Customizing Forms (legacy)

NOTE:  This article applies to Connected 10.3 or earlier verions

Customizing the Layout of Forms

Connected's form customization feature allows a user the ability to change the look and content of forms.  The following forms can be modified:  Invoice (Cash Invoice, Credit Memo, and Debit Memo), Customer Statement, Check, Sales Quote, Sales Order, Packing Slip, Manufacture/Work Order, Customer/Vendor Labels (Avery Label #5164/5264, 5263/5963, and 5366), Shipping Label, Purchase Order, and Estimate.

Some forms require either the Inventory Control or Job Costing module to be used/customized.

You can change the layout of your form, add text fields, add form fields, draw lines and boxes, move fields, and change the font and style of print.  Customized forms can be saved and selected for printing, as required.  Connected forms are portable across different data files using the import/export feature.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• STEP 1 - Open Forms Window for Specific Module (A/R, A/P, J/C, I/C) and Select Form Type
• STEP 2 - Open Editor Window and Set Form Margins
• STEP 3 - Customize and Preview Form
  • Adding a Form Field
  • Adding Text and/or Labels to a Form
  • Adding a Line or a Box to a Form
  • Changing Fonts and Styles
  • Previewing Custom Form
  • Save Changes and Exit Window
• STEP 4 - Specify Form(s) to be Used
• STEP 5 - Exit Forms Window and Print Form(s)
• Importing/Exporting Forms

STEP 1 - Open Forms Window for Specific Module (A/R, A/P, J/C, I/C) and Select Form Type

Choose Company Setup from the File menu and choose from A/R Forms, A/P Forms, I/C Forms, or J/C Forms options, as shown in the following screen.

The following forms window will appear (A/R Forms shown below)

From the Show Forms drop down menu, choose the form type that you wish to see a list of forms for. Depending on the modules being viewed, the options will vary.

STEP 2 - Open Editor Window and Set Form Margins

To choose a specific form for customization:
Point and click to highlight the form you wish to modify, as shown in the following screen.


Once the form is highlighted, click the Customize button to open the Custom Form Editor window as show in the following screen. This window is explained in detail in the following sections.

When the Custom Form Editor is first opened, it will default to the General tab in the bottom portion of the window and shown in the screen above.  Enter the Top Margin and the Left Margin for printing. If you have defined form printing margins in the User Preferences window, a note will appear to the right of these fields indicating the value that has been entered. If nothing is entered, these values will be used.

STEP 3 - Customize and Preview Form

The following sections explain how to use some of the tools in the Forms Editor Window to customize your form.

Adding a Form Field

Form fields are those that appear in transaction windows or a related area. For example, when editing a customer invoice form, you can add fields from both the Account Invoice window and also from the Customers window.

To add a form field:

1. Click the Form Field icon in the top toolbar
2. Move your mouse pointer over the form and you will notice the pointer changes.  Click and drag the pointer where you want to add the field.  Dragging the pointer allows the field to be resized.
3. After adding the field to the form, define the field definition.  Choose the appropriate field from the Form Field list in the bottom portion of the window under the Fields tab.

After the field definition is set, click on the field to make it active for resizing and make any necessary changes. To move the field click and hold your mouse button and drag the field to the desired location.

To Delete a field, click on the field you wish to delete and press the DELETE key on your keyboard or select Cut from the Edit menu.

Adding Text and/or Labels to a Form

To add text or labels to a form:

1) Click either the Label icon or the Text icon from the window toolbar.

2) Move your mouse pointer over the form and you will notice the pointer change. Click and drag the pointer where you want to add the field.  Dragging the pointer allows the field to be resized.  The field will appear blank. Double click it to open the following text edit window.

3) Enter the desired label or text and make any formatting changes required.  Click outside the text box to close it and see the changes reflected on the form.

Adding a Line or a Box to a Form

To add a line or box to a form:

1) Click either the Line icon or the Rectangle icon from the window toolbar.

2) Move your mouse pointer over the form and you will notice the pointer change.  Click and drag the pointer where you want to add the field.  Dragging the pointer allows the line or box to be resized.

3) When the mouse button is released, the Fields tab will become active in the bottom portion of the window. Make any necessary changes to the size, color, back color, or line style

Changing Fonts and Styles

The Connected Forms Editor allows a total of eight (8) fonts for use on your forms. Six fonts are included by default and two can be selected as your custom fonts.

To specify fonts and styles of labels and fields:

1) Click on the field or label that you wish to change the font and/or style of.

2) Use the options under the Text tab, at the bottom of the screen to make the necessary changes.  The following screen shows the options available for a field or text label.

Previewing Custom Form

Before you save and begin using your customized form you can perform a test print to see if the layout matches your company requirements.  Click the Print to Screen icon and view the form on screen.  Use the Print option to send a sample to your printer. Close the window and return to the editor window.

Save Changes and Exit Window

Before exiting the Custom Form Editor you must save your changes. Click the button labeled Save in the bottom right of the window.  Once you have saved the form, click Finish to exit the editor window.

STEP 4 - Specify Form(s) to be Used

Prior to using/printing your customized forms, a selection must be made for printing use and also for PDF output/e-mail use. Connected allows a different form to be used for these two output types to allow maximum flexibility.

To specify forms for the two output types, select the form you wish to use from the For printing use and For PDF/e-mail use drop down lists as shown in the following screen.

STEP 5 - Exit Forms Window and Print Form(s)

To complete your form customization and Save the changes, click the "Finish" button to exit the Forms window.

Importing/Exporting Forms

TIP: If you are happy with a form that you have made for one company, follow the instructions below to export it so that it can be used for other Connected company files.

1) To export a form, click the Export button within the forms window and choose a destination to save the file.

2) To import a form, ensure that you are in the correct data file and then click the Import button within the forms window. The following message will appear when complete:

3) The new form will appear in the list with the date and time of the import in the Form window.