Invoice

[Guest]

Hello all..
I am currently using an invoice template in excel and inputting the info
directly onto the invoice in excel. How would one create a user interface
that would ask for the desired information and once completed would print the
invoice including totals/costs etc without displaying the excel UI. I hope
this makes some sense. I am brand new so I am not sure of the terminology or
if this can be done.

This will be used to speed up inputing information and creating customer
invoices.

 

[Guest]

You probably cannot achieve exactly what you want. Excel requires that at
least one worksheet be visible in the book.

But you could use what is known as a User Form to get the input from the
user and that form would transfer the information to a worksheet and cause it
to be printed. But setting up a user form is going to take some coding on
your part to get it to do all that you want.

Why is it that you do not want people entering information directly onto the
invoice sheet? If it is because you are worried that they may erase
something or overwrite a formula then you can protect from that by using
Tools | Protection | Protect sheet and give it a password that you write down
and keep safe somewhere.

By default all cells on a worksheet are locked initially, but I'm betting
that if you got the template off of the web somewhere, that the cells you
need to enter information into are probably unlocked. To find out, try this.

Use Tools | Protection | Protect Sheet and just hit enter, no password for
now. Then try to enter some information somewhere that you would expect the
user to do so. If you cannot enter it then, the whole sheet is probably
locked. If you can enter data in those places, then check one of the other
cells, simply choose it and try to type into it. If it is locked, it won't
let you and you get an error message. If it accepts your typing, you can use
Edit | Undo or the undo icon to get the previous contents back.

If you want to start from scratch and set up the cell protection so that the
user can only type into cells you want them to use, start with an unprotected
sheet. If it's locked from the previous test, use Tools | Protection |
Unprotect Sheet.

Choose all of the cells on the sheet (easy way is to click the empty gray
square right above the '1' for Row 1 and to the left of the 'A' for column A.
All cells will be selected. Then use Format | Cells and go to the
[Protection] tab. Make sure that the check box next to "Locked" is solid
black - may have to click it a couple of times to get it solid, not gray or
empty. That means all cells will be locked when you Protect the sheet again.
Close the window and go back to the sheet.

Select the cells, one by one, or in groups by clicking one and then holding
down the [ctrl] key while clicking others to be unlocked. If there are a
lot, I find it easier to select a few and then protect them, then get another
group and do the same. Either way, while those cells that you want the user
to be able to type into are selected, again choose Format | Cells and on the
[Protection] tab, clear that checkbox next to "Locked".

Now when you apply Tools | Protection | Protect Sheet, the user will only be
able to type into the cells you've said they could. Be sure and test it to
make sure it works the way you want.

 

[Guest]

Thank you for taking the time to help.
Actually I do not mind the excel showning I just thought I was missing
something. I have just begun doing some tutorials.

Your information has helped a lot.
Once again thank you very much

You probably cannot achieve exactly what you want. Excel requires that at
least one worksheet be visible in the book.

But you could use what is known as a User Form to get the input from the
user and that form would transfer the information to a worksheet and cause it
to be printed. But setting up a user form is going to take some coding on
your part to get it to do all that you want.

Why is it that you do not want people entering information directly onto the
invoice sheet? If it is because you are worried that they may erase
something or overwrite a formula then you can protect from that by using
Tools | Protection | Protect sheet and give it a password that you write down
and keep safe somewhere.

By default all cells on a worksheet are locked initially, but I'm betting
that if you got the template off of the web somewhere, that the cells you
need to enter information into are probably unlocked. To find out, try this.

Use Tools | Protection | Protect Sheet and just hit enter, no password for
now. Then try to enter some information somewhere that you would expect the
user to do so. If you cannot enter it then, the whole sheet is probably
locked. If you can enter data in those places, then check one of the other
cells, simply choose it and try to type into it. If it is locked, it won't
let you and you get an error message. If it accepts your typing, you can use
Edit | Undo or the undo icon to get the previous contents back.

If you want to start from scratch and set up the cell protection so that the
user can only type into cells you want them to use, start with an unprotected
sheet. If it's locked from the previous test, use Tools | Protection |
Unprotect Sheet.

Choose all of the cells on the sheet (easy way is to click the empty gray
square right above the '1' for Row 1 and to the left of the 'A' for column A.
All cells will be selected. Then use Format | Cells and go to the
[Protection] tab. Make sure that the check box next to "Locked" is solid
black - may have to click it a couple of times to get it solid, not gray or
empty. That means all cells will be locked when you Protect the sheet again.
Close the window and go back to the sheet.

