Bill Power Help - Contents

Bill Power is Time & Billing software for popular information management systems, including Microsoft Outlook and Exchange, Lotus Organizer, Lotus Notes and Domino, and Symantec Act!.

Studio 848 Inc can be contacted as follows:

Studio 848, Inc . - P. O. Box 232799, Encinitas CA 92023-2799 USA
NET: http://www.billpower.com EMAIL: support@billpower.com

Bill Power is a Registered Trademark of Studio 848 Inc. Act!, Domino, Exchange, Outlook, Office , Organizer, Notes, QuickBooks, SmartSuite, and Windows are Trademarks of their respective manufacturers. All rights reserved.

Bill Power Loads Data From Your Calendar

Bill Power loads data directly from fields in your Calendar. Use Bill Power Options to select the type of Calendar to use as a data source.

Record your time using Calendar, Task, Journal, and Phone Call entries.
Use Contact entries to store Client, Account, and Hourly Rate data.
Use Categories (Groups) to group entries into Projects, and to relate a group of entries to a Contact for Hourly Rate assignment.

NOTE : Bill Power loads only those time related entries (Calendar, Task, Journal) whose dates are within the Date Range set in Bill Power.

Data Synchronization - Handhelds and Web Calendars

The Bill Power data sources listed above can be synchronized with handheld computers, or web based calendars. Bill Power can then be used to load data from the data sources.

For Calendars that do not support specific fields for Category and Billing information, enter name=value pairs in the comments field of entries.

Bill Power Compared to Bill Power Plus!

Bill Power is designed for single-user time and billing. For Outlook users, Bill Power loads data from only the default Calendar, Contact, Task, and Journal Folders in Microsoft Outlook. This is sufficient for those who use Outlook as-is, and do not add any folders for storing time and billing data. For Lotus Organizer and Symantec Act ! users, Bill Power loads data from one data file. For Lotus Notes users, Bill Power loads data from one data file , and one Personal Address Book.

Bill Power Plus! is designed for multi user, or workgroup, time and billing. For Outlook users, Bill Power Plus! loads and displays data from all Outlook folders and subfolders that contain Appointments, Contacts, Journal Items, or Tasks - including Public Folders connected using Microsoft Exchange. For Lotus Organizer and Symantec Act! users, Bill Power Plus! loads data from multiple data files. For Lotus Notes and Domino users, Bill Power Plus! loads data from multiple data files, and from any database that can be opened using Notes and Domino. This allows data from networked users to be included in time and billing data.

Bill Power System Requirements

Bill Power system requirements are as follows

Operating System

Microsoft Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, or XP

Calendar Software (any of the following)

Microsoft Outlook 97, 98, 2000, or XP (included with Microsoft Office)
Lotus Organizer 97, 97GS, 4.1, 4.1 Premium Edition, 5.x, or 6.x (included with Lotus SmartSuite).
Lotus Notes / Domino version 5.0.2
Symantec Act! verison 3.x or 4.x

Uninstalling Bill Power

To uninstall (remove) Bill Power from your computer,

From the Windows Control Panel.
Select Add/Remove Programs
Select Bill Power from the list box, and remove the program.

Microsoft Outlook Data loaded by Bill Power

Listed below are all of the Outlook data fields loaded by Bill Power: For more information regarding data entry, refer to Outlook online Help.

Calendar (Appointments)

Start Date/Time
End Date/Time
Subject.
Notes.
Required Attendees, Optional Attendees, and Resources

All of these fields are loaded as related Contacts of the Appointment.

Billing Information
Categories
Mileage.

Journal

Start Date/Time
End Date/Time
Duration
Subject.
Notes.
Entry Type.
Contacts .
Billing Information
Categories
Mileage.

Tasks

Start Date (set date to use for loading in Bill Power Options)
End Date
Due Date
Actual Work (set work to use for duration in Bill Power Options)
Total Work
% Done.
Priority (0=Low, 1=Medium, 2=High).
Subject.
Notes .
Contacts.
Billing Information
Categories
Mileage.
Hours Per Day, Hours Per Week (set these using Outlook Options).

Contacts

Full Name
Mailing Address
Company
Account (for Account Balance)
Billing Information (for Hourly Rate)
Categories
Department.
Office.
Mileage.
Email Address

Lotus Notes and Domino Data Loaded by Bill Power

Listed below are all of the Notes and Domino data fields loaded by Bill Power: For more information regarding data entry, refer to Notes online Help.

Address Book (Contact)

Address
Categories
Comments

NOTE: This field is searched for the following fields, using name=value pairs

Account Info
Billing Info
Mileage Info

Company
Department
Email Address

NOTE: This field is also used to relate Contacts to billable entries.

Full Name
Location (Office)

Calendar

Begin Date/Time.
Categories
Description

NOTE: This field is searched for the following fields, using name=value pairs.

Billing Info
Mileage Info

Entry Type
End Date/Time.
Invite (Attendees)
Principal (From)
Subject

To Do (Tasks)

Assign To (for Group To Do)
Categories
Description

NOTE: This field is searched for the following fields, using name=value pairs:

Billing Info
Hours
Mileage Info

Due Date
Start Date
Subject
Principal (From)
Priority
Type

Lotus Organizer Data loaded by Bill Power

Listed below are all of the Organizer data fields loaded by Bill Power: For more information regarding data entry, refer to Organizer online Help.

