Maxa Help

• Press Shift and Setup at the same time on the terminal.
• Press F11
• 1. Press Cntrl and the desired F1 key
• 2. Press Cntrl-A
• 3. Press @
• 4. Press Return
• Repeat the process (steps 1 through 4) for function keys F2 through F4. Replace the '@' used for F1 with 'A', 'B', and 'C' for F2 through F4 respectively.
• Press F12 to exit. Save changes.

• Baud rate: 9600
• Data bits: 8
• Stop bits: 1
• Parity: None
• Handshaking: XON/XOFF
• Mode: FDX (full duplex)
• Emulation: Wyse 30/ Wyse 50/ Wyse 60

This can be corrected by adjusting a windows setting.

• From the Windows desktop click on 'Start'
• Click on 'Settings'
• Click on 'Printers'
• Right mouse click on the appropriate printer
• Click on 'Properties'
• Click on the 'Details' tab
• Click on 'Port settings'
• Remove the check from the 'Spool MS-DOS print jobs' option. (Leave the 'Check port before printing' setting checked.)

Certain computers need to have the serial port enabled before it will work properly.

• From the Windows desktop click on 'Start' and then 'Run'
• Enter 'Regedit.exe' and click on 'OK'
• Go to the following registry key...
  • Hkey_Local_Machine
  • System
  • CurrentControlSet
  • Services
  • VxD
  • VCOMM
• Change the value of the 'EnablePowerManagement' key to 00 00 00 00
• Exit the registry and restart the system

• Type SMARTDRV /X and press 'Enter' before starting MAXA.

A 'null-modem' connection is used between the 2 devices. The following pin-out is required (assuming 25 pin adapters)...

• 1 to 1
• 2 to 3
• 3 to 2
• 4 to 5
• 5 to 4
• 6 and 8 to 20
• 20 to 6 and 8
• 7 to 7

• From the main menu select the following options...
  • Customer list
  • File
  • Optimize

Yes. On the MAXA install diskette there is a program called MAXTERM.EXE. This is a terminal emulator program that enables the computer to function just like a terminal.

The cable connecting the computer running MAXTERM.EXE to the main computer will attach to the serial port on both computers. There must be a null modem adapter in between the 2 computers.

By default MAXTERM.EXE will use COMM PORT #1. If for any reason, COMM PORT #2 must be used, add the number '2' to the end of MAXTERM when starting the program. MAXTERM 2

Note: Although XP computers work fine running Maxa, they do not work well running MAXTERM. Use Windows 95 or Windows 98 computers when running MAXTERM.

If you would like to have a Windows 2000 or XP computer run as a terminal we recommend downloading some shareware called 'wiseterm'. It can be downloaded from many sites. Try a keyword search of 'wiseterm' in Google or Yahoo.

Yes. The data format for version 3.20 and up is the same as the format for version 4.60.

If you are running previous versions (lower than version 3.2) the data will have to be converted. Contact JBS for the conversion program.

• Previous auctions
• Select the desired auction
• View the buyers list
• Press 'V' for view
• Select tax-exempt names

It is likely that you are working with the incorrect printer driver. MAXA sends certain commands to the printer to control the font. If the incorrect printer driver is being used, these commands will not be properly interpreted by the printer and the reports will be out of alignment. To change the printer driver...

• Setup
• Hardware
• Printer
• Current printer = ....

There are 3 messages that apply to invoices. The 'heading' appears on all invoices and reports. The 'buyer invoice message' appears at the bottom of each invoice except if the buyer is tax-exempt. In that case, the 'tax-exempt buyer invoice' appears. To change the messages...

• Setup
• Invoices
• Messages

The buyer invoice message(s) are too long. Make sure that the message(s) only take up as many lines as necessary. To modify the invoice messages see...

• Setup
• Invoices
• Messages

From within the current auction...

• Auction summary
• Invoice reports
• Payment summary
• Payment 'E'
• Buyer or Invoice order

When enter a split payment where one of the payment methods is a check, make sure to enter the check portion last. Then you will be given the opportunity to record a check number.

'Unposted' items are inventoried items that have not been clerked. 'Not sold' items are items that have been clerked with no price, buyer, or quantity.

To view 'Unposted' items...

• Auction summary
• Inventory reports
• Unposted items

• Modify/view dales data
• 'Not sold' items

Yes. Follow the steps detailed below...

• From the Windows desktop select...
  • Start
  • Programs
  • MS-Dos prompt
• Type the following commands...
  • CD \
  • ATTRIB -S -H -R MSDOS.SYS
  • EDIT MSDOS.SYS
• There will be a line in the file that reads BOOTGUI=1. Move your cursor to this line and change it to read BOOTGUI=0.
• Exit the file and save the changes.
• From the prompt type...
  • ATTRIB +S +H +R MSDOS.SYS
  • EDIT AUTOEXEC.BAT
• Add the following lines to the top of the file...
  • @ECHO OFF
  • SMARTDRV /X
  • CLS
  • ECHO Type MAXA or WIN to begin.
  • ECHO.
  • ECHO.
• Exit the file and save the changes.
• Type EXIT to get back to the Windows desktop.
• Restart the computer.

On the item line of the clerking screen place a single dash (-) or a double dash (--) between the item numbers. A single dash represents the word 'and' and the double dash represents the word 'through'.

For example...

• 1-5 (1 and 5)
• 1--5 (1 through 5)
• 1--5-8 (1 through 5 and 8)
• 1--5-8--15 (1 through 5 and 8 through 15)

Items cannot be grouped on the secondary clerking screen.

When entering the combination of items on the item line of the clerking screen, add the '@' character to the end of the combination. For example...

• 1--5@
• 1-5--10@

Yes. Follow the steps below...

• Enter the item number on the item line of the clerking screen.
• Leave the price blank
• Enter the buyer number on the buyer field
• Place the 'sold-with' number in the quantity field and press F4.

