Studio Manager 11
Installation
& Setup Guide
Tokerud Consulting Group
Studio Manager 11
Installation & Setup Guide
Janet Tokerud, President, Developer
Kathy (Scout) Tomyris, Associate Developer, Technical Writer
Sally Shannon, QA & Editing
Tokerud Consulting Group
122 Marinero Circle
Tiburon, CA 94920 USA
(415) 789-5219
janet@tokerud.com
www.studio-manager.com
www.tokerud.com
Studio Manager 11 Installation and Setup Guide
Last updated December 2011
© 2010, 2011
Disclaimers
iPhone, iPod touch and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
FileMaker is a trademark of FileMaker, Inc., registered in the U.S.and other countries.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
Using the Documentation ...........................................................................iv
Doing Things in Order, or not ......................................................................iv
Introduction to Studio Manager
1
Advantages of Using Studio Manager.........................................................1
Studio Manager Features ............................................................................1
Types of Studio Manager Users ..................................................................2
Phased Implementation ..............................................................................4
Phases by Module
Phases by Type of User
The Impact of Staff Turnover.......................................................................4
System Overview
5
Overview of Studio Manager’s Tables
Primary Modules (Tables)
Secondary Tables
Support Tables
Back-End Tables
Windows Compatibility................................................................................8
Disclaimer
Playing It Safe .............................................................................................9
Testing Studio Manager with Historical Data
Never Assume the computer can’t make a mistake.
Garbage in, garbage out
Backing up
Saving Backups
Sending a Copy to Us
Multiple Users
10
Setting Up Studio Manager for File Sharing
Opening Studio Manager over a Network
Networking Recommendations
Installation
12
Before Using Studio Manager the First Time ............................................12
Minimum Requirements ............................................................................12
Fonts
Installing FileMaker ...................................................................................12
FileMaker skill required
Installing Studio Manager on your Hard Drive .........................................13
Single-user
Multi-user but not Server
Multi-user with Server
Opening Studio Manager...........................................................................14
Customization Considerations ..................................................................15
Personalization
15
Customization ............................................................................................15
i
Backup, Backup, Backup
Including Your Company Name on Reports ..............................................16
Customizing Forms and Report Layouts ..................................................16
Customizing a Report Layout
Customizing A Print Estimate
Customizing Entry Screen Layouts ...........................................................18
Customizing Tab Labels ............................................................................18
Customizing Tab Order ..............................................................................19
Customizing the Help File .........................................................................19
Customizing Scripts and Relationships ...................................................19
Customizing Page Setup and Printing Scripts .........................................19
Adding More Email Capability...................................................................20
Email Attachments ....................................................................................20
Considerations for creating email attachments
Using a Plug-In to Add More Email Functionality
Setup Instructions
22
Steps to Follow When Setting Up Studio Manager 11 ..............................22
Setting Up the Billing Codes Table ............................................................22
How Billing Codes are Used
Deciding on Billing Codes
Billing Code Numbers
Setting Defaults .........................................................................................25
Personalization Tab
SM Prefs Tab
Job Specs
Job Brief
Holiday List
System Tab
Preparing the Contacts Table ....................................................................27
Adjusting the Phone Value Lists
Setting Default Rates for Each Client
Modifying the User Tab
Setting Up Job Assignments
Preparing the Jobs Table...........................................................................31
Job Numbers and Job ID
Numbering Component Jobs
Defining Job Specs
Entering Current Jobs
Setting Up the Designers Value List
Setting Up the Acct Exec Value List
Preparing the Estimates Table ..................................................................34
Defining Average Cost per Hour for Estimates
Putting Unit Costs into Your Estimates
Preparing the Estimate Items Table .........................................................34
Creating Email & Print Versions of an Estimate
Preparing the Invoices Table .....................................................................36
Set Default Print Method for Invoices
Customizing the Invoice
Preparing the Mail Log Table ....................................................................38
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preparing the Weeks Table ........................................................................38
Preparing the Tax Rates Table...................................................................39
Preparing Other Tables ..............................................................................39
Managing Security
40
Principles of Security and Access Design ................................................40
Security and Security Management Features ..........................................40
What you get and why
The Privilege Sets
Layout Access
Script Access
Creating User Accounts
Other Notes about Security .......................................................................45
Basic Studio Manager
46
Before Opening Studio Manager ...............................................................46
Opening Studio Manager...........................................................................46
The Studio Manager Interface ..................................................................46
Entry Screens ............................................................................................46
Tabs
The Button Bar On Entry Screens
List Screens ...............................................................................................47
Navigation ..................................................................................................47
Tables
Places
Scripts Menu..............................................................................................48
Printing from Studio Manager...................................................................48
Standard Audit Fields ................................................................................49
Data Entry
49
Relationships .............................................................................................49
Lookups .....................................................................................................50
Related Fields ............................................................................................50
Calculated Fields .......................................................................................50
Manage Database .....................................................................................50
Data that is Automatically Entered ...........................................................51
Data Entry Order
51
Importing Contacts
52
Preparing Contacts for Importing
Importing One Category at a Time
Importing Data from Text Tables
Importing from Another Copy or Version of Studio Manager
Matching Fields
Import Options
Getting a Good Import
Updating Imported Data
Importing in Batches
iii
Studio Manager Mobile
54
FileMaker Pro Resources
55
Tokerud Consulting Group ........................................................................55
FileMaker, Inc.............................................................................................55
Training ......................................................................................................55
Resources ..................................................................................................55
Read a book ...............................................................................................56
Consultants ...............................................................................................56
USING THE DOCUMENTATION
Repeating Instructions & Making Assumptions
We make the assumption here that while setting up Studio Manager, you are going to follow
the installation section of this manual sequentially. We also assume that you are intelligent
enough to be bored by the endless repetition of instructions that is typical of software
manuals. Therefore, you may assume that we will repeat instructions for common tasks,
features or functions, only a few times. From that point forward, we will assume that you
know how to do it.
If you are using FileMaker Pro 11, you may notice that there are some features available to
you that did not exist in FileMaker Pro 10. We don’t describe the differences in this manual,
so it is up to you to learn how to use those new features on your own. We are using
FileMaker Pro 11 now ourselves. Contact us if you get confused.
In general all documentation for Studio Manager uses the following formatting standards. At
least that was our goal. Go easy on us if something doesn’t match exactly. Thanks.
Emphasis = bold or italic depending on context
Buttons = underlined or named as buttons or both; in all caps (if that’s how they appear)
Field names = Italics
Data in fields = in “quotes”
Table names = Initial Caps
Links to another part of the manual are underlined and clicking should take you there
Outside links are underlined and colored blue. Clicking will take you to the web page to
which it points assuming that you are connected to the internet. An email link will open a
new mail window for you as long as your computer is configured for this function.
DOING THINGS IN ORDER, OR NOT
Not surprisingly, the order in which you do some setup tasks is like the old chicken and egg
conundrum. Which comes first?
Although it might make sense to modify something like the layout of your estimate before
you begin using Studio Manager, it may be difficult for you to do so without the presence of
some data so that you can test the result of your customizing efforts.
For best results, read through this entire manual before you actually begin to do anything.
By the time you are done, you will have a better sense of whether you want to quickly create
some fake data for testing purposes, or if you would rather begin to enter your real data and
follow with customization tasks later.
iv
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
INTRODUCTION TO
STUDIO MANAGER
Welcome to Studio Manager 11, the world’s best
FileMaker™ Pro template for the management of
creative services. Effectively managing the business
end of producing creative projects is as important to
the ultimate success of a design operation as your
ability to generate stunning graphics.
Studio Manager 11 is the most current iteration of a
product that began way back in 1987, before most
designers had become skilled computer jockeys. Based
on the very popular database FileMaker™ Pro, Studio
Manager has evolved, along with FileMaker, from
simple single-user software to a multi-user, featurerich management system that offers her users ultimate
control over every aspect of running a time and
expense type of business.
This Installation and Setup Guide is a companion to
the Studio Manager 11 User Manual. Together they
are intended to first give you an overview of Studio
Manager 11, and then to provide you with detailed
instructions in how to use all the features. If applicable
to you, also check out the Studio Manager 11 Mobile
Manual (for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch). Studio
Manager 11 is the first version of Studio Manager to
support Apple mobile devices.
Our goal is to teach you how to use Studio Manager 11
as competently as you use your design skills. We
intend for our manuals to be visually pleasing, easy to
understand and fun to read. Each person using these
manuals, regardless of their role, only needs to read
those chapters that are relevant to them. Users of
previous versions of Studio Manager (who want to
learn about new features), as well as those returning to
the manual to find specific information, can anticipate
being able to locate what you need quickly and easily.
ADVANTAGES
OF USING STUDIO MANAGER
If you are reading this then you, or someone in your
business or department, chose Studio Manager as the
best software solution for managing your work. Ours is
not the only system out there that markets itself to the
creative services profession. Others that cost more may
offer additional functionality like accounting: an
inflexible task particularly unsuitable for management
objectives. Some of them are less expensive (and have
fewer features). A few are also based on FileMaker Pro
which is a cross-platform (Mac and Windows)
database application.
Ever heard the term "black box" in reference to
software? It refers to applications that offer specific
functionality that cannot be customized. Microsoft®
Word, QuarkXPress® and Adobe® Photoshop® all fall
in the black box category. You may be able to do many
things with them, but you cannot add or change
features or the graphical user interface. Compare that
to Studio Manager which can be extensively
customized to look and work exactly like you want, but
is not useful if you don't need the functionality.
Studio Manager is customizable because it is based on
FileMaker Pro. Studio Manager 11 requires FileMaker
Pro 10 or 11. In order to use Studio Manager, you must
also own and run FileMaker Pro. Doing so gives you
the "keys to the kingdom."
Although jam-packed with features that enable you to
do everything from estimating to billing, keep in mind
that Studio Manager is not a final product. It is totally
modifiable by anyone with the skill to do so. FileMaker
Pro makes this possible although FileMaker itself is a
black box program.
Using Studio Manager well requires that you learn
some FileMaker along with the specifics of SM11. This
manual will walk you through all required steps the
first time it is mentioned. If you are new to FileMaker
Pro, we recommend that you get up to speed by
obtaining some training. See the Resources section
at the end of this guide for some recommendations.
STUDIO MANAGER FEATURES
Each feature is presented in detail
later on. Here is an overview that
will give you a good sense of the
essentials, a few frills and how it all
works together.
Contact management with specialized screens for
prospects, clients, vendors and employees.
Page 1
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
Job tracking with instant access to every aspect of
each job whether that is a list of tasks, a schedule of
deadlines, the estimates, POs, actual job costs, and
even billing.
Installation and Setup Guide
Job cost tracking means that you can look at a
project at any point to determine exactly how much
time and direct expenses have been recorded.
Compare estimates to actuals in order to make
informed decisions.
