invoicing form question (1 Viewer)

[boophoenix]

In my line of work it isn't uncommon to have an open invoice for long periods of time with the need to add items as time passes. The problem I have ran into along with a couple of friends is if needing to add an item in say the middle of existing items. And to save and print with the new item in this location you have to erase all of the following data and reenter it.

Invoices may have one item or one hundred so erasing to the point of adding a line isn't a time valuable way and leads to possible error in inputing the data again.

The table colums InvoiceNo, LineID, and Line are the main sorting fields it appears then the rest of the fields. I am just in the early stages of trying to get this started and would like to design this in the proper way from the start. I kind of understand the relationship of each field at the novice level, but if I can delete one and keep on trucking why can't I add one?

Hope this makes it since once posted. I tried to preview it before posting and get I'm not logged in, but says on this page I'm logged in as me .

 

[RuralGuy]

So the LineID and Line are important? Will you need to renumber these values?

 

[boophoenix]

Yes they are in the tables I already have. I wouldn't mind populating the database with the current invoices I have if I can ( 3 years worth ), but not mandatory.

I'm kind of using some of the structure of the existing database to get a starting point for my plans. The way I'm seeing them relate is

• InvoiceNO is unique to each invoice example: 100001

• LineID is auto incrementing and the primary key I believe

• Line is used for placement in each invoice starting at 1 for how ever many lines ( this is the one I think I need to be able to change to place a line in the middle )

I don't have this structure set in stone. If there is a better simpler way I'm all for that and will just have to start a new database reluctantly .

Just a note on the safe side my plan is to design this to be simply usable and not just be a list of rows in a table. The only rows to be visible will be the current invoice that is being added to or edited. The friend with the same trouble isn't very computer litterate at all and needs a very simple interface and I wouldn't mind it myself just in case I have someone else inputing my invoice info someday.

 

[RuralGuy]

I worded my question poorly. Why is *where* the line shows on the invoice important? Are certain items tied together somehow?

 

[boophoenix]

Sorry about that. Yes they can be linked or require certain placement. At times the lines may be dated requiring them to be in order, but not always. More times than not someone doesn't submit a ticket at the same time as everyone else and the order gets messed up or worse yet I have to wait till all tickets are submitted to do my invoicing and sort everyones mess out.

Unlike others in my field I have a tendency to bill each ticket individually and not as a group to make it easier on who ever I'm billing to go over. This is helpful to me as well as I can lay the tickets out and check them off one at a time to be sure they are all there and invoiced. For the person I'm billing if they don't get a copy of the ticket from there employee they can just simply request that ticket number from me. Instead of me having to send the hole batch for that day again and them sorting threw and seeing which one is missing.

I prefer this type of invoicing as it prevent calculating total hours errors on my end. With just one person it's no big deal, but about six months ago I was invoicing 11 people a day. So if I bill wrong I get payed wrong, and then I'm giving money away at 65 an hour that round. It also gives me a nice neat list of who worked how much on each day at the same time when I get ready to pay them ( as they never invoiced me in any particular time frame or fashion ).

Eleven rows of 12 is much easier to work with than one row of 780. At the same time if there was ever a conflict in my payments I could look back and have a record of what I billed along with there ticket. For the first two months I didn't receive a copy of tickets which has been corrected if they wanna get payed anyhow. At which time my only info was a notepad I scribbled info into daily and my invoices.

 

[boophoenix]

Sorry for the long replies. I wanted to explain why it is a feature I would like to do, and not just a whim that would be different.

Would a possible way to do this be to read the info into a form that can be arranged ( maybe drag bottom entry up, or insert a blank row ) then save the form to update the database?

 

[RuralGuy]

Could you do what you want with the use of two SubForms as shown in this link?

 

[boophoenix]

Thank you RG. To keep the thread rolling. I found this link a little more informative.

http://www.members.shaw.ca/AlbertKallal/Articles/fog0000000005.html

Sub forms may work if I can get everything related correctly if I'm following your thoughts. I'll try to make it back to post what I come up with when it grows into something functional for anyone else interested in the thread.