Select the cells, one by one, or in groups by clicking one and then holding
down the [ctrl] key while clicking others to be unlocked. If there are a
lot, I find it easier to select a few and then protect them, then get another
group and do the same. Either way, while those cells that you want the user
to be able to type into are selected, again choose Format | Cells and on the
[Protection] tab, clear that checkbox next to "Locked".

Now when you apply Tools | Protection | Protect Sheet, the user will only be
able to type into the cells you've said they could. Be sure and test it to
make sure it works the way you want.

Hello all..
I am currently using an invoice template in excel and inputting the info
directly onto the invoice in excel. How would one create a user interface
that would ask for the desired information and once completed would print the
invoice including totals/costs etc without displaying the excel UI. I hope
this makes some sense. I am brand new so I am not sure of the terminology or
if this can be done.

This will be used to speed up inputing information and creating customer
invoices.

 

[Guest]

Don't get the idea that I think user forms are a bad thing. Just a little
more effort needed to implement them, and they do offer some distinct
advantages at times.

We do one invoice on a contract we have that involves about 80 employees and
everything going to/coming from the cost tracking sheets for doing things
like adding a new employee to the contract or altering certain 'fixed'
information like job category, task assignments and billing rates is done
through user forms which validates entries before they are passed on to the
sheets. Only thing the payroll accountant has to do is enter bi-weekly hours
worked, and information about travel or materials expenses (through forms
also) and then click a "build invoice" button and it's all done without
hardly ever touching a worksheet. This has turned what was previously a
troublesome workbook into a very stable and reliable tool.

Thank you for taking the time to help.
Actually I do not mind the excel showning I just thought I was missing
something. I have just begun doing some tutorials.

Your information has helped a lot.
Once again thank you very much

You probably cannot achieve exactly what you want. Excel requires that at
least one worksheet be visible in the book.

But you could use what is known as a User Form to get the input from the
user and that form would transfer the information to a worksheet and cause it
to be printed. But setting up a user form is going to take some coding on
your part to get it to do all that you want.

Why is it that you do not want people entering information directly onto the
invoice sheet? If it is because you are worried that they may erase
something or overwrite a formula then you can protect from that by using
Tools | Protection | Protect sheet and give it a password that you write down
and keep safe somewhere.

By default all cells on a worksheet are locked initially, but I'm betting
that if you got the template off of the web somewhere, that the cells you
need to enter information into are probably unlocked. To find out, try this.

Use Tools | Protection | Protect Sheet and just hit enter, no password for
now. Then try to enter some information somewhere that you would expect the
user to do so. If you cannot enter it then, the whole sheet is probably
locked. If you can enter data in those places, then check one of the other
cells, simply choose it and try to type into it. If it is locked, it won't
let you and you get an error message. If it accepts your typing, you can use
Edit | Undo or the undo icon to get the previous contents back.

If you want to start from scratch and set up the cell protection so that the
user can only type into cells you want them to use, start with an unprotected
sheet. If it's locked from the previous test, use Tools | Protection |
Unprotect Sheet.

Choose all of the cells on the sheet (easy way is to click the empty gray
square right above the '1' for Row 1 and to the left of the 'A' for column A.
All cells will be selected. Then use Format | Cells and go to the
[Protection] tab. Make sure that the check box next to "Locked" is solid
black - may have to click it a couple of times to get it solid, not gray or
empty. That means all cells will be locked when you Protect the sheet again.
Close the window and go back to the sheet.

Select the cells, one by one, or in groups by clicking one and then holding
down the [ctrl] key while clicking others to be unlocked. If there are a
lot, I find it easier to select a few and then protect them, then get another
group and do the same. Either way, while those cells that you want the user
to be able to type into are selected, again choose Format | Cells and on the
[Protection] tab, clear that checkbox next to "Locked".

Now when you apply Tools | Protection | Protect Sheet, the user will only be
able to type into the cells you've said they could. Be sure and test it to
make sure it works the way you want.

Hello all..
I am currently using an invoice template in excel and inputting the info
directly onto the invoice in excel. How would one create a user interface
that would ask for the desired information and once completed would print the
invoice including totals/costs etc without displaying the excel UI. I hope
this makes some sense. I am brand new so I am not sure of the terminology or
if this can be done.

This will be used to speed up inputing information and creating customer
invoices.