The Command Menu
Every data entry window in Contract Collector has the same set of seven PUSH-BUTTONS located at the bottom of the window. These seven commands make up the COMMAND MENU.
The easiest way to access the COMMAND MENU from the keyboard is to press ALT plus the underlined letter in the command
(ALT-F for FIND, ALT-X for EXIT, etc.).
You can also press TAB or SHIFT-TAB until the FOCUS RECTANGLE appears around the text of the command you want and then press ENTER or SPACE.
The commands in the COMMAND MENU are as follows:
FIND makes it easy to locate a record in the database. A detailed explanation of
how to bring up a record using the FIND command is in the next section.
PREV displays the record that precedes the currently displayed record. If the
first record in the database is currently displayed on your computer screen, this
command is dimmed and cannot be used.
NEXT displays the record that follows the currently displayed record. If the last
record in the database is currently displayed on your computer screen, this
command is dimmed and cannot be used.
SAVE When you are adding a new record or editing an existing record, this command
saves your work by writing the new data to the hard disk in your computer
system. Until you have made a change to at least one field in the window, this
command is dimmed.
CANCEL has two functions. If you open a record and make a change to one or more
fields, using CANCEL will undo the changes. If you press CANCEL a second time, all fields in the window are cleared of data so you can add a
new record to the database.
DELETE removes the currently displayed record from the database. A message is
displayed asking you to confirm the deletion.
Note: Due to auditor's requirements in most states, Contract Collector provides the
option of reversing a financial transaction or deleting it. The reversal option
enables the system to provide a complete audit trail of the transaction. For
example, if you enter and save an accounts payable record and then choose to
reverse it, instead of actually deleting the accounts payable record, the system
creates new line items with negative amounts that reverse all the line items in
the original transaction. The original transaction remains in your system and
can be viewed in DISPLAY ONLY mode at any time.
EXIT returns you to the Menu Bar. If you have edited data or entered data that has not yet been saved, a
prompt asks you if you want to save the changes before exiting.
Not all of the commands in the COMMAND MENU are applicable in every situation, so one or more of the commands may not be
available to you in some cases. For example, if you have not made changes to a
record, the SAVE command is not valid, so Contract Collector dims the text of that command.
Only the commands that make sense in a given situation are available to you,
making it less likely that you will make mistakes selecting an inappropriate command.