Suppress Name field - Invoice, Sales Order Layout

The complaints have rolled in on Server Version 22.7.31
It appears that after updating to this Manager version that the “Name” field has been appended to the “Item” field on Invoices and Sales Orders etc. This adds up to an Invoice / Sales Order layout using unnecessary real estate. We used to have “Item” code and “Description” only.

Can the Name field be Suppressed on Invoices, Sales Orders etc.

Invoices look like this now

Item column on Invoice way too wide now. This occurs for both Inventory and non inventory items.

You can edit inventory items to hide item names.

Horizontal column widths adjust automatically to apportion space. You will see that the layout, even with the item name showing, does not add vertical lines in your example. The space is being controlled by the line returns in your description.

Yeah, I am talking specifically about the column width for the “Item” field. (See highlighted area) and fully understand what is happening in Description Field, that behaviour has always been.

OK so if the default forms have the “hide item name on printed documents” enabled generating new Invoices will “fix” the issue so to speak on layout for invoices for customers.

  1. How can this be accomplished for all existing Inventory?
  2. Non Inventory suffers in the same way and does not have Form Defaults so it seems that the “hide item name on printed documents” will need to be done manually moving each time a non inventory item is added. Is there another way?
  3. How can this be addressed for all existing non inventory items?
  4. What was the key driver for making “Item Name” an internal field now viewable on an external document?

The guides tell differently:

If no further description of the item is entered, Item name will appear in the Description field on completed forms, such as sales invoices.

We often use item name without the need for a description. Some generic examples (not necessarily used by us) where unit name suffices: Coca Cola, Cabbage, 1" steel screws, Fluke 117 Multimeter, etc.

Yeah we do not leave any fields blank… From other post… This is how our hosted companies operate. … The item code is usually the barcode which appears on the Invoice and the Item name is for internal Lookup, not on Invoice. The Description is what appears on the Invoice / Sales Order etc.

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@compuit the case you laid out makes sense. If my memory serves me right, I believe those were the original purposes for each field and names were only displayed as a last resort just in case no other description is provided.

See practices differ and as such Manager is flexible enough to meet these differences.

from the Guide
Item code can be anything that helps find, sort, or categorize the item. This could be a stock-keeping unit (SKU) code, a model number, or a simple memory aid. It must be unique and should be short. Codes will appear on forms if they are used. Serial numbers are not acceptable item codes, because every unit of inventory would be treated as a separate product.

Item name should be a relatively brief, informative name for the inventory item. It will appear when searching for an inventory item to complete a line item. It will also appear on various management reports. If no further description of the item is entered, Item name will appear in the Description field on completed forms, such as sales invoices.

The Description field is for more comprehensive information. Its contents, if present, will appear on finished forms in place of Item name, so it should also adequately identify the item, not simply add detail. Anything a customer or supplier should see can be placed into this field.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

In the midst of still-evolving display programming and all the discussion that is generating, it is worth noting the Guide about inventory items has not been updated yet. All the quotes above reflect original purposes and uses of fields. They do not yet incorporate changes over the last few weeks.

And this will cause problems when someone new to the program sets up all their inventory as per the guides only to find out that it will not display in their invoices/receipts etc. etc. as anticipated.
Then they come to the Forum to find out they may have to update all their inventory to get a suitable layout.

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Gentlemen I am just circling back to this topic to get a response to a point made in the body of this case.

items without going in to each inventory or non inventory item and editing? Basically we want to enable this “Hide item name on printed documents” for all existing entries / items.

Hide item name

Is there some “Batch trickery” that can be done?

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Yes, for inventory items and non-inventory items.

Click on the inventory items tab, make sure all of them are in view (check bottom left), then click Batch Update → Copy to Clipboard → Paste in spreadsheet → change FALSE to TRUE for each item in column with title “HideItemNameOnPrintedDocuments”. → Select all
Copy data from a spreadsheet and paste it into the text field below in Batch Update → Click Next → Check if changes are as required and submit.

Change Paste in browser to Paste in spreadsheet :sunglasses:

Worked in test Perfectly - Going to live data now :+1:

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2 posts were split to a new topic: Missing inventory items during Batch Update