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Attaché Alex with Attaché Catapult User guide March 2006

Attaché Alex with Attaché Catapult / March 2006 2

Attaché Software 2003

Publication Number Publication Title Publication Date

A000699.04 Attaché Alex with Attaché Catapult March 2006

Attaché Software Australia Pty. Limited 18 Berry Street, North Sydney NSW 2060 PO Box 1070, North Sydney NSW 2059 Tel +61 2 9929 8700 Fax +61 9925 0481

Attaché Software New Zealand Pty. Limited Level 5, 93 Grafton Road, Parnell Auckland PO Box 37-623, Parnell Auckland Tel +64 9 302 9390 Fax +64 9 302 9391

Email [email protected] www.attachesoftware.com

Attaché Alex with Attaché Catapult / March 2006 3Contents


Contents

Attaché Alex system and user requirements........................................................ 11About this guide.................................................................................................... 12

Other resources for Attaché Alex users .......................................................... 12Resources for staff training....................................................................... 12

Getting assistance and support............................................................................ 13Application Help............................................................................................... 13Attaché consultants ......................................................................................... 13

Getting immediate assistance................................................................... 13

Part 1 ......................................................................................................................... 15Installing the software ................................................................................................ 15

Installing the software — AlexConnect ................................................................ 16Installing AlexConnect from a CD-ROM.......................................................... 16Installing AlexConnect from an Internet download.......................................... 17Installing AlexConnect on Win2003 Terminal Server...................................... 18Checking that the installation was successful ................................................. 19

Setting up a queue manager (AlexQ)................................................................... 20Why set up an AlexQ queue manager? .......................................................... 20Setting up an AlexQ server ............................................................................. 21Setting up AlexQ using the wizard .................................................................. 21

Configuring AlexConnect when Port 25 is closed ................................................ 24(Changing your server address)...................................................................... 24

Upgrading AlexQ.................................................................................................. 25About upgrades ............................................................................................... 25

Identifying your current version of AlexConnect ....................................... 25

Part 2 ......................................................................................................................... 27Setting up your Attaché system to send documents ................................................. 27

Storing delivery information — the Document Delivery Address Managers....... 28Running the Document Delivery Address Manager ........................................ 29

Sender details ...................................................................................................... 30Setting up sender details................................................................................. 30

Sender’s Name and Email Address dialog box ........................................ 31Modifying sender details.................................................................................. 33Changing your Sender Email Address ............................................................ 33

Recipient details (document delivery addresses) ................................................ 34Setting up a document delivery address ......................................................... 34

Document Delivery Address Details dialog box........................................ 36Confidential deliveries and unlock codes ........................................................ 39

Setting up confidentiality ........................................................................... 40Changing a document’s authorisation or unlock code.............................. 40

Setting up additional delivery addresses......................................................... 41Deactivating/reactivating delivery addresses .................................................. 41Modifying a delivery address........................................................................... 43Deleting a delivery address ............................................................................. 44Printing delivery addresses ............................................................................. 44

Part 3 ......................................................................................................................... 47Sending and tracking documents .............................................................................. 47

Creating and sending documents ........................................................................ 48Sending documents with a dial-up Internet connection................................... 48Using Attaché Alex with text entry printing...................................................... 49Sending a confidential document .................................................................... 49

Other ways to send documents............................................................................ 50Sending without setting up a delivery address (individual document addressing)...................................................................................................... 50

Attaché Alex with Attaché Catapult / March 2006 4Contents


Sending a range of documents to a single address ........................................ 52Resending documents.......................................................................................... 54Dispatching documents over the Internet............................................................. 56

Using AlexQ to control when documents are dispatched................................ 56Running AlexQ from within Attaché Catapult............................................ 58

Shutting down your computer.......................................................................... 58Problems connecting to the Internet................................................................ 58

Tracking document deliveries .............................................................................. 59Tracking documents by using exception reports............................................. 59Tracking documents by using delivery notifications ........................................ 60Tracking documents online at the Alex Users website.................................... 61

Part 4 ......................................................................................................................... 63Document Inclusions ................................................................................................. 63

What is a document inclusion?........................................................................ 63Creating inclusions ............................................................................................... 64

Checking the file size of an inclusion .............................................................. 66Managing inclusions............................................................................................. 67

Using subfolders ....................................................................................... 68Sending a single document with an inclusion ................................................. 68Sending an inclusion with a batch of document .............................................. 69

Part 5 ......................................................................................................................... 71Administration ............................................................................................................ 71

Attaché Alex website ............................................................................................ 72Visiting the Alex website.................................................................................. 72

Signing in to the secure Alex Users site ................................................... 73Your Alex password......................................................................................... 73

Forgotten passwords and trouble signing in ............................................. 73Changing your password .......................................................................... 74

Registration, accounts and billing ........................................................................ 75Registering a new account .............................................................................. 75Linking accounts.............................................................................................. 75

Linking accounts for document management ........................................... 76Linking accounts for billing........................................................................ 77

Entering or changing your contact details ....................................................... 77Attaché Alex invoices and billing ..................................................................... 77

Appendix — Selected international dialling codes.............................................. 79

Attaché Alex with Attaché Catapult / March 2006 5Table of tasks


Table of tasks

Part 1 ......................................................................................................................... 15Installing the software ................................................................................................ 15

To install AlexConnect from a CD-ROM .............................................................. 16To install AlexConnect from an Internet download that you have extracted........ 17To install AlexConnect on Win2003 Terminal Server .......................................... 18To set up an AlexQ desktop shortcut ................................................................... 22To change the server address ............................................................................. 24To identify your current version of AlexConnect .................................................. 25

Part 2 ......................................................................................................................... 27Setting up your Attaché system to send documents ................................................. 27

To set up the Sender’s Name and Email Address dialog box.............................. 30To change your sender details............................................................................. 33To set up a document delivery address ............................................................... 34To deactivate or reactivate a document delivery address.................................... 41To modify a document delivery address .............................................................. 43To permanently delete a document delivery address .......................................... 44To print document delivery addresses ................................................................. 44

Part 3 ......................................................................................................................... 47Sending and tracking documents .............................................................................. 47

To create and send documents via Attaché Alex................................................. 48To insert a document delivery address on an individual document ..................... 51To send a batch of documents to one address.................................................... 52To resend a document to the same delivery address .......................................... 54To resend a document to a different recipient ..................................................... 54To stop Alex from dispatching documents over the Internet................................ 56To change your exception report options............................................................. 60To display a list of documents that you have sent from your account ................. 61

Part 4 ......................................................................................................................... 63Document Inclusions ................................................................................................. 63

To create an inclusion using Microsoft Word ....................................................... 64To check the size of an inclusion you have created ............................................ 66To send a single document with an inclusion ...................................................... 68To send an inclusion with a batch of documents ................................................. 69

Part 5 ......................................................................................................................... 71Administration ............................................................................................................ 71

To sign in to the secure Alex Users site............................................................... 73To change your password.................................................................................... 74To link accounts (Sender Email Addresses) for document management............ 76To link accounts (Sender Email Addresses) for centralised billing ...................... 77To enter or change your contact details............................................................... 77

Attaché Alex with Attaché Catapult / March 2006 6Quick start


Quick start

1 Install AlexConnect (See Installing the software — AlexConnect on page 16.)

Install AlexConnect on each computer that runsAttaché Catapult. Then send a test document to check thatthe installation was successful and to register as an Alexuser.

2 Set up sender details (See Setting up sender details on page 30.)

Fig 1 Set up sender details.

You set up sender details separately for customer, supplier and employee documents. For each, start the appropriate Document Delivery Address Manager by choosing Tools | Company | AlexConnect | Customer or Supplier or Employee Delivery Address and complete the Sender’s name and Email address dialog box.

Tip

Attaché Software recommends that new Alex users carry out the AttachéAlex Guided Tour. The guided tour takes you through the process of setting up and sending documents using the Sample Data company supplied with your Attaché Catapult software. During the tour you’ll complete the registration process and be ready to automatically send live documents in the future.

The Attaché Alex Guided Tour for Attaché Catapult is available from the Attaché Alex website at www.attacheonline.com/alex.



3 Set up delivery addresses (See Recipient details (document delivery addresses) on page 34.)

Fig 2 Set up delivery addresses for each recipient.

In the appropriate Document Delivery Address Manager specify the Customer, Supplieror Employee Code. Then choose File | New and complete the Document Delivery Address Details dialog box. Repeat this task for each customer, supplier and/or employee that you want to send documents to.

4 Create and process documents as usual(See Creating and sending documents on page 48.)

When you choose Accept (F9) to print at time of entry or Print (F9) to batch print, Alex automatically sends documents which have a delivery address(es). If no delivery address has been set up, the document is printed as usual.



Attaché Alex with Attaché Catapult / March 2006 9Introduction


IntroductionAttaché Alex is an electronic document delivery service that allows you to email and fax business documents created in Attaché Catapult directly to receivers – your customers, suppliers and employees.

