Level 6 - 7 Feature

To reach the Scheduler, select MAIN TASKS >> SCHEDULE REMINDER MESSAGES from the menu on top of the Main Invoice Screen.

The Scheduler is used when you need to be reminded of business tasks.  It can be used for a multiple of purposes.  For example, let's say you are out of a product.  You haven't issued a back ordered invoice, but the customer would like you to send off an order as soon as the product comes in.  The Scheduler allows you to write a reminder message to yourself and indicate the date when you want the message to appear.  When you start the program on the designated date, the reminder message pops up.

To use the Scheduler, it's just a matter of typing in a short message in the "Reminder Note" column and indicate the date that you want the message to appear.  That's all you have to do.  When the date rolls along, the reminder message appears.

To see how the Scheduler works, type in a message, and then enter today's date.  Now click on "Run Scheduler."  The Reminder Message dialog box appears with your message (shown below):

Reminder Message Dialog Box

Once you enter a message and the date, the message will appear when the program starts on that date.  When the program opens, the Reminder Message dialog box appears.  When you have finished viewing the message, click on the "NEXT" button.  You'll be move onto the next message (if any).  If you need to re-read a previous message, click on the "Previous" button.  Keep clicking on the "NEXT" button until you've read all of your messages.

When you use the "NEXT" button, the program internally marks the message as read.  The message won't appear again if you were to open the program again on the same day.  That saves you from having to look at messages over and over again.  However, that's only true when the Reminder Message dialog box appears on program start-up.  You can always see all of your messages for that day, whether they have been read or not, by selecting MAIN TASKS >>  ACTIVATE SCHEDULER.

Messages are only completely removed when you decide you no longer want them.  That's done by displaying the Scheduler dialog box (MAIN TASKS >> SCHEDULE REMINDER MESSAGES), selecting the message you want to delete and clicking on the "Delete Row" button.

In most situations, you'll use the "NEXT" button to move through your messages.  However, there are other options.  For example, you may have one or more messages that you simply can't deal with that day.  Rather, you would like to display it sometime in the future when you have time.  That's done by using "Save Reminder Note and Display it Again."  By indicating how many days you want to wait (such as 7, 14, 30 days or whatever is most appropriate), AnyOrder will hold onto the note and then display at the appropriate time.

If desired, you can associate a message with an invoice.  That's done when you create the message in the Scheduler (MAIN TASKS >> SCHEDULE REMINDER MESSAGES).  If an invoice is associated with a message, the Reminder Message dialog box will include a button which allows you to go to that invoice.  That's handy if an invoice is still open, or has a discrepancy, and you need to finish some work on it.

You have one last option with the Reminder Message dialog box.  If you simply don't want to deal with any of the messages at program start-up, click on the "Cancel" button.  No messages are marked read.  You can get to the messages later that day by re-starting the program or by using MAIN TASKS >>  ACTIVATE SCHEDULER.

Check-back Days

"Check-back Days" is used to give yourself some leeway between the date you want to trigger the reminder message and date the program is opened.

For example, let's say you schedule a message to appear on November 1.  But let's also say that you didn't realize that November 1st is a Saturday.  If you don't start AnyOrder on that Saturday, the note will not appear.  But you can use check-back days to cover weekends.  For example, when Check-back Days is set at 3, AnyOrder starts with today's date but it will also check back for three previous days.  (Three (3) days is a good number because it enables you to cover three day weekend holidays as well.)

You can set Check-back Days either in the Scheduler (MAIN TASKS >> SCHEDULE REMINDER MESSAGES) or in the Reminder Dialog box that appears when you start the program.

What if Your Business is Shut Down for Longer Periods

Check-back days is very handy, but there's also the possibility that your business could be shut down for longer periods than a weekend.  You might have a long Christmas holiday -- or you may have to close the office to move to a new facility.

In situations like these, you still have the ability to access messages which may have exceeded the Check-back setting.  That can be done by viewing the messages directly in the Scheduler, but it can also be done from the Reminder Message dialog box that appears on program start-up.

To do so, click on the "Options" button found on the Reminder Message dialog box.  The second option allows you to check back a designated number of days on temporary basis.  For example, let's say the office was closed for a week, you can check back for that week, plus the weekends, by entering 10 in the second option box.  The program will look back 10 days from the current date and display each of the messages.