Tips and Tricks

Many of the basic units of information in e-automate, like contacts, items, and employees, can be categorized as either Active or Inactive. On the information window for such items, there is a check box labeled Active . If this box is checked, the item is considered active and can be used in the activities. If the box is not checked, the item is considered inactive and will not show up unless you tell the list window to search for inactive items.

When you are entering information in e-automate fields that allow you to enter multiple lines of information, you can tell e-automate to start a new line by using the keyboard combination of Ctrl + enter. When you use this combination of keys, e-automate starts a new line without attempting to save your record. Some examples of these fields are address on the customer record, address on the vendor record, address on contacts, all remarks fields, etc.

For the benefit of beta testers, some topics include documentation of beta functionality.

If the entire topic addresses beta functionality, which is not available on the general release, the system lists below the title: "This topic is a beta topic."  If only parts of the topic address beta functionality, the system lists below the title: "This topic contains beta content."  The parts of the topic that address beta functionality are highlighted in light gray to distinguish functionality that is not yet available in the general release from functionality that is available in the general release.

The beta content pertains only to individuals who are beta testing this functionality. If you are not one of the beta testers, the beta functionality addressed in these topic is not available in the version of the software you are using.

There is a calculator feature within e-automate that allows you to perform normal calculating functions (i.e. add, subtract, multiply, and divide) without needing to open another computer application. In fields where you need to calculate a figure, you can click the calculator icon button and a working calculator will appear on your screen. You can use the actual number keys on your keyboard, or your mouse, to navigate on the calculator. When you click the equals [=] sign, or press the Enter key, the total will be populated into the field in which you are calculating.

Clicking [Cancel] on any activity window in e-automate closes the window without saving any of the information to the database. The same thing can be accomplished by clicking the [X] in the upper right-hand corner of the window. However, clicking [Cancel] during a service call is different from the regular function. For the service call cancellation, you can select a reason; e-automate then stores the cancellation reason.

When you click a date field's calendar icon , e-automate displays a calendar from which you can select a date to display in the field. You can select the date by pointing and clicking your mouse on the date. When the date window is open, you can click on the month to see a list of months from which to select, or you can click on the year to see a control for increasing or decreasing the year.

If you already know the date you want to enter in the date field, you can click in the date field and type in the date. To move the cursor between the month, day, and year, you can use the keyboard arrow keys, the period [.] key on the numeric keypad or the main keyboard, or the forward slash [/] key on the numeric keypad or the main keyboard.

To make selecting the date even easier, you can place your cursor in the month, day, or year portion of the date, and use the plus [+] and minus [-] keys on the numeric keypad to incrementally increase or decrease, respectively, the number in the portion of the field you selected.

Likewise, when entering a time, you can place your cursor in the hour or minute portion of the time, and use the plus [+] and minus [-] keys on the numeric keypad to incrementally increase or decrease, respectively, the number in the portion of the field you selected. You can place your cursor in the AM/PM portion of the time, and use the plus [+] and minus [-] keys on the numeric keypad to toggle between AM and PM.

If you need to enter a PM time (e.g. 1:50 PM) in a field displaying an AM time by default (e.g., 11:50 AM), you can save a step by entering the hour portion of the time in military time (e.g., enter 13 in the hour portion of the time).



The system will instantly change the time from military time to standard time, (e.g., changing the hour from 11 to 1 and selecting PM).

There are fields in e-automate named Req. by or Due by that includes a checkbox next to the given date. These fields can default to dates specified by how you configure the system when it is set up. If you place a check in the box, this means that there has been a date set by which you need the item, such as having items on a sales order sent to a customer by a certain date. It is a way for you to place specific urgency on orders depending on the customer's needs.

E-automate's Easy Guide is a tool for navigating the basic business flows within each of the e-automate modules. This tool gives you convenient, quick access to various areas of the system.

To use the Easy Guide, do the following:

From the Tools menu, select Easy Guide.  The Easy Guide displays in a panel on the left side of the main e-automate window.
Note: If a check mark appears to the left of Easy Guide in the Tools menu, the system is already displaying the Easy Guide.

