Rice Lake Ishida AstraLink User Manual

AstraLink

User’s Guide

68808

No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Ishida Co. Ltd.

Microsoft Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

Revision History

Date Program

Version

4th July 2003 1.24 1 Added a system requirements section 21 Dec. 2005 1.25 37 Added Trans. Fat to USA nutrition

Page Description

Contents

1. Introduction.......................................................................................................................................... 1

System Requirements............................................................. ..........................................................1

How to Use This Manual.................................................................................................................1

2. Getting Started......................................................................................................................................2

Before You Start............................................................................................. .................................2

Starting AstraLink for the First Time...............................................................................................2

Troubleshooting.......................................................................................................................5

Starting AstraLink (second and subsequent times)..........................................................................7

Finding a PLU.......................... .......................................................................... .....................8

If you know the PLU number .........................................................................................8

If you know some or all of the PLU name......................................................................8

If you do not know the PLU number or name ................................................................8

Adding a New PLU............................................ .....................................................................9

Editing and Deleting PLUs......................................................................................................9

To edit the selected PLU.................................................................................................9

To delete the selected PLU................................................... ..........................................9

Changing PLU Prices............................................................................................................10

Using the Price Change Dialog...................................................................... ...............10

Using the PLU Edit Dialog....................................................................................................11

Entering the PLU description........................................................................................12

Entering the PLU settings..................................... ................................................. .......12

Changing the PLU number............................................................................................12

Saving your changes.....................................................................................................12

Changing the displayed PLU ........................................................................................13

Adding a new PLU................................................................................. .......................13

Closing the PLU Edit window...................................................................................... 13

Extra Messages......................................................................................................................13

Storage Instructions (Sweden Only)......................................................................................14

Nutrition (USA Only)............................................................................................................15

Keyboard...............................................................................................................................17

1. Upper Keys ...............................................................................................................18

2. Lower Keys...............................................................................................................18

3. Keysheet....................................................................................................................18

Using the keyboard window .........................................................................................18

Scale Communications..........................................................................................................19

PLU List and Extra Message List Reports............................................................................21

PLU Production Report.........................................................................................................21

Other Features................................................................................................................................22

3. Communicating with the Scale................................................................... ........................................23

3.1 Receiving Data From the Scale................................................................................................23

3.2 Sending Data to the Scale........................................................................................................25

4. The Astra Database............................................................................................................................27

Selecting the Database...........................................................................................................27

Automatic Databa se Backup................................................................ ......................... .........27

5. Editing PLUs...................................................................................................................................... 28

5.1 Using the PLU Search Window...............................................................................................28

Finding a PLU.......................... .......................................................................... ...................28

If you know the PLU number .......................................................................................2 8

If you know some or all of the PLU name....................................................................28

If you do not know the PLU number or name ..............................................................29

Adding a New PLU............................................ ...................................................................29

Editing or Deleting a PLU.....................................................................................................29

Deleting a Range of PLUs......................................... ........................ ......................... ...........30

Cutting and Pasting PLUs......................................................................................................30

Quick Price Changes.............................................................................................................30

5.2 Using the PLU Edit Dialog......................................................................................................32

6. Extra Messages and Storage Instructions...........................................................................................35

Creating and Editing Extra M essages....................................................................................35

Assigning an Extra Message to a PLU............................................................................. .....37

Deleting an Extra Message.......................................................... ......................... .................37

7. Nutrition (USA)...................... ............................................................................................................38

Creating and Editing Nutrition Information..........................................................................38

Assigning Nutrition Information to a PLU......................................................................... ...38

Deleting Nutrition Records....................................................................................................39

8. Nutrition and Ingredients (NZ)...........................................................................................................40

Creating and Editing Nutrition Information..........................................................................40

Creating and Editing Ingredients Information.......................................................................41

Deleting Nutrition Data.................... .....................................................................................41

Deleting Ingredient Data........................................... ........................ ......................... ...........41

9. Keyboard........................................ ......................... ......................... ......................... ......................... 42

9.1 Defining the Upper and Lower Key Meanings........................................................................42

9.2 Printing Keysheet Templates...................................................................................................46

10. Store Name and Address................................... ...............................................................................48

11. PLU and Extra Message List Reports ..............................................................................................49

12. Production Totals Report..................................................................................................................51

13. Price Importing........................... ......................... ......................... ......................... ...........................53

1. Introduction

AstraLink is a software utility that provides all the features you need to setup and maintain the data on your Ishida Astra scale.

