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 double clicking on the copyright message at the bottom of the Abacus main screen. If you have the trial version of the program, just click once, and a new screen will appear with the version and build information.

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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This is a long one, so hang on and let's dive in. But first, it is possible that the shorcut key combination will fail to work IF you have other MS Word add-in programs installed, such as a medical dictionary, spell checker, etc. If this is the case, you may be better off using a clickable icon to start Abacus instead. In fact, I find this much easier than using the shortcut keys.

OK... Onward. There are many reasons why this could happen. Let's go through a checklist of things to do in order to pinpoint the cause and solve the problem:

1. First, make sure Abacus is properly installed. To do so, we need to locate the file "Abacus.dot". It should be in Word's "startup" folder, which is typically located at:
c:\program files\microsoft office\office\startup
(Note: If you have Word 2002/XP, substitute "office10" for "office" in the above path. If you have Word /Office 2003, substitute "office11" for "office".)
If the "Abacus.dot" file is NOT in Word's startup folder, you need to re-install Abacus.

2. If the "Abacus.dot" file is correctly installed, let's next see if we can use it to start Abacus manually. To do this we need to go to Word's "Macros" screen. You can start this screen from Word by clicking on "Tools->Macro->Macros" OR pressing the Alt-F8 keys simultaneously. When the "Macros" screen opens, look in the "Macros in:" dropdown box at the bottom of the screen. In this box you should see "Abacus.dot" listed. If you do, click on it... and then click on the "AbacusCountLines" entry that you will see listed in the large "Macro name:" box above it. Now click the "Run" button and Abacus should start.

3. Now let's make sure you only have one version or copy of Word installed. Some computers (especially if bought used or with software pre-installed) have more that one version. There are two things to check:
-- Do a search for the file "winword.exe". This is the main Word file. You can search using the Windows "Search" tool ("Start->Search->For Files or Folders", or if you have Windows 95/98, "Start->Find->Files or Folders"). If you find more than one copy of the "winword.exe" file, you may have more than one version of Word installed. If this is not your intention, you may wish to delete one of them.
-- Use My Computer or Windows Explorer (NOT Internet Explorer) to check for variations on the Word folder structure. For example, if you have both Word 97 and Word 2002 installed on your computer, you may have both of these folder structures:
c:\program files\microsoft office\office\...
c:\program files\microsoft office\office10\...
with a copy of "winword.exe" for Word 97 in the "office" folder, and a copy of "winword.exe" for Word 2002 in the "office10" folder.
We have come across cases where the user had both Word 97 and Word 2002 as in the above situation, installed Abacus in the Word 97 folder structure, but used Word 2002. The problem was that Word 2002 couldn't find Abacus because it was installed with Word 97!

4. If everything checks out OK to this point, it's possible that your "normal.dot" file (also known as the "global template") has become corrupted. Abacus and other macro/add-in files need a healthy "normal.dot" file to work normally. The "normal.dot" file also holds certain important Word settings, such as your own macros and AutoText entries. Fortunately, Abacus automatically backs up your "normal.dot" file for you in case this happens. To test the possibility of "normal.dot" corruption, close Word and locate this file (using the "Search" or "Find" tool described above). If Windows tells you there is no such file found, try a search for the file "normal.*". Next rename all instances of "normal.dot" that you find to "normal.001" (as we don't want to delete them -- at least, not yet). Now re-open Word and try to start Abacus again.

I mentioned that Abacus backs up the "normal.dot" file automatically. Actually, it does so only if you tell it to using an setting in the Abacus Options screen (enabled by default). The backup copies are stored in the Abacus "Backup" folder ("c:\abacus\backup") and are named "Abacus0x.dot" where x is a number from 1 to 9. To use one of these backup files, rename it to "normal.dot" and copy it to the correct folder where Word keeps the "normal.dot" file. (Check your Word documentation if you're not sure where this is or how to find out.)