Address (Contacts)

First and Last Name
Business Address
Company
Custom1 (Home [Unused1] in Organizer 4.x) for Hourly Rate.
Custom2 (Home [Unused2] in Organizer 4.x) for Account Balance
Categories
Email Address

Calls (Phone Calls)

Date and Time
Duration
Contact First and Last Name
Notes.
Categories..
Completed (must be set for Call to be loaded by Bill Power)
Customer Code for related Contacts.
Cost Code for Billing Information.

Calendar (Appointments)

Date and Time
Duration
Description.
Categories..
Customer Code for related Contacts.
Cost Code for Billing Information.

Planner (Events)

From Date
Notes.
Categories..
Customer Code for related Contacts.
Cost Code for Billing Information.

To Do (Tasks)

Start Date (set date to use for loading in Bill Power Options ).
End Date.
Due Date
Priority
Description.
Categories.
Customer Code for related Contacts.
Cost Code for Billing Information.

Symantec Act! Data Loaded by Bill Power

Listed below are all of the Act! data fields loaded by Bill Power: For more information regarding data entry, refer to Act! online Help.

Contacts

Contact
Address

Line 1 - 3
City, State, Zip, Country

Company
Department
Email Address
User Field 1 for Hourly Rate.
User Field 2 for Account Balance
Groups (Categories)

NOTE: Groups are loaded as Categories. See Using Categories to Group Data .

Activities

Type (Meeting, Call, or To-do)
Date and Time
Duration
Regarding
Details

NOTE: This field is searched for the following fields, using name=value pairs:

Billing Info

Contact (With)
Recurring Settings
Priority
Groups (Categories)

NOTE: Groups are loaded as Categories. See Using Categories to Group Data .

Groups

Name

NOTE: Groups are loaded as Categories. See Using Categories to Group Data.

Entering Hourly Rate, Fixed Fee, Cost, and Payment Data

Calendar, Task, Journal, and Contact Entries all have a Billing Information data field. Bill Power uses the data in this field to calculate Fixed Fee , Hourly Rate , Cost , and/or Payment for the Entry.

For those calendars (Lotus Notes and Domino) that do not have Contact and Activity fields that can be used for this purpose. Bill Power will search an entry’s Comments field for name=value pairs.

The complete list of fields Bill Power loads is listed here

How Bill Power Assigns Hourly Rates to Billable Entries

Bill Power assigns Hourly Rates to Entries as follows:

The Entry’s Billing Information is first searched for a valid Hourly Rate.
If no Hourly Rate is found, Bill Power will then search for a Contact, related to the Entry by the entry’s Contacts field , containing valid Hourly Rate data in its Billing Information field.
If no Hourly Rate is found, Bill Power will then search for a Contact, related to the Entry by the Entry’s Categories field,. containing valid Hourly Rate data in its Billing Information field

Using Categories to relate groups of Entries to a Contact allows the same Hourly Rate to be assigned to all of the Entries, without having to enter the Hourly Rate for each and every Entry.

Billing Information Field Formats

Listed below are the Billing Information data field formats required by Bill Power. Billing Information data that does not follow these formats will not be used by Bill Power.

Fixed Fees:

Only the first number entered in the field is assumed to be valid; all others are ignored.
If the number is greater than 0 (positive), it is assumed to be a Fixed Fee.

For example, a Fixed Fee of $19.00 may be entered as follows:

$19.00, or 19.00, or 19

Payments:

Only the first number entered in the field is assumed to be valid; all others are ignored.
If the number is less than 0 (negative), or is in parentheses () , it is assumed to be a Payment from a Client.

For example, a Payment of $19.00 may be entered as follows:

- $19.00, or -19.00, or -19, or (19)

Hourly Rates:

Only the first number entered in the field is assumed to be valid; all others are ignored.
If the field also contains the Hourly Rate Key (default value of ‘ h’, case insensitive), the number is assumed to be an Hourly Rate . Change the Hourly Rate Key using Bill Power Options

For example, an Hourly Rate of $19.00 per Hour may be entered as follows:

$19.00 per hour, or 19.00 / hr, or 19/h, or 19.00 H

Costs:

Only the first number entered in the field is assumed to be valid; all others are ignored.
If the field also contains the Cost Key (default value of ‘cost ’, case insensitive), the number is assumed to be a Cost. Change the Cost Key using Bill Power Options

For example, a Cost of $19.00 may be entered as follows:

$19.00 cost, or 19.00 COST, or 19 Cost

Editing Outlook Data Fields

Outlook Grid Views and the Field Chooser

All Outlook Task, Appointment, and Contact fields can be edited as follows:

In Outlook, select the View Menu - Current View - By Category. This will display a grid (table) view of Appointments.

Right-click over the grid column headers, and select Field Chooser.
In the Field Chooser, select All Appointment Fields, and then drag and drop the Field (such as Billing Information) onto the grid column headers.
The field will now be displayed, and can be edited, in the grid.

See 'Field Chooser' in Outlook help.

