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Archive for category Technical

Important Tax Info: 1099-MISC Forms Have Changed in 2013

Dec 27

Posted by Dawn Bevans in General, Technical | No Comments

Did you know that the IRS changed the 1099-MISC forms for 2013? As a result, we recently made changes to the Accounts Payable Software (APS) and Trust Accounting Software (TAS). This means that firms must update the APS and TAS software in order to successfully print 2013 1099-MISC forms.

  • Version 16 users on maintenance can download the updated programs by selecting Help | Internet Resources | Software Update. Firms must have Version 16.2.4.519 or later.
  • Version 17 beta users must have Version 17.1 installed and can download the updated programs by selecting Help | Check for Updates.

For laser printer forms, we recommend ordering 1099 Forms from Nelco®. These forms are guaranteed 100% compatible with the APS and TAS software. Nelco has over 50 years of experience in the business forms industry.  You can order by calling 1-800-266-4669 or go to www.nelcosolutions.com/tabs3.

Did you know that the IRS changed the 1099-MISC forms for 2013? As a result, we recently made changes to the Accounts Payable Software (APS) and Trust Accounting Software (TAS). This means that firms you must update the APS and TAS software in order to successfully print 2013 1099-MISC forms.
· Version 16 users on maintenance can download the updated programs by selecting Help | Internet Resources | Software Update. Firms must have Version 16.2.4.519 or later.
· Version 17 beta users must have Version 17.1 installed and can download the updated programs by selecting Help | Check for Updates.
For laser printer forms, we recommend ordering 1099 Forms from Nelco®. These forms are guaranteed 100% compatible with the APS and TAS software. Nelco has over 50 years of experience in the business forms industry.  You can order by calling 1-800-266-4669 or go to http://www.nelcosolutions.com/tabs3.

Activation Codes no longer needed with Version 17 Platinum

Dec 24

Posted by Joe Abler in General, Technical | No Comments

Version 17 Platinum systems use version 10 of the Faircom server.  Beginning with version 10, Faircom no longer issues and uses activation codes.  Instead, server systems now include a license file.  The license file is included on our production CD and download files.  Since the license file is specific to each system, users no longer have to activate the server or enter an activation code.  As a result, we no longer include activation codes (i.e., labels) on the CD case.  This simplifies the installation, and makes the license information transparent to the end user.

Version 17 Beta Cover Statement Issue

Dec 6

Posted by Dawn Bevans in General, Technical | No Comments

We just posted a critical update today that fixes an issue where payments are being overstated by the amount of the finance charge on Cover Statements, which also affects the balance due shown on Cover Statements. The payments and balance due shown on the regular statement are correct. The accounts receivable information in Tabs3 is also correct. This issue was introduced in the November 15, 2013 release.

Use the Help | Check for Updates menu option to download the update.

WorkFlows Now Use Lookup Fields & Virtual Fields

Oct 16

Posted by Dawn Bevans in Technical | No Comments

Did you know that in Version 17, you can access fields in lookup files as well as use virtual fields by entering them manually in the WorkFlow Expression Editor?

For example, let’s say you are creating a WorkFlow for the Calendar File to create an e-mail where you want to use the First Name field from the Contact record associated with the calendar record.

  1. From the WorkFlow Action Wizard, select Start E-mail and click Next.
  2. Click the Body field to open the WorkFlow Expression Editor.
  3. Click the Field button and select the Related_Party field. The text @SrcRec:Related_Party will be displayed.
  4. Because you want  the First Name from the contact to show in the calendar record, you must append a colon and the field ID (i.e., “:First_Name”) to the end of the string so that it reads: @SrcRec:Related_Party:First_Name

Likewise, virtual fields can be accessed  by manually entering @SrcRec: followed by the field ID of the virtual field. For example, when creating a record from the Client File, to access the client file’s Date of Birth virtual field (DOB), you would enter: @SrcRec:DOB

This information was added to PracticeMaster help and will be available after you update the software. Although you currently have to enter the fields manually, we plan on updating the user interface to make this easier in a future update.

PracticeMaster Program Change for Outlook 2013 Users

May 24

Posted by Dawn Bevans in Technical | No Comments

We recently posted a change in PracticeMaster to fix a “One or more errors occurred while searching for the e-mail in Outlook” message that occurred with Outlook 2013. This message occurred for some users when trying to save an e-mail from Outlook 2013 to PracticeMaster (both when sending and when journaling from the Inbox). Not all firms using Outlook 2013 experienced this problem; however, if your PracticeMaster clients use Outlook 2013, make sure they install updated programs in order to avoid any inconvenience (Version 16.2.4.479).

