!ShareGraph
v 1.17 (2nd September 93)
This program is Shareware. This means that you can copy this program to
   anyone you like, but if you find the program useful, you should register,
   as explained below. This entitles you to the latest version of this
   program, and of all my other applications.
If you do copy the program it should be in its original format, with ALL of
   the accompanying files. That is : !Boot
                                     !Help
                                     !Run
                                     !RunImage
                                     !Sprites
                                     Defaults
                                     Messages
                                     Sprites
                                     Templates


Purpose
-------
Keep track of share prices, providing basic graphing functions.


To use
------
   Double click on the icon in the file window to load the application. This
will install an icon on the icon-bar. Clicking menu (the middle mouse
button) on this icon will allow you to look at the info about the program,
to save the current file, to start a new file, and to quit.

   To enter data, click on the icon on the icon bar or double click on a
previously saved (native format) file. Either of these will open the main
window. This will show the current month in the icon at the top of the
window, and four columns. The weekends of the month should be greyed out, to
prevent data from being entered for the weekend. To enter a company name,
merely click on one of the column heading icons, and change 'Company n' to
whatever you choose. Then click on the main column and enter data for the
relevant date. (I tend to use the closing price, although opening price
could be used equally well.) At the bottom are the maximum and minimum
prices that the share has reached during the period of time that data is
available for. Clicking on the right or left arrows at the top of the screen
will scroll through the months. Clicking on the central icon at the top will
create a menu, allowing you to go directly to the month to be edited.

   The program will automatically grey out any days which are Saturdays or
Sundays, or greater than the number of days in the month.

   Two different save formats are provided : numerical and pictorial. These
can be accessed from the menu, by moving the mouse across the 'Save' option.

   The numerical option allows for the file to be reloaded, and hence
edited, to allow for keeping the data up-to-date. When looking at the
'Numbers' save dialog box, there is a set of radio buttons, prompting for
save type. The default, the program's own, saves the data in such a way as
to be slightly faster at saving and loading than the others, and also
includes some data about the options which had been set. Also available are
PipeDream (3) type, and CSV. Please note : The Pipedream files cannot be
reloaded once saved.

   The pictorial option allows for the data to be saved as either a standard
!Draw file (e.g. for inclusion into a DTP program), or as a Sprite. When
saving as a !Draw file, some options have to be set. Firstly, it is
necessary to specify which ones of the four companies are to be included in
the file. It is also possible to specify what line colour should be used for
each company. Next, it is necessary to specify what font should be used on
the axes and what size the fonts should be. Then the paper size should be
specified, ranging from A0 to A4. Finally, there is the option to use
seperate scales for the different companies. If this is off then a wide
spread of prices would mean that one line was very near the top, and another
very near the bottom. However, if it is on, then all lines should be at a
similar area.

   If the file has been modified, and you try to load another file, create a
new one or quit, then a window will open. This will ask you whether you are
sure you wish to continue with your chosen command. Clicking on the 'No'
icon will just return you to the data file as it was, whilst clicking on the
'Yes' icon will carry on with what you asked to do. The program will show
whether you have edited the file or not by the presence (or absence) of a
star in the title box of the main window. i.e. If the file has been
modified, it will show 'ShareGraph *', otherwise it will just show
'ShareGraph'.

   The program supports interactive help.

   Finally, the program counts its errors and their time intervals. If it
has to report five errors, each one being within two seconds of the previous
one, then the program will kill itself. This solves the problems of an
unbreakable error loop.

   Please note that the data is limited to 2 decimal places.


CSV File structure
------------------
,Company 1,Company2,Company3,Company4      <- company names
REPEAT
date,c1 price,c2 price,c3 price,c4 price   <- date, prices
UNTIL NO MORE DATA

N.B. Dates with no information relating to them are not stored


Bugs & Improvements
-------------------
Please report any bugs found and any possible improvements you can think of
to me at the address shown below.


Registering
-----------
To register, send 5 to me, at the address shown below, stating what version
of which programs you have. You can enclose your own disk for the programs,
and if you do so you can deduct 50p from the price. Registering entitles you
to upgrade to later versions of the same programs and to get new programs
for the price of 1. Any additional contributions from overseas towards
postage would be greatly appreciated.


Neil Walker.
16, Finderne Drive.
Wymondham.
Norfolk.
NR18 0HU.


Legal Notice
------------
This program is supplied 'as is'. I therefore cannot be held responsible
for any loss of data, profits or any other loss, either directly or
indirectly, that may be incurred by the use (or misuse) of this software,
even if I am aware of the possibility of such a loss. However, I can assure
you that in its original state, the program contains no deliberate viruses,
or damaging procedures, except where these are necessary for the fulfilment
of the program's function.