Any time any of the amounts (price, quantity, tax, premium) on an invoice need to change, the invoice must first be voided.

To void an invoice...

• Current auction
• Buyer invoice
• Press 'V' for invoice
• Void invoice
• Enter the invoice number. This will be displayed in the upper right corner of the printed invoice and in the lower right corner of the screen.

MTI, a Texas company, can provide warrantied terminals for around $200-$250. They can be reached at 800-288-1487. Tell them that you are configuring your JBS system and they can get you set-up.

MAXA does not automatically post the purchase totals to each name on the customer list. The purchases are added when the 'Update' feature is selected from the 'Previous auctions' area.

To post purchase totals for all auctions to all names on the customer list...

• Previous auctions
• Press 'U' for update

• Previous auctions
• Press the space bar on the desired auctions. A mark (double arrow) will appear next to each auction.
• Press 'V' for view
• Marked auctions
• Press 'U' for update

When MAXA updates purchase information it compares each bidder name to the names on the current customer list.

If any change is made to the name, either on the customer list or on the buyer list, MAXA will not be able to update the purchase information on the customer list.

Also, the customer must have a first and last name. If a customer only has a company name, the records cannot be updated.

If there are several identical names on the customer list, MAXA will collect all purchase information and post it to a single name.

Yes! This powerful feature lets MAXA share data with practically any database or spreadsheet program. In order for MAXA to be able to work with the data from another program it must be formatted correctly. The steps below describe how to take an Excel spreadsheet and place it into a tab-delimited ASCII format. For this example we are going to assume that the spreadsheet has 2 columns; the item numbers are in column 1 and the descriptions are in column 2. We are going to save the Excel file to the C:\MAXA\IMPORT folder.

Follow these steps in Excel...

• Eliminate any headers and unnecessary rows and columns.
• File
• Save as...
• Change the 'Save in' to C:\MAXA\IMPORT
• Make sure the filename is no longer than 8 characters and that the filename does not contain any punctuation.
• Save as type... 'Text and tabs'
• Save

• Inventory
• File
• Import
• Current (C:\MAXA\IMPORT)
• Select the file
• Columns to import = 2

• Enter field number for column 1: 2 (this is for the item number)
• Enter field number for column 2: 14 (this is for all of the lines)
• Delimiter = Tab

Note: If you are having trouble importing a file try...

• Copying just the columns you are trying to import into a new spreadsheet. The number of columns is very important!
• Save the new spreadsheet as a text file and make sure that you give it a filename no longer than 8 characters without any punctuation.
• Make sure to exit Excel before trying to import the file into Maxa.

More information on manipulating data with Excel can be found in the MaxaNet Reference Guide.

First, we make several assumptions.

• Only select names on your customer list have permanent numbers.
• Each customer with a permanent number has their ID listed on the customer list.
• Each permanent ID customer has a code of 'B' on the codes line.
• The 'permanent ID numbers' option is set to NO (Setup/files/customer list)

• Current auction
• Register
• Buyer list
• Press 'L' for load
• Press 'B' when prompted to enter a code

To quickly assign all permanent bidders a code of 'B' follow the steps below...

• From the main menu select Customer list
• Press 'V' for view
• ID number order
• Press the space bar to mark all permanent ID number bidders. A double arrow will appear next to each marked name.
• Press 'V' to view
• Marked names
• Press 'F' for file
• Add code
• Press 'B'

Yes! MAXA data can be exported in a format that can be viewed by spreadsheets, databases, and word processors. It can also be exported directly into an HTML format so that your inventory can be viewed on the Internet. To export inventory data, a format file must first be created.

In this example we are going to export the item number and the full description. Follow the steps below to create a format file...

• Inventory
• File
• Export
• Create a new format file
• SAMPLE

~b^~e ~f ~g ~h ~i

The '~' character followed by a letter will be replaced by the inventory information. In this format file the codes will be replaced as follows...

• ~b = item number
• ~e = line 1 of the description
• ~f = line 2 of the description
• ~g = line 3 of the description
• ~h = line 4 of the description
• ~i = line 5 of the description

The format file only needs to be created one time. Once created it can be accessed by using the following commands...

• Inventory
• File
• Export
• Select export format
• SAMPLE

• Start exporting
• Select export location: Current (C:\maxa\export) or Drive A:
• Select extension: .TXT (text file) or .HTM (used for Internet files)
• Enter a filename

Refer to the help files of the spreadsheet or database programs for more information on how to import the text file.

Code	Description	Length
~a	tag number	4
~b	item number	5
~c	seller number	4
~d	quantity	4
~e	line 1	54
~f	line 2	54
~g	line 3	54
~h	line 4	54
~i	line 5	54
~j	category	54
~k	photo	54
~l	first 30 characters	30
~m	price	10
~n	current date	12
~o	seller first name	15
~p	seller last name	15
~q	seller company	30

Code	Description	Length
~a	ID number	4
~b	last name	15
~c	first name	15
~d	company	30
~e	address	30
~f	city	18
~g	state	2
~h	zip	10
~i	phone number	12
~j	tax status	1
~k	tax number	20
~l	codes	10
~m	date entered	10
~n	date of last activity	10
~o	total spent	12
~p	auctions attended	4
~q	notes(1)	54
~r	notes(2)	54
~s	notes(3)	54
~t	notes(4)	54
~u	current date	10
~v	delivery point	2

Code	Description	Length
~a	first name	15
~b	last name	15
~c	company	30
~d	address	30
~e	city	18
~f	state	2
~g	zip	10
~h	current date	10
~i	seller number	4
~j	written $ amount	NA
~k	numeric $ amount	12
~l	check number	6

Yes. In order for this report to work correctly, the seller must be given the same selling number for each auction.

To view the report select the following commands...

