Custom Invoice Form

I would like to customize my invoices using Sage 50 Forms Designer.  This is for a contracting company.

I want Service Items (Labour) to show a $ amount on each line.  I want to list inventory items on each line but not show individual pricing just a total for material at the bottom.  

ie:

item: X1234   Qty: 3  units: HR   Description: Manual Labour   Unit Price:  $50  Total Price $150

item B5678    Qty: 2 units: each Description: electrical Box      

Total Labour: $150.00

Total Material: $ 10.00

HST:                $20.80

Invoice Total    $180.80

Is there a way of doing this?

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  • 0

    the Sage form designer doesn't allow for conditional processing

     - you can't say in this 'total labor' field just include the total price of the service item line

     - you can't say in the 'unit price' column only show the price of service items but leave the unit price of

       inventory items blank because I just want to show 'total material'

    you would need an external reporting tool that connects to the data file - like XLGL (https://www.logicimtech.com/), Crystal reports (scn.sap.com/.../crystal-reports) or MS-Access

    I wonder if Sage / Keith L can provide information as to

     does Sage plan to enhance the form designer to add this type of functionality, with release time frame

      does Sage plan to add an interface to launch reports from third party tools - so that the print button

      in Sage spawns the invoice created from one of these tools

        ie under reports & options, add a field to define a command that will run the report

      is it possible, with the current version of Sage 50 to do this with Excel ?

  • 0 in reply to Roger L

    Hi Roger L

    Keith can provide more detailed information on what is about to be released next month as I am a consultant, not a Sage employee and may not be privy to all the information available.  However,

    Roger L said:
    ... does Sage plan to enhance the form designer to add this type of functionality...

    I would not expect the forms designer in the near future to including conditional-type programming.

    Roger L said:
    ..., with release time frame does Sage plan to add an interface to launch reports from third party tools - so that the print button

      in Sage spawns the invoice created from one of these tools ie under reports & options, add a field to define a command that will run the report

    I suggested something similar to Sage 6 or 7 years ago as well as again when the announcement went out this spring about the removal of the Crystal Reports Print Engine and the answer both times was NO.  It's possible they have changed their minds since then and will do something to partner with Third-Party developers in this regard because of the stir this change has caused.  However, because they were emphatically against discussions on the best way to implement this change, I doubt it will happen.  When I asked, I was even told specifically not to manipulate the current Sage 50 program to accomplish some of it.  Theoretically, I could do this with my BizMan Reports 2.0 program, but because of their lack of interest in partnering with developers, I have implemented my new program similar to my other programs in the past without tying into the menus of the program.

    Roger L said:
    ... is it possible, with the current version of Sage 50 to do this with Excel ?

    Yes of course.  It's possible XLGL might be able to do this, the Intelligence program can be programmed to do it and if you know the database and VBA, you could program Excel to create any report or form for yourself.

  • 0 in reply to Richard S. Ridings

    " When I asked, I was even told specifically not to manipulate the current Sage 50 program to accomplish some of it."

    From the Sage SDK License:

    "5 NONCOMPETITION.  

     Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, you may not use any portion of the SDK to develop or distribute any software product, in any format that would:  (a) compete in the marketplace, in any way, with the Sage 50 Software; or (b) allow extraction of the Sage 50 Database created by any user of the Sage 50 Software so as to facilitate the conversion of such database for use by any other software product which permits the user to mimic the functionality of Sage 50 Software."

    "7.2 Except as expressly authorized herein, you may not:  (a) use the SDK to design or develop anything other than Developer Product; (b) market or distribute the Developer Product or any other add-ons or enhancements to the Sage 50 Software without the prior written consent of Sage; "

    My read of that, is that as long as you:

     - don't use the SDK to try to build your own, entire accounting program, and

     - ask for permission before distributing an add-on,

    you can do anything you like, with the SDK.  

    But practically, it would be difficult to make an invoice printing add-on.  While there ARE APIs in the software for generating invoices and other documents, there are no APIs in the SDK for the Sage 50 printing system. 

    So you would have to build all the printing functionality yourself, and if you use the SDK anywhere in the rest, you need Sage permission.

  • 0 in reply to RandyW

    Personally I don't directly use the SDK at all.  I was a dev partner for 16 or 17 years or so from about 1996.  The free SDK as we know it was brought out about a year or two before my partnership was stopped.

    There are some sections of the Regular EULA that involved altering the program as it currently runs and that was what I was asking about.

    I asked and was refused.  I decided that though section 4.3 of the Sage 50 EULA does state that (roughly speaking) I am not allowed to accept the word of any employee of the company and that their direction related to the program is not to be relied on, I decided I didn't have deep enough pockets to go up against the Sage lawyers if required.

    So I went another way.  My program is helping clients that have actually chosen to upgrade and continue to use their previous Crystal Reports and that is what I was after.  It would be nice to make the workflow easier, but Sage has to be willing to put in a "No Printer" option in Reports & Forms so the program doesn't continue to want to print paper or you don't have to cancel the printing to other drivers (eg. pdf or MS Office Document Writer).

    I agree the creation of a fully integrated addon is beyond the scope of the current SDK.  I've been doing reporting programs for Simply/Sage 50 since the turn of the century but they are not fully integrated and triggered by Sage 50 itself.  The closest I have is the two BizMan Reports versions I created (first released in 2005) that will print automatically when you hit print in the Simply/Sage 50 program, but the current version does not currently support batch printing well (no guarantee everything will print).  To do that I have to complete the integration I am slowly working on.  But I am not programming all the time.  I am still working as a consultant and bookkeeper (just finished some AJE in QB a half hour ago).

    Anyway, I think we are getting way off topic from what the OP was looking for.  Hopefully, Estie has the answer required.

Reply
  • 0 in reply to RandyW

    Personally I don't directly use the SDK at all.  I was a dev partner for 16 or 17 years or so from about 1996.  The free SDK as we know it was brought out about a year or two before my partnership was stopped.

    There are some sections of the Regular EULA that involved altering the program as it currently runs and that was what I was asking about.

    I asked and was refused.  I decided that though section 4.3 of the Sage 50 EULA does state that (roughly speaking) I am not allowed to accept the word of any employee of the company and that their direction related to the program is not to be relied on, I decided I didn't have deep enough pockets to go up against the Sage lawyers if required.

    So I went another way.  My program is helping clients that have actually chosen to upgrade and continue to use their previous Crystal Reports and that is what I was after.  It would be nice to make the workflow easier, but Sage has to be willing to put in a "No Printer" option in Reports & Forms so the program doesn't continue to want to print paper or you don't have to cancel the printing to other drivers (eg. pdf or MS Office Document Writer).

    I agree the creation of a fully integrated addon is beyond the scope of the current SDK.  I've been doing reporting programs for Simply/Sage 50 since the turn of the century but they are not fully integrated and triggered by Sage 50 itself.  The closest I have is the two BizMan Reports versions I created (first released in 2005) that will print automatically when you hit print in the Simply/Sage 50 program, but the current version does not currently support batch printing well (no guarantee everything will print).  To do that I have to complete the integration I am slowly working on.  But I am not programming all the time.  I am still working as a consultant and bookkeeper (just finished some AJE in QB a half hour ago).

    Anyway, I think we are getting way off topic from what the OP was looking for.  Hopefully, Estie has the answer required.

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