Modify custom formats
Learn how to customize the layout, properties, toolbars, and margins of custom formats using the designer on the Custom Formats screen.
When you have finished the initial steps of creating a custom format (typically, using the Format Wizard to name the format and specify other properties) you can customize the layout of the format using the designer on the
Custom Formats
screen.When you select the
Finish
button in the Format Wizard, Practice CS closes the wizard and opens the designer on the Custom Formats setup screen. Alternately, you can choose , right-click any format in the formats list pane, and choose Edit from the context menu to open the Custom Formats setup screen.note
- Changes that you make to custom invoice formats will not affect invoices that you have previously composed and saved in Detail Billing. If you want custom invoice format changes to appear in invoices that you have already composed, you will need to edit and re-save the invoices before printing them.
- When the designer screen is open, there is an additional Page Setup command available on the File menu, with which you can adjust page setup, printer settings, styles, and global settings for custom formats.
- Additional information about customizing formats can be found in thePractice CS Custom Formatting WalkThrough, which provides instructions and examples for creating and modifying custom report, invoice, and statement formats, as well as examples for label and letter formats.
Toolbars and menus
The designer screen's toolbars provide various commands for working with the layout and appearance of your custom format. You can move these toolbars around by selecting and holding the left edge of a toolbar and dragging it to a new location. If the destination is not part of an existing toolbar, the toolbar will become a free-floating window.
In addition to the toolbars, the designer provides an additional Format menu, which appears only when you are using the Custom Formats screen. This menu provides alternate means of access to most of the commands from the Formatting and Layout toolbars, as well as a command for opening the Format Wizard.
When available, the Format menu appears between the Actions and Setup menus on the Practice CS menu bar.
note
Several of the commands in the Format menu and buttons on the toolbar are available only when you have made appropriate selections within the designer screen.
Using the Properties pane
On the right side of the designer screen is the Properties pane, which displays properties for the currently selected item within the layout. When no object is selected within the designer, this pane displays basic properties for the section of the format that has focus, such as background color.
When you select an object within the designer, the Properties pane displays attributes for that object.
To change an attribute in the Properties pane, select the field. You can then enter a new value, or for some fields, select the 
button to open a window with more options.
More
ellipse button to open a window with more options.Changing properties
Within the Properties pane, you can make detailed changes to objects in the designer. Beginners may want to limit your changes to attributes listed under the Appearance heading.
To change the appearance of fonts, select a text field and select the button next to the Font property to open the Font window, where you can choose properties such as font name, font style, font size, and strikeout or underline effects.
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ellipse button next to the Font property to open the Font window, where you can choose properties such as font name, font style, font size, and strikeout or underline effects.note
Font properties affect all text within a standard text field. Use a rich text field if you want to have greater control over formatting. Be aware, however, that you can't insert field data into rich text fields.
To change the alignment of text within a text field, select the dropdown arrow to the right of the Alignment property and select a different value, such as Center, Right, or Justify.
note
One useful attribute for text fields that contain field data is CanShrink, which is set to False by default. If you change this attribute to True, the text field can “shrink” to eliminate empty space from the invoice or statement when no text is supplied by the field. One example of such a text field is a secondary address line, which may be blank for many clients' addresses.
Selecting images
Another function of the Properties pane is to select images for new image objects you add to the custom format. After adding the image field that will contain the image, select the button next to the
More
ellipse button next to the (Image)
field to open the Open
window, where you can go to the folder containing the image file and select the image.note
If you're running Practice CS through your local environment, you can go to files on your local network.
Working with formulas
For information on working with formulas, view more articles within Help and Support.
Working with margins
You can change the margins for a custom format in two ways:
- by selecting and dragging the margins in the designer
- by choosing to open theReport Settingswindow, where you can specify the margins for the custom format
When you change margins for a format in the
Report Settings
window, verify that the ruler at the top of the format designer reflects those changes. For example, if you change the left and right margins to one inch on each side of a portrait-orientation report, that leaves you with only 6.5 inches of horizontal space. In this case, you would need to ensure that nothing in the designer extends to the right of the 6.5 inch mark on the top ruler.Restoring standard format defaults
If you have modified one of the standard formats that came with Practice CS and want to restore that format to its defaults, you can easily do so.
Modified standard formats are indicated by a different icon: 
To revert to the default settings for a modified standard format, perform these steps.
- Double-click the format in the Custom Formats list. This opens the format in the designer.
- Right-click the format in the list and choose Restore Default from the context menu.
- Save the format.