Hi!
Is there a way that I just can't see, of launching the Financial Reporter without it spawning a blank GL!Report1 ? It drives me crazy that I have to say 'no' to the question 'do you want to save the changes to GL!Report1' every time I exit...
Thanks!

You can place the name of an existing financial statement on the command line (shortcut) that launches the financial reporter and have it open instead.

Does that solve the problem?

not quite... for that to be a fix it presupposes that there's a report I always open when I go into the Financial Reporter and it also (if I understand what you are saying) assumes I use a desktop shortcut to get into when what I actually use is the icon on the toolbar in the GL.
If I did that and I was going into the Financial Reporter to, say, print my tax return, then I would still be stuck saying that I didn't want to save the changes in the Income Statement if that was the one I'd picked as the default opener.

What version are you running? It doesn't ask me about saving GL!Report1 when I haven't made any changes to it (which would include just pressing "Enter" in a cell).

The "save" question is a red herring - the real issue is that it's just plain annoying that it even opens up GL!Report1 by default. It gets in the way and I've never had a client use that spec.

What the program should do is default to the File | Open option and let you immediately browse for a spec. That's what users do about 99% of the time anyway when they open FR.

Steve

Hi Steve,

I hardly ever use the File | Open option, but instead select a specification from the previously opened list. If we automatically launch the File | Open dialog, this would have to be closed before the File menu could be opened to select a previous entry.

Perhaps it might be preferable to open the File drop down menu so the user could select Open or one of the saved statements? Or under View | Customize | Settings add an "On startup do..." setting with the options:

• Nothing.
• Open browse
• Open previous
• Statement group print

All comments welcome.

I like either of those choices, although I think the former is more intuitive.

I have trained my clients not to select from the previously opened list because without a path there is no guarantee that they are picking the correct spec, and when they get a new workstation the list is lost, which generates a support call every time.

Steve

I don't think you need to automatically launch anything... I think if it just opened the reporter with nothing open then you can click the File button and then select Open or New, or select from the recently used list depending on what you want.
This would require no redundant steps and would still eliminate having to answer the 'save changes' question about a sheet you didn't want in the first place.

Slight threadjack... I totally agree with Steve about the recent items on the drop down list... If you're the only user and therefore know that the names on the drop down are there because you opened the ones with the correct path then great, but otherwise, going 'Open' and selecting the right one is the safe route...

Andrew, GL version 9.2B (170218) Reporter version 2.1.7.2453

Does everyone know that the full path name of the previously opened file is display in the lower left hand corner of the Status bar in the financial reporter when the cursor hovers over the name?

Doesn't that show what file you are about to open?

Also, the "Previously opened" list is stored by user and company. I'm not sure why there would be any confusion.

Hugh, there has been a Hot Fix to Ledger (170320) that included an Update to the Financial Reporter. That might explain why you are being asked about saving GL!Report1 and I am not.

Hi Andrew

I never knew about the full path being displayed if you hover, it's not exactly intuitive. But it's useful to know.

As for why the "save" question comes up for Hugh and not for you, it happens if you (accidentally) do something on Report1 before you click on File.

Steve