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Tips & Tricks

Form Defaults

When you create a new item, the form initially appears empty. Accounter allows you to predefine default starting values for new items by using the Form Defaults feature.

Setting Up Form Defaults

Let's assume you wish to define default starting values for new Sales Invoices:

  1. Navigate to the Sales Invoices tab.

    Sales Invoices
    (Invoice list would appear here)

  2. Click the Form Defaults button located at the bottom-right corner.

  3. Enter or select the desired default values (for instance, you can specify the default due date). Then, click the Update button to confirm your settings.

Note

From now on, each time you create a New Sales Invoice, it will appear pre-populated with your defined default values.

Suggested Uses of Form Defaults

Some ways you can make effective use of Form Defaults include:

  • Custom Field Content: Setting default content for any custom fields you've created
  • Reference Numbers: Enabling automatic generation of reference numbers on transaction forms
  • Footer Messages: Defining default Footers for transactions. For example, you can create a footer providing payment instructions for sales invoice recipients
  • Payment Terms: Set standard payment terms (e.g., "Net 30") for all new invoices
  • Tax Codes: Apply your most commonly used tax rate by default
  • Account Assignments: Pre-select frequently used income or expense accounts

Common Form Default Examples

Sales Invoice Defaults

  • • Payment terms: "Net 30 days"
  • • Footer: "Thank you for your business!"
  • • Tax code: Standard VAT rate
  • • Currency: Your base currency

Purchase Invoice Defaults

  • • Expense account: Office Supplies
  • • Tax code: Input VAT
  • • Division: Operations
  • • Reference format: "PO-YYYY-####"

Receipt Defaults

  • • Bank account: Primary checking
  • • Reference prefix: "REC-"
  • • Description template
  • • Date: Today's date

Journal Entry Defaults

  • • Date: Current date
  • • Reference format
  • • Common account pairs
  • • Standard narration text

Pro Tip

Time-saving tip: Set up form defaults for your most frequently used transaction types first. This can save significant time during data entry and help maintain consistency across your records.

Resetting Form Defaults

If you need to reset Form Defaults back to their original, empty state:

  1. When editing your Form Defaults, simply click the Reset button.

Note

This will clear your custom defined settings, restoring the forms to their default, empty state. You can set up new defaults at any time.

Best Practices

  • Review regularly: Update your form defaults as your business processes evolve
  • Keep it simple: Only set defaults for fields you use consistently
  • Test thoroughly: Create a test transaction to verify your defaults work as expected
  • Document changes: Keep track of what defaults you've set for different form types
  • Train your team: Ensure all users understand how defaults affect new transactions
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