Select a module (e.g., Inventory) from the bottom of the Easy Guide. For the module you select, the system displays:

One or more basic business flow diagrams (e.g., for Inventory, the system displays a Transfers and a Physical Inventory basic business flow diagram).

A set of links to commonly used tasks and reports (e.g., for Inventory, the system displays a list of links beginning with the Inventory valuation report).

A set of links to commonly used list windows in that area of the system (e.g., for Inventory, the system displays a list of links beginning with Items for accessing the Items list window).

To navigate to any of the e-automate processes listed for the selected module, click any of the icons in the business flow diagrams and/or any of the links listed below the diagrams.
Note: The Easy Guide is designed to display common business flows within each module of the system, but it is not meant to provide a comprehensive collection of all business flows you may use. While you can click the icons within any of the business flow diagrams to follow the basic processes in e-automate, you may need to adjust the sequence within any given business flow diagram as well as use other business flows to accommodate your business needs.

To close the Easy Guide, do one of the following:

From the Tools menu, select Easy Guide to remove the check mark that appears to the left of this option in the Tools menu.

Click the Close icon in the top right corner of the Easy Guide.

Fast detail navigation buttons are [Previous], [Next], and [Add] that appear in various transaction detail windows throughout e-automate. Fast detail navigation buttons are available on sales orders, sales invoices, sales credit memos, RMA orders, RTV orders, purchase orders, and PO receipts. These buttons allow you faster navigation from detail screen to detail screen among the different items on transactions.

To view the details for a specific item without fast detail navigation, you would have to open the detail screen for the item, then close the detail window and select a different item to view the details. You can also use the fast detail navigation to quickly select or enter serial numbers on purchase order receipts.

Keyboard shortcuts also enable fast detail navigation. Once you have a detail window open, a purchase order receipt for example, you can use the keystroke combination, Ctrl + right arrow to move to the next item on the purchase order receipt. This combination of keys moves you to the next detail window with the serial number field selected (if any) to save you time in entering serial numbers. You can also use Ctrl + left arrow to navigate up the list. To open the menu in a lookup field, use Ctrl + M, and to open a new window in e-automate, use f5 or Ctrl + N.

You can use filter macros to create lists that have relative date references. Instead of modifying the dates on your saved QuickSearch, you can use the new filter macros to save dynamic date ranges. To do this, you use the date column and the is in the range operator. In the displayed fields you can right-click and access the dynamic date filtering options. Additional options are available in fields other than the date field.
Note: You only have access to this function when using the is in the range operator.

You will see fields and buttons in e-automate that are unavailable. Usually, a field or button that is unavailable simply means that, according to the choices you have already made within the activity, this function is not applicable to the operation you are carrying out. There are, however, some fields that are permanently unavailable. These fields display useful information for the activity you are in.

Microsoft maintains lists of keyboard shortcuts specific to different versions of Windows (see keyboard shortcuts), and many of Microsoft's keyboard shortcuts have the same functionality in e-automate. The following table lists keyboard shortcuts that are commonly used in e-automate and/or that have custom functionality specific to e-automate.

The User Properties window in e-admin offers you the option to require a password change at the next e-automate login, and after a designated number of days. Administrators can also require uses to identify a strong password. A strong password contains three of the four following categories, uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and selected symbols.

When you upgrade from a prior version of e-automate, the system automatically sets the system to use a strong password for all users. If you do not want to force your employees to change their passwords to strong passwords, you can modify the system option prior to the first time you allow users to begin logging into e-automate.

E-automate's lookup feature includes an entry field, a magnifying glass icon, and—in some cases—a drop-down menu that may provide options for managing and/or narrowing the scope of the items available for selection via the lookup.

