The forms and documents that are sent to your clients from AbtracOnLine can all be styled to suit your corporate image.
The invoice layout is the most commonly modified form, if applicable you can also customise your Purchase Orders and Accounts Rendered.
This article details modifications to the invoice layout, but the process is similar for all other instances.
What can be customised in terms of how your invoice looks in Abtrac
You can add your logo and modify the header, subtotal and footer of the Abtrac invoice to suit.
The invoice body is less flexible in terms of the design changes we can make, but we’ll teach you how to style the body of each invoice type, and for individual invoices as part of your invoice training. The layout and style of the invoice body is controlled within the Abtrac invoicing module, and from Invoice Line Control Settings .
The Abtrac support team will usually create your first invoice template for you
When you go live with AbtracOnLine, we recommend you do invest in getting the support team to create your invoice layout for you. Or you can choose from one of these templates.
What do I need to supply for my invoice template modification?
- an example of a previous invoice, or
- if you don’t have one then a basic mock up in MS Word helps
- We also need a high resolution copy of any logos to be included
- It also helps if you have completed all your office and invoice settings from the administration screens (company address, tax numbers etc).
At a minimum you will need to fill out the following data in Abtrac:
Office details: company address, phone, website, email
Invoice Settings: ABN #, GST #, invoice terms
It typically takes the support team between 1 – 4 hours to create and confirm a layout for you
Can I modify my own invoice template?
Yes, if you would like to create your own invoice modification you can do so from the AbtracOnLine Report Designer. However we do find that most Abtrac users prefer to let us create the original design, and tend to use the report designer for minor changes.
It tends to take quite a bit longer to create your own template, just because there is also a bit of learning time required time to familiarise yourself with the report designer and the fields available.
How to use the Abtrac report designer
Once your invoice design has been created you can make small changes to it from within Abtrac with the Report Designer.
Before you start: Some important Dos and Don’ts when using the Abtrac report designer
Do: Take a BACKUP of your current template
Before making any adjustments, be sure to take a copy of your template so you have a version you can revert back to if need be.
Learn how to do this here
Don’t: Never adjust the horizontal margin.
The horizontal margins should not be changed as this will upset the algorithms that are used in the body of the invoice which in turn will create unwanted display issues.
If for some reason, they are accidentally adjusted when you are making changes, ensure they are returned to the below measurements.
Do not make changes to the “Details” Section under any circumstance.
The detail section should not be tampered with at any stage as the algorithms that are used to generate the body of the invoice will cause major disruptions if adjusted and cause significant issues to your invoice template. In some cases changes to this area are irreversible so you will then need to start over again with the layout.
Do not add any extra sections to the left hand side of the invoice e.g. headers, footers etc.
This can also affect the layout of the invoice and can make any generated invoice go haphazard.
Where do I go to make changes to my invoice design?
To edit your logo, modify the header, subtotal and footer of the Abtrac invoice:
Go to Administration >> Settings >> Invoice Settings
Go to the ‘Invoice, Account Rendered, Purchase Order, and Receipt Templates’ section. At the top click on the Default Invoice Template edit button on the right-hand side.
This will show you any current available invoice templates in ‘Report Designer’.
How do I take a backup and start editing or add a new invoice template?
In the Report Designer screen, click on the plus sign (+) to add a new template. As mentioned above, we’d recommend copying an existing template before you make any changes so that you have a back up copy.
Once a template is created, you can choose the edit (pencil) button to rename the report or add comments.
Clicking on a report name will open the designer.
You’ll be prompted with a pop-up window.
Click ‘No’ to the pop-up question and continue onto the Report Designer template.
How to Edit the Invoice Layout
There are two editable sections in the Report Designer:
- Report Header & Top Margin (Teal)
- Group Footer & Bottom Margin (Purple)
The “Detail” section is not editable in the Report Designer:
- The “Detail” Section (Red box) contains all the code used to create your invoices
How do I add a logo or image to my invoice?
Choose the image icon (pictured) from the Labels menu on the left hand side.
Drag and drop the image icon into your invoice template to add a ‘picture box’ field.
To place your logo/image in the picture box, from the Properties menu on the right hand side click on the ellipses […] after the word “image”.
From here you can select where your graphic is saved and drag it into place.
Make sure your graphic is no larger than 600Kb.
To resize the image proportionally, click on the sizing drop down menu in the properties panel and select “zoom image”.
Select the graphic within the invoice template and drag one of the corners to adjust to your desired size.