• Previous auctions
• Press 'S' for search
• Seller number
• Enter the seller number

• Press the space bar on each desired auction. A double arrow will appear next to each marked item.
• Press 'V' for view
• Marked auctions
• Press 'S' for search
• Seller number
• Enter seller number

• Comm 1: Address = 3F8, IRQ = 4
• Comm 2: Address = 2F8, IRQ = 3

Yes. By pressing 'Alt-Enter' the screen will be changed to the full size of the computer screen. Pressing 'Alt-Enter' again will bring the screen back to its original size.

If you are running Maxa in a window...

• With Maxa running, click on the upper left corner of the Maxa window
• Select properties
• Select font
• Select a new font size

Yes. From the main menu...

• Customer list
• Press 'F' for 'File'
• Optimize

Yes. The following commands are best entered from the C: prompt. (replace the mmddyyyy with the actual date)...

• CD \MAXA\LST
• COPY mmddyyyy.BLT \MAXA\mmddyyyy.LST

• Setup
• Files
• Customer list
• Use existing...
• mmddyyyy.LST

• Customer list
• Press 'F' for file
• Merge
• mmddyyyy.LST

When a printer switchbox is being used and either one of the printers is not online the main computer will freeze. To correct the problem make sure both printers are online. This issue will be resolved in a future release of MAXA.

Yes. A log file is created as items are clerked. This file can be viewed but information in this file cannot be modified. To access the log file...

• Previous auctions
• Select the desired auction (mmddyyyy)
• View sales data
• Press 'L' for log

If you have purchased a reconditioned terminal there is a possibility that the function keys will need to be reset to the default settings. To reset the function keys...

• Press 'Shift-setup' on the Wyse terminal.
• Press the up arrow key one time

Continue pressing the up arrow key and remove any characters to the right of the labels. Repeat the process until the 'F1' key is displayed. To save the changes press 'Shift-Setup' and any the 'Save changes?' question with a 'Y'

By default MAXA allows inventoried items to be clerked more that once. To change this setting...

• Setup
• Hardware
• Clerking screen
• Configure
• Check for previous...
  • No: Items can be clerked multiple times
  • Yes: Items can be clerked multiple times but the terminal will beep if the item has been previously clerked
  • Lock: Items cannot be clerked more than once.

Yes! MAXA data can be exported in a format that can be viewed by spreadsheets, databases, and word processors. To export name data, a format file must first be created.

In this example we are going to export the information needed to print mailing labels. Follow the steps below to create a format file...

• Customer list
• File
• Export
• Create a new format file
• SAMPLE

~b^~c^~d^~e^~f^~g^~h

The '~' character followed by a letter will be replaced by the name information. In this format file the codes will be replaced as follows...

• ~b = last name
• ~c = first name
• ~d = company
• ~e = address
• ~f = city
• ~g = state
• ~h = zip

The format file only needs to be created one time. Once created it can be accessed by using the following commands...

• Customer list
• File
• Export
• Select export format
• SAMPLE

• Start exporting
• Select export location: Current (C:\maxa\export) or Drive A:
• Enter a filename

Refer to the help files of the spreadsheet or database programs for more information on how to import the text file.

The date that prints in the lower right corner of the MAXA screen (and also the clerking terminal) is the computer's system date.

To change the date on computers running Windows, double-click on the time in the lower right corner of the desktop.

To change the date on computers running DOS...

• Type DATE at the C:> prompt
• Enter the current date (mm-dd-yyyy). Make sure to include the dashes and the full 4 digits for the year.

Get to the C: prompt and type the following commands... (we will assume in this case that the customer list name is CUSTOMER.LST)

• CD \MAXA
• PKZIP A:BACKUP.ZIP CUSTOMER.*

• CD \MAXA
• PKUNZIP A:BACKUP.ZIP

• Customer list
• Press 'F' for file
• New
• Choose existing file
• CUSTOMER.LST

Yes. Assuming that the zip drive is drive E:, follow the steps below from a C: prompt...

• XCOPY C:\MAXA\*.* E:\ /S

• XCOPY E:\*.* C:\MAXA /s

Starting with the computer serial port or port A through D on the terminal splitter going towards the modem port on the terminal...

New style cables...

• The adapter ending with 385
• A CAT-5 patch cord from 10 to 100+ feet
• The adapter ending with 386

Old style cables...

• 1' cable that converts the 9 pins to 25 pins
• A null modem adapter. This adapter has 25 holes (female) on one side and 25 pins (male) on the other. This adapter is approximately 3" long.
• The cable itself. This cable can be from 10 to 100 feet long. Several cables can be combined to create a longer cable.

Starting with the main computer serial port or port A through D on the terminal splitter going towards the serial port on the secondary computer...

New style cables...

• The adapter ending with 385
• A CAT-5 patch cord from 10 to 100+ feet
• The adapter ending with 387

Old style cables...

• 1' cable that converts the 9 pins to 25 pins
• A null modem adapter. This adapter has 25 holes (female) on one side and 25 pins (male) on the other. This adapter is approximately 3" long.
• The cable itself. This cable can be from 10 to 100 feet long. Several cables can be combined to create a longer cable.
• A thin female-female adapter. This adapter has 25 holes on either end
• A 1' cable that converts the 9 pins to 25 pins.

   

There a 2 switches on the printer switches. The one should be set to 'auto' and the other to '1 to 2'.

When using a printer switch make sure that both printers are online at all times. With the Okidata printers that most customers use that means that the 'SEL' light must be on.

Yes. To add no-sale fees to a seller settlement report add them as itemized expenses. To add an itemized expense to a seller settlement press the letter 'I' for itemize.

Step 1. Make sure that all of the commissions are listed in descending order (commission #1 being the highest rate, including minimum commissions, and commission #9 being the lowest). To set the commissions...

• Setup
• Rates
• Commissions
• Enter the appropriate commissions. To enter a 100% commission put in 99.99. To enter a dollar amount commission enter the dollar amount multiplied by 100. For example: a per item fee of $10 would be entered as a commission of 1000.

