Setup (General)

Custom formats toolbars

To access the Custom Formats toolbars, choose Setup > Custom Formats to open the
Custom Formats
 screen.
The
Custom Formats
 screen provides three toolbars that are not used elsewhere in the application:
  • Toolbox toolbar
  • Formatting toolbar
  • Layout toolbar
To show or hide a toolbar, right-click on the toolbar area and select the toolbar from the context menu.

Toolbox toolbar

The Toolbox toolbar provides commands for selecting items or creating a variety of objects in the workspace.
Select
Reverts to a "normal" cursor, with which you can select text boxes and other items.
Textbox
Places a new text box within the layout. Click and hold down the left mouse button, drag the mouse pointer until the text box is the desired size, then release the left mouse button. To enter text, double-click the text box or select the More button in the
OutputValue
 field of the Properties pane. In the
OutputValue Formula
 dialog, type the text that you want to appear in the text box. You can drag fields from the Fields pane into a regular text box.
RichTextBox
Places a new text box within the layout that supports rich text editing such as varying font colors and sizes, bullets, manual line breaks, and so on. To enter text into the box, double-click the rich text box, and then type your text. To start a new line, press CTRL+ENTER.
Note that field data cannot be inserted into rich text boxes.
An easy way to enter text into a rich text box is to copy it from another editor such as Microsoft Word and paste it into the box.
Label
Places a new text box within the layout in which you can enter simple text. After you insert the label into the layout, type the text in the
Text
 field in the Properties pane.
Line
Places a new line within the layout. Click and hold down the left mouse button, drag the mouse pointer until the line is the desired length, then release the left mouse button.
Shape
Places a new shape within the layout. Click and hold down the left mouse button, drag the mouse pointer until the shape is the desired size, then release the left mouse button.
Image
Places a new image within the layout. Click and hold down the left mouse button, drag the mouse pointer until the image box is the desired size, then release the left mouse button. You can select an image to fit within the image box using the Attributes pane.
Chart
Places a new chart within the layout. Click and hold down the left mouse button, drag the mouse pointer until the chart box is the desired size, then release the left mouse button. You can double-click the chart box to customize the chart using the
Chart Wizard
 dialog.

Formatting toolbar

The Formatting toolbar provides commands for customizing the look of text, lines, and shapes.
Style
Choose between normal text and three levels of headings for the selected text box.
Font Name
Choose a font for the selected text box.
Font Size
Choose the size of the font for the selected text box.
Bold
Turns text bold in the selected text box.
Italic
Italicizes the text in the selected text box.
Underline
Underlines the text in the selected text box.
Border
Opens the
Format Border
 dialog, where you can choose line style and color for the border around an object. You can also choose which sides of an object will have a visible border.
Foreground Color
Select the color for the text within the selected object.
Background Color
Select the background color for the selected object.
Line Color
Select the color of lines or shapes.
Align Left
Aligns text within the selected text box along the left margin.
Center
Centers text within the selected text box.
Align Right
Aligns text within the selected text box along the right margin.
Justify
Justifies text to align to both left and right margins.
Bullets
Makes the current line of text a bulleted item. Applies only to rich text boxes.
Decrease Indent
Decreases the indentation of the paragraph, moving text to the left. Applies only to rich text boxes.
Increase Indent
Increases the indentation of the paragraph, moving text to the right. Applies only to rich text boxes.

Layout toolbar

The Layout toolbar provides commands for controlling alignment, spacing, and size of objects, as well as saving and closing a custom format, turning the background grid on or off, and locking the layout.
note
To select multiple objects, hold down SHIFT or CTRL while clicking the objects you want to select. Alternately, with the Select cursor, click and hold the left mouse button while drawing a box around the objects you want to select.
Add Document
Adds a new invoice or statement format via the
Format Wizard
.
Close
Closes the current format. DT Practice gives you the option to save or discard changes before closing.
Save
Saves the current custom format.
Preview
Enables you to preview the custom format using an invoice or statement from your firm’s data. Opens the
Preview Custom Format
 dialog, where you can select the invoice or statement to preview.
Format Wizard
Opens the Format Wizard, where you can make changes to the information included in the custom format.
View Grid
Turns the grid in the designer background on or off.
Lock Controls
Locks the layout so objects cannot be moved.
Align to Grid
Aligns objects to the background grid.
Align Lefts
Aligns multiple selected objects along their left edges.
Align Centers
Aligns multiple selected objects along their horizontal centers.
Align Rights
Aligns multiple selected objects along their right edges.
Align Tops
Aligns multiple selected objects along their tops.
Align Middles
Aligns multiple selected objects along their vertical centers.
Align Bottoms
Aligns multiple selected objects along their bottoms.
n Make Same Width
Makes multiple selected objects the same width.
Size to Grid
Sizes the selected object to fit upon gridlines.
Make Same Height
Makes multiple selected objects the same height.
Make Same Size
Makes multiple selected objects the same size (both width and height).
Make Horizontal Spacing Equal
Creates even horizontal spacing between the selected objects.
Increase Horizontal Spacing
Increases the amount of horizontal spacing between the selected objects.
Decrease Horizontal Spacing
Decreases the amount of horizontal spacing between the selected objects.
Remove Horizontal Spacing
Removes the horizontal spacing between the selected objects.
Make Vertical Spacing Equal
Creates even vertical spacing between the selected objects.
Increase Vertical Spacing
Increases the amount of vertical spacing between the selected objects.
Decrease Vertical Spacing
Decreases the amount of vertical spacing between the selected objects.
Remove Vertical Spacing
Removes the vertical spacing between the selected objects.
Center Horizontally
Centers the selected object horizontally within the current layout.
Center Vertically
Centers the selected object vertically within the current layout.
Bring to Front
Places the selected object on top of all other objects.
Send to Back
Places the selected object behind all other objects.

This article applies to:

  • Product: DT Practice