Introduction

A very effective use of Spindle Document Distributions Criteria functionality is to add a backdrop form or overlay form on to a document if certain criteria is True.

For example if a Statement contains Invoices which are overdue apply a “watermark” that states Overdue!

The guide below give detailed instructions for Sage 200 users. For users of other ERPs, you will need to adapt the below to the ERP's report designer. 

Process

Step 1 - The Report layout

If you have previously installed the Draycir Spindle Document Distribution demo kit, you will already have a Sage layout file containing the commands below. If you have not installed the demo kit, the layout file can be downloaded from this article.

In Sage Report Designer use File>Open to browse to open the Sales Ledger Statement with Advice (Single) from the folder in Draycir’s SpindleProDemo demo kit. Alternatively download and open the attached layout from the bottom of this article:

You can then either use this Layout or copy the relevant commands onto the Customer’s Custom Layout. I saved my Layout to the Default folder and renamed it “Sales Ledger Statement with Advice (Single) Draycir”.

The required commands are highlighted in red below:

The commands have been set up in a specific way as the fields we require are aggregate Sum() fields and cannot be compined with literal text strings to create a Spindle command in the usual way. 

Instead you need to have :

1) A text field for the start of the command, ie ##VAR20 :

2) The Sage Expression containing the aggregate field - you can see that this expression is adding the current and future aged debt periods together in each invoice detail line, and then summing them to produce a total:

3) Then a second text field for the closing ## command:

These commands/expressions are already present on the layout provided. You can select the relevant commands/expressions and copy them all at once to simply paste them into any custom statement layout:

Step 2 - Create the form

Once the commands are added to the Layout, you next need to add an “Overdue Stamp” plus some criteria to the Statement automation in Spindle Document Distribution Tools.

You can create your own Overdue stamp or export the sample one from the SpindleProDemo demo kit from the Forms Manager module:

Note: If you are creating your own form, it must be created with a transparent background. See KBA-01-02-031 - Using the Spindle Pro Form Creator for details.

Step 3 - Add the form to the Automation 

Once you have an Overdue “Form” add it to the Default Forms tab in the relevant Statement Automation:

Select the Overdue Backdrop form and click Edit then click the Criteria button:

Tick to enable the criteria to be used and add a description.

Choose the command the criteria applies to, if following these instructions the command with the total amount VAR25 which is all the ageing periods added together to identify any Overdue amount i.e. ##VAR25 SLAgedTransactions.DocPeriod1 + SLAgedTransactions.DocPeriod2 + SLAgedTransactions.DocPeriod3 + SLAgedTransactions.DocPeriod4 ##

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