5. If both the Abacus installation and the "normal.dot" file seem OK, here's a trick that seems to apply to Word XP, and is actually a bug in this version of Word (but you can always try it with other versions of Word). In addition to having the "Abacus.dot" file in Word's "startup" folder, we have to explicitly tell Word to load it into memory so we can use it. To do this, start Word and click on "Tools->Templates and Add-ins". When the "Templates and Add-ins" screen appears, click on the "Add" button and locate the file "Abacus.dot". It is usually located in the directory "c:\program files\microsoft office\office\startup". (If you are using Office XP/2002, change "office" to "office10", and for Word 2003 change it to "office11".) Once you find the file "Abacus.dot", select it and close the Add Template dialog box, and you will then see the name "Abacus.dot" appear on the "Templates and Add-ins" screen in the "Global templates and add-ins" section. Check the checkbox next to "Abacus.dot" and click on the "OK" button. Now close Word and restart it, and Abacus should start normally.

6. Sometimes this problem can be solved by just resetting your Abacus 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 "Customize Keyboard" screen, select "Macros" under "Categories". You should then see the macro "AbacusCountLines" in the "Macros" box. Click on "AbacusCountLines" in the "Macros" box, and then click in the "Press new shortcut key" box. Press the keys "Ctrl-Shift-A". Now click on the "Assign" button, close this screen, and then close and restart Word.

If the above step doesn't work, go back to the "Customize Keyboard" screen and try resetting all your shortcut keys. 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. However if you had any other custom shortcut keys, they will be reset (or deleted) in the process.

7. Word may complain that the Abacus program contains macros, and wants to know if you wish to enable them. Word may refuse to let Abacus work until you fix this. To do so, just tell Word that it's OK. (Click here for additional information on this subject.)

8. Maybe the problem is NOT Abacus, and is NOT the global template. Maybe the problem is Word itself. Word files can become corrupted and stop working properly. In extreme cases, this means that Word needs to be uninstalled from your computer and then reinstalled. But before doing that, try one more step. Start Word and click on "Help->Detect and Repair" (except Word 97, which doesn't have this feature). You will need your Office or Word installation CD, but sometimes Word can fix itself and save you a lot of trouble.

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Absolutely! In fact, I think this is the best way to start Abacus. Here's how you do it:
1. Start MS Word. On the Word menu bar, click on "Tools->Customize" to display the "Customize" screen.
2. Next, click on the "Commands" tab on the Customize screen. Scroll down the "Categories" section until you get to "Macros", and then click on it.
3. Now to the right of the Categories section, you will see your currently installed macros. The one we are interested in is an Abacus macro named "AbacusCountLines". It may be listed as "Counter.AbacusCountLines".
4. Click on the "AbacusCountLines" macro and HOLD DOWN YOUR LEFT MOUSE BUTTON. While holding it down, drag it up to your icon toolbar. This is the toolbar with all of Word's icons, and it is located right under the Word menu bar. When you get to the icon bar, release the left mouse button. You will now see an entry on the icon bar with the text "AbacusCountLines" (or "Counter.AbacusCountLines"). It usually works best to place it between two existing icons.
5. You can now start Abacus by clicking on the text "AbacusCountLines" which now appears on the icon bar. However, it isn't very attractive and it takes up lots of space. So let's change it to an icon (in step 6).
6. Right click on the text "AbacusCountLines" which you have just placed on the icon bar. This opens a submenu. Select "Default Style" and you will see the text replaced by an icon on your icon bar. To now change the icon, right click on the icon you just placed on the icon bar, and select "Change Button Image" to choose a different icon.
7. When the above steps are completed, click the "Close" button on the Customize screen, and you're all done.!

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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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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 3 counting options. The first one will count the number of lines in the document, also known as counting "Gross Lines". 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. Underneath this option, and slightly indented, you will notice checkboxes for counting gross lines in headers and in footers.