Outlook Contact Billing Information

Several important Outlook Contact fields can be edited as follows:

In Outlook, open the Contact for editing.

Click on the All Fields tab.
In the Select From drop down list, select All Contact Fields . All Contact data fields will then be displayed.

The Account data field is displayed.
The Billing Information data field is displayed.
The Mileage data field is displayed.

Outlook Categories

Search Outlook Help for the word Category .

Select the Assign Items to a Category topic.

The Categories Supplied in Outlook topic discusses how to use pre-defined Categories.
The Create New Categories for Later Use topic discusses how to add new Categories.
he Assign an Item to a Category topic discusses how to assign an Entry to a Category.

To edit Categories, Edit any Outlook entry, and click on the Categories button.

Entering Account Data

Contacts have a field that Bill Power designates an Account Field. Bill Power uses data in this field as the Account Balance for that Contact. This is an easy way to track Client Accounts.

For those calendars (Lotus Notes and Domino) that do not have Contact and Activity fields that can be used for this purpose. Bill Power will search an entry’s Comments field for name=value pairs.

The complete list of fields Bill Power loads is listed here

Listed below is the Account data field format required by Bill Power. Account data that does not follow these formats will not be used by Bill Power.

Only the firstnumber entered in the field is assumed to be valid; all others are ignored.
If the number is greater than 0 (positive), it is assumed to be money owed by the Client.
If the number is less than 0 (negative), or is in parentheses () , it is assumed to be money paid by the Client.

Entering Mileage Data

For those data sources that have Calendar, Task, Journal, and Entry Mileage data fields, Bill Power uses the data in this field as mileage (miles) for the entry.

For those data sources that have Contact Mileage data fields, Bill Power uses the data in this field to calculate the Mileage Rate ($ per mile) to be used for billable entries that are related to the Contact.

Bill Power adds mileage costs to the Costs total for a billable entry.

For those calendars (Lotus Notes and Domino) that do not have Contact and Activity fields that can be used for this purpose. Bill Power will search an entry’s Comments field for name=value pairs.

The complete list of fields Bill Pow er loads is listed here

How Bill Power Assigns Mileage Rates to Entries

Bill Power assigns Mileage Rates to Entries as follows:

Bill Power will search for a Contact, related to the Entry by the entry’s Contacts field , containingvalid Mileage Rate data in its Mileage field.
If no valid Mileage Rate is found, Bill Power will then search for a Contact, related to the Entry by the Entry’s Categories field,. containingvalid Mileage Rate data in its Mileage field.

Mileage Field Formats

Listed below are the Mileage data field formats required by Bill Power. Mileage data that does not follow these formats will not be used by Bill Power .

Mileage:

Only the first number entered in the field is assumed to be valid; all others are ignored.

Mileage Rates:

Only the first number entered in the field is assumed to be valid; all others are ignored.
The field must also contain a Mileage Rate Key (default value of ‘ m’, case insensitive). Change the Mileage Rate Key using Bill Power Options

For example, an Mileage Rate of $0.33 per Mile may be entered as follows:

$0.33 per mile, or 0.33 / mile, or 0.33/m, or 0.33 M

Entering Task Data

Bill Power loads only those Calendar, Task, and Journal Entries that have Dates assigned to them, and are within the Date Range set in the Bill Power Main View. The complete list of fields Bill Power loads is listed here

Tasks are loaded into Bill Power based either on their Due Date, Start Date, or Completed Date, depending on Bill Power Loading Tasks Options

Bill Power also calculates Task duration based on either Actual Work or Total Work (for those calendars that support it), depending on Bill Power Loading Tasks Options

Using Name=Value Pairs in the Comments Field

Some Calendars (Lotus Notes, Symantec Act!, handhelds, web based calendars) do not provide Contact or Activity fields that can be used for Category or billing related information. For these calendars, Bill Power will search an entry’s Comments field (also called Description or Notes field) for name=value pairs , from which Categories and billing related fields will be assigned.

NOTE: The following format must be used for name=value pairs:

name=value;

Note the use of an equal sign (=).
Note that a semi-colon (;) terminates the pair.

Here are some examples of using name=value pairs:

Contact's Comments Field:

category=project1,project2; (Project1 and Project2 Categories)
billing=100/hr; (Hourly Rate of $100 per hour)
mileage=0.25/mile; (Mileage Rate of $0.25 per mile)
account=1000; (Account Balance of $1000)

Calendar or Task Comments Field:

category=project1,project2; (Project1 and Project2 Categories)
billing=100/hr; (Hourly Rate of $100 per hour)
billing=75; (Fixed Fee of $75)
billing=75 cost; (Fixed Cost of $75)
billing=(150); (Payment of $150)
mileage=50; (50 Miles)
hours=10.5; (duration of 10.5 hours)

See the list of specific data fields loaded by Bill Power for more information.

Use Bill Power Options to change the keys (names) Bill Power searches for in the Comments field.

Relating Billable Entries to Contacts

Billable entries (Appointments, Tasks, and Journal entries) can be related to Contacts as follows:

the entry’s Contacts field (the Required Attendees field for Appointments; also called the Customer Code field). Bill Power uses the entry’s Contacts field to search for Contacts with the same names or email addresses.
the entry’s Categories field. Bill Power uses the entry’s Categories field to search for Contacts that are related to the same Categories.

