Q. I don't like all
those zeros that appear in an account which is blank. How do
I get rid of them?
A. The zeros display in empty accounts
because of the default settings in EXCEL.
Your spreadsheet controls how Easy Budget displays the
zero values. Here's how to change
it:
For Excel versions up to and including Excel 2003, (Windows)and
up to and including Excel 2005 for Apple(OfficeX):
- Click on TOOLS
- Select, OPTIONS from the drop-down list
- Click on the VIEW tab
- Locate the box labeled ZERO VALUES
- De-select (remove the check mark) from the Zero
Values box
- Click OKAY
The zeros will be gone.
For Excel 2007 only:
- Click the Windows button at the top left of the screen.
- Click on Excel Options at the bottom.
- Select Advanced on the left side of the dialog
box.
- Scroll down toward the bottom to Display Options for
This Worksheet.
- Delselect, (uncheck) "Show a zero in cells
that have zero value."
- Click OK.
The zeros will be gone.
However, we recommended that you KEEP the zero values visible
until you've completed the budget and are ready to print.
For most users, the zeros are a good reminder that
you might have to enter something in an account. Using the
above instructioins you can always remove the zeros later
when you're done with the budget.
Keep in mind that any BLUE
color indicates a place where you CAN enter a figure, and
BLACK indicates a value
that Easy Budget calculates for you (including zero values).
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Q. I can't get Easy
Budget to load at all! Every time I type in my password the
program stops and says, "Incorrect Password!" Help!
A. The password, which is the serial
number printed on the label of your original Easy Budget CD-Rom,
is "case sensitive." That is, "xx1234" is not the same
as "XX1234."
Make sure the <Numlock> key is off. Many
keyboards have a small light which indicates when the numlock
key is on. This causes a problem
if the numlock key is on and you're using the number key pad
on the right side of your keyboard.
Easy budget passwords are always in lower case.
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Q. I keep getting
this error message, "Locked or protected cells cannot be changed".
When I click on Tools
and then Unprotect, my serial number doesn't work. What's
up?
A. This really isn't an error message
at all. Your serial number is
used to open the program only, not to unlock "protected cells."
If these cells were changed,
your budget would no longer work. Fact
is, almost all areas of EASY BUDGET can be changed.
Remember to look for the text or numbers in BLUE color.
Even the major account headings can be changed. See the
instruction manual for details. (This message does not appear in
the most current versions of Easy Budget.)
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Q. I don't think my
EASY BUDGET for Feature Films is adding right! I
put in the current rate for Day Players, but instead of 4 days
times the daily rate, it gives me the weekly rate.
A. Relax, EASY BUDGET isn't adding
wrong. EASY BUDGET knows that
it's cheaper to hire a union actor
for the weekly rate if you're going to use this actor for more
than three days. It inserts
the weekly rate because it's cheaper overall than the daily
rate.
Don't forget that when you sign this actor to a contract,
make sure it's on a weekly, not a daily contract. SAG
(and other unions), won't let you change an actor (or non-actor),
from a daily to a weekly contract after you've signed
a daily contract with them.
If this actor will be a "drop and pickup," (i.e.: works a
few days at the beginning of your shoot, and then comes back
much later to finish), you should put the actor down twice.
If you don't get a waiver
from the actor and SAG, you'll have to pay the actor
for the whole period. Hummm,
might be time to adjust the shooting schedule?
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Q. The total number
of crew members is incorrect. By
my count we have 63 crew members, but EASY BUDGET says we have
only 60.
A. You need to carefully look at each
person in every account. If
you want a person to be considered as a crew member, you need
to have at least a number 1 in the "housed" column.
This is important because EASY
BUDGET makes it's calculations for crew-related costs (like
transportation, accomodations, food, per diem, etc.), based
on this information.
If you have two crew members on the same line (like Extra
Labor), make sure you put a 2 in that space instead
of 1.
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Q. I'm using Excel
2007 and Windows Vista and the toolbar doesn't look the same
as in the instruction manual.
A. The EASY BUDGET version on your
program disc for Excel2007, (or Excel 2007 running on the
Windows Vista OS) makes use of the new Windows Ribbon,
rather than the Windows toolbar. Your ribbon will look similar
to this:
The newer versions, (Budget_10.xlsm for Features and Budget_9.xlsm
for Commercials) contain the same functionality as previous versions
of EASY BUDGET. If you're using Excel 2003 for example, there's
no need to go out and buy a new version of Excel.
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Q. I'm using Excel
2007 and I see this message when I first opened EASY BUDGET.
What should I do?
A. Microsoft has added many new
features to Excel 2007 including more protection from viruses
and malware. When you first open EASY BUDGET, Excel may post
a Security Alert. Unfortunately these well-intentioned
protections can prevent EASY BUDGET from working properly.
You may see two alerts, one for Macros & ActiveX
and another labeled as Data Connection. If you see
these warnings, select Enable this Content for both
and click OK. Enabling Macros & ActiveX allows
the EASY BUDGET programming to run and enabling the Data
Connection allows EASY BUDGET to connect via the Internet
and update the most recent information to calculate foreign
currency conversion and give you access to our extensive online help.
You must enable both for EASY BUDGET to operate properly.
Open Office: Although the spreadsheet included with the Open Office
suite of programs appears to be a great program with a good future,
Easy Budget does NOT currently work with this program. We may adapt
the program to work with Open Office in the future.
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Q. How do I change
EASY BUDGET to display different currency formats?
A. The Feature Films version of EASY
BUDGET will display in the following currency formats: Dollars,
UK pounds, Euros and Yen.
Simply go to the "SPECS" page and scroll down to
the Currency selection box. Click on any of the currencies
listed and EASY BUDGET will change the curency symbols all
through the budget. Note that there are no cents with Japanese
Yen.
The Commercials and Video version only displays in dollars,
but just like the Feature Films version, it will convert from
dollars to any of several world currencies.
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Don't forget that tech support is free to registered
users of Easy Budget. You can contact via email at
(support1 at easy-budget.com),
or give us a call at our support number which was included
with your EASY BUDGET software package. Have your serial number
handy when calling - we can't help you without it. We will also
need to know which version of Excel you're using and which operating
system. Also, check the information file on your original Easy
Budget program disc for helpful hints.
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