Grid-Entry Method

As mentioned before, this is the "old" way of entering transactions.  The differences are described briefly here.  This only applies if the prompt-for-details option is disabled in Program Options.

When a transaction-type button is clicked, a new transaction of that type will appear in the grid, often with some information already filled in and with the next suggested entry field ready to edit.  For instance, click Charge and the category list for the new charge transaction will be opened for your selection (using the key shortcuts is fastest, but you can also use down-arrow or the mouse to select one).  

As another example, clicking the Payment button will fill in the category and description with suggested values, and fill in the Total Amount Due as the payment amount (no Qty is needed).  Just press Tab to complete the entry, or you may type a different amount to replace the default amount.  

Note that for Payments, the Payment Method for that transaction will be set to the current value of the Payment Method selection.  (If you haven't selected a payment method yet, a dialog will prompt for the payment method to be used first.)  Thus you can enter multiple payment transactions with different payment methods by changing the Payment Method drop-down between transactions.  

When entering values, you don't need to enter the dollar sign ($) – it will be added for you.  Also note that Qty can be any number, including decimal numbers like 1.75.  Clicking the buttons for other transaction types will fill in fields with the program's best guess according to the type.

You'll also notice that the cells will grow as needed to accommodate longer categories, values and descriptions (sometimes requiring you to scroll to see the Total), and you can add as many transactions as necessary despite the size of the list (it will scroll as needed).  It's recommended to keep descriptions fairly short so that they fit on the receipts, since there is a limited amount of room. The text size will be shrunk to make it fit, but it can only shrink to a certain size, and it doesn't appear professional when one long entry is smaller than all of the others. About the size of the normal "Item Descriptions" header in the dialog is a good rule of thumb.  Also note that while the description often defaults to the category (in charge transactions, for instance), if you change the description then you should eliminate the existing text because the category may still appear on the receipt (depending on an option set in File / Printing Options).  For instance, if you change the description of a Gift Shop charge, don't leave "Gift Shop" in the description.  Make it something like "Flower Basket", and the receipt will still show "Gift Shop: Flower Basket".

Taxes Special Handling

Tax transactions have special handling in the dialog to speed the tax entry process.  First it will see if you have Taxes set up (Maintenance / Park Setup / Taxes).  If so, then it will show a selection of the defined tax categories.  Simply select the appropriate tax and the selected rate will appear in the Each column.  By default, it will also automatically put the total of all new Charge transactions in the Qty field (adjusted for any Discount transactions).  The tax will then be the result in Total because it simply multiplies the Qty by the Each price.  If the incorrect taxable amount is in the Qty field, you can back up to change that.

One common problem with this automation is when you have some charges that are taxable and some that aren't, you have to change the taxable amount in the Qty field.  One way to avoid this is to always enter taxable transactions first, then the Tax, and then the non-taxable transactions.  Remember that the order won't matter since the Tax transactions are separated on the receipt.  Of course if you've defined Rates for everything with proper taxes, then you won't even have to enter taxes manually.  Another problem is if you have prior charges that were already taxed, it doesn't take that into account and will attempt to tax all charges again.

If for any reason you calculate tax separately or don't like the automation, you can enter Tax before any other charge transactions and enter the tax amount in Each.  Although the Qty will show "0", the software will assume this means "no qty information" rather than multiplying by zero.  Also note that if you don't have Taxes set up and have no categories with "Tax" in them, you will have to select a category yourself for Tax transactions.  This could be anything you want it to be, perhaps the category for the charges being taxed.