Cpsc 451: Supplier Group #7

GorillaSoft

User Interaction

Functionality

The interface design is mouse driven i.e., all functions are accessed through mouse actions. This creates a more intuitive productive interface. As many functions as possible have been reduced to mouse selection acts as opposed to direct user data entry. This serves to reduce the possibility of improper data and will actually speed data entry. Any direct data entry necessary will be subjected to rigorous data checking, and the user will be notified of any errors. Please see the Data Dictionary for details of the type and size of the data that the system will be maintaining.

GENERAL CUSTOMER FUNCTIONS:

All customer functions are accessible through the "Customers" submenu selection from the startup menu. The "Customers" interface encapsulates three distinct but similar GUIs that correspond to the customers requiring servicing: household customers, retail customers and newspaper boxes. The similarity between interfaces requires common actions to have the same or a familiar set of procedures (i.e., adding/deleting/modifying/querying records will be the same for households, retail outlets and newspaper boxes.).

HOUSEHOLD FUNCTIONS

This section covers operations dealing with the household customer's GUI. To reach the customer interface the user must press, on the main menu, the Customers button. In the Customer interface the user can switch among the three types of customers (retail, household, and news box). By pressing the tab labeled Households the system switches to the household customers' GUI. The system will maintain the name, address, phone number, the district, the zone id (for that portion or the district), the carrier id (of the carrier servicing that zone), the current delivery status, publications delivered, special delivery information, and billing information for each household customer. Users will enter all information through the interface. There is a return to main menu tab located present in the interface that will close the Customer interface screen and return the use to the main menu.

Add Household Customer

Pressing the ADD button at the top of the interface screen allocates new space in the database for a new household record and makes available to the user a data entry screen. In the data entry screen the user fills the empty fields with vital information about the new customer. The vital information includes the following: Account Number (automatically generated), District, Zone, Name (first, last and middle initial), customer address, phone number, and postal code. The district and zone are entered using drop boxes; this avoids selecting erroneous districts or zones. The name fields require character strings, all alphabetic, and the middle initial field requires a single alphabetic character (NOTE: the name fields will accept any input since type checking will not be performed). The address field accepts a string . The postal code field will accept six characters but they must be alternating alphabetic and numeric characters. The last remaining field of the vital information is the special delivery notice. The special delivery field is a comment field, consisting of characters, that contains any special instructions that the customer wants fulfilled. Once the vital information has been entered the database is updated by pressing the UPDATE button and closing the data entry window and the user is returned to the Customer interface.

Delete a Household Customer

Pressing the DELETE button at the top of the interface screen will remove the customer currently specified from the database. The user will be issued a warning and will be prompted if they wish to continue or forget the action. To specify a customer see Querying a Customer.

Modifying a Household Customer

In the data entry window the user can change any of the fields. of the selected customer. When the modifications are complete the database is updated with the changes by pressing the UPDATE button and closing the data entry window. Closing the data entry window the user is returned to the Customer interface. To select a customer see Querying a Customer.

Querying a Household Customer

Querying a customer is analogous to finding a customer in the database. Pressing the QUERY button opens a query window where the user can enter the name of the customer, the last name must be specified but the other name fields can be left blank, and/or the customers account number. If the name is specified and there are multiple occurrences of the target name a list will be produced and from this list the user can select the appropriate customer and the selected customer will be displayed in the Customer interface. If the selected customer is not the desired customer the user can select another customer from the list. Pressing OK closes the list and returns the user to the Customer interface. There are also arrow button on the Customer interface screen that allow the user to skip from one record to the next (i.e., pressing the right arrow moves to the next customer record in the database while pressing the left arrow moves to the previous customer record in the database). The record currently displayed in the Customer interface is termed selected.

Printing a Household Customer

Pressing the PRINT button causes the vital information about the currently selected customer and their present subscription status to be printed. The subscription status includes the newspapers currently being delivered, the magazines currently subscribed to, the number of magazines remaining in each subscription, and any complaints made by the customer (see Customer Complaints).

Associating a Household with a Carrier

Associating a household with a carrier is accomplished by assigning a customer to a zone. Since all zones have an associated carrier the act of assigning a zone serves to assign a carrier.

