abacus.ini", but you can change it to one that you created at any time by clicking on "Current user" and selecting a different user configuration file name.

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Yes. To enable this feature, click on the Configure label of the main Abacus screen, and then select the "Batch options" page. Here you have the option of subtotaling each batch run. If you select this option, each time you count a series of documents in batch mode, you will be asked if you want to write the subtotal to the log file. If you answer "Yes" to this question, the batch's line count subtotal and it's charge will be written to the active log file. Abacus will still calculate the log file's total line counts and write the sum at the end of the log file along with the total charge.

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Some installations of MS Word 2000 have trouble finding, and therefore writing to, the log file. This usually produces such errors as not writing the line count to the log file, or recording a charge of $0.00 for you total line counts. It can also happen if you have not entered your cents-per-line charge (see above, "How do I use the log file"). Please let us know if you have problems that you can't resolve.

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When you close the log file, you may be asked "Do you want to save the changes you made to abacus.log?". If you do, click on "Yes"; click on "No" to close the file without saving your changes, and click on "Cancel" to keep the log file open without saving the changes. If you elect to save the changes ("Yes") you will then get a 2nd question box. This one will ask you if you "want to save abacus.log in this format" (referring to an Encoded text file). If you click on "Yes", which is what we recommend, the log file will then be saved using the formatting that we want (plain ASCII text). If you click on "No", Word will then expect you to make your own arrangements for formatting and saving the file. This latter option may be appropriate if you plan on saving no more line counts to the file, and you just want to spice it up a little with a letterhead, image, or some other features that require you to save the file as a Word document or in some other special format.

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Yes. Abacus will make an invoice from any of your log files, as long as the log file was created using version 3.0 of Abacus that is build 020223 or later. (If you have an older version or build of Abacus, you can download a newer one that has this invoice feature by clicking here.) Abacus will make an invoice by examining a log file, and then displaying the information in a manner that is much more polished and presentable, and can be easily used for invoicing. To use this feature first open a log file in Word. Then start the Abacus macro, "AbacusMakeInvoice". In a few seconds you will have an invoice as a Word document which you can further edit if you wish. If you configured Abacus to write a message in the log file, that message will also be used in the invoice. To view a sample invoice, click here.

There are several ways to start the AbacusMakeInvoice macro:
1. Start Word and then press the invoice shortcut key combination, "Ctrl-Shift-I".
2. Start Word and then press Word's macro shortcut key combination, Alt-F8. This will open the Macros box. In it you should see several Abacus macros. When you find "AbacusMakeInvoice", just click on it and then click on the "Run" button.
3. You can also create a button on a Word toolbar to start this macro. For further information on how to do this, please consult your Word documentation.

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We will if you just email it to us. You may also want to check the Abacus bulletin board at MT Daily.