Help:Billing-Paperwork Format Maintenance
The Storage Manager module can accommodate up to 99 individual Storage Invoice Formats in the Storage Invoice Format File (sm1d09.tps). This window titled Invoice Formats Maintenance is used to add a new invoice format, change an existing invoice format, or delete an existing invoice format. This window also has options to Clone Format, Import Format, and Export Format. Each of these options will be explained below.
[ Insert ] Press this button to open a window titled Adding an Invoice Format which enables you to add a new invoice format to the Storage Invoice Format File.
[ Change ] Press this button to open a window titled Changing an Invoice Format which enables you to change an existing invoice format in the Storage Invoice Format File.
[ Delete ] Press this button to open a window titled Removing an Invoice Format which enables you to delete an existing invoice format from the Storage Invoice Format File.
[ Clone Format ] Press this button to open a window titled Clone Invoice Format which enables you to make an exact copy of the highlighted invoice format and assign it a new Form ID Number and Description. This is the easiest way to make a copy of an existing invoice format which only needs minor modifications to fit a different purpose.
[ Import Format ] Press this button to open a window titled Import an ASCII File Format which is used to copy the contents of an existing ASCII Text File into a new report format. You will need to give this new invoice format a new Form ID Number and Description. Frequently multiple companies will use the same type of invoice format with only minor differences in the actual invoice between the companies. The Import Format and Export Format process provides the ability to transfer invoice formats between companies when you have multiple companies using our software. NOTE: This Import Format process also provides the user with a mechanism whereby you can create invoice formats using another software, such as Microsoft Word, and then import that invoice format into the IBS system.
[ Export Format ] Press this button to open a window titled Export Invoice Format to an ASCII File which is used to copy the current report format into an ASCII Text File. Frequently multiple companies will use the same type of invoice format with only minor differences in the actual invoice between the companies. The Import Format and Export Format process provides the ability to transfer invoice formats between companies when you have multiple companies using our software. Please note that the Export File Name specified on the Export Invoice Format to an ASCII File window must not already exist. This program will NOT overwrite an existing file.
NOTE: The Import/Export options will work well for importing or exporting formats to/from the same module (e.g., Storage to/from Storage or Accounts Receivable to/from Accounts Receivable). However, attempting to import/export formats between different modules (e.g., Storage to Accounts Receivable) can cause a problem since the Replacement Variables File in each module is different.
[ Close ] Press this button to close this window and return to the previous window.
[ Help ] Press this button (if available) or the F1 key to view the Help text for this window.
What Is An Invoice Format? A report is a printed representation of data which is contained in an electronic format in the computer. This invoice formatter enables you to exactly specify which data is to be included on each invoice and where it will be placed. An invoice, like anything else printed by the computer, is a report and shares the elements common to all reports.
Reports are measured by Rows and Columns. Rows go vertically up and down on the page and columns go horizontally from side to side. The transparent grid overlay (Forms Design Grid) which was shipped with the IBS software is designed to assist you in locating the exact row and column coordinate of each piece of data which you wish to include in the invoice format.
Part of the Invoice There are a few concepts about reports which need to be understood before you can begin to design an invoice format. Reports usually consist of three parts - the header, the body and the footer. These parts contain both replacement variables and controls. The replacement variables, which are two letter combinations surrounded by brackets ([]), refer to the piece of data from the file which is to be used at the pre-determined spot on the invoice. The controls, which are single letters preceded by the ampersand (&), tell which section of the invoice is to be printed at each location.
Header: This is a fixed length section which is printed at the top of each page. There is no special Control to signify the Header section. It will continue until the first Body control is encountered.
Body: This is a variable length section which consists of individual records usually from a file. The number of records which need to be printed will determine both the length of this section and whether additional pages are needed to complete the printing of these lines. The variable lines that can be printed on the invoice are from two different sources: the unpaid balances forward and the current storage charges. Each has its own set of controls and will be described separately below.
Unpaid Balances Forward: There are three controls which can be used in this section. It is used to display the unpaid invoices for this Storage Lot as of the time that the billing was processed.
&A - This signifies a Header Line which will print before the unpaid balances forward detail lines. Multiple Header Line controls signify a structure consisting of more than one line.
&B - This signifies a Variable Line which will print the Unpaid Invoices lines.
&C - This signifies a Totals Line which immediately follows the last unpaid invoices variable line. Multiple Totals Line controls signify a Totals structure consisting of more than one line.
Current Storage Charges: There are three controls which can be used in this section. It is used to display the current storage billing and description lines for this Storage Lot which were entered when the billing was processed.
&E - This signifies a Header Line which will print before the Current Storage Charges detail lines. Multiple Header Line controls signify a structure consisting of more than one line.
&V - This signifies a Variable Line which will print the current monthly storage billing detail lines. Multiple Variable Line controls signify a structure consisting of more than one line for each billing detail line encountered.
&D - This signifies the Variable Description Line which will print the free-form text lines entered during the monthly storage billing process. This shows the location of the full line.
&T - This signifies a Totals Line which immediately follows the last current storage charges variable line. Multiple Totals Line controls signify a Totals structure consisting of more than one line.
Footer: This is a fixed length section which is printed at the bottom of the last page page. There are two controls used in the Footer section.
&F - This control signifies the beginning of the fixed length Footer section which will print on the final page.
&Z - This control will force the printer to issue a Form Feed at this location. All entries below this control will be ignored. This control should be used only for individual forms or for continuous forms which are exactly 11" long. It MUST be used with Laser Printer Forms. NOTE: Standard 11 inch length forms (66 lines at 6 lines per inch) which use this control "&Z" to indicate the last printable line on the form need to have the form length set to 66 for dot-matrix printers or 59 for Laser printers.
Controls: The report formatter must be informed of the location of each of the sections on the report. This is done through the use of Controls. All of these Controls consist of an ampersand (&) followed by a letter (e.g., &Z). All Controls must start in column #1 (left margin) or they will be ignored. All of the Controls, except &Z, can have text and Data Replacement Variables following them. The control will be removed from the report display line.
Replacement Variables: The contents of the report are the various fields in the Storage Master File, A/R Master File, Customer Name File, Branch Name File, Invoice Billing Charges Detail File, and Unpaid Balances Forward Detail File. These fields are placed on the report by the use of Data Replacement Variables. Replacement variables are comprised of two-characters surrounded by brackets (e.g., [A1]). The left bracket ([) signifies the start of the variable replacement and the right bracket (]) signifies the end of the variable replacement. The minimum size for any data replacement variable is 4 and the maximum size of any variable is 60. The variables along with their exact size can be positioned on the form for you by using the Variables button.
You may use the two generic invoice formats which are included in the Storage Manager module for a sample of how an invoice is formatted.