Attaché Alex can confirm the delivery of each document and perform other reporting tasks on the status of documents sent through the service.

Attaché Alex can deliver the following Attaché Catapult documents:

Customer documents Supplier documents Payroll documents invoices purchase orders employee pay advices

credit adjustment notes remittance advices super guarantee reports

statements goods received notes payment summaries

delivery dockets goods returned notes

picking slips invoices

quotations credit adjustment notes

order confirmations

In addition, Attaché Alex can deliver inclusions with the above documents.





Attaché Alex system and user requirements

System requirements Pentium PC

32MB RAM

32-bit Windows operating system (Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, or Windows XP)

AlexConnect works with any combination of Windows operating systems except Windows 95 on the server and Windows NT on the workstations.

Windows 95 version A requires installation of the Attaché Resource Kit for Windows, which you can download from the Downloads area of the CBP Members website (at www.attachesoftware.com/cbpmembers)

5MB free hard drive space

version 4 (or later) Internet browser, such as Microsoft® Internet Explorer.

HTML-capable email program, such as Microsoft® Outlook 98

Internet access

Software requirements for Attaché Alex document inclusions Attaché AlexConnect (February 2005) or later, and either Business Partner version

1.26.000 or later or Attaché Catapult version 1.06.000 (February 2005) or later.

To create inclusions, you need Windows NT, 2000, XP, or a later Windows operating system (not Windows 95 or 98).

User requirements In addition to the above system requirements, to use the Attaché Alex service you need to:

ensure that your Customer Benefits Plan (CBP) membership is up to date

upgrade to the latest version of Attaché Catapult, which you can download from the Software Updates area of the CBP Members website (at www.attachesoftware.com/cbpmembers)

establish an email account with an Internet Service Provider

test that your email and Internet access are operating correctly

Compatible Attaché productsAttaché Alex can send documents created in

Attaché Customers, with the Order Entry/Invoicing option or Quotations

Attaché Suppliers, with the Order Entry/Invoicing option or Purchasing

Attaché Payroll



About this guide This guide is intended for users of the Attaché Alex service with Attaché Attaché Catapult. It discusses how to install, set up and use Alex to send and track documents and how to manage your Alex account(s).

Other resources for Attaché Alex users Attaché Software has published many resources to help you use the Attaché Alex service. These include resources for implementing electronic document delivery, guides and tutorials that are particularly helpful for staff training, and resources for assisting receivers.

Resources are available at the Attaché Alex website (at http://www.attacheonline.com/alex) or ask your Attaché consultant.

Resources for staff training

Before you introduce electronic document delivery into your workplace, it is important that your staff understand how it will affect their workflows and feel confident about both using Alex and dealing with recipients. These issues are addressed in the Attaché Alex Implementation Guide. In addition, Attaché Software has published a number of training materials which are available from the Resources area of the Attaché Alex website.

Tip

Aimed at supervisors and managers, the Attaché Alex Implementation Guidediscusses the various aspects of introducing electronic document delivery into the workplace, including informing staff and recipients, collecting addresses, forms and more.

Tip

The Attaché Alex Guided Tour is an excellent tool for staff training.

Taking about 15 minutes, the operator completes the full process of setting up, sending/receiving and tracking documents using the Sample Data company provided with your software.



Getting assistance and support

Application Help Attaché Software products include extensive Help systems that provide information about how to use the software:

Menu Help Press F1 on your keyboard or click the Help button (on the menu bar) while a menu item is selected to display information about the selected item (task?).

Field Help Press F1 on your keyboard or click the Help button (on the menu bar) while the cursor in a field to display information about the field.

Attaché consultants If you are unsure about how to use your Attaché Software products, contact your Attaché consultant. Attaché consultants provide expert assistance in all aspects of setting up and using Attaché Software products including on-site support, training and trouble-shooting.

Getting immediate assistance

If your Attaché consultant is not available, call the Attaché Helpline. Calls to the Helpline are charged directly to your phone bill at a flat rate for one issue (as explained prior to accepting the call charges). Note that the Helpline does not provide support for software other than Attaché products or for networking or hardware issues:

Attaché Helpline Australia+61 2 9455 1301 (8:00am—6:00pm Sydney time, Monday to Friday)

New Zealand+64 9 56442 (8:30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday)

Attaché Alex with Attaché Catapult / March 2006 14Part 1 Installing the software




Part 1 Installing the software AlexConnect is the “client-side” software component of the Attaché Alex service. AlexConnect captures documents that you produce in Attaché Catapult and uses your Internet connection to send them to the Attaché Alex server for delivery to the nominated receivers.

AlexConnect has two main parts:

the AlexConnect Document Delivery Address Manager, which you use to set up and maintain details for the delivery of documents

the AlexConnect Queue Manager, called AlexQ, which sends document via the Internet to the Attaché Alex server for delivery to recipients

To use the Attaché Alex service, you need to install AlexConnect on every computer that runs Attaché Catapult. In addition, you may need to configure the AlexConnect Queue Manager (AlexQ) as discussed in Setting up a queue manager (AlexQ) on page 20.



Installing the software — AlexConnect The Attaché Alex software — called AlexConnect — must be installed on every computer that runs Attaché Catapult.

You can install AlexConnect either from the latest Attaché Catapult or Attaché Alex CD-ROM or by downloading it from the Attaché Alex website (http://www.attacheonline.com/alex).

Each method of installing AlexConnect is described below.

Installing AlexConnect from a CD-ROM Note

Carry out the following steps on every computer that runs Attaché Catapult.

TASK

To install AlexConnect from a CD-ROM

1 Start Attaché Catapult and log in as you normally do.

Choose Tools | Company | System Information | System Status and write down the Current Directory, which is displayed near the top left of the screen.

Fig 3 Install AlexConnect in your Current Directory

2 Exit Attaché Catapult and ensure that no one else is using it.

3 Place the Attaché Catapult CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive.

The installation menu starts automatically.



Note

If the installation menu does not start, in Windows choose Start | Run. Type the name of your CD-ROM drive followed by \AUTOSTART.EXE and choose OK. (For example, on many computers you should type D:\AUTOSTART.EXE)

4 From the installation menu choose AlexConnect for Attaché Catapult.

5 On the Welcome screen, choose Next.

6 You need to install AlexConnect into your Attaché Catapult program directory, which you wrote down at step 1.

If your Attaché Catapult programs are installed in C:\CATAPULT, accept the directory by choosing Next.If your Attaché Catapult programs are not installed in C:\CATAPULT, choose Browse and navigate to the directory you wrote down, then choose OK to accept the directory and Next to continue the installation.

7 When the installation is complete, choose Finish.

8 Remove the CD-ROM from the drive and restart your computer.

Installing AlexConnect from an Internet download AlexConnect for Attaché Catapult software can be downloaded from the Attaché Alex website (at http://www.attacheonline.com/alex). The site includes information on how to download and then extract the downloaded files.

Note

Carry out the following steps on every computer that runs Attaché Catapult.

TASK

To install AlexConnect from an Internet download that you have extracted

1 Start Attaché Catapult and log in as you normally do.

2 Choose Tools | Company | System Information | System Status and write down the Current Directory, which is displayed near the top left of the screen.

3 Exit Attaché Catapult and ensure that no one else is using it.

4 In Windows Explorer, locate the folder in which you extracted the AlexConnect download.

5 To start the AlexConnect installation, double-click SETUP.EXE.



Fig 4 Run setup.exe to begin the installation

6 On the Welcome screen, choose Next.

7 You need to install AlexConnect into your Attaché Catapult program directory, which you wrote down at step 1.

If your Attaché Catapult programs are installed in C:\CATAPULT, accept thedirectory by choosing Next.

If your Attaché Catapult programs are not installed in C:\CATAPULT, choose Browse and navigate to the directory you wrote down, then choose OK to accept the directory and Next to continue the installation.

8 When the installation is complete, choose Finish and restart your computer.

Installing AlexConnect on Win2003 Terminal Server You can install AlexConnect from either the Terminal Server console or from a workstation logged into a Terminal Services Client connection. Note that you require administrator rights or permissions to install software.

TASK

To install AlexConnect on Win2003 Terminal Server

1 If you obtained the software on CD-ROM, insert the CD-ROM into the drive.

If you downloaded the software from the Internet, make sure you know the location of your AlexConnect download file.

2 To run the Terminal Server installation program, from the Windows Start menu, choose Start | Control Panel | Add/Remove Programs | Add New Programs | CD or floppy.

3 Click Next.

4 The Install Program From Floppy Disk or CD-ROM dialog box is displayed. Click Next.

5 In the Run Installation Program dialog box, click Browse and locate the Setup.exe file on your network or on the CD-ROM.



6 Select Setup.exe and then click Open. Click Next.

7 Wait until the AlexConnect Installation completes initialising the program.

Note

Once the AlexConnect installation has begun, leave the Terminal Server setup wizard running in the background until AlexConnect has been installed. This is standard procedure for installing software on Terminal Server.