AstraLink includes the following features.

• Visual interface for creating and editing scales data.

PLUs Extra messages Keyboard presets Store name and address

• Scales data can be sent to and read from the scales via the serial port on your PC.

• Quick price change feature

• Search function for quickly locating the desired PLU

• Print scale keyboard templates

• PLU, extra message, and production to tals reports

System Requirements

AstraLink requires a Windows 98 or higher perso na l comp uter with a free serial port. The software can also be used on Windows 95 in most cases. Operation on Windows XP has been verified for AstraLink version 1.24.

How to Use This Manual

If you are a new user wishing to familiarize yourself with the software.

If you wish to learn how to use a specific feature.

If you require information about the operation of a particular menu or other command.

Ö See Chapter 2 Getting Started

Ö Lookup the feature in the Contents and find

the relevant chapter.

Ö Refer to On-Line Help (click Index in the

Help menu.)

2. Getting St arted

This section gives a quick tutorial on how to use AstraLink and introduces the main concepts you will need to edit and manage scales data.

Before You Start

When you run AstraLink for the first time, the soft ware steps you th rough a series of operations to setup your copy of AstraLin k. This includes reading the i nitial scale da ta from th e Astra itself.

Accordingly, you must have the Astra and data cable available before yo u can run AstraLink

Starting AstraLink for the First Time

Installing AstraLink adds an "AstraLink" icon to the <Pr ograms> sub-menu of your Windows <Start> menu.

To run AstraLink from Windows, click on <St art> → <Programs> → <AstraLink> → <AstraLink>.

When you run AstraLink for the first time, the AstraLink Setup Wizard appears as shown below to step you through the process of setting up your copy of AstraLink.

Click the Next button to move to the next step in the setup process. NOTE: If you do not have a scale available, it is possible to bypass the AstraLink Setup Wizard

by unzipping the file BYPA SS.ZIP included i n the installatio n before running AstraLink. This will open a sample database instead. However, it is important that y o u read the data from your scale before cre ating your database. See Chapter 3 Communicating with the Scale for details.

If you have not already connected the Astra to your PC using the cable provided, now is the time to do so.

Plug one end of the cable into the 9-pin socket on the left side of the Astra, and plug the other end into an unused serial port socket on you r PC. If the PC port is labeled, make a note of the port number.

Next, turn on the Astra and allow it to start. Leave the Astra in this st ate , go b ack to you r PC, and click th e Next button to move to the next

step.

In this step, you specify which serial port you used to connect the Astra to the PC. If you are unsure, leave the de fault setting. If communications do es n ot work you can return to

this step and try another serial port. Click the button indicating t he correct serial port , then click th e Next button to move to the next

step.

The AstraLink software is now ready to receive the initial data from the scale. Click the Next button to start the transf er . This opens the dialog shown below.

Follow the instructions in the dialog to st ar t the data transfer. The scale operation is described in detail below. The "Troubleshooting" section below describes what to do if you have problems.

1 Remove any keysheet from the A st ra keyboard to expose the programming keyboard. 2

Enter 9000 using the numeric keys on the right, then press the MODE key. The scale

display shows "registration" indicating registration mode. 3 Next, press the down arrow key a number of times until "communication" appears. 4

Press the ENTER key once to display "Upload", again to display "All Data", then a third

time to start sending data.

If the data transfer is successf ul, the scale will display briefly "Uploa ding", then "Upload

OK", then "All Data".

If communications fails, see "Troubleshooting" below. 5 Go back to the PC. If the data transfer is successful, a message will be displayed on the

screen to indicate this. Click the OK button. Nex t, a dial og op ens for you to specify the

file name for the scale database. You can specify any valid file name (your store name,

for example).

Troubleshooting

The following are possible causes if you cannot commu nicate with the scale.

• Check that the cable is securely plugged in at both ends.

• Incorrect serial port. Unfortunately, not all PC manufacturers bother to label the serial port

connectors on the back of the PC. Y ou ma y ne ed t o exp erime nt by set ti ng dif f erent seri al ports in AstraLink until you find th e on e you used to plug in the cable to the Astr a. In this case, click the Back button to return to the serial port selection window and set a different serial port. Keep trying until it works or you run out of ports to try.

