8.01. Issuing goods to a customer (customer invoices)

Choose Customer > New invoice. A window like this will open:

User defined fields are displayed in the above screenshot. To show or hide user defined fields go to File> Preferences> Invoices 2.

Type as much of a customer name here as you know and then press Tab. If there is only one name that matches your choice, it will be entered automatically for you, otherwise you will be presented with a list of available choices. Once you have entered a valid name, the New line button will be enabled. If you can not find the name you are looking for, you can add a new name by clicking the person icon () to the left of 'Name'.

The downward pointing arrow to the right of the Name field takes you directly to the Edit Customer/Supplier window, giving access to all the information relating to the name entered

Enter the customer's order number if there is one

Click on the downward pointing arrow to the right of the Comment field to display a window where any comment relating to this invoice can be noted.

If you are using the category feature, and have defined them, the appropriate category is selected from the drop-down list.

If you are using the user-defined transaction fields, they will appear and can be filled in here. Should you wish to use them, they have to be activated in Preferences>Invoices 2, refer Show customer transaction fields.

There is some information on the top of the invoice that is read-only and cannot be edited:

• Confirm date: The date the invoice was confirmed. “00/00/00” if the invoice has not been confirmed. Note: this date can be made editable if the Allow confirm date to be edited on invoices preference is turned on. See the 15.03. Invoice preferences page for details.
• Invoice: This is the invoice number. The number is automatically incremented and assigned when the invoice is first saved (which actually occurs when the first line is added to it) and is unique within a store. Note that customer invoices in different stores could have the same invoice number.
• Entry date: The date the invoice was created.
• Goods received ID: If the customer invoice is linked to a goods received note then its ID will appear here in blue, indicating that it is a link and, if clicked, will open the goods received note.
• Status: The current status of the customer invoice:
  • nw = new (just created, can still be edited, stock not yet removed from mSupply but available stock reduced so reserved stock can't be assigned to another invoice)
  • sg = suggested (has been opened since first creation, still editable, stock not yet removed from mSupply).
  • cn = confirmed (stock has been removed from mSupply but invoice is still editable).
  • fn = finalised (stock has been removed from mSupply and the invoice is no longer editable).

    In a multi-store system, a CI will not translate into a SI in the receiving store unless it is finalised. mSupply will warn you if the customer is another store in your system and you are trying to close a CI with status = cn.

• Entered by: The user name of the user who created the customer invoice.
• Store: The name of the store the customer invoice belongs to.

At the top of the Customer invoice window, there are a series of buttons:

Will add a line to the invoice. This command can be used on any invoice that is not finalised. Clicking the button will present you with the window for adding a line from stock. See the Adding lines to an invoice section below for more details. To select a line to edit, simply double-click on it. Note that new line and edit line are disabled on finalised invoices.

• Will delete any selected line(s).
• Selected line(s) will appear highlighted.
• Multiple selected lines do not need to be adjacent.

This icon is displayed only if `We run a backorder system' is checked in the Preferences > invoices 2 options - refer We run a backorder system. Clicking this button shows you a list of items that are on backorder for the customer you have chosen. To view the backorder list of items, you must first confirm the transaction.

Clicking on this icon will display a record of all that this customer has purchased in the past. This may produce a very long list! The list appears in chronological order, but clicking on any of the column headers will sort the list according to that parameter.

When this button is clicked, the status of the order changes from nw (new) or sg (suggested) to cn (confirmed).

• The confirm button is only available for invoices with status sg (suggested).
• Confirming an invoice should be done when the goods have been removed from the shelves and have left the store or have been packed ready for dispatch). Most importantly, as far as mSupply is concerned, this stock is no longer in the store and a stocktake will not find it!

• If you are running a backorder system, confirming a Customer Invoices also deletes any placeholder lines (those with a batch entry of “none”) and adds them to that customer's backorder file.

At the bottom of the Customer invoice window, there are a series of controls.

Checking the Hold checkbox prevents the Customer Invoice from being confirmed or finalized.

Checking the Finalize checkbox allows you to finalize an invoice when you click the OK button. Only users with Can finalize individual invoices checked in their user permissions can check this box. Other users will be warned if they try to turn it on, and the Finalize checkbox will automatically uncheck.

The OK & Next button saves the changes you have made and exits the window. You are given the opportunity to print if the Print checkbox is ticked.