Entry fields associated with a list of values from which you can select (e.g., inventory items, vendors, customers, sales orders, purchasers) typically include these lookup features.  To use the lookup, you can do any of the following:

Click the lookup (magnifying glass) icon to display a list of items from which to select and then select the item from the list to populate the field with which the lookup is associated.
Note: As an alternative to clicking the lookup icon, you can also access the lookup table by clicking [F4], the keyboard down arrow [↓], or the numeric keypad's down arrow [↓].

If the entry field contains a drop-down menu icon , do any of the following:

You may also have options to apply a filter to the lookup or to remove a filter from the lookup.  When the lookup is not being filtered, no check mark appears below the magnifying glass on the lookup icon .  When the lookup is being filtered, a check mark appears below the magnifying glass on the lookup icon . Using a filter can help you locate the item you want to select more quickly and/or assist in preventing you from selecting an item that might normally be available via this lookup but might not normally apply to this field.  On occasion, you may need to remove a filter to locate a value you need to select.  To remove a filter, click the drop-down menu icon and select No filter.  After adjusting filter settings as necessary, select the item from the list to populate the field with which the lookup is associated.
Note: To see what filter is being applied, two options are available: 1) click the drop-down menu icon, select Filter, and see what filter option is highlighted in the drop-down menu; or 2) position the cursor over the lookup icon to have the system identify the filter that is currently being applied.

If you do not see the item you need to select and you are viewing the list without a filter being applied, you may have drop-down menu options (security permitting) to add and/or edit items from which to select.  Using these options, you can manage items in the list and then use the lookup to select a new or updated item to populate the field with which the lookup is associated.

You can just start typing in the entry field containing the lookup. As you type, e-automate compares the values you enter with the values in one or more fields contained within the field's lookup and selectively reduces the options to display.  To illustrate how this functionality works, suppose you are looking for a contact named "Andy Taylor" and your lookup table includes the following entries:
Contact number: AT01, Name: Andy Taylor,... Email: ataylor@mayberry.gov
Contact number: BF01, Name: Barney Fife,... Email: bfife@mayberry.gov

If you type in the entry field without clicking the lookup icon and the value you type matches the beginning of any item in a field included in the lookup comparison (typically, the code/number and name fields, such as Contact number and Name for a Contact field lookup), the system displays on a yellow background above the entry field the first matching item found.  Using the above example, if you type at in the Contact entry field and the first match the system finds is on Contact number AT01 or you type an and the first match the system finds is on Name Andy Taylor , the system will display the AT01 - Andy Taylor ... ataylor@mayberry.gov record on a yellow background above the Contact entry field. To select the match displayed above the entry field, click the Tab key on your keyboard.  If the match displayed is not the match you want, you can continue typing in the entry field to further identify the item you want to select for this field.

If you type in the entry field without clicking the lookup icon and the value you type does not match the beginning of any item in a field included in the lookup comparison, the system displays the value you entered on a red background above the entry field.
Note: While the red background indicates e-automate did not find any matches based on comparing the value you typed with the beginning of any item in any field included in the lookup comparison, the value you typed may still be included within one of the fields included in the lookup comparison and/or in a field not included in the lookup comparison.  In this event, use the lookup icon in conjunction with the value you typed in the entry field to see if the system located any matches not displayed when using the entry field separate from the lookup icon. Using the above example, if you typed Taylor in the Contact entry field, the system would not find Andy Taylor because neither the Contact number nor the contact Name field begin with Taylor.  Additionally, if you typed ataylor in the entry field, the system would not find Andy Taylor based on the Email field's beginning with ataylor because the system does not use the Email field for this comparison.

If you type in the entry field and then click the lookup icon, the system displays only items where the value you typed is contained in any field in the lookup (including fields not used in the lookup comparison; access the lookup to see the columns the lookup table includes). Using the above example, if you typed Taylor or ataylor in the entry field, the lookup table would display the Andy Taylor record from which to select but would not display the Barney Fife record. If you typed mayberry, the lookup table would display both the Andy Taylor and Barney Fife records from which to select.

Messages are internal communications associated with transactions. Once a message is created, your system administrator can configure the messages to display by popping open a window displaying the message. If the message is configured not to display by popping open, a cursor on the transaction blinks until the message is flagged as read. If the user does not read the message and clicks [OK], e-automate displays a message telling the user there are unread messages and asks if the user would like to read them.

