Use the Keyboard to Navigate Sage 50 Windows
If you use the keyboard to navigate Sage 50 windows, usually you can use either the TAB key or the ENTER key to move from field to field. Most people seem to find the ENTER key more natural, but it's your choice.
Tab Order
When you press either key to move through the fields in a window, the movement follows a generally consistent tab order.
- In Task and Maintenance windows and other windows including the toolbar, this order typically starts with the first field in the window, proceeds from left to right and from top to bottom through all fields, and finally proceeds to one or more pertinent toolbar buttons, including Save.
- In windows without a toolbar, tab order typically starts with any buttons offered at either side of the window and then proceeds from left to right and from top to bottom through all fields. If buttons appear at the bottom of the window, they come last in the tab order.
Note: If you use ENTER to navigate, remember that the ENTER key is also used to activate toolbar buttons. So if you navigate to the first toolbar button in a window (usually the Close button), pressing ENTER will close the window!
When you navigate to a list (for example, the Report Area and Report List in the Select a Report or Form window), you can then use the DOWN and UP arrow buttons to move through the list.
Note: These comments cover typical windows and are not meant to describe tab order in all Sage 50 windows.
Arrow Buttons in Task Window Fields
In some task windows, small arrow buttons appear next to some of the fields. As you press ENTER or TAB and arrive at these fields, the buttons will become outlined. These arrow buttons open additional windows that let you enter or edit information. For example, the Sales/Invoicing window has a small arrow button next to the Ship To field that opens a window so you can edit the customer's shipping information. To open that additional window, press SPACEBAR while the arrow button is outlined.
Drop-Down and Lookup Lists
- When you navigate to fields containing drop-down lists, use the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the keypad to move through the listed choices. To select a desired choice, press ENTER with that choice highlighted in the box.
- When you navigate to fields containing lookup lists, type ? or press SPACEBAR to drop down the list; then use the UP and DOWN arrows keys to navigate through the list. To select a record, press ENTER with the record ID highlighted in the list.
To enter a new record, type a + in the lookup field. A maintenance window will appear, and you can set up the new record there.