The Delete button allows the deletion of an invoice. If the invoice has a status of 'nw' you can delete the invoice even if has lines added. If the status is 'cn' or 'sg' you will have to delete the lines manually first - refer Deleting line(s). When an invoice has been deleted the invoice number that it was assigned will be reused.

The OK button saves the changes you have made and exits the window. You are given the opportunity to print if the Print checkbox is ticked.

If the Print checkbox is ticked then print options will be presented when the OK or OK & Next buttons are clicked.

If the invoice status is 'nw' (new) or 'sg' (suggested), pick list options will be printable.

If the invoice status is 'cn' (confirmed) or 'fn' (finalized), invoice options will be printable.

The three tabs allow the invoice to be viewed in three different formats, but note that the lower area of the window remains the same and is available for appropriate input in all views.

Once an invoice has been created, a detailed view of the items on it may be seen by selecting this tab; where the supply of a single item is made up of different batch numbers, they will be displayed as separate lines:

There are a row of small icon buttons at the bottom left of the window. Hovering the mouse over each button gives a description of what it does.

Clicking this button shows a menu with the following choices:

1. Renumber lines: will re-assign line numbers to all lines on the invoice according to their current order (you can move lines around by dragging and dropping to a new position.
2. Issue stock for all placeholder lines: This option will go through each placeholder line on the invoice and attempt to issue stock.

Clicking this button shows you a summary of the cost and selling price information for the invoice.

If you check the Print as Pro-forma invoice checkbox in this window, rather than printing a pick slip, a pro-forma invoice will be printed, allowing you to give a paying client a form showing expected charges.

Allows you to make a note relating to this invoice.

Copies the entire invoice to the clipboard.

The Summary by Item tab displays the items on the invoice, consolidating different batch numbers and displaying the total quantities for each item only; the invoice above appears in the following format when the Summary by Item tab is selected.

The Summary by Batch tab displays the items differentiating between batches, and showing a breakdown where more than one batch has been supplied on the order. The above invoice appears in the following format when the Summary by Batch tab is selected; note that two different batches of metronidazole tablets were supplied.

Selecting this tab displays the following window:

Here you can add information about the method of transportation and other related information. You can then report on performance of your transport operations in various ways using the Transport Report.

The five date boxes enable you to track your order from it being generated (written) to the customer confirming receipt of it (actual arrival date):. The five date fields are:

• Order written date: The date the customer wrote the order (this will usually be on their requisition form).
• Order received date: The date the customer's order was received by you
• Order shipped date: The date the order left your store
• Expected arrival date: Given the shipping method you're using, when you expect the goods to arrive at the customer's premises.
• Actual arrival date: The date the goods reached the customer you are supplying. Obviously you will only know this if they report the information back to you (e.g. via SMS message)

If you use these date fields, it allows reporting using the Transaction Report using the report form Order Processing time. Sometimes it is necessary to edit these dates after finalisation of a customer invoice so there is a special permission for users to allow them to do this (on the User details page, Permissions 2 tab - see Managing users, the Permissions tabs for details.

The list of options in the Ship method drop down list is set by choosing Customer > Show shipping methods…, when you are shown a window with a list of existing shipping methods:

To enter a new method, click the New button. To edit an existing method, double-click the item in the list and edit its details. To delete a method, click on it in the list to select it then click on the Delete button. You will not be able to delete a shipping method if it is being used by a customer invoice.

The choice list for Responsible officers is a list of mSupply users for whom the “Can be responsible officer” check box has been checked. Choose File>Edit users…, then double-click a User Name to set up each user as a responsible officer (or remove them from the responsible officer list)

The Box Management feature is used to tell mSupply which items were put in which 'box' or container for transporting to your customer. This has a few advantages:

• You can print labels from mSupply to stick on each box (either from a label printer or a normal A4 paper printer - see the Printing an invoice: Picking slips and delivery notes section below for details).
• You can create (automatically or manually) weight and volume information which can be printed on the packing list or passed to your freight handlers.
• It tells the customer what's in each box to help their goods-inwards processing.

For details about how to use this feature, please see Box management.

This is an example of a box label printed from a normal A4 paper printer:

Added: version 3.1

The log tab displays changes to the invoice that have been logged. Details of all logged activities are record in the mSupply Log.

