From my point of view I don’t have problems with custom reports, except nowhere documented fields and need to try different scenarios before pin point the needed one. But little exaggerated? Ooook. Just look this thread and threads about custom reports from introduction. Same thing as themes. Lack of documentation.
@Davide - in your example for me - where you have included “Where General Ledger Account”, how is anyone supposed to know that you have to also enter “Isnotchecked” ??
What is not checked?
In a double entry accounting system, all transactions are recorded in the general ledger twice. Each component being in a specific account in the general ledge, and the account has specific features. Possibilities include (but Lubos could expose others):
- Profit and loss Account
- Cash at bank
- Cash on hand
- Accounts receivable
- Accounts payable
- Inventory on hand
- Employee clearing account
- Control account for capital account
- Control account for special account
- Control account for fix Assets
- Control account for fix Assets Accumulated Depreciation
- Control Account for intangible assets
- Control Account for intangible assets Accumulated Amortization
- Has customers
For each half of the double entry in the general ledger each of the above conditions will be true or false. Manager’s custom report generator has the ability to test for each of these conditions. For example if you are looking for something which is in the profit and loss section then use the test
Where IsProfitAndLoss is Checked
Conversely if your are looking for general ledge entries from the Balance sheet side use the test
Where IsProfitAndLoss is Not Checked
Other characteristics of the transaction can be tested by other “Where…” tests. For example in a report about your customers, try starting with
Where... Customer is not empty
Sort... By Customer
Group ... By Customer
Will produce a list of all transactions for each customer. Filter this list further to display the specific feature you want to extract for this customer report.
The same approach can be used for Supplier, Payer, Employee, Inventory items, Inventory kit, Inventory location, Non inventory item, etc.
You are correct though, it does take some experimenting to get what you want, which is why it is best to
- Initially Select (show) more fields (data) than you will need in the final report
- Experiment with filtering (Where…) to get just the entries you want
- Then delete the fields (shown as columns) you do not need to show in the final report
- And collapse fields only after you have checked you have actually found what you want to find.
Edit
Updated list of General ledger account tests currently available
1 Like
@Patch described everything perfectly. How should you know? Just using logic and experimenting.
I’m not the author nor the programmer of Manager nor I am a programmer. I have some notions of SQL from my university studies… nothing more.
I’m just trying to help you to start using this new functionality. The alternative is hiring a more expert technician and pay to get the job done.
1 Like
You forgot IsInventoryOnHand.
Basically General Ledger Account in Custom Reports is the core of the reporting tools. Everything rotate around GLT.
Maybe, and hopefully, once everything inside CR will be more definited and definitive everything will be well documented.
What I find very strange is that everything is complaining on an add-on feature that is for “advanced” users.
I better complain on the fact that we still cannot create custom reports on fields not linked to a GLA.
If I understand your point correctly, there was no personal attack - but a reference.
That reference was related to the FACT that the referred to user themselves had repeatedly made “the referenced statement” in many other posts.
It is not a “this or that”, when a forum contributor repeatedly puts up false, inaccurate and misleading information, then they themselves are putting them self up for criticism.
Maybe they will. Like custom themes are, or not.
“Advanced” ? How reporting in accounting program can be even considered “advanced”. In accounting 50% of work is about presentation of documents (themes) and reporting various data in various ways (reports). And when something is essential it cannot be considered advanced or if it is than should be very well documented in every stage of development. For both things it appears as we are asking for rocket science or source code of program,
Essential Standard Reporting is still there. If someone cannot achieve to create on his own a Custom Report, he should hire someone who can help him.
You cannot pretend to have a TCO near to zero without the proper skills to edit a a theme (with a basic markup language similar to HTML) or create a report (with a graphic interface).
Let us be clear. There is no reason you need to change any theme to obtain any accounting result in Manager. Every function is available with the built-in, default theme. Custom themes are only about appearance, that is, about your preferences for colors or layout. Manager would be a completely functional accounting program with no options for themes at all.