• Serial port in use by other application. If AstraLink displays the following me ssage, the

serial port may be being used by an other program.

"Cannot open comms link. Close any other programs that may be using the same COM port."

You may also get this message i f you select a serial port that is no t availa ble on yo ur PC. Either close the other program, or try using a different serial port.

• If the above steps do not resolve the problem, you may need to contact your support

agent for either the Astra or yo ur PC.

The following window appears if the data is successfu lly re ceived from the scale.

Click the Finish button to end the AstraLink Setup Wizard. Next AstraLink opens the dialog shown below for you to enter your store name and address.

This is the store name and address used by the scale to print at the bottom of labels. Enter your store details then click OK. This completes the initial setup for your store. We recommended that you now take a few

minutes to work through the tutorial below for a quick introduction to using AstraLink.

Starting AstraLink (second and subsequent times)

When you start AstraLink, the prog ra m automatically loads the database tha t was open when you last exited.

The figure below shows the initial screen (called the PLU Search window).

Click here to list all PLUs. Use the ↑, ↓, PgUp and PgDn ke

s to scroll the PLU list

Click here to enter a search string. The list only displays PLUs that match the search strin

Tab bar. Click here to change the displayed window.

Add a new PLU

PLU list. Double click on a PLU to edit.

The initial screen opens with the cursor in the PLU No. field of the PLU Search window. The PLU Search window provides a n umber of methods for you to find the PLU you are looking for and to edit or delete the selected PLU. You can also add new PLUs from this window.

Open PLU Edit window to edit currently selected PLU

Delete currently selected PLU

Open PLU price change dialog

Finding a PLU

If you know the PLU number

Enter the PLU number in the PLU No. field. The sp ecified PLU appears selected in the PLU list.

If you know some or all of the PLU name

The PLU name is the first line of t he P LU de script ion th at appe ars on th e labe l. E nter th e init ial characters of the PLU name in the Search field. The PLU list displays only those PLUs with names that start with the entered t ex t. For example, entering “BE EF” di sp lays all PLU names starting with the word “beef”. (The search is not case-sensitive: entering “beef” is the same as entering “BEEF”.)

You can also use the wildcard characters (‘*’ and ‘?’) to spe cif y a more detailed search condition. For example, entering “*BEEF” displays all PLU names containing the word “beef”.

NOTE: The search re-executes automatically each time you type a character. The response

may be a bit slow on older computers. In this case, allow a few seconds for the list to update.

If you do not know the PLU number or name

When the cursor is in the Search field, the PLU list only displays those PLUs that match the search condition. Move the cursor back to the PLU No. field (e. g. click on t he field ) to clear the search results and display all PLUs in the P LU list. Next, use the scroll bar, the up and down arrow keys, or the PageUp and PageDown keys to scroll the PLU list until you find the P LU y o u are looking for.

See Chapter 6 Creating and Editing PLUs for a full explanation of the PLU Search window.

Adding a New PLU

Click the Add button in the PLU Search window. This opens a dialog for you to enter then PLU number. The number defaults to the next unused PLU number. If you wish to use a different number, enter an unused number, then press Return or click OK to open the PLU Edit dialog.

If you entered the number of an existing PLU, the data for that PLU is displayed. Otherwise, a new PLU is created and the initial values of the fields in the lower half of the dialog are set to their default values.

The cursor is initially positioned in the PLU description field. Enter the PLU description. Next, use the mouse or TAB key to move the cursor to the price field and enter the PLU price. Similarly, enter any other values you wish to change

Finally, click the OK button. This saves the PLU in the database and ret ur ns y ou to the PLU Search window. Use the procedure described in Finding a PLU above to check that the PLU has been added.

Editing and Deleting PLUs

When you have found the new PLU, click on the P LU name in the list to select it. The selected PLU appears highlighted.

To edit the selected PLU

Click the Edit button. A PLU Edit dialog opens displaying the data for that PLU. The operation of the PLU Edit dialog is described in more detail below. For now, click the Cancel button at the top right of the window. This returns you to the PLU Search window.

To delete the selected PLU

Click the Delete button. A dialog opens asking whether or not to delete the PLU. Click No if you don’t want to delete the PLU. If you click Yes, the PLU is deleted from the database.

