• spott
  • Senior Member
  • Offline
  • From: Estonia
  • Registered: 05/30/2009
  • Posts: 74

Topic: Some of the problems and recommendations to the FA

Hi all

I have several problems with FA. I am using it, but I can't use it as full accounting program - yet.

1) We translated it to Estonian. We updating it as we finding some problems. https://translations.launchpad.net/frontaccounting/trunk/+lang/et Booth - core and installer are translated. So - how it possible to add these translations to core FA?

2) As I am using Estonian translation. My company and my profile default languages are also Estonian. Currency is Euro. But when I am printing out invoices to the costumers - all they are in English. I need to add new contact person and there I need to choose, that document language is Estonian - only then it prints out Estonian invoices. Why?

3) I have small inventory of goods - but it doesn't show in balance sheet. From stock reports - its shows me my stock value. But not in balance sheet. Where to find answer for that problem?

4)Customer Branches - this is recommendation. Right now I need to add customer and after that I need to add branch also. My recommendation to FA team - please add this option, that when You adding customer - it adds also default branch to this customer. Small company's doesn't have branches usually.

5) This is the hardest question and recommendation - how to modify the invoice layout? I looked weeks to forum, I know the files, what is needed to modify, but still - it is to hard. And what is wrong - all these modifications are related to FA core files. It means, that when You updating Your installation - You loosing also your modifications. So - please make template layout with better options - SQL Ledger uses Latex format - it was really easy. And also - please remake the template system so - that it belongs to the company. I have seen from other software solutions - so that it checks before in other directory - is there some template, and when not - after that it takes default one. I think that is the best way to FA also - template script first checks company/0/template/invoice.tpl file - when it is there - it uses that one. When not - then it uses default one. That was example right now.

  • Registered: 12/25/2007
  • Posts: 2,448

Re: Some of the problems and recommendations to the FA

1. When you are ready please send translation files to us, then we will make them available via our central repository. Email address you will find on Contact Us page.

2. For reports language defined in contact data for given document is used, or the default language set on Install/Update page.

3. I don't know. When GL item's accounts are improperly configured (i.e. invero account is not of Asset class) the inventory value is not displayed in balance sheet.

4. Idea worth of consideration.

5. I can agree the reports are hard to customize. There is still lack of good report generator for FA, so report creation/changes are timeconsuming. But the reports available in /reporting folder  are only default ones, so if you finally create customized report you can put it in company/x/reporting folder  with the same name as original report, then this report will be used instead of the default one. You can also add also nonstandard reports using custom_report.php file available in rpeorting section of selected module (see nonstandard reports installed form our repository). Finally if you wish to have  the customized report available form any company on FA installation you can put it as part of local module under modules/module_name/reporting/rep_xxx.php. In no case the customized/extra reports will be lost after FA upgrade.

Janusz

3 Reply by tclim (edited by tclim 04/09/2011 04:53:47 am)

  • tclim
  • Senior Member
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  • From: Malaysia
  • Registered: 03/16/2011
  • Posts: 111

Re: Some of the problems and recommendations to the FA

Hi,

  I agree with spott as I have the same issue with item no 4) Create new customer should also automatically create branch and branch contact. I need to create a custom function just to handle this issue. Below are some of the code extract from FA:

=========================================================================================================

begin_transaction();
   
add_customer($_POST['CustName'], $_POST['cust_ref'], $_POST['address'],
            $_POST['tax_id'], $_POST['curr_code'], $_POST['dimension_id'], $_POST['dimension2_id'],
            $_POST['credit_status'], $_POST['payment_terms'], input_num('discount') / 100, input_num('pymt_discount') / 100,
            input_num('credit_limit'), $_POST['sales_type'], $_POST['notes']);

    $selected_id = db_insert_id();


add_branch($selected_id, $_POST['br_name'], $_POST['br_ref'],
    $_POST['br_address'], $_POST['salesman'], $_POST['area'], $_POST['tax_group_id'], $_POST['sales_account'],
    $_POST['sales_discount_account'], $_POST['receivables_account'], $_POST['payment_discount_account'],
    $_POST['default_location'], $_POST['br_post_address'], 0, $_POST['group_no'],
    $_POST['default_ship_via'], $_POST['notes']);
   
    $branch_id = db_insert_id();
   
   
add_crm_person($_POST['contact_name'], $_POST['contact_name'], '', $_POST['br_post_address'],
    $_POST['phone'], $_POST['phone2'], $_POST['fax'], $_POST['email'],
    $_POST['rep_lang'], '');

add_crm_contact('cust_branch', 'general', $branch_id, db_insert_id());

commit_transaction();

=========================================================================================================

Hope it clear. Thanks

tclim's Website

  • p2409
  • Senior Member
  • Offline
  • From: Australia
  • Registered: 12/11/2008
  • Posts: 127

Re: Some of the problems and recommendations to the FA

Suggestion 4 sounds like a good one to me too: make a default branch customer at the same time as the main customer.  Thanks tclim I might try that adjustment.

Re the reports: I have used Jasper reports against the MySQL database. It's not really an end-user tool though, and you need to have a reasonable understanding of the database structure. On the other hand, you can have absolutely exactly what you want. Given reports don't change all the time, perhaps you could pay someone to develop those you need. Adding a reporting framework IMHO is not a high priority.