Job Cost Reports
Customizing
Managing Access and Privileges
Timesheets
3. Project Manager. This might be the db
Administrator and the Executive in a small shop
or multiple managers in a large organization. In
charge of managing the flow of projects in the
shop, this frontline position requires a thorough
understanding of Studio Manager. At least skim
each chapter, focusing on the features that are
most relevant.
Timesheets that will track your time per project can
be enabled for every single person on your network.
Estimating is so easy (SM11 uses a checklist and
modification scheme) and intuitive that any excuses to
not estimate promptly and often are rendered
irrelevant.
Entire User Manual, cover to cover
Invoices can be generated from actual costs or
estimates as well as from scratch.
Mobile Manual, if applicable
For those that need them, Studio Manager 11 also
includes Purchase Orders, Payables and
Communications.
4. Sales. Marketing and sales execs track their
tasks within the contacts management parts of
Studio Manager.
TYPES OF STUDIO MANAGER USERS
Identify who you are in the list below or in the
chart. Then refer to the chapters of these
manuals that are recommended.
1. Database (db) Administrator. This is
the person or persons that have access to
every aspect of the program. They know in
their bones why you use Studio Manager
and how to use virtually every aspect of the
program, from setting it up to making
changes.
Installation and Setup Guide
Role
What to Read
Database Admin
Entire manual, cover to cover. Skim. Then read and refer
to in detail as you implement modules in phases.
Executive
Entire manual perhaps skimming and then reading details
as desired. Then use as reference when needed.
Project Manager
Entire manual except set-up section of manual. Skim, then
go into detail on pieces you need to master.
Sales
Introduction, Managing Contacts, Jobs, Estimates,
Timesheets.
Designer
Introduction, Managing Contacts, Jobs, Estimates,
Timesheets, plus customizing if you are designing the
invoice and estimate formats in Studio Manager.
Freelancer
Introduction, Managing Contacts, Timesheets.
IT
Skim entire manual lightly. Master Installation and Setup.
Also need to read FileMaker and FileMaker Server
documentation. Support DB admin as appropriate.
FileMaker Consultant
Skim entire manual lightly. Master Installation and Setup if
IT isn’t doing this. Study sections you are specifically
customizing, supporting or training on.
Upgrader
Read Appendix G on new features in Studio Manager 11
and any other sections you have been meaning to read.
Then use the manual for reference.
Entire User Manual, cover to cover
Mobile Manual, if applicable
2. Executive. This is generally the owner,
the partners or the head of the department.
They are the ones likely responsible for the
use of Studio Manager in the first place.
They may not know how to use each
feature, but they do know why. Unless they
have delegated the job, it is the Executive
who sets preferences and determines
details like billing codes and rates.
Introduction
Page 2
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
Introduction
Introduction
Managing Contacts
Installation and Setup
Managing Jobs
Customizing
Managing Estimates
Managing Access and Privileges
Timesheets
otherwise, Entire Manual, cover to cover
Invoicing - if included in the job description
Mobile Manual, if applicable
Mobile Manual, if applicable
5. Designer. This user type also includes
Production Artists. These are the creative staff,
the ones who actually design and produce
graphics and communications. Largely
populated by right-brain individuals, these folks
may not use Studio Manager as much as those
in charge of the finances.
Introduction
Managing Contacts
Managing Jobs
Timesheets
Customizing - if modifying layouts or forms
6. Freelance. It is up to the Executive to
determine just how much access an
independent contractor or temporary can have
to the Studio Manager system. It is common for
them to be limited to entering their time. Some
may be included when tasks are scheduled and
if so, they need access to Contacts.
8. FileMaker Consultant. If you require
extensive customization, hand holding during
installation or personalized training, then we
recommend that you hire an experienced
consultant. In addition to doing this ourselves,
we keep a list of those already familiar with
Studio Manager. These folks are spread out all
over the world. Unless they learned Studio
Manager 11 from another client, we recommend
full immersion.
All manuals, cover to cover
9. Upgrader. This is the person who has used,
and so is familiar with, a previous version of
Studio Manager. At this point, that could be
Studio Manager 4 to 10. Upgrading requires
importing old data into SM11 along with any
custom features or previously modified layouts.
It requires a fairly high-level type of user who
understands both the old and new versions. At
the very least, read
Introduction
New Features (Appendix E: User Manual)
Introduction
Upgrade Manual (separate document)
Timesheets
Mobile Manual, if applicable
Managing Contacts
7. IT. Many studios are blessed with one or more
Computer Geeks or Information Technology
specialists. These are the folks who are best
prepared to fiddle behind the scenes
(customize) and assist with installation and
setup. How much they do is going to depend on
their FileMaker Pro skill. If they know
FileMaker well, then they may even be able to
offer training.
It is quite common for upgraders to work directly with
us, Tokerud Consulting Group. This ensures that the
upgrade process is both smooth and accurate.
Page 3
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
PHASED IMPLEMENTATION
Part of the power in holding the keys to the kingdom is
in choosing to install, configure and implement the
various features of Studio Manager a little at a time. Of
course, you could jump right in, take a FileMaker class
or two over the weekend, make everyone read the
whole manual and then dive into the entire program
first thing Monday morning. We don't recommend
this, but it's your choice.
Our advice is that you bring Studio Manager online in
phases. By doing so, you don't overwhelm anyone and
you don't waste valuable design time while you are still
learning. Like any software application, you can expect
for Studio Manager to have a learning curve. It's a bit
slow at first and a few mistakes get through. As the
screens and functions become more familiar, folks will
learn more quickly. Anyone who uses Studio Manager
for more than filling out timesheets can benefit from
some basic FileMaker Pro training in addition to
learning the specifics of Studio Manager.
Two approaches have been identified. Pick the one that
you believe will work best in your situation: phases by
module (feature-based) or phases by type of user.
PHASES BY MODULE
What is a module? We are so glad you asked. We
latched onto this term to describe what FileMaker Pro
refers to as a "table." In the world according to
FileMaker, tables are the distinct parts of the database
that contain both the layouts and the data and which
have "relationships" to each other.
The word “table” is rather generic and is also used to
describe something else (a type of chart) in the
graphics world. Since we, Tokerud Consulting Group,
the developers of Studio Manager, like to think in
terms of functionality rather than programming, the
term "module" makes more sense to us. It is a
technicality that some of our modules have the same
name as some of our tables. There are many other
tables in Studio Manager that you will rarely, if ever,
see. Unless you are one of those geeks or a consultant,
all the ways that the tables relate to each other is too
esoteric for a user manual that purports to be simple.
Page 4
That said, if you choose to implement Studio Manager
in phases by module, here is the order that we
recommend:
1. Contacts, Billing Codes, Jobs
2. Tasks
3. Timesheets
4. Job Costs
5. Estimating, Invoicing
6. Purchase Orders (optional)
7. Payables (optional)
8. Correspondence
PHASES BY TYPE OF USER
Refer back to "The Types of Studio Manager Users."
To phase in SM11 by user type, first decide what
functions are most important to you. Then bring
Studio Manager into the workflow gradually by having
fewer and then more and more staff use it until
everyone is up to speed. You might even have an
employee or two that help train everyone else.
Regardless of the order, it really makes a difference to
have someone who is in charge.
THE IMPACT OF STAFF TURNOVER
Organizations that use Studio Manager, or any other
management system, are affected by staff changes,
especially when those with primary responsibility for
maintaining the database depart. If at all possible, we
recommend that employees train their replacements.
All new hires, trained or not, deserve to be given a copy
of the manuals. Of course, they only need to read the
chapters that are applicable to them.
Occasionally you are going to get lucky and discover
that a new hire has FileMaker or even Studio Manager
experience. Both have become popular enough that
they have generated a following.
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
SYSTEM OVERVIEW
In this section you will learn about the relational
database structure of Studio Manager, a set of
interrelated FileMaker™ Pro tables* designed to help
you better operate, coordinate, participate in and
evaluate the work of your studio.
* Tables contain all the records, fields and data in a
file. A file with multiple tables linked together contains
all the information about related topics, thus forming a
relational database.
*TABLES: are used to organize sets of data records
into logical groups. For example, Studio Manager
has tables for contacts, jobs, invoices, estimates,
notes, tasks, etc. In the contacts table, any number
of contact records can be kept.
Each record is like a rolodex card that stores a
contact’s name, address, phone, email and other
pertinent details. But since the rolodex cards are
electronic, the information can be displayed in
many different ways including in lists, forms and
reports.
While you work in Studio Manager, you’ll always be
working in one table or another. Sometimes you’ll
be in the Jobs table, working on creating new jobs
or tracking and updating job details. Other times,
you may be working in the Contacts table, looking
up information about a client or vendor. And still
other times you’ll be creating new estimates in the
Estimates table, or entering a timesheet in the
Timesheets table.
Because the tables in Studio Manager are linked
together, when you are in one table, you can view or
enter information into related tables without
actually having to go to that related table.
The core functions of Studio Manager are job tracking
(costs, time and tasks), estimating and billing.
Additionally, SM11 includes tables designed for contact
management, purchase orders, payables and
timesheets.
OVERVIEW OF STUDIO MANAGER’S TABLES
Studio Manager 11 is a single file. Inside this single file
there are more than 25 data tables and almost 20
auxiliary tables that perform various behind-the-scene
functions.
RELATIONSHIPS. Different tables in Studio
Manager are linked to each other by relationships.
Relationship are defined by matching a field in
one table to a unique identifier in another table.
Since Studio Manager has defined a relationship
between Contacts and Jobs, when a new job
record is created, only the contact number for the
key client contact needs to be entered into the job
record. This single identifier allows FileMaker to
lookup the matching contact number in Contacts
and then display or print anything about the
contact that has been entered into his or her
contact record.
Once you’ve entered the contact number into a
job, the name, company, address and billing rates
are looked up. Other similarly established
relationships allow contact information to flow
effortlessly into new invoices, estimates, purchase
orders and payables as soon as the contact
number is entered.
By means of the relationship between Contacts
and Jobs, you can also see downstream from
Contacts to Jobs. This allows you to view all the
related jobs and estimates for a particular client
within a scrolling sub-window called a “portal”.
You can also see all the purchase orders and
payables for a vendor in a portal. Or all of the
timesheets or unfinished tasks for an individual
employee.
Relationships allow you to drill down to see
details. They also allow you to go up the chain to
the “owner” or parent record. You might be
viewing a timesheet, for example, and want to
look at some detail about the employee who filled
out the timesheet. Because Studio Manager has
defined a relationship between employees and
timesheets, you can jump up the chain to the
employee record with one click. This allows you to
quickly get the information you need.
The primary tables are those that you work in most
often – where you enter and process data and where
you go to print forms and reports. Because Studio
Manager is a relational database, some of the data that
you view and enter into the main tables is actually
stored in one or more secondary tables in the
background.
Some reports also take advantage of secondary tables.
The exact tables used to perform a function are often
transparent to the average user. A good example are
the layouts used to print reports. These sometimes
reside in secondary tables.