If you are using the Moneyworks accounting software then the link between mSupply and Moneyworks will need to be enabled in File>Preferences>Moneyworks - refer General Preferences - Moneyworks. If this option has not been enabled, then the Moneyworks tab will not be visible.

The Moneyworks tab will show the status of the invoices inside Moneyworks accounting software once mSupply has carried out an export.

This tab shows the custom fields that have been set up for customer invoices (see the Custom fields section for details).

All custom data will be saved with the invoice (i.e. when you click the OK or OK & Next button).

Clicking New line will bring up the Add Item… window:

The first thing to enter is the Item Name or Item Code in the Item field. Type as much of the Item Name as you know, then press Tab. mSupply searches for all Items whose Name or Code starts with the text you have typed.

If no entries match the request, the Item field will read 'try again'. You can try as many times as you like! If you conclude that the Item you want does not exist in your system, click New item to add the Item.

If only one Item matches your request, it will be chosen automatically and you will be returned to the Add item… window with that Item already selected.

If more than one Item matches your request, all of them will be displayed.

Note: if the Show item unit column when issuing store preference is turned on (see the 25.08. Virtual stores page for details) then an Item unit column will also be included in the table.

If the wanted Item is visible, double-click on it or click on it once and then click Use.

If the wanted Item is not visible, click Cancel to try again to find it.

Once the item you want has been selected, the Add item… window will display a list of available stock lines (if any). Each stock line may be a different pack size, batch, expiry, or price. The stock lines are sorted by expiry date; first expiry at the top.

The lines are numbered in the left hand column and sorted according to these values, in this order:

• Expiry date (earliest expiry date at the top i.e. in FEFO order; First Expiry, First Out)
• Then, for all stock lines with identical expiry date, by location priority (lowest priority number first; see the 4.06. Stock locations and location types page for details).
• Then, for all stock lines with identical expiry dates, in locations with identical location priority, by Location code in ascending alphabetical order.
• Then, for all stock lines with identical expiry dates, in locations with identical location priority, in locations with the same code (including the same location!) by batch number (ascending alphabetically).
• Then, for all stock lines with identical expiry dates, in locations with identical priority and code and with identical batch numbers, the number of available packs (in ascending numerical order i.e. smaller quantities first).

The first line is selected by default but you can choose another line in one of three ways:

• Type the line number into the Line field and press Tab. The cursor moves to the Quan field.
• Double-click on the line in the list. That line number is displayed in the Line field and the cursor moves to the Quan field.
• Single-click on the line in the list. Clicking again in the Issue column will allow you to directly edit the issue amount in the list - see following.

Once you have chosen your line, the number of packs available will be shown to the right of the Quan field, the Pack size will be shown in the Pack field, and the total quantity to be issued will be shown below the list of lines.

In the Quan field, you can enter any number greater than zero.

If you have entered any custom data fields for the trans_line table (see the 16.11. Custom fields page for details) then, when you have selected the item, the stock lines will appear on a Select stock tab like this:

and the Custom data tab will display the trans_line custom data fields you created in the preferences like this:

These custom data fields are all enterable and you can enter values as required. If you come back to this window when editing customer invoice lines later, the custom data fields will also be available for editing.

If the number entered in the Quan field is less than or equal to the number available for the selected line, then that value will be shown in the Issue column in the list.

Click OK to return to the main invoice screen, or OK & Next to add another Item.

Please note: If the Allow editing selling price on customer invoice lines store preference is turned on (see Virtual store preferences) and the Price editable when issuing checkbox on the General tab of an item's details page (see Item basics - General tab) is turned on then there will be an extra Sell price field for the user to enter the desired selling price for this customer invoice line:

If the amount to be issued is greater than what the top line can issue, then you can issue from multiple lines without leaving the window. There is an automatic and a manual way of doing this.

For each item line that stock is to be issued from:

1. Click once on the list to select the line
2. Click again in the Issue column
3. Enter / edit the issue amount in the Issue column

The Tab / Shift-Tab keys move the focus up and down the Issue column.

The Total quantity issued is updated at the bottom of the Add Item… window.

If the amount to be issued is greater than what the top line can issue, mSupply can automatically select stock from multiple lines on a FEFO basis. To allow mSupply to do this, simply enter the total quantity you wish to issue into the Quan field.

