Using Lists

QuickBooks? 5 displays three buttons at the bottom of each list. Each button drops a menu of functions. (In earlier versions, a few of the menu functions are directly labeled on buttons. Instructions for QuickBooks? 5 should be readily usable in the early versions.)

Account opens the first set of functions, most of them being obvious. Only a few need comment:

Edit (or Control-E) provides access to the account header, where you can change the account name, account type (if permitted,) description, etc.

Delete (or Control-D) will only get an error message, if the account is a balance sheet account and contains transactions. Income and expense accounts can always be deleted. If they were used in transactions, those transactions will show undocumented income or expense.

Use (or Control-U) is intended for inserting an account or other list entity in a transaction, at the place where you were working before you opened the list. Testing indicates the function actually behaves as if you typed the name of the entity in the using location.

Print List (or Control-P ) elicits, in QuickBooks? 5, a recommendation to use a List Report (described below.)

Re-sort List returns the list to the alphabetically sorted condition.

Activities brings down a few lines from the Activities menu.

Reports connects to a few reports.

QuickReport runs that type of report on whichever account is currently selected, in this case, Sales Tax Payable (which is scrolled out of sight in the illustration.) QuickReports? are discussed in the Reports chapter. They are relatively simple in QuickBooks? 5. Earlier versions have some built-in directives on the QuickReports? , which the user needs to understand.

List reports selection enables display or printing of contents of a list, whichever list is displayed. Each record gets one line, the fields being listed across the line. Generally, two forms of each list report are offered: narrow or very wide. The Customize button lets you select columns to display or omit. The other actions with list reports are as described for all reports, in that chapter.

Earlier versions of QuickBooks? have direct action buttons at the bottom of each list. Shortcut keys follow the Windows rule, Alt and the key for the underscored letter. An example is Alt-U for Use.