Subscribe a Household to a Newspaper

Located on the bottom tool bar of the Customer interface there is a button labeled Newspaper Subscription Info. Pressing this button enables the Newspaper Subscription Information sub-window. The sub-window allows the user to add a subscription to the selected customer. To subscribe to a new newspaper the user presses the ADD button, which clears all fields in the window. Then the user selects the desired newspaper via a pull down menu, all newspapers printed by Northam will be contained on the pull down list. Once a newspaper has been chosen the user is able to specify the days delivery is to occur; this is accomplished by highlighting any or all of the four radio buttons which correspond to Monday to Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday delivery, respectively. Then the user can specify the number of copies to be delivered in the "Issues Ordered" field. Located at the top of the Newspaper Subscription Info window is an UPDATE button and a DELETE button. Pressing the UPDATE button will subscribe the customer to that newspaper i.e., the database will be updated with the changes. Then the user can repeat the process or return to the Customer interface by pressing the HOUSEHOLD CUSTOMER button.

Un-subscribe a Household from a Newspaper

Located on the bottom tool bar of the Customer interface there is a button labeled Newspaper Subscription Info. Pressing this button brings up the Newspaper Subscription Information sub-window. The sub-window allows the user to cancel the selected customer's newspaper delivery. The user finds the appropiate newspaper by either querying for the newspaper or scrolling through the records. Once the correct newspaper is found pressing the DELETE button cancels the customers subscription. The user can then return to the Customer Interface or repeat the process.

Suspend/Restart Household Delivery

To suspend delivery, in case the household goes on vacation, the user, from the Customer interface, presses the Newspaper Subscription Info button to bring up the Newspaper Subscription Information sub-window. Present in the sub-window are two fields termed "Start Date" and "Stop Date" and these fields represent the starting date of delivery suspension and resume date of delivery. By entering a date, in DDMMYY form, in both fields the customer essentially has delivery suspended for the time period between and including the two dates. Pressing UPDATE, located at the top of the window, will update the suspension information in the database. All dates not in the proper form will not be accepted and a warning will be issued and the fields will be cleared.

Subscribe a Household to a Magazine

Located on the bottom tool bar of the Customer interface there is a button labeled Magazine Subscription Info. Pressing this button brings up the Magazine Subscription Information sub-window. The sub-window allows the user to add a subscription to the selected customer. To subscribe to a new magazine the user presses the ADD button then selects the desired magazine via a pull down menu, all magazines carried by Northam will be contained on the pull down list. Once a magazine has been chosen the user is able to specify the subscription length; this is accomplished by highlighting one of the four radio buttons which correspond to a quarter year, a half year, one year, or two year subscriptions, respectively. Then the user can specify the number of copies to be delivered by entering a integer in the "Issues Ordered" field. Located at the top of the Magazine Subscription Info window is the UPDATE button. Pressing the UPDATE button will subscribe the customer to that magazine i.e., the database will be updated with the changes. Then the user can repeat the process or return to the Customer interface .

Un-subscribe a Household from a Magazine

Located on the bottom tool bar of the Customer interface there is a button labeled Magazine Subscription Info. Pressing this button brings up the Magazine Subscription Information sub-window. The sub-window allows the user to cancel the selected customer's magazine subscription. The user finds the appropiate magzaine by either querying for the magazine or scrolling through the records. Once the desired magazine is found pressing delete will cnacel the customers subscription. The user can return to the customer interface or repeat the process.

Household Complaints

A customer can always lodge a complaint for the records. To do so the user must, from the Customer interface, press the button labeled "Complaints". This will bring up a window where the user fills in the customers complaint in a large text box (see data dictionary for maximum size of complaint). Pressing ADD will close the complain window and update the database. If nothing was filled in the complaint box the user is just returned to the Customer interface.

Creating a Household Invoice

At the bottom of the Customer interface there is a button labeled Billing and pressing this button results in the production of a invoice for the customer. The invoice will contain all information pertaining to that customer's account, including all publications being delivered, the customer's current balance, and the customer's vital information. The invoice will be displayed on screen in addition to the production of a hard copy. The hard copy will contain the Northam letter head, at the top of the invoice.

NEWS BOX FUNCTIONS

This section covers operations dealing with the news box customer GUI, which belongs under the customer interface. To reach the customer interface the user must press the Customer button on the main menu. In the Customer interface the user can switch between the three types of customers: Customer, Retail Outlet, and News Box. By pressing the tab labeled News Boxes the system switches to news box customers GUI. The system will contain the Box ID, Route, Product, the quantity that has to be delivered daily, a table of the Delivery Dates, # of Products Delivered, # of Products Returned and Money Collected, and the location/address. All information will be entered through the interface.