There are two types of messages that the user can create for a customer. They are the Sales message or the Service message. Customer sales messages are triggered to display when you are performing a sales transaction and the associated customer is selected. Customer service messages are configured to display when you select the customer in service call transactions. You can also create equipment sales and service messages. These messages work similarly except that the user must identify the equipment on the transaction for the message to display.

Also available are exclusive sales order messages that are entered on the Messages tab of a sales order. Sales order messages display when you ship or fulfill the sales order with which the message is associated. Purchase orders also offer messages which are entered on the Messages tab when entering a purchase order. Purchase order messages display each time you create a receipt associated with the purchase order to which the message is attached. Sales order and purchase order messages display for all transactions related to the sales order or the purchase order. Customer sales and service, and equipment sales and service messages can be configured to show only once, show until a specific date, or show indefinitely.

In a variety of locations throughout e-automate you will see the More Info button . You use the More Info button to display more information about the component which you are currently viewing. When you click on the icon, e-automate displays the More Information window with a field labeled Available Lists. You use the  Available Lists field's drop-down menu to display the different lists available for the current window. Depending on where in the system you are working, you can see a variety of valuable information connected to the area which you are viewing.

Also available in the More Information windows are icons that allow you to act on displayed values in the lists. In some cases you can edit, view, export, refresh, or create notes for the activity you are working with. You can also use the QuickSearch functionality to narrow the list when looking for specific information. In some cases you can use the right-click functionality to view additional information from the list window.

Notes are internal communications stored in e-automate in conjunction with e-automate transactions. When entering notes, you identify a note type (set up by your administrator) and then record your note. You can record single line notes, or you can open the Add window and either record or paste long notes into the window. When a note is added, e-automate identifies the user who entered the note by their User ID and the date and time the note was entered. You can use the QuickSearch drop-down menu to search for specific notes inside the Notes window. Two new search parameters have been added to the QuickSearch column. Has primary note allows you to determine if the e-automate entity has an existing primary note, and User notes count allows you to see how many user notes have been associated with the entity. You use the Primary note as a single field to record persistent, non-dated notes. You can print notes for your internal use, meant only for internal communication. You access notes from most list windows in e-automate by selecting the component with which you want to associate a note and then clicking the  Notes icon. You can also access notes inside many of the transaction windows in e-automate by clicking the  Notes icon.  Additionally, on the transaction windows, the system uses a  (blank pages) Notes icon if a primary note does not exist (even if one or more secondary notes do exist) and uses a  (pages with text) Notes icon if a primary note does exist—making it possible to tell from the Notes icon if a primary note exists before clicking the icon to access the Notes window.

There are times in the e-automate process that numbers must be entered and displayed as negative numbers. When a number is displayed as a negative number, it will have parentheses around it, for example, $-320 will look like $(320).

Most of the activity windows in e-automate require a number to be associated with the document/transaction you are creating. Often, the system will default the Number: field to (Next). This means that if you don't change (Next) to something else, the system will generate the next number in the sequence for a number for the transaction for you.

When you are creating new records or adding items to a list, you will notice that there are buttons labeled [OK] and [Apply] at the bottom of the window. The benefit of having both of these buttons is that if you click the [OK] button, the information you have entered will be saved to the system and the window you are working in will close.

If you click the [Apply] button, the information will be saved to the system and the window will remain open and the fields cleared so that you can complete another activity in the same window.

When working in e-automate, you will see various methods of payment, which include cash, check, credit card, and wire. You can use the Method field's drop-down menu to select the appropriate payment method. The payment method you select determines the additional fields the system display for you to use to enter the appropriate information.

If you select Cash, you will only need to enter the amount of cash paid.

If you select Check , you must enter the check number and check date.

If you select Credit Card, you must enter the credit card number and expiration date.

Finally, if you select Wire, you must enter the reference number and the fee for the transfer.

