ChrisG's avatar
10 years ago
Status:
Open

Forms: Ability to draw (straight) line using Shift command

Did a quick search for this and couldn't find something related. Lengthy post, mostly rant, summary of what's needed at the bottom.

 

Spent 20 minutes with support today, only to find out that there is literally nothing that can be done to solve my issue. I was told that the development team may be working on some updates to invoices, and that I could suggest some ideas on the forum.

 

The problem is, when importing invoices from v19, the formatting screws up the invoice, so you need to edit it to fix up the formatting. But 2014.4 does not make it easy.

 

Tables are definitely a great idea, but when they limit you they just become frustrating. If you look in my attachment, you will notice that the price columns seem like they are wide enough to hold number data, but there is this HUGE padding on the left side of the column. Why? I don't know. Even if there is a reason, at least allow us to edit it.

 

So I thought to myself, well maybe I can manually put in lines, instead of the border tool as a sort of workaround to get rid of the padding. This doesn't solve the problem though as it just moves the padding to the other columns. As well as this, as you can't make STRAIGHT lines, by holding the shift key or another command, it makes invoice creation nearly impossible. I have been using the square tool, overlapping serveral squares to make the lines in my document.

 

Which brings another problem, when you make several sections of a document that need to overlap, you usually need it to overlap to the pixel, otherwise it will look strange. But you can not make a box or line a specific size, only change the x and y co ordinates. Im not sure if that makes sense, but basically if you are embedding an element, such as a table in to a larger box, you need the outer borders to overlap. In which case they must have the exact same width. 

 

I know you can see the dimensions when resizing, but I have found in my experience that they are not pixel perfect. There was a feature in v19 that allowed you to change sizes but not in 2014.4. I also know that elements can snap to the grid, and zoom in, but when sizing is not exactly the width of the grid and what not it still becomes fiddly.

 

Sorry if some sections seemed like a rant, but it's just frustrating when updating to a new version of MYOB to find that invoice editing has actually become harder. I don't know what to do, but it seems like I will have to make 3 separate tables, for a four column table, to 'hide' this padding and make manual lines which aren't straight to separate the columns. It seems to me that its completely useless to even have tables at this point. If there is a solution that I am just simply missing, that would be great, but I have posted in the community forum and called support to find no help.

 

To summarise this is what I would like to see added to the invoice features:

 

  • Allow us to make straight lines
  • Allow us to change the padding in tables, or at least get rid of it
  • Allow us to edit the width and height of shape and other elements to the pixel or cm.

And if possible, fix the importing of forms from v19 to 2014.4. This is probably a harder one however, and may not be possible.

 

"Invoice Editing"

  • Status changed:
    New
    to
    Open

    Hi ChrisG

    Thank you for your feedback and idea in regards to AccountRight's customisation of forms.

    I would encourage other members of the MYOB Community to vote and comment for this idea if they would like to see an updated customise forms option that would allow for the user to add in a perfectly straight line and the ability to change/removal of padding of columns.

    In regards to the ability to set exact sizes of the elements I would vote for the idea Changes to customised forms AccountRight Plus v2012

  • Stuart_123's avatar
    Stuart_123
    Experienced User

    Hello,

    I know this post was from 2015.

    I am going through all the exact same frustrations today when importing my form from accountright plus V19.5 to Accountright plus online.

    The snap to grid option does not snap the shapes/lines to grid when you change their size, only when you move them around. It needs to snap to grid when adjusting size also, otherwise as the OP has stated, it becomes increasingly frustrating lining up all the boxes to not look horrible.

     

    A tool to be able to make a table as asked above would be good too, the current table tool only allows you to import tables already filled with variables. We just need to be able to import one with X collumns and X rows. The current ability to adjust the table sizes and outlines is sufficient. 

     

    Regards,

    Stuart

  • Well, I'm glad I found this post because I thought I was going mad!  Being a long term user of MYOB had been asked to come back after years off and am so frustrated with SO many changes and not for the positive!

    How is a business to appear to professional when it nigh on impossible to draw a straight line on a customised form? How ridiculous! It used to be as stated above shift and hold..... why take that feature away?  Put it back.  Also put back the ability to make a box an exact also as above.  It is so difficult to try to hold the mouse (and tongue) exactly at the right place to get the boxes the same.  Why take that feature out?  Please put it back!

    Unfortunately, disappointingly and frustratingly so many negative changes from an Administrator's point of view.  

     

    Shift+ keys do not work all the time

    Alt+ keys do not work all the time

     

    Very VERY frustrating when something isn't broken why change it?