Add a News Box

Pressing the add button at the top of the interface screen allocates new space in the database for a new news box record and makes available to the user a data entry screen. In the data entry screen the user presses the ADD button and then fills in the empty fields with vital information about the new news box. The vital information includes: Account Number (automatically generated), District, Route, Product, the quantity that has to be delivered daily, a table of the Delivery Dates, # of Products Delivered, # of Products Returned and Money Collected, and location/address. After filling out all the information fields, the user then clicks the ADD button to store the new News Box record into the existing database. The district, route, and product are selected from pop-up menus. This ensures that no erroneous districts or routes are entered.

Modify a News Box

Pressing the query button at the top of the interface screen allows you to search for a particular news box by different field criteria. The user searches by Box ID, clicks the OK button, and the specified news box data entry will appear onto the screen. The user fills in the new information about the current news box. The new information may include: District, Route, Product, the quantity that has to be delivered daily, a table of the Delivery Dates, # of Products Delivered, # of Products Returned and Money Collected, and location/address. The user can not change the Box ID field. This is automatically generated by the system upon the addition of the news box. The user selects the UPDATE button to store the modified News Box record into the existing database.

Delete a News Box

Pressing the query button at the top of the interface screen allows you to search for a particular news box by different field criteria. The user searches by Account Number, clicks the OK button, and the specified news box data entry will appear onto the screen. The user then press the DELETE button at the top of the interface screen. This will remove the current data entry from the existing database.

Enter number of Unsold Newspapers

Pressing the query button at the top of the interface screen allows you to search for a particular news box by different field criteria. The user searches by Account Number, clicks the OK button, and the specified news box data entry will appear onto the screen. In the table, the user enters the number of unsold newspapers in the # returned field with the corresponding date. The user then selects the UPDATE button and the modified news box record is saved in the existing database.

Change Route Number

Pressing the query button at the top of the interface screen allows you to search for a particular news box by different field criteria. The user searches by Account Number, clicks the OK button, and the specified news box data entry will appear onto the screen. The user can now select a new route from the route pull down menu by highlighting the desired route. The user then selects the UPDATE button and the modified news box record is saved in the existing database.

Enter the Amount of Money Collected

Pressing the query button at the top of the interface screen allows you to search for a particular news box by different field criteria. The user searches by Account Number, clicks the OK button, and the specified news box data entry will appear onto the screen. In the table, the user enters the amount of money collected in the Money Collected field with the corresponding date. The user then selects the UPDATE button and the modified news box record is saved in the existing database.

Change the Number of Papers to be Delivered

Pressing the query button at the top of the interface screen allows you to search for a particular news box by different field criteria. The user searches by Account Number, clicks the OK button, and the specified news box data entry will appear onto the screen. The user enters the number of papers to be delivered in their appropriate daily boxes/fields. The user then selects the UPDATE button and the modified news box record is saved in the existing database.

Make a Complaint

Pressing the query button at the top of the interface screen allows you to search for a particular news box by different field criteria. The user searches by Account Number, clicks the OK button, and the specified news box data entry will appear onto the screen. In the news box form, a Complaint button is provided for the user to enter any complaints/comments that customers might have on the current news box. When selected, a pop-up window will be made available to the user to input the complaints made. The user then selects the UPDATE button and the complaint is added to the news box record and the database is updated.

RETAIL OUTLET FUNCTIONS

This section covers the operations dealing with the retail outlet GUI, which belongs under the customer interface. To reach the customer interface the user must press the Customer button on the main menu. In the Customer interface the user can switch between the three types of customers: Household, Retail Outlet, and News Box. By pressing the tab labeled Retail Outlet, the system switches to the retail outlet GUI. The system will contain the Account Number, the Route and the District where the retail outlet belongs. It also contains additional customer information such as vendor name, contact person (first and last names), address and postal code of the contact person, telephone number, and special delivery notices.

Add a Retail Customer

Pressing the add button at the top of the interface screen allocates new space in the database for a new retail outlet record and makes available to the user a data entry screen. In the data entry screen the user fills in the empty fields with vital information about the new retail outlet. The vital information includes: Account Number, the Route and the District where the retail outlet belongs, vendor name, delivery address, contact person (first and last names), address and postal code of the contact person, telephone number, and special delivery notices. After filling out all the information fields, the user then clicks the UPDATE button to store the new Retail outlet record into the existing database. The district and route are selected from pop-up menus. This ensures that no erroneous districts or routes are entered.

