Account Manager

Introduction

The Account Manager is accessed via the Account Manager icon (pencil) in the Chart of Accounts component (see above).

The ‘Account Manager’ window enables you to perform the following tasks:

1. Create new account
2. Edit the name of an account
3. Alter the order accounts are listed within a group
4. Move accounts from one group to another
5. Close accounts
6. Delete accounts
7. View deleted accounts
8. Un-delete accounts
9. Alter the properties of an account

The ‘Account Manager’ window is split into three vertical portions:

• The ‘Chart of Accounts Tree’ on the far left of the window
• The ‘Button Panel’ down the middle of the window
• The ‘Properties Panel’ on the far right of the window

Chart of Accounts Tree

The Chart of Accounts tree on the far left of the ‘Accounts Manager’ window is a carbon copy of the tree found in the first component. All accounts are displayed in the tree (apart from deleted accounts although this can be easily changed by clicking on the Show Deleted check box).

The primary purpose of the tree is to allow you to select an account or group that you want to edit, or select the location of a new account that you want to create.

Moving Accounts via Drag and Drop

You can move an account from one group to another by selecting the account in the tree and then dragging and dropping it onto the new group where you want the account to be placed.

In the following example we will move ‘Account 2’ from ‘Group B’ into ‘Group A’.

• First we click on ‘Account 2’ to select it.

• Then we press and hold the mouse button and while keeping the mouse button held down we move the cursor over to ‘Group A’ so that ‘Group A’ is now selected.

• Once we are hovering over ‘Group A’ we can release the mouse button and ‘Account 2’ will now appear under ‘Group A’ instead of ‘Group B’

Moving Accounts - Implications & Restrictions

There can be implications moving an account from one group to another with its Account Type. Each account has a corresponding Account Type these Account Types represent what sort of transaction each account can contain.

When an account moves from one group to another it is sometimes necessary for the application to alter the account’s ‘Account Type’ from its current type to one that is compatible with the new group it is being moved into. The application will warn you this will happen before you drop the account onto its new group in the right hand panel of the ‘Accounts Manager’ window.

There are also restrictions as to what can be moved where in the ‘Accounts Manager’ tree. If you attempt to perform one of these restricted moves a message will appear in the far right panel of the ‘Accounts Manager’ window explaining why the operation you are attempting is not allowed.

Here are some example operations that are not allowed:

• Dragging a group to a new position - only accounts can not be moved in the tree structure, not groups
• Dropping an account no its current group - the account is not being moved to another group so nothing would be achived
• Dropping an account onto another account - an account can not contain another account, only groups can contain accounts. If you are trying to alter the order of accounts within a group then you should use the Re-order Accounts

Button Panel

Add Account

The ‘Add Account’ button creates a new account at the currently selected position in the ‘Chart of Accounts’ tree.

If a group is selected when the ‘Add Account’ button is pressed then a new account will be created as the first account under that group. However if the group selected only allows other groups inside it (due to the group’s Account Type) the ‘Add Account’ button will be disabled.

If an account is selected when the ‘Add Account’ button is pressed then a new account will be created directly under the currently selected account.

After you have pressed the ‘Add Account’ button you should give your account a name and check that the default Account Type is correct in the ‘Properties Panel’ on the right

Add Group

The ‘Add Group’ button creates a new group at the currently selected position in the ‘Chart of Accounts’ tree.

After you have pressed the ‘Add Group’ button you should give your group a name and check that the default Account Type is correct in the ‘Properties Panel’ on the right

Edit Selected

Whenever you select an account or a group in the ‘Chart of Accounts’ tree the properties of the selected item is displayed in the ‘Properties Panel’ on the right. These properties are not editable by default. If you wish to edit any of the properties of the selected item you must press the ‘Edit Selected’ button first.

After you have pressed the ‘Edit Selected’ button the ‘Properties Panel’ will become editable and will remain editable until you change which item is selected in the ‘Chart of Accounts’ tree.

Delete Selected

If you want to remove an account or group from the ‘Chart of Accounts’ tree you must first select it and then press the ‘Delete Selected’ button.

The ‘Delete Selected’ button will become disabled if any of the following conditions are true:

• The group currently selected contains child groups or accounts (you will have to move/delete all child accounts before being able to delete this group)
• The account selected does not have a zero balance (you can only delete an account if its balance is zero, transfer the balance of this account into another account before deleting it)

Show Deleted

If you would like to view in the tree accounts that have previously been deleted you can check the ‘Show Deleted’ check box and they will appear in the tree.

A common reason for wanting to show deleted accounts is if you want to edit a deleted account to restore (un-delete) it.

Re-order Accounts

If you want to alter the order in which an account (or group) appear within their parent group you can move them up or down the order via the ‘Re-order Accounts’ buttons.

To alter an account’s (or group’s) position simply select the item in the tree and press either the ‘up arrow’ or ‘down arrow’ button.

If the selected item in the tree is already at the first or last position of its parent then the corresponding ‘up arrow’ or ‘down arrow’ button will be disabled (as the item can not be moved up/down any further).

Properties Panel

The ‘Properties Panel’ changes between three different modes depending on what is selected/happening in the ‘Chart of Accounts Tree’ panel. The three modes are listed below:

Account Selected

When an account (not a group) is selected the following items are displayed

Properties Panel in Standard (Read Only) Account Mode

• Name - the name of the selected account
• Ref Code - the code for this account (this value can be turned on to be displayed in the Chart Of Accounts if desired)
• Reconcilable - determines if transactions involving this account are reconcilable (cleared)
• Type - the current Account Type of the account
• Show In - controls in which (of the From Account and To Account) columns and in which (of the Sales Transactions, Transfer Transactions and Purchase Transactions ) tables the selected account will be available for selection in. If checked the account will be available in the account drop-down editor of the corresponding table/column, if unchecked the account will be missing from that particular table/column. Please also note, ticking/unticking the ‘Purchase From’ and ‘Purchase To’ boxes will affect the account’s visibility in the Mobile Expense Tracker App.
• Account Closed - Shows/controls if the selected account is ‘closed’ or not. A closed account is still visible in the Chart Of Accounts but it will have the icon next to it. Closed accounts can not be used when creating new transactions (and are not available in any account drop-down editors).
• Notes - A section where notes can be stored against the selected account

If the Edit Selected button is pressed the items described above become editable

Properties Panel in Account Edit Mode

Group Selected

When a group (not an account) is selected the following items are displayed

Properties Panel in Standard (Read Only) Group Mode

• Name - the name of the selected account
• Ref Code - the code for this account (this value can be turned on to be displayed in the Chart Of Accounts if desired)
• Reconcilable - determines if transactions involving this account are reconcilable (cleared)
• Type - the current Account Type of the account. This field can not be edited if the group contains any child accounts or groups. ( Only empty groups can have their ‘Account Type’ altered )
• Can Contain - Lists the allowed Account Types that the children accounts & groups must be to belong to the selected group. ( This list is what you will see if you try to change the Account Type of any of the selected group’s children )
• Notes - A section where notes can be stored against the selected group

If the Edit Selected button is pressed the items described above become editable

Properties Panel in Group Edit Mode

During a Drag and Drop Operation

The properties panel changes during a drag and drop operation to inform you if the dragged account can be dropped over the currently selected item.

Properties Panel during a Drag and Drop Operation