Add, copy, print, delete, and PDF statements. Includes a page-width Title field and an additional 3-levels of headers on sub-tabs, as follows:

• Statement Header: page-width header; not typically used on standard financial statements and is useful for departmentalized or special purpose financials
• Date Headers: column 1-3 header and a column 4-6 header
• Column Headers: a header for each of the 6 columns
• Statement Footer: page-width

Statements Tab

Headers and the footer are multi-line, extending beyond the limits of the field on the dashboard. Use the Enter key to create a new line. Use multiple line-feeds in the Statement Header to create a page-centered title page for a group of financials.

To enter a variable into a title, header, footer or line, click on the Variables button and select a variable. Define an optional format for the selected variable and then click on the Copy to Clipboard button, or press Ctl-C. A sample of the evaluated result is displayed in red. The formatted variable also is displayed, which consists of a variable name enclosed in square brackets preceded by a formatting code in parenthesis.

After copying the variable to the clipboard, return to the Statement Writer dashboard and paste the clipboard contents into the appropriate field. Rich text formatting can be applied to variables. You can also type the variables into the text box.

Edit, add, delete, and move lines in the top half, or "Lines Section" of the Statement Lines tab. The bottom half, or "Edit Section" is inactive until the Edit button is selected for a line.

Edits define the line-type and if the line-type is the Amount type, the columns are also defined during an edit. See the section below for more information on editing lines and columns.

The Lines Section will display lines in a single-line-mode or an expanded 3-line mode. The single line mode displays the line text only. Expanded mode displays the line text, editable percentage calculations for each column and real-time amounts.

Lines can also be filtered by the Print Line and Accumulator settings.

Statements can also be sent to MS Word, printed or PDF'd from this tab which enables on-the-fly results while editing - even better with multiple displays or a super-wide monitor. 

Statement Lines Tab

Add, delete, print and PDF groups of statements from the Statement Groups tab. Use the Control-Key and or Shift-Key in conjunction with the mouse the select multiple statements.

After selecting statements for a group, the statement print order can be adjusted with the up and down arrows located to the right of the Statement Order window.

Groups Tab

Statements with 3-columns or less will print in portrait orientation. A landscape orientation statement will be produced if columns 4, 5 or 6 are used. When printing mixed orientation groups of statements, two print files will be created, one for each orientation. The page numbers will comply with the defined statement order.

Printing to PDF is similar, but dependent upon your computer configuration. If Adobe DC is installed on your computer, one print file will be created with a mix of orientations, in the proper order. BalanceWare uses Adobe DC to accomplish a mixed orientation group of statements.

If Adobe DC is not installed on your computer, then two PDF files will be created; one for each orientation. Like the print process, the page numbers will comply with the defined statement order.

Add and delete named selections on this tab. A named selection is a group of accounts. Any number of accounts can be a member of a named selection. The period is not defined with the named selection, but instead on the Statement Lines tab when editing a column. This feature allows the use of a named selection for any period when configuring a column on the Statement Lines tab.

The current period, year-to-date, prior year current period, and year-to-date balances for accounts selected for each named selection is displayed below the group name. 

Below the selection period balances is a list of statements utilizing the named selection. 

Named Selections Tab

Designing custom statements can be a daunting task, therefore BalanceWare provides several methods to review and adjust the design from the Statement Review tab.

Statement Review Tab

Select a column on any line to start a review process. After selecting a column on a line, the details for the amount are displayed on the right half of the the tab. For named selections, external statements, differences and accumulators, the information displayed on the right side of the tab is available. Edits to these types of amounts are accomplished on the Statement Lines tab only, ie column configurations.

For "Acct(s)"  and "Sel" (named selection) columns, the View Accounts button will display, and allow edits to, the accounts selected for the line-column. 

In addition, there are two methods to analyze statements using Excel. The Reconcile to Chart of Accounts Excel file includes all accounts in the Chart of Accounts, the column and line they are assigned to and the period assigned.

Reconcile to Chart of Accounts

The Analyze Column Amounts Excel file is similar to the above but uses the actual amounts instead of a counter.

Analyze Column Amounts

Notice that the hierarchy of the two reports is slightly different. The Reconcile to Chart of Accounts is sorted by the Chart of Accounts and displays the line number and column each account is assigned to, if any.

The Analyze Column Amounts is sorted by statement line number and displays the accounts and amounts assigned to each line and column. Both reports are invaluable tools offered to assist in the review of custom statements. 

This tab displays accounts in the Chart of Accounts that are not represented on any statement. The tab is a handy tool to monitor chart changes. Current and prior year balances are included with the account number and description.

The bottom half of the Orphan COA's tab contains totals from the BalanceWare standard financial statements. These totals can be handy when reviewing, as many of these same totals will appear on StatementWriter statements.

