Invoice Builder, created by Jonathan Hammer (hammer@kagi.com) is the latest way to track client billing and automatically create invoices. The straightforward interface and close integration with the Mac OS make this program the easiest, fastest, and most flexible billing application available.
At $50, Invoice Builder is nearly 1/4 the price of other leading billing packages. You can easily pay with cash, check, credit card, or online banking. To pay for this program, open the "Register" application located in the same folder as this file or go to http://order.kagi.com/?ORD&S
Invoice Builder is a shareware application. After 30 days of free use, please pay the $50 to register your program. Once registered, you will have unlimited use of Invoice Builder and will be guaranteed to special low prices on future updates.
Where to find…
This version of Invoice Builder was released July 27, 1998.
The latest version of Invoice Builder can be found on the Invoice Builder web page:
http://www.mindspring.com/~hammer1/ib/
Requirements…
• System 7.0 (Invoice Builder works best with Mac OS 8)
• Microsoft Word 6.0 or higher (that includes Word 98). Word is required only for actually creating invoices – Invoice Builder works fine without Word.
• Invoice Builder uses a minimum of 1MB of RAM.
• Invoice Builder uses a maximum of 1.4MB of hard disk space.
Mac OS Integration…
• Invoice Builder supports of Contextual Menus.
• Invoice Builder supports drag & drop. You can drag invoice entries and any open timers.
• Invoice Builder supports Apple Events.
• Invoice Builder supports Navigation Services.
• Invoice Builder supports the Appearance Manager.
• Invoice Builder uses the Internet Config system.
Invoice Builder advantages…
Many billing/timing programs are available for the Mac OS. However, these programs often are not able to meet the needs of most people. They are either underpowered or are loaded down with features making them extremely difficult to use. Invoice Builder falls right in the middle. The well-designed interface makes it easy to automatically keep track of client billing information and create invoices quickly.
Registering…
After you receive your registration code (whether by email or through the Post Office) you can unlock Invoice Builder by doing the following:
1. Open Invoice Builder.
2. Choose "About Invoice Builder…" from the Apple menu.
3. Click the "Unlock…" button (located at the bottom-right corner of the window). A new dialog box will appear.
4. Enter your name in the top box.
5. In the lower box, enter the registration code you received. Be sure to enter the code exactly as it appears.
6. Click the "Unlock" button.
User's Guide…
Upgrading
Invoice Builder 1.2 uses a different file format that 1.0. To update the old data file, move a copy of your old "Client Data" file into the new "Invoice Builder 1.2 folder" and open Invoice Builder.
Important: Be sure to trash your old "Invoice Builder Preferences file". It is located inside the Preferences folder inside the System Folder.
Important: Before converting your old file, be sure that you give Invoice Builder enough memory and back up your data file. Very large Client Data files (larger than 1MB) need lots of memory to convert. Allocate at least 1MB more than the size of your data file to Invoice Builder. (For example, if your Client Data file is 1.5MB, then give Invoice Builder at least 2.5MB). Also, be sure the client data file is named "Client Data".
To allocate more memory to Invoice Builder, go to the Finder, select "Invoice Builder 1.2", and choose "Get Info" from the "File" menu. Enter the amount of memory (in kilobytes) in the box marked "Preferred Size:".
If the converted data shows up incorrectly (or if it's corrupted) in Invoice Builder 1.2, quit Invoice Builder, trash the client data file, replace it with a copy of your old client data file, give Invoice Builder more memory, and open Invoice Builder 1.2 again.
Preferences
Invoice Builder takes only a few minutes to set up. After opening the Invoice Builder application, go to the "Edit" menu and select "Edit Preferences…"
• Default Hourly Rate:
Enter your default hourly rate
• Autosave:
Invoice Builder automatically saves your client data. Drag the slider to the left to save more often. Drag it to the right to save data less often.
• Ask to save entry data:
Check this box if you want Invoice Builder to always ask to save data. Otherwise, Invoice Builder will save it automatically.
• Play Sounds:
Check this box if you want Invoice Builder to use sound effects.
• Warn before removing items:
Check this box if you want Invoice Builder to warn you each time you try to delete a client or invoice entry.
• Show Word while creating invoices:
Invoice Builder uses Microsoft Word (6.0 or higher) to create the invoices. If you want Word to be visible while creating the invoices, check this box.
• Hotspot:
Click the corner of the screen you want to be the hotspot. When the mouse is moved over the hotspot, Invoice Builder will become the active application (it will pop to the front).
• Stationary File:
Use this to select a Microsoft Word file that Invoice Builder will use to create all your invoices. You can use the included "Invoice Stationary" file to start with. Click "Choose File…" to select a file. Click "Edit File" to edit the stationary file.
Invoice Preferences
Invoice Preferences contains special settings that apply to any invoices you create.
Client Browser Window
The first window you will see is the Client Browser Window. This window displays all the clients for the selected month and a short summary of each selected client.
• To create a new client, click "New…"
• To delete the selected client(s), click "Remove"
• To search all months for a specific client, click "Search…"
• To open the entry window for the selected client(s), click "Open"
• To get the total client, entries, hours, and total due for the selected month, click the blue "i" next to the month popup menu (or choose "Month Info…" from the "View" menu).
• To print summary information for any client, select the client(s) in the Browser window and select "Print Summary…" from the "File" menu.
• To change the selected month, click the month popup menu (or choose Next Month/Previous Month from the "View" menu).
• To move a selected client from one month to another, go to "Move To" in the "Edit" menu and select the desired month.
• To sort the list of clients, click the Name button or Number button (or go to the "View Client by" menu item in the "View" menu).