How do I add or edit a label in my invoice template?
Any fields within [square brackets] are dynamic and are linked to information in your version of Abtrac e.g. Invoice Number, Tax Number, Addresses.
To add a label, simply drag and drop the Label Icon from the left hand side and drop into your invoice template.
With the label selected, come across to the Properties on the right hand side and where it says “Data Binding”, hit the arrow on the right hand side. Click on the arrow and expand “InvoicePreviewDataSet”, then expand “Invoice”. From here you can select the data field you’re after.
How do I make a text field?
Much like adding a label, just drag and drop the Rich Text Icon from the left hand side and drop into your invoice template.
Double click the box you’ve just placed into the invoice and start typing!
Be sure to drag the corner of the box to increase the size of the text field so all the content is showing. Otherwise anything cut off will not show up on the invoice.
How do I change the font type face, size and colour of any field?
Select the label or text box you wish to adjust, from the Properties menu choose the “Appearance” drop down. Then choose to show the “Font” drop down options also.
From here you’ll be able to adjust the size of the text, make it bold, change the colour and adjust the alignment.
How do I align labels, text boxes, logos and lines?
When adding new fields or changing the layout, it is easy for things to become misaligned, leaving your invoice template looking less than professional.
To quickly line up any items, first select them item you want to align other objects to (this selected item will have white squares around the edges) then push “CTRL” and select the other misaligned items (these will have solid black boxes in the corner).
Once selected you can choose the alignment you wish to make from the Properties menu on the right hand side.
How do I group fields together (e.g. addresses)?
This is a handy feature if you’d like contain a group of fields together for ease of moving around template without having to select each individual field.
Go to your tools on the left hand side. Select the square box (Panel) and drag and drop into your invoice template.
Increase the dimensions of the box to the desired size allowing for the amount of content you’d like to place inside. Select the fields you’d like to group together and drag and drop into the box you’ve just created. Everything placed in this box will now be contained together and you can move the whole box around as you wish.
How do I add a lined/bordered box?
Go to your tools on the left hand side. Select the square box (Panel) and drag and drop into your invoice.
With the box selected, head over the Properties on the right hand side of your screen. Come down the “Appearance” section and where it says “Borders”, select the fully lined box next to the preselected dotted line box (which means the border feature is currently activated) and this will add a line around the whole outside of the box.
Here you will also find the settings where you can adjust the thickness of the border and change the colour.
Place any content into the bordered box and it will also be grouped together.
How do I add a page number?
Head across to your tool panel on the left hand side of the page. Scroll down and towards the bottom of the panel you’ll find the below Page Info Icon.
Drag and drop this onto your invoice.
With this field selected, move over to the Properties panel on the right hand side and come down to “ACTIONS” and click the three dots in the field next to “Text Format String”.
A new window called “FormatString Editor” will now have been brought up. Under “Category”, click on the “General”, then hit OK. This will have now setup your page number preset for your invoices.
Allowing a greater space text field for invoice terms etc (Multiline)
This is a particularly useful tool for Invoice contact text, Invoice Terms and such alike where more text lines are required.
Select the field you wish to make multiline then go across to the Properties panel on the right hand side. Under the “Text” section, click to put a tick in the box next to Multiline which will activate this feature.
How can I preview the changes I’ve made to my invoice template?
Once you’ve completed your changes you can save your report template from the left hand menu option.
Then set this invoice template as the default for previewing invoices by going to Administration >> Settings >> Invoice Settings. Click on the dropdown arrow next to your Default Invoice Template and select the name of Invoice you’ve been working on. Click the save button here too.
To view the changes you’ve made and make sure all data fields are working as they should be, load an invoice in Abtrac (Invoices >> Load Invoice) and select the print preview icon on any one of your invoices. (You can create a temporary invoice for testing if needed.)
This will bring up the invoice using your new, updated template you’ve just been working on. Previewing ‘Live’ ensures you are displaying all the relevant company, client and project fields correctly. It also allows you to evaluate how your invoice lines, subtotals and footers look in a realistic example.
How do I change the style and layout of my invoice lines?
Anything within the “Details” section of the report designer is controlled through the Abtrac invoicing module itself, and from Invoice Line Control Settings.
From these two areas you can style subtotals and subheadings, the column widths for text and units invoice lines, how percentages are displayed, indents, line spaces and lots more.
We’ll teach you how to style and create different invoice types in Abtrac as part of your invoice training.
Abtrac KB# 2069