Tables like Purchase Orders and Payables are also
considered secondary because their use is optional.
Page 5
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
We include a third type of table in Studio Manager;
what we call support tables. These include the
online help tables.
clients. Because of this, the formatting is crucial for a
creative services firm. You’ll want to take a few
minutes to personalize the invoice.
We have a fourth type of table in Studio Manager that
we call back-end tables. These tables are used to store
small amounts of data about the system.
Estimates. When you create a new estimate from the
Jobs table it imports the default billing codes and
descriptions you have specified for estimating as
estimate line items.
PRIMARY MODULES (TABLES)
Contacts. This module contains the master contact
list of everyone your firm deals with. For the purposes
of Studio Manager, there are four types of contacts we
need to account for: prospects, clients, vendors and
employees. [You can also include other types of
contacts if you like.]
In order to track the details of jobs and create
estimates, invoices, etc., all of your active prospects,
clients, vendors, and employees should be included in
Contacts. Most operations in Studio Manager begin
with Contacts and all the other main tables are linked
to Contacts.
Jobs. This is where you track your jobs or projects.
Each record covers the details about a single job. Job
numbers, titles, descriptions, specs, statuses, start and
completion dates and job rates are stored here.
These line items appear in scrolling check lists on the
Estimates entry screen but are actually stored behind
the scenes in the related Estimate Items table. The
average user doesn’t need to know where the line items
are stored, but we thought you might want to know.
You enter hours and projected expenses to build your
estimate. Rates are applied and totals are calculated
instantly and automatically. This functionality allows
you to create and print out your estimates in minutes.
Again, you’ll want to look at the several alternate
estimate formats that Studio Manager provides and
take a few minutes to refine the format of the layouts
you think you’ll use.
As mentioned above, when you create a new job
record, normal hourly rates for the client are
automatically looked up from the Contacts table. You
may change the default rates if a particular job has
special circumstances or requirements.
Job Costs. This is the master data table where time,
expenses, estimate and billed amounts are stored by
job for reporting purposes. Job Costs is such an
important table that even though regular users never
come here, we consider it a primary table. However, if
you are the studio manager, you may come here often
to run the reports you need to control and track the
status of your jobs.
Because you can see downstream and drill down from
a job to its estimates, time, expenses, invoices and
purchase orders, Studio Manager’s Jobs table becomes
the control center for your business.
Even though few layouts in Job Costs will be viewed by
anyone outside the your own organization, you may
want to format these reports to your own standards,
when time permits.
Timesheets. You and your staff can use Timesheets
over the network from your own computers to enter
your time electronically as you work. Whenever an
entry is made into a timesheet, it is immediately added
to the Job Costs table and available for status reports.
Calendar. New in Studio Manager 10 was a calendar
view that shows task deadlines. Click on the one line
task name to open a modular Task Detail window for
more information or to edit. Draws in data from Jobs,
Contacts and Tasks. Also jumps to a Week view.
Invoices. This is where you input and manage your
invoices, although much of the actual data that you
work with here – the invoice line items, is stored in the
related Invoice Items table. Invoices is where some of
Studio Manager’s biggest magic happens. Generate
invoices from time and expenses or from estimates
with the push of a button. Besides quickly getting bills
out, you can track and report on your accounts
receivables, monthly sales and quarterly sales tax too.
Invoices go to your most important audience, your
Page 6
SECONDARY TABLES
Billing Codes. This table contains the records of
your standard billing descriptions and billing codes.
You include here codes for design, illustration,
photography, comps, art direction, production,
printing, etc. Billing codes are used when you and your
staff enter expenses and time worked, and in the
creation of estimates, invoices, purchase orders and
payables.
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
Purchase Orders. POs can be generated in one of
two formats. One is very simple and freeform with a
large description area and a single amount field. The
other allows up to 6 line-items on the same PO with
amounts for each and a total.
The actual line-item data for POs is stored in the Job
Costs table and when you need the most flexibility, you
have the option to print the PO in Job Costs.
When you first start using purchase orders, if you
choose to do so, try out all three purchase order
formats so you’ll know all your options. You’ll probably
find that one of the three formats suits your needs for
most purposes. Then the other formats will just be
there if you ever find yourself with an unusual
purchase that doesn’t work with your favorite format.
Again, you’ll want to take a few minutes to customize
the purchase order layouts to fit with your standards
when time permits.
Estimate Items. Estimate line items are stored in the
Estimate Items table but are usually viewed from the
Estimates module. Detailed estimates are printed in
the Estimate Items table for maximum flexibility.
Estimate Items are also used to create invoices so that
you can bill the client what you said you were going to
bill without having to re-enter the details. The Get
Estimate link on the Invoices entry screen, grabs an
estimate with or without change orders and fills in the
invoice for you.
Invoice Items and Invoice Payments. Invoice
items are the line items of every invoice and Invoice
payments are your record of payments on those
invoice. By keeping this data in separate tables, you are
able to analyze and report on billing results. If the line
items and payments were stored in the Invoice record
directly, you couldn’t sort and subtotal them in
different ways for different purposes such as reporting
on sales by service category or client payments by
month.
Tasks. The work of scheduling, allocating work,
gauging whether you can finish a new job to meet a
client’s requirements, is vitally important in a creative
services firm. Studio Manager is designed to make this
work as easy, effective and efficient as possible.
Normally, you’ll work with tasks in a portal on the
Tasks tab in the Jobs table. There you can print a
schedule for a job or view your entire schedule of
deadlines using the tabs provided.
Each task that appears in Jobs or Contacts in scrolling
portals is actually stored in the Tasks table. You can
enter and edit tasks directly from the portals in Jobs
and Contacts.
Notes. From the Jobs table, your team can enter notes
about a particular job as needed. The portal in Jobs
shows the related records stored in the Notes table.
Payables. If your accounting program doesn’t handle
payables the way you want, you can track them in
Studio Manager’s optional Payables table. Just enter
supplier invoices as they come through the door (or via
email). Allocate single bills to multiple Job Numbers
quickly when you need to. Since one of the main
functions of a payables feature is to help you pay your
bills on time, when you open Payables, you see your
current Accounts Payable report.
Mail Log and Mail Templates. These two tables are
the basis of the correspondence features in Studio
Manager. The Mail Log contains a record for each
letter, fax, email or other type of correspondence you
send to each person in the Contacts table. Besides
speeding up data entry, you also get better storage and
access to all your correspondence. It’s all stored in a
table which is searchable by name, topic, date or any
other field you might choose.
Mail Templates allow you to create and save forms and
standard messages for bulk mailing. It also lets you
save a list of the people you sent those mailings to in
case you want to send to that same group in the future.
Tax Rates. This table contains a list of California
counties plus special codes for Resale and Out of State.
Each record includes an abbreviation for the county,
the county name and the current sales tax rate.
California-based businesses should check this table
against an official Franchise Tax Board sales tax rate
table to make sure the table is up-to-date. As rates
change, you will need to update the table.
If you are not in California, delete the sample data and
add your own (if you need to tax invoices). It is fairly
easy to modify the built-in tax calculations to get them
to work for a variety of tax requirements.
Weeks. The Weeks table is a tiny lookup table that
makes it possible for Studio Manager to create weekly
Job Cost and Schedule reports. It assumes you start
your weeks on Mondays and end them on Sunday. If
you need to start your weeks on Sundays, contact us
for instructions to change the weeks table to fit your
needs. It’s an easy one-time change.
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
In Studio Manager 10 the Weeks table was expanded
to work with the Calendar in order to show you task
deadlines in a more detailed week view.
SUPPORT TABLES
Help. Studio Manager comes with its own on-line help
system. The Help table contains a single record for
each help item. It does not contain nearly everything in
the manuals, but does include many of the instructions
for setting up and operating Studio Manager. When
you click the Help button, you get taken to the help
table to see what’s available for the table you were
working in.
You can add your own help or modify existing help
entries to reflect additions and changes you’ve made.
In current versions of Studio Manager, Tooltips have
been added to some buttons as a way to learn what
that button will do before you click. Tooltips are not
intended as a replacement for Help or this manual.
HelpIndx. The HelpIndx table is used to match help
topics to particular tables. Users never need to access
this table directly, but it is vital to the help system and
should not be removed or changed.
BACK-END TABLES
We do not have to create whole separate tables every
time we want to track something. There are several
little tables used for this purpose. We gave each of
these back-end tables a “z_” prefix so they would sort
to the bottom. In the security piece, we’ve got Accounts
and Privilege Sets. We keep lots of good information
about Layouts, Tables and Scripts in those tables.
We’ve got some miscellaneous tables for error codes,
global variables, custom functions, new layouts, new
scripts and user feedback.
WINDOWS COMPATIBILITY
Although most of our clients use Macintosh
computers, a significant minority are
running Windows on a PC. We are in
business to serve you, not Microsoft
or Apple, so although Studio
Manager is developed entirely on
Macs, we make the extra effort to
stay compatible with Windows.
Page 8
If you are a Windows user, be aware of two limitations
that we have. We are small and don’t have the
resources to test Studio Manager with a wide range of
operating systems or hardware. If the past is any
predictor though, we’ve received nary a complaint.
Cross platform functionality is very well implemented.
We refer you to FileMaker Inc. for printer
compatibility issues since they are not specific to
Studio Manager. If you have any doubts about your
printer being supported, contact FileMaker Inc. before
you purchase Studio Manager. Also take a look at our
demo on one of your Windows machines to see for
yourself how it looks.
We know that if anyone is particular about
appearances, it is graphics professionals, so we don’t
take for granted that you will be satisfied with our
choices. you can however change fonts and layouts to
fit your taste and needs.
DISCLAIMER
No software is ever certain to be without bugs. Even
though computer calculations tend to remain accurate
when they have been built correctly, unusual data
input (which was not originally anticipated when the
calculation was written) can be mishandled by the
system. Although we
would like to offer
an iron-clad
guarantee, we
cannot.
We’ve tested Studio
Manager 11 very
thoroughly and we’ve
especially tested and
retested critical data
processing scripts that delete
data. Even still, we have to allow
for the unknown.
Studio Manager is offered to you as is.
Tokerud Consulting Group can’t bear
the responsibility for any loss of data or
loss to your business because of a bug in
the software. This disclaimer is consistent
with industry standards. The next part of
this manual offers some good advice to
help you avoid any pitfalls.
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
PLAYING IT SAFE
TESTING STUDIO MANAGER WITH HISTORICAL DATA
The most likely time to find a “bug” (or simply
something that doesn’t work the way you expect) is
when you first start using Studio Manager. A good
precaution to take when you are just starting out is to
enter data on a variety of small completed jobs to see if
Studio Manager calculates the answers the same way
as your old system.
Compare the output from Studio Manager against your
old reports. If there are discrepancies, try to find out
why. Please call us if you have any questions.
Once you are confident that Studio Manager handles
your completed jobs correctly, start using it on current
jobs. But double-check everything Studio Manager
does until you are confident that it works perfectly.
