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This text refers to program version 4.0  

Personal Desktop

As well as being able to connect files, notes or records to any record in Hansa (as described here), you can also attach them to your Master Control panel. They will be listed in the area on the right of the Master Control panel, known as the "Personal Desktop". You can also list important reports, documents, Maintenance functions, settings and registers in the Personal Desktop. You can therefore configure your Personal Desktop so that it gives you immediate access to the areas of Hansa that are most important to you (i.e. removing the need to change modules, find records in browse windows and find reports in list windows). The Personal Desktop is therefore similar to a list of Bookmarks in a browser.

If you want to use the Personal Desktop, you must first set up a Mailbox for yourself. This process is described here. In a multi-user system, each user that will be using the Personal Desktop should have their own Mailbox.

!	You must have a Mailbox if you want to use the Personal Desktop.

Once you have a Mailbox, your name will be shown in the title bar of the Master Control panel, and the contents of your Personal Desktop will be listed in the area on the right:

The contents of your Personal Desktop cannot be viewed by another user. So. if someone else logs in to Hansa on your machine using the [Login] button in the Master Control panel, your Personal Desktop will disappear, to be replaced with theirs.

Records in your Personal Desktop

You can place records in your Personal Desktop using the following methods:

1. By dragging the record from its browse window and dropping it on the Personal Desktop. For example, to place a Customer record in the Personal Desktop, open the 'Customers: Browse' window and find the correct Customer in the list. Click on the Customer Number and drag it to the Personal Desktop.
   

2. By opening the record and dragging its [Attachments] button onto the Personal Desktop.
   

3. By opening the record and selecting 'Send to Desktop' from the Record menu. The record should have been saved at least once before you use this function (i.e. the title of the window should be 'Inspect' or 'Update', not 'New').

Records are shown in the Personal Desktop with the name of the register followed by the record identifier. In the illustration above, the final item ("Invoice: 2016") is an example (2016 is the Invoice Number).

The illustration also shows that the Personal Desktop can contain records from different Companies. In the illustration, the current Company is Company H (shown in the title bar of the Master Control panel, next to the name of the current user). "H" is short for Holding Company in the example database. The penultimate item in the Personal Desktop in the illustration ("S: Invoice: 5015") is an Invoice that belongs to Company S (a Subsidiary Company). Any record that does not belong to the current Company will be shown in the Personal Desktop with its Company Short Code before the name of the register. So, in this example, if the current user were to quit Hansa and restart, selecting Company S, then Invoice 2016 would appear in the Personal Desktop as "H: Invoice: 2016" and Invoice 5015 would appear simply as "Invoice: 5015".

A record in the Personal Desktop can be opened in one of three ways:

1. By clicking on the record in the Personal Desktop and selecting 'Open Record' from the Operations menu;
   

2. By clicking on the record in the Personal Desktop and selecting 'OK' from the Record menu (or pressing the Enter key); and
   

3. By double-clicking on the record in the Personal Desktop.

Whichever method is used, the record is opened in its own window where it can be read or edited in the usual manner. If you choose to open a record that is not in the current Company, you will be asked to log in to the relevant Company before the record is opened.

Settings, Reports, Documents and Maintenance functions in your Personal Desktop

To place a setting, report, document or Maintenance function in your Personal Desktop, simply open the appropriate list window and then drag an item from the list to the Personal Desktop. This method can also be used for import and export functions.

For example, to place the Open Inv Customer Statement in your Personal Desktop (as shown in the example illustration above), first use the Modules menu to enter the Sales Ledger and then select 'Reports' from the File menu (or click [Reports] in the Master Control panel). Click on 'Open Inv Customer Statement' in the list and drag this text to your Personal Desktop.

To work with a setting, report, document or Maintenance function, use one of these methods:

1. Click on the item in the Personal Desktop and select 'Open Record' from the Operations menu;
   

2. Click on the item in the Personal Desktop and select 'OK' from the Record menu (or press the Enter key); and
   

3. Double-click on the item in the Personal Desktop.

Registers in your Personal Desktop

To place a register in your Personal Desktop, simply drag it from the Master Control panel to the Personal Desktop. For example, to place the Invoice register in your Personal Desktop (as shown in the example illustration above), first use the Modules menu to enter the Sales Ledger. Click on the [Invoices] button in the Master Control panel and drag it to your Personal Desktop.

To work with a register, use one of these methods:

1. Click on the item in the Personal Desktop and select 'Open Record' from the Operations menu;
   

2. Click on the item in the Personal Desktop and select 'OK' from the Record menu (or press the Enter key); and
   

3. Double-click on the item in the Personal Desktop.

Whichever method is used, the normal browse window for the register in question will be opened. If, as in the example illustrated above, the database contains more than one Company, the browse window will list the records in the register in the current Company.

Notes and Comments in your Personal Desktop

You can place notes or comments in your Personal Desktop. To do this, bring the Master Control panel to the front and select 'New Note' from the Operations menu. A window will open, where you can type in your comment.

Click [Save] to save. The note will appear in your Personal Desktop with the prefix "Note:". If you want to identify the note with a name, refer to the 'Changing the Names of Items in your Personal Desktop' section immediately below. You can place as many notes as you like in your Personal Desktop.

A note or comment that has been placed in the Personal Desktop can be read in one of two ways:

1. By clicking on the note in the Personal Desktop and selecting 'OK' from the Record menu; and
   

2. By double-clicking on the note in the Personal Desktop.

Whichever method is used, the note is opened in its own window where it can be read or edited.

Changing the Names of Items in your Personal Desktop

When a file is placed in your Personal Desktop, its file name will be shown in the list of attachments. When a note is placed in your Personal Desktop, it is not immediately given its own name in the list.

If you want to rename a file or note, highlight it in your Personal Desktop and select 'Edit Link Comment' from the Operations menu. A window opens where you can type in a new name.

Click [Save] to save and close the window, or [Cancel] if you don't want to save changes.

Removing Items from your Personal Desktop

To remove an item of any kind from your Personal Desktop, highlight it and select 'Clear' from the Edit menu.

Organising Items in your Personal Desktop: Archives

When you have many items in your Personal Desktop, you can organise them into Archives. An Archive is a folder that can contain Attachments of all kinds, including other Archives.

1. Bring the Master Control Panel to the front by clicking on it, by using the Ctrl-M/⌘-M keyboard shortcut or by selecting 'Master Control' from the File menu.
   

2. Select 'New Archive' from the Operations menu. A new Archive will appear at towards the top of the Personal Desktop, named "Archive: New".
   

   

3. Move the relevant items into the Archive by dragging and dropping onto "Archive: New".
   

4. If you want to work with an item that is in an Archive, double-click the Archive. A new window is opened, listing the items that are in the Archive. This window has the same properties, features and functions as a list of Attachments, so you can work with it in the manner described in the 'Organising Attachments' section towards the bottom of the Attachments page.
   

   

5. If you want to rename the Archive, first open it as described in step 4 above and then select 'Rename Archive' from the Operations menu.
   

   

   Enter the new Name of the Archive and click [Save]. The new name will replace the text "New," both in the title bar of the Archive and in the Personal Desktop:
   

   

6. You can remove an item from an Archive in one of two ways. First, you can drag it to the Personal Desktop or to another Archive. Otherwise, to remove the item altogether, click on it and select 'Clear' from the Edit menu.
   

7. To remove an Archive, click on it in the Personal Desktop and select 'Clear' from the Edit menu. You can only remove empty Archives. To empty an Archive, you must remove its contents item by item as described in step 6 above.

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