• Setup
• Rates
• Sliding scales
• Enter a number between 1 and 9.
• For each commission level enter the price breakpoint for which that commission will apply.
• For the lowest commission rate put in a breakpoint of 9999999.99

• Current auction
• Seller settlement & seller number
• Press 'S' for slide
• Enter the schedule number to apply

To apply the sliding scale to all items in an auction...

• Current auction
• Modify/view sales
• All sales
• Press 'S' for slide
• Enter the appropriate schedule number

Here's an example...
$2 commission for each item up to $10, 20% on items up to $100, and 15% for all other items.

Setup the commission rates...

• Comm 1 = $2
• Comm 2 = 20%
• Comm 3 = 15%

Setup the sliding scale breakpoints...

• Bpoint 1 = $10
• Bpoint 2 = $100
• Bpoint 3 = $9999999

You must be using MAXA, version 4.30 or higher to utilize the following features.

The instructions below assume that the appropriate categories and photo file names have been added to the inventory.

From the main menu select the following options...

• Inventory
• Press 'F' for file
• Export
• Select export
• MAXANET1.CCE
• Start exporting
• Select the destination A: or current (C:\MAXA\EXPORT)
• Select the .txt extension
• Enter any filename you like. If you leave it blank it will create a file called INVENTRY.TXT

You must be using MAXA, version 4.30 or higher to utilize the following features.

The instructions below assume that the appropriate categories and photo file names have been added to the inventory.

From the main menu select the following options to post the prices to the inventory...

• Inventory
• Press 'F' for file
• Post Prices
• Select the appropriate auction (mmddyyyy)

• Press 'F' for file
• Export
• Select export
• REALIZED.CCE
• Start exporting
• Select the destination A: or current (C:\MAXA\EXPORT)
• Select the .txt extension
• Enter any filename you like. If you leave it blank it will create a file called INVENTRY.TXT

Remember to change the display format in MaxaNet to 'realized prices'. This option can be found in the auction details section of the administration screens.

From the main menu select the following options...

• Previous auctions
• Select the auction
• View sales data
• Export

• Make a backup of the auction to the A: drive. From the main menu select...
  • Back-up, etc.
  • Back-up
  • Sales data
  • Auction date
• Get to a C: prompt and type the following commands...
  • A:
  • copy   mmddyyyy.*   MMDDYYYY.*
• Replace the mmddyyyy with the old date and the MMDDYYYY with the new date.
• Get back into MAXA and restore the new auction from the diskette. From the main menu...
  • Back-up, etc.
  • Restore
  • Sales data
  • Auction date
• Once you have verified that the new auction is correctly in place you can delete the auction recorded with the incorrect date.

Step #1: Apply purchases for the selected auctions to the customer list.

• Previous auctions
• Use the space bar to mark the desired auctions
• Press 'V' to view
• Select 'Marked auctions'
• Press 'U' to update

To use this information you'll need to be in the customer list.

• Select customer list
• Press 'R' to refine
• Select purchases
• Enter .05 as the minimum, press enter an the maximum
• Select search

Do not add the codes to the bidder list!

From the main menu...

• Previous auctions
• Press the space bar to mark the desired auction
• Press 'V' to view
• Select 'marked auctions'
• Press 'U' to update

To isolate these names...

• Select 'Customer list'
• Press 'R' for refine
• Select 'Purchases'
• For a minimum purchase enter .05
• Press enter when asked to enter the maximum
• Select 'Search'

• Press 'F' for file.
• Select 'Add code'
• Enter the desired code.

Click here for instructions

A driver needs to be downloaded to support the key on the newer operating systems. On the web...

• Visit http://www.maxanet.com/download/SSD5411-32bit.exe
• Download and install the Sentinal Protection Installer

If you still see a 'key is missing' message after installing the driver then try the following...

• Start
• Search... setupsysdriver.exe
• Run the program once found
• Select configure driver. No ECP port will be listed.
• Select 'Add'
• Use: yes, Bus address: 378, Bus number: 0, Bus type: ISA, Address space: I/O, Port type: ECP
• Select 'Ok'
• Stop NT parallel driver
• Start NT parallel driver
• Done! The key should now work.

   

In Maxa...

• Setup
• Hardware
• Printer
  • Printer port: Windows-3
  • Current printer: Blank

• Click on the 'Settings' button
• In the 'General' area, remove checks from all boxes except the 'Quit when handled command line'
• Make sure the correct printer is selected
• Click on the 'Text file...' button
  • Text file action = print formatted
  • lines per page = 70
  • font = courier or new courier
  • tab width = 3
  • OEM translation = automatic
• Click on the 'N-up printing settings'
  • layout = 1 pages wide, 1 pages high
  • uncheck the 'draw frame' option
  • orientation = portrait
  • page order = horizontal
  • margins; left=.70, right,top,bottom=.35
  • gutters; horizontal,vertical=.10
• Save the changes

In Maxa...

• Setup
• Hardware
• Printer
  • Printer port: Windows-3
  • Current printer: IBMPROP

• Click on the 'Settings' button
• In the 'General' area, remove checks from all boxes except the 'Quit when handled command line'
• Make sure the Windows default printer is connected (Okidata 320-IBM)
• Click on the 'Text file...' button
  • Text file action = send to printer
• Save the changes

It is important that Maxa is running in a Window vs. in a full screen. If you try to run Maxa in a full screen on Windows XP or 2000 computers, the Maxa screen will minimize after every print job. If Maxa is run in a Window then you'll see the print screen flash but then return directly to Maxa.

Left bids can be added to the system from any clerking terminal, even the secondary clerking screen located on the main PC.

Left bids can be added before and during an auction.

To record a left bid, record the sale as you normally would. Instead of leaving the quantity field blank or putting in a quantity, type in a 'B'.

The information will be recorded with a seller, item, description, price and a negative buyer number.

The entry will be ignored by all reports except the left-bid report.

• Auction summary
• Inventory reports
• Left bids

Make sure that you have already created an inventory file.