If the quantity typed in the Quan field is more than there is available for the selected line, and the Tab key is pressed to leave the Quan field, this message is displayed:

If you accidentally entered more than you intended, click Try again, otherwise click the Distribute button.

If the amount to be issued is greater than the total stock available from all of the available lines, then a placeholder line may be used, if your mSupply preferences allow.

If there are no lines available, or none of the lines are suitable (for example, this order needed strip packaged stock, and the available lines are all bulk packs), then you can add a placeholder line that will record the desired quantity and pack size until either you get stock, or go to confirm the order, at which time the item will be either moved to backorder or deleted (depending on how you have set your Preferences).

A Placeholder line can be added manually or automatically.

A Placeholder line can be added by clicking the Add Place holder button.

As shown in the window displayed below, placeholder lines are coloured in red and have a batch of “none” so you can easily identify them.

The quantity to be issued in the placeholder line is entered in the same way as any other Item Line - refer Manually issuing from multiple lines

If the number entered in the Quan field is greater than the total stock available from all of the available lines, then mSupply will prompt you with an Alert:

After clicking OK, all existing stock lines will have the Issue column populated with the total quantity available for each line, and a placeholder line will be created with the outstanding quantity inserted in the Issue column.

When confirming an invoice that has placeholder lines, the following actions will occur:

• If you have activated backorders, a backorder line will be created for each placeholder line.
• If you have set the Preferences to delete placeholder lines when confirming, they will be deleted, otherwise they will remain on the invoice to show the client that their order was received, but the goods were not supplied.

Sometimes you might end up with an unusual available amount of a particular batch. Due to the fact that mSupply rounds the available quantity, it may be hard to enter the exact amount to completely issue the batch. In such situations you can issue the total amount available by holding down the shift key while you double-click a line. This will issue the total available amount of that batch.

Sometimes you will see that a stock line has a tick in the tick-box in the Hold column and the line cannot be selected for issue, like the bottom one in this screenshot:

There are two possible reasons for this:

• The stock line itself is On Hold - see the Editing a stock line section for details.
• The location is On Hold - see the Locations and location types, Adding a location, General tab section.

You can find out whether it is the stock line or location (or both!) that is On Hold by double clicking on the line in question. If it is the location that is on hold then, in the window that has opened, the Hold checkbox on the General tab will not be checked. If the item line itself is on hold then it will be checked.

If there is insufficient stock in 'off-hold' stock lines to fulfill the invoice, a placeholder line can be created.

Added: version 3.72

If the “Show 'Add from BoM' button” preference is turned on (see here for details) there will be an additional Add from BoM button on the customer invoice form:

When you click this button it shows you a list of all the Bills of Material that exist in mSupply. Select one of those then mSupply will add all the items on that bill of materials (with the quantities they have on the bill of materials) onto the customer invoice as placeholder lines. You can then assign stock to the placeholder lines in the normal way (see, for example, Editing a placeholder line on an invoice below).

See the Bill of materials section for details about creating and using bills of material.

To edit an invoice line, double-click on it. You will be presented with the Edit line window, which is identical to the New line… window, except that the item name is already chosen.

For example, in the window below, there are two lines on the invoice for different batches of paracetamol, and all are shown when editing, irrespective of which of the lines was double-clicked.

At this stage you can:

• Edit the Issue value for the selected line item, or change the value in the Quan field
• Select a different item line (that is, a different batch) and edit it's Quan or Issue value.
• Click in the item name field, and select an entirely different item!

If you want to choose a different batch for an existing invoice line:

• double-click the invoice line
• set the quantity of the batch you don't want to zero,
• double-click the batch you do want, and enter the quantity you want to issue.
• Note that if possible the new batch will be added to the invoice at the bottom of the other lines, and the former invoice line will be deleted. You can use drag and drop to reorder invoice lines if this is a problem.

When you double-click a placeholder line, an extra button is displayed:

The Redistribute all button takes the quantity on placeholder lines and re-assigns it to actual batches in stock.

When you are not editing a placeholder line, the button is not visible.

If you have custom data fields created for the trans_line table in the preferences then the custom data tab will be visible and you can also edit the custom data field values. See the Custom data fields for invoice lines section above for more information.