Modify a Retail Customer

Pressing the query button at the top of the interface screen allows you to search for a particular retail outlet by different field criteria. The user searches by Account Number, clicks the OK button, and the specified retail outlet data entry will appear onto the screen. The user fills in the new information about the current retail outlet. The new information may include: Account Number, Route, District, vendor name, contact person (first and last names), address and postal code of the retail outlet, telephone number, and special delivery notices. The user can not change the Account Number field. This is automatically generated by the system upon the addition of the retail outlet. The user selects the UPDATE button to store the modified Retail outlet record into the existing database.

Delete a Retail Customer

Pressing the query button at the top of the interface screen allows you to search for a particular retail outlet by different field criteria. The user searches by Account Number, clicks the OK button, and the specified retail outlet data entry will appear onto the screen. The user then selects the DELETE button at the top of the interface screen. This will remove the current data entry from the existing database.

Associate Route with Retail Customer

Pressing the query button at the top of the interface screen allows you to search for a particular retail outlet by different field criteria. The user searches by Account Number, clicks the OK button, and the specified retail outlet data entry will appear onto the screen. The user can now select a new route from the route pull down menu by highlighting the desired route. The user then selects the UPDATE button and the modified news box record is saved in the existing database.

Enter Number Of Unsold Magazine Publications

Selecting the query button at the top of the interface screen allows you to search for a particular retail outlet by different field criteria. The user searches by Account Number, clicks the OK button, and the specified retail outlet data entry will appear onto the screen. Within the retail outlet data entry form, the user selects Magazine Consignment Information button. This will bring up the Magazine Consignment Information data entry form which contains the following vital information: Magazine Title, Issues ordered, Daily Quantity to be Delivered, and a table of the Magazine title, Date of last Delivery, # of Copies Delivered, and # of Copies Returned. To enter the number of unsold magazine publications, the user selects the # of Copies Returned column that corresponds to the right magazine title and date and inputs the new data information. Pressing the UPDATE button saves the new information and at the same time closes the data entry form.

Enter Number Of Unsold Newspaper Publications

Selecting the query button at the top of the interface screen allows you to search for a particular retail outlet by different field criteria. The user searches by Account Number, clicks the OK button, and the specified retail outlet data entry will appear onto the screen. Within the retail outlet data entry form, the user selects Newspaper Consignment Information button. This will bring up the Newspaper Consignment Information data entry form which contains the following vital information: Newspaper Title, Issues ordered, The Daily Quantity to be delivered, and a table of the Newspaper title, Date of last Delivery, # of Copies Delivered and # of Copies Returned. To enter the number of unsold newspaper publications, the user selects the # of Copies Returned column that corresponds to the right newspaper title and date and inputs the new data information. Pressing the UPDATE button saves the new information and at the same time closes the data entry form.

Change The Number Of Magazine Publications To Be Delivered For Each Day

Selecting the query button at the top of the interface screen allows you to search for a particular retail outlet by different field criteria. The user searches by Account Number, clicks the OK button, and the specified retail outlet data entry will appear onto the screen. Within the retail outlet data entry form, the user selects Magazine Consignment Information button. This will bring up the Magazine Consignment Information data entry form which contains the following vital information: Magazine Title, Issues ordered, Daily Quantity to be Delivered, and a table of the Magazine title, Date of last Delivery, # of Copies Delivered, and # of Copies Returned. The user enters the number of papers to be delivered in their appropriate daily boxes/fields. The user then selects the UPDATE button and the modified news box record is saved in the existing database.

Change The Number Of Newspaper Publications To Be Delivered For Each Day

Selecting the query button at the top of the interface screen allows you to search for a particular retail outlet by different field criteria. The user searches by Account Number, clicks the OK button, and the specified retail outlet data entry will appear onto the screen. Within the retail outlet data entry form, the user selects Newspaper Consignment Information button. This will bring up the Newspaper Consignment Information data entry form which contains the following vital information: Newspaper Title, Issues ordered, Daily Quantity to be Delivered, and a table of the Newspaper title, Date of last Delivery, # of Copies Delivered, and # of Copies Returned. The user enters the number of papers to be delivered in their appropriate daily boxes/fields. The user then selects the UPDATE button and the modified news box record is saved in the existing database.

Subscribe/Un-subscribe To Magazine

Selecting the query button at the top of the interface screen allows you to search for a particular retail outlet by different field criteria. The user searches by Account Number, clicks the OK button, and the specified retail outlet data entry will appear onto the screen. The user then selects the modify button at the top of the interface screen. This allows the user to modify the fields of the current data entry. Within the retail outlet data entry form, the user selects the Magazine Consignment Information button. This will bring up the Magazine Consignment Information data entry form which contains the following vital information: Magazine Title, Issues ordered, Daily Quantity to be Delivered, and a table of the Magazine title, Date of last Delivery, # of Copies Delivered, and # of Copies Returned.

