II. File Menu
The File menu has several functions. It is used with the New selection when the user creates a new item. This may be a company file, a vendor, a general ledger account, or one of various other items. The Open selections call up a company file or a Bank Journal to be reviewed. This menu is also selected when an existing item is being edited; whether to close an open window, to save files/items, or to print. Not all of the functions under the File menu selection are available for use in every window. All of the available functions are highlighted.
Figure 2.0.1 -- File Menu Selection
2.1 Opening A Bank Journal
A bank journal is an account statement issued electronically by a financial institution such as the Royal Bank or the Alberta Treasury Branch. If there is a journal on your hard disk that pertains to one of your company files, it can be opened from APCap via the Open Bank Journal selection in the File menu. A bank journal can only be opened when an AP company file is open.
2.1.1 Journal Format
The Bank Journal File Type can be selected in the Company Parameters dialog, which can be accessed via the Company command in the Payables menu. There are two journal formats currently available:
a) Alberta Treasury Branch- select "Alberta Treasury Branch" from the Company Parameters dialog.
b) Royal Bank tab delimited- select "Royal Bank - Tab delimited" from the Company Parameters dialog. Make sure that your bank journal is in tab-delimited (.ttx) format. APCap cannot process Royal Bank's other (.chr) format.
New bank journal modules can be designed by Sharecom to allow customers who do not do their banking at the Alberta Treasury Branch or Royal Bank to use the bank journals of their preferred financial institution.
2.1.2 APCap Bank Journal Features
The chief function of the Open Bank Journal command is to allow a quick and easy way to reconcile the journal with the company record.
Figure 2.1.2.1 -- Bank Journal Display
The Journal Display organizes the information into rows and columns. Each row represents the information associated with a single transaction. The columns each have a separate heading, organized as follows:
a) Date- the day on which the transaction took place.
b) Type- the type of transaction (cheque, deposit, etc.)
c) Description- transaction information (for example, the Payee on a cheque).
d) No- the cheque number.
e) Bank- the amount of the transaction according to the bank record.
f) Cheque- the amount of the cheque according to the company record.
g) St- the status of the transaction (good or bad). Transactions that show inconsistencies are marked with a bullet when the journal is audited.
Press the Audit button at the bottom of the journal window to check the cheque numbers in the journal against the numbers recorded in the company file. These can be reviewed manually by calling up the Cheque Returns dialog (use the Return Cheques command in the Payables menu or <cmd-R>). Any entry that shows an inconsistency (for instance, the cheque amount in the journal does not match what is on record in the company file) will be marked with a bullet. Entries that match will be identified with a "check mark".
Figure 2.1.2.2 -- Audited Bank Journal
Press the Post button at the bottom of the journal window when the statement has been checked and balanced properly. It marks all cheques as returned.
If the account represented by the bank journal is being used for several purposes, then the audited journal can be saved for use with other company files or programs after you are finished with it. Use the Save As command in the File menu to assign a new name to this file, or to overwrite the old file. The new file will be marked with a custom Finder icon to note its status as a bank journal.
To print the Bank Journal, make sure that the Journal Display window is active by clicking on it, and then select Print from the File menu. The keyboard shortcut for the Print command is <cmd-P>.
To close the Bank Journal window, select Close from the File menu, or use the keyboard equivalent <cmd-W>, or click in the small box in the upper left corner of the window.