NOTE : Using Categories to relate billable entries to Contacts can be disabled using Bill Power Options .

These relationships can be used to group entries together by project (Category), and assign Hourly Rates from Contacts to the Entries.

IMPORTANT - Hourly Rate Assignment:

Bill Power also uses these entry-to-Contact relationships to assign hourly rates to groups of entries from the data in a Contact’s Billing Information field. Bill Power first tries to assign from Contacts related to the entry’s Contacts field, and then tries to assign from Contacts related to the entry’s Categories field.

Bill Power assigns billing rates from Contacts to billable entries in the following order (this order of assignment allows you to override hourly rates by using Contacts located ‘closer’ to the billable entries in question):

from Contacts in folders at the same level as the billable entry folder (‘ sibling ’ folders),
from Contacts in parent folders in the same folder heirarchy, and
from Contacts in folders anywhere in the folder hierarchy.

Using Categories to Group Data

Use Categories to relate Entries to each other, and group Entries together. This is very simple yet powerful feature. Use Categories to relate billable Entries to Contacts, and to assign Hourly Rates from the Contact Billing Information field.. All Entries have a Categories data field.

NOTE : Using Categories to relate billable entries to Contacts can be disabled using Bill Power Options .

Bill Power sorts and displays Entries by Category, allowing Billing data to be viewed and printed on a per-Category basis.

Project (Case) Categories

Add a Category for the Project.
Add new Calendar, Journal, or Task Entries as needed.

Assign the Entries to the Project Category.
For a Recurring Entry (weekly, monthly, etc), set the Date and Recurrence Pattern for the Entry.

To relate the Project to a Contact:

Add a Contact.

Assign the Contact to the Project Category.
Use the Contact Billing Information field to set the Hourly Rate for the Category.

Service Categories

Add a Category for the Service.
Add new Calendar, Journal, or Task Entries as needed.

Follow the steps listed above to group Entries and assign Hourly Rates.

Hourly Rate Categories (Employees, Services)

Add a new Category for the Hourly Rate:
Add new Calendar, Journal, or Task Entries as needed.

Follow the steps listed above to group Entries and assign Hourly Rates.

Loading Data Into Bill Power

Bill Power loads data directly from your Calendar. The loaded data is displayed in the Bill Power Main View. The complete list of fields Bill Power loads is listed here.

NOTE : Bill Power loads only those Calendar, Task, and Journal Entries that have Dates assigned to them, and are within the Date Range set in the Main View

Date Range:

In Bill Power, set the Start Date and End Date of interest:

Click on the small Toolbar button (marked with a ‘v’) next to the Start or End Date, and use the drop down Calendar to set the date.
Click on OK to accept, or Cancel to void the selections.

Loading (and Reloading) Data:

In Bill Power, click on the Load button on the Main View Toolbar to load (or reload) data from your Calendar.

NOTE : Be sure to reload data into Bill Power after saving data in your Calendar in order to get the most current data.

Restricting Loaded Categories:

Select the Categories to be loaded in the Bill Power Main View :

Click on the Categories button on the Toolbar, which displays the Select Categories dialog box.
To load all categories, click on the Load All Categories radio button.
To restrict loaded Categories, click on the Load Specific Categories radio button:

Select specific Categories from the List to be loaded.
To reload the Categories List from which to chose, click on the Reload button.
NOTE: The Categories displayed in the Select Categories dialog are loaded directly from Calendar, Task, and Journal Entries for the date range selected in Bill Power. They are not loaded from the Master Category list in your Calendar.

Click on OK to accept, or Cancel to void the selections.

Restricting the Folders Loaded from Outlook

It is sometimes desirable to restrict (filter) the Outlook folders loaded by Bill Power, including Public Folders connected over networks, and other folders that contain irrelevant data. This can be done as follows.

Create Windows User Profiles for viewing and managing various Outlook folder configurations.

To read about adding User Profiles in Windows, click here

Set Outlook Options (Startup Settings) to prompt for a Profile at startup.
Configure folders in Outlook by connecting and disconnecting Public folders , and by adding or removing Personal folders

Loading of Outlook Public Folders can also be enabled or disabled by setting Bill Power Options.

Excluding Entries From Being Loaded

Exclude entries from being loaded by Bill Power by entering the Exclude search key in the Billing Information field of the entry (Appointment, Task, or Journal entry).

The default Exclude key is ‘exclude’ . Set this search key using Bill Power Options

Viewing Data in Bill Power

Bill Power presents two views of billing data: the Main View, and the Print Preview..

Main View

The Main View uses a hierarchy of Folders (on the left), and Entry Groups coupled with a Grid (on the right) to organize and view Entries from your Calendar.

General:

To change the size of either side of the window, drag the bar that separates the two sides.
Use the horizontal and vertical Scroll Bars for navigation.

Folders:

Click the plus signs (+) to display more folders.
To quickly open a folder and display the folders inside, double-click the folder on the left side of the window.

Subfolder Summaries:

Subfolder Summaries consolidate data from all of a folder’s subfolders.

