Box Office Xpress Junior
~ Getting Started Guide ~

Version 2.6.x
August 2008

Copyright © 1994-2008 Corporate Consultants

Welcome to Box Office Xpress Junior, a box office management and ticketing program that contains features that smaller venues crave while remaining easy to learn, which is an absolute necessity for many venues. Box Office Xpress Junior (affectionately referred to as BOX Jr) acquired its name based on its ease of use, logical and unrestricted program flow, and short learning curve. All this, combined with its considerable features, adds up to a very fast and efficient box office.

Box Office Xpress Junior has been considered by many as having the most user-friendly interface for a ticketing program. Just like the software products you can buy off the shelf, you should expect to be able to learn and operate the program with just the built-in help system combined with the sensibly designed user interface.

If you feel that there just aren't enough features in Box Office Xpress Junior to meet the needs of your particular venue, then please have a look at the regular version of the program - Box Office Xpress. Designed for any venue of any size, from theatres to stadiums and everything in between, it is a feature rich program, and also includes real-time Internet ticketing.

System Requirements
Box Office Xpress Junior is designed for recent 32-bit Windows operating systems from Windows NT4, 2000, XP and 2003. The following are the minimum requirements for the program to operate. In [square brackets] are the recommendations for a system that will run BOX Jr at a more comfortable speed. If you are buying new equipment, a current entry level system will be more than sufficient (with the appropriate amount of RAM). Please purchase high quality, brand name computers.

It is also highly recommended that all computers, especially the server, be connected to an uninterrupted Power supply (UPS).

Workstations system requirements:
·	Pentium 133 processor [Pentium 300]
·	32 MB RAM for Windows NT [64 MB] ; 64 MB RAM for Windows 2000 [128 MB] ; 256 MB RAM for Windows XP [512 MB] 
·	50 MB free disk space 

Server system requirements:
·	Pentium 200 [Pentium Pro 200 or Pentium Xeon 400, with SCSI adapter and hard drives]
·	64 MB RAM for Windows NT ; 128 MB RAM for Windows 2000 ; 256 MB RAM for Windows XP [512 MB] 
·	Minimum 100 MB free disk space for a small venue
·	Networking requirements are minimal, other than they must be operating at a speed of at least 100mb. Microsoft networking (included with Windows) is usually sufficient, depending upon the number of users that it supports adequately. Networks should be 32 bit and must support long file names (all are these days). Make certain that the clocks on each computer on the network are synchronized.
·	A backup device ... tape, removable disk, external drive, or CD/DVD.

General system requirements:
·	Thermal Printer, if you are using that type of ticket stock. All common models from Boca and Practical Automation are supported. The Epson TM-T88III thermal receipt printer is also supported for paper tickets.
•	Dot matrix printer (24 pin with Tear Off and Load/Park features recommended). Color printing, although slower, is supported but not necessary. If you are using the dot matrix ticket forms. Dot matrix printers usually take 11 to 17 seconds on average to print a ticket. Due to the weight of the ticket stock, make sure there is a noticeable gap between the printer roller and what some printers call the pull-up roller unit (a type of guide that the paper travels past after it has been printed on) in order to prevent tearing at the perforations. On some printers, this unit is removable.
·	Reports can be done on most any type of letter size printer.
•	An Internet connection for at least one computer on the network is highly recommended.
•	Internet Explorer 4.01 SP2 or greater with Microsoft HTML Help (installed by current versions of Windows) is required to view this Help System. Internet Explorer 6, if required, is included on the CD.

Intended Audience
The users of this program should have a general understanding of Windows, primarily in the effect a mouse has on various types of controls on the screen.
At least one person within the organization should be fairly computer literate regarding advanced computer functions such as diagnosing computer problems, operating Windows' System Tools programs, manipulating files with Windows Explorer, downloading files from the Internet, performing backups, using a zipping utility and, if necessary, setting up and maintaining a computer network.

Installation

Windows NT4 Users:  You will need Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 SP2 or later installed on your computer in order to view the Help System. Internet Explorer 6 is located on the CD or can be downloaded from the Microsoft web site.

From CD
The installation program can be launched from the CD's installation application or you can locate and run the setup.exe file in the BOX Jr folder on the CD.