8 Read the Attaché Software Installation information message. Note that the Attaché Alex Document Formatter (see What is a document inclusion? on page 63) will not be installed as it requires Windows NT 4 (or greater) operating system.

9 Click Next. The Install Shield Wizard will install AlexConnect on your computer.

10 Click Next.

11 At Choose Destination Location, click on Browse and locate the Attaché program directory (e.g. C:\Attaché) on your computer or network. Click OKand then click Next.

Warning

If AlexConnect prompts you to restart you computer, select No.

12 Wait until the Install Shield Wizard is complete. Select No, will restart my computer later and then click Finish.

13 In the After Installation dialog box, click Next.

14 In the Finish Administration Install dialog box, click Finish.

15 Restart the Terminal Server.

Checking that the installation was successful After you have installed the AlexConnect software, it’s a good idea to check that the installation was successful.

The recommended way to test your installation is to carry out the Attaché Alex Guided Tour. The guided tour takes you through the process of setting up and sending documents using the Sample Data company supplied with your Attaché Catapult software. This way you can be sure that Alex has been installed and configured properly for your system.

In addition, during the guided tour you will complete the registration process (described on page 75) and so you will be ready to send actual documents.

The Attaché Alex Guided Tour for Attaché Catapult is available from the Attaché Alex website at www.attacheonline.com/alex.



Setting up a queue manager (AlexQ) AlexQ, the AlexConnect queue manager, is the part of AlexConnect that manages the sending of documents over your Internet connection. Because Attaché Catapult creates documents more quickly than an Internet connection can typically send them, a queue of documents can develop. AlexQ manages the queue of documents that are waiting to be sent.

AlexQ is automatically installed with AlexConnect — you do not install it separately — and is automatically configured for standard use. This means that you could simply install AlexConnect and begin sending documents without setting up AlexQ. However, in a network environment, Attaché Software recommends that you set up an AlexQ queue manager, as discussed below. Using a queue manager gives you full control over when documents are sent over the Internet and maximises processing speed on the computers running Attaché Catapult.

Why set up an AlexQ queue manager? Note

In a network environment, if every computer that creates Attaché Catapult documents does not have Internet access, then you must set up an AlexQ queue manager on one of the computers with Internet access.

When you install AlexConnect, AlexQ is automatically installed and configured for standard use. With the standard configuration, AlexQ manages the documents on each computer where they are created. However, by setting up an AlexQ queue manager, documents can be handled centrally on one computer. This minimises disruption to normal work flows and allows you to control the flow of documents over the Internet.

We recommend that you set an AlexQ queue manager if you:

have dial-up Internet connection, especially if you want to print at time of entry (page 48)

have a slow (less than 56k) Internet connection

have multiple computers producing documents at the same time

send many documents (from one or more computers) at a time (for example, you batch print 50 documents or more at a time)

want to control when documents are sent over the Internet want to maximise process speed on the computers that use Attaché Catapult

Standalone users

If you use Attaché Catapult on a single standalone computer with a permanent Internet connection, the standard AlexQ configuration will probably suit your needs and you do not need to set up AlexQ. In this case you only need to install AlexConnect, as described on page 11.



Setting up an AlexQ serverUsing an AlexQ server is similar to the common practice of using a computer as a queue server for a networked printer.

If you decide to use an AlexQ server, it is the only computer in the network on which you need to do any of the following:

connect to the Internet to send documents set up and run AlexQ

On the AlexQ server, you need to install AlexConnect but you do not need to install or run Attaché Catapult.

Note

As with any computer running Windows, Attaché Software recommends that you periodically shut down and then restart the queue server to keep it running efficiently. For example, you might restart the computer once each day or once each week.

Setting up AlexQ using the wizard The AlexConnect software, which includes AlexQ, contains a wizard which guides you through the process of setting up an AlexQ queue manager and creating a desktop shortcut so that you can easily start AlexQ whenever you wish to use it.

During the wizard process, you will be asked to specify the Attaché Catapult company data folder that the AlexQ setup is referring to.

You should set up an AlexQ desktop shortcut for each Attaché Catapult company that you want to send documents from. You can create as many shortcuts as you require.

Tips

If you create more than one shortcut, include the company name in the name of each shortcut so you can easily distinguish between them.

If you have many companies, the desktop can become crowded with shortcuts. To reduce clutter, you can create a folder on the desktop and move the shortcuts into it. For information about creating folders and moving shortcuts, consult your Windows documentation.

Remember to create a new shortcut whenever you create a new company.



TASK

To set up an AlexQ desktop shortcut

1 Using Windows Explorer or My Computer, browse to the directory where Attaché Catapult is installed.

2 To start the AlexQ Desktop Shortcut Wizard, double-click ALEXQ.EXE.

Fig 5 AlexQ.exe is located in the directory where BP/Catapult is installed.

3 To proceed with the wizard, choose Next.

Fig 6 The AlexQ Desktop Shortcut Wizard.

4 If the directory in which you store data for the Attaché Catapult company is on the current computer, type or browse to the data directory.



Fig 7 Use the browse button to locate your data directory.

If the data directory is on another computer, click the browse button ( ) and then (in the Browse for Folder dialog box) double-click Network Neighborhood and navigate to the data directory. (Do not choose a mapped drive letter from My Computer. Navigating via Network Neighborhood ensures that you specify the directory name in the required UNC format (Universal Naming Convention), beginning with “\\”.)

Fig 8 Specifying the directory name in UNC format.

5 Complete the rest of the wizard.

For

Tip

For companies that you use on a daily basis, you can start AlexQ every time you start Windows. To do so, copy or move shortcuts to the Start Menu\Programs\Startup folder. To find the folder, choose Start | Find | Files or Foldersand search for the name Startup.



Configuring AlexConnect when Port 25 is closed

(Changing your server address) The default AlexConnect setup uses Port 25 to send documents from your computer to the Alex mail server on the Internet. However, some businesses and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) close Port 25, thus forcing all emails to go through their own mail server. If your business or ISP has closed Port 25, you need to change the Alex server address (in Service Properties) so that AlexConnect uses your business’s or ISP’s mail server to dispatch documents. (We recommend using the server domain name rather than the IP address because domain names are less likely to change in the future.)

TASK

To change the server address

First check that you are using the latest version of AlexConnect (see Identifyingyour current version of AlexConnect on page 25) and upgrade if necessary. Then, on one computer from which you send documents:

1 In Attaché Catapult, open the AlexConnect Document Delivery Address Manager by choosing Tools | Company | Alex Connect | Customer Delivery Address.

2 Choose Edit | Service Properties.

3 Type your business’s or ISP’s mail server domain name and then click Verify. For example:

for Telstra, type mail.bigpond.com

for Optus, type mail.optusnet.com.au

for iinet, type mail.m.iinet.net.au

After a few seconds the word “verified” and a green tick will be displayed. Attaché Alex can now send documents.

Fig 9 Check that the new IP address is verified

4 Choose OK to close the dialog box.

5 Close the Document Delivery Address Manager.

Note

If the IP address fails to verify or you have other issues when changing server address, contact the Alex Helpline for assistance (see Attaché Helpline on page 13).



Upgrading AlexQ

About upgrades Attaché Software is continually working to develop the Attaché Alex service and add new features and enhancements. From time to time new versions of the AlexConnect software are released and made freely available to all Alex users — you never have to pay for upgrades to Alex.

Attaché Alex users are notified by email when upgrades become available. The upgrades can then be obtained from the Attaché Alex website or the latest Attaché CD-ROM together with detailed instructions on how to carry out the upgrade.

Identifying your current version of AlexConnect

TASK

To identify your current version of AlexConnect

1 Choose Tools | Company | AlexConnect | Delivery Queue Manager. Or, if you are already running AlexConnect, click the Alex icon in the status area of the task bar (near the clock in the right-hand corner).

2 Click the About button in the bottom-left corner.

The version number is displayed shown on the AlexConnect screen.

Fig 10 Your version of AlexQ is shown on the AlexConnect screen.



Attaché Alex with Attaché Catapult / March 2006 27Part 2 Setting up your Attaché system to send documents


Part 2 Setting up your Attaché system to send documents After AlexConnect has been installed, you are ready to set up your Attaché system to send documents. It’s worth taking the time to set up complete delivery details for every document type and recipient — correct setups make for quick and easy document sending.

To set up your system:

Set up your sender details, as described on page 29

Set up delivery addresses for each recipient and document type, as described on page 34

Once your setups are complete, your system will automatically send instead of printing them. (If you don’t set up delivery addresses for some documents, Attaché Catapult simply prints the document as usual.)

The first time you send a document, you will receive an email from Attache Alex Asking you to complete a simple registration process to establish your Alex Account. After you complete the registration, your documents will be sent.

