Notes

Overview

The Notes  option opens the Notes screen. Use Notes to attach electronic notes to entities (Projects, Customers, Vendors, and so on) that exist as distinct units in the System. These notes are similar in concept to sticky notes attached to paper documents. They are not part of the entities they are attached to. They provide information that increases the usefulness of the entities. Notes can be used for almost anything: a summary of a conversation, a personal opinion, a comment about a situation, and so on.

Multiple notes by multiple users can be attached to one entity. Each note, regardless of who created the note, is available to any user who has permission to view the entity, unless the note is given a private setting. In this case, the note can only be viewed by its author and the System Administrator. Additionally, the information in each note can be edited by other System users, unless the note is given a read-only setting. Then, only the note's author and the System Administrator can change its information. Only a note's author and the System Administrator can remove the privacy and read-only settings.

Other facts about notes:

Whereas a single entity can have multiple notes, one note cannot be attached to more than one entity.

If the same note content should be attached to more than one entity, then you must create more than one note.

You can attach files to notes. This has many uses, for example, attaching an engineering design document to a note about special considerations for a project.

You can send notes to other System users' Tasks List.

You can "secure" (lock) notes to prevent other users from changing or deleting the note. To lock a note, select a securable note type from the Type list, and then click to select the Secure check box.

The keyboard shortcut for the Notes command is Ctrl+F8.

Attach a Note to an Entity

After you use a screen to create a new entity or access the information about an existing entity, if the Notes command on the main toolbar is enabled, you can attach a note to the entity.

Click Notes or click File | Notes to open the Notes screen.

If you access an existing entity, such as a project, and that entity already has notes attached, the Notes icon appears on the status bar. You can also click this icon to open the Notes screen.

If the entity already has notes attached, the Notes screen displays the information about the first note in the notes list. Notes are identified by their topic ID. If the new note is to be related to an existing note, select the existing note from the note list, click New , and then go to step 3. The new note uses the same topic ID as the selected note. If the new note should have a unique topic ID, click New, and then go to step 2 and edit the topic ID.

If the entity has no notes attached, go to step 2.

If Topic ID displays a topic ID (for example, 00000005), go to step 3 to use this ID for the new note.

In Type, specify the note's general subject category from the Type list.

In Description, specify a title or summary of the note.

Use Due Date to specify when the note or the task to which the note refers should be completed. Or, click Calendar , and then select the date from the calendar (use < and > to move backward and forward within the calendar).

Use Closed Date to specify when the note should be closed. Or, click Calendar, and then select the date from the calendar.

Click to select the Private check box if you want to be the only user (other than the System Administrator) who can view the note.

Click to select the Read Only check box if other users should be able to view the note but not change the contents of the note.

In Text, type the text of the note, and then use the word processing toolbar buttons to format the font, add an image, and so on.

Click Save to save the note.

Attach a Document as a Secure Note

The following steps explain how to attach a document as a secure note. The sample steps that follow assume that the document is attached to a Company. However, you can apply these steps to almost any record in the System.

Select Administration | Companies.

Click Find  to select a company.

Click Notes to open Notes.

In Type, select a securable note type.

In order to secure a note, you must select a note type from the list that has the Securable check box selected. Note Types are created and maintained by using Note Types (Administration | Setup | Note Types). If no securable note types exist, ask your System Administrator to help you set up one or more securable note types.

See step 4 through step 10 from the Attach a Note to an Entity section earlier.

Attach a File to a Note

You can attach files to notes in the Beyond Software system similar to how you attach files to messages in your email system. Files attached to notes are available to users who view the notes.

Click Notes to open Notes. In the list of notes, select the note to which you want to attach a file. If you have to, first create the note (see Attach a Note to an Entity).

Click Attachments  or right-click the note, and then click Attachments on the shortcut menu.

Click Add Line , browse to the file, select the file, and then click Open.

Repeat this process for each additional file that you want to attach to the note.

Note: The attachments icon will appear in the column left of the Created when a file is attached to a note.

Close File Attachments.

Finally, close Notes.

Open Files Attached to a Note

Files attached to notes are available to users who view the notes.

Click Notes to open Notes. In the list of notes, select the note that contains a file.

Click Attachments or right-click the note, and then click Attachments on the shortcut menu.

Click the line that contains the attachment that you want to open, and then click Edit Line .

Click OK to respond when you receive the following message.

Changes made directly to the attachment using its associated application will not be saved. You must perform a Save As in the attachment's associated application, make any required revisions and then attach the revised version of the file to the note as another attachment.

The file opens in its native application.

Note: You cannot open an attachment if you do not have the program that opens the file type installed on your computer. For example, you must have Microsoft Word installed to open a .docx file.

View Notes in the Composite Viewer

The Composite Viewer shows note lists in an abbreviated form that includes note author, topic ID, creation date, note type, note description, and note content.

To view an entity's notes in the Composite Viewer, select one of the notes in the notes list and then click Composite View . Or, right-click one of the note lines, and then click Composite View. The keyboard shortcut is F10.

Send Entities with Notes to Other System Users

In the screen used to maintain the entity, attach all the necessary notes to the entity.

Close Notes, and then click Send  on the main toolbar.

In Send, select the users or roles to receive the entity in the Send To area.

In Priority, select the priority of the message. The valid choices are as follows: None, High, Low, and Medium.

In Subject and in Message, type any text that you want to appear in the Message area of the recipient's Tasks List.

In Due Date, specify the due date of the note. Or, click Calendar, and then select the date from the calendar.

Click Send. The entity with attached notes is sent to the Tasks Lists of all users or roles specified.

Questions and Answers

Q: I cannot delete a note. Why not?Q: I cannot delete a note. Why not?

Q: I cannot change the text of a note. Why not?Q: I cannot change the text of a note. Why not?

Q: I attached a note to an entity, but other users cannot see this note. Why?Q: I attached a note to an entity, but other users cannot see this note. Why?