Option #2 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 gross line count. If you don't highlight some text first, the Abacus will tell you and therefore be unable to count anything. You can also use this option to count character lines in highlighted text. To do this, first click on option #3, "Count as chars per line". Then while holding down the Ctrl key, click on Option #2. Both options will now be checked. Next click on the Count button and Abacus will count character lines in the highlighted text.

The third option is totally different from the first 2 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 "Options" text in the middle of the Abacus main screen and then click on the "Char 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 options "Headers" and/or "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 "Char 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 (or italicized or 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. 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) or rename it to something similar but inert, such as "normal.001". 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 rename (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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The file "normal.dot" is also known as the MS Word "global template". Word opens and closes it each time you open and close Word, and Word uses it to store its configuration settings and AutoText entries. If no "normal.dot" file exists, Word creates one when it starts.

So the solution to a corrupt "normal.dot" file is to simply delete it (or rename it). The next time you start Word, a new "normal.dot" file is created automatically.

But wait! Deleting "normal.dot" also deletes your MS Word configuration settings, including your AutoText entries! To get around this problem, Abacus and Abacus SE make a backup copy of your "normal.dot" file on a regular basis. This file is in the "Backup" folder which is in your Abacus folder ("C:\Abacus\Backup"). The file is named "Abacus0x.dot" where x is a number from 0 to 9. Notice that the files are also dated. So... Pick an "Abacus0x.dot" file that has a date when you know everything worked OK. Find out where your "normal.dot" file is located*, and copy "Abacus0x.dot" to that folder (directory). Next, rename your current "normal.dot" to "normal.001", and rename the copied "Abacus0x.dot" to "normal.dot". Now you have replaced your corrupt "normal.dot" file with a backed up and presumeably non-corrupt copy of the file, created when everything was working OK. You should now be able to start Word and go to work. (And make sure MS Word is closed when you do this.)

[If you have Abacus SE instead of the MS Word add-in version of Abacus (v. 3.0), the backup files are named "AbacusSE0x.dot" instead of "Abacus0x.dot", but are located in the same Backup folder.]

[Your computer may be configured to hide filename extensions so that the backup files appear as "Abacus0x", and the "normal.dot" file appears as "normal". To fix this, start My Computer and click on "Tools->Folder Options->View". Then scroll down to the checkbox "Hide file extensions for known file types". Uncheck this box. Click on the "Apply" and "OK" buttons, and close My Computer.]

*The file "normal.dot" is located in your Word "templates" folder. This folder's location depends on the version of MS Word that you have. You can find out where this directory is by starting Word and (on the menu bar) clicking on "Tools->Options->File Locations", and look at the location for "user templates".
You can also locate this file using Windows "Search" by clicking on Start->Search->For Files or Folders". Enter the filename "normal.dot" and click on the "Search" button.
One other note: You may have more than one version of MS Word installed, especially if you bought your computer with Word pre-installed or if you updated your Word installation. Make sure you check all versions of Word.

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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, Abacus makes automatic backup copies of your "normal.dot" file and saves them in the Abacus\Backup folder ("C:\Abacus\Backup"). They will have the filenames "Abacus01.dot" through "Abacus09.dot", and are updated daily. To use one of these backups, just delete your "normal.dot" file, copy the backup file to Word's "startup" folder (where you originally found the "normal.dot" file) and rename the backup file to "normal.dot", and then restart Word.

You can also read more about the normal.dot file in the June 2001 newsletter, and click here for instructions on fixing a corrupt 'normal.dot' file.

Update: Word 2007 made some changes to the global template. This file is now named "normal.dotm", and works a bit differently than "normal.dot" did in previous versions of Word. For a complete explanation, please see this link.

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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.

Abacus cannot counts characters that constitute numbered lists or bullets when using the counting option "Spaces, tabs & returns". Therefore if you use such lists, you will get a more accurate count (when counting characters) if you select the option to "Include spaces" or count just visible characters; and do NOT use the option to count "Spaces, tabs & returns".

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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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For Word 2007, click here.