NEVER ASSUME THE COMPUTER CAN’T MAKE A MISTAKE.
Even though you will get much higher rates of
accuracy with Studio Manager than you would get
using a calculator or even a spreadsheet, don’t have
blind faith in its output. Make a practice of glancing
over your invoices and estimates before they go out
and make sure they look reasonable. If not, check into
it. Contemplate the figures and contact information.
Check out anything that looks like it might be wrong.
GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT
Studio Manager can detect many fairly gross data
entry errors and warn you about them. For example, if
you enter a number into a date field, you will get an
error message. But Studio Manager can’t detect a
transposition error where you enter in 39 instead of
93. Typos can slip through.
There are some simple cross-checks you can make to
help insure accuracy. We suggest that you compare key
totals from Studio Manager to your accounting totals.
Then, after you’ve entered all your time into Studio
Manager, compare Studio Manager’s total against your
calculator total. It is good business practice to have a
cross-check for each major aspect of your system.
If, after consulting our documentation, you feel you
have detected a “bug”, please call us at (415) 789-5219.
Or even better, send an email with Studio Manager in
the subject line to Janet at janet@tokerud.com and
followup with a phone call if it is urgent. We will be
happy to help you check out the problem.
Our policy is that we don’t bill you for time we spend
helping to diagnose or eliminate real bugs, but we do
charge for our time when the problem you are having
is not due to a bug, but is really just a user error.
BACKING UP
As with any important data, it is vital that you back up
your Studio Manager file. Because it contains
information critical to the operation of your business,
we recommend that you back up at least once every
day that you use it.
We strongly recommend that you keep multiple
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
backups. If you already have a reliable backup system
in place for all data on your hard drive or network,
then just make sure Studio Manager is included.
Remember, backing up is the only way to absolutely
insure the safety of your data. Back up often (daily at
minimum) and make multiple copies. Keep at least one
copy of your backup off-site. Rotate your on-site and
off-site backups at least weekly.
If you use FileMaker Server, please take advantage of
the built-in automated backup feature that allows you
to make backup copies without closing the file.
As Scout is fond of saying, computer equipment is
cheap, easy to replace and doesn’t care a lick about
your data. Your data is your business. Invest whatever
time and expense is required to reliably back up all of
your important data!
Backups are important for all data until the computer
industry creates the totally reliable hard drive. Until
then (don’t hold your breath) it is not a matter of
whether your your hard drive will crash; it is only a
matter of when.
SAVING BACKUPS
Make backups of Studio Manager on a schedule
something like this: every day for 7 days, every week
for 6 weeks, every month for six months, every year.
Back up to hard drives, removable media or online
backup services.
SENDING A COPY TO US
If you ever need to send Tokerud Consulting Group a
copy of Studio Manager, you can send it compressed as
a Zip file. Contact us first. It’s better if you don’t just
send your file via email.
You may already have a system in place for sending
and receiving large files via FTP, MobileMe (from
Apple) or another internet service. We will happily
send you an invitation to Dropbox, our current choice.
M U LT I P L E U S E R S
FileMaker Pro is designed to permit more than one
user to access a file over a network. If you have Macs
and or PCs wired (or attached wirelessly) together to
print to a single laser printer, then you have a network.
FileMaker has its own built-in networking capability.
Turning Network Sharing On/Off
The capabilities of Studio Manager can be shared and
enhanced by using it over a network. In order for file
sharing to be enabled, Network Sharing must be
turned on. From the File menu, select Sharing and
then FileMaker Network. Click on the radio button to
turn it on. If you are not going to use Studio Manager
over a network, you can shorten the time it takes for
the file to open by turning Network Sharing off.
SETTING UP STUDIO MANAGER FOR FILE SHARING
When sharing Studio Manager over a network, put it
on a server with a fixed IP address. If you don’t have a
dedicated server (highly recommended), put the file on
the computer you use least for intensive processing.
This does not need to be your most powerful
computer, but it should be one that is lightly used and
not prone to crashing. A dedicated server is highly
recommended because a machine running only
FileMaker will rarely, if ever, crash and performance
will be better.
TIP. Keep Studio Manager open on the server.
Use both a dedicated hardware server and the
FileMaker Pro Server software if you have five or more
concurrent users. Technically, a copy of FileMaker Pro
can host a maximum of 9 concurrent users. Our
personal experience has led us to recommend up to 5
clients. Follow instructions in the FileMaker Pro
Server manual to make Studio Manager accessible
across your network.
OPENING STUDIO MANAGER OVER A NETWORK
Users who want to access Studio Manager on a local
area network (LAN) should have a copy of FileMaker
Pro that is the same version number as the server. At
the very least FileMaker Server needs to be version 10,
although FileMaker Server 11 is recommended.
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
To open Studio Manager across a network, follow these
steps:
Make sure Studio Manager is open on the server.
Launch FileMaker Pro on the client computer.
At the Open dialog box, click the Remote... button
Double-click Studio_Manager in the right panel of
the dialog that appears (If you are accessing
remotely, first select the server in the left panel).
network. Although you’ll be subject to delays whenever
you first access a particular data set, subsequent access
is cached and is quite reasonable on a remote
broadband connection. Using a bit of patience with the
occasional delay, we’ve been comfortable working an
hour or more connecting to many of our clients’ Studio
Manager servers on the East coast (from California).
Networking with FileMaker is pretty straightforward
for someone with basic networking knowledge and the
FileMaker user guide (a PDF) plus the Studio Manager
manuals close at hand to answer any questions that
come up. If there is a staff person or consultant who
normally handles your network, get them involved
here to make sure your network is set up correctly for
best performance.
Please note that FileMaker Server 11 requires an Intelbased Dual core Mac or compatible Windows PC.
NETWORKING RECOMMENDATIONS
Gigabit Ethernet, or in a pinch 100BaseT Ethernet, is
recommended for acceptable access speeds for
computers on the network. Local wi-fi access speeds
are also usually quite good but not as fast as hardwired
networking. If your access speeds as a client on your
local network isn’t good, check with your local
networking consultant or in-house expert.
If you intend to use an iPad or iPhone to connect with
Studio Manager 11, then version 1.2 of FileMaker Go is
recommended. Most features will also work with
FileMaker Go 1.1. For more about the compatibilities
between FileMaker Go and FileMaker see http://
help.filemaker.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/7733/
kw/.
You can also share Studio Manager data via the
internet. This may be convenient for remote users, but
it also makes your tables available to anyone who
might have access to the IP address of your server.
Good thing you have password protection. Work with
an expert if you also want a firewall.
Starting with Studio Manager 11, it is now possible to
access Studio Manager via FileMaker Go from any
Apple mobile device that supports it: iPad, iPhone and
iPod touch. Currently both the iPad and iPod touch
require access to a wireless network. Although it is
possible to connect with the host via the 3G cellular
network on your iPhone, this is not recommended due
to slow performance and the fact that it uses your
iPhone’s data plan (which could cost you extra).
If you are thinking about accessing remotely via 56k
modem or with the average cell phone, be prepared for
very slow going. A modem connection, unless it is
broadband, is much, much slower than a local
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
I N S TA L L AT I O N
BEFORE USING STUDIO MANAGER THE FIRST TIME
You may only need to use this section of the manual
one time, when you set up Studio Manager for the very
first time. If Studio Manager is already up and
running, you might wish to skip to the sections starting
with Basic Studio Manager.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Studio Manager requires FileMaker Pro, FileMaker
Pro Advanced, FileMaker Server, or FileMaker Server
Advanced. For simplification of this documentation,
any reference made to FileMaker applies to all 4 of
these applications, unless stated otherwise.
Studio Manager runs on FileMaker 10 or 11 in Mac OS
X or Windows. For details, consult the FileMaker, Inc.
website for software and hardware requirements
(http://www.filemaker.com).
For best results install both FileMaker and Studio
Manager on a fast Mac or PC. If you want multiple
users to access Studio Manager, then choose a
relatively fast, recent model computer as the server.
The Studio Manager template has been designed to
work best on a modern color monitor that can display
at least 1024 x 768 pixels. If you are in an unusual
situation where you don’t have a monitor big enough
to see everything, you can modify layouts as needed.
Some layout elements (especially backgrounds) are
locked and will need to be unlocked (a simple menu
command) before they can be moved or resized.
FONTS
Studio Manager uses the fonts Lucida Grande for entry
and list screens, and Arial for reports. We needed a
condensed font that would be legible in a small point
size for the schedule report, so we chose Adobe’s Futura
Condensed. This font is NOT supplied with Studio
Manager, but is widely available.
If you do not have Futura Condensed, then substitute
another condensed font or use a smaller point size of a
regular font like Helvetica or Helvetica Neue. Use a
different condensed font if you prefer. If you don’t
have a condensed font, you may want to apply the
Condense style. The condense command in FileMaker
isn’t all that pretty. It smashes letters together. You
have been forewarned.
Page 12
Be sure to install the same version of each of these
fonts on each computer that will be used with the
tables. You may of course customize Studio Manager
to use any fonts you wish, just be sure that these same
fonts are installed and opened on all the computers
that will use it.
INSTALLING FILEMAKER
Studio Manager 11 was developed from Studio
Manager 10 using the FileMaker Pro Advanced 11
application. In order to use all features of Studio
Manager 11, you must use FileMaker Pro 11 or
FileMaker Pro Advanced 11.
Prior to using the Studio Manager template, install
FileMaker. A separate installation code is required for
each computer used concurrently.
As a registered owner of FileMaker you receive regular
email regarding updates. Alternately, check the
FileMaker website, from where you can download or
purchase any update/upgrade you require.
Although the file format used by FileMaker Pro 11
seems to be the same as versions of FileMaker 7, 8, 9
and 10 (note the .fp7 extension at the end of the file
name), Studio Manager 11 requires FileMaker Pro 10
or 11 and will quit if you attempt to open it in an earlier
version.
Although the file will open and is mostly useable with
FileMaker 10, features that require FileMaker 11 will
not work. If you wish to access Studio Manager via
FileMaker Go (iPad, iPhone, iPod touch) then you
must use FileMaker 11 or higher.
FILEMAKER SKILL REQUIRED
Using all of the features in Studio Manager requires
basic FileMaker Pro skills. If you have never used
FileMaker before, take the time to work through the
tutorial that comes with the FileMaker application, or
contact a local training resource. We strongly
recommend that the person responsible for database
maintenance receive the training they need to be at
least a competent intermediate-level FileMaker user.
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
You can stop looking for the Studio Manager box. This
software and its manuals are in digital format.
Whether you purchase or upgrade, you receive an
email with a URL for downloading. This allows you to
choose when you want to download it.
Updating from an earlier version of Studio Manager
If you are updating from an earlier version of Studio
Manager, refer to the separate document on that topic.
There is a set of recommended steps to take to prepare
your older Studio Manager tables (or files) for
conversion. Please read that information carefully
before conversion.