Reviewing forms (print layouts)

On the whole, you can use the same forms (print layouts) that you currently print. However, Attaché Software recommends that you review your current form layouts to ensure they are appropriate for faxing and emailing, as described in the Attaché Alex Implementation Guide.

You view and modify forms using the Forms Designer tool. If you need to change your forms, the Forms Designer guide provides detailed information, including an appendix on forms for Alex. (See Other resources for Attaché Alex users on page 12.)



Storing delivery information — the Document Delivery Address Managers To be able to deliver documents Attaché Alex needs to know details about both you (the sender) and each customer, supplier and/or employee (the recipients). You record this information in the AlexConnect Document Delivery Address Managers.

There are separate Document Delivery Address Managers for customer, supplier, and employee documents, each located under the AlexConnect tab of the Tools menu (Tools | Company | AlexConnect).

Alex accounts are determined by the email address entered here. Each different Sender Email Address you enter creates a new Alex account (as discussed on page 29).

The Document Delivery Address Managers store the delivery details you have set up for each customer, supplier and employee document.

The delivery address tells Alex information about the document and the recipient, including where and how it should be sent, and whether the delivery is confidential and/or requires notification of delivery.

Each delivery address that you create is displayed as a row in the Document Delivery Address Manager.



Running the Document Delivery Address Manager Even though it resides within Attaché Catapult, the Document Delivery Address Manager runs as a separate program with its own button on the Windows taskbar. This means that you can inadvertently start it more than once, and you can close Attaché Catapult without closing it.

To avoid starting the Document Delivery Address Manager more than once, look for its button on the Windows taskbar before you try to start it from Attaché Catapult. (If necessary, you can display the Windows taskbar by pressing Ctrl+Esc.)

Fig 11 Correct: the Windows task bar showing Attaché Catapult and one instance of the Document Delivery Address Manager.

Fig 12 Incorrect: Here the Document Delivery Address Manager has been opened four times. You should close three of these (right mouse click and select close). If you have entered any delivery addresses in these extra Document Delivery Address Managers, you should save them before closing.



Sender details Sender details consist of a name (such as a person’s name or a department name) and an email address. These details are displayed on documents sent via email and when tracking a document at the Attaché Alex website (see page 61).

Sender details are set up separately for customer, supplier and employee documents using the Sender’s name and Email address dialog box in the appropriate Document Delivery Address Manager. You may use either the same sender details for all or a different one for each. However, if you use a different Sender Email Address, you will be creating an additional Attaché Alex account. In this case, you should link the accounts for billing and/or for document management, as described in Linking accounts on page 75.

Setting up sender details TASK

To set up the Sender’s Name and Email Address dialog box

1 Start the Document Delivery Address Manager by choosing Tools | Company | AlexConnect | Customer or Supplier or Employee Delivery Address, as appropriate.

2 Choose Edit | Sender properties to open the Sender’s name and Email address dialog box.

3 Complete the fields, as described in detail below (or Press Help F1).

4 Choose OK.



Sender’s Name and Email Address dialog box

Fig 13 Sender details for customer documents.

Fig 14 Sender details for supplier documents.

Fig 15 Sender details for employee documents.

Field Description Display name Type the name to be displayed as “sender” on email documents and

when tracking document deliveries.

Attaché Software suggests that you enter a “generic” name (such as your company or department) rather than the name of a specific employee so that you don’t have to change this field if the staff member leaves or changes responsibilities.

Note

You can enter a different sender name (but not Sender Email Address) for each document delivery address, and this will override the Display name field. (See Setting up a document delivery address on page 34.

Attaché Software recommends that you use the same Sender Email Address for customer and supplier documents, but a different Sender Email Address for employee documents.

You should then link the accounts for billing but, to retain the confidentiality of employee documents, do not link the accounts for document management. (For more information about See Linking accounts on page 72).



Field Description Emailaddress

Type the email address of the entity who is sending the document.

For all document types Attaché Software recommends that you use generic Sender Email Addresses (such as [email protected] and [email protected]) rather than addresses of specific employees. Then, if a staff member leaves or changes responsibilities, there is no need to change this field.

For customer and supplier documents Attaché Software recommends that you use the same Sender Email Address for both customer and supplier documents.

Note that if you decide to use different Sender Email Addresses you will establish different Alex accounts. In this case, you should linkthe accounts for billing so that you receive only one monthly invoice covering both accounts. You should also link the accounts for document management so that you can track and view documents sent from both accounts at the same time. (See Linking accounts on page 75.)

For employee documents Attaché Software recommends that you use a Sender Email Address that is different from the one(s) you use for customer and supplier documents. This is because employee documents are usually considered sensitive and therefore should be managed separately from customer and supplier documents.

By using a different Sender Email Address you will establish a new Alex account. To receive only one monthly invoice for all your Alex accounts you should link accounts for billing (see Linking accounts on page 75). However, for confidentiality in tracking and managing employee documents, we strongly recommend that you do not link the accounts for document management. This way, only the person who knows the password for this Alex account (for example, the paymaster) can view these documents at the Alex Users website. (See Tracking documents online at the Alex Users website on page 61.)



Modifying sender details If you need to change your sender details (Sender Name or Sender Email Address) remember to make the changes in all three Document Delivery Address Managers (Customers, Suppliers and Employees).

TASK

To change your sender details

1 In Attaché Catapult choose Tools | Company | AlexConnect | Customer Delivery Address.

2 Choose Edit | Sender properties.

3 Make the changes as required. (If changing the Email Address field see below).

4 Click OK.

5 Repeat this process for supplier documents and for employee documents by choosing Tools | Company | AlexConnect | Supplier Delivery Address.

Changing your Sender Email Address Registration of a Sender Email Address with Attaché Alex is totally automated and is controlled by the sender, not by Attaché Alex. Users create and control Attaché Alex accounts based on the Sender Email Address from which documents are sent. Each user must manage their own account(s) on the site. This includes multiple accounts and changes of email address.

If you change your email address, you need to carry out the following tasks:

1 Modify your sender details (as described above), remembering to change the Sender Email Address in each Document Delivery Address Manager.

2 Send a document to register your new email addressAfter you have changed the Sender Email Address in your software, send a document (this can be a test document that you send to yourself if you wish). Alex recognises a new Sender Email Address and sends you an email asking you to complete the registration wizard (as described on page 75). After completing the registration wizard, your document will be sent.

3 Link your old address to your new addressDuring the registration process, you will be asked if you want to link addresses (accounts). You can link addresses for billing so that you only receive one Alex monthly invoice covering all your Alex accounts (old and new). You can also link addresses for document management so that you can view documents sent from both your old and your new accounts. For more information see Linking accounts on page 75.



Recipient details (document delivery addresses)AlexConnect needs to know which documents you want to send, and where and how you want to send them. This information is recorded as document delivery addresses in the Document Delivery Address Managers.

If you do not set up document delivery addresses for some recipients and/or document types, Attaché Catapult simply prints the related documents as usual.

You can set up multiple delivery address for each document. For example, you can both print and email a particular document or email a document to your warehouse at the same time as faxing it to a customer. This is discussed in Setting up additional delivery addresses on page 41.

Sending documents without setting up document delivery addresses Normally you should send documents by setting up delivery addresses so that every time you use Attaché Catapult to produce the specified document, it is automatically sent to the recipient(s). However, from time to time you may also want to send a particular document or range of documents to other recipients. These methods for sending documents are discussed in Other ways to send documents onpage 50.

Setting up a document delivery address TASK

To set up a document delivery address


2 Specify the Customer, Supplier or Employee Code. To choose from the available codes, click the button to the right of the Code field. If you use Multi-locations and are specifying an Employee, first choose the Location.

3 Choose File | New to open the Document Delivery Address Details dialog box.

Tip

Check the Attaché Alex Implementation Guidefor advice about collecting recipient details.



Fig 16 The Document Delivery Address Details dialog box opens displaying information taken from the relevant Customer, Supplier or Employee master file.

4 Choose the document Type to which you want the delivery address to apply (noting that All does not include Customer statements) and then complete the other fields on the dialog box, as described in detail below (or press F1 for Help).

5 Choose OK.

The Document Delivery Address Details dialog box closes and the new delivery address is shown on the Document Delivery Address Manager.

Fig 17 A delivery address shown as a row in the Document Delivery Address Manager.

To re-open the dialog box, double-click the details row in the delivery manger. To set up another delivery address for this recipient, repeat steps 3 to 5 above (see also page 41).



Document Delivery Address Details dialog box

Fig 18 Setting up a document delivery address for customer Pepper Mill’s invoices to be sent by email.

Fig 19 Setting up a document delivery address for supplier Electricity Commission’s remittance advices to be sent by fax.



Fig 20 Setting up a document delivery address for Joe Adelino’s employee pay advice to be sent by locked confidential email, with an unlock code.

Field Description Choose the type of document for this delivery address.

