How To Use Dialogs In Collect!

This topic discusses the use of dialogs in Collect! These are also called forms, windows or screens.

Requirements

- Access Rights to all the forms and dialogs.

It is best to explore this topic in the demonstration database, signed in as user OWN. That way, you will have access to all the forms and dialogs and you can examine them in detail.

Overview

All interaction between the program and the user takes place through the use of dialogs. There are many types of dialogs. It is important to understand them and learn how to work with them.

Data Entry Forms

Most of the forms and dialogs in Collect! involve entering information in your database. When you enter data into the boxes (fields) on the forms, your information is written to a database record when you choose to SAVE it.

(We will discuss entering and saving presently. For now, we will just explore the different types of dialogs that you will encounter as you work in Collect!)

Lists

There are many lists in Collect! You can view all transactions, or contacts or debtors, or clients, or reports to name just a few. From these lists, you can make a choice to view, edit or delete a particular record.

Procedure Dialogs

Many operations in Collect! involve several steps. A good example of this is Batch Processing. For these types of procedures, Collect! will guide you through each step of the process by means of dialogs and screens. You will be shown various types of information that apply to the procedure you are running. You may want to modify your settings or make additional choices as the dialogs are displayed.

Dialogs To Enter Or Modify Settings

Another very common type of dialog in Collect! is a form where you are given choices that affect settings. For instance, there are several dialogs that can be accessed to control how your WIP List is displayed and filtered. Each one of the dialogs that pertains to this particular feature is easily accessed either from the Work In Progress form or from menu options.

Prompts For Input

At different times, the process you are engaged in may require additional information. Collect! will display an appropriate prompt box for you at these times. For example, you may want to run a report that allows you to choose certain criteria, such as a date range. When the report is run, Collect! will display a dialog where you can choose your dates.

Information And Warning Messages

This type of dialog does not usually give you options or boxes where you can input information. However, it is a very important type of dialog where you are given vital information regarding the procedure you are engaged in.

Please pay special attention to these messages. If you need to report a problem to Collect! Member Services, we will have to know EXACTLY what messages Collect! displayed regarding your problem topic.

Dialog Features

Certain features are common to most dialogs. For instance:

Title Bar

This is the blue bar that you see at the top of every form, dialog or window that opens in Collect. It will always display the title of the dialog that you are viewing. This title changes whenever you open an new dialog. It is a very easy way to know exactly where you are in Collect! at any given time.

When a window is active, the title bar will be BLUE. If it is GREY, select it with the mouse and it will become active and turn BLUE. This is useful when there is a "subwindow" inside a dialog, such as the To Do List in the Work In Progress.

When you press the F1 key for help, it brings up help for the active window or dialog.

Fields

Most dialogs that you will use contain several boxes where you can enter information. We commonly refer to this type of dialog as a "Form" since it is similar to entering information on a paper form.

Buttons

All dialogs contain buttons. Some are simply to Cancel or Close the dialog window. Others open additional dialogs where you can continue to enter information, control settings or view lists.

Tabs

Some dialogs have tabs. These are used to open an additional dialog or list. If there is already information entered in one of the tabs, you will notice that its color changes. If, for instance, you have several transactions entered for a particular Debtor, the Transactions tab on this Debtor's form will appear YELLOW. Whenever you see a yellow tab, you will know that this tab leads to another dialog AND there is already information recorded there that you can view by selecting the tab.

Check Boxes and Radio Buttons

Some dialogs contain squares or circles where you can put a mark with a click of your mouse or pressing the spacebar. When you mark the box or circle this way, you are "switching ON" the setting or option that is described next to the box or circle. To "switch OFF" the setting, use your mouse or the spacebar to remove the mark.

Status Bar

At the bottom of the Collect! screen, you will see additional information that changes depending on the procedure you are performing at the time. Refer to this area to pick up important tips.

Information Window

Some dialogs have a yellow box at the top that displays additional information or instructions pertaining to the screen you are looking at. You can press F1 for more information when you see one of these yellow information boxes.

Pick Lists

Many fields contain a small arrow at the right end of the field. This means there is a "pick list" attached to this field. You can select the arrow to view the pick list and make a choice. Please refer to How To Use Pick Lists.

Field Icons

Several fields have small icons attached to them. These can be clicked to bring up a form or a calendar, for instance. Please refer to Field and Column Icons for more information.

Lists

Some dialogs have an additional dialog displayed within them. Two examples of this are the Client form and the Work In Progress. You can click into this list to activate it and choose form it to bring up an individual record.

Moving Around In Dialogs

To move from field to field or button to button, you can press the TAB key or the ARROWS on your keyboard. Pressing ENTER will also move to the next field or button on a form.

If there is a pick list attached to a field, pressing the F2 function key will display it for you to make a choice.

Navigating Forms With Subforms

When you are viewing a form that contains a subform, such as the Client form, you can move between the forms using the F5 key and the Esc key. F5 will take you into the subform and pressing F5 again will open the first, highlighted record. Press the Esc key (when the subform is active) and the focus will be returned to the main, outer form.

When you first enter a subform, you can immediately begin to type characters in order to search the list of records in the subform. You will notice that the Name heading is active and the characters you type will show up as Collect! scrolls through the list matching your search criteria.

Maximizing The Dialog Screen

You can maximize the dialog that you are viewing. This is especially useful when you are in the report writer or when you are viewing a list. Press the small square in the upper right hand corner of the dialog you are viewing. Please refer to the topic Field and Column Icons for details.

Exiting From A Dialog

You can exit from a dialog in several ways:

Press F8

This is the best way to close a form, screen or dialog. Any changes you have made will be saved to your database and the dialog will close. This returns you to the previous screen.

Press the OK Button

This will also save any changes you have made and close the dialog. For some dialogs, pressing OK confirms choices you are given. In other forms, pressing OK simply closes the dialog you are viewing. You will either be returned to the previous screen or proceed with the next step, depending on the procedure you are engaged in.

Click the Small 'x' Icon

In the upper right hand corner of each dialog, you will see a small square with an 'x' in it. This can be pressed to close the form.

If you close a form by pressing the 'x' icon, Collect! does NOT automatically save your changes and they may be lost. Please use F8 to exit a dialog.

Press the Cancel Button

Press this button to ignore any changes you have made. This will close the dialog and return you to the previous screen.

See Also

- New User Basics