The URL is designed to initiate a download of the
Studio Manager folder. The folder is zipped and
expanded automatically (or manually depending on
settings on your end). The folder contains the Studio
Manager 11 file and PDFs of the User Manual, this
Install and Setup Guide, an ePub (for use on your iPad,
iPhone or iPod touch) and a ReadMe. If you upgraded
it also includes an Upgrade Guide.
SINGLE-USER
If you are a one-person shop or only use Studio
Manager on one computer, then simply install one
copy of FileMaker Pro or Pro Advanced with your
other application programs and place the Studio
Manager folder where you store your documents. Open
Studio Manager with the master password and set
Sharing (from the File menu) to “Off”.
INSTALLING STUDIO MANAGER
ON YOUR HARD DRIVE
You installed Studio Manager based on instructions in
the ReadMe PDF. Since this was already done, those
instructions are not duplicated here. If you need to
reinstall the file you received (which includes none of
your data unless we upgraded for you) return to the
original folder and ReadMe file.
MULTI-USER BUT NOT SERVER
In a small installation of 2 to 9 users, you may opt to
serve Studio Manager from a copy of FileMaker Pro or
FileMaker Pro Advanced, even though performance
with FileMaker Server is somewhat faster. Install
Studio Manager only on the computer you are
designating as the server computer. Install FileMaker
Pro on each computer from which you wish to use
Studio Manager.
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
MULTI-USER WITH SERVER
In this scenario you have dedicated a server-type
computer onto which you install FileMaker Server or
Server Advanced software and Studio Manager. Follow
the instructions supplied with FileMaker Server.
OPENING STUDIO MANAGER
When you launch Studio Manager, unless the security
feature has been disabled, you will be asked to login
with a username and password. If this is the first time
you have opened Studio Manager, use the name and
password given to you.
If you see the Welcome screen, click on the triangle
icon at the right end of the field to see a list of
approved users. If this is the first time a new copy of
Studio Manager is opened, then select New Employee.
Otherwise select your own name.
Page 14
Once a user account has been activated, that user will
skip the Welcome screen and be taken directly to their
Employee Dashboard.
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
CUSTOMIZATION CONSIDERATIONS
Because this version of Studio Manager is base on
FileMaker 11, it is easy to customize to your unique
needs and preferences. We encourage you to consider
working with us in some capacity to help you
customize your system. We can be especially helpful in
the planning stages, whenever you contemplate a
substantial change or extension to Studio Manager.
Although we are a small firm, we make ourselves
available to handle customization projects for our
customers partly because it’s a way that we can stay in
tune with our customer base and your needs.
You must use the most current version of FileMaker
Pro or Pro Advanced for any extensive customization.
If you have a competent local FileMaker consultant or
expert staff member already, we are available, if you
wish, at our normal hourly rates, to assist them in
implementing advanced customization tasks. We
recommend that you budget at least a few hours (3 or
more) to use us as consultants to support your people
so that they can get all of their system questions
answered as they proceed with their customization
work. Since we built Studio Manager, we can often
quickly answer a question that might take them longer
to figure out without our input.
Refer to the section on Personalization for more
information about modifying Studio Manager to meet
your unique needs.
If you do make significant changes to your system, be
prepared to share the revised version with us when
and if you need our help. Chances are that you already
have a preferred method for sharing large files. We are
flexible about the method (ftp, iDisk, Dropbox, etc.).
For best results, zip the file after you have closed it,
then tell us how you’d like us to grab it. Contact us first
janet@tokerud.com if you want our help to figure out
the best way for you to share your file with us.
The Map
Wherever you see it in Studio Manager,
we’ve used the Studio Manager logo as
a button that takes you to the map of
Studio Manager. On the map, you’ll see
the key places in Studio Manager and
how they interrelate. We encourage you to use the Map
screen often as you are learning Studio Manager. Click
on the icons there to navigate to a particular module.
P E R S O N A L I Z AT I O N
CUSTOMIZATION
You are encouraged to make Studio Manager your
own. As part of the setup process you will be instructed
in ways to do that via two methods. Personalization
techniques generally are settings or data entry that you
make in Browse mode. They do not require more than
beginner level skill in the use of FileMaker Pro and are
easily accomplished by following the instructions in
this manual. Customization, on the other hand,
requires dipping into the back end, adjusting layouts,
scripts, field definitions or more.
In order to customize Studio Manager, we recommend
that you have at least intermediate level skill with
FileMaker Pro or that you assign the work to someone
else who does. We hope that we, Tokerud Consulting
Group, developers of Studio Manager, will be your first
choice and we are far from your only choice.
Customizing for our Studio Manager customers is
synergistic because it gives us the experience we need
to keep improving Studio Manager and stay current
with needs of the creative services business
community.
Because we built and continuously enhance Studio
Manager, we can work very efficiently to change it. The
internet and cheap or free long distance phone lets us
extend our reach around the globe.
However, if you have extensive needs or have already
got a staff person or local consultant you like, we are
pleased to serve as support on an as needed basis only.
We are very generous in our support of other
FileMaker consultants who work with our Studio
Manager customers.
The more Studio Manager knowledge in the world, the
better. It is a common thing for a FileMaker consultant
to recommend Studio Manager to his or her other
customers once he or she has one installation or
customization under his or her belt.
BACKUP, BACKUP, BACKUP
As a general rule of thumb, figure that mistakes,
accidents, power outages, disasters, user error and
mechanical failure are possible at any time. Your only
insurance is to make regular backups. We’ve said this
before. We’ll say it again. Always backup before doing
any personalization or customization.
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
INCLUDING YOUR COMPANY NAME ON REPORTS
Make sure your company name, phone and fax
numbers are entered correctly on the Studio Manager
Preferences screen in Billing Codes. Your company
name will then appear automatically in all existing
Studio Manager reports. Select the SM Prefs tab. If a
member of your design staff has some time, you may
also wish to change the report typeface from Arial to a
font of your choice on each report layout. Changing the
font will likely require some extra layout work to
realign fields with labels. While you are getting the
hang of it, we advise you to make a duplicate of each
layout before you change it. Or, you can simply backup
the whole database file to your desktop and have it
handy if you need to revert to it to start over on your
layout changes. On Filemaker reports, you need to be
careful to keep fields within their correct parts.
CUSTOMIZING FORMS AND REPORT LAYOUTS
It is a good idea to make a backup of Studio Manager
before you start making revisions. Another safeguard
is to make a duplicate of a layout before you revise it.
In Layout mode, duplicate the intended layout. Then,
using the Layout menu, go back to the original layout
to make your changes. You will never regret having
made this backup. You can always delete it when you
are satisfied with your edits. If you make mistakes on
the real layout, refer back to this duplicated copy to see
how it looked before you started making changes.
Unless you are very experienced and really good at this
sort of thing, it is also best to make important layout
changes to Studio Manager when it is not being shared
over the network. It is possible to do that, but we
advise against it. Of course, we do it (very carefully), so
if you are a FileMaker Pro, have at it.
You may want to add your logotype or letterhead to
one or more layouts in Studio Manager. If you can’t
recreate it to your satisfaction using FileMaker Pro’s
layout tools (likely), then insert graphics into the
layouts of your choice using the Insert... Picture
command while in Layout mode.
A few words of caution. If the graphic includes any
fonts, either convert them to outlines or make sure the
fonts will be loaded and open on each computer that
will run Studio Manager. Otherwise the fonts will be
bitmapped and they’ll look way ugly.
Page 16
Each layout that you modify for email PDFs can also be
used for faxing. Fax machines are quickly becoming
obsolete although you may be set up to use a fax
modem. If so, use the same layout for faxing that you
use for email.
Studio Manager is supplied with only one layout per
form or report, that assumes that you will print on
your letterhead from a printer. If you want the option
to print to your letterhead sometimes and to print the
whole thing to PDF or paper on other occasions, you
will need to use separate layouts for each option.
To do this you will need to duplicate one or more
layout and modify or duplicate and modify one or
more scripts. You may also want to add a new button
to the appropriate entry screen(s).
The invoice layout has been designed to allow you to
insert graphics of your choosing into container fields
that are set to print or not depending on your choice at
the moment you are printing. Refer to Customizing the
Invoice for more about this approach to adding
graphics in Browse mode.
See Customizing a Print Estimate for a description of
how the Print Estimate script has been designed to
include both print and email/PDF layouts.
The purchase order is another report that is commonly
submitted via email and that you might wish to
customize. You are certainly welcome to add graphics,
adjust fonts and reposition fields and other layout
objects on any report (or other layout). Because doing
so is tedious and time-consuming, most Studio
Manager users choose to modify only those few layouts
that are deemed important to customize.
Working on FileMaker Pro layouts can initially be
frustrating for users who expect FileMaker to behave
just like Adobe InDesign™ or QuarkXPress™. Refer to
the FileMaker Pro User’s Guide and on-line help as
needed. Many of the graphic elements you see in
Studio Manager were created right in FileMaker. It is
just a matter of learning how to use the tools.
Keep in mind that layouts may not be in the table
where you expect them. For instance, you’ll find most
of the estimates reports are in Estimate Items and the
“with Tasks” version of the Jobs List in Tasks.
CUSTOMIZING A REPORT LAYOUT
As with all customization tasks, first backup Studio
Manager or make sure that you have a current backup.
If you are on a network remember that only one user
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
can modify a layout at the same time. An estimate or
an invoice is considered a report. The naming of
layouts is very consistent – all reports end with the
word “Report” and all words are separated with an
underscore (“_”).
1.
Open the SM Prefs tab in Billing Codes. Check the
option to Preview before Printing.
2. Navigate to the table that contains the report you
want to modify. Click once on the Print button for
that report.
3. At the preview, click to Cancel. This leaves you at
the layout you want.
4. Enter Layout mode and...
A. In FM Pro 11, select Manage Layouts in the
Layout Bar. The current layout is the only one
that is highlighted. Click on the Duplicate
button. The dupe appears under the original
and is automatically selected.
B. In FM Pro 10, select Duplicate Layout from
the Layouts menu. An exact copy is made and
it becomes the currently viewed layout. Open
Manage Layouts from the Layout Bar and
scroll to the bottom to locate this copy. Drag it
up the list to just below the original.
5.
Many Studio Manager users always send PDFs of
reports and never print onto letterhead. If that’s
what you want to do, then all you need to do is to
add your graphics to the original layout. Caution.
When you duped the layout you were transferred
to the copy, but you want to change the original.
Be sure to select the original!
6. Add your graphics, adjust the fonts, reposition
fields, layout text and if necessary, move parts.
Return to Browse mode and test by printing. You
may have to adjust things a few times on the layout
to get it to where it comes close to matching your
letterhead. When it looks and behaves correctly,
you were successful.
7.
If you want 2 layouts, one for PDFs and one for
printing on your letterhead, then you’ve got a bit
more work to do. The layout that you just modified
would work if it did not contain those graphics.
