MagicBakeshopTM Software

Quick Help for MagicBakeShop

NOTE

This program is still in development. Many features are planned but few are implemented just yet. There may be quirks and oddities in the user interface. It may break. It shouldn't harm your original data, but no guarantees on that, either. Make backups.

GETTING STARTED

Download (or otherwise obtain) the application file from:

http://magicbakeshop.org/download/MagicBakeShop-0.2a.jar

(yes, it's .org, not .com, for now -- long story)

On Windows (tested on XP, should work on anything newer)

Double click on the downloaded file icon

On MacOS (unverified, let me know)

Double click on the downloaded file icon

On Linux (etc)

From the command line

java -jar MagicBakeShop-0.2a.jar

You should see the splash screen:

If you don't get the splash, followed shortly by the application, then there's a problem.

Possible startup issues

No JRE

You do not have a (current) Java run-time installed. This comes pretty standard with most systems but a free Java run-time environment (JRE) is downloadable from Oracle (nee Sun) at:

http://www.java.com/en/download/index.jsp

Corrupt file

The file didn't download properly. It's about 3.7 MB (it includes several libraries we may be able to remove in future). The integrity check hash (MD5SUM) is:

c26deb18931eb69dcfc741e9c96c8ff7 MagicBakeShop-0.2a.jar

Something else

Some other problem. Send an email to support@magicbakeshop.com giving information about your system and any symptoms other than just not starting (error messages, etc).

CREATING A DATABASE

MagicBakeshopTM copies your sales report data into a unified database file for analysis. The file can be backed up, opened later to add new data, and so on.

To create the database, just click on the File menu at the left of the menu bar, then select New database... This will pop up a file chooser; navigate to the folder where you'd like to create the file, type in the database file name (usually ending in ".db"), and click Create.

That's it.

The database has been created and is already opened for you to begin importing data.

You may notice at this point that some of the previously grayed-out menu items are now enabled.

IMPORTING DATA

Once you have created your database (or opened an existing one) you may add sales report data using the File --> Import sales data... menu selections.

A file selection box will open, limiting you to files with extension .csv, .xls or .txt. Navigate to the file you want to import, select it and open it.

MagicBakeshop will then make a valiant attempt to determine which vendor supplied the file and (if successful) begin importing it's data into the database. When finished, it will pop up a message to let you know. When you dismiss the message (click OK), the data will be displayed in the main view of the application.

You can repeat this step for as many files as you wish. MagicBakeshop remembers the name of each file loaded (use View --> List loaded files to see this info).

VIEWING THE DATA

Under the View menu button are several predefined selections, together with options to change the selection, grouping and sort order. [Note: several of these are still in progress and their buttons are disabled until a later version.]

[Note: still testing some of the underlying SQL logic in these queries.]

EXPORTING TO EXCEL

The uniform sales data can be exported to an XLS spreadsheet document which can be read by Microsoft Excel (or OpenOffice Calc or similar spreadsheet programs).

Simply select File and then Export data. In the current test version [0.2a], this will automatically create an Excel file called exportTest.xls but the next version will provide a standard file save-as dialog.

You can then use your favorite spreadsheet program to analyze the data to your heart's content. Future versions of MagicBakeshop will include additional analysis and charting functions built in.

ENDING THE PROGRAM

To end the program, select File --> Exit. The database file is automatically saved whenever it is updated, there is no need to explicitly save or close it.

GETTING ADDITIONAL HELP

MagicBakeshop is very much an application in development. User community feedback is extremely helpful both in determining the direction of this development, and in assisting others with common problems.

To this end, a support blog has been created at:

http://magicbakeshop.org/wordpress/

You may also send email to:

support@magicbakeshop.com

(Yes, that's a .com in the email address, not .org. Same long story.)

Thanks for trying MagicBakeshop!

MagicBakeshop software and this help documentation are copyright © 2011 by Alastair JW Mayer.

All rights reserved.