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:   Notes: Slashes:  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 Calculating Dates:  You can enter a value to automatically be added to today's date.  Enter the amount you want to add (x) and the code for the date element as follows: xD:  Adds x days to today's date. xW:  Adds x weeks to today's date. xM:  Adds x months to today's date. xY:  Adds x years to today's date. Example:  If today is 01/01/2001, type 5Y to enter 01/01/2006.  The value of the calculated date appears in the field. Tip:  To simply enter today's date, type only D, W, M, or Y.  Capital or lower-case letters are valid.
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.