Toolbars

One of the many new features available in version 5 is the ability to create and modify toolbars within the ESC software. A toolbar is a collection of icons (pictures) and words that represent shortcuts to various screens and reports in the software. By creating custom toolbars for your employees you can make it easier for them to use the ESC software.

Just think you can now put all the reports you use on a regular basis in one simple pull-down menu. Want direct access to the Receive Inventory screen? You can create a toolbar that enables you to jump right to it with a single click. Do you have employees that don’t need access to Sales Invoicing? Modify our default toolbar and remove the icon that takes you there (and setup your security properly, but that is a lesson for another day). You can do all these things and more with just a little time and the information below.

In this article I will show you how to create a new toolbar for your purchasing agent. Don’t have one? Don’t fret. This example will cover just about everything you need to know about toolbars including how to return to the system defaults if you don’t need this particular toolbar.

Before we dive in let me explain one important fact about toolbars. Custom toolbars are only visible on the computer where they are created. So before we get started you might want to go to the computer your purchasing agent uses. If you don’t have a purchasing agent or are just in this for the knowledge, any computer will do.

The first step in creating a new toolbar is to right-click on any part of the toolbar which is visible. This will include the area at the top of your screen where the pull-down menus and default icons are. This will display a menu that will show all of the toolbars on this computer and a customize option. Select Customize and the following window will appear.

To create a new toolbar, click the New button and enter Purchasing in the resulting Toolbar Name field. Click OK and you will see that a new blank toolbar will appear under your existing toolbar.

Next, click on the Commands tab to see a list of the items you can place on your toolbar. Select the following items and drag them to the blank toolbar from left to right.

The toolbar should look something like this when you have completed this step:

Right-click on the first icon and change the name in the Name field from
Enter Purchase Orders to Create PO. Then select Image and Text.

Use this concept on the remaining items to achieve something similar to the toolbar shown below.

Helpful Hint: You can rearrange your icons by clicking an icon and dragging it to its new location. You will have to use this feature to get the Receive Inventory item in the right place.

Another Hint: Use the Begin a Group menu item to create a separator bar between the currently highlighted item and the item to its left.

Now use these techniques to create your own toolbars. Feel free to experiment. Try dragging the toolbars to another edge of the screen and back. If you are feeling particularly adventuresome, try changing the contents and order of the items that appear in the Purchasing toolbar under the Inventory Reports pull-down menu.

If you make a mistake, you can always delete your custom toolbars and go back to our defaults by selecting Edit | Reset Toolbars to Default.

Have fun customizing the software!