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 or alternatively, instruct Word to allow Abacus to load and run.

Your first option is to 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.

Now option number two. 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 display a Security Warning and tell you that the file "Abacus.dot" contains macros by Abacus Medical Systems. Check the box that says "Always trust macros from this source", which will cause the button "Enable macros" to become available. Click on this button, and Word and Abacus should then run normally. But you should check one more step. On the Word menu, click on "Tools->Macros->Security" to reopen the Security screen. Click on the "Trusted Sources" tab and you should see Abacus Medical Systems listed. At the bottom of this screen, check the box that says "Trust all installed add-ins and templates."

With the release of Word 2003, Microsoft has gotten more serious about security. If you have Word 2003 and look at the available security options ("Tools- >Macros->Security"), you still find "High", "Medium", and "Low". But in addition, there is now a new setting: "Very High". This highest setting does not allow many add-in files, including Abacus, to load when Word starts up, and therefore Abacus can't be used if this security setting is selected. So if you wish to use Abacus with Word 2003, your security setting should be set to "High".

But there is a second problem. When the Word security setting is at "High" (and this applies to earlier versions of Word as well), Word will not automatically load Abacus, but instead will ask you if that's what you really want to do. Here's the way it will go, and this is how the problem should be handled:

When you start Word and see the "Security Warning", it will say that the macro file it is trying to load contains macros from Abacus Medical Systems. At the bottom of this warning screen is a checkbox that says "Always trust macros from this publisher". If this checkbox is NOT grayed out, check it and then click on the Enable Macros button. You should then be all set.

If the checkbox IS grayed out, look in the upper right section of the screen where you should see a button labeled "Details". Click on the Details button to open a screen entitled "Digital Signature Details". Halfway down this screen is a button that says "View Certificate". Click on this button to open the "Certificate" screen. At the bottom of the Certificate screen you will find the "Install Certificate" button. Click on this button to start the "Certificate Import Wizard".

You should now be at the Certificate Import Wizard screen. Click on the "Next" button. At the top of the next screen it will say "Certificate Store". The selection "Automatically select the certificate store..." will probably be selected. Underneath this, click on the "Next" button. It will then tell you that you have successfully completed the process. Click on the "Finish" button and click your way back to the Security Warning screen. You should now be able to enable the macros in the Abacus (see the first paragraph above).

I know this sounds a bit complex, but on the other hand it's something you will need to do only once. So if you upgrade to Word 2003 and wish to install Abacus, just print out this part of the FAQ, follow the instructions, and you should be in business.

But there is an alternative to doing all this!
Abacus has a sister line counting product named Abacus SE. It is a standalone version of Abacus and does not use macros. Therefore you don't need to install it into Word and go through all of these steps. You can read more about Abacus SE and download a free trial version from our Abacus SE web site.

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It counts the header (or footer) for each section only once.

If you type in a header, and Word then automatically inserts that header into subsequent pages, the header is counted only once. However if you type a header into page one, and then type a different header into page two, both headers will be counted. If there is a page 3 into which Word automatically inserts your page 2 header, Abacus will not count it. In other words, Abacus counts what you type but does NOT count headers or footers that Word automatically inserts.

However, if you want Abacus to count all of the headers and footers, whether you typed them in or Word inserted them automatically, here's what you do: Open the Options screen and click on the "Misc options" tab. Then select "Count ALL H/F" and then click on the Save Settings button (or the Use button).

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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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Several resources are available to help you, including:
1. The "FAQ" file which you will find in your Abacus folder ("c:\abacus");
2. Our new Blog site at
http://abacusmedical.blogspot.com
where we will also post information about updates, user inquiries, problems, bug fixes, and other. I recommend you visit this web page periodically and see what's new;
3. The Abacus message board at MT Daily -- http://www.mtdaily.com;
4. Our Abacus web site -- http://www.theabacus.biz;
5. Us! We can be reached at support@theabacus.biz.