1) To subscribe a magazine:

The user selects the ADD button at the top of the Magazine Subscription Information data entry form and a blank entry form is made available. The user fills out all the vital information for a magazine subscription and clicks the UPDATE button to save the new subscription in the existing database. This will take the user back to the previous magazine subscription data entry form, which will already be updated.

2) To cancel a magazine subscription:

The user selects, from the data table, the particular instance/row of magazine subscription to be canceled (This is attained by highlighting the desired instance or row). By clicking on the DELETE button, the highlighted magazine subscription row will be deleted from the table and from the existing database. This will take the user back to the previous magazine subscription data entry form, which will already be updated.

Add/Cancel a Newspaper Consignment

Selecting the query button at the top of the interface screen allows you to search for a particular retail outlet by different field criteria. The user searches by Account Number, clicks the OK button, and the specified retail outlet data entry will appear onto the screen. Within the retail outlet data entry form, the user selects Newspaper consignment Information button. This will bring up the Newspaper consignment Information data entry form which contains the following vital information: Newspaper Title, Issues ordered, Daily Quantity to be Delivered, and a table of the Newspaper title, Date of last Delivery, # of Copies Delivered, and # of Copies Returned.

1) To add a newspaper consignment:

The user selects the ADD button at the top of the Newspaper consignment Information data entry form and a blank entry form is made available. The user fills out all the vital information for a newspaper consignment and clicks the UPDATE button to save the new consignment in the existing database. This will take the user back to the previous newspaper consignment data entry form, which will already be updated.

2) To cancel a newspaper consignment:

The user selects, from the data table, the particular instance/row of newspaper consignment to be canceled (This is attained by highlighting the desired instance or row). By clicking on the DELETE button, the highlighted newspaper consignment row will be deleted from the table and from the existing database. This will take the user back to the previous newspaper consignment data entry form, which will already be updated.

Issue Invoice

At the bottom of the Customer interface there is a button labeled BILLING and pressing this button results in the production of a invoice for the customer. The invoice will contain all information pertaining to that customer's account, including all publications being delivered, the customer's current balance, and the customer's vital information. The invoice will be displayed on screen in addition to the production of a hard copy. The hard copy will contain the Northam letter head, at the top of the invoice.

Make a Complaint

Pressing the query button at the top of the interface screen allows you to search for a particular retail outlet by different field criteria. The user searches by Account Number, clicks the OK button, and the specified retail outlet data entry will appear onto the screen. In the retail outlet form, a Complaint button is provided for the user to enter any complaints/comments that customers might have on the current retail outlet. When selected, a pop-up window will be made available to the user to input the complaints made. The user then selects the ADD button and the new retail outlet record is saved in the existing database.

GENERAL DELIVERY FUNCTIONS:

All delivery functions are accessible through the "Deliveries" submenu selection from the startup menu. The "Deliveries" interface encapsulates four distinct but similar GUIs that correspond to: carrier information, route information, zone information, and district information. Districts are divided into zones to facilitate carrier distribution of publications. The creation of zones will permit Northam to separate carriers from routes. By doing so Northam will be given the flexibility of changing a carrier without affecting the household in a zone and a household can be changed without affecting the carrier. This make database maintenance simpler and more efficient.

The similarity between interfaces requires common actions to have the same or a familiar set of procedures (i.e., adding/deleting/modifying/querying records will be the same for routes, zones, carriers, and districts).

CARRIER FUNCTIONS

This section covers operations dealing with the Carrier's GUI in the Delivery interface. To reach the Delivery sub-window the user must press, on the main menu, the Delivery button. By pressing the tab labeled Carriers the system switches to the carrier GUI. The system will maintain the name, address, phone number, the zone id (for a portion of a particular district), and the carrier id (the carriers unique id). Users will enter all information through the interface. There is a return to main menu tab located in the interface that will close the Delivery interface screen and return the use to the main menu.

