HERO Data Services: @Quote Plus -- Complete Job bidding solution

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General Operations

Logging In

The first* screen you will get is the Login window.

Enter your user name and password, and click OK to log in to the system. Note that name and password are automatically typed in upper case, even if you do not have the CAPS LOCK on. If your name or password is incorrect, or you are not set up as a user on the system, you will receive an error message. You will not be allowed to log in until you provide a valid user name and password.

If this is the first time you are running @Quote Plus 32, you must use the built-in administrative user SYSADMIN and password MASTER. This account is built into the system and cannot be deleted, but you may change the password to prevent unauthorized access to the system. The only way to change your SYSADMIN password is to use the Change Password utility while logged in as the SYSADMIN user. You must remember what you change it to, however. If you ever need for a HERO Data Services representative to provide assistance, you will need to provide the SYSADMIN password.

You will also want to set up logins on the system for individual users. Go to the Users screen to add new users and set up their specific privileges.

*Note that if you are running in demo mode, you will get the following warning before you get a Login window:

Clicking OK will bring you to the Login window.

You will continue to receive this warning as long as you remain in demo mode. Demo mode works just like the full version of @Quote Plus 32, except you are limited to ten clients with ten jobs each. Contact your HERO Data Services representative to learn how to obtain the complete @Quote Plus 32.

Your Mouse

@Quote Plus 32 is designed to allow you to move easily through clients, jobs, inventory, etc., just by clicking your mouse. In relation to your mouse, this manual uses the terms "Click", "Double Click" and "Right Click" throughout. You need to know what these terms mean to understand the manual.

Click: Use the LEFT button on your mouse and click it once on the object, field, tab or other option you have selected.

Double Click: Use the LEFT button on your mouse and click it twice in quick succession on the object, field, tab or other option you have selected.

Right Click: Use the RIGHT button of your mouse and click it once. This opens up what this manual refers to as a "menu" or "menu box".

[030203] Note that you can also use the F10 (or Shift+F10, as this is the Windows standard) "hot" key to open a menu box. These "hot" keys work just like a right click, so any time this manual tells you to right click, you can also hit F10 (or Shift+F10) if you prefer.

An example of a menu box is show below.

Keep in mind that the ONLY time you use the right mouse button is to get a menu. For everything else, use the left mouse button. If you tend to confuse your mouse buttons or you have trouble remembering how to open up a menu box, you may wish to write "MENU" on a piece of masking tape and put it on the right button of your mouse.

Sizing the Screen

When you log in to @Quote Plus 32, you will notice that when the program opens up, there is a smaller inside window (circled in yellow, below) within the larger main window (circled in red, below).

For both windows, you can use the Maximize button

, located in the top right of corner of each windows, to increase the size of the window to a full screen view. Similarly, you can use the Restore button

to return to a default smaller view.

@Quote Plus 32 also allows you to adjust the size of its windows by dragging the window's edges.

To size a window, just line your mouse pointer icon up along any corner or edge of the window until a double arrow appears.

Next, push in the left button of your mouse-- holding it down--and drag the window into the size you want.

This size will become your default "restore" size--until the next time you size the window and that becomes the new default.

Navigation

@Quote Plus 32 has been designed so that you can easily navigate through the program. Upon logging in, you will see a screen divided into two main sections or "panes," a smaller left pane and a larger right pane. At the top of the page, above the panes, is the menu bar--not to be confused with a menu box, discussed above--containing the File, Edit, Utilities, Maintenance and Help menus (circled in red, below). Above the menu bar is a blue title bar (circled in yellow, below) identifying the software.

The left pane contains what is commonly referred to as a "Tree" view. The four main branches (or objects) of the tree are Clients, Inventory, Salespeople and Users. Note that "branch" and "object" are used interchangeably in this manual when discussing items from the tree view.

To the left of each main object, you will find a [+]. The plus sign indicates that there is information listed under that object. Clicking the [+] or double clicking the object, will give you a list of related child objects. For example, clicking on the Clients object will open a list of client objects. Similarly, clicking on the Salespeople object will give you a list of salespeople. Think of those objects as smaller branches coming off a big branch.

Note that the small branches sometimes have even smaller branches "growing" off them. For example, each client object has several child objects of its own, including Contacts, A/R (accounts receivable) and jobs listed by Job Name. Similarly, a given Job branch may contain several Phase branches. This is illustrated below.

Note also that once you have opened a list of child objects, the [+] will change to a "-" sign. Clicking on the "-" will close that list of child objects.

While the left pane is a tree view, the right pane is a "form" view -- you enter and edit information just like you are filling out a form. Click on an object in the left pane and the right pane will display all the information that corresponds to that object for you to view and edit. For example, clicking on a client object in the left pane -- such as Mule, Mr Daniel in the image below -- will display all of that client's information in the right pane.

This manual will detail the specific form views as each subject is discussed individually.

If you are looking for a specific job and know it's Name, Address or Job Number, you can use the Goto navigation option as a shortcut to that job. This can be found by going to File -> Goto on the top menu bar or using the F5 "hot" key. For detailed information on this feature, see Goto.

Adding New Objects

To add a new object, click on the category you wish to add an object to (e.g. Salespeople) then right click. A menu box will open up.

Select New from the menu options. This will open a new form in the right pane for you to enter information for the new object.

Note that the options listed in the menu box will vary slightly depending upon the object category you are adding. Similarly, if you have selected a specific client object, right clicking the "white space" anywhere in the left pane will open a menu box which gives you the option to create either a New Client or a New Job. An exaple of this menu box is below.

Delete

To delete an object, click on that object then right click. A menu box will open up.

Select Delete from the menu options listed in the box. @Quote Plus 32 will ask for confirmation and delete the current object, its corresponding data and all of its child objects PERMANENTLY. Use it wisely!

Help Text

When in the right pane of @Quote Plus 32, help text appears in the lower left of corner of the screen. This is a single line of information that appears when you click on a field which describes the type of information that field should contain.

Saving Data

All data entered in the right pane as well as any changes to a record are saved automatically by clicking on any object in the left pane or by clicking on any of the items from the menu bar (Except EXIT) at the top of the page. Note that just moving to a new field will not save your changes.

Logging Out

To exit @Quote Plus 32, you must either use the File->Exit menu option, or click the exit (X) button in the upper right corner of the application. You cannot simply hit the Escape key.

If the system administrator kicks you off the system, you will see the message "You have been logged out of the system." Any data you had entered will be saved where you left off.

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