Further, all standard financial statements are available as built-in reports with one possible exception. These are:
- Balance sheet
- Profit and loss statement
- Statement of changes in equity
- Cash flow statement
The possible exception is that some users will claim the Receipts & Payments Summary does not meet their expectations for a cash flow statement. But this is a matter of opinion and local practice, primarily related to formatting. The report does an adequate job of detailing incoming and outgoing cash flows for most businesses as long as the chart of accounts is properly defined.
If you think 50% of accounting lies in document and report design, half your work is already done for you with Manager.
No, and I have separate thread, and also many other users. One that comes right a way on my mind. Invoicing. No building invoice is appropriate to our TAX authorities. And you do not understand at all. If you have some feature, it should be explained, documented and free to comment. Over and Over again you cannot simply understand that not all business want plain and sterile themes for documents it issues. Is there solution in Manager. Yes. Is it advertised. Yes. Can anyone use it. NO. Fact.
If for your understanding of business and finansial reporting above reports are all that it is needed, than OK. I dont agree, and also accounting stuf in my company, and also TAX authorities in my country if I say to them this is it, everything else is “advanced”.
In a not adequate look and fell for many users, and that is why the forum is full with requests for custom theme design and custom reports how to. I know that Lubos cannot imagine every possible need, but that is why he had in mind I suppose custom themes and reports. The concept is great, just not documented to the level user will use it without harsh. But, your attitude towards questions for BUILD IN option especially custom themes for various documents is just as Davide put it several post above “… this phobia towards Custom Themes is incomprehensible”. This was and still is my problem with your almost copy/paste answer “This is not programming forum”. If you dont want to participate don’t, if you dont want to share don’t, if you don’t want to read that kind of stuff don’t, or open programming subforum.
I realy don’t know if I am speaking Swahili or English. I never, never ever said that without knowledge you can do everything. But even if you do (and it is not just HTML, it is Liquid (a derivative without all liquid functions), and also CSS), you cannot do it easy. Why. No documentation, no guidelines that are needed. Why I know this. Because of hours spend with just proper HTML/Liquid/CSS code that simply doesn’t work, or if works don’t display right. Than search forum and ask, getting “this is not programming forum” and crossing fingers for Lubos to see the question and give answer (ex. that Liquid function/filter is not yet implemented, or PDF don’t work well with DIVs and CSS positioning Better use tables). So plain and simple when there is no documentation of needed programming references, endpoints, exposed tables and fields, asking questions should be allowed. To be fair go here https://www.manager.io/features/ And tell me where it says you need to hire someone to do advertised features.
p.s.Looking forward for promised kind of WYSIWYG themes designer.
As I said, this is about your preferences for how a document looks, not accounting requirements or functions. If you want a beautiful business brochure, do you complain that your accounting program will not produce it? No, you hire an artist and engage a printing shop. If you need competent legal advice, do you complain your accounting program will not give it to you? No, you hire a lawyer. But for some reason, you expect your accounting program or its developer to design invoice forms for you. Instead, he has provided the ability for you to do the work yourself or hire someone who can. He provides just enough documentation of the features to point a programmer in the right direction, but not enough to create the mistaken impression that any novice can do the job.
This was not my decision. The developer does not want this to be a programming forum. You can complain to me if you want, but it will do no good. I cannot open a programming subforum. I can only moderate this one. You should consider why the developer almost never responds to programming questions. He does not want this forum to become a coding resource. But he does read the forum. Ask a question about getting your server edition running and he will usually answer quickly. He spends his time on accounting development, not graphics capabilities.
You in the lack of argument are using strowman. Nowhere in program features there are brochure, legal, or similar advertised features. So that is why I would never ask for them. And NO I don’t expect developer of accounting program do design invoice for me (I have graphics designer for that, and web developer, me, for codding). Please point where I said that, or stop putting false assumptions in my mouth. I only ask for references, documentation for doing it my self.