Add a Carrier

Pressing the ADD button at the top of the interface screen allocates new space in the database for a new carrier record and makes available to the user a data entry screen. In the data entry screen the user fills the empty fields with vital information about the new carrier. The vital information includes the following: Carrier ID(automatically generated), Delivery Zone, Name (first, last and middle initial), the carrier's address, phone number, and postal code. The zone is entered using a drop box; this avoids selecting a erroneous zones. The name fields require character strings that are all alphabetic and the middle initial field requires a single alphabetic character (NOTE: the name fields will accept any input since type checking will not be performed). The address field accepts a string. The postal code field will accept six characters but they must be alternating alphabetic and numeric characters. Once the vital information has been entered the database is updated by choosing the UPDATE button and closing the data entry window and the user is returned to the Delivery interface.

Delete a Carrier

Pressing the DELETE button at the top of the interface screen will remove the carrier currently specified from the database. The user will be issued a warning and will be prompted if they wish to continue or forget the action. To select a carrier see Querying a Carrier.

Modifying a Carrier

In the data entry window the user can change any of the fields. When the modifications are complete the database is updated with the changes by pressing the UPDATE button and closing the data entry window. Before the database is updated the user will be prompted with a message to accept the changes. At this point the user has the option of accepting the changes or forgetting them. Closing the data entry window the user is returned to the Delivery interface.

Querying a Carrier

Querying a carrier is analogous to finding a carrier in the database. Pressing the QUERY button opens a query window where the user can enter the name of the carrier, the last name must be specified but the other name fields can be left blank, and/or the carrier's Carrier ID. If the name is specified and there are multiple occurrences of the target name a list will be produced and from this list the user can select the appropriate Carrier and the selected customer will be displayed in the Delivery interface. If the selected carrier is not the desired carrier the user can select another carrier from the list. Pressing UPDATE closes the list and returns the user to the Delivery interface. There are also arrow button on the Delivery interface screen that allow the user to skip from one record to the next (i.e., pressing the right arrow moves to the next customer record in the database while pressing the left arrow moves to the previous customer record in the database). The record currently displayed in the Delivery interface is refered to as selected.

Printing a Carrier

Pressing the PRINT button causes the vital information about the currently selected carrier and any complaints filed against them by customers to be printed.

Changing a Carrier's Zone

To change a carrier's delivery zone press the MODIFY button on the Delivery interface. This will bring up the modify window. By changing the zone field, via the pull down menu, changes the carrier's delivery zone.

DELIVERY ROUTE FUNCTIONS

This section covers operations dealing with the Route GUI of the Delivery interface . To reach the Delivery interface the user must press, on the main menu, the DELIVERY button. By pressing the tab labeled Routes the system switches to the route GUI. For each route the system maintains a Truck ID and a list of drop sites for the route. Users will enter all information through the interface. There is a return to main menu tab located present in the interface that will close the Delivery interface screen and return the use to the main menu.

Add a Route

Pressing the ADD button at the top of the interface screen allocates new space in the database for a new route record and makes available to the user a data entry screen. In the data entry screen the user fills the empty Truck ID field and the system automatically fills the route number. The system checks if the Truck ID is valid i.e., in use on the system, if not the system notifies the user and clears the field. Once the Truck ID has been entered the database is updated by choosing the UPDATE button and closing the data entry window and the user is returned to the Delivery interface. The list of drop sites is updated as new customers are added to the delivery route. Initially a newly added route will have no sites visible in the drop list.

Delete a Route

Pressing the DELETE button at the top of the interface screen will remove the route currently selected from the database. The user will be issued a warning and will be prompted if they wish to continue or forget the action. To select a carrier see Querying a route. In order for a route to be deleted the drop list of that route must be empty, otherwise an error message will be produced and the deletion will not occur.

Modifying a Route

If the currently selected route contains no drop sites then the only modification possible is to change the Truck ID, provided that a valid Truck ID is given. If the current route's drop list is non-empty then the user has the ability to reorder the drop locations to suit the driver's needs. The process of reordering the drop locations is purely subjective and is not critical to the functioning of the system. To reorder the drop sites, in the drop list, the user highlights an address they wish to move in the list. Then using the two arrow keys adjacent to the drop list the user can move the address up or down in the drop list. Once the desired location in the drop list is determine the user can select a different address and repeat the process. When the modifications are complete the database is updated with the changes by pressing the UPDATE button and closing the data entry window. Before the database is updated the user will be prompted with a message to accept the changes. At this point the user has the option of accepting the changes or forgetting them. Closing the data entry window the user is returned to the Delivery interface. To specify a route see Querying a Route.

