Previous: The GUI Form

Tips’n’Tricks

Restarting The Computer

I make use of the Batch file to shutdown and to restart my computer. At the end of a session of work on a project, I’ll reboot for a fresh start while I pour a coffee. The batch file XPReBoot.bat places a call to the Billing data batch file, ensuring that I have signed-off work on the project before starting another project.

REM XPRestart.BAT Christopher Greaves Thursday Dec 9th 2004
call "%userprofile%\application data\billt"\BillT.bat
if "%debug%"=="" set debug=off
@echo %debug%
ShutDown.exe -r  -t 00
REM End of XPRestart.BAT

In a like manner I use a batch file to shutdown the computer, ensuring that I am signed-off a project:

REM XPShutDown.BAT Christopher Greaves Thursday Dec 9th 2004
call "%userprofile%\application data\billt"\BillT.bat
if "%debug%"=="" set debug=off
@echo %debug%
ShutDown.exe -s -f -t 01
REM End of XPShutDown.BAT

Editing The Notepad File

In a word, “don’t”.

This application is a no-nonsense tool. It will not suffer aberrations in the input data. Please resist the temptation to edit the Notepad file manually. A slight error in the date and time formats will bring the house crashing down.

The Telephone …

… can be a bane.

You are working on a project and the ‘phone rings. As you pick it up, you have no idea whether it will be a lengthy break from your project, or a short call.

Click your Quick launch icon to bring up your billing file with a new timestamp.

If the call is mercifully short, say three minutes, close Notepad without saving changes and return to work.

If the call is mercifully short but your train of thought is ruined, close Notepad Saving the changes. That timestamp serves to log off the meter for that project. Have lunch. Take a walk.

But if the call is long, key in the client’s project code alongside the timestamp (which is now thirty minutes old!), close notepad saving the changes, and Click your Quick launch icon to bring up your billing file with a new timestamp.

I click on that icon whenever I am interrupted for whatever reason.

Search