A new patch is available for the Web Commerce module (dated 10/23/08). This patch has the following changes:

Can Now Import The "Full SKU Number": A new option has been added to Setup Order Import which allows you the option to import the PDG "Full SKU Number" field as the Item Group Number on order details. Originally this field was ignored by the import.

Imports More Info From "X" Records: You now have the ability to import order ship dates, customer PO numbers, terms information, and COD status if customized "X" records are included in the order export file.

All these fields are pulled from the "X" source records, which include item pairs where the first part of the pair defines the type of field, and the second contains the desired setting of the field. We have defined three new recognized field types:

SHIPDATE	Import the date following, which must be in mm/dd/yy format, as the estimated ship date of the order.
PO	Import up to 25 characters of text in the following field as the Customer PO Number for the order.
TERMS	Import up to 10 characters of text in the following field as the Terms field on the order. If the text is "COD" then the order will also be flagged as COD.

For instance, the following X record is now recognized to conform to these special options:

X,<Order Number>,SHIPDATE,01/01/09,PO,"My PO Number",TERMS,"PREPAID"

Support For Current "P" Record Layout: We learned that the P (payment) records in PDG's exported order files can have as few as four fields or as many as thirteen (in direct variance to their documentation) so we have considerably loosened the verification routines on these records so as to take into account their many possible number of fields.

New Versions:

Setup Order Import: 5.03
Import Orders: 5.03

A new patch for the Windows Inventory module has been released (dated 10/23/08). This patch has the following changes:

The Quantity Produced program incorrectly displayed the explosion level of the parent in the Quantity On Hand view field.

New version: 5.01

A new patch for the Windows Bank Reconciliation module has been released (dated 10/23/08). This patch has the following changes:

Gather Transactions was updated for compatibility with the new Payroll employee key added in patch 36.

The Process Transactions program occasionally had focusing problems when using the Quick Clear buttons.

The Process Transactions program would die if you tried to clear a transaction with a date of 00/00/00. Not that you should ever encounter this problem, but we fixed it anyway.

New Versions:

Gather Transactions: 5.04
Process Transactions: 5.04

A new version of the Windows System Manager has been released (dated 10/23/08) with the following major enhancements:

New Feature: Now includes the Windows version of System Administrator program 7, Update Files. The Windows version is much improved over the DOS version with much more information displayed about the files that are being updated.

New Feature: Now includes the Windows version of System Administrator program 11, Modify Reports. This new version has so many great new features, and is so much more convenient to use than the DOS version that there's practically no comparison. And did we mention that it's absolutely free?

One item that we do need to explain about this version is that when you load a format for editing the program will do a very thorough 'sanity check' on its internal structure and fix any problems it finds. When editing your company PL for the first time you will likely have to click through a long list of messages about things that the program is fixing. Don't worry, though. First off, it won't mess up your format, and second, you only have to go through it once.

Improved Handling of "Screen Display" Bitmaps: The ability to print bitmap images on reports was not compatible with 'screen display' type bitmaps that are missing resolution information in the bitmap file. Such bitmaps are apparently commonly created by graphics packages that assume the bitmaps are for screen display usage only. We changed our bitmap printing code to assume 72 dpi (default screen resolution) when bitmaps do not supply this information. Keep in mind that bitmap graphics that are at this low resolution will not look very good on your reports -- they will appear pixelated. Bitmaps should really be a minimum of 300 dpi to look sharp on a printed report. This change affects all downloaded Windows printing programs.

New online help for the new features added to System Manager and Web Commerce packages.

The new edition of eFile Prep is now available for use in submitting eFile returns for tax year 2008 1099-MISC and W-2 forms and for tax year 2009 quarterlies.

Because the changes to the submission specifications for this tax year were minor, we are making a special offer for users who purchased the 2007/08 edition. If you have a registered copy of last year's edition you may purchase this year's edition for just $75. For those who did not purchase the eFile module for 2007/08 the price is $695.

There is no update needed to print 2008 W-2 and 1099-MISC forms from our General Ledger, Payroll, Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable modules as the layout has remained identical to last year's forms. However, the OASDI limit in Payroll program 26 would need to be changed from the 2007 default of $97,500 to the 2008 amount of $102,000.

Windows XP-SP2 and Vista both now have a really annoying message that appears on your screen when running a server-based application from a workstation. The message says:

"The publisher could not be verified. Are you sure you want to run this software?"

And you then have to click the Run button to get into RTS-Advantage or whatever application you're trying to run.

The intent of this message is to warn you before running programs that originate on the internet. Unfortunately the security does not distinguish between internet-based applications and those on your own server.

In order to stop this message for all applications that reside on your server follow this procedure on each workstation:

1. Start Control Panel.
   
   
2. Double-click on the Internet Options item.
   
   
3. Switch to the Security tab.
   
   
4. Click on the Local Intranet icon and then on the Sites button that appears when the display changes.
   
   
5. Click on the Advanced button.
   
   
6. In the edit box directly under "Add This Website To The Zone" clear any default text and type in the name of your server preceded by two backslashes (for instance, \\MyServer). Click on the Add Button, then the Close button.
   
   
7. Click OK on the dialogs you opened and then exit from Control Panel.

You should no longer get that annoying message regarding any applications residing on your local server. Please note that this does nothing to disable internet security whatsoever -- its only effect is on your own installed applications.

A: To switch the search key just click on the title of the key you want to search at the top of the item display list. Click on Group, for instance, and the table will change to being sorted on Group Number and the Search field at the bottom will now say "Group" above it and any typing you do there will search on that key.

A: At the bottom right corner of the print button is a little arrowy sort of thing. Click on that part of the Print button and you will see a whole menu of additional print options, including both Email as Body and Email as Attachment.

A: Yes, it is Windows overhead but you probably can speed things up. If you were printing directly to an LPT or COM port in the DOS product that is a lot faster because it bypasses a lot of that Windows overhead. When you select the Print button in the Windows product we send the report through the whole Windows rigamarole, all of which is necessary for our new high-end capabilities like printing images and barcodes.

However, if you just want a basic report and your printer supports direct printing you can bypass all that functionality by clicking on the little arrow at the bottom right of the Print button. Then select Print to LPT Port or Print to Com Port and choose the port to which your printer is attached. This bypasses most of the Windows stuff and produces a faster printing report. No graphics or barcodes will print though.

Note that fewer and fewer printers these days are programmed to take direct print jobs. If you try to print a report directly to the port on these printers you will- at most- just get blank pages. If you want to continue printing direct to a port look for printers that say "DOS Compatible" or "Unix Compatible". Printers that state that they are "Windows Only" will definitely not include this feature. Or better yet, think green and purchase a used printer from a refurbisher or surplus dealer.

A: Until your system administrator specifically gives you access rights to new programs you won't be able to get into them. The system administrator might be having trouble finding the right options, and they can be a bit tough to find since the new programs added for Windows are not obviously numbered like those in DOS, and some even have several program numbers, like Inventory Expert. It has so many options that it takes up three programs worth of security options (programs, 40, 41 and 42).

The security for some of the menu items in the Windows product are also a bit hard to find. You will find many of them listed under System Administrator program 30 in the Security program.

National Payment Corporation now has a web-based interface for submitting payroll direct deposit information. We have been assured that the old DOS/modem-based interface will continue to be supported for the time being, but it will eventually be phased out.

Luckily our Payroll module works with either interface. If you would like to switch over to the web-based interface (which, by the way, we are told NPC charges less for) you will continue to use the Create Deposit option in Payroll program 17, but no longer use the Transmit option.

After using Create Deposit to create the batch file, you will find the ADDIRDEP.xxx file in your AUSER directory (xxx is the batch number you enter in Payroll program 17). View the contents with a text editor (Notepad works fine), select and copy the entire contents of the file. Then go to NPC's website with your browser and follow their instructions for pasting the contents of the file into their interface.

Our bitmap image feature works on both regular reports and label reports. However, with laser labels if you want your image to print on each label on the sheet you will need to supply a bitmap file that has the logos or pictures placed so that each label on the sheet will get one. In other words, if you have a page of labels that has two-wide labels and 8 deep on the page, then your bitmap should be essentially the size of the whole page, and the logo or picture should be duplicated on it 16 times, each one placed so that it prints in the desired area of each label.

If you aren't up to speed on creating and editing computer graphics, you'll find many companies and individuals who can do the work for you locally (check the Yellow Pages, Craigslist or eLance.com) and lots of design services with web presences. If you don't want to go to the trouble of dealing with people that don't necessarily understand what you're looking for, Roundtable Software can scan your logos or other images, create BMP files and format them to print properly on your chosen report/label stock. Feel free to give us a call at (352) 253-9779 to discuss these services.

We now have available a complete trial version of our product which, with a single setup command, will install the demo versions of the complete DOS product, plus Windows System Manager, Inventory, Web Commerce, and Bank Reconciliation. The setup program also has the capability to automate the setup of workstations on networks. If you have business associates who would like to try the program please let them know that this very convenient test drive version is now available.

Click Here To Download The Trial Version

Click Here To Download The Installation Instructions

Or, if you do not want to download this rather large file, Click Here To Request The Trial Version On CD

Note that users currently on the software should NOT install this demo version on a machine currently running the live software - live and demo software should not be intermixed on any computer.