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Record Window - Paste Special

When you enter information in Hansa, you frequently need to refer to another register or setting. For example, when entering an Invoice, the Customer Number is used to bring information in from the Customer register (e.g. the name and address of the Customer), while the Payment Terms field brings information in from the Payment Terms setting. Using the 'Paste Special' command, you can find out the information you require from a selection list quickly and easily. Pressing Ctrl-Return or Ctrl-Enter in a field activates the 'Paste Special' feature. Macintosh users can press ⌘-Return or ⌘-Enter, and PocketPC users can tap in the field with the stylus. The following example shows pasting a Customer Number into an Invoice:

With the cursor placed in the Customer field, press the Ctrl-Enter (Windows and Linux) or ⌘-Enter (Macintosh) key combination. A new window will open, showing the contents of the register or setting from which you can select a record (in this case, the Customer register). This window is similar to a browse window in its behaviour, so you can sort the list by any of the columns by clicking the column heading and use the Search field to find the record you are looking for (using the * wildcard if necessary).

Select the Customer you want by double-clicking or by highlighting and pressing Enter. The Customer Number and other details are transferred to the Invoice screen.

You can make the 'Paste Special' feature more powerful by saving the sort order of the 'Paste Special' list. For example, whenever you need to choose a Customer, you will probably know its Name but not its Number. The first time you use the 'Paste Special' feature to choose a Customer, sort the list by Name and then select 'Save Normal Position' (Windows and Linux)/'Save Position' (Macintosh) from the Window menu. From now on, the list will be sorted by Name when it opens. Now you can type the first few characters of the Customer Name in a Customer field and then press Ctrl-Enter or ⌘-Enter. When the 'Paste Special' list opens, the highlighted Customer will be the first one to match what was typed. If this is the correct one, all you need do is press the Enter key and carry on typing without interruption. In the example shown below, we typed "OSLO" into the Customer Number field of an Invoice and then pressed Ctrl-Enter. The 'Paste Special' list opens, with the first Customer whose name begins with "OSLO" highlighted:

If the record you are looking for does not exist and so is not shown in the 'Paste Special' list, you can often enter it on the fly. In the 'Paste Special' window, press Ctrl-N or ⌘-N. A new Customer screen (in this example) is shown. Enter the new Customer, click [Save] and the new record is saved. At the same time, the Customer Number is entered in the Invoice.

If you are entering an Invoice and realise that your information about the Customer is out of date (they might have changed their address or telephone number, for example), highlight the Customer in the 'Paste Special' window and press F2 (Windows and Linux) or ⌘-Shift-V (Macintosh). The Customer record is opened, allowing you to make the necessary changes. You can also do this if the Customer Number has already been entered to the Invoice. With the cursor in the Customer Number field, press F2 or ⌘-Shift-V. This feature is available from most fields with a 'Paste Special' link.

The availability to individual users of the F2/⌘-Shift-V feature and of the ability to create records on the fly can be controlled using the Access Groups setting in the System module.

'Paste Special' can also be used when you are in a date or time field. Simply press Ctrl-Enter or ⌘-Enter and the current date or time is entered straight away.