Topic: Print invoice and View This Invoice have different Invoice numbers

After you do Direct Sales Invoice and click on "View This Invoice" you get a a pop-up with a "SALES INVOICE #22" and "Reference 117".
This is wrong! This invoice is #117.
When I click "Print Sales Invoice" from that same page, I get a pdf with a random file name (I hate this random file name "feature"!) I get a invoice with a correct "InvoiceNo. 117" (upper right corner).

Re: Print invoice and View This Invoice have different Invoice numbers

The incoice number 22 is the built in number. The number 117 is the reference number. The reason to have this reference number is that many users wish to create their own number that contains alphanumeric charecters, like WO-12 and WO-13 or something like that.

The random file name is due to security. If you know the folder where the pdf files are created, it is easy to look at the documents, if they have look-a-like titles.

Joe

Re: Print invoice and View This Invoice have different Invoice numbers

joe wrote:

The incoice number 22 is the built in number. The number 117 is the reference number. The reason to have this reference number is that many users wish to create their own number that contains alphanumeric charecters, like WO-12 and WO-13 or something like that.

Having invoice numbers as alphanumerical is very common practise and usually only a part of the combination changes (counter).
Why not add this as a option - have a prefix and number.

Looks like in my example, 22 is not a invoice number nor is it a reference number - it's a "transaction number", " Payment #" or "Our Order #" etc.

BTW, reference number is completely different animal at least over here. It's generated by a special algorithm and includes a control number, that can be confirmed by bank. Some accounting systems issue one reference number per client's contract (like a phone service, leasing, loan, etc) , some issue reference number per invoice or "job" (car repair etc). Lets forget this for now smile 

It looks like Reference number becomes a Invoice number when Invoice is printed. All yo need to do is corr4ect the labels to eliminate this confusion.

joe wrote:

The random file name is due to security. If you know the folder where the pdf files are created, it is easy to look at the documents, if they have look-a-like titles.
Joe

Security by obscurity or annoyance is not security smile If someone has access to my files, file name is the last thing I need to worry about. It's not going to save me nor anyone else.

Problem is that most time I have absolutely no need for a PDF file and PDF files with random names become completely useless after few are generated - I have no idea what they are without opening every single one of them.

Customer and Sales Reports > Reports and Analysis > Customer Balances - why do I need a PDF every time I want to check something?
Can this be made optional? 99.9% I have 0 need for a pdf report. I rather have a html report I can print later, if I have to save it for some reason.

This applies to every report generate from this page.

Cheers!

Re: Print invoice and View This Invoice have different Invoice numbers

If you want to use the built-in number as invoice number, then there is a global flag in config.php to handle that. Otherwise you can set the next reference number to be used in form setup, setup tab. You can use a combination of characters and numbers and the number is automatically increased.

Remember to look into the wiki if you are unsure about how FA operates.

If your installation is www.xxx.com/frontaccounting then it would be very easy to put
Www.xxx.com/frontaccounting/company/0/pdf_files/BalanceSheet.pdf into your browser.
And you get the pdf report nice and clear. This is the reason for scrambling the report name.

Joe

Re: Print invoice and View This Invoice have different Invoice numbers

joe wrote:

If your installation is www.xxx.com/frontaccounting then it would be very easy to put
Www.xxx.com/frontaccounting/company/0/pdf_files/BalanceSheet.pdf into your browser.
And you get the pdf report nice and clear. This is the reason for scrambling the report name.

Joe

if someone, with out logging in to FA, can access files and directories under /company/ or any other folders under FA, we are in a really bad trouble.
Why save those files to the web server? I only have one file there and I have no idea why it's there.

Re: Print invoice and View This Invoice have different Invoice numbers

A cron job to flush out stale pdfs is one way. Randomised file names are another way. Multiple ways to beat file snooping will be needed in the meanwhile till we plug this one. Currently, the preferred method is possibly making a linux user with permissions for viewing the folder having the reports.

Re: Print invoice and View This Invoice have different Invoice numbers

You are wrong. This is not security by obscurity, but exactly the same security class mechanism like used in other token based systems. You cannot access generated pdf file unless you know the exact report file name, which is long and randomly generated (not obscured!). If you think you know better way to provide pdf files, just write the code, pack and send to our contributions mailbox, then we will consider integrating your work into main FA code.

Regarding invoice number vs invoice reference thread, this is very interesting as example of local specifics, but I'm not sure the Bug reports forum is the best place to report this. I think it would be better to stick to terminology used in FrontAccounting instead, were internal unique transaction number is named Payment Number, Order Number or just Invoice Number in the case under consideration, and another arbitrary string assigned by FA user is name transaction (payment,order, invoice...) reference. I think it is counterproductive to force your point of view in this matter here, were exactly such terminology is used since the project beginning.

There are also good news in this matter: you can always make your own translation file (say de_LU.po) and name invoice reference as invoice number and vice versa, wherever you feel it is necessary roll.