• Setup
• Files
• Inventory
• Create new...

• Inventory
• Add, F4 to save

Repeat the above step from any terminal.

To convert the 'Not-Sold' items into inventory...

• Modify-View Sales
• No-Sales
• press 'Q'
• press 'Y' to convert the no-sales into inventory.

The inventoried items can now be pulled up on the clerking terminal by entering the item number in the item field on the terminal.

Items that are converted from 'Not-Sold' items into inventory cannot be grouped (1--5, 1-5, 1-5@, etc) until you exit to the main menu and re-enter the current auction.

If you exit the current auction and attempt to re-enter the current auction you may see a message stating 'Optimize inventory'. Simply go into the inventory area and exit to the main menu. You will then be able to re-enter the current auction.

Sales data, invoices, and settlements can be exported to a tab-delimited file. Buyer and seller lists can also be exported.

Sales, invoices, and settlements

• Previous auctions
• Select auction
• View sales data
• Press 'X' to export

• Previous auctions
• Select auction
• View buyer or seller list
• Press 'X' to export
• There are many exporting formats to choose from

Just have the clerk record the item number (ex: 100A) on the item line on the clerking screen. Since there will not be a match in inventory the clerk will then have to provide the item description.

Maxa does not tie itself too tightly to the quantity information found in the inventory area. You will be able to resell the item as many times as you want --- even if you want to sell more than the quantity that was originally listed.

If you intend to split an item to several bidders make sure the 'Check for previous' setting is not set to lock.

• Setup
• Hardware
• Clerking terminal
• Configure
• Check for previous = Yes or No

Evaluate ports is no longer in the hardware menu. There is a program in the \maxa folder called RX.EXE. It will provide the evaluate ports function as before.

Setup the following under Setup/rates

Taxes...

• Tax rate A = 0%

• N = 10%
• A = 0%

From the clerking screen...

• Enter a buyer number on the buyer field. Leave the cursor on the buyer field.
• Press F7. If your terminal does not have an F7 key press Cntrl-F3.
• A menu will appear listing the buyer purchases and payment options.

All invoices will print on the main printer or, if a second printer is attached, to the second printer.

It is important the auction menu is displayed on the main computer at all times when printing invoices from the terminals. Otherwise, the terminal generated invoices may not print immediately.

From the clerking screen...

• Enter a seller number on the seller field. Leave the cursor on the seller field.
• Press F7. If your terminal does not have an F7 key press Cntrl-F3.
• A menu will appear listing the seller's items and printing options.

All settlements will print on the main printer or, if a second printer is attached, to the second printer.

It is important the auction menu is displayed on the main computer at all times when printing settlements from the terminals. Otherwise, the terminal generated settlements may not print immediately.

When working with the 'Customer list' option while in a current auction we are making the assumption that all newly added names are bidders. When a bidder is added to the customer list from within the current auction...

• The name and ID number (buyer number) are automatically copied to the buyer list.
• The name without an ID number is saved on the customer list for future use.

• Use the search or quick search functions to find the desired name.
• Press 'C' with your pointer next to the name to copy it.
• Select 'Buyer list' and enter the bidder's number.

On the customer list add the persons permanent bidding number to the ID number field. Also add a code of P (for permanent) or another code that you have not already used to the Codes field. Do this for each of your bidders that has a permanent number.

To quickly register these bidders for an auction try..

• Register
• Buyer list
• Press 'L' for load
• Enter 'P' or whichever code you selected.

Any name that has both an ID number and the code you selected will be copied from the customer list to the buer list for that event.

check back soon...

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When expenses are pro-rated between sellers each seller will be charged the percentage of the expense based on their sales contribution to the auction total. For example if you had 2 sellers; one sold $100 and the other $900 and there was an advertising expense of $100 that was to be pro-rated, one seller would be charged $10 and the other $90.

Enter the full expense for a single seller. To do this...

• Seller settlement
• Seller number
• Press 'I' to itemize
• Press 'A' to add
• Enter a description, code (leave it blank) and the full amount

The expenses will appear to be charged against the seller that they were entered under. If you press the letter 'S' (for style) while pointing at the expense, the expense type will change from the seller number to 'ALL' to 'PRO'. All meaning that everyone will get the expense; Pro meaning that the expense will be pro-rated.

At this time (verion 4.65) sellers cannot be excluded from pro-rated expenses.

Yes! MAXA data can be exported in a format that can be viewed by spreadsheets, databases, and word processors. It can also be exported directly into an HTML format so that your inventory can be viewed on the Internet.

To add the price and buyer number information to the inventory...

• Inventory
• File
• Post prices
• Select the appropriate auction

To export inventory data, a format file must first be created.

In this example we are going to export the item number, buyer number, price, and the full description. Follow the steps below to create a format file...

• Inventory
• File
• Export
• Create a new format file
• PRICES

~b^~a^~m^~e ~f ~g ~h ~i

The '~' character followed by a letter will be replaced by the inventory information. In this format file the codes will be replaced as follows...

• ~b = item number
• ~a = tag number (buyer number after prices are posted)
• ~m = price
• ~e = line 1 of the description
• ~f = line 2 of the description
• ~g = line 3 of the description
• ~h = line 4 of the description
• ~i = line 5 of the description

The format file only needs to be created one time. Once created it can be accessed by using the following commands...

• Inventory
• File
• Export
• Select export format
• PRICES

• Start exporting
• Select export location: Current (C:\maxa\export) or Drive A:
• Select extension: .TXT (text file) or .HTM (used for Internet files)
• Enter a filename

Refer to the help files of the spreadsheet or database programs for more information on how to import the text file.

Yes. See...

• Setup
• Invoices
• Format
• Heading format number = 1

This cannot be done from within MAXA. You need to get to a C: prompt and then type the following commands. For these example we will use a date format of 'mmddyyyy' for the date that you would like to copy the buyer list from and 'MMDDYYYY' for the date that you would like to copy the bidders to.