Querying a Route

Querying a route is analogous to finding a route in the database. Pressing the QUERY button opens a query window where the user must enter the Route ID, via a pull down menu. The system will then find the route and display all details pertaining to the route in the Delivery interface including the drop list. There are also arrow buttons on the Delivery interface screen that allow the user to skip from one record to the next (i.e., pressing the right arrow moves to the next route record in the database while pressing the left arrow moves to the previous route record in the database). The record currently displayed in the Delivery interface is termed selected.

Printing a Route

Pressing the PRINT button causes the drop list and Truck ID to be printed for the selected route. The print function also searches the household, news box, and retail customer databases to determine the amount of each publication are to be delivered to each drop site and this information is also printed.

DISTRICT FUNCTIONS

This section covers operations dealing with the District GUI of the Delivery interface . To reach the Delivery interface the user must press, on the main menu, the DELIVERY button. By pressing the tab labeled Districts the system switches to the district GUI. For each district the system maintains an unique district number and some demographic information. Since Northam has not specified the details of the demographic information, functional aspects of demographic collection has been omitted from this document.Users will not have to enter any information through the interface because the system internally generates all information in the database. There is a return to main menu tab located present in the interface that will close the Delivery interface screen and return the use to the main menu.

Add a District

Pressing the ADD button at the top of the interface screen allocates new space in the database for a new district record. Since all information stored for a district is automatically generated e.g., the District Number and demographic information, the user is not required to enter any data. When the UPDATE button is pressed the system assigns the new district a unique District Number. Then as customers are added to the district the system begins collecting demographic information for that district.

Delete a District

The delete button has no effect in this interface because deleteing a district serves no real purpose.

Modifying a District

Since all actions occurring to the district database are generated automatically by the system the MODIFY button is non-functional and it will not be active when the District GUI is enabled.

Querying a District

Querying a district is analogous to finding a district in the database. Pressing the QUERY button opens a query window where the user must enter the District Number, via a pull down menu. The system will then find the district and display all details pertaining to the district in the Delivery interface including the demographic information gathered. There are also arrow button on the Delivery interface screen that allow the user to skip from one district record to the next (i.e., pressing the right arrow moves to the next district record in the database while pressing the left arrow moves to the previous route record in the database). The record currently displayed in the Delivery interface is termed selected.

Printing a District

Pressing the PRINT button causes the District Number and all demographic information collected by the system to be printed for the selected for district.

ZONE FUNCTIONS

This section covers operations dealing with the Zone GUI of the Delivery interface . To reach the Delivery interface the user must press, on the main menu, the DELIVERY button. By pressing the tab labeled Zones the system switches to the zone GUI. For each zone the system maintains an unique Zone Number and a distinct Drop Number. The Drop Number relates the zones to drop sites on a given route; thereby indirectly linking zones to routes. There is a return to main menu tab located present in the interface that will close the Delivery interface screen and return the use to the main menu.

Add a Zone

Pressing the ADD button at the top of the interface screen allocates new space in the database for a new zone record and makes available to the user the data entry window. In the data entry window the system automatically generates a new Zone Number. The user then has to associate the new zone with a route (See Associating a zone with a route). All zone/route combinations are displayed in a display box (note: many zones can be associated with one route but many routes cannot be associated with one zone) called the zone/route list. Once the route has been associated with a route the user can press the UPDATE button which closes the data entry window and returns the user to the Delivery interface.

Delete a Zone

Pressing the DELETE button at the top of the interface screen will remove the zone currently selected from the database. The user will be issued a warning and will be prompted if they wish to continue or forget the action. To select a carrier see Querying a Zone. In order for a zone to be deleted there must be no customers in the zone, otherwise an error message will be produced and the deletion will not occur.

Modifying a Zone

The only modification possible is to change the route the zone is associated with (Associating a zone with a route). When the modifications are complete the database is updated with the changes by pressing the UPDATE button and closing the data entry window. Before the database is updated the user will be prompted with a message to accept the changes. At this point the user has the option of accepting the changes or forgetting them. To select a zone see Querying a Zone.

Querying a Zone

This function is essentially unavailable in the system because all zones are listed with their associated routes. To see a zone's relationships the user must scroll through zone list. The Query button is disabled in the Zone GUI. A zone is highlighted by clicking on a zone in the zone/route list. The highlighted zone is termed selected.

Printing a Zone

Pressing the PRINT button causes the zone/route list to be printed.