8. So duplicate that layout again and on this copy,
remove the elements that are already on your
letterhead. Since this is your second duplicate, the
name will be appended with “ Copy2”.
9. While you are still in Layout mode, open the
Layout menu and choose Layout Setup... and edit
the name. To preserve the naming convention
already established, insert a new word or
abbreviation (like _Print”) before _Report. Now
you have one layout with graphics (for PDFs), an
identical layout with no graphics (for printing to
letterhead) and a 3rd layout that is a backup of the
original SM version. If you have not done so
already, open Manage Layouts and move the
duplicates, each uniquely named, so that they are
grouped together.
10. Open Manage Scripts from the Scripts menu.
Locate the script for printing the report you are
working on. Follow the appropriate step below:
A. Print Estimate. Follow the instructions for
estimates in the next section as the Print
Estimate script has been written to
accommodate a number of variations.
B. Print Invoice. Use the container fields on
the layout to add graphics. If these don’t work
for you then contact us abut modifying your
invoice.
C. Print other report. Duplicate the script and
rename it so you can tell by the name that it is
intended to print on letterhead. Open the
script and look for “Go to Layout” script steps
that contain the name of the original layout.
Highlight the line and click on the Specify
button and then Layout... Select the name of
the letterhead layout. Close the window and
save at the prompt. Close the folders in the
Manage Scripts list.
11. If necessary duplicate the Print... button on the
entry screen, rename it and assign it to the script
you just made. Return to Browse mode and test.
12. To finish, go back to Billing Codes and SM Prefs.
Uncheck Preview before Printing, unless that is an
option that you have decided you want to use.
Keep in mind that you can always contact
janet@tokerud.com in order to determine which
layout is the one and to receive advice for your
implementation of Studio Manager. Alternately, you
can always hire us to do the work for you.
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
CUSTOMIZING A PRINT ESTIMATE
Because you want to be able to send out estimates in
whatever format your client or prospect prefers, the
script that controls the printing of the itemized
estimate has been designed to allow you to add an
additional layout; for one, two, three and four options.
The idea here is to end up with two layouts for each
estimate option that you wish to use. Most folks just
use the one column option for all their estimates.
Studio Manager contains separate report layouts for:
• EI_Budget_Report
• EI_Estimate_Screen_Report
• EI_Estimate_Screen_wTax_Report
• EI_Est_2column_Report
• EI_Est_3column_Report
• EI_Est_4column_Report
We recommend that you create email/PDF and print
versions of only the reports that you intend to use.
Then, duplicate and modify the layouts one at a time,
testing and refining one before moving on to the next
(if you are customizing more than one).
Read the steps above before you begin. Turn on
Preview before Printing in SM Prefs while doing this.
1.
In Estimates, click on the Print Estimate
button. This triggers the script and all of its
behind-the-scene commands.
2. At the preview of the estimate, click Cancel.
This drops you into the Estimate Items table at
the itemized estimate form.
3. Switch into Layout mode. Duplicate the layout
according to the instructions in step 4 of the
previous section.
4. Modify the original layout so that it looks like
your letterhead. Add type or graphic elements
using the FileMaker Pro tools. Insert graphics
as desired. You can always create the type in
Illustrator or Photoshop, then paste it into the
layout as a graphic. Just remember that large
graphic files slow down the process.
5.
Test and refine. Once the layout looks just like
you want, open the Layouts menu and select
Layout Setup... to add “Email” or “PDF” to the
name.
6. Duplicate the PDF layout. Change the name to
indicate that this is the print version. Remove
the graphics.
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7.
Open the script (EI Print Estimates/Budget
based on SP). It is the first script for Estimate
Items on the Manage Scripts list Adjust it to
use the new layouts. The parts of the script you
need to change should be fairly obvious:
A. Confirm that the Go to Layout line
after If ($_Email_Or_Print =
"Email") is the layout that has the
graphics.
B. Change the Go to Layout line after
If ($_Email_Or_Print = "Print") to
use the layout for printing (the one
from which you removed the
graphics).
8. Once you have modified the script, your task is
complete. Phew.
That’s it. You now have two layouts for each option
chose that are identical except for the graphics.
Tips for finding the right script. Double-click
the button to see the exact name of the script.
Most scripts start with the 2-letter table code.
Scripts are organized by table. You might be able
to use the widget in the script button dialog to
navigate directly to the script. This works for
editing but not duplicating a script.
CUSTOMIZING ENTRY SCREEN LAYOUTS
In addition to making visual changes to report layouts,
you can also change entry screen layouts. If you find
that you are not able to resize, move or delete a layout
element, then it is locked. Select the object, open the
Arrange menu and choose Unlock. To make adding
and removing fields and labels easier, it helps to keep
the backgrounds locked.
CUSTOMIZING TAB LABELS
You can easily change the name of almost every tab
label in Layout mode. Locate the screen that contains
the tab(s) you wish to rename or whose position you
wish to change. Enter Layout mode. Click once to
select the the body portion of a tabbed object. If it is
locked, unlock it from the Arrange menu.
Select Tab Control Setup... from the Format menu, or
just double-click to open Tab Control Setup. Here you
can drag the tabs up or down the list to rearrange
them. Click on a time name to edit. Keep the names
short and make them clear. Notice that there are other
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
changes you can also make to the appearance of tabs.
Keep in mind that any changes you make apply only to
the tabs on this layout.
When you are done, be sure to return to the Arrange
menu to Lock the tab once again. Doing so will prevent
you from accidentally moving or changing the tab
background.
CUSTOMIZING TAB ORDER
For most users, the order, from left to right, in which
tabs and subtabs appear, are fine as is. However, since
tab controls are native to FileMaker, you can change
the order tabs appear to match your needs.
In Layout mode double-click on any blank spot on the
tab control you want to change. You’ll get the Tab
Control Setup dialog in which you can drag tabs up
and down to reorder them. If you’ve changed the
frontmost first tab, be sure to select it as the Default
Front Tab in the pop-down menu before clicking OK.
Test in Browse mode.
CUSTOMIZING THE HELP FILE
The built-in Help table only partially duplicates the
contents of this User Manual. With the Help function,
though, you don’t have to crack open the manual. Also,
you can add a help page any time you need one to
better explain to yourself or staff how to do something.
This is great when you add new reports or other new
features to Studio Manager. Add to the Help table any
instructions or tips that would be useful. If something
really important is missing, let us know so that we can
include it in the next version of Studio Manager. Open
the Help table and go to the first record in the table for
detailed instructions on how to add new records.
Don’t attempt to customize scripts or relationships on
your own if you don’t have some training or
experience. That said, if you’ve got the authority to be
customizing Studio Manager and have the confidence
to pull it off, we encourage you to do so.
If you have other programming experience, you’ll soon
get the hang of scripting in FileMaker which is
designed to be both easy and powerful.
The relationships graph is also pretty simple once you
see how it works. We use the straight-forward Anchor
Buoy method of graph organization and are extremely
consistent in naming relationships. You can add or
change relationships to get new portals, filtered portals
and other functionality.
Studio Manager is designed to be customized even at
this more advanced level. We are more than pleased to
answer your questions. We must charge for our
consulting time, but we love to help you learn and can
often do so in a very short consulting session or email.
It is always best to work on a copy of Studio Manager
and to duplicate scripts before you change them.
CUSTOMIZING PAGE SETUP AND PRINTING SCRIPTS
Layouts for printed reports assume that you are using
a laser printer. Most will also work on other types of
printers (like ink jets), but they may not be positioned
correctly on the page (especially envelopes). You may
need to adjust the layout to improve the positioning of
elements on the printed page.
When printing envelopes on a non-laser printer, or for
printing to page sizes not commonly used in the
United States, you may also need to adjust the Page
Setup. To save your changes, change the script.
CUSTOMIZING SCRIPTS AND RELATIONSHIPS
Most of the automation in Studio Manager is done via
Scripts and depends on Relationships defined on the
Relationships Graph.
What’s a Script? A script is one or more
commands that when run in sequence perform a
function. This might be a very simple command,
like open the Job Costs table. Some scripts are
more complex and some of them call on multiple
subscripts. It is via the use of scripts that a
FileMaker Pro template like Studio Manager is
able to automate processes and offer features that
would not otherwise be possible.
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
To Change a Print Setup Script, follow these steps:
From the preview screen (where you can see
that the page setup is not correct), choose Page
Setup from the File menu. Change the settings
so that they are correct for this report and print
to test it. Then return to Browse mode.
ADDING MORE EMAIL CAPABILITY
FileMaker itself can save records as Excel or PDF right
from the File menu with the Save/Send Records As...
command. Once saved, you can tell it to email it.
Locate the Print Setup scripts and then open the
appropriate script such as Print Setup #10
Envelope with a double-click.
There’s also a script step for sending email. It works
well for sending via the most typical email applications
on the Mac and PC. Setting up the SMPT option is a bit
more challenging at times. You can also have
FileMaker Server send email without involving an
email program at all. That’s sometimes the exact
solution you need when your firm uses an email
program FileMaker doesn’t support.
Choose the Page Setup script step and click on
Specify. Define it the same as you did in your
manual test.
But, all sorts of powerful automation is possible in
sending emails. Several third party email plug-ins are
available.
Close the script and save or save and close.
Return the Manage Scripts window to its
original condition by closing GENERIC
FUNCTIONS and then MASTER SCRIPTS.
Finish by closing the Manage Scripts window.
FileMaker Plugins for Email
MailIt 4 from Dacons:
integrates full email capability
including send and receive,
works with Server.
Open the Scripts menu and select Manage
Scripts. Click the triangle button to open
MASTER SCRIPTS and again to open
GENERIC FUNCTIONS.
Test the script to see if you got it right.
POP3it Pro from
CNS Plug-ins has similar features plus
the ability to download email without
scripting. Current version works with
Server.
The 360Works Email plugin and MondoMail from
ACME technologies are two other options.
Explore them all for the best combination of features,
pricing and support to meet your needs.
EMAIL ATTACHMENTS
Throughout the User Manual you will find instructions
on how to print all of the various forms and reports
that you might want to produce from Studio Manager.
Any of these can be saved as a PDF or emailed as PDF
attachment directly from the Print Dialog. Read on.
CONSIDERATIONS FOR CREATING EMAIL ATTACHMENTS
FileMaker Pro 11 has built-in Adobe PDF creation
abilities. Any layout or report can be saved as a PDF
from the print dialog box. From the PDF menu you can
also choose to Email PDF among other more esoteric
options. Given your aptitude in creative arts, you, or
someone in your office, probably knows more about
working with PDF documents than we do.
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
USING A PLUG-IN TO ADD MORE EMAIL FUNCTIONALITY
See Adding More Email Capability for a listing of some
of the better known third-party FileMaker Plug-ins
that make this possible. If you choose to use a plug-in,
typically you will need to import some scripts and a
add a few fields to the table you want to send from. We
can help with this.
