For ACT! 6 Users

Even though ACT! is now up to Version 10, there are still a lot of faithful ACT! 6 users out there so hopefully the tips below might enlighten you still?

 

  

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Question: How do I schedule company holidays so they show on the calendar? I do not want my name to appear alongside the activity (for example, "Joe Shmoe - New Year's Day").

Answer: Create a new user, with login and standard access rights:

        1. Choose File, point to Administration, and click Define Users.
        2. At the Define Users dialog, click Add User.
        3. In the User Name field, type Holiday.
        4. Select Standard Security Level and make sure that Enable Logon is checked. Click OK.
        5. At the Assign My Records dialog box, click Assign.
        6. At the Enter My Record Information dialog box, type Holiday in the Name field, then click OK.
        7. At the confirmation dialog box, click Yes.
        8. At the Assign My Records dialog box, click Done.

To schedule holidays, log in to the database with the user name Holiday. Schedule your holidays as timeless to-dos, but bear in mind that some holidays do not always fall on the nominal date, but on a federal Monday (which is why scheduling them as recurring activities might not work properly). Consider using an unusual color, to make it easy to see and engender excitement in the workplace. When you are finished, close the database, reopen it, and log in with your normal user name. Now, when you look at your calendar, your holiday will display as "Holiday - Christmas Day." On the monthly calendar, holidays will display in the grid; on the weekly and daily calendars, they will display on the right side of the screen, as do all timeless activities.
 
 

The fields selected for duplicate record checking are used when scanning for duplicates, importing, exporting, or synchronising. During an import, export, or synchronization with another ACT! database, ACT! assumes that all contacts matching the duplicate criteria are the same contact, then merges them into one contact record. This can result in the loss of information. Select the duplicate matching fields carefully!

Caution: If you are synchronising your database with another database or with other users, you must ensure that the duplicate matching criteria are set identically in all databases involved.
 

  1. Click the Edit menu, then click Define Fields. The Define Fields dialog appears.

    Note: You must log in to a database as a Database Administrator to access the Define Fields     command.
  2. Under the Advanced tab, in the Match duplicates using section, click the first duplicate matching field in the Match on drop-down list.
  3. Click the second duplicate matching field from the first Then on drop-down list.
  4. Click the third duplicate matching field from the second Then on drop-down list.
  5. Click OK to close the dialog box and save the settings.
 

With ACT! 6, you can add a sorts of functions to your toolar. For example, you like to add the Surname Lookup to your toolbar so you can find someone with just a click, or perhaps the Calculator? ACT! will allow you to add standard or custom commands to your toolbar to make it easier and faster to access these functions.

Scenario 1: You would like to add the Surname Lookup (or another standard ACT! Function) to your toolbar.

1.           Click the Tools menu, and then click Customize <current view> Window. (If you are viewing contacts, this will display Customize Contacts Window) The Customize ACT! <current view> Window dialog appears.

2.           Under the Toolbars tab, scroll down the Categories list and click Lookup.

3.           Drag and drop the Surname icon to the location on the toolbar where you want it to appear. The icon appears on the toolbar.

4.           Click Apply, and then click OK. You can now run the custom command by clicking the icon on the tool bar when in this screen.


 Scenario 2: You would like to add a custom command to your toolbar.

From the ACT! view that you wish to create the command for, follow the steps below:

1.       Click the Tools menu, and then click Customize <screen name> Window The Customize <screen name> Window dialog appears.

2.       Under the Custom Commands tab, click the New button.

3.       Type a name for the Custom Command in the Command name text box.

4.       At the Command line text box; type in the Filename or click the Browse button to locate the desired file. A Select a Command dialog appears.

5.       Browse to and select the desired command file, and then click Open. The Command line and Start in text boxes are populated to reflect the location of the command file.

6.       Type a brief description of the custom command in the Description text box.

7.       In the Tooltip text text box, type the text that will appear when you place your mouse over the button.

8.       If you desire a different icon for the custom command, click the Icon button. The Select Icon dialog appears.

9.       If another icon is available for this command, you may select it from the Icons available in selected file: window. Otherwise you may browse to the location of the executable file and open it.

10.    Click OK at the Select Icon dialog. Click Apply, and then click OK to close the Custom Commands dialog.


From the command list, you can now assign the command to the toolbar.

1.           Click the Tools menu, and then click Customize <screen name> Window The Customize <screen name> Window dialog appears.

2.           Under the Toolbars tab, scroll down to the bottom of the Categories list and click Custom Commands.

3.           Locate the Command you wish to place on this screens toolbar.

4.           Drag and drop the icon to the location on the toolbar where you want it to appear. The icon appears on the toolbar.

5.           Click Apply, and then click OK. You can now run the custom command by clicking the icon on the tool bar when in this screen.

Note: You can only place new items next to existing items.


NOTE: Icons may also be found in C:\WINDOWS\PROGMAN.EXE or other executable (*.EXE) and dll (*.DLL) files.

 

2006 Thomson Course Technology, a division of Thomson Learning.  Text adapted from Managing Contacts with ACT! 2006.