• CD \MAXA\LST
• COPY mmddyyyy.blt MMDDYYYY.blt
• CD \

The ideal notebook computer will have a built-in serial port (with 9 pins). If your computer does not a PCMCIA card can be added to provide that function.

We have successfully used a Quatech SSP-100. It can be configured to function as either Com1 (3f8, IRQ 4) or Com2 (2f8, IRQ 3)

The Quatech adapters can be purchased from a number of providers. Do an Internet search to find one.

Consult your computer support person for help configuring the card.

Once Maxa is up and running, right-click the upper right corner of the Maxa window. Select the Properties option and then the Font tab.

Select 'Lucida Console' and then change the font size to 20 or 24. Make sure you save the changes so that the window will be larger each time you run the program.

First, the invoice must be voided...

• Buyer invoice
• Buyer number
• Press 'V' for invoice
• Void
• Enter the invoice number. It will appear in the lower left corner of the screen.

Then, the items need to be modified (from the buyer invoice screen)...

• Press 'M' for modify
• Use the spacebar to mark the items that you want to change to buy-backs
• Press 'M' for marked
• No Quantity

The price will be preserved and the quantity will be set to 0. The invoice can then be reprinted.

The screen colors need to be adjusted. See...

• Setup
• Screen colors

Maxa supports a number of screen colors. Press enter on the listed options to change the screen colors. It is important that you can see the text on each of the 3 labels to the right of the color menu...

• Normal color
• Heading color
• Message color

No. Maxa will only print one worksheet, catalog, report, etc.. at a time. If you would like to run multiple copies of any report this can be accomplished by first exporting the report and then printing copies in MS-Word, Works, Excel, etc.. See help topic #27 for details.

Yes. First the names must be exported and then they can be merged directly on to mailing labels within Word...

• Customer list
• Press 'F' for file
• Export
• Select export
• LABELS.CME
• Start exporting
• Call the file whatever you like... (YOURFILE)
• Save the file to either the C:\MAXA\EXPORT folder or to the A: drive

In MS-Word...

• Tools
• Mail merge
• Main document - Create - Mailing labels - Active window
• Data source - Get data - Open data source - Text file - (ex: C:\MAXA\EXPORT\YOURFILE.TXT)
• Main document - Setup - Select Avery 5160 labels (30 per page)
• Use the 'Insert Merge Field' option to format the label as follows...
  • Company
  • First Last
  • Address
  • City, State Zip
• Select OK to save the merge field layout.
• Merge - Merge to new document

With Word 2003 the process is similar but there are a few changes...

• Tools
• Letter and mailings…
• Mail merge
• Select document type: Labels
• Next: Starting document
• Label options: 5160
• OK
• Next: Select recipients
• Browse…
  Local disk c: \ maxa \ export \ yourfilename.txt
• OK
• Next: Arrange your labels
• Address block…
• Match fields
  First = first , last = last , etc.
  Or…
  First = Joe , last = Smith, etc.
• OK
• Update all labels
• Next: Preview your labels
• Next: Complete the merge
• Print

Note: It really helps if the first record of the data that you are exporting has all of the fields filled in (first, last, company, address, city, state, zip). This makes mapping the data much easier.

If you edit the invoice messages files using the Maxa editor you can only have 80 characters per line. To have more characters per line ou have to modify the message files using an editor like Notepad.

From the windows desktop...

• Start
• Run
• Notepad

Then...

• File
• Open
• C:\MAXA\BUY.NOT

Start each line with a pipe character (double vertical dash) and list up to 120 characters per line. The file can can have up to 30 lines of text. Make sure to save the file after you make changes.

To see how the messages will appear on the invoices...

• Setup
• Invoices
• Print samples

In order for the text to print properly with Maxa, it is important that the printer setup be correct. See...

• Setup
• Hardware
• Printer

The tax-exempt buyer invoice message and the seller settlement message can be modified using Notepad as well.

If you are registering your buyers and seller with each auction and the names are not appearing on the buyer or seller lists the 'Permanent ID numbers' setting is set to Yes. If it is set to yes, all names are added directly to the customer list. To change the permanent ID number setting see...

• Setup
• Customer list
• Permanent ID numbers (Yes/No)

  To have a buyer and seller list created with each auction make sure that the setting is on 'No'.

   

If a customer list is improperly copied from one machine to another there is a chance that it may become corrupted and junk characters may be introduced.

We have a utility available that can clean a customer list in the event that junk characters are present.

A download is available. Save the downloaded file to the C:\MAXA folder. Then, from the C: prompt...

• CD  \MAXA
• CLNLST

A menu will appear. Select the 'Clean a customer list' option. Make sure that you make a backup of the customer list before you clean the list.

To change the commission on all items...

• Current Auction
• Modify/View sales
• All sales
• Press either 'C' for commission or 'S' for slide.
• Enter the appropriate commission code (0-9) or the sliding scale number (1-9).

To change the commission rates associated with commission numbers 1-9 see...

• Main menu
• Setup
• Rates
• Commissions

Here is an example of a cumulative commission structure...

• $1 - $100 commission is 35%
• $101 - $500 @ 25% + $35
• $501 - $1,000 @ 15% + $134.75
• $1,001 - $5,000 @ 10% + $209.60
• More than $5,001 @ 5% + $609.50

Using notepad, create a file called C:\MAXA\FCOM.DAT

In the file add the following lines...

0
35
134.75
209.60
609.50
0
0
0
0
0

Each line represents the offset commission to apply to each commission number.

In Maxa, set the commission rates (Setup/Rates/Commissions) as follows...

• Commission 1 = 35%
• Commission 2 = 25%
• Commission 3 = 15%
• Commission 4 = 10%
• Commission 5 = 5%
• Commission 6 = 0%
• Commission 7 = 0%
• Commission 8 = 0%
• Commission 9 = 0%

Next create a sliding scale (Setup/Rates/Sliding commissions/1-9).

