|
Home
Upgrading WinMason
Michigan Masons
Grand Lodge of Michigan
| |
This page contains answers to common questions handled by our support
staff, along with some tips and tricks that we have found useful and presented here as
questions.
Note: In these answers we will follow a few shorthand conventions for
describing user-interface procedures. Key combinations will be presented like this: Ctrl+Alt+Delete,
which means that you should press and hold down the Control key, the Alt key, and the
Delete key at the same time. Menu selections will be presented like this: File->Open,
which means that you should open the File menu, and then make the Open selection.
- Tips and Tricks - given out at the 173rd Annual
Communication
- How do I get help?
- Where can I find the Electronic Blue Book and Masonic Lodge Directory?
- Why can't I send my monthly reports electronically?
- I forgot my name and password, what do I do?
- What is the best way to fill in and print Secretary Report forms?
- Lodge Secretaries and Lodge Consolidations can change yearly - how do I
update my records?
- How do I upgrade my WinMason to the latest version?
- How do I make a person a Members Dues Remitted?
- How do I add my own logo to the Dues Notice and Lodge
Letterhead?
- I can't find a member and I know I added him. What do
I do? (Sept 9, 1999)
- When viewing your lodges screen, on the officer tab. If you Double-click
on a name, the name maintenance screen will open up in a new window with that officer
displayed. Makes it easy to change officers!
- When displaying any secretary report, these are special:
a) Right-Click on a name and a list of your names in
your system will display in alpha order. Click on that name and that person's
information will fill in the form.
b) Hit the '?' on the name and the same is true for 2a.
above.
c) Right-Click or '?' on a lodge and the lodges
come up in lodge number order.
- Right-Click or '?' on a date brings up a
calendar.
- + Key on a date puts today’s date in for you.
- PageUp and PageDn change the months when the
calendar is displayed.
- Ctrl+PageUp/Dn changes the year on the calendar.
- Right-Click on Save or Delete in the name maintenance
skips the change in the monthly report.
- In the box on name maintenance, where the dues shows similar
to -$, LTM, 1999$ etc, Click in the text box and a help screen displays explaining the
codes.
- Expanding any report will show expanded the next time you
preview it. Whatever size you last displayed the report in before closing it will show the
same size the next time.
- When you see a [?] on many of the screens, Click
on it then Click on a text or list box to show a brief explanation of what it is
for.
- TAB TAB TAB TAB --- use your TAB key. Many
times I enter in the correct default data for you simply by tabbing through it.
- The ID number Starts with a ZERO, not a 'o' as in oh
- boy. You don't need to type the zeroes when they precede the state. TAB will
enter 0MI, or enter 'MI'
- You don't have to add the preceding zeroes for the lodge
number... simply type the lodge number and the zeroes are padded for you. In many cases if
there is no lodge number, tab and your default lodge is entered for you.
Example: If you know the ID number of a person in your
lodge, you can enter:
Say the id is: 0MI0044200910
Enter: MI TAB 442 TAB 910
and the program will build the ID for you.
- In dues maintenance, say you receive 10 checks in one day
for the same amount.
a) Click on the slashed zero to display the calendar
and amount screen.
b) Enter the correct date and amount.
c) Click on 'Apply the payment'
d) Go to the next person.
e) Right-Click on the slashed zero and the date and amount you entered previously
will be entered for you.
- You MUST SAVE your dues transactions and dates or you
lose them!
- If you are using 'Custom Categories' for reports and labels,
you can use combinations.
a) Say you have an EA and a FC team. You can send a label to only the people who belong
to 'BOTH' or who belong to 'EITHER' very easily.
- Adding a widow is EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY easy:
a) Open widows and Click on the 'Find & Add Deceased Brother'
b) Search for the Brother who died and Click on the name that displays. The widow's
information is entered for you and you are only asked whether to save it or not!
- The included 'Foxcommand.exe' file in your WinMason
directory has a 'Undelete' feature. If you delete a person, it can bring him back as long
as you haven't closed out your monthly report!
- Closing out your monthly report in version 1.4.15 or .151
now creates a .zip file in your \export directory. This is the file you will email to me
for a monthly report. If you use the built in email in WinMason, this file will already be
attached for you under <Help><Test email>
- There are numerous resources to get help with your software. Clicking on the top
line menu <Help> then <Help - WinMason>. This is a full blown
help section that can answer many of your questions.
- Go to the WinMason web site - your are here! This is also available under the top
line menu <Help> then <WinMason - Web> in version 1.4.15 and
above.
- Send your email address to help@winmason.com and
we will add you to the winmason@egroups.com
After adding you to the list you will receive email from anyone who sends mail to
the group. This is very helpful to users as questions posted currently go to over 47
members of the list. Probably, someone has already run into the issue and can help
you.
- Please email your support questions to winmason@egroups.com
this helps everyone.
- You can also email directly to the Grand Lodge. Please note, we will reply most
messages to the egroup above. This helps everyone.
The Bluebook installed beginning with version 1.4.0. The Masonic Directory was
included with the 1.4.14 update. From your windows desktop click
<Start><Program Files><WinMason> and click on <Bluebook> or
<Masonic Lodge Dir>
 | Note: You must install Adobe Reader in order to use these files. Adobe Reader is
for free at:  |
WinMason was built from the start with the intent on sending reports electronically.
