Menu Assistant ver. 1.02 README file
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Contents of this README:  
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1. About Menu Assistant
2. Installing Menu Assistant
3. Registering Menu Assistant
4. Uninstalling Menu Assistant
5. Demo database supplied with Menu Assistant
6. Database maintenance
7. Contacting 2S Systems


1. About Menu Assistant
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Menu Assistant is a pc software package for meal planning and recipe management.

Meal planning features in Menu Assistant include the design of custom menu layouts, interactive selection of recipes in a meal plan or menu, automatic menu cost calculation, etc. Ingredient orders or shopping lists can be derived from menus using several criteria. Menus, recipes and orders/shopping lists can be printed, and exported to MS Word, Excel, or text formats.


2. Installing Menu Assistant
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Steps to install Menu Assistant:

STEP 1: Install the Visual Basic 5 (VB5) runtime library

You need the Visual Basic 5 runtime library to run Menu Assistant. The needed runtime files can downloaded from Simtel.Net, at the following URL:

	http://www.simtel.net/simtel.net/win95/dll.html

STEP 2:	Unzip the Menu Assistant zip file 

Using Windows Explorer, find the Menu Assistant zip file you downloaded from the internet (usually called masst102.zip), and double-click it.

In WinZip, click the Extract button and select the directory where WinZip should place the extracted files.

STEP 3: Install Menu Assistant

Using the Windows Explorer, find the file named Setup.exe in the folder where you unzipped the Menu Assistant files to. Double-click it and follow the instructions on screen.


3. Registering Menu Assistant
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If you want to use Menu Assistant after the 30 day evaluation period, you need to register your copy of the program.
To register on-line, connect to the 2S Systems world wide web site at http://www.ping.be/2ssystems and select the Registration option from the Home page.
To register by fax, select Help / Register from the Menu Assistant menu and then click the "Print Fax Form" button. Fill out the form and fax it to 2S Systems.
To register by mail, send the Code Entry Number and the Computer ID Number, visible in the top right portion of the Registration Window, as well as your email address and check payable to 2S Systems to:

	2S Systems
	Overwinningsstraat b1, 192 b1
	1060 Brussels
	BELGIUM

For further information on registering Menu Assistant, see the Help file.


4. Uninstalling Menu Assistant
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Menu Assistant is uninstalled from the Windows Control Panel.

To uninstall the program, select Control Panel from the Windows95 Start menu. Then double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon, select Menu Assistant from the list of installed programs, and click the Add/Remove button.


5. Demo database supplied with Menu Assistant
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The database that comes with Menu Assistant (menuasst.mdb) when you first use it contains a number of records for demonstration purposes only. These records include menus, orders (shopping lists), recipes, ingredients, measurement units, etc.
 
As the program is intended for use in households as well as in professional environments, the demonstration database includes elements that are intended to illustrate the use of the software in both situations. The demonstration database may therefore offer a "mixed" impression which may appear unrealistic. In reality, the database should be targeted towards the needs of a particular (type of) user. In order to adapt the database to your own needs, you can of course delete those records or elements that do not fit your purposes.

Please note also that prices for ingredients in the demonstration database are in US dollars. Since Menu Assistant uses currency symbols in accordance with the (Windows) regional settings of your PC, prices and cost information will look unrealistic if you use other than the US regional settings, which would normally be the case if you live outside of the US. Prices of ingredients included in the Menu Assistant database when you first use it are only included for illustrative purposes only. 


6. Database maintenance
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Working with Menu Assistant typically involves a lot of database activity. This activity includes the internal use by the program of temporary database elements. As a result of this activity, the database will tend to take up an increasing amount of space on the hard disk, because the space occupied by deleted elements in the database is not automatically reclaimed. To reclaim "lost" space and to increase database performance, it is good practice to compact the Menu Assistant database regularly. You can perform this task by selecting Options, Compact from the program menu. Alternatively, the program can compact the database automatically each time you exit the program. If you want Menu Assistant to compact the database automatically on program exit, check the Compact Database on Exit option on the Preferences Window.


7. Contacting 2S Systems
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If you have questions regarding the installation, registration or use of Menu Assistant, send your email to:

	2ssystems@ping.be

