The alternate screen can be set to always display first in the Product tab of Setup Option screen. This is is useful in some businesses but is not normally recommended as it slows down searches and always presents the additional screen on every search.
5. A key word search is triggered if a dot (decimal point) is the first character. All products with words in their description that start with the characters are then displayed.
6. A search is performed on all products on the Ref Part field in the codes section of Product Control. The Ref Part field is sometimes used for an OEM number, or alternatively for a 3-6 digit key for fast data input from pre-printed order sheets.
7. A search by product description is triggered if a + is entered as the first character. The descriptive search displays all matching products in sorted order of description from left to right.
8. Finally a search is made on the reference file. The reference file is separate to the product file and can be loaded with multiple supplier product price files. As only the part number, barcode, description, price level, prices and costs are maintained in the reference file, it is possible to have hundreds of thousands of products without taking up much disk space. The reference parts can be loaded from supplier disk files in Update Reference File in the Product menu.
If a barcode has been scanned, a search is now also done on the reference file for a match.
If any matching parts, or partial part numbers are found, the reference part screen is displayed –
The screen can be used simply for enquiry or to add a part to the product file for immediate order or invoicing. The group code, markup code and price level code can be selected if applicable. Prices can also be calculated or set.
Select F10 to add or F9 to cancel.
Customer Special Part Numbers
If Activate Customer Part Numbers is ticked in the F8 Pricing section of Customer Control, a search is made of all parts in the Customer Part column of the F8 Grid. This can be used to print the customer specific number on an order or invoice instead of the primary part number.
If no part is found or selected the following screen appears –
Press enter if you wish to exit the search screens.
To add a part on the fly press F6 or tick ‘Add New Part’ prior to entering. The following screen will appear, allowing you to add the product with a range of details –
Enter the description, cost and unit sell price if known. The tax code defaults to the primary GST tax code of G.
The group code defaults to ZZ. If the code is unknown a report can be done at any stage of products in the group ZZ. The products can then be reviewed and given correct group and other details.
A browse button appears to the side of the certain fields. If clicked, a grid of available choices will appear.
Barcode Prompt to Update Part
If a valid 7,8,12 or 13 digit barcode is scanned and no part is found, the following screen will appear -
The part number can be entered at this stage, and the barcode will store in the barcode field of product control for the specific item. This is a good method to keep the product file up to date as barcodes become more widely available.
Product Line Details
Once the part number is found, the description, retail, price level (disc) and calculated price is displayed
All the other columns can be edited at this stage.
Order and Supply Quantity
The order and supply quantities default to 1. If there is no available stock a warning will display. The warning can be enabled or disabled in the Invoicing tab of Setup Options.
Despite the warning, the system allows products to be sold, recognizing that the goods in may not yet have been entered and the real world must go on. The average cost at point of sale will be used in determining the profit.
If the same part number is scanned on the next line the order and supply quantity will increment by 1 on the prior line.
Product Notes
Product notes can be entered by selecting the F4 Notes button in the product control screen. Where a note exists it will automatically display at point of sale. This is useful for technical information about the product, or to suggest selling additional related products.
To make a note about a part for the specific invoice, simply arrow to the description column on the line below, and enter the details
Automatic Deposit Parts
Some products require deposits. This can be done in two ways. In the product control screen enter either a part number commencing with an alpha character or a deposit value in the Deposit (Dpsit) field in the code section. If a part number is used it will be retrieved and automatically displayed on the next line. If a value is used it will call up the deposit part number from the POS tab of the Setup Options screen and price it on the next line with the value.