Entry Groups:

Entries are grouped and displayed by the following fields, to accomodate a wide range of reporting options:

Folder
Category
Contact Full Name
Contact Company
Contact Department
Contact Office

Grid: Viewing and Formatting Tables of Data

Use the Grid to view data by rows and columns, and for formatting Printed Tables.

Change the Width of the columns by dragging the Column Header sides with the Mouse.
Click on the Grid Column Headers to format the data in the columns, using a Popup Menu.

Sort the data in the Column in Ascending or Descending order.
Show or hide the Column of data in the Printed Table .
Change the Column Title.
Select the format for Dates, either Date, or Date and Time .

Print Preview - the Bill Power Viewer

The Bill Power Print Preview displays billing data exactly as it will be printed.

Click on the Preview Toolbar button in the Bill Power Main View to view a print preview of the data currently displayed in the Grid.

The Print Preview feature of Bill Power is also available as a stand-alone program, entitled the Bill Power Viewer. To easily distribute a formatted billing report , use Bill Power to create the report and save it as a file. Use the Bill Power Viewer to open, view, print, and fax these reports (see Bill Power Viewer ).

Print Preview, Faxing, and Saving Invoices and Reports - the Bill Power Viewer

Use the Bill Power Print Preview to display and save formatted billing data exactly as it will be printed.

Click on the Preview Toolbar button in the Bill Power Main View to view a print preview of the data currently displayed in the Grid.

Formatted billing data can be saved in binary and HTML from the Print Preview.

The Print Preview feature of Bill Power is also available as a stand-alone program, entitled the Bill Power Viewer. To easily distribute a formatted billing report in binary form , use Bill Power to create the report and save it as a binary file. Use the Bill Power Viewer to open, view, print, and fax these reports.

The Bill Power Viewer can be downloaded from the Studio 848, Inc. web site.

Print Preview

Click on the Preview toolbar button in the Main View.

Use the Zoom Toolbar buttons to increase or decrease the view magnification.
Use the Page Toolbar buttons to display the first, previous, next, or last page.
Use the Layout Toolbar Button to select portrait or landscape orientation.
Click on the Print Toolbar button to Print or Fax the current view.
Use the horizontal and vertical Scroll Bars to navigate the view (the scroll bars are shown only if necessary). Alternately, click and drag the preview to move it around the view.
Click on the Back Toolbar button to return to the Bill Power Main View .

Printing and Faxing Bills

Click on the Preview toolbar button in the Main View.

Click on the Print Toolbar button to Print or Fax the current view.
Use the Printer Name to select a printer or fax.
NOTE: To Fax the bill, select a Fax for the Printer Name.
Click on the Properties button to view or set printer properties.
Use Print Range to print All Pages, or just the currently displayed page.
Use Copies to select the number of copies to be printed.

Saving and Opening Print Formatted Files

Formatted billing data as displayed in the Bill Power print preview can be saved in either binary or HTML format. Bill Power, or the Bill Power Viewer, is required to open and view binary files. HTML files can be viewed using a web browser.

An HTML file can be used as a cover page - Bill Power will read the HTML from this custom cover page file, and write it with formatted billing data to the file of your choice. Set the option and the select the HTML file to load using Bill Power Print Options

Note that HTML files are formatted differently than printed output:

Rich text formatted cover page text is displayed without RTF formatting.
Tables are left justified.
There is no difference between Portrait or Landscape views.
Headers and footers are not displayed.
Page breaks are not displayed.

To save print formatted data:

Click on the Preview toolbar button in the Main View.

Click on the Save Toolbar button to save the current Print Preview as a file.

Select a format - binary or HTML.

Use the Save As dialog to select where to save the file.
If you haven't saved your file before, type a file name in the File Name box.

Click on the Open Toolbar button to open a previously saved binary file for viewing.

Use the Open dialog box to find the file to open.

Bill Power Options

Bill Power provides all of the options necessary for loading billing data from you calendar, as well as those formatting options necessary to create professional quality Invoices. Click the Toolbar Options button in the Main View or Print Preview to view Options and set preferences.

Print Options - Formatting Billing Invoices and Reports

Click here for details on Bill Power Print and invoice formatting options.

Bill Power General Options

General

Data Source - Select the Calendar data source type (Microsoft Outlook, or Lotus Organizer). from which to load data.
Main View Font. - Set this font in the Print Options, Tables, Font. Using the same font insures that what you see in the Main View is what you get in the Print Preview.
Relating Billable Entries to Contacts - Enable/disable using Categories to relate billable entries to Contacts.
Loading Outlook Public Folders - Enable/disable loading Outlook Public Folders. Set the folder name Outlook uses for Public Folders (use relevant language translation).

Taxes

Enter Tax Rates (%) for Fees and Costs, ranging from 0% to 100%. Note that Bill Power supports fractional Tax rates (i.e. 8, 6.0, 5.50, and 10.75 are all valid rates).