FileMaker Tip. FileMaker has some neat and very
simple email features that may be sufficient for your
needs. Let us know what worked and what didn’t.
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
SETUP INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare to issue purchase orders by
marking the billing code records that you want
to use for POs.
STEPS TO FOLLOW WHEN SETTING UP
STUDIO MANAGER 11
Customize the Estimate, Purchase Order
and Invoice layouts to fit your letterhead
and to use your preferred font. You can add
your company logo and address to the estimate
layout. Add these to the invoice in Browse.
We recommend that you follow this order in preparing
the Studio Manager template for your use. Detailed
instructions for each table follow this section.
NOTE: Eager beaver hotshots can try following
these cursory instructions. But, be forewarned
that you’ll miss a ton of practical tips if you skip
the detailed version ahead. But, then again, if you
come back soon to go through the details in a
You may also wish to change the report
typeface from Arial to a font of your choice on
each report layout. Changing the font will likely
require a little extra layout work , e.g. realign
fields with labels, but your design staff should
be able to do this quickly and easily with just a
glance at the FileMaker Pro User’s Guide or
online help.
second pass after jumping ahead now, your
impatience may actually pay off.
Login using the Master Password.
Modifications to database definitions, like
Fields, requires an account with master level
access. If you are setting up Studio Manager for
the first time, you are likely the person in your
firm who has been awarded Master status.
Turn off File Sharing. Open Studio Manager
with FileMaker Pro or FileMaker Pro Advanced
on the computer onto which it is stored. Under
the File menu select Sharing and make sure
that FileMaker Network Sharing is turned “off”.
Unless you are the sole user, turn this back on
when you are done.
Customize the Billing Codes table. Edit,
delete and create new billing code records as
needed. Fill in the various fields that control
how different billable categories will be handled
in the system. Enter your company name,
phone, fax, email and website URL on the
Personalization tab. This will assist in
personalizing your external-facing documents.
Finish by printing the Billing Codes List.
Prepare Contacts and Jobs. See the
detailed instructions below.
If you want to do estimating in Studio
Manager, a little upfront prep will help.
Go back to the Billing Codes list screen and
mark each Billing Code record that should
appear on the estimate by clicking the
estimates checkbox. Also make sure you have
entered an Average Cost per Hour on the SM
Prefs tab there.
Page 22
SETTING UP THE BILLING CODES TABLE
HOW BILLING CODES ARE USED
The Billing Codes table is central to
the operation of the job costing
system. It specifies how each billing
item is handled by the system. Every estimated item,
purchase order, payable, chunk of time or supplier
invoice that is entered into Studio Manager must be
assigned a valid billing code.
The Billing Code itself is a short string of characters
that represents a billable activity or type of expense.
Billing codes might be assigned for services such as:
design, production, research, project management and
vendor coordination. Billing codes representing
expenses might include color copies, media, deliveries,
photography, printing, long distance phone and trip
expenses such as airfare and lodging.
By classifying each time and expense entry by billing
code, Studio Manager can generate reports that
summarize job time and expenses by category,
showing you where the time and money went. This will
improve your estimating and help you see where you
stand vis a vis your budget while jobs are in progress.
Because the Billing Codes table is the backbone of the
entire Studio Manager system, it is not easy to change
billing codes that have already been put into use. The
Billing Code field is the “key field” in the Billing Codes
table.
See “Changing Billing Codes” in the Studio Manager
User Manual for more about how to do this.
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
DECIDING ON BILLING CODES
The billing codes that come with Studio Manager are
samples – a place to start. You can use them exactly as
provided (while warming up), change them, delete
them and add new ones that reflect the kind of work
performed in your shop.
First make a comprehensive list of the service and
expense codes you need. “Other” is not a good one. If
you think about it, you will be able to come up with
codes that are general enough to cover just about
anything without having to resort to codes like
“Miscellaneous Service” and “Unspecified Expense”. If
you feel the need, you can create codes like these, just
realize that time and expenses lumped into these
categories have very little meaning — make sure you
only use them for exceptional or unusual situations.
Create a billing code for every billing category you
need to track. Don’t go overboard – a shorter list will
be easier for you and your staff to deal with.
Make billing codes memorable and brief.
We have suggested the billing code “DESGN” for
Design and “PRINT” for Printing. Whatever codes you
use, we strongly recommend that each code use the
same exact number of characters used for every code.
Four to six-letter codes seem to work the best. The
system also works with shorter codes, numeric codes
or alphanumeric codes, whatever works for you, up to
six characters. If you do not use the same number of
characters for each code, the Pop-down value lists
from which you choose billing codes won’t line up
vertically and will thus be hard to read and use.
Required Billing Codes
There are four records in Billing Codes that we request
that you neither delete nor modify. Only one of these is
for services: “CRFEE” or “Creative Fee” is used
automatically when you enter an amount into Input
Hrs for a flat fee or summary estimate. “EXPNS” is
short for “Expenses” and is similar in that it is used
when you type a figure into the Input Cost field for a
summary estimate. These codes are used when you
elect to create a Summary Estimate.
Important: If you are choosing to use codes that are
not 5 characters each (like our samples) then you may
want to modify these codes too. If you do so, you are
also going to need to also modify an invoicing script
that is hard-wired to use these exact codes. Contact us
if you want to do this.
There are two other Billing Code records that you will
always keep. One is “DEPST” or “Deposit”. This code is
used during invoicing when you enter a deposit. The
other code, “SBJOB” or “Sub-job”, is used by estimates
and invoices for component jobs.
BILLING CODE NUMBERS
Number the billing codes so that they will appear in
the sequence you want on estimates, invoices and
reports.
NOTE: you can “insert” billing codes where you
want in the list by assigning them the appropriate
number. For example, you might want a new
category Account Management to go after
Consulting which is number 200 and before
Project Management which is 210. Add a new
record for Account Management, give it the
billing code number 205 and then click the Sort
by Number button.
Without numbers to sort by, your lists by billing code
would appear in alphabetical order. If you use
increments of ten in the numbers, you will leave room
so that later you can insert additional billing codes that
you forgot or didn’t know that you would ever need.
TIP: When you are done updating your codes, you
can restore them to an evenly numbered order by
first sorting by number and then using the
“Replace” command to “Replace with Serial
Numbers”. Set the Initial Value to 100 and
increment by 10. One warning though, don’t try
this trick after you’ve already started using billing
codes in timesheets and in entering expenses. If
you do, you will have to re-code all existing time
and expense entries to match your new scheme.
Categories
Each billing code/description must be categorized as
“Services” for services delivered (labor performed by
the hour), or “Expenses” for both in-house and outside
expenses associated with a job.
Rate Codes
Each billing code/description needs to have a Rate
Code. Read this section and the one describing the
Rates tab before you begin updating existing billing
codes or adding new ones. Studio Manager is
configured to accommodate the following rate codes:
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
Hourly Rates: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H (where you
assign meaning to each code like A for your top
rate, B for the next lower rate and so on) and N =
Non-billable
Expense Markup Rates: E1, E2, E3, E4 = Markup
Rate1, Markup Rate2, etc.
U = Unit Price (For when you charge per unit. For
example, you might have a unit price for travel
mileage like 30¢/mile; 10¢/copy for copies and
laser prints, or 15.00 each for DVDs.)
Z = Zero Markup
Units. This field describes the unit of measure.
Examples of units might be each, hours, dollars,
miles, pages, copies, etc.
Unit Price. For expenses incurred by the unit or
quantity used, specify a Unit Cost and Unit Price.
Typical expenses that might be billed on a unit basis
are: media (DVDs perhaps), mileage, copies, fax
transmissions, laser prints, color prints, etc.
A Unit Price for laser prints might be 10¢ per print. If
so, set the unit price for laser prints at .10. A unit cost
for DVDs might be $15.00 each, enter 15.00 (including
the decimal point and zeroes) in the Unit Price field.
Unit Cost. This is your “standard cost” per unit for an
internal expense that you bill by the unit. Maybe you
bill laser prints at 10¢ per print, but you think it only
costs you about 4.5¢ per print. Set the unit cost for
laser prints at “.045”.
NOTE: If you sometimes charge for an item by
amount and sometimes by a unit price calculation,
you will need to create 2 separate billing codes, one
with a markup rate code and one with the rate code
U for units.
Taxable checkbox. Mark each billing code that
normally must be taxed with a check mark in the
“Taxable” field. When it comes time to invoice,
you can override it if you need to.
Use in: Estimates checkbox. Studio Manager builds
estimates by presenting you with a checklist of the
billable activities and expenses that you might want to
include on an estimate. If you want a Billing Code item
to be listed when you create a new estimate, then check
the box labeled “Use in: Estimates” on the Billing
Codes Entry Screen or the Estimate checkbox on the
Page 24
List Screen. You can come back and change the
selected Billing Code records any time and all future
estimates will reflect the changes.
Invoices checkbox. Mark this if you want a Billing
Code to appear in the Value List as one of your choices
when entering line items into an invoice. A Billing
Code like Deposit is an important one for Invoices, but
you wouldn’t need it for Purchase Orders. A Billing
Code for Non-billable time is not useful for Invoices
but necessary for Job Costs. The Billing Codes List
Screen is a good place to work when marking records
for use in the various tables.
Timesheets, Purchase Orders and Payables Checkboxes
As with “Use in Invoices”, these checkboxes are used to
set your preference for which Billing Codes appear in
value lists in the respective tables. All the checkboxes
appear together on the List Screen.
TIP: These special checkboxes let you customize
the value lists so the exact billing descriptions
that you want pop-down. For example in
Timesheets, you’ll want to check all services
billed hourly and also may want to put in-house
consumables that your staff use on jobs.
Timesheets checkbox. It is possible to enter some
expenses directly into a timesheet. It is totally up to
you to decide if you want to configure Studio Manager
this way. Small shops that lack an admin person to
enter expenses or studios that wish to empower
designers to manage the expenses they authorize, will
benefit.
If the Timesheets checkbox is marked for an expense
(or any other billing code), then that code will appear
on the value list in Timesheets. Appropriate codes
include mileage (entered as miles), items printed in
the office (enter units), out-of-pocket expenses (enter
amount) and any other expense for which an employee
knows which code to use.
Studio Manager will recognize the entry as an expense
(because of the code) and apply the correct multiplier
and/or markup. The quantity or amount entered will
not count in the calculation of total hours nor will it
show up on a timesheet report.
The decision to allow staff to enter specific expense
codes is made by you or someone in your office. Large
expenses (like printing, photographers, consultants,
etc) are normally entered into Job Costs directly, in the
office, often by an administrative person. It is not a
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
good idea to allow everyone direct access to Job Costs
because the data is so mission critical.
Advanced. Relaunch Studio Manager with FileMaker
Server and you are back in business.
Because mobile users do not have access to Billing
Codes, this setting must be modified in the office using
FileMaker Pro.
PERSONALIZATION TAB
Change the placeholder text (seen below) to show the
full name of your business and your phone and fax
numbers. The company name you enter here will
appear on reports throughout Studio Manager. The
phone and fax numbers appear on the fax form only.
