CUSTOM SCREENS IN SAGE 100 (FORMERLY MAS90 & MAS200)

In a previous blog we talked about How to Create User Defined Fields (UDF’s) which are only useful if you have the ability to update those new custom fields. Custom Screens are not just for adding UDF’s but can also be used to simplify an entry screen or organize a screen in a more efficient manner.

Accessing the Customizer

There are a few different ways to access a custom screen, first we can just open the screen we want to customize and press“Ctrl” + “F9”. We can also Right Click anywhere in the panel and choose Panel Settings – Customer.

To access all custom screens go to Modules – Custom Office – Main – Customizer Selection, and choose which custom panel you want to access.

Customizer Access

Before we can view and edit a custom panel we have to create a new panel or choose which panel we want to access. We can either set a panel by user and company, or choose all user or all companies. We can also set a Group to set a panel for multiple users (to do this go to user maintenance and set a user Group, which then becomes available in this User selection list).

These options allow us to create custom panels for different users or user functions and companies. We can control access to certain data fields by using this function or restrict certain users from seeing data all together. This also allows us to create a very simple entry panel for a basic user.

Customizer

The following screen shows us all of our tools available to us when editing a custom panel.

The top section shows us what user and company we are currently working on.

The second Ann and Item section allows provides the following tools. (From top to right)

• Add External Link
• Add Fields
• Add Text
• Add Frame

Group/Undo

• Panel Header Definition
• Tab Definition
• Panel Map
• Preview Panel
• Toggle Grid On/Off
• Customizer Selection Screen
• Copy
• Save
• Delete
• Exit
• Print Panel Listing
• Help

Adding a UDF

Let’s add a UDF to our Accounts Receivable Customer screen. In a previous post we created a UDF for Delivery Frequency, this is to be used for how often the customer would like deliveries. Let’s add that to the Main tab under Customer Maintenance.

Access the Custom Panel and click on the Add and Item icon for Add Field and on the panel drag the location and general size of where you want the field to go. A window will pop up allowing us to choose the UDF we want to add here.

Now we can move the UDF and description text to the exact location and position we want.

We can double click on the text to edit the verbiage, font, color and size. We also have some edit options if we click on the UDF.

Once complete we can Save and Close the Custom Panel.

You can also add standard Sage fields from other tables by using the Show All option when selecting the field to add.

Cleaning Up an Entry Screen

In our next example let’s remove some fields we don’t use and make the entry screen easier for the end user.

Access the Custom Panel and double click on the field you want to remove. Click on the Options tab and check off Hidden.

This will only hide it to the end user but it will still show in the Customizer Screen. If you are trying to utilize that space on the panel you may want to delete the text and move the field to another location. You cannot delete or remove Sage’s standard fields.

Other Useful Tips

Here are some other use cases for the customizer to give you some ideas on what you can do.

• Change the text color or highlight text to remind the end users to enter data when requiring the field may not make sense.
• Create a very simple entry panel with only the necessary fields on one tab for users who need quick entry like users in a warehouse or data entry user.
• Create a new tab so the Main and Additional tabs are not so cluttered.
  • Or create a new tab for certain information like delivery method and frequency.
• Add data validation to make sure data is entered correctly.
• Make a field Uppercase for uniform entry.
• Add link to another module or report.

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