Billing Field Search Keys

Hourly Rate Key - Enter the key (phrase) used to denote Hourly Rate in an entry’s Billing Information field. The default is ‘h’ (case insensitive).
Mileage Rate Key - Enter the key (phrase) used to denote Mileage Rate in a Contact’s Mileage field. The default is ‘m ’ (case insensitive).
Cost Key - Enter the key (phrase) used to denote Cost in an entry’s Billing Information field. The default is ‘ cost ’ (case insensitive).
Exclude Key - Enter the key (phrase), used to indicate an entry should not be loaded by Bill Power, in an entry’s Billing Information field. The default is ‘exclude’ (case insensitive).

Comments Field (Description, Notes) Search Keys

Account Info Key - Enter the key (phrase) used to denote Account Info in an entry’s Comments field. The default is ‘account’ (case insensitive).
Billing Info Key - Enter the key (phrase) used to denote Billing Info in an entry’s Comments field. The default is ‘billing’ (case insensitive).
Category Key - Enter the key (phrase) used to denote Category in an entry’s Comments field. The default is ‘category’ (case insensitive).
Hours Key - Enter the key (phrase) used to denote Hours in an entry’s Comments field. The default is ‘hours’ (case insensitive).
Mileage Info Key - Enter the key (phrase) used to denote Mileage Info in an entry’s Comments field. The default is ‘mileage’ (case insensitive).

Export

Export Text File Format. Select the format used for exporting data to text files.

Print Format - billing data as formatted for Print Preview.
Spreadsheet - tab delimited text files, can be imported into spreadsheets and databases.
QuickBooks - Import files.

Loading Tasks

Task Date Used For Loading - Select either Due Date, Start Date, or Completed Date to use for loading Tasks by date range.
Task Work Used For Hours - Select either Actual Work or Total Work to use for duration.

Folder Labels

Set the labels that Bill Power uses for displaying and printing various Folders. These labels can be changed to accomodate language translations, or specific formatting styles. The default labels are displayed for reference. Folders include:

Subfolder Summary
All Entries

Print Preview and Invoice Formatting Options

Bill Power provides all of the formatting options necessary to create professional quality Invoices. Click the Toolbar Options button in the Main View or Print Preview to view Options and set preferences.

NOTE: Invoice Table Column Formatting. Use the Grid in the Main View to set Invoice table column title, width, and show or hide in Print. Click here for more details.

Print and Invoice Format Options

Layout

Orientation:

Select either Portrait (length ways) or Landscape (side ways). Landscape orientation is useful for displaying many Columns of data in tables.

Margins:

Use the drop down lists to set the top, bottom, left, and right Margins.

Picture File:

Select to print a Picture File

NOTE - Click on the Files Tab to select the file.

Tables:

Select to print the Itemized Table of Entries.
Select to print the Summary Table before the Itemized Table.
Select print the Summary Table after the Itemized Table.

Cover Page Format:

Select to print the Cover Page Rich Text on the Cover Page.
Select to print Today’s Date on the Cover Page.
Select to print the Date Range (Billing Period) on the Cover Page.
Select to print Contact Information (Full Name, Mailing Address) on the Cover Page.
Select to print the Summary Table on the Cover Page.
Select to print the Cover Page on a Separate Page, before the Tables. This is useful if the Cover Page is such that the Itemized Table would start printing to low on the page, and would look better starting on page following the Cover Page.
Select an HTML Cover Page File that will be included with the formatted billing data when saved as HTML.

NOTE - Click on the Files Tab to select the file.

Report (Invoice) Number
- Select to print.
- Enter a string; alpha or numeric are accepted.

Tables Format

Font: Click on the Font button to select the Font for all Tables.
Alignment: Select either left, center , or right alignment for all Tables.
Grid Lines: Select to include vertical grid lines in the Tables. This will make all rows and columns have borders.
Summary Table Label: Set the label used for the Summary Table - defaults to (Summary).
Itemized Table Label: Set the label used for the Itemized Table - defaults to (Itemized).
Total Label: Set the label used for the Total row in a summary table - defaults to Total.
Column Formatting: Set Column title , width , and show or hide in Print by using the Grid in the Main View.

Header, Footer, Labels

Font: Click on the Font button to select the Font for the Header and Footer.
Header Text: Use the Text Boxes to type in the text that will be printed on the left, center, and right of the Header.
Footer Text: Use the Text Box to type in the text that will be printed in the center of the Footer. By default, the Page Number is printed on the right, and the Date is printed on the left of the Footer.
Labels
- Date Label: Set the label used for the Date -defaults to Date.
- Date Range Label: Set the label used for the Date Range-defaults to Date Range.
- Report (Invoice) Number Label: Set the label used for the Report Number -defaults to Report Number.

Cover Page Rich Text (RTF)

Editing Text: Use the Rich Text Edit Box below the Toolbar to type in text you want to appear on the Cover Page. The Options dialog box can be resized to help viewing the Cover Page text.
Font: Click on the Toolbar Font button to set the Font for the currently selected text. Note that different Fonts can be used for different sections of text.
Alignment: Select left, center, or right alignment for the currently selected text. Note that different aligments can be used for different sections of text.

Envelope

Orientation: Select either Portrait (length ways) or Landscape (side ways). This selection will depend on how Envelopes are fed into your Printer.
Margins: Use the drop down lists to set the top and left Margins used for printing Contact Information (name, company, and address). This allows you to center the address on the Envelope, and will depend on how Envelopes are fed into your Printer.

