There are two methods for finding a record you want in a browse box.

Method #1: The Locator

In almost all browse boxes, records are displayed using a system called the Locator. This lets you sort by any column in the browse box and then filter down to just the records you want using the Locator Box which is always at the top right hand corner.

You can always instantly jump to the Locator field by pressing Ctrl/L!

Method #2: Search As You Type

On a few browse boxes (one notable example is the Representatives and Employees Browse) there is no Locator. This will be the case when there are only a very few records in the browse box. In that case we use another method called Search as you type. This works just like it sounds: you locate a record by typing the first few letters of its name or ID.

You are in the Representatives and Employees Browse, and you want to locate ‘SYLVIA JOHNSON’,

1. Open the Representatives and Employees Browse.
2. Start by typing ‘S’. The browse will automatically move to the first Employee ID whose name starts with the letter ‘S’.
3. Now type the letter ‘Y’. The browse will now move to the first Employee whose name begins with ‘SY’. Now we’re getting close.
4. Finally, type ’LVIA’ just to be sure. The browse will now be at the first Employee whose name begins with ‘SYLVIA’.

Resetting The Search

When using Search As You Type you can start a new search in one of three ways by either:

• Moving the highlight bar up or down a record,
• Selecting any another record in the browse
• Pressing the [Change] button.

Tabbed Browses

Many browse boxes have tabs. When you click on a tab, the records are instantly filtered for you in a way that is particularly useful for that particular browse.

One example is the Open Orders tab in the Sales Order Browse. Clicking this tab instantly shows you orders which are not yet invoiced.

Another example is the Open tab in the Vendor Bills browse. Clicking this tab instantly displays only unpaid Vendor Invoices.

The Find Button

Many browse windows also have a [Find] Button. This calls up a Query Window which lets you locate a record matching the fields you select. This comes in handy in cases where the record you are looking for can’t be easily found using the Locator, either because the column you need to ‘find’ with instant in the browse box or because you need to find the record using more than one criteria.

In the Sales Order Browse, you may need to find a particular Sales Order based on Employee ID #2 (the CSR Mary) and the Acknowledgment date 04/01/2005. Neither of these fields are available as browse columns. Using the Find button, however, you could still locate the Sales Order, by entering:

Employee ID2 = MARY AND AcknowledgeDate = 04/01/05

Find Again

If a matching record is found, the Find Button changes to ‘Find Again’ so you can jump to the next match if the first match isn’t exactly the one you want. As with Seach As You Type, the Find is reset when you move the highlighted record or press the [Change] button.

 You can activate the [Find] button by also pressing .

 Simple Accounting remembers the last field(s) you chose from the last time you clicked [Find] in each browse. This makes it easy to perform the same Find over and over.