Associating a Zone with a Route

Associating a zone with a route can be performed when the "ADD" or "MODIFY" buttons are pressed. Depressing either of these button brings up the data entry window for the Zone GUI. In the window the unique zone number will be displayed in a text box adjacent to a pull down menu. The pull down menu contain all possible routes in the system by choosing the desired route form the pull down menu will associate the zone with a route. Pressing OK will close the data entry window and update the database. The newly added zone or the modified record will be visible in the zone/route list.

PUBLICATION FUNCTIONS:

Publication functions pertain to Magazine and Newspapers.

MAGAZINE INFORMATION FUNCTIONS

This section covers the operations dealing with the magazine information GUI, which belongs under the product information interface. To reach the product information interface the user must press the Product Information button on the main menu. In the product information interface the user can switch between the three types of product information: Newspaper information, and Magazine information. By pressing the tab labeled Magazine information, the system switches to the magazine information GUI. The system will contain the product ID, magazine name, publisher name, frequency of issue (weekly, biweekly, monthly, bimonthly or quarterly), and retail outlet prices.

Add a Magazine information

Pressing the ADD button at the top of the interface screen allocates new space in the database for a new magazine information record and makes available to the user a data entry screen. In the data entry screen the user fills in the empty fields with vital information about the new magazine information. The vital information includes: product ID, magazine name, publisher name, frequency of issue, and retail outlet prices. After filling out all the information fields, the user then clicks the UPDATE button to store the new Magazine information record into the existing database. The product ID is generated automatically by the system.

Modify a Magazine information

Pressing the QUERY button at the top of the interface screen allows you to search for a particular magazine information by different field criteria. The user searches by product ID, clicks the OK button, and the specified magazine information data entry will appear onto the screen. The user fills in the new information about the current magazine information. The new information may include: product ID, magazine name, publisher name, frequency of issue, and retail outlet price. The user can not change the product information ID field. This is automatically generated by the system upon the addition of the magazine information. The user selects the UPDATE button to store the modified Magazine information record into the existing database.

Delete a Magazine information

Pressing the QUERY button at the top of the interface screen allows you to search for a particular magazine information by different field criteria. The user searches by product information ID, clicks the OK button, and the specified magazine information data entry will appear onto the screen. The user then presses the DELETE button at the top of the interface screen. This will remove the current data entry from the existing database.

NEWSPAPER INFORMATION FUNCTIONS

This section covers the operations dealing with the newspaper information GUI, which belongs under the product information interface. To reach the product information interface the user must press the Product Information button on the main menu. In the product information interface the user can switch between the three types of product information: Newspaper information, and Magazine information. By pressing the tab labeled newspaper information, the system switches to the newspaper information GUI. The system will contain the product ID, newspaper name, and the household delivery and retail outlet prices.

Add a Newspaper Information

Pressing the ADDbutton at the top of the interface screen allocates new space in the database for a new newspaper information record and makes available to the user a data entry screen. In the data entry screen the user fills in the empty fields with vital information about the new newspaper information. The vital information includes: product ID, newspaper name, household delivery prices, and retail outlet price. After filling out all the information fields, the user then clicks the UPDATE button to store the new newspaper information record into the existing database. The product ID is generated automatically by the system.

Modify a Newspaper Information

Pressing the QUERY button at the top of the interface screen allows you to search for a particular newspaper information by different field criteria. The user searches by product ID, clicks the OK button, and the specified newspaper information data entry will appear onto the screen. The user fills in the new information about the current newspaper information. The new information may include: product information ID, newspaper name, household delivery prices, and retail outlet price. The user can not change the product information ID field. This is automatically generated by the system upon the addition of the newspaper information. The user selects the UPDATE button to store the modified newspaper information record into the existing database.

Delete a Newspaper Information

Pressing the query button at the top of the interface screen allows you to search for a particular newspaper information by different field criteria. The user searches by product information ID, clicks the OK button, and the specified newspaper information data entry will appear onto the screen. The user then presses the DELETE button at the top of the interface screen. This will remove the current data entry from the existing database.

REPORTS:

The functions in this submenu are more global in their implementation and scope. Pressing the Reports button from the main menu bring up the reports submenu which, for now, gives the user the choice of producing all invoices for the system or producing all demographic information stored in the system. There is a Main Menu button that returns the user to the main menu.

Global Invoice Generation

Pressing Invoices button will print all invoices for all customers in the system.

Global Demographic Production

Pressing the Demographic button prints the demographics stored by the system for each district.

Global Delivery List Generation

Pressing the Delivery List button causes all daily lists (Driver List, Carrier List, Packing List) to be printed

Both global actions can be canceled at any time during their creation by pressing the Cancel button.