Introduction
Hacking computer systems is a time-honored tradition.
By hacking I mean finding ways to make a system do more and go farther
than its creators ever intended, not using a system in an inappropriate
way.
Microsoft Dynamics GP is incredibly flexible. Over
the years users have found that there are ways to use Dynamics GP to
solve business problems by applying conventional features in
unconventional ways. This can include using a different feature to
supply missing functionality, applying best practices to improve
clarity, exposing hidden settings, or applying some simple code to add
functionality to the system.
Building custom help with Window notes
Each master record and transaction in
Dynamics GP includes the ability to add notes. These notes are attached
to the associated record and can be accessed whenever that record is
open. Dynamics GP also contains another set of notes. These notes are
attached to each window in Dynamics GP and are available whenever that
window is open, regardless of the record being used. Window notes are
stored at the company level so different Dynamics GP companies can have
different notes. Additionally, notes assigned to a window are available
to all users who can access that window making them an ideal candidate
for alternative uses.
The most common hack for window notes is to provide
additional help or specific data entry instructions to users. For
example, a note on the Inventory Maintenance
window could be used to inform users that new nut and bolt inventory
items belong to the FASTENERS Class ID, not FIXTURES. Another example
would be to use a note on the Customer Maintenance
window to remind users that new customers from Texas belong to the West
region, not to the South. In this recipe, we'll look at setting up
custom help using window notes.
How to do it...
To use window notes to set up custom help:
1. In Dynamics GP, select Sales from the Navigation Pane. Select Customer on the Area Page under Cards.
2. Click on the small, white note in the lower right-hand side corner of the window:
3. In the Note window enter the following:
4. Click on Attach to save the note.
5.
Notice that the icon changes from an empty white note to a yellow one
with writing on it designed to indicate the presence of information:
How it works…
Although Dynamics GP is extremely flexible and
customizable there are times when customizing any system to control user
behavior provides diminishing returns. Using window notes to provide
customized help is one of those in-between measures that makes it easier
for users to do their job correctly but requires minimal effort to
implement.
The drawbacks to using window notes in this way are
that they are difficult to lock down with security. Most users will have
access to change notes, not just view them. Additionally, users need to
actually click on the icon to view additional help. I have seen cases
where custom programming was used to open the note each time the window
opens. However, this has its own drawback in that it quickly becomes
annoying for users who don't need the extra help.
Window notes don't eliminate the need for
training and monitoring but they can make it easier for users to get
data entry right.
