I am stumped (as only a self-taught newbie can be) by a simple field question: I am registering guests for a small retreat, with overnight room charges. I have very simple fields and summaries set up: room charge, deposit received, balance due, etc.

It works very nicely except I don't know how to make the room charge negative without having to include a negative sign on entry. I'd rather enter the charge, and have all the fields add together and the final balance negative if balance due. Seems to me there must be a way for the field to automatically make the entry negative. I've experimented with various number and finance functions, calculations, but none have worked so far.

Also, in the trailing grand summary I have summary fields for each term, e.g. grand total room charges, etc. Simple summaries. Several have started showing question marks in various secondary layouts, not in the original data entry layout.

thanks,

Mary

p.s. this is my first time here. I searched around a bit for similar posts, and also in The Missing Manual book. Happy to be directed to previous topics on these matters!

Hi Mbanshee,

Why couldnt you just have a calculation field with the formula for final balance as:

deposit received - room charges?

As for the ? for summary, check to see if the fields in the other layouts are large enough. If the data is longer than the field size, then you will get a ?

Hi John,

Well, there's a thought. That would make the balance due negative, that's for sure. Hmmm.

The amounts are small, but maybe I've got the fields sized wrong in some other way.

Thanks very much for the ideas!

Mary

Negative money is almost always confusing. Why not have

Balance Due = Full Charge - Deposit?

In the odd instance where someone pays too much, you have a negative BD but mostly it is all very simple.

Yes, that's basically what I have now. And it is simple and consistent. I have:

room charge

deposit

balance due (room charge - deposit)

balance paid

subtotal (balance due - balance paid)

donation

other in (incidentals)

final

I think we can get by with entering balance paid, and any extra into donation. And I think I may well put deposit received before room charge. Clever!

I feel affirmed that there isn't some obvious field parameter I've missed (though still willing to hear if there is!).

Thanks,

Mary

Just a final word on this... John's solution worked! Really simple and great. The numbers are doing just what they're supposed to and won't my friends who actually handle the accounting be pleased!

Thanks a bunch, and I will read that white paper!

Mary