The Grand Lodge computer committee thought it best to first: get the software
out to you, then work on the more advanced features. We are well on the way to
accomplishing this task. Beginning with version 1.4.15 the software will extract
your changes and put them into a \export directory. It will then compress (zip) the
files into a single file and name it with your lodge number and the month. A email
screen is already built under the top line menu <Help><Test
Mail> section. We will first attempt to receive those updated files then move to
the next step of building a program that will unzip this file at the Grand Lodge
and duplicate your printout. (This part of the program has not been built.)
Due to other duties besides WinMason, I have not had the time to work on that
portion. I believe I will accomplish that during the summer months. This will
give us proper time to ensure you are sending everything we need to accomplish our
objective.
Contact the Grand Lodge for a back-door. Be careful though, the backdoor can only
be used a limited number of times before it becomes locked and we have to do something
else to get into the system.
There are the question two ways to print the secretary reports. By far the
easiest, and pay attention here, is from the Member
Maintenance screen. Select the person you want to print a report on,
then toward the top of this SAME screen you see a reports button:  , click on it, select the report
you want to process and voila - most of the data is already filled in for you!
| HINT: Reports have little help boxes that display to the upper right of your screen.
If you hit your question mark key '?' on your keyboard the following will happen: |
- A Name text box - the name, address, ID number, phone number, degree dates, phone number
and other personal information text boxes fill in where appropriate.
- A Lodge text box - a list box will display showing ALL Michigan Lodges. Select the
correct one and the Lodge, Lodge number, lodge address, Secretary (if your own lodge) and
Secretary Address fill in.
- A Date text box - a popup calendar will display allowing you to point and click a date.
There are a couple of ways to accomplish this.
- Beginning with version 1.4.15 the Lodgeupdt.zip file is included on the update CD.
After installing the update and running the patch file, put the CD back into the
drive. If your autorun feature in windows begins the install again, cancel it.
Enter WinMason and from the top line menu click <Utilities><Update
Lodges & Secretaries>, then click on the 'Update' Button. WinMason will
search your drives, including your CDROM for the LodgeUpdt.zip file. If it is found
it will copy it to your harddrive, unzip it (uncompact it) then import the lodges and
updated Secretary addresses/phone numbers.
- From the download page of this web, select the 'Lodge
& Secretary Update' file download. Copy this file to a blank disk in your A:
drive and when finished click <Utilities><Update Lodges &
Secretaries>, then click on the 'Update' Button.
The Dues Screen automatically gets updated by the 'MEMBERS' 'Activity' screen for
Member Dues Remitted and PrePaid members. This is read-only (you can't change it in
the Dues Screen) because the MDR is an activity. This must be the case since the
Grand Lodge does not receive per-capita for members how had their dues remitted by their
respective lodge. Hence, you must add a 'MDR' activity in the Membership screen as
follows:
- Open Member Maintenance.
- Search for and display the Brother who is to receive a MDR activity.
- Click on the Activity Tab.
- Click 'NEW'
- In the 'Activity List Box' enter 'MDR'
- Enter a date and a processing year for the activity. (MDR is only valid on Dues screens
and Grand Lodge records for one year. It does not carry over.)
- Save the activity.
- Close Member Maintenance and open the Dues Maintenance, the Brother will now display as
paid and have a check mark in the 'MDR' column.
1.
Open Windows Paint by clicking on
<Start><Programs><Accessories><Paint>
2. In
Microsoft Paint - Click 'New'
3.
Click 'Image', 'Attributes' and create a square surface. Ie: 200x200,
300x300, etc... pixels.
4.
Create your icon. (Or modify a existing one)
5.
Save your icon to ?:\program files\winmason\ver1.4\graphics\your file
name.bmp as a 16 or 256 color graphic.
6.
Exit Paint.
7.
Open WinMason
8.
From the top line menu click: <File><Setup> and click the
'Fees' tab.
9.
Click on the 'Get Logo Icon'
10.
Highlight the new logo you created.
11.
Click 'Get Logo'
12.
Click 'Save'
Many times searching for a member returns no results.
There are two possible scenarios for this to occur. One, the search
Lastname + Firstname box on the bottom of member maintenance has a check mark
next to it to search for Active Members only. Or two, it is misspelled
and the search results in the wrong person. A much better search is
found next to the ID Number on the [FIND] button. Here's how to search
with the find button:
-
Click on the button [FIND] - your cursor will be in
the 'Lastname' text box.
-
Enter the last name or a portion of it that is
known.
-
You can <TAB> to another field to enter more
information. ie: <TAB> once and you can enter the first
name. You do not have to enter a full name, portions are ok.
-
The search query is activated when you hit your
<ENTER> key.
-
A list of names matching the search criteria will be found
in the list box. Arrow to the correct person and press the
<ENTER> key or double click on the correct one.
-
If the person is still not found, click the [CLEAR]
button.
-
<TAB> till you get to the Soundex Lastname:
and type the last name. Soundex stands for 'sounds
like'.
-
Example: You know the person you are looking for is
named Reganald Smythe.
-
Click 'Find'
-
You enter 'SMITH' <TAB> 'Reginald'<ENTER>
-
You do not find the person you are looking for.
-
Click [CLEAR]
-
Click in the 'Firstname' box, type 'R'
-
Click in the 'Soundex Lastname' box, type 'SMITH'
-
Hit the [ENTER] key.
-
All names that SOUND like 'SMITH' and have a
first name beginning with 'R' will display. This means the following
may display:
'SMITH, REGGIE'
'SMITHE, ROBERT'
'SMYTHE, ROGER'
'SMYTHE, REGANALD'
-
Double click on 'SMYTHE, REGANALD' and his data will
display on the member maintenance screen.
|
