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Activity Classes

This page describes the Activity Classes setting in the CRM module.

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The Activity Class is a broad method of classifying Activities. Each time you enter an Activity, you should give it an Activity Type, which should represent a specific job or task (e.g. sales call, sales appointment or internal meeting). In turn, you can group Activity Types of a broadly similar nature together by assigning each one to the same Activity Class. For example, every Activity Type connected with sales should belong to the same Activity Class, and every Activity Type connected with administration should belong to a different Activity Class.

To work with the Activity Classes setting, first ensure you are in the CRM module using the [Switch Module] button in the Navigation Centre. Then, if you are using Windows or Mac OS X, click the [Settings] button, also in the Navigation Centre or use the Ctrl-S/⌘-S keyboard shortcuts and then double-click 'Activity Classes' in the 'Settings' list. If you are using iOS or Android, select 'Settings' from the Tools menu (with 'wrench' icon) and tap 'Activity Classes' in the 'Settings' list. The 'Activity Classes: Browse' window opens:

To enter a new record, select 'New' from the Create menu (Windows/Mac OS X) or + menu (iOS/Android). The 'Activity Class: New' window appears: enter the details as appropriate and click the [Save] button (Windows/Mac OS X) or tap √ (iOS/Android) to save the new record.

Code
This is the unique code that identifies each Activity Class. It can consist of up to five alphanumeric characters.

Calendar Colour
Paste Special    Choices of possible entries
Every Activity with an Activity Type belonging to the same Activity Class will appear in the same colour in the Calendar. Choose that colour using this field.

Comment
Assign a descriptive name to the Activity Class, to be shown in the 'Activity Classes: Browse' window and the 'Paste Special' list.

Force Entry of
These options allow you to specify that certain information must be entered in every Activity that has an Activity Type belonging to the Activity Class. For example, select the Project option if you need a Project to be specified in every Activity.

If you also select the Force Selected Entry only for Selected Calendar Type option below, these options will only apply to Activities in which the Calendar Type is Time. Continuing the example, you will only need to specify a Project in a Time Activity. It won't be necessary to specify a Project in an Activity in which the Calendar Type is Profile or Don't Show.

Selecting the Project option will mean that you will need to specify both a Project and an Invoice Item in each Activity.

Selecting the Activity Result option will mean that you will only need to specify Results in Activities that have been marked as Done.

Selecting the Time option will mean that you will need to specify a Start Time, End Time and Cost (Time) in each Activity.

Calendar Type
Use these options to control how Activities with Activity Types belonging to the Activity Class will be shown in the Calendar.

When you assign an Activity Type belonging to the Activity Class to an Activity, the Calendar Type in the Activity will be set to the option that you choose here. The option that you choose here will therefore be used as the default Calendar Type in these Activities.

Please refer to the description of the 'Time' card of the Activity record for details about each option.

Employee Time Statistics
These options control how Activities with Activity Types belonging to the Activity Class will be displayed in the Employee Time Statistics report.
Paid, Unpaid, Work, Absence
All Calendar Activities (except those with Activity Types belonging to an Activity Class in which you have selected the Exclude from Time Statistics option below) will be included in the main section of the Employee Time Statistics report and in the main totals for each employee.

In addition, in the Detailed, Per Type and Per Class versions of the report, separate totals for time spent carrying out Activities with Activity Types belonging to Activity Classes with the Paid/Absence, Unpaid/Absence and Unpaid/Work combinations will be shown for each employee.

In the Overview and the Per Display Group report, Paid (i.e. Paid/Work and Paid/Absence) and Unpaid (i.e. Unpaid/Work and Unpaid/Absence) Activities will be shown without distinction and without separate totals.

When you produce the Employee Time Statistics report, you will be able to choose to exclude Paid or Unpaid Activities from all versions of the report altogether.

Exclude from Time Statistics
Select this option if you do not want Activities with Activity Types belonging to the Activity Class to be included in the Employee Time Statistics report at all.

Create Project Transaction
Select this option if you would like Project Transactions to be created from Activities with Activity Types belonging to the Activity Class. The Project Transactions will be created when you save the Activities after marking them as Done.

This will be useful if you will be using Activities as an alternative to Time Sheets for time recording purposes (to record work carried out against Projects). The Project Transaction register instructs the invoicing routine how to charge the time to each Customer.

If you have selected this option in a particular Activity Class, it is recommended that you also choose to Force Entry of Time and Project using the options above, and that you choose Time as the Calendar Type (above). Project Transactions will be created from Time Activities (with any Task Type except Project), but not from Profile or Don't Show Activities.

Create Work Sheet Transaction
Select this option if you would like Work Sheet Transactions to be created from Activities with Activity Types belonging to the Activity Class. The Work Sheet Transactions will be created when you save the Activities after marking them as Done.

This will be useful if you will be using Activities as an alternative to Work Sheets for time recording purposes (to record work carried out against Service and Work Orders). The Work Sheet Transaction register instructs the invoicing routine how to charge the time to each Customer.

If you have selected this option in a particular Activity Class, it is recommended that you also choose to Force Entry of Time and Service Order using the options above, and that you choose Time as the Calendar Type (above). Work Sheet Transactions will be created from Time Activities (with any Task Type except Project), but not from Profile or Don't Show Activities.

Force Selected Entry only for Selected Calendar Type
This option works with Force Entry and Calendar Type above. It disables the Force Entry options if the Calendar Type in an Activity is Profile or Don't Show.

For example, you have chosen the Force Entry of Project option in an Activity Class. When you use an Activity Type belonging to this Activity Class in an Activity, you will not be able to save the Activity until you have specified a Project. If you are using this option, you will not have to specify a Project if you set the Calendar Type in the Activity to Profile or Don't Show. This can be useful if you know in advance that you will be working on a Project, but you don't yet know which one. You can enter a Profile Activity to book that time, without specifying a Project. After doing the work, you can then enter a Time Activity with a Project.

Do not allow Activities in the same Time Range
Use this option if you want to prevent double-booking in the Calendar. You must also select the Force Entry of Time option above.

The double-booking check will be made whenever you enter a Time Activity with an Activity Type belonging to the Activity Class. You will not be able to save the new Activity if it clashes with an existing Time Activity with any Activity Type (i.e. not necessarily one belonging to the same Class) and with the same Person.

For example, you have recorded a Time Activity that starts at 09:00 and ends at 12:00. You will not be able to save a second Activity if its Start and/or End Time are between these times. The End Time of the earlier Activity and the Start Time of the later one can be the same, so in this example the second Activity can begin at 12:00 (but not 11:59:59).

Attach PDF to Email created from Activity
You can create a Mail from an Activity by opening the Activity in a record window and selecting 'Email' from the Create menu (Windows/Mac OS X) or + menu (iOS/Android). Select this option if you would like a PDF version of the Activity to be attached to each Mail created in this way.

Creating a PDF version of an Activity requires you to have assigned a Form Template to the Activity Form using the 'Define Form' function. When you design the Form Template, you may need to use Styles that will embed fonts in PDF files (this will depend on the fonts you use). You may also need to choose a code page and page setup, which you can do in the Form Template Properties. Please refer here for details about designing Form Templates and here for a list of the fields you can include in the Form Template used by the Activity Form.
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