For greater control and flexibility, Attaché Software recommends that you set up delivery addresses for each document type rather than select All. Note also:

do not choose All if you currently print picking slips or supplier invoices otherwise these documents will also be sent via Alex

for customer documents, All does not include statements

do not choose All for employee documents

Caution: For delivery dockets and picking slips, if you set both Reprint and Automatic Mode to Yes when you print the documents in Attaché Catapult, the software repeatedly checks for pending documents (every 5 seconds by default). If you set up document delivery addresses for one or more of the recipients, the software automatically sends the documents via Attaché Alex. Under such circumstances, you might generate a lot of email or fax messages.

Type

Delivery Method Choose the method of delivery for the document.

Email – Alex sends the document to the Recipient Email address.Fax – Alex sends the document to the Recipient Fax number.Print – prints the document to your default printer. (There is no charge for printed documents.)

As specified on the document (for Customer and Supplier transaction entry documents only) – Select this option when you are using individual document addressing, as described on page 50, and want to specify the Copy to Send other than 1 or you want to select Delivery notification required.

Copy to send If you have created multiple copies for this document type (using Forms Designer), specify which copy to send.

For example, if you traditionally printed two copies of customer invoices (Copy 1 to post to the customer and Copy 2 to keep on file), you might create two document delivery addresses – the first to email Copy 1 to the



Field Description customer and the second to print Copy 2 for filing.

Delivery notification required

Select this checkbox if you want Alex to send you an email message every time a document is delivered (fax) or opened (email). For more information see Tracking documents by using delivery notifications on page 60.

(Recipient) Name (Optional) Type the name of a particular department or person that you want to show as being the recipient of documents sent by email and when tracking documents online at the Attaché Alex website.

Email address Type the recipient’s email address.

Fax number Type the recipient’s full international fax number.

The fax number must begin with a plus sign, then the country and area codes. For example, for a company in Sydney, type +61 2 followed by the rest of the fax number with or without spaces.

The field displays the fax number from the Customer, Supplier or Employee master file. If the fax number displayed does not begin with a plus sign followed by the country and area codes, enter them.

Authorisation required

Establishes a confidential document delivery.

Select the checkbox if you want Alex to send the recipient an email message containing a link to the document rather than sending the document itself. For more information see Confidential deliveries and unlock codes on page 39.

Unlock Code Establishes a locked confidential document delivery. (If you do not choose Authorisation required, above, this field has no effect.)

For documents for which you have chosen Authorisation required, you can increase the confidentiality level by typing a code of between 4 and 10 characters. To be able to view the document, the recipient needs to enter this code. For more information see Confidential deliveries and unlock codes on page 39.

The initial settings for this field:

for pay advices is date of birth (from the Employee master file) in the form DDMMYYYY.

for customer and supplier documents is the last 10 characters of the telephone number (from the applicable master file) without punctuation or spaces.

(Sender) Name (Optional) Type or choose the name that you want to show as the sender of this document. This name overrides the Sender display name set up in Sender properties and is displayed as “sender” on documents sent by email and when tracking documents online at the Attaché Alex website.

Reference Type a code of up to 10 characters that the recipient can use to identify documents from you. This field will be used in future enhancements to allow recipients to manage documents.

Tip

Enter full international fax numbers in the relevant master files.



Confidential deliveries and unlock codes Normally, when you send a document by email the document appears in the recipient’s email inbox (and preview screen). You can, however, make a document delivery confidential so that the recipient receives an email advice about the document instead, and can then choose when to view the actual document.

This is ideal for sensitive documents such as employee pay advices, and when computers or email addresses are shared but you want only the intended recipient to have access to the document.

There are two levels of confidentiality:

Confidential — the recipient gets an email message containing a link to the document. When the recipient clicks the link, the document is displayed in their Web browser Locked confidential — for additional confidentiality, you can also specify an unlock code that the recipient must type to view the document.

Whenever the recipient wants to view the document in future, they click on the link and (if you specified one) type the unlock code.

Fig 21 By clicking the “click here” link on this notification, the document opens in the recipient’s Web browser (unless an unlock code has been specified, as shown in the following figure).



Fig 22 If you specified an unlock code, the recipient needs to type it before Alex displays the document.

Setting up confidentiality

You set up confidentiality separately for each document delivery address, in the Document Delivery Address Details dialog box.

Fig 23 Setting up a locked confidential pay advice.

Changing a document’s authorisation or unlock code

Changing the Authorisation required and Unlock code has no effect on documents that you have already sent. For example, if you tick Authorisation required and send a document, then deselect Authorisation required and send another document, Alex delivers the first document confidentially and the second document without confidentiality.

Similarly, if you send a document to a particular document delivery address, then change the unlock code and send another document, each of the two document deliveries has a different unlock code. If the recipient forgets the unlock code of the first delivery, you can notify the recipient of the current unlock code and resend the first document (so that Alex uses the current code).



Setting up additional delivery addresses You can set up an unlimited number of delivery addresses for each document. This means you can send the same document to various delivery addresses by simply creating additional delivery addresses for that document. For example:

you might want to email or fax a document and print it at the same time. In this case you would set up a delivery address with the Delivery method of email or fax (and the recipient’s details) plus a delivery address with the Deliverymethod of print

you might want to email a document to your head office plus fax the document to the customer at the same time. In this case you would set up a delivery address with the Method of Email and your head office details plus you would set up a delivery address with the Method of Fax and the customer’s details.

Fig 24 The Document Delivery Address Manager with multiple delivery addresses.

Deactivating/reactivating delivery addresses You can deactivate a document delivery address. Until you reactivate it, AlexConnect does not use it and the relevant document will be printed (and sent to any delivery addresses that have not been deactivated).

TASK

To deactivate or reactivate a document delivery address





Fig 25 The Document Delivery Address Manager showing all Pepper Mill’s delivery addresses as active.

3 Select the checkbox in the Active column next to the relevant address. A tick indicates an active delivery address; an empty checkbox indicates an inactive delivery address.

Fig 26 A deactivated statement row.



Modifying a delivery address If you need to modify a delivery address, select the delivery address in the Document Delivery Address Manager for the customer, supplier or employee and then enter the changes.

TASK

To modify a document delivery address



3 Double-click on the delivery address that you want to modify. This opens the Document Delivery Address Details dialog box with the current details displayed.

4 Make the required changes. For information about the different fields, choose F1 for Help or see page 36.

5 Choose OK. The Document Delivery Address Details dialog box closes and the modified delivery address details are shown on the Document Delivery Address Manager.



Deleting a delivery address You can delete unwanted delivery addresses to permanently remove them. (If you want to only temporarily “stop” a delivery address, you can deactivate it, as discussed on page 41.)

TASK

To permanently delete a document delivery address



3 Highlight the delivery address you want to delete.

4 Press the Delete key.

Printing delivery addresses You can print lists of any or all of the document delivery addresses that you have set up.

TASK

To print document delivery addresses


2 To open the Print dialog box, choose File | Print.

Fig 27 To print delivery addresses choose File I Print and then a range if required.



3 In the Printer section, choose a printer.

4 To indicate which document delivery addresses you want to print, choose one of the following from the Range area:

all recipients

the current recipient

a range of recipients

5 If you want to save the Range settings so that they appear when you open the Print dialog box again, choose Save.

6 Choose OK. The list is printed to your nominated printer.



Attaché Alex with Attaché Catapult / March 2006 47Part 3 Sending and tracking documents


Part 3 Sending and tracking documentsHow Alex sends documents On the whole, creating and sending documents is no different from creating and printing documents. You simply follow your usual procedure to create documents and then process them (by batch or at time of entry*) just as if you were going to print them. If a delivery address has been set up for the relevant customer, supplier or employee document, Alex sends the document accordingly. If no delivery address is set up, the system prints the document as usual.

In this way, sending documents via Alex is no different from printing documents — Alex works “in the background” and is simply an alternative “output device”.

As well as automatically sending documents for which you have set up delivery addresses, you can send “one-off” documents to recipients without a delivery address and you can also send batches of documents to a single email address or fax number. These additional ways to send documents are discussed on page 50.

This section also discusses:

controlling the sending of documents over the Internet (AlexQ) printing and resending documents tracking sent documents managing undelivered documents

* Print at time of entry is recommended only if you have a permanent Internet connection. If you have a dial-up connection, see Sending documents with a dial-up Internet connection on page 48.



Creating and sending documents TASK

To create and send documents via Attaché Alex

1 Set up your sender details and document delivery addresses for the relevant document type and recipient in the Document Delivery Address Manager.

2 Create documents in the usual way.

3 When you choose Accept (F9) to print at time of entry or Print (F9) to batch print, each document is sent according to the delivery address(es) set up. If no delivery address has been set up, the document will be printed as usual.

See also Other ways to send documents on page 50.

Sending documents with a dial-up Internet connection If you do not have a permanent Internet connection, Attaché Software recommends that you turn off the options to print at time of entry and use batch printing (on the Reports menus) instead. Then, before you produce the batches of documents you have created, connect to the Internet. When you select Print (F9), Attaché Catapult automatically dispatches documents that have a corresponding delivery address and prints those that don’t.