SETTING DEFAULTS
With the exception of Notes and System, all of the tabs
in the bottom half of the Billing Codes entry screen are
used to set default values that affect all of Studio
Manager. If you are setting up Studio Manager for the
first time, you should already be running in Singleuser mode (Network Sharing is off). When making
changes later on, how you adjust defaults depends
upon whether you are the only user, you network just a
few folks using FileMaker Pro or you run a Multi-user
system using FileMaker Server.
Single-user
Data entered and boxes checked (on) or not checked
(off) are effective immediately and do not require that
you restart Studio Manager or FileMaker Pro.
Multi-user with FileMaker Pro
Changes to defaults made by a user over the network
are effective only for the current session. This is also
true for changes made on the computer acting as
server if Network Sharing is turned “on”.
Open Studio Manager with your master password.
From the File menu choose Sharing and then
FileMaker Network... This opens the FileMaker
Network Sharing window. To permanently change
defaults, set Network Sharing to “Off”. Return to
Billing Codes and adjust the fields and checkboxes in
each tab from Personalization through Holiday List.
When you are done, return to the FileMaker Network
Sharing window and return Network Sharing to “On”.
Multi-user with FileMaker Server
Use the same steps described above with one
exception, an important one. Normally you run Studio
Manager from the server using FileMaker Server. In
order to make permanent changes to the defaults here
you cannot use FileMaker Server. Do this instead:
[DEFAULT BILLING] RATES TAB
How many hourly rates do you need?
Eight hourly rates can be defined in Studio Manager:
Rate A through H. It is up to you to decide what each
rate represents. If you use 4 rates, you could set Rate A
as the highest rate, for consulting maybe, then Rate B
for design (if that’s billed at a lower amount), Rate C
for production and Rate D for admin. You don’t have
to use all eight rates. Probably the most common
scheme is two rates: a design rate and a lower
production rate. Some top firms use one rate for
everyone, figuring it all averages out in the end.
How many markup rates do you need?
Decide how many markup rates you need for expenses.
Most firms use one markup rate. The most typical
markup is probably 20%, but small firms often charge
15% or 17.65%. Studio Manager allows for four markup
rates to accommodate big ticket categories like
printing or photography, where you might want to
charge differently. Some firms markup all expenses
and others make exceptions for things like long
distance phone calls, deliveries and postage.
Have all users quit out of FileMaker Pro. Quit
FileMaker Server. Open Studio Manager using
FileMaker Pro 11 or FileMaker Advanced 11. Turn off
Network Sharing. Set the defaults. Turn Network
Sharing back on. Quit out of FileMaker Pro or
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
Setting Default Billing Rates
Enter both billing rates and markup rates on the Rates
subtab. Use whole numbers for the hourly rates and
decimal numbers for the markups. When entering the
markup rates, be sure to use decimal amounts (since
these are percentages). For example, enter .20 (not 20
or 1.2) for 20% markup. Enter .1765 for 17.65%.
Tax Estimates?
In most cases, estimates do not include sales tax. If you
do want your estimates to include this tax, then check
this box and Studio Manager will use the estimate
layouts that include a subtotal, tax and total.
Alternate Names
Estimates and invoices group projected costs by
category into Services and Expenses. These terms
appear on the estimate. If you prefer different
terminology like “Fees” and “Outside Costs” then enter
the alternative wording here. This does not affect the
entry screens or tab labels.
These rates are automatically looked up and entered in
Contacts whenever you create a new client or prospect.
The rates can be changed there if needed for any
particular prospect or client.
SM PREFS TAB
Click on the SM Prefs tab to enter miscellaneous
Preferences and default settings. In order to make data
entry faster and easier, we have included several
different default values. If you leave one of these fields
blank, then no default amount is entered in the
corresponding table.
Our Country
Enter the abbreviation for your country in all caps.
Preview before Printing
Turned off by default because now you can always opt
to preview from the Print dialog box. Check to turn on
this preference to see a preview of print jobs in
FileMaker’s Preview mode.
Use Units of Estimate
If checked each estimate that you create automatically
defaults to showing the unit data (e.g. 5 @ 25 each).
You can change it for any particular estimate, so only
set the default if you want the unit values to appear on
most of your estimates.
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Defining an Average Cost per Hour for Estimates
If you will be using Studio Manager for estimating and
you would like to see hours and estimated costs for
those hours, then enter an Avg Cost/Hr (average cost
per hour). It is too cumbersome to enter a cost rate for
every service line item. This is your average labor cost.
It is an approximation but still valuable information, if
you pair it with hourly Cost Rates for each of your
billable staff members.
This example might help: If you have two staff cost
rates, $120 for senior staff and $80 for junior staff,
and your job-related work tends to split evenly
between senior and junior employees, then the average
cost rate for estimating purposes would be $80/hour.
Keep in mind that what it costs you per hour for labor
likely includes at least salary + benefits + overhead.
As with all rates, this default average can be changed
for any particular estimate where you expect to use
staff that have a higher or lower average cost.
Invoice Terms
Enter the default invoice payment terms that you wish
to be displayed on your invoices. This can be changed
for any particular invoice but entering it here means
that you don’t have to type it in each time.
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
Security Message Pref
If a user attempts to access a layout or feature that is
greater than their security privilege permits, they get a
message. Verbose messages contain details about what
level of access they would need in order to gain access.
Quiet messages are brief and to the point, like “Access
Denied”. This is appropriate for most users. See the
section “Managing Security” for detailed instructions.
Allow Task Entry for Time
Makes entering Timesheets a little more complex in
some cases. But tracking time by task is tends to be
easier for staff and makes it possible to show how
much time is left in the budget by task. This is an
advanced usage since you need to also enter time
budgets for each task. Great for certain situations.
JOB SPECS
Job Specs are great for defining exactly what you want.
We’ve come up with a way to give you maximum
flexibility and make your specs more readable.
Although you might not be able to locate the dates in
the required format, there are many websites that
contain the information. In the United States, search
for “federal holidays” to determine the dates you need
to enter.
SYSTEM TAB
In addition to the audit fields for Billing Codes, this
screen contains a couple of important buttons.
Re-Login
Also available as a choice from the Scripts menu. This
button allows you to change identity without needing
to quit and restart Studio Manager.
Manage Database
This button opens the Manage Database window for
Studio Manager. It is referred to often in these setup
instructions. In older versions it was called Define
Database In order to access field, table and
relationship definitions, log in with the master
password.
By just entering a text label and a text specification,
you can have the 10 exact specs relevant to a job rather
than a form with a thousand check boxes - most of
which are blank and force you play hunt for the specs.
PREPARING THE CONTACTS TABLE
We provide an editable standard set of spec categories
(labels) that can be entered with one button push.
Also, you can do things like select the specs that apply
by job type and copy specs from other existing jobs or
save spec sets that you want to use again. Powerful.
Setting a Default City
You can choose to have Studio Manager
automatically enter the city when you create new
contact records. If more than half of your contacts are
in one city, this might save you some time.
See Defining Job Specs for details.
JOB BRIEF
A job brief includes conceptual considerations
regarding a job. Unlike specs, the items in a brief
describe aspects like the overall scope, the intended
audience and/or the desired outcome. These
intangibles influence design and marketing decisions.
HOLIDAY LIST
If you are in the United States, the dates provided
should work with the calendar function to slip task
deadlines over major holidays as well as weekends. We
acquired the code from another developer and cannot
guarantee that it will work perfectly. If your shop is
always closed on other specific dates, just enter them
in the same format, one to a line and in chronological
order. Do not include holidays that fall on a weekend.
To set auto-enter for City, click the Manage
Database… button on the System tab in Billing
Codes and select the Fields tab at the dialog.
Select the Contacts table at the top left.
Scroll down to and double-click the City field
or click once on the Options... button.
Check the box next to the label “Data” and
enter the name of the city in the field to the
right.
Click OK to close the Entry Options window.
Then click OK again to exit Manage Database.
Setting City to Use the Previous Entry
Another auto-enter option for auto-entering the city
name is to use “Value from previous record” also in the
Entry Options. If you enter existing clients or vendors
one city at a time, this can be handy. When you create
a new record the city entered in the previous record
will automatically be entered into the city field.
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
CONTACT PHONE LABELS VALUE LIST EDIT DIALOG
All pop-up menus and lists can be easily modified to
include the Edit… option at the bottom of the list. Only
pop-up menus also include the Other option. This is
because you can freely enter a unique value directly
into a drop-down list field (so it isn’t needed).
You’ll probably want to turn this option off once you’ve
finished your initial entries. At that point, just go into
Entry Options for City and uncheck the “Value from
previous record” checkbox to turn it off.
Setting a Default State
Studio Manager can also be set to automatically enter
the state abbreviation into the State field when you
create a new Contact record. If you have an out-ofstate client, change the state to the correct value.
To set auto-enter for State, open Manage
Database… on the System screen in Billing
Codes and select the Fields tab at the top. (See
Appendix A for more detailed instructions.)
Select the Contacts table at the top left.
Scroll to and double-click the State field.
On the Entry Options dialog, check Data and
enter the 2-letter abbreviation for the state you
want.
Click OK, OK (yes, that’s OK twice) to exit.
ADJUSTING THE PHONE VALUE LISTS
You may wish to change the Phone Label choices for
the four phone label fields: Phone1 Label, Phone2
Label, Phone3 Label and Phone4 Label. You will
almost surely want to change the Industry Value List.
To add, remove or move an item in one of these popup menus, select Edit... at the bottom of the pop-up
menu. This opens the Value List. Make any changes
you desire. If all you want to do is to enter something
different, but you don’t want to actually change the
list, then select Other.. and type in the unique value.
You can also edit and define Value Lists by choosing
Manage > Value Lists... from the File menu. Do not
change a Value List that uses values from a field or
values from a related table unless you know exactly
what you are doing.
SETTING DEFAULT RATES FOR EACH CLIENT
Default billing and markup rates are set in Billing
Codes. These rates are looked up and copied into each
new record in Contacts. You can change these rates to
make an exception for a particular client. Rates
changed in Contacts only apply to new Jobs for that
Client and don’t change rates for existing jobs.
If the contact is a prospect, click on the Marketing tab,
locate the contact, click on the Estimates subtab and
make the changes you want. When this prospect
becomes a client, those unique rates will remain intact.
For a client, locate their record on the Clients tab and
select the Jobs subtab in order to edit the rates.
You guessed it! Rates can also be adjusted for each job.
One reason you create a job before estimating is so
that the same rates are used for estimating and
calculating actual job costs.
MODIFYING THE USER TAB
The User tab on the Employee Dashboard shows the
name of each active employee in a portal. Jump
quickly to another employee’s record in Contacts by
clicking on their name on this tab. The name of the
current employee record is highlighted in yellow.
Adjust the number of employee names that show on
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
this tab during setup. The portