Hi everyone, this is my first post and first week of using Filemaker so please go easy one me!

I've just started using Filemaker 10 pro on Mac and I run a small computer repair firm and had been using Filemaker as a contact management solution. I use a standard contact management template which I've made some vary minor amendments to.

I use the notes section and put in what I've done as a work history. I have then been creating invoices separately in Apple's Numbers app which i like Excel.

I mentioned this to a friend of mine who lives in America over ichat (this was the same friend who recommend I look into Filemaker) and he told me I'd be crazy to do it this way and explained that Filemaker is more than capable of creating invoices for me also.

He suggested I download the free small business templates. I've done this and had a look at the example of Big Mountain Bikes and like the invoicing system shown there, however the download comes with zero instructions and I'm no further forward, but more fustrated having seen how well it can work.

Can anyone help me with this or suggest any tutorials or ways of customising the free small business templates? I have zero knowledge of Filemaker and have found the learning curve quite steep.

All I need from Filemaker is somewhere for my customers contact info and then a way of producing a invoice which is printable with my company information on it. I don't carry stock and in most cases will be simply charging for my labour.

Any help would be massivley appreciated, Matt UK.

I'm not familiar with the Big Mountain Bikes template, but if it is supplied 'unlocked' then you should be able to:

1) go to layout mode (Apple-L)

2) layouts menu -> 'go to layout' then choose whatever layout is printed

3) on that layout you should be able to select and delete the Big Mountain Bikes logo and paste in your own

If you can do all of that then you have a *very* basic invoicing system!

Sort that out first, then we will go a bit further and see about connecting your two databases together so that you can:

a) generate an invoice that has a customer's name/address already on it, using a new button which we will add to your 'standard contact management template'

show on each customer's record a list of all their invoices, total spend, how much is overdue etc.

This is all one small step at a time! Hope that helps.

Cheers

James

Hi,

The Big Mountain Bikes template is supplied unlocked and can be modified. It comprises a main menu table (bps_main_menu) which is simply a navigator to five other tables: Contacts, Email, Inventory, Projects and Sales Orders. 'Big Mountain Bikes' is the sample company and appears as a header on each of these tables.

The problem with the 'Big Mountain Bikes' name is that it is not simply a piece of text in the header part of each table. Rather, it is actually one of two global fields: Global Company Name (type = text, Options = Global), and Global Company Logo (type = container, options = global). I have managed to modify the text for company name by putting in an 'Auto-enter' (manage database >> fields >> Global company name >> options >> tick 'data' and enter what you like. Problem is this only changes the data in the home table (bps_main menu) and not in its dependent tables. So if you click on 'Contacts' (for example) you will find the edit on 'Big Mountain Bikes' has not been carried over. If you hit layout view you will see that it says :Global Company Name. Double click shows this is an edit box set to display data from 'Menu' (i.e. bps_main_menu) ::Global Company Name. Now I have to admit I have also drawn a blank at this point. There seems to be nothing to change in 'manage database' that will affect the entry globally, and it is only present as a field in the main menu. Any further light on this would be greatly appreciated. I will happily mail anyone zipped files but cannot post them as they exceed the posting limit.

HI there this is my first post _ I know very little about filemaker pro--- but I have figured out how to change the name BIG MOUNTAIN BIKES to your own company name quite easily (wasnt easy to figure out but once known its dead easy)

when you click main menu in the business productivity kit you are presented with a front page with a bike wheel around it several options to enter customers details then print an invoice!

top right you see big mountain bikes, below it there is a circle with a ? in it, click the ? this opens an information sheet, on this sheet it also says Big Mountain bikes, simply highlight the text and change to your company name, hey presto this is copied through the whole program,

once done, close that page down click sales invoice next to the bike wheel on the main page then click records delete all records this clears all sales invoices, problem is once you start a new invoice it starts at invoice number 33 (Or there abouts) took me ages to figure out how to reset this number as I want to start with invoice 1 --- its easy though

click edit lay out on the sales invoice sheet right click invoice id select specify field

from the drop box at the top select manage database your presented with tables/fields/relationship make sure fields is highlited, scroll down INVOICE ID is in the list click it a button called OPTIONS is shown below the list click this and change the field NEXT VALUE to 1 click OK OK OK to closre the 3 boxes down

you should now have changed your company name from BIG MOUNTAIN BIKES to your own and you have reset the invoice count to start at 1

(jeez I am glad I got that down and hopefully this will help a lot of peeople cause I found no help for this on the net at all)

regards Keith KB Aerials Sheffield