• The breakpoint for the 35% rate is $100.
• The breakpoint for the 25% rate is $500.
• The breakpoint for the 15% rate is $1000.
• The breakpoint for the 10% rate is $5000.
• The breakpoint for the 5% rate is $99999999.

To apply the sliding scale (after the auction)...

• Current auction
• Modify/View sales
• All sales
• Press 'S' for slide
• Enter the sliding scale number (1-9).

The appropriate commissions (precentage and dollar amounts) will appear on the settlements.

It may be helpful to display the commission structure in the seller settlement message (Setup/Invoices/Messages/Seller settlement message) to help explain the commission structure.

We have a utility available that can replace the premium label.

A download is available. Save the downloaded file to the C:\MAXA folder. Then, from the C: prompt...

• CD  \MAXA
• FIXPREM

The program will prompt you to enter a new premium title.

Yes. Tennessee in particular has a difficult tax situation. Here's an attempt at explaining it.

• The first $1600 of each item is taxed at a 9.25% rate.
• The next $1600 (up to $3200) is taxed at a 9.75% rate.
• Any amount over $3200 is taxed at 7%.

And this applies to each item --- not the invoice total!

Using notepad, create a file called C:\MAXA\FTAX.DAT

In the file add the following lines...

0
-8
80
0
0
0

Each line represents the offset tax to apply to each tax class, starting with the standard tax class (Y), then A, B, and C.

In Maxa, set the tax rates as follows...

• Standard = 9.25%
• Tax class A = 9.75%
• Tax class B = 7.00%

The standard tax class (Y) has an offset of $0. The class (A) has an offset of -$8.00. This is arrived at by taking the difference in the standard tax (9.25%) and the tax rate for class A (9.75%) and multiplying that times the breakpoint of $1600 to get the offset of -$8.00. We make it a negative since the second rate (A) is higher than the standard rate (B). The offset for tax class B is $80. This is calculated by taking the difference between rates A and B (2.75%) and multiplying that times the second breakpoint ($3200) = $88 and adding the earlier offset (-$8) to come up with $80.

So... any item that sell for less than $1600 will be charged a flat 9.25%. Any item that sells between $1601 and $3200 will be charged 9.75% on the item price less $8. Any item selling for more that $3200 will be charged a rate of 7% for the full amount plus $80 per item.

To have the items properly taxes each must be assigned to the appropriate tax class (Y, A, or B). This can be done easily in the modify/view sales data area. Sort the items in to price order and then use the space bar to mark the items in a given price range (ex: $1601-$3200) then press 'M' for marked and change the tax class to 'A'. Repeat the process for items over $3200 and set the tax class to 'B'.

It is pretty obvious that the people who make the tax laws in Tennessee never have to collect it!

Let's assume that the tax rate is 6%. If we take the $300 cap and divide it by the tax rate (.06) we get a result of $5000. All items that sell for less than $5000 will be charged the standard tax rate of 6%. All items that sell for more than $5000 will be charged a flat $300. First we have to make sure the appropriate tax rates are setup...

• Setup
• Rates
• Taxes
• Standard tax rate = 6 (this will be recorded as 6%)
• Tax rate A = 30000 (this will be recorded as $300)

When items are clerked, the tax class on the item can be changed from Y to A if the selling price is above $5000.

You can also...

• Modify / view sales
• All sales
• Press 'V' for view
• Total price order
• Press 'V' for view
• Reverse (the items will now be listed in decending price order)
• Use the space bar to mark the items over $5000. A double arrow will appear next to the marked items.
• Press 'M' for marked
• Tax
• Press 'A' to apply tax class A

Can unsold inventory items be added to the seller settlement reports?

• Clerking screen
• On the item line enter the item number or combination of item numbers (ex: 10-11, or 10--20)
• Press enter. The item description or a message 'Multiple items' will be displayed.
• Press 'F4'. The items will be recorded as 'Not-sold'

With many computers no longer having 3.5" floppy drives, The backup and restore process built into Maxa are no longer effective. To make a backup copy of your Maxa files you can use a CD burner to copy the entire Maxa folder to a CD.

To restore individual sales files from a CD to the Maxa system...

• Get to the command prompt (Start/Programs/Accessories/Command Prompt)
• Assuming that your CD drive is letter 'D', type the following, replacing the 'mmddyyyy' with the appropriate month, day and year...
  XCOPY   D:\MAXA\mmddyyyy.*   \MAXA /S

• This approach also will work with copying customer and inventory files. Replace the 'mmddyyyy' in the command above with the name of the customer file or the inventory file.

At the C:\> prompt type CD THINKPAD and enter

For general help type PS2 ?.

To disable the IR port type PS2 IR DISABLE.

To enable COM1 type PS2 SERA ENABLE.

Reboot the computer.

Here's how...

• Create inventory as you normally would. Use item numbers as usual (1,2,3,etc).
• Go into the current auction and from either the clerking screen enter the per item fees.
  • Enter the appropriate seller
  • Enter the item number the fee belongs with and the letter x after it. For example: 100X.
  • Enter 9999 as the buyer number. This assumes that there is no bidder 9999 in the auction.
  • Enter the fee amount as the price.
  • Leave the quantity blank.
  • You can use any tax class that you like so that the fees can have any tax and/or premium rates that you like.
• When the invoice for the buyer is pulled up, the system will scan the items clerked to buyer 9999 and have item numbers that end in an X. The buyer number for these items will automatically be changed to the buyer of the base item.
• There is no limit to the number of fees that can be attached to an item.
• If a mistake is made after the invoice has been pulled up and the buyer number needs to be changed, the buyer number on the fee items will have to be changed too.

From the main menu...

• Backup, etc...
• Delete
• Sales data
• Select your auction
• Confirm that you want to delete.

Wiseterm is software program that allows Windows XP and Windows 2000 computers equipped with a serial port to function as a Wyse terminal.