• Click the question mark in the top-right corner of the window to open the Help Window (or choose "Invoice Builder Help…" in the "Help" menu).
• To display a contextual menu for any client, click & hold on any client (or hold the control key and click any client).
Client Entry Window
When you open a client (by selecting a client in the Browser window and clicking "Open") you will see the entry window. This window lists all the entries in the client (a maximum of twelve) and the contents of every entry.
• To add an entry, click the "Add" button. Then, fill in the fields on the right-hand side of the window. The "Type:" popup menu has three options: Debit, Credit, and Expense. Depending on what you choose, that entry will either credit or debit the client x amount. If you choose "Expense", you only need to enter the amount and comments fields. To save the entered data, choose "Save" or click anywhere in the list of entries.
• To remove a selected entry or entries, click "Remove"
• To duplicate a selected entry or entries, click "Duplicate"
• To move a selected entry up or down in the list of entries, click the up or down arrows. You can also drag an entry to the desired position.
• To mark a selected entry as paid, click the "Entry Paid" check box.
• To create the invoice for the open client, click "Create Invoice". Be sure your preferences are set up correctly and that you have chosen a stationary file to use for your invoices. Note: If you want to create invoices for multiple clients at a time, select the desired clients in the Client Browser Window and select "Create Invoices…" from the "File" menu.
• To edit client info, click the "Client Info…" button. Client info includes name, address, phone, fax, email, invoice number, sales tax, invoice paid, and other comments. Note: In the Client Info dialog box, if you click the icon to the left of the email address field, Invoice Builder will automatically open your email program and address a letter to the email address entered.
• To open a timer for the client, click the "Make Timer" button. For more instructions, see "The Timer Window" section.
• If you frequently type the same comments for many entries, you can automatically enter those comments by selecting them from the auto-comments popup menu. It is located just above the comments field (on the right side). To add to the auto-comments menu, choose "Edit Comments List…" from the auto-comments menu.
• To display a contextual menu for any entry, click & hold on any entry (or hold the control key and click any entry).
The Timer Window
When you click "Make Timer" in any Client Entry Window, the Timer Window appears and a new timer for the client is added to the window.
• To make a new timer without opening a client entry window, click the "Make New Timer…" button in the Timer Window.
• To start the timer, click the "Start" button.
• To pause a timer, click the "Pause" button.
• To remove a timer from the timer window, click the "Close" button.
• To edit the data (elapsed time, hourly rate, name) for any open timer, hold down the option key and click the name of the client in the timer window.
• To add the data from any timer to any open client, drag the client's name (from the timer window) into any open list of entries or click "Copy" and then paste it into any open client entry table.
The Toolbar
The toolbar provides the user with a fast way to access many of the Invoice Builder windows, quickly view a different month, or open Microsoft Word.
The Search Window
To open the search window, choose "Show Search Window" in the "Window" menu or click "Search…" in the Browser window. The search window lets you search all months for a client's name or invoice number. Type the name or invoice number and click "Search". If a match is found, the total entries, hours, and total due for all the months combined are displayed.
• To see a month-by-month breakdown of the entries, hours, and total due, click the blue arrow next to the word "Details…". Every month that contained a match is hilighted in red.
• To jump to any month listed in the search window, click the name of the month.
• To print the results of the search, click "Print Results…" (or choose "Print Results…" from the "File" menu).
Creating Invoices
Invoice Builder uses Microsoft Word to create the invoices. Why? It provides the most flexibility. You can edit, print, or do anything with the created invoice files that you would do to any Word document.
Important: If you are using Microsoft Word 98, make sure that Visual Basic for Applications is installed. If it is not, Invoice Builder will not be able to create invoices. Also be sure that Word has enough memory to run VBA.
Important: If you are running System 7.x, be sure that the "Finder Scripting Extension" is installed.
Whenever Invoice Builder creates an invoice, it uses the stationary file that you selected (in the Preferences dialog box). Invoice Builder opens the document, fills in any client information and fills in the table with the invoice entries.
You should edit the included Word file to your own needs. To edit the file, click "Edit File" in the Preferences dialog box. Do not create your own invoice stationary from scratch (if you do, Invoice Builder will not be able to create the invoice correctly).
You can change whatever you want in the included file (formatting, text, etc.), however, there are some things that you can not change:
• Do not add or remove any rows or columns from the table.
• Do not remove the two bookmarks ("start" and "begin") from the file.
Other than that, you can change whatever you like.
When inserting client information (name, address, phone) Invoice Builder looks for certain "tags" in the Word file. If it finds a tag, it replaces with the proper information. You can use the following tags in your stationary file:
<name>
<address>
<phone>
<fax>
<email>
<comments>
<billingmonth>
<billingcycle>
<number>
<startdate>
<enddate>
You can use as many or as few of them as you like. See the included stationary file for examples.
Creating invoices can be a slow process, depending on the computer. Here are some tips for speeding up the process:
• Make sure Word is running before creating any invoices.
• Close all other programs except Word and Invoice Builder.
• Make sure the "Show Word while creating invoices" check box is unchecked in the Preferences dialog box.
Version History…
1.2 – (8/17/98) Bug fixes. Other minor improvements. Invoice numbers now consecutive (starting at one). Timer improvements, new toolbar, create invoices by selected entries, better memory management, imrproved invoice creation.
1.1 – (7/27/98) New format includes options for Sales Tax, Invoice Numbers, Mark an invoice as paid, etc. Interface changes. New invoice options and invoice tags. Improved timer window. Added new invoice entry type (Expenses). Fixed bugs when creating invoices. Improved memory handling and stability.
