Creating formulae

Note: Characters that can be used for Formula Codes are A-Z (upper case) and a-z (lower case) from the English alphabet, plus '-' hyphen and '_' underscore.

To create a new formula:

  1. From the File menu select New, or click the New button on the toolbar. The New Formula dialog appears:
    Note: If another formula is already open at this stage, you are prompted to save it.
    Formula Code

    Enter the name of your new formula. This code must be unique and will be displayed on the Formula Designer title bar. If you want to see the formulae that have already been created, in order to avoid duplicating previously used codes, click the Query button.

    Description
    Enter a description that helps identify the formula. For example, surcharge, discount or tax.
    Lookup Code
    Enter a formula lookup code. For example, you might use TAX for a tax formula. You can assign the same lookup code to a number of formulae, allowing you to display them grouped together when you next decide to open a formula.
    Number of Decimal Places for Result

    • Use System Default

      If selected, indicates that the system default for number of decimal places should be used.

    • Default to Currency

      If selected, indicates whether the number of decimal places specified on the currency definition table should be used.

    • Specify

      If you select this option you can enter the number of decimal places (0-5) to be used for a formula code. For example, if the formula code involves a mileage calculation, you would ideally use zero decimal places.

    Note:  Care must be taken when selecting the correct number of decimal places to be used. Problems may occur if a formula returns more decimal places than defined for the currency. If in doubt, use the Default to Currency option.
  2. Click OK.