Layout Designer overview

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You can use the Layout Designer to create custom layouts or edit preformatted layouts for the following checks and forms in Accounting CS.

  • 1095 Forms
  • 1099 Forms
  • Accounts Payable Checks
  • Accounts Receivable Forms
    • Billing Invoices
    • Invoices
    • Statements
  • Deposit Slips
  • Payroll Checks
  • Vendor Checks
  • W-2 Forms

Choose File > Layout Designer to open the Layout Designer screen.

Main elements of the Layout Designer

The Layout Designer includes standard and formatting toolbars plus the Layout list frame, the design grid, and the Design Tools frame. Colors are used in the designer to represent different areas in the work area of the form. Show me.

Color Description
Yellow Repeating region
Green Check region
Blue Header and Footer regions

Notes

  • To resize frames within the Layout Designer, position the mouse pointer over the vertical border of a frame in the current screen. When the mouse pointer changes its appearance to a Resize vertical, click and drag the border to adjust the frame size.
  • Click the push pin Push pin button button on the title bar of the Design Tools frame to toggle the auto-hide feature on or off. When auto hide is toggled on, you can slide your mouse pointer over or away from the Design Tools tab to display or hide the Design Tools frame. When auto hide is toggled off, the Design Tools frame remains open at the right side of the Layout Designer screen.
  • Choose Edit > Select All, or press CTRL+A to select all elements in the design grid, and then use the up/down and left/right arrow keys on your keypad to make slight placement adjustments. Click a blank area in the grid (white space) to deselect all elements.  

Layout Designer toolbars

The Layout Designer toolbars in Accounting CS provide convenient formatting tools at your fingertips. The following illustrations show the Layout Designer toolbars and describe each button and its function.

LD Standard Toolbar

Button Function
New button Adds a new layout to the Layouts list frame and opens it in the Layout Designer grid.
Open button Opens the Documents list frame where you can open an existing layout, create a new report, create a new folder or subfolder, copy, paste, delete, and rename folders and reports.
Save button Saves any changes you have made to the layout.
Print button Prints the layout to the default printer.
Print preview button Opens the Print Preview screen, where you can preview sample data.
undo button Removes the last action that was applied in the Layout Designer.
redo button Re-applies the previous action in the Layout Designer.
Spell check button Checks spelling in the sheet that is currently open in the Layout Designer.
Cut button Removes selected items in the layout workspace. Press CTRL+X to perform the same action.
Copy button Copy selected items from the layout workspace to the clipboard. Press CTRL+C to perform the same action.
Paste button Paste selected items from the clipboard into the layout workspace. Press CTRL+V to perform the same action.
Delete buttton Delete the selected items from the layout workspace. Press the Delete key to perform the same action.
Pointer button Pointer tool.
Text tool button Text tool.
Zoom button Zooms in or out on the layout based on the percentage selected.
Help button Searches Help Launches the main help topic for the Layout Designer in the Help & How-To Center.

LD Formatting Toolbar

Button Function
Bold button Toggles bolding on and off. You can click this button, type the text, and click the button again to turn bolding off; or you can highlight the text you wish to change and then click this button.
Italic button Toggles italics on and off. You can click this button, type the text, and click the button again to turn italics off; or you can highlight the text you wish to change and then click this button.
Underline button Toggles regular text underline on and off. You can click this button, type the text, and click the button again to turn the underline off, or you can highlight the text you wish to change and then click this button.
Acct underline button Toggles accountant's underline on and off. Highlight the amount you wish to change and then click this button.
Double acct underline button Toggles accountant's double underline on and off. Highlight the amount you wish to change and then click this button.
Align left button Left justifies the content in the layout workspace. This alignment is the default.
Align center button Centers the selected content in the layout workspace.
Align right button Right justifies the selected content in the layout workspace.
Font color button Select a font color for the selected font in the layout workspace.
Line color button Select a line color for the selected line in the layout workspace.
Fill color button Select a color for the cell background from the available color palette.
Line weight button Select a line weight for the selected line in the layout workspace.
Line pattern button Select a line pattern for the selected line in the layout workspace.

LD Region Toolbar

Button Function
Check region button Define the check area in the layout workspace.
Repeating region button Paste a region that is repeated in the layout workspace.
Header button Create the header region in the layout workspace.
Footer button Create the footer region in the layout workspace.

LD Drawing Toolbar

Button Function
Line tool button Create a line in the layout workspace.
Rectangle tool button Create a rectangle in the layout workspace.
Rounded rectangle tool button Create a rounded rectangle in the layout workspace.
Ellipse tool button Create a ellipse in the layout workspace.

LD Action Toolbar

Button Function
Group button Group selected items in the layout workspace.
Ungroup button Ungroup selected items in the layout workspace.
Bring to front button Bring selected items to the front in the layout workspace.
Send to back button Send selected items to the back in the layout workspace.
Rotate right button Rotate selected items to the right in the layout workspace.
Rotate left button Rotate selected items to the left in the layout workspace.
Align elements button Align selected items in the layout workspace (Left, Center, Right, Top, Middle, Bottom).
Space horizontally button Equally space items horizontally in the layout workspace.
Space vertically button Equally space items vertically in the layout workspace.
Same height button Adjust the height of a selected object in the layout workspace.
Same width button Adjust the width of a selected object in the layout workspace.
Same size button Adjust the size of a selected object in the layout workspace.

Design Tools frame

You can format text and add variables in a layout within the design grid, as well as customize layout properties.

Variables section

This section includes a tree-view list of a wide variety of variables that you can insert into the selected layout. Each variable is replaced by the current client's data when you print or preview the document.

Text section

This section provides many of the same text formatting tools that are included on the Formatting toolbar of the Layout Designer, as well as a More text options link that opens the Text dialog for quick access to additional tools.

Properties section

You can use the Properties section of the Design Tools frame to adjust the size and position of the selected element in the design grid. Also, based on the element that is selected in the design grid, different options are available to customize the layout.

For example, when you select a variable, you can choose an appropriate period that is associated with that variable from the Period field. And when you paste a region that is repeated (yellow) in the layout workspace, you can choose to designate that region as a continuation of a repeating region that already exists in the layout.

Drawings and Regions

You can use the Drawings and Regions section of the Design Tools frame to drag and drop drawing elements and regions into the design workspace, and use the Formatting section to define line color/pattern/weight, fill color/pattern, and fill pattern color.

Other features

  • Red triangles in cells and/or rows indicate that a conditional expression has been applied the the specific row or column in the report.

    To view a conditional expression in the design grid, select the cell or row that contains the expression and choose Format > Conditional Expression.

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