Data Entry Guidelines

The operations described below are universal within the software module.

Navigating Fields

Mouse

To move to a specific location in a field, point to the position and click once.  Note:  This is useful to change only a single letter or number.

To select an entire word within a field, point to the word and double-click.

[TAB]

To move from one field to the next, press the [TAB] key.  The active field's title is highlighted in bright green.

NOTE:  You can change the highlight color, by changing the Style in the System Parameters.

Arrow Keys

To move to a different position within a field, press the left or right arrow key.

Shortcut Menu

To display the field-level shortcut menu, left-click in any field box and then right-click.

You can use the shortcut menu to cut, copy, and delete the field contents.

Updating Data

NOTE:  You can change the whole field or just part of it (even a single character).

Alphanumeric Data

To insure predictable sorting of data, NDS strongly recommends that you use all capital letters when entering data into alphanumeric fields (also called STRING fields).

Tip:  To easily enter all characters in upper case when working in Invision, press the [CAPS LOCK] key so the Caps Lock light appears on your keyboard.

[BACKSPACE]

To delete a single character that appears before the pointer, press [BACKSPACE].

Note:  If you highlight the whole field value, [BACKSPACE] erases the entire contents of the field.

[DELETE]

To delete a single character that appears after the pointer, press [DELETE].

Note:  If you highlight the whole field value, [DELETE] erases the entire contents of the field.

[ENTER]

You usually click [ENTER] when ready to perform a function, such as saving a record.

Tip:  If a button appears focused, outlined like the first Save button below, you can automatically click the button simply by pressing [ENTER].

Focused

Not focused

Save

Always save your work!

Data Validation

Date Validation

In many places, the program automatically confirms whether date entries are valid.  Invalid dates trigger a message on the Status Bar, which displays the proper date format.

Example:  If you enter 02/31/2002, the following message appears because February has only 28 or 29 days:

 

Note:  You can optionally leave out the slashes or the first two digits of the year, and the date field automatically formats correctly.

Example:

Valid entry

Result

 

Numeric Entry

Improperly formatted data for a numeric field triggers a message on the Status Bar, which displays the proper numeric format.

 

Format Rules:

  • Type the decimal point in the proper location to avoid unpredictable results, such as padded zeros after the decimal.

  • Zeros appear as place-holders in empty fields, with the appropriate number of zeros to the right of the decimal.

  • Dollar signs ($) appear with the placeholder zeros, when applicable.

    Examples    :

    Dollar and cents

    Whole dollar

  • Error messages display the numeric format as |X.Y|, where X = the number of digits to the left of the decimal point and Y = the number of digits to the right of the decimal.  For example, |7.2| indicates you can enter up to seven digits to the left of the decimal, and two digits to the right.

    Example    :  If you mistakenly enter 9.999 in a |7.2| field, the following message appears.

 

Required Field

Any mandatory field that is left blank appears with a red checkmark next to it and triggers the following error message on the Status Bar:

Example:  

 

Note:  You must enter valid data in a required field before saving.

 

Rejected Entry

Any field containing invalid data appears with a red checkmark next to it.   Invalid field data triggers a message on the Status Bar, which displays the proper format for the field.

 

Example:  If you incorrectly enter a zip code as 04084a, the following message appears:

 

Note:  You must correct the data before saving.

 

Tip:  If you experience trouble formatting the data, you can view the field properties by clicking the right mouse button to see the shortcut menu.

 

 

Invision Features