Moving Around in Rexpert

When you enter certain screens, some fields will show default values, such as the Payor in Payment Entry. Sometimes you will want a different value in the field. Some people accomplish this by selecting the old value with the mouse and hitting the delete key before typing in the new value.

Here is a quick tip to help you work faster in this situation. As you are working through the fields on a screen, press Tab to move to the next one. This is faster than pointing with the mouse and clicking into the field anyway, but it is especially helpful when you need to clear out a default entry.

When you Tab into a field, the entire entry becomes highlighted, allowing you to replace it automatically with the first keystroke of the new value. (You can use the Spacebar if you want the new value to be blank.)

(Click to enlarge.)

If you ever need to search/select an entry from a lookup, the entry in the field doesn't matter anyway. When you press F2 or click on the Lookup button and choose an entry, it will bring the new entry back into the field, so you don't need to spend any time clearing out the field first.

So why are there defaults if you are going to have to change them? Because it doesn't take any more time to clear out an entry than it does to type in a new one, and the default entry is often the one you will need anyway. Having it there can save a little of your time, especially in screens you use everyday.

More Space with Lower Case

Thank you to all of you who continue to use the feedback button to ask us your questions! One question that has been asked several times now is regarding data entry on certain screens with long fill-in fields. Often, there appears to be enough space for you to continue to type in information when suddenly you are stopped short.

One place this may happen is on the Billing tab of Account Registration. Near the bottom of the screen there is a field which allows you to enter in a Message to Print on a single client's Personal Statements. Let's say that this week, Mrs. Abreu came in for her scheduled appointment with a big batch of homemade cupcakes for the staff. As a way of making sure that she feels appreciated, you decide to not only send her a thank-you card right away, but to also include a note on her statement showing that your practice is one that truly cares about its patients.

You start typing and find that you cannot continue typing even though there is room left on the screen:

(Click any image to enlarge.)

You change your message until you find a way to say what you want in the space available:

This can seem frustrating at times, but it is helpful to understand why this happens. In CHUI, the font that is used is a "fixed width" font. Because of this, a capital "M" takes up the same amount of space on the screen as a lowercase "i". If you create a fill-in field that is 10 characters long in CHUI, "iiiiiiiiii" is just as wide as "MMMMMMMMMM".

In GUI, (and the internet browser you are currently using) the font is "variable width." This is why the above set of 10 "i"s in a row takes up so much less space than the set of 10 "M"s in a row. When GVT designs a screen, many factors are used to determine the layout that will be the very easiest to use. One factor is the amount of room available for a field. If there is enough room on the screen, the field is designed to show one of the largest possible entries - all capital "M"s:

On this screen, there is no more room available to increase the size of the Message to Print field, and it still can't display all of the capital "M"s that the field is capable of holding. This is because on the printed hardcopy of the Personal Statement, there is only enough room for 60 characters of a fixed width font. In most of the printed reports made using Rexpert, (Crystal Reports being the exception,) a fixed width font is used.

So, why does GVT use the variable width font on the screen if it leads to all of this switching back and forth? If fixed width was good enough for CHUI, why not use it in GUI? Well, compare these two sentences:

Most people agree that variable width fonts are more pleasant to read and are easier on the eyes.

Most people agree that variable width fonts are more pleasant to read and are easier on the eyes.

The above statement is true. GVT uses these fonts because most people would prefer to read them. It may be a bit complicated, but hopefully this explanation helps clear up some of the confusion surrounding fill-in fields.