Line Types

• When the Amount line type is selected, the controls for columns will activate. The following edits should be performed:
  • Enter the line description and ensure that print (discussed above) and accumulate (discussed below) are properly configured. Description formatting is accomplished using the rich-text formatting toolbar or right-click on selected text to open the mini-formatting toolbar. Descriptions can be multi-line using the Enter key.                        
  • Select each column for which an amount should be applied. If the lines section Expand Lines checkbox is on, the column amount, if configured, will be shown in bold-italic.
  • Select the method for computing the amount
    • The Account(s) method allows for a single account selection or multiple accounts. Use the Control key and the Shift key in conjunction with the mouse to select individual accounts or a range of accounts. Alternatively, use the Expand Wizard to select accounts from an expanded list with check boxes.
    • Use the Selection method to select a named selection created on the Names Selections tab.
    • Select a number from a rendered statement using the Statement method.
    • Use an accumulator value (discussed below)
    • Use a column difference from any two column/line combinations on this statement.
  • Configure columns using the following controls:
    • Formatting controls (Reverse, Underline, Bold, Italic)
    • Period controls (Current, Year-to-Date, PY Current, PY YTD)
• Text line types are used for statement section headings, such as Current Assets, Current Liabilities, Sales, Operating Expenses, etc. Formatting is accomplished using the rich-text formatting toolbar or right-click on selected text to open the mini-formatting toolbar. Text types are as wide as the page. Therefore centered text will span the page-width, be it portrait or landscape. You might use a centered text field on a Balance Sheet for "ASSETS", "LIABILITIES" and "EQUITY" for instance, as we have done in our sample companies. Text can also be right and left justified.
• Accumulator line types start, stop and clear accumulators. There are 4-accumulators per column; a total of 24 accumulators. Most statements will use accumulators in all columns, but probably only accumulators 1 and 2 on an income statement and possibly accumulators 1, 2 and 3 on a balance sheet type statement. See the Using Accumulators section below for a discussion on accumulator techniques.

Column Edits

When editing an existing column, the method and all of the other controls will be populated for the column's configuration. When editing a column for the first time, nothing will be populated. There is however an exception to this general rule, and that is Column Differences.

A large statement can have a large number of column differences. On a new column configuration for the difference method, BalanceWare takes an educated guess at the difference and makes a selection for you.

This eliminates the need to scroll through possibly thousands of different combinations. Please be sure this selection is proper. If not, you will at least be positioned in the "neighborhood" of the desired selection.

For example, a statement with 40 print lines with column amounts in all 6 columns has 4,278 possible column difference combinations in the list box.

If a column has not been assigned to a valid method, it will not be included in the list box. Obviously then, we recommend populating the difference columns towards the end of the design process, with the additional option of auto-filling. 

If a column is configured for a column difference and the reference is to a line that is subsequently deleted, the statement will show an incorrect amount. If one of the columns in the difference calculation exists, the statement will show that balance. If neither columns exist, the statement will show a zero. Edit the column to define a new difference calculation or an entirely new method.

All column methods, i.e. Accounts(s), Selection, Statement, Accumulator, and Difference, return debits and credits. For instance, if using an accumulator to sum a sales category of accounts, the accumulator value when used in a column will require the reverse flag.

The Account(s) and Selection methods also require a period setting, i.e. Current, Year-to-Date, PY Current and PY YTD.

The Expand Wizard button will be visible when the Account(s), Statement and Difference methods are selected during an edit, or when editing a percentage calculation. The wizard behaves differently depending on the edit item, as follows:

• Accounts - an expanded list of accounts is displayed using check-boxes instead of a multi-select list box.
• Statement - a selection is made from the rendered statement selected in the list box
• Difference - select a difference and optionally auto fill the column, except accumulator amounts. Accumulator amounts will not be overwritten by auto fill. Filled columns inherit the formatting flags (reverse, bold, underline and italic) from the second column in the difference formula. Two columns from the same row are eligible for auto fill.
• Percentage calculation - a dialog asks if an auto fill should be completed with the following options:
  • Fill this line and up
  • Fill this line and down
  • Fill the entire column
  • Overwrite existing calculations

Double clicking on the edit control will also open the wizard, as follows:

• Double-click in the percentage calculation combo-box
• Double-click in the accounts list box
• Double-click in the statements list box
• Double-click in the column differences list box

The Clear Column Button

The Clear Column Button will reset a column configuration to a completely un-configured state. If the Update button is pressed to terminate the edit, the column will not appear on the statement. If the Cancel button is pressed to terminate the edit, the column configuration will remain as it was prior to the edit.

The Copy Column Button

The Copy Column Button will copy the selected column configuration to the next selected column. A little helper box will appear with instructions to select the destination column. If you don't select a different column with the next mouse click, the copy is canceled silently.

The Sort Starting Character Combo Box

If you happen to be designing statements from a structured chart of accounts, this tool will be handy. This digit-selector sorts the chart of accounts list by the starting character position selected in the combo box.

The Update and Cancel Buttons

Terminate an edit using the Update or Cancel button. If updating, all changes made to all columns during the edit process are saved. If canceling, all changes are disregarded.

Client Tab