Recent Version 16.2 Changes

Apr 3

Posted by Dawn Bevans in General, Technical | No Comments

We recently posted updated programs that include the following enhancements (Version 16.2.4.470):

  • The limit of 149 WorkFlows per file in PracticeMaster now only applies to active User Activated WorkFlows.
  • The Tabs3 Connect Fee editor will automatically recalculate the Amount whenever the Hours or Rate is changed (provided the previous Rate x Hours equaled the Amount).
  • The Save Format option on the Worldox Save As dialog will now include additional options, not just .doc, when running Microsoft Word 2007 or later. After installing this update, you will need to do the following:
    1. While Worldox is running, open the Worldox Integration window in PracticeMaster and click OK (Maintenance | Integration | Worldox Integration).
    2. Close PracticeMaster.
    3. Restart Worldox.
    4. Repeats steps 2 and 3 for each workstation.

Discontinued Features

Mar 22

Posted by Dawn Bevans in General, PR / Announcements, Technical | No Comments

In conjunction with the upcoming Version 17 release of our software, scheduled for later this year, we will be discontinuing the following features:

  • QuickBooks Integration with PracticeMaster Only – QuickBooks integration will only be available when Tabs3 is installed.
  • QuickBooks IIF integration – This type of integration is no longer supported by QuickBooks. We will continue to support the QBXML integration with Tabs3 that QuickBooks recommends and supports.
  • PracticeMaster Briefcase – Tabs3 Connect is an excellent alternative to PracticeMaster Briefcase.
  • DOS Cost Recovery Software – Our Tabs3 Device Interface program (TBDevice.exe) replaces these utility programs. These legacy programs do not run on 64-bit operating systems and have become obsolete. Although any cost recovery programs that firms currently use will continue to work with the Version 17 software, effective immediately, we will no longer sell these programs, or provide updates or recopies of these programs. We encourage you to contact us at your convenience regarding transitioning firms to the recommended replacement program, Tabs3 Device Interface. Be advised that firms that require a new serial number due to an update or upgrade will need to upgrade to the Tabs3 Device Interface program at that time.
  • WCNVASCV.EXE – Our Tabs3 Device Interface program (TBDevice.exe) replaces WCNVASCV.EXE. The Tabs3 Device Interface program includes the format used by WCNVASCV. Effective immediately, we will no longer sell WCNVASCV.EXE. Firms that have this program on maintenance are eligible to receive a free upgrade to the Tabs3 Device Interface program upon request.

Although our research indicates that a small percentage of firms use these features, we have made this announcement so that you can begin to work with your clients to plan for any transition.

New KB Articles on Filters & Expressions

Jan 21

Posted by Dawn Bevans in Knowledge Base, Technical | No Comments

Filters are true/false expressions that determine whether a record is selected. They are most commonly used on the List tab in PracticeMaster to quickly select which records will be displayed. In Version 16.2, we improved filtering to make it easier, including the new Filter Editor and a Show for All Users check box.

To make filters and expressions even easier, we’ve published three new Knowledge Base articles that help demystify them and provide numerous examples to get you started.

  • R11515 – Filter Expression Examples – This article is a growing compendium of expression examples for each file in PracticeMaster.
  • R11487 – Working with Indexes and Filters in PracticeMaster – This article provides an overview of what filters are, how they work, and how indexes help filtering.
  • R11493 – All About Expressions – This article defines what an expression is, provides information on where and why expressions are used, and demonstrates how to create simple and advanced expressions. This article also includes filter examples that show a side-by-side comparison of simple expressions created by the new Filter Editor compared to the advanced expression equivalent.

Do you have other common examples that you think would benefit others? If so, send us your expressions and we’ll add them to the new Filter Expression Examples article, which we hope will become a favorite resource for you and others!

Version 16.2 Changes Posted

Dec 20

Posted by Dawn Bevans in Technical | No Comments

Our most recent posting on December 20, 2012 includes the following enhancements (Version 16.2.3.436):

  • Improved Installation on Windows 8 – Windows 8 includes tiles for every item in the start menu. As a result, we’ve moved the Documentation and Slide Show items from the Start screen to the Help menu in the software to provide a cleaner look. The new Help menu options are available for all users; however, the Documentation and Slide Show items have been removed only for Windows 8 installs.
  • Credit Card Authorization – The Security Code field on the credit card authorization window is no longer required by Tabs3, thus making it easier and more secure to process manual credit card payments that are sent via mail. We also removed this field from the Credit Card Remittance form layout provided with the software and sample data.
  • HotDocs 11 Support – Added support of HotDocs document assembly template *.TTX and *.DOCX files. Added support for *.TTX and *.DOCX files to WorkFlows when specifying HotDocs document assembly templates.

Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012

Dec 5

Posted by Dawn Bevans in General, Knowledge Base, Technical | No Comments

We are pleased to announce that we have completed testing of our software on the Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 operating systems and have updated the System Requirements on our Web Site and Knowledge Base to officially indicate this. During our testing of various platform combinations, we encountered an obscure issue that required a program change to our software. As a result, firms who use our software on Windows Server 2012 with one or more Windows 8 workstations need to make sure they update to Version 16.2.3.421 or later, which was posted November 29, 2012. The program change works around an intermittent caching issue with SMB 3, which is new in Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.

To avoid problems, make sure that Windows Server 2012 users that have Windows 8 workstations have the most recent Tabs3 and PracticeMaster program files.