Overview of Menus

Overview of Menus

The Main Menu

The Main Menu is the entry point to all other sections of Unique.

To select a Main Menu command 

Move your mouse to the Menu option and click your left mouse button to select the option. Once you have highlighted the option you want, click your left mouse button again to select it.  

Menu Bars

  Menu Bars are located across the top of the screen in most of the sub-menus (i.e., the Client Menu, the Inventory Menu, etc.).  

To select a Menu Bar option 

Move your mouse to the Menu option and click your left mouse button to select the option. Once you've highlighted the option you want, click your left mouse button again to select the menu option.  

Pull Down Menus

Pull Down Menus offer expanded options for the commands listed on the  Menu Bars . Not every Menu Bar command has a Pull Down menu associated with it. An example of a Menu Bar command that does not have a Pull Down menu is the Exit command. Selecting Exit from the Menu Bar returns you to the previous Menu . 

To select a Pull Down Menu command 

Move your mouse to the Menu option and click your left mouse button to select the option. Once you have highlighted the command you want, click your left mouse button to select it. 

Report Menu Selections 

  When making a report selection from the Reports Menu, a sub-menu of categories will be displayed. Under each category is a pull down menu of the various reports available. To select a report, move your mouse to the Menu option and click your left mouse button to select the option. Once you have highlighted the option you want, click your left mouse again to select the menu option.  

Data Entry Screens 

  Most of Unique's screens are designed for data entry. In these data entry screens there are some fields where you will be expected to enter data, and some fields that will only display data. Unique will not allow you to enter information in the fields that only display data. 

Also, some fields expect only text, some fields expect only numbers, some fields allow both text and numbers, and some fields expect only date information. If you try to enter the wrong type of data into a field, the software will not accept it. Similarly, if you enter an incorrect date, such as 12/31/2007, it will not be accepted either. 

Fields that except numbers are pre-set to a certain number of whole numbers and decimal places. You are not allowed to exceed the preset limits. 

When entering decimal numbers, you only need to enter significant digits. Unique will supply any necessary zeros for the correct display of the number. For example, if you enter 1.2 in a dollar field, Unique will display 1.20. Or, if you enter 17 in a dollar field, Unique will display 17.00. 

To Move Between Fields

Move your mouse to the Field option and click your left mouse button to select the field. Once you have highlighted the field you want, just type in the required data. 

Editing Data 

If you make a data entry mistake, you can use the BACKSPACE and DELETE keys to remove the error and re-enter the correct information. You can also insert missing data in a field by moving the mouse to the place you want to insert the new information, press the INSERT key on your keyboard, and type in the correct information. Notice that the cursor changes its shape from a blinking underline to a blinking half-block when you are in the Insert mode.  

When you have finished your insertion, press the INSERT key again to leave the Insert mode. The cursor will return to a blinking underline. 

When you are finished editing, you can select the OK button located on the top of your screen. 

Lookup Screens 

As you enter information into the system, you will frequently need to refer to clients, inventory items, the chart of accounts, etc. With Unique you don't have to remember all the different names and codes and you don't need a "hard copy" (a printed copy) sitting beside your computer. With Unique lookup features you will be able to look up information on accounts, clients, and products without the delays normally associated with looking up information. 

The lookup feature is available in screens that require data on products, services, accounts, etc. When you choose to lookup information in a file, a pop-up window appears on the screen displaying the requested information. 

Selecting an entry in the lookup window 

Use the right scroll bar to move through the data displayed and highlight the item that you want with your mouse. Select the item by double clicking on it or by selecting the OK button.  

If you are on the correct field in the data entry screen, the appropriate information will automatically be entered into the field for you and be displayed. 

If there is more information than will fit on one screen, use the scroll bar on the right side of the screen to move the bar past the last displayed entry in the window will scroll the contents of the window up one line and the next, previously hidden, entry is displayed on the bottom line. This is called a scrollable window. 

To move more quickly through the lookup window you can move forward and backward one screen at a time by using the up and down scroll bar buttons. 

Another way to search for a specific selection in the lookup window is to enter the highlighted letter of the entry you are searching for. An example of this would be: while browsing through the client listing you want to start searching for a client whose last name started with the letter K but the B's are currently displayed in the lookup window. You could press the K key and Unique would move you to the first person in the client file whose last name started with a K. 

Searching the Data Files 

  To find a specific entry in one of the files, for example the inventory file, there are two different ways you can move around in the file.  

The first way allows you to step forward and backwards through the files one item at a time by using the Next and Previous Button menu option.  

The second way is to use the Find Button to let Unique do the searching for you. Unique uses a standard search procedure for looking up, adding, and editing specific information.  

Select the entry you want and from the bottom of the screen you can select the edit, add or print option etc. You can type the name or item information in the search window and Unique will automatically pull a string that matches the information you inserted. 

The Next and Previous Commands

When you select the Next button option, the next entry in the file is displayed on the screen. Selecting Previous selects the previous entry in the file. If you select Next when you are at the last entry in the file the message "At END of File" is displayed on the screen. If you select Previous when you are at the first entry in the file the message "At BEGINNING of File" is displayed. 

The Next and Previous buttons work well when either the file is small, or you want to step through your file one entry at a time. If you want to search for a specific entry, the quickest way to locate it is to use the Find/View command.  

The Find Button 

The Find Button has several different options. You can either tell Unique to search for a specific entry, or you can search through the file yourself. The following is an example of the FIND pull down menu from the Inventory menu:  

Part Number  

Description  

Category 

Manufacturer  

Beginning of File  

End of File  

From here you can find an inventory item by its part number, description, category, manufacturer, or you can search through the file yourself by starting at the first entry in the file or the last entry in the file. 

If you select Part Number or Description , Unique will ask you to enter the part number or description you are searching for and then tries to find a match. If an exact match is not found, Unique tries to find as close a match as possible. A window appears on the screen displaying all the entries in the file and the match that Unique found is highlighted. You can select what Unique found by selecting the Ok button, or you can use the scroll bar and highlight a new entry and select Ok . Selecting Exit will take you out of the search window without selecting any of the entries.

If you select Beginning of File or End of File , Unique displays the same window with either the first entry or the last entry in the file highlighted. From here you can scroll up and down through the window to find the entry you are searching for. 

The View  window is similar to the lookup screen described above. To move around in the window use the scroll bar up and down option buttons. 

To locate a client, the database is designed throughout the system to allow you to enter either the client's first name, last name, or phone number. You DO NOT at any time have to enter both the first and last name. The system will not allow you to enter both first and last name, but only one of the field's criteria. After you enter the name or phone number, you can select the appropriate name. For example, if you enter "Mary" as the first name, the system will list all of the "Mary's" in the database. If you entered "Jones" as the last name, the system will list all of the "Jones". You can then use your scroll bars to move up and down to locate the correct client. 

Conventions Used in this Manual 

  When referring to a specific command in this manual, the command path required to get to the desired command is sometimes shown with the command. For example, to change the commission setup for an employee this manual might tell you to enter the command Employee/Commission/ Commission Setup. This means from the Employee menu, select the Commission command from the Menu Bar. Then select Commission Setup from the pull down menu. 

This might also be abbreviated to Commission/Commission Setup if you are already in the Employee menu.