-“HE provides just enough documentation” ? Where? If that is corect why are so many threads not from novices, but from members that is obvious that have good programming background.
-“to point the programmer in right direction”? Documentation on advertised feature is given or not. Full or no doc. There is no such thing as “enough” or “right direction”. And that the programmer should play trial and error with all undocumented and unimplemented functions, filters, methods, endpoints, fields, etc…
Nobody is asking for documentation of HTML or CSS or even Liquid (even though Liquid is not fully implemented and there is problem also). With my 25 years in programming I am not novice, but still like many others here have troubles doing things right, because of no proper documentation. But because you are probably no programmer you cannot understand what I and several other members with programming knowledge are talking about.
If it is his decision (which I don’t get such impression) than he should 1. stop offering themes and reports as part of program, or 2. Offer adequate documentation for both. But I never saw that he replays with this is not programming forum. On direct mentions he has responded so far, as he can. “This is not programming forum” is your favorite quote. Also I don’t see really why users cannot share themes, good practices, hidden features they found, etc… when there is again no official docs or repository for that.
Everyone is free to voice their opinions but if you feel that Manager does not meet your expectations in terms of documentation, features or support then you have the complete freedom to stop using it and move to a different package.
Complaining about the support and lack of documentation for a package that offers a free service or a very reasonable price for the paying versions seems unduly harsh. In particular the support provided on this forum is given freely without payment by users.
The features provided by Manager are appreciated by many users and, imho, match many of the features offered by other more costly solutions by larger software companies
You can always vote with your feet and take your business elsewhere.
I rest my case, cause seems nobody understands my point of view.
Or I will put it like this. If you are satisfied with what is offered as is (even paying for it), and keep calm that’s your way, Not mine. Every good free software become great only through community, not with keeping quiet and shutting somebody that just ask what is advertised.
1 Like
That’s great advice except that for the last 3 or so years the GL transaction report has given me everything I needed to put into a spreadsheet allowing me to produce any report I required.
From when I started using Manager we have been told ‘copy/export’ to excel/spreadsheet and go from there. I could live with that, no problems, as I was getting all the information needed.
Now the GL transaction report does not provide me with essential information, my macros etc. in excel I developed are useless, I cannot provide information to others at a glance, and we have to make do with an incomplete and inadequate ‘custom report’.
No matter which which way it goes, it makes no sense to break the working report when the alternative does not do the job or is incomplete.
Why not leave the existing reports as they were for those of us that have come to rely on them, and implement the custom reports totally separately for those that want them (those that cannot or are too lazy to use the copy and paste to excel that has been the ADVISED AND ACCEPTED STANDARD for so long)?
The other paid programs I have used have all offered built in standard reports with filters available. The filters do not break the standard report, they merely enable the user to customise it to suit their needs. The built in basic/standard report always stays the same.
I agree the documentation has scope for improvement. A good start is the the heading of this thread
- Community generated examples
This applies to all forms of “customisation” including useful COA layout.
I agree the programming interface could be better documented. It is never going to be excellent as it is developing and provides a window into changing underlying code.
I Would start with a fully expanded list for parameters in the custom reports. Going in and out of the menu structure is hard way of finding the variable you are looking for.
Edit: perhaps a computer generated guide showing all the variables would be achievable.
More advanced programming guides maybe available later, or community generated may happen first. A better index of community documentation would be useful.
While the programming interface is being developed it is very unlikely to be better documented. The community would whinge too much if it was changed / improved.
I suspect it is also difficult to explain to users with no understanding of programming why they are having problems customising Manager.
Unfortunately customisation of accounting software is difficult as it requires some knowledge / willingness to work both in accounting and basic computer programming.
I suspect this will be the long term solution. That way Mods can just move miss placed posts to Managers customization forum. Users who are willing to help can offer support and the rest of the community can ignore it.
I agree that this is the solution.