Entry Forms and Fields

ENTRY FORMS AND FIELDS

In the Customer browse table, the data is added using an entry form, which pops up when adding, changing, or viewing entries. Here is an example of a entry form for a customer entry:

Entry fields

Entry forms have a variety of entry fields, which are all the different types of blanks and buttons where you can record information.

Radio button select

A radio button has multiple selections but only allows for one of the items to be selected at a time. In the example below, Inactive cannot be selected at the same time as Active or On Hold. If you select one, the other one will automatically deselect.

Date fields

All date fields work the same way throughout the program. They are dual fields, as they can be filled in by typing or using the calendar. If only the month and date are typed in, the current year will be filled in automatically.

If manually typed in, the date will automatically reformat to the M/DD/YYYY format. The program accepts dates written several different ways. Using January 31, 2016 as an example, here are a few different ways of writing the date that the program will accept:

1/31/16

01/31/16

31/1/16

310116

013116

1-31-16

Jan 31 2016

If the date of the month is a number less than 13 and therefore could represent a month or a day, the date field will take first number as the month and the second as the day. Do not press the enter key after putting in the date. Press tab or point and click to select the next box. Pressing enter will initiate a credit check on the customer.

To select the date from the calendar, click to the right of the blank. Next, click on the date you want to select and the calendar box will close with the date you selected written in the blank. You can select today’s date on the bottom left when you have the calendar open. The buttons at the top of the calendar window and to the left and right of the month and year can be used to shift the calendar to the next or previous week, month, or year. The single arrows are for weeks, the double arrows are for months, and the single arrows with a line are for years. The buttons going right take the calendar further into the future, and the buttons going left take it into the past. You can also use the arrow keys on your keyboard to navigate. The left and right arrow keys will move the date by one day, and the up and down arrow keys will move the date by one week. If you click Close on the bottom right, the currently selected date will be used. If you click the X, no change will be made to the date that was listed when you opened the calendar.

Display field

A display field shows information that cannot be changed. It is for information purposes only. Customer has a display field for the Customer Number. The number is generated by the program.

Simple entry fields

Simple entry fields either accept all kinds of characters or they require specific characters, but all have a certain length. For example, Customer Name accepts up to 30 characters. A simple entry field for a phone number could require numeric characters specific formatting, such as (###) ###-####.

Dual lookup entry fields

The Region field is examples of dual lookup entry fields.

There are a few ways to select an item in a dual lookup entry field. (1) You can type the name of the item in the blank. As you type, the program will finish the name of the first item in the alphabetical list that begins with the letters typed. If you type in letters that do not come up with any items, then the program will automatically open the window with the full list of items from which you can choose. (2) When an item is listed in the blank, you can hit the up or down arrows to change it to the next item listed alphabetically. (3) You can click to the right of the blank to manually search for the item from the full list.

Checkbox

A checkbox is a square that if clicked, displays a checkmark, and if clicked again, clears the box. Checkboxes can stand alone or be in a group. Unlike radio buttons, if there are a group of checkboxes you can check more than one because they are independent of one another. The other selections do not toggle off when you select multiple items. Here is an example from the Customer Sales Analysis Report selection form.

Dropdown

A dropdown field displays a list of selections when you click on the arrow to the right of the field. You can only select one item in a dropdown. To select you can click on the entry, type the first letter of the item, or use the up and down arrow keys to navigate the list and then press the enter or tab key.

Note Field

Print Notes is an example of a memo field.

Memo fields are used for notes. Sometimes the notes are only for information within the program, other times they can be printed with other documentation. Memo fields usually accept 400-1000 characters.