If you use print at time of entry with a dial-up connection, each time you Accept (F9) a document which has a corresponding delivery address, AlexQ will attempt to send it. Depending on your Internet configuration, your computer may try to connect to the Internet resulting in many calls to your ISP or an information message about Alex being unable to send the documents (as described on page 58).

If you wish to print at time of entry using a dial-up connection, you should set up an AlexQ queue manager, as described on page 21, so you can control when documents are sent over your Internet connection.

If you have a dial-up connection and want to be able to automatically send documents (without using the AlexQ queue manager), you should use batch printing so that your computer does not attempt to dial up each time you process a document.

To turn on or off the options to print documents at the time of entry, choose Settings | Customer | Options | Invoicing Options and Settings | Supplier | Options | Purchasing Options and select yes/no to the print at time of entry options.



Fig 28 When “Print at time of entry” in Invoicing Options and Purchasing Options is set to Yes, documents with delivery addresses will be sent via Alex as soon as they are created.

Using Attaché Alex with text entry printing If you enter documents using text entry (to print on high speed printers), you can still use Attaché Alex to send documents.

To do so, ensure that an appropriate form (print layout) exists for each document type that you want to send. When printing, if a document delivery address exists then the document will be sent using the form (print layout). If no delivery address has been set up then the document will be printed in the normal way.

Caution: If you use Alex and text printing, don’t set up any delivery addresses with Print as the Method (unless you have set up a custom form that replicates in size your text layout). To get a printed copy, use the “print copy now” option when entering transactions.

Sending a confidential document Normally, when you send a document by email, the document appears in the recipient’s email inbox (and preview screen). You can, however, make a document delivery confidential so that the recipient is sent an email advice and can then choose when to view the actual document. This is ideal for sensitive documents such as employee pay advices, or when computers or email addresses are shared but you want only the intended individual to have access to the document.

Confidentiality is set up with each individual document delivery address (as described on page 39), therefore to send confidential documents you simply process the documents as usual.



Other ways to send documents Setting up document delivery addresses for each document is the most efficient way to send documents because every time you use Attaché Catapult to produce the specified document it is automatically sent with out any further input from you. However, from time to time you may also want to send a particular document or range of documents to email or fax addresses that you haven’t set up. With Alex you can:

send a document without setting up any delivery address for the document by using individual document addressing during transaction entry (as discussed below).

send a document to the delivery addresses you have created and an additional address by using individual document addressing during transaction entry (as discussed below).send a document or a range of documents to a single email address or fax number, as discussed on page 52.

You can also resend a document (or range of documents) to the same or a different email address or fax number, as discussed on page 54.

Sending without setting up a delivery address (individual document addressing)Available with transaction-entry customer and supplier documents only.

Individual document addressing — inserting an email address or fax number as a Comment line during transaction entry — lets you quickly send a document without setting up a document delivery address. (The delivered document does not display the Comment line.)

You can use individual document addressing to:

send an individual document to a recipient without setting up any delivery address in the Document Delivery Address Manager send a document to anyone (who has with a fax number or email address) inaddition to the delivery address(es) that you have set up

Individual document addressing does not override the Document Delivery Address Manager. Therefore, if you have set up a delivery address for the relevant customer or supplier, the document will also be sent to them. If you do not want to send the document to the recipient set up in the delivery address, simply deactivate the delivery address, as described on page 41, prior to using individual document addressing. Remember to reactivate the delivery address afterwards.

Tip

Recommended only for customer invoices, customer credit adjustment notes, and supplier purchase orders. (Caution: If you individually address other document types, do so with care. For example, if you individually address a customer order and then generate an invoice from the order, the software automatically sends the customer invoice to the same individual address.)



TASK

To insert a document delivery address on an individual document

1 When entering the transaction, complete the header section as usual.

2 As the first body line, insert a Comment line containing text in either of the following formats:

Format Example MAILTO [RecipientName] EmailAddress MAILTO [John Smith] [email protected]

FAXTO [RecipientName] FullFaxNumber FAXTO [John Smith] +61 2 9929 7952

The square brackets are always required but RecipientName is optional. For fax numbers, type the full international number (beginning with a plus sign, then the country code and area code).

Fig 29 Individual document addressing on a customer invoice, with a Comment line indicating that the document is to be sent via email.

Fig 30 Portion of a customer invoice with a Comment line indicating that the document is to be sent via fax. The Comment line does not appear on the sent document.

Note

If the total length of the EmailAddress or FullFaxNumber exceeds 60 characters then the RecipientName (within the square brackets) must be shortened or left blank.

3 Complete the document as usual.

If you normally print this type of document at the time of entry, choosing Accept (F9) will cause the document to be sent. If you batch-print documents, the document will be sent when you Print (F9) the batch.



Sending a range of documents to a single address Attaché Catapult lets you specify a single email address or fax number for documents that you produce using the Reports menu.

TASK

To send a batch of documents to one address

1 From the Reports menu, choose the menu option for the type of document that you want to send, such as customer invoices.

2 Choose the range of documents that you want to send. Ensure that you select the correct ranges because Alex will send all the selected documents to the single email address or fax number specified.

3 In the Output area choose This email or This fax, as required.

4 In the Address field, type the email address or fax number in one of the following formats:

Delivery method Format Example Email [RecipientName] EmailAddress [John Smith] [email protected]

Fax [RecipientName] FullFaxNumber [John Smith] +61 2 9929 7952

The square brackets are always required but RecipientName is optional. For fax numbers, type the full international number (beginning with a plus sign, then the country code and area code).

Fig 31 The Output area set up to send the selected range of documents to the nominated email address.

Fig 32 The Output area set up to send the selected range of documents to the nominated fax number.

5 Complete the other fields to meet your requirements. For more information about any field, move to the field and choose Help (F1).

6 Choose Accept (F9).



Fig 33 This range is set up to send all invoices created during September for the customer Pepper Mill to the one email address entered in the Address field.



Resending documents To resend a document via Attaché Alex you follow the same procedure as reprinting a document. You can resend a document to the same delivery address that you have set up or to a different recipient.

TASK

To resend a document to the same delivery address

1 In the appropriate Reports menu, select the relevant range options.

2 In the Options area, select Reprint.

3 In the Output area, select Normal.

4 When you choose Accept (F9) the document will be resent to the delivery address(es) you have set up for this document.

Fig 34 When you choose Accept (F9) invoices within the selected range will be resent to the delivery address set up in the Document Delivery Address Manager. If no delivery address has been set up, the documents will be printed instead.

TASK

To resend a document to a different recipient

1 Deactivate the existing document delivery address as described on page 41 (unless you want to send the document to this existing recipient as well as a different recipient).

2 In the appropriate Reports menu, select the relevant range options.

3 In the Options area, select Reprint.

4 In the Output area, select This email or This fax, as appropriate, and complete the Address field.



5 When you select Accept (F9) the document will be sent to the email address or fax number that you entered in the Address field.

Fig 35 When you choose Accept (F9) invoices within the selected range will be sent to the email address entered in the Address field (as well as any delivery addresses you have set up, unless you first deactivate such addresses).



Dispatching documents over the Internet Usually, when you process documents (by batch or printing at time of entry) AlexQ automatically dispatches the documents across your Internet connection to the Alex server. From there the documents are sent to the intended recipients.

However, there may be situations when you wish to control the dispatch of documents. For example, you may wish to dispatch documents at a certain time of the day or you may need to control document dispatch because you have a dial-up connection and you wish to print at time of entry.

You use the AlexConnect queue manager, called AlexQ, to control the dispatch of documents over the Internet. Setting up the AlexQ queue manager is described on page 20.

Fig 36 AlexQ sending an Alex document.

Using AlexQ to control when documents are dispatched TASK

To stop Alex from dispatching documents over the Internet

1 Open the AlexQ queue manager by clicking the desktop shortcut. (If you have not set up the AlexQ queue manager, you can open AlexQ through Attaché Catapult, as described below.)

2 Highlight the appropriate Attaché Catapult company.

3 Choose the Stop button.



Fig 37 To stop documents being dispatched from the highlighted Attaché Catapult company, click the Stop button.

Documents created in the selected company will not be dispatched. When you are ready for the documents to be dispatched, click the Start button.

Fig 38 To dispatch the waiting documents, click the Start button.



Running AlexQ from within Attaché Catapult

If you have not set up an AlexQ queue manager or desktop shortcut, you can still control document flow by running AlexQ directly from the Attaché Catapult menu.

To run AlexQ from within the current Attaché Catapult company, choose Tools | Company | AlexConnect | Delivery Queue Manager.

Shutting down your computer If you shut down your computer before all documents have been dispatched to the Attaché Alex server, the unsent documents are queued and then sent when you next start AlexQ or when you next start Attaché Catapult (and connect to the Internet).