Invoice lines can also be reordered by drag-and-drop of a line to a new location. This can be useful to group lines for the same item.

If the invoice lines are currently sorted by line number, the renumbering will happen, otherwise you will be shown an alert message.

If you really want to reorder lines when sorted by a different column, hold down the shift key as you drag-and-drop to override the message.

Note that reordering can not be undone, apart from you manually dragging lines back to their original location.

If you have customers that use a currency other than your own, mSupply can be configured to use your customer's own currency. Firstly you need to make a selection in the Store's preferences to enable issuing in a foreign currency.

Once you have done this, you can select a currency for a customer from the edit customer window.

You can also select the customer's currency when entering an invoice.

Currency: This is the currency your customer uses. It is set in the Customer Details window of the Customer record and is displayed when you add your customer's name to the invoice.

Currency rate: Gives the exchange rate stored in mSupply.

Foreign currency total: Provides the invoice total in the currency the customer uses.

You can print an invoice at any time when it is open in two ways:

1. by checking the print icon checkbox (next to the OK button) and clicking the OK button:
2. by holding down the Shift key on the keyboard and clicking the print icon instead of checking it.

Method 1 will close the invoice after printing, method 2 will leave it open after printing.

But note: you print different things depending on what status the invoice has:

• If the invoice is suggested (sg) then a picking slip is printed.
• If the invoice is confirmed (cn) or finalised (fn) then a customer invoice or delivery note is printed.

Whether you use method 1 or 2, you are shown the print options window:

The Form to use drop down list contains all the options for the format of the print out you will get. All the standard mSupply options will be here, as well as any custom forms we have created for you.

If the form you selected to use wasn't the one offered by default and you want to set it to be the default from now on (beware, this will set it for everyone!) then check the Remember this choice checkbox before you click on the OK button.

If you want to print dispatch labels to go on each box then check the Print dispatch labels checkbox. This will print labels on 100x150mm labels on a label printer, not the usual A4 paper printer you print the picking slips and delivery notes with so you must have configured that in mSupply first - see Printing preferences (setup) for details on how to do this. If you only want to print the dispatch labels and not a delivery note then select the None option in the Form to use drop down list.

The print Destination options:

• Printer: the invoice will be printed out straight away.
• Preview: a preview of what the invoice will look like when it is printed will be displayed in your installed PDF file reader. You might be able to print the invoice from the PDF reader, depending on its features.
• PDF file on disk: the invoice will be saved to disk in PDF format.
• Email PDF: the invoice will be created as a PDF file and attached to an email for you to send. You can double-click the email attachment to see a preview of the invoice. The email preferences in File > Preferences should be setup correctly before using this feature.
• Export to Excel: the invoice will be exported as a spreadsheet file and opened for you (provided you have a spreadsheet application installed).

The general process for distributing your goods should be this:

1. Create the customer invoice (new or suggested status).
2. Print the picking slip and give it to the staff who will pick the goods off the shelves.
3. As the goods are picked, note down any discrepancies between what was actually picked and what was on the picking slip.
4. When the pick is complete, enter any changes into the customer invoice in mSupply (Note that inventory adjustments or location adjustments of stock may be needed to correct issues found by the pickers). This step is very important to make sure your stock remains accurate in mSupply.
5. Confirm the customer invoice when it matches exactly what was picked.
6. Print the invoice again - this time a delivery note is printed.
7. Send off your goods with the delivery note!

All “normal” customer invoice lines represent the issue of stock lines to a customer. (These lines appear in the large section in the middle of the “Customer invoice” window).

mSupply also allows you to charge a customer for “service” item(s) such as freight, or advice or a refundable deposit on a cool box.

Enter the description and amount at any time until the invoice is finalised.

Note: the “subtotal” amount on the invoice includes any service charges, and tax (if any) will be added to the amount you enter.

The tax rate on an invoice is determined by the “default tax rate” setting in the mSupply Preferences.

To edit the tax rate on an invoice, click on the tax rate box at the bottom of the invoice entry window. You will be asked to enter a new percentage tax rate. Click the cancel button if you do not want to change the tax rate.

Note: you can not change the tax rate on finalised invoices.

1. Confirming the Customer Invoice changes its status to cn and takes the stock lines out of stock.
2. Finalising the Customer Invoice changes its status to fn and prevents any further editing of the invoice.