Files

Format Options File: Select the file used to store the current Print Format Options. Default file extension is “ini”.
Rich Text Format (RTF) Cover Page File : Select the Rich Text Format (RTF) file used to store the Cover Page RTF text. Default file extension is “rtf”.
HTML Cover Page File: Select the HTML file included with the billing data when saved as HTML. Default file extension is “html ”.
PIcture File: Select the picture (graphic) file to print at the top of the Cover Page. .Click here for more details.

Formatting Table Columns for Printing

Use the Grid in the Main View to format table columns for printing. Click here for more information.

Cover Pages

Customize the Cover Page of your Bills by setting preferences in Bill Power Print Options

Rich Text Format fonts and alignment can be used to create high quality Cover Pages or Letter Head , eliminating the need for pre-printed Stationary.

Picture and graphics files can be added to Cover Pages using Bill Power Print Options . Graphics formats recognized by Bill Power include bitmap (.bmp), icon (.ico), run-length encoded (.rle), metafile (.wmf), enhanced metafiles (.emf), GIF, and JPEG (.jpg) files.

NOTE : To make the Cover Page Rich Text be printed below the Picture File, either set the Top Margin accordingly, or add blank space to the top of the Cover Page Rich Text.

Envelopes and Labels

Bill Power accommodates printing Contact information (Full Name, Company, and Mailing Address) on Envelopes and Labels . This is done for the currently selected Category or Contact in the Main View. This feature can be used to address envelopes or packages for mailing, or identification.

Envelopes with cut-out address windows can be used by designing a Cover Page layout such that Contact Information is printed in the window.

See Bill Power Options for specific instructions.

Invoice Numbers

Invoice numbers can be entered in the Header or Footer of the Invoice.

Invoice numbers can also be entered as Report Number.

See Bill Power Print Options for specific instructions on Headers and Footers.

Print and Invoice Format Files - Templates

Print and Invoice formats that are created in Bill Power can be saved as initialization files , for use as Invoice templates. The template files include all Print Options , as well as Invoice table column settings .set using the Bill Power Main View Grid.

Rich Text Format ( RTF) Cover Pages created and edited using Bill Power Options can also be saved as files.

Print and Invoice files can be opened and saved using Bill Power Print Options

Saving and Exporting Data From Bill Power

Data can be saved from Bill Power as formatted in the Print Preview. Data can also be exported to text files in various formats, for use with email, QuickBooks, spreadsheets, and databases.

Set the Export data format using Bill Power Options

Saving Print Formatted Data - Binary and HTML Formats

Formatted reports can be saved from the Bill Power Print Preview display; see Print Preview.

Exporting in Print Format (Text)

Billing data as displayed in the Bill Power Print Preview can be exported to text files using the Print Format export option. Tabs are used to separate colums of data in tables. This format is useful for sending billing data as email attachments.

The column titles for the fields displayed in the Bill Power Main View are also used in the export files.

The default file extension of *.txt is used.

Exporting to Spreadsheets and Databases

All data displayed by Bill Power can be exported to text files in tab delimited format; this is the General export format. These files can be easily imported into spreadsheets and databases.

In Bill Power, what you see is what you export.

Export is not recursive; only the data you are viewing will be exported.

The column titles for the fields displayed in the Bill Power Main View are also used in the export files.

The default file extension of *.txt is used.

Exporting to QuickBooks Import Files

The default file extension for QuickBooks import files (*.iif) is used.

The data are imported into the QuickBooks Item List and Customer;Job List. Easily create a new Invoice in QuickBooks using this data by selecting the Items and Customers with drop down lists on the QuickBooks Invoice form.

In Bill Power, what you see is what you export. You must be viewing Activities in the Bill Power main view grid for export as QuickBooks Items. You must be viewing Contacts or Groups in the Bill Power main view grid for export as QuickBooks Customer/Jobs. All other data views in Bill Power cannot be exported for QuickBooks, and will result in a blank file.

Export is not recursive; only the data you are viewing will be exported.

Time entry data from Bill Power (Appointments, Journal Entries, Tasks) are exported using the QuickBooks Item List import format (INVITEM ). The following fields are exported (using QuickBooks field names):

INVITEMTYPE - Item type - Service Item ( SERV) is used.
ACCT - Account - Accounts Receivable is exported.
NAME - This field must be unique for import into QuickBooks. The entry’s Date concatenated with a random number is used for this field.
DESC - Description - The entry’s Date is concatenated with its Subject field and exported.
PRICE - Rate - The Billing Subtotal is exported.

Contact data from Bill Power are exported using the QuickBooks Customer;Job List import format (CUST). The following fields are exported (using QuickBooks field names):

* NAME - Full Name is used.
* COMPANYNAME - Company Name.
* BADDR1 - BADDR5 - Billing Address lines 1 - 5.

Emailing Billing Data

Billing data can be exported and saved as files from Bill Power, and sent as email attachments, as follows (see Exporting Data for more information):

Text Files - Billing data as displayed in Bill Power main view can be exported to text files
Print Formatted HTML files
Print Formatted Binary Files - (see the Bill Power Viewer in Print Preview for more information).