Problems connecting to the Internet When you dispatch documents, if there is a problem, if there is a problem with your Internet connection, a message similar to the following is displayed:

If you receive this message, check that your Internet connection is working properly. (To do so, open your web browser and go to a website, such as www.attachesoftware.com and see if the page loads correctly.) If you connection is not working properly, contact your system administrator or ISP.



Tracking document deliveries Attaché Alex provides three methods for tracking document deliveries. You can use any or all of the services and you may change your tracking options at any time. All document tracking services are available to all Alex users free of charge.

You can track documents by using:

exception reports emailed to your Sender Email Address, listing all undeliverable faxes and unopened emails for a given period

delivery notifications emailed to your Sender Email Address for each document that is delivered (fax) or opened (email) the secure Alex Users website to track (and view) sent documents (for the past four months)

Each of these methods is described below.

Tracking documents by using exception reports Exception reports list undeliverable faxes and unopened emails sent during the selected period – daily, weekly or monthly. Exception reports are emailed automatically to all Alex users who want them.

New Alex accounts automatically receive weekly exception reports (unless you have no undeliverable/unopened documents to report). You can turn off exception reports so that you no longer receive them, choose their frequency (daily, weekly or monthly) and choose to receive them even if there are no undelivered/unopened documents to report.

Fig 39 An exception report listing four unopened emails.

Tips

Undeliverable faxesare faxes that cannot be delivered because, for example, the fax number is incorrect. An undeliverable fax should be resent after checking the recipient’s fax number.

Unopened emails are emails that have not been opened. This could be simply because the recipient has not yet checked their email, or it could be because the email address is incorrect. After allowing an appropriate period of time for the recipient to open their email, you should check that the address is correct before resending the document.



TASK

To change your exception report options

1 Sign in to the secure Alex Users website, as described on page 73.

2 Click on the Exception reports link.

The browser displays a form containing the options for exception reports. 3 Select your options.

4 Click Submit to save your options.

Tracking documents by using delivery notifications When setting up document delivery addresses you can choose to receive a delivery notification – an email sent to your Sender Email Address – each time a specified document is delivered (fax) or opened (email) by the customer or supplier.

To instruct Attaché Alex to send a delivery notification for a given document, simply select the Delivery notification required checkbox when completing the Document Delivery Address Details dialog box (see page 36).

Fig 40 Delivery notification defaults to “yes”. This means you will receive an email each time your documents are delivered. If you send a lot of documents this could be annoying. Uncheck the box if you do not want to receive the notifications.



Tracking documents online at the Alex Users website You can track the delivery of every document sent (for the past four months) at the secure Alex Users website. You can choose to view documents according to when they were sent, to whom they were addressed, their document number and other criteria.

Fig 41 Use the Document List on the Alex Users website to see documents you’ve sent that match your selection criteria.

TASK

To display a list of documents that you have sent from your account

1 Sign in to the secure Alex Users website, as described on page 73.

2 The browser displays a form for you to select the criteria for the documents you want to list, such as a list of documents that have not been opened. (If the form is not shown, click on the Document List link.)

3 Specify the criteria that you want to match.

4 To submit the form, click the List Now button.

After a brief moment, a list displaying the specified documents is displayed.



Attaché Alex with Attaché Catapult / March 2006 63Part 4 Document Inclusions


Part 4 Document Inclusions

What is a document inclusion? When you send documents via Alex email or fax, you can add extra pages — called inclusions — that have been created outside your Attaché system. An inclusion can be created from any printable file, such as a Microsoft Word document, a price list, a roster, or even a digital photograph. Each inclusion is one (or more) A4 pages, and is sent at a modest extra charge.

To create inclusions you use the Attaché Alex Document formatter, which is automatically installed with AlexConnect. You can specify that an inclusion is to be placed before the Alex document (invoice, order, payment advice, etc), after it, or both.

Note – Software requirements

To create and send inclusions, you need a February 2005 (or later) version of AlexConnect and either Business Partner version 1.26.000 (or later) or Attaché Catapult version 1.06.000 (or later). These versions were also released in February 2005.

Also, to create inclusions, you need Windows NT, 2000, XP, or a later Windows operating system (not Windows 95 or 98). However, you can send inclusions from any computer that runs Business Partner or Attaché Catapult. If your computer uses Windows 95 or 98, you can create inclusions on another computer, store them on your network or on removable media such as a USB drive, copy them to the Alex\Include folder, and then send them from your own computer.



Creating inclusions You create inclusions by using the Attaché Alex Document Formatter, which is automatically installed with the AlexConnect software. Once installed, the Document Formatter is shown in the list of printers (typically in the Print dialog box) in your Windows programs.

Although you can use virtually any program to create inclusions, Attaché Software recommends Microsoft® Word because with Word you can easily control page size, file size, fonts and graphic elements, and still be as creative as you wish.

TASK

To create an inclusion using Microsoft Word

1 Open a new Word document and create the contents of your inclusion.

Fig 42 First create the document that you wish to have as the inclusion.

2 Save the file in the usual way but do not close it.

3 Select File | Print to open the Print dialog box.

4 At Printer Name, select Attaché Alex Document Formatter and then press OK.



Fig 43 To produce an Alex-ready version of your document, select the Attaché Alex Document Formatter in the Print dialog.

5 The Document Formatter asks for the name of a folder, where it formats and stores the inclusion (rather than printing it). The folder needs to be in the Alex\Include folder in your Attaché program folder — the dialog shows this path: you don’t need to alter it. After \Include type a folder name, for example \overdue letter and then press OK.

Fig 44 When creating inclusions, use meaningful names so that you can easily differentiate between them when you are sending them from your Attaché system.

6 The Document Formatter tells you that the folder doesn’t exist and asks if you want to create it. Select Yes. The Document Formatter creates the inclusion and stores it in the folder.

7 If your inclusion contains a lot of graphic components, you should check the file size (as described below).

The inclusion is now ready to be added to your Alex documents for sending (see Sending inclusions on page 68).



Checking the file size of an inclusion TASK

To check the size of an inclusion you have created

1 Start Windows Explorer.

2 Go to your Attaché program folder and locate the ALEX\INCLUDE folder.

3 In the INCLUDE folder, open the folder where you created the inclusion and note the size of the “.EMF” file. (There will be one EMF file for each page of your inclusion.)

If the file size is large, you might consider reducing it (see Tips at left). As a general rule, Attaché Software recommends that you keep individual pages below 500KB. (If you attempt to send very large sized inclusions, the Alex server may reject them.)

Fig 45 Check the size of the .EMF file in Windows Explorer.

Tips

To reduce the file size:

- create the inclusion in Microsoft Word rather than a graphics program

- reduce the number of graphic elements, including pictures, shaded boxes, graphics and so on

- reduce the size of graphics on the page

- use 256 colour rather than true colour images

- place graphics on the page by using Insert rather than cutting and pasting

- resize and crop images prior to importing/inserting



Managing inclusions As with any other type of file, you can use Windows Explorer to manage inclusions, such as by moving, deleting or renaming the folders containing them. In recent Windows versions, such as Windows XP, you can also use Windows Explorer to preview inclusions by using Thumbnails view or by just double-clicking on them.



Sending inclusions When you send a document via Alex (or create a document such as a credit adjustment note for sending later), you can add an inclusion to send before the document, after it, or both. In each case, you specify which inclusion to use by selecting the name of the folder containing the inclusion.

If you add inclusions when you send batches of documents (such as statements, remittance advices and groups of documents created in transaction entry), the software sends the inclusion with every document in the batch.

When you create documents in transaction entry to print at time of entry (such as quotations, purchase orders, invoices and credit adjustment notes), you use a Comment Line to add each inclusion, so you can use several Comment Lines to add any number of inclusions, and each document’s inclusions can be different. Note that before you can add inclusions in transaction entry, you need to use Screen Designer to add the Inclusion Before Doc. and Inclusion After Documentfields to the Comment Line for the transactions in question.

Using subfolders

To give you more flexibility when you send inclusions, the software has been designed so that all inclusions in subfolders (if any) within the folder you choose will be sent with the document.

Sending a single document with an inclusion You use a Comment Line to add an inclusion to a single transaction-entry document (such as an invoice or quotation). To add additional inclusions, use additional Comment Lines.

In this example we will be sending an invoice as a single document with an inclusion attached. Note that Print at Time of Entry must be selected in Invoicing Options.

TASK

To send a single document with an inclusion

1 Create an inclusion. (See Creating inclusions on page 64.)

2 Create the business document that you want to send via Alex, but do not press Finish (Esc).

3 Choose Section (F4). In the Section pop-up window, select Comment Line to place a Comment Line on the document.

4 (Optional) Type a comment for the recipient, such as “See picture attached”.



Fig 46 Add a Comment Line and, if you wish, type text to appear on the line, such as “See picture attached”.