You can also delete a range of PLUs by selecting Delete Range from the Edit menu. For example, you can use this function to de lete the sample PLUs loaded from the Astra at initial setup.

Changing PLU Prices

Click the Price Changes button in the PLU Search window to open a dialog for changing PLU prices (or select Price Changes in the Scales menu).

The purpose of this feature is to allow you to rapidly change the prices of a numb er o f PLUs without having to edit each PLU in the PLU Edit dialog.

Using the Price Change Dialog

Enter the new price and press Enter. This saves the sp ecif ied price in the database. A PLU Search dialog opens (defaulted to the next sequential PLU number) for you to specify the next PLU number.

The Next and Prev buttons jump to the next or previous PLU respectively. The Select button opens a PLU Search dialog for you to select another PLU.

Using the PLU Edit Dialog

The following are some quick tips to get you started using the PLU Edit dialog. See Chapter 5 Editing PLUs for a full explanation.

The appearance of the PLU Edi t window depends on how your system is conf igured. The figure below shows an example.

PLU description

Font settings for description text

Enter a new value to save to a different PLU

Display next or

revious PLU

Close without saving

Add a new PLU

Save PLU and close dialog.

Click button to display list of options

Length of current description text, including any extra message

PLU settings. Use TAB key or mouse to select a field, then enter value or select from list. Clicking the Browse button for the Message No. opens a dialog for you to select from a list of the available messa

es.

Entering the PLU description

The large field in the middle of the PLU Edit dialog contains the PLU description. Click on the field to set the input focus and use the mouse or arrow keys to move the cursor. Use the operations described below to enter or modify the description text.

Operation Explanation

Insert text

Position the cursor at the desired location and enter text from the keyboard. The font and label width determine how many characters are displayed per line. Press the INS key to switch between insert and overwrite mode.

Select text

Drag with the mouse or hold down the shift key and use the left or right arrow key to move the cursor over the desired text. The selected text appears highlighted.

Change line font

A different font can be set for ea ch lin e. Position the cursor in the line and select the desired font from the Font field. You can also press Ctrl+F to step through the available fonts.

Change label width

Set the Label Width field to the actual label width to be used for this PLU. This updates the description field to only display as many characters as will fit on the label. (The Label Width field is used for display only and ha s no effect on the scales.)

Cut, Copy or Paste

Use the Edit menu or the standard Windows keystroke s to cut, copy or paste description text.

Entering the PLU settings

The lower half of the window displays the va rio us PLU settings. Which fields are displaye d depends on how your system is configured. Use the mouse or TAB key to move to a field, then enter or select the desired value. An error message appears if you try to move to another field when the value of this field is outside the allowed range.

NOTE: You can only enter digits. None of the PLU fields accept letters or punctuation symbols.

Changing the PLU number

The PLU number field is at the top le ft of the Edit dialog . You can cha nge the va lue to sav e the displayed data with a differen t PLU numb er. In th is case, a warning message app ears if a PLU with the specified number already exists. Saving the PLU data to a new PLU number does not delete the old PLU number and leaves t h e da ta for the old PLU unchanged.

Saving your changes

Click the OK button. This saves the PLU in the database .

Changing the displayed PLU

Click the Next>> or <<Prev buttons to display the data for th e next or pre vious PLU number . (A warning message appears if you have not saved your changes to the current PLU.)

Adding a new PLU

To add a new PLU, click the New PLU button. This opens a PLU Search dialog to specify the number of the new PLU. En ter t he new PLU nu mber the n press Retu rn. This reset s all fiel ds in the Edit dialog to their default v a lue s. Th e new PLU is not saved until you click the OK button.

Closing the PLU Edit window

Click the OK to save your changes and close the PLU Edit dialog, or Cancel button to close the dialog without saving.

Extra Messages

Extra messages are a way of defining add itional text, such as ingredient lists, to appear on labels. You use the extra message function to create and edit the extra messages, then use the PLU Edit dialog (described above) to assign extra messages to PLUs.

To display the extra message screen, click th e extra messages tab at the top of the AstraLink window (below the menu bar). The figure below shows an example.

Click the Add button to create a new message, or click on an existing message to select, then click the Edit button to edit the message (or simply double-click on a message). In either case, a dialog opens to edit the message text , as shown below.

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