[18.1.11] Added "Form Defaults" section and "Custom Theme" checkbox

1

The latest version (18.1.11) introduces Form Defaults section and Custom Theme checkbox. Let me go through Form Defaults first.

Form Defaults

When you create new transaction, Manager will present you with empty form which you can start filling up. Certain fields used to have set default link which would allow you to set default starting value.

For example, you were able to set default due date.

duedate

Or whether amounts are tax inclusive.

taxinclusive

This was fine but clicking clicking on set default link would take you to another screen and you’d lose progress what you’ve entered so far. It’s not that you’d click set default often but it wasn’t exactly easy to understand what is going on. Not to mention, set default was available only on a few selected fields. A lot of fields didn’t have this option.

The latest version no longer has set default links on forms. To set default starting values, you need to go to Settings

Then

This will allow you to set default starting values for all fields. Not just selected few. This concept should put to the end whole category of feature requests related to defaults.

Custom Theme

The previous version required you to manually set custom theme using Switch Theme button after creating the transaction.

switchtheme

It turns out users didn’t like this as it required additional step.

In the latest version, to set custom theme, you will need to check Custom Theme button on transaction form, then select your custom theme.

To avoid selecting custom theme on each new transaction manually, take advantage of Form Defaults as described above. Form Defaults will allow you to set starting theme for new transactions so when new transactions are created, Custom theme checkbox will be automatically checked with your desired theme.

10 Likes
3

I see two problems immediately:

  1. All the custom theme selections that were so laboriously made, transaction by transaction, over the last several months are lost. Everything goes back to Plain, and you cannot switch without going into edit mode. We were promised that once a selection was made for a specific transaction, it would remain.

  2. You can no longer switch between themes without editing the transaction. Some themes may be created based on how they show when displayed or printed on different devices. For example, I have different themes for email/PDF and direct printing. And different printers can produce different results based on quirks of their drivers. You can no longer choose the theme based on how you will email/display/print. You have to go back and edit it. Similarly some users may have themes with different branding or looks, depending on who they are selling to or where. One will come up as default, and cannot be easily switched.

The bottom line on this is that users may have hundreds or thousands of transactions that now appear in the wrong theme.

1 Like
4

Two more problems:

You cannot see the entire form to set defaults without selecting a default customer or supplier for:

  • Sales invoices
  • Purchase invoices
  • Credit notes
  • Debit notes

After you do, you can set other default contents and then delete the customer or supplier. The other default contents remain, but the process is not the least intuitive.

Also, fields are missing on the default Payslip form.

1 Like
5

@Tut, the latest version (18.1.15) should restore custom themes previously selected on transactions. Can you test?

6

Yes, it does. I tested on multiple businesses, including one that had not previously been opened since v18.1.10, on which no default custom themes had yet been set. This resolves my item #1.

7

No default theme selection for reports ?
Can we set size of the invoice by default. I need 20 lines in every invoice to fill the space of my A4 invoice paper.

8

That is useless, it the standard with many software and I don’t think it achieves anything. The box is supposed to expand only when new lines get inserted.

9

Except for statements, reports have never been governed by themes.

10

I installed Manager in a shop of my friend, he removed manager because of this. he wanted to use key pad only to enter all the items. we can use tab key select every column but for adding new line we need to use mouse.

11

Yes, How can set default theme for statements.

12

What I mean is, you don’t need to add lines when you are not going to enter items or selects accounts and enter amounts there.

Many apps I have used will bring a big box even if you used just one line item in the invoice.
To me it doesn’t achieve anything. If you your friend will remove an accounting software not because of some function it lacks but because it doesn’t create an empty space on invoices I’m surprised. Well maybe it a legal requirement in your country or something but that totally useless to me.

13

one thing i noted is that though we can select a tax code for line items as default for sales invoice or sales quotes, etc., they do not appear selected by default on a new form.

also, a small suggestion would be to set defaults per customer/supplier. like due dates, late payment fees and other various custom fields (transporter, place of supply applicable for Indian users).

14

@sharpdrivetek the latest version (18.1.16) will copy lines from form defaults as well.

@ahmedansar check the latest version as well. You can add 20 lines to sales invoice form defaults and it will copy over when creating new invoice.

1 Like
15

Thanks Lubos,

How can change theme of Customer/Supplier statement.

16

A post was split to a new topic: Form defaults not working for Bank /Cash Accounts

17

why Start code for themes are removed from the website, not all can start themes from scratch

even custom fields are great thing to manage different business, but managing their location on print out document is unknown to me

can we have couple of themes ( invoices, quotes, orders) code to start from their, or guide us for some developers who can do so

18

all themes available on the website have been moved previously to Themes under Settings within Manager program itself. make sure you update to latest version first.

19

thanks, but am afraid of updating frequently on my main server.

will try to have development sever for testing before updating live server

20

download the free desktop version on your computer and import a copy of your business to check everything first before upgrading your live server. all editions of Manager share the same features except for multi-user capability.