Another feature in e-automate is the Pencil (Edit) button. This is found in the Bill to, Ship to, and Order From tabs, as well as other areas in the system. By clicking on the Pencil button, you can edit the customer location information for this particular instance or permanently, whichever best fits your needs.

You can right-click to view General Ledger entries from any of the following lists:

Sales Invoices

Service Invoices

Contract Invoices

Contract Accruals

Purchase Receipts and Returns

Vendor Return Shipment and Deliveries

Cashbook Transactions

Fixed Asset Transactions

When working in different sections of e-automate, you will encounter two types of Add buttons, [QuickAdd] and [Add]. Typically they are displayed together; however, there are instances when you may only see one. The button labeled [QuickAdd] allows you to identify an item and a quantity and to add the item at the specified quantity to the transaction. This makes it possible to place many items on a transaction quickly without the need of additional windows.

The [Add] button allows you to bring up an Add window in which you are able to select more details associated with the item, as well as to edit various aspects of the item such as charges, the number backordered, or warehouse and bin information. You can also view the details of the item you are selecting.

Many of e-automate's list windows and report parameters windows as well as many of e-agent's report parameters windows offer QuickSearch functionality. You use the QuickSearch feature to quickly locate data based on selecting and running a set of search criteria referred to as a search.  You can define your own searches and/or select from the system's predefined searches.  You can save for future use the searches you define.  You can also define a new search based on a copy of an existing search.

Once you apply a search, you can sort and/or export the search results.

When finished, you can clear the search results in preparation for performing another search.  You can also delete any of the searches you defined if you no longer need them.

The QuickSearch functionality works slightly differently in e-automate and e-agent (On Premise). For more information, see Using the QuickSearch and Using the E-agent QuickSearch (On Premise), respectively.

Located on several e-automate windows is a tab labeled Remarks. Clicking this tab reveals a space in which you can enter comments about the specific activity. The text you enter will be saved and will remain associated with whatever you are creating. Later, when you call up the item you created to edit it, the remarks will still be there and will be editable. Remarks entered in e-automate are usually printed or displayed in a location that customers can see.

The following transactions have remarks that can print on customer and vendor communications:

Sales Quotes

Sales Orders

Sales Invoices

Purchase Orders

Service Contracts (external remarks)

Service Invoices (enabled by the administrator)

On all of the activity windows in e-automate, there are fields that must be filled in before you can save or complete the activity. These required fields have been set apart from non-required fields by having an asterisk (*) next to the field. When there are required fields on tabs, e-automate displays an asterisk (*) on the tab.

For each software product in the e-automate product portfolio, the splash screen (the screen that displays while the software is loading), the About window, and/or a similar window lists a row of icons (see sample e-automate splash screen below).

These icons identify the area(s) of the system you can work with using the software.  For each area of the system you can work with using the software, the system displays the dark gray version of the icon.  For each area of the system you can work with using the software, the system displays the light gray version of the icon.  In the e-automate splash screen shown above, all the icons are dark gray because you can work with each of the system using the e-automate software.  In the e-views splash screen shown below, only the reports icon is dark gray; in e-views, you only work with reporting.

The icons represent the following areas of the system:

The following table displays the areas of the system you can work with using each software product:

You can use the tab key to move from field to field in e-automate without using the mouse. Tabbing from one field to another causes e-automate to check the field you are leaving and, if appropriate, fill in other fields of the window or tell you that the information you entered into the field is invalid.

Do not use the enter key because this could close the window in which you are working. You can also use shift + tab to move in reverse order from field to field.

Toolbars are present on the main e-automate window and on each list window. With each toolbar, you have the option to view both an icon and a text label (helpful when learning the function of each icon) for each toolbar item or to view the icon only (helpful when you know the function of each icon and want to hide the text labels to conserve screen space). To hide the text labels under the toolbar icons, right-click in the space to the right of the toolbar and select Hide text labels. To show the text labels under the toolbar icons, right-click in the space to the right of the toolbar and select Show text labels.