From Download
Double-click on the file that you downloaded.

Important: You will be presented with two installation options. Use the Server installation for the server or stand-alone computer, and the Workstation installation for any Workstations on the network.

Updates
Minor program updates can be downloaded from the website ...
boxofficexpress.com/index_boxjr_update.htm

It is recommended that you periodically check the website for updates. It is important to read the information on the web site to confirm if you are eligable to receive the updates. Otherwise, if you download and install an update that is intended for a more recent moderate or major upgrade that you have not purchased, data loss may occur and your program may not function.

Starting the Program
To start the program, double click on the Box Office Xpress Jr icon, which is located in the Box Office Xpress Jr group that was created when you installed the program. It may be more practical to have the program start when you turn on your computer. If this is the case, then copy the Box Office Xpress Jr icon from the Box Office Xpress Jr group to the StartUp program group in the Programs folder on the Windows Start menu.

The first time you run the program you may see a message stating that a user code has been assigned to get you started. Please make note of the user code. 

Registration Screen
When you start Box Office Xpress Junior for the first time, you will be presented with a Registration screen. If you have registered the program, then enter your registration number in this screen, along with at least your company name and administration phone number. If you have not registered, then just enter at least your company name so that the information can be properly printed on the tickets. Once you are satisifed that you like the program and wish to continue using it then please register the program. Additional information can be found in the Help System and on the Box Office Xpress web site.

Getting Started
There are certain things that must be done before you can start selling tickets. Some are obvious ... you need to list performances, establish pricing, and so on. Some are not so obvious ... you need to establish user codes, merge the performances with the seating grids, etc. Although the list of things to do may seem a little overwhelming, many of them only need to be done once, while others you would probably do about once a year. But more importantly, thanks to the automated characteristics of Box Office Xpress Junior, they are easy to do!

Another thing to be decided is who should learn what. The program is divided into two main areas ... the Configuration screen and the Order screen. The program administrator (the key person responsible for Box Office Xpress Junior) needs to learn all aspects of the program while the people selling tickets only need to concern themselves with aspects of the Order screen. The program administrator will typically be the person who sets up the season within the program. The other users will be the people who sell tickets. With User Codes, you can then restrict access to the two main segments of this program accordingly.

Step-By-Step Procedures
There is a window that can be accessed from the Help menu of the Configuration screen titled Step-By-Step Procedures. This window lists all the steps you need to take, to set up your theatre and your season. This window also has functions that help you with the various procedures by opening up the appropriate windows you need to work on. It will also keep track of what you have accomplished.

Also very important is the Help System, which can be accessed by pushing the <F1> key on your keyboard or by clicking the Help buttons (if available).

Summary of What To Do
1.	Install the program. Refer to the guidelines, above, for which method to use.
2.	Read the Read Me First document.
3.	Open the BOX Jr Help file by clicking on its icon in the Box Office Xpress section of the Windows Start menu, and read the Please Read This section.
4.	Run the program by clicking on the Box Office Xpress Jr icon in the Box Office Xpress Jr section of the Windows Start menu.
5.	Make note of the user code that the program has assigned you (likely “123”).
6.	Complete the Registration Information and click Done. (click the Help button, if needed).
7.	From the Title screen (blue “Box Office Xpress Junior” window), click on the Configuration Screen button.
8.	From the Help menu, select Step-By-Step Procedures.
9.	Don’t forget about the Help System ... <F1> key, Help buttons and Help menu.

Top 3 Problems
For up-to-date information, please visit the Box Office Xpress website (BoxOfficeXpress.com) ... Click on the "Contact Us" link ... And then click on the link for the "top 3 most common support questions (registration, password, ticket printing)".

Registering Box Office Xpress Junior
If you have not yet registered the program, you may do so by contacting Corporate Consultants. Pricing as well as information on technical Support plans and annual subscriptions can be found on the Box Office Xpress web site.

Corporate Consultants
Phone:	416-848-8854
E-mail:	contact.us@boxofficexpress.com
(Note: If this e-mail no longer works, refer to the "Contact Us" section of the website)
Web:	BoxOfficeXpress.com