Taxes

Bill Power allows you to add a percentage Tax to Fees and/or Costs, at different rates. Enter the rates using Bill Power Options .

Using Public Folders and Microsoft Exchange

You can use Public folders and Microsoft Exchange to share information among networked Outlook users. Bill Power Plus! will load, display, and summarize data from these Public Folders. This is a powerful combination for workgroup level Time & Billing.

For example, a public folder can be created for billable entries, with a subfolder for each member of a workgroup. Each of these public folders can contain Calendar, Contact, Journal, and Task subfolders for a specific workgroup member as needed. Categories can then be used to track projects among workers.

Bill Power creates summaries of the data for each Outlook. folder, and for all of the folder’s subfolders. Subfolder summaries consolidate all subfolder data and, when used with public folders, allow workgroup level Time & Billing.

For more information regarding public folders and Exchange, refer to Outlook online help .

Peer to Peer Networks

Bill Power can be used to load data files over peer to networks.

Microsoft Outlook

Outlook can be used over peer to peer networks by adding a Windows User Profile for each networked user.

To read about adding User Profiles in Windows, click here

Set Outlook Options - Startup Settings - to prompt for a Profile at Startup. This in turn allows you to select a Profile to be used by Bill Power

Lotus Organizer and Symantec Act!

Bill Power loads data from Lotus Organizer and Symantec Act! data files. These files may be located on any computer on a peer to peer network. In Windows, map the remote computer’s network drive and assign access permissions to access its files.

Lotus Notes and Domino

Bill Power loads data from Lotus Notes and Domino database files. These files may be located on any computer on a peer to peer network. In Windows, map the remote computer’s network drive and assign access permissions to access its files.

Sample Data for Your Calendar

Sample data files for your Calendar are available for download from the Studio 848, Inc. web site. These files can be imported or loaded directly into your Calendar. They illustrate how to enter data for use with Bill Power.

This is a great way to learn how to use Bill Power quickly. Be sure to stop by our web site and check it out (see Contents for Studio 848, Inc. contact information.).

By The Hour: One or More Hourly Rates

Bill Power assigns Hourly Rates from Billing Information fields for Calendar, Task, or Journal Entries as described here

Using Contacts to store Hourly Rates and relating them to Entries via the Entry's Categories or Contacts field allows billing many different Entries at the same Hourly Rate, without having to enter the Hourly Rate for each and every Entry.

More than one Hourly Rate can be used for Entries in the same Project by using a different Category and Contact for each Hourly Rate.

Hourly Rate Billing

Add a Category for each Hourly Rate.
Assign the Contact to its corresponding Hourly Rate Category .

Add a Contact for each Hourly Rate.

Enter the Hourly Rate in the Contact Billing Information Field.

Add Task, Calendar, and Journal Entries as needed.

Set the Date and Duration for the Entry

Assign the Entry to the corresponding Hourly Rate Category .

Fixed Fee Billing

Use the Billing Information field of a Calendar, Journal, or Task Entry to enter Fixed Fees. Bill Power assigns Hourly Rates for Calendar, Task, or Journal Entries as described here

Fixed Fees

Add a Calendar, Journal, or Task Entry for the Fixed Fee Bill.

Enter the Fee in the Entry’s Billing Information field.
Set the Date for the Entry.
Assign the Entry to any applicable Category.

Recurring Billing: Weekly, Monthly, etc

Use a Recurring Task or Appointment to bill periodically for a Service. Bill Power assigns Hourly Rates for Calendar, Task, or Journal Entries as described here.

Recurring Billing

Add a Task or Calendar Entry for the Recurring Bill.

Enter the Billing data in the Entry’s Billing Information field.
Set the Date and Recurrence Pattern for the Entry (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.).
Assign the Entry to any applicable Category.

Cost Billing

Use the Billing Information field of a Calendar, Journal, or Task Entry to enter Costs. Bill Power assigns Hourly Rates for Calendar, Task, or Journal Entries as described here

Costs

Add a Calendar, Journal, or Task Entry for the Cost Bill.

Enter the Cost in the Entry’s Billing Information field.
Set the Date for the Entry.
Assign the Entry to any applicable Category.

Payments and Accounts

Use the Billing Information field of a Calendar, Journal, or Task Entry to enter a Client Payment.

Use the Contact Account field to enter Account data. Bill Power generates a Payments subtotal for Entries, to segregate them from Fees and Costs.

Refer to Entering Payment Data and Entering Account Data for formatting details.

Payments

Add a Calendar, Journal, or Task Entry for the Payment.

Enter the Payment in the Entry’s Billing Information field.
Set the Date for the Entry
Assign the Entry to any applicable Category.

Accounts

Add a Contact for the Client

Enter the Account data in the Contact Account field.

Windows User Profiles

Windows Profiles contain settings such as the information service provider, access to your Inbox, address books, sets of folders, and other features. They are very useful for managing different folder configurations in Outlook.

To add User Profiles in Windows:

Outlook Setup Options

Microsoft Exchange support is required.

From the Windows Control Panel .

Select Mail.

Select Show Profiles.

Add a Profile for each networked user.

Setup the Profile’s Personal Folders to be the networked User’s Outlook Personal Folders.