Adding New Fields

SmartSoft Invoices allows you to customize the data extraction process and the user interface in order to fit the specifics of your business process.

You can change the appearance and layout of the data fields by adding additional fields of various types, define custom validation rules, and field dependencies.

Go to File->Edit Form templates in order to invoke the built-in field designer. You can also use a keyboard shortcut CTRL+F11. Users who use laptops may need to hold their FN key.

On the left side of the field designer there is a list of all field forms that the user currently has. On the right side there is a blueprint of the currently highlighted field form. On the top of the blueprint by default there are two tabs. One says Form fields and the other says Items. Form fields is the currently selected tab, this is by default.

You will also notice two groups of buttons, one next to the list of field forms and one on the far right side of the field designer window. The far right group of buttons can be used in order to Add, Remove and re-arrange the order of columns or fields. Click on the Add button in order to add a new field. If you want to remove it, select it with your mouse and click Remove. If you would like to change its position you can use the Move Up and Move down buttons. You can use the preview button from the left group of buttons in order to track your progress and see the form changes immediately. Click on the Close button in order to save the changes.

• Title - Select a name for your new field, such as Due date or Past Due Amount. This name will show on the main form that the software fills automatically.
• ID - The ID for a field is used to define connections between different fields in rules and formulas. When you create a new field the software will automatically create a new ID for you (such as FT_USER_FIELD_18), but you can change it later, so that it makes sence to you (e.g. LATE_FEE).
• Format - Here you select the data type of your new field. Format is important, because the software uses it for data validation. It can be one of the following types:
  • Date - will accept only date type information. If the user enters other kind of information the field or column will appear as invalid;
  • Text - alphanumeric type of data. In such fields you can enter all kinds of data;
  • Integer - whole numbers, such as 0,1,2, etc. Supports negative values;
  • Double - decimal value numbers such as 1.5, 10.5, etc.;
  • Money - similar to the decimal format, but the software will also look for money sign characters in order to provide the correct data.
  • Boolean - yes or now.
• Flags - you can select one or more options for each field. These options define the look and behaviour of the field.
  • Assignable - Fields that are assignable, can be assigned to a particular text region in an invoice. The software memorizes that connection and when the next time you load an invoice from the same vendor it looks for that field somewhere around that location.
  • Selectable - These fields are drop-down lists. You can define the values for a drop-down list in the Options column. You can also load the values for a drop-down field from a CSV file.
  • Checkable - A check box field.
  • Required - A required field must be filled for the invoice data to be validated and exported. If a required field is left blank, the software will mark it with a red frame to draw your attention.
  • Virtual - A virtual field might not be present as text in the document. The user would type the value the fist time. An example is the Vendor field which is replaced on some invoices by a logo, which is not machine-readable.
  • Browsable - You can use such a field to select a file name.
  • Calculable - These fields are calculated based on the values of some other fields and an expression defined in the Formula column. A Calculator button appears to the right of such a field. Click that button to calculate the value.
  • Auto-calculate - The value in such fields is auto-calculated based on the values in other dependent fields. The option is similar to "Calculable", but the software does the calculation automatically.
  • Non-Exportable - Fields with this flag will be not exported into XML, SQL data base and CSV.
  • Hidden - Fields with this flag are invisible in the Form View.
  • MultiPageId - .
  • Unique - The value of this field can be used to uniquely identify the source of the document. For an invoice this might be an email address, or the vendor's mailing address.
  • SoftValidation - This flag means that the software will warm the user that the field is invalid. The user can still export the document.
  • HighPrecision - This flag will allow the software to display up to 5 digits after the decimal point. Works for both formula calculation and manual assigning of data.
  • IdErpList - Fields with this flag shows the ID from linked list
  • PairPrevious - Fields with this flag will appear in same line in Form View with the previous field.
  • MultiLine - This flag means that the assigned region to this field can contain multiline data
  • RequireHeader - Fields marked with this flag will not get automatically filled in unless a valid header has been located and assigned.
  • MICR - This flag is for fields with MICR values.
  • DynamicList - This flag is for fields which contains list from SQL formula.
• Format Expression - Here you can enter a regular expression that will be used to validate a data field. Regular expressions are a powerful tool for matching text patterns. So for example you can define an expression that validates only if a data field starts with a capital letter followed by a dash and some numbers. Not familiar with regular expressions? Contact our support staff , we will set up the software for you.
• Options - If a field is defined as Selectable here you define the options that are listed in the drop-down list.
• Dependent Items - The software automatically fills this column. If a field is dependable on another one, changing the later will cause the former to be revalidated.
• Default Value - The software will automatically populate this field if you define a default value. This is useful for drop-down lists. For example, maybe you use the same expense account for most of your invoices.
• Formula - A field can be calculated based on the values in some other fields. Enter an expression here using the IDs of those fields. A field has to be marked as Calculable in the Flags column. For more detailed info, please visit Validating Formula
• Sample Headers - Data capture solutions that rely solely on zonal templates are not efficient enough. SmartSoft Invoices features an intelligent technology that takes into account the text labels in an invoice. So for example if you define a new field to capture an account number of some sort, and in an invoice that number is preceded by the words "Account number:", you write these words here and the software will automatically find the field even if the layout of the document changes. You can define multiple key phrases here separated by a semicolon.