To configure Wiseterm...

• File
• Settings...
• Select the Modem port tab
• Port = Com1 (or whatever the comm port number is)
• Baud rate = 9600
• Data bits = 8
• Parity = none
• Stop bits = 1
• Tx timeout = 5

See...

• Setup
• Files
• Customer list

If the printer port option is set to 'Windows-3', Maxa is calling another program to process the printing.

Make sure to run Maxa in a window (vs. a full screen) and then the Maxa screen will not get minimized.

Press Alt-Enter to toggle between the full and window screens.

See help topic #79 for tips on how to increase the size of the font.

See...

• Setup
• Hardware
• Clerking Screen
• Configure
• Display next item = Yes

See...

• Setup
• Hardware
• Printer
• Print Backup Sheets = Yes / No

To see and/or print a consolidated list of all the items sold in a single report see...

• Current auction
• Modify / view sales
• All sales
• Press 'P' to print

When Maxa uses a Windows-only printer the program is unable to control the size of the fonts on certain reports. This is especially the case when printing customer list information.

One remedy is to export the data into Excel or Works and then use that program to view, sort, filter, and print the data. See help topic #40 more more details on exporting the customer list.

Another remedy is to create a custom report format the allows the data to be displayed in such a way that the lines will not be truncated.

Follow the steps below to create a custom report format...

• Customer list
• Print
• Custom Report
• Create a new custom report
• CUSTOMER

~A ~B ~C ~i
~e ~f ~g ~h

The '~' character followed by a letter will be replaced by the name information. In this format file the codes will be replaced as follows...

• ~A = ID number
• ~B = last name
• ~C = first name
• ~i = phone number
• ~e = address
• ~f = city
• ~g = state
• ~h = zip

The custom report format only needs to be created one time. Once created it can be accessed by using the following commands...

• Customer list
• Print
• Custom Report
• Select custom report
• CUSTOMER

• Start printing

The format used to store inventory information has changed from previous versions of Maxa. The older inventory files end with .CAT, the newer version of inventory files end with .CDF.

Create a new inventory. See...

• Setup
• Files
• Inventory
• Create new inventory file
• Enter a filename

Then...

• Inventory
• File
• Convert .CAT data
• Select the older inventory file

Print the following report...

• Auction summary
• Invoice reports
• Payment summary
• Payment type = Credit card (c)
• Invoice order

Then...

• Modify / view sales
• For seller & number
• Press 'V' to view
• Invoice order
• Mark the items that have an invoice number that is listed on the previously printed report
• Press 'V' to view
• Marked items
• Press 'T' for total

This approach will not be entirely accurate if buyers are paying with a credit card and any other method of payment.

Yes. The following commands are best entered from the C: prompt. (replace the mmddyyyy with the original date and MMDDYYYY for the destination date)...

• CD \MAXA\LST
• COPY mmddyyyy.BLT MMDDYYYY.BLT

Yes. Contact JBS to purchase a USB key to replace your existing parallel key.

Run setup to install the latest version of Maxa. Then...

• Make sure the USB key is not plugged in
• Run SSD5411-32BIT.EXE --- Standard installation
• Using Windows Explorer copy the following files to the C:\MAXA folder...
  • M1.EXE
  • *.DLL

Yes. First you will need to download a utility program called mxundel.exe.

Copy the file to the C:\MAXA folder.

Get to a C: prompt and then CD\MAXA to change to the C:\MAXA folder.

To run the utility type...
MXUNDEL ?????

... replacing the ????? with your customer list filename.

All names that have been deleted since the last time that the 'optimize' feature was run will be restored.

Yes. You'll need a program like Adobe Acrobat to do this.

To do this you need to setup Adobe to appear as a printer on the system. Once that is done you can direct Maxa to printer to this virtual printer.

• Setup
• Hardware
• Printer
• Printer port = Windows-3
• Current printer = BLANK.PDF
• Configure printer

Yes. On the back of the terminal you'll see a MODEM port with 25 holes. Bend a small paper clip to bridge holes 2 and 3. See pin layout below...

x x x x x x x x x x 3 2 x
x x x x x x x x x x x x

MODEM

With the paper clip attached you'll be able to type on the keyboard and have the characters display on the screen -- even thought the terminal is not connected to the main computer.

To have the premium and tax amounts display on the terminal make sure that the default tax class is set to 'Y' -- even if no tax is being charged. In the event that no tax is being charged set the default tax class to 'Y' and then set the tax rate to 0%.

Yes. You'll need a blank diskette and a machine running Maxa on Windows 98 with a diskette drive.

• Place the blank diskette into drive A:
• From the C: prompt type the following commands...
  • CD \MAXA
  • SYS A:
  • COPY MAXTERM.EXE A:

The disk is now ready. Place it into the computer before you turn it on. Once booted, the computer will display the A: prompt. Type MAXTERM or MAXTERM 2 to begin.

The emails can be extracted and stored in a text file. From there they can be imported into any number of different mailing programs.

To isolate the names with email addresses...

• Customer list
• Press 'V' to view
• Extract emails

The names with email addresses will appear. The next step is to create an export format to save just the email address. This will only have to be done one time.

• Press 'F' for file.
• Export
• Create new Export - Call it EMAILEXP
• On the blank screen add '~r' (without the quotes) and then ESC

The format file has now been created. Now to actually export the email data...

• Press 'F' for file
• Export
• Select export
• Choose EMAILEXP.CME
• Start exporting and enter a filename
• Choose between the A: drive and C:\MAXA\EXPORT
• The file will be saved to the selected location and a .TXT will be added.

Now that the .TXT file has been created it can be opened by any number of programs like NotePad, WordPad, Excel, Word, etc... The email addresses can be copied into your email program from here.

Save the download to the C:\MAXA folder on your computer.

Get to a C:\> prompt on the computer and change to the C:\MAXA folder.

MXTRUNC listname

Replace listname with the name of the customer list you are trying to access.