5 Choose Zoom in (F8) and then select whether you want to put the inclusion before or after the document.

6 Choose Find (F2) to browse to the folder where the inclusion was created and then choose Accept (F9).

7 Zoom out (F8) and then complete the document in the usual way.

When you choose Accept (F9), Alex sends the document together with the inclusion to the recipient’s email address immediately (if Print at Time of Entry is used).

Sending an inclusion with a batch of document TASK

To send an inclusion with a batch of documents

1 In the usual way, prepare the batch of documents that you want to send, including selecting the required ranges.

2 In the Output area select Normal (printer/email/fax).

3 At Alex Document Inclusions Path, in the Before Document and/or the AfterDocument fields, choose Find (F2) to locate the folder that contains the inclusion that you want to send.



Fig 47 For this batch of statements, the inclusion called overdue letter will be added after each statement.

When you choose Print (F9), the documents plus their inclusion(s) will be sent to those recipients that have their details set up in the Alex Document Delivery Address Manager.

Attaché Alex with Attaché Catapult / March 2006 71Part 5 Administration


Part 5 AdministrationAttaché Alex is an online service with automated self-service account management. Individual users can establish accounts, change passwords, track documents, link/unlink accounts and perform other tasks whenever they wish to do so — 24 hours a day, seven days a week — without having to contact Attaché Software.

Many account management tasks, such as establishing your password and linking your accounts, can be performed during the Alex registration process. In addition, these tasks as well as others such as document tracking and managing exception report options can be carried out at the Alex Users website at:

http://www.attacheonline.com/alex



Attaché Alex website The Attaché Alex website has two sections:

the “public” site, which contains general information about the Attaché Alex service, including helpful information for receivers of documents

the secure Alex Users site, which is accessible only to registered users The secure site protects all details of your documents and your Attaché Alex account by requiring you to identify yourself with a password (that is, to “sign in”).After you sign in, you can use the website to perform various tasks associated with tracking documents and managing your Attaché Alex account, including:

tracking (and viewing) documents you have sent, as described on page 61

entering or changing your account details, including changing your password, as described on page 74

linking accounts for document management and/or billing purposes, as described on page 75

Visiting the Alex website The Attaché Alex website is located at:

http://www.attacheonline.com/alex

Fig 48 You can also access the Alex website by clicking the Tools | Company | AlexConnect | Alex website menu in Attaché Catapult.



Signing in to the secure Alex Users site

TASK

To sign in to the secure Alex Users site

1 Start your web browser.

2 In the address box, type http://www.attacheonline.com/alex and press Enter.

Your web browser displays the Attaché Alex website homepage. 3 In Alex Users sign-in area, type your Sender Email Address and password.

4 Choose Sign in.

Fig 49 Attaché Alex website.

Your Alex password During the Alex registration wizard, you are asked to enter a password of your choosing. You use this password, together with your registered email address, to sign in to the secure Alex Users site.

Forgotten passwords and trouble signing in

If you are having trouble signing in or you don't know your Alex password, click the Forgot your password link in the sign-in area and complete the form provided. For security reasons, your request will be verified by a member of the Alex team and a response will be sent to your registered email address within one business day.



Changing your password

You can change your password at any time, using the form provided on the Alex Users website.

TASK

To change your password

1 Sign in to the secure Alex Users website.

2 Click on the Change password link.

The browser displays a form for you to specify your details. 3 Complete the form.

4 Click the Submit button.

Your new password will be applicable the next time you sign in to the secure Alex Users website.



Registration, accounts and billing

Registering a new account The first time you send a document you will receive an email from Attaché Alex asking you to complete a simple online registration process to establish your Alex account.

During registration you will be asked to enter a password (see page 73) for your Alex accounts and, if you already have existing accounts, you will be asked if you want to link the accounts for billing and/or document management. (Linking accounts is described below.)

Fig 50 Alex registration. Click the Start button to begin the simple registration wizard.

After you complete the registration wizard, Alex sends you an email confirming your registration details. At the same time, any documents that you have attempted to send will be dispatched.

Linking accounts If you have more than one Alex account, you may wish to link them. You can link any number of accounts and these links can be added and removed at any time.

Attaché Alex accounts can be linked in two ways:

for document management, which allows you to manage accounts and track and view documents for all linked accounts for centralised billing, which means you receive only one monthly invoice for all linked accounts. (If you have more than one Attaché Alex account and you do not link them for centralised billing, you will receive separate invoices for each account.)



For example, you may have used one Sender Email Address for customer documents and a different Sender Email Address for supplier documents, thus establishing two Alex accounts. In this case, you would want to link these accounts for combined billing (so you are not charged for two Attaché Alex accounts). You may also want to link the accounts so that you can use the document management features of the website for both accounts at the same time. Alternatively, you might want to link only for billing purposes and keep the accounts separate for document management.

If you wish to link accounts for both document management and centralised billing you must carry out both linking procedures.

The best time to link accounts is when you are carrying out the registration process (as described above) for additional Alex addresses. At this time you are prompted to link the new account to your existing account. By linking accounts during registration you will avoid receiving invoices for each of your Alex addresses.

However, if you have not linked accounts during registration, you can link them at the Alex Users website, as described below.

Linking accounts for document management

TASK

To link accounts (Sender Email Addresses) for document management

1 Sign in to the secure Alex Users website using the email address you want to establish as the main or head office account.

2 Click the Document Management link.

3 Follow the instructions provided to complete and then submit the form.

Fig 51 You can link accounts by selecting the Document management or Centralised billing link, as appropriate, in the Alex Users website.



Linking accounts for billing

TASK

To link accounts (Sender Email Addresses) for centralised billing

1 Sign in to the secure Alex Users website using the email address you want to establish as the main or head office account.

2 Click the Centralised Billing link.

3 Follow the instructions provided to complete and then submit the form.

Entering or changing your contact details TASK

To enter or change your contact details

1 Sign in to the secure Alex Users website.

2 Click on the Account details link.

The browser displays a form for you to specify your details. 3 Fill in the form.

4 Click the Submit button.

Note

After you have successfully submitted your contact details, you cannot later modify the VIP number associated with your account.

Attaché Alex invoices and billingAttaché Alex accounts are paid by direct debit from the bank account that you nominate when completing the Attaché Alex User Agreement.

At the start of each month you will be sent an Alex invoice that details your usage for the previous month. The invoice total will then be debited from your account on or about the 20th of the month.

If you have any questions about your invoice, please contact Attaché Software on the following numbers:

Australia: +61 2 9929 8700New Zealand: +64 9 302 9391





Appendix — Selected international dialling codes Country Country

code Area code required?

Country Country code

Area code required?

Argentina +54 Yes Mexico +52 Yes Australia +61 Yes Micronesia +691 Yes Austria +43 Yes Myanmar (Burma) +95 Yes Bangladesh +890 Yes Nauru +674 No Belarus +375 Yes Netherlands (Holland) +31 Yes Belgium +32 Yes New Caledonia +687 No Brazil +55 Yes New Zealand +64 Yes Cambodia +855 Yes Norway +47 No Canada +1 Yes Pakistan +92 Yes Chile +56 Yes Papua New Guinea +675 No China +86 Yes Peru +51 Yes Christmas Island +672 No Philippines +63 Yes Cocos Island +672 No Pitcairn Island +649 No Cook Islands +682 No Poland +48 Yes Croatia +385 Yes Portugal +361 Yes Cuba +53 Yes Romania +40 Yes Cyprus +357 Yes Russia +7 Yes Czech Republic +42 Yes Samoa (American) +685 No Denmark +45 No Samoa Western +685 No Egypt +20 Yes Saudi Arabia +966 Yes Fiji +679 No Senegal +221 No Finland +358 Yes Seychelles +248 No France +33 No Singapore +65 No French Polynesia +689 No Slovakia +42 Yes Germany +49 Yes Slovenia +386 Yes Gibraltar +350 No Solomon Islands +677 No Greece +30 Yes South Africa +27 Yes Guam +1671 No Spain +34 Yes Hong Kong +852 No Sri Lanka +94 Yes Hungary +36 Yes Sweden +46 Yes India +91 Yes Switzerland +41 Yes Indonesia +62 Yes Syria +963 Yes Iran +98 Yes Taiwan +886 Yes Iraq +964 Yes Thailand +66 Yes Ireland, Republic of +353 Yes Tonga +676 No Israel +972 Yes Turkey +90 Yes Italy +39 Yes Tuvalu +688 No Japan +81 Yes Ukraine +380 Yes Jordan +962 Yes United Arab Emirates +971 Yes Kiribati +686 No United Kingdom +44 Yes Korea (North) +850 Yes Uruguay +598 Yes Korea (South) +82 Yes USA +1 Yes Kuwait +965 No Vanuatu +678 No Laos +856 Yes Venezuela +58 Yes Lebanon +961 Yes Vietnam +84 Yes Macedonia +389 Yes Yugoslavia +381 No Malaysia +60 Yes Zaire (Dem. Rep. Congo) +243 No Malta +356 No Zambia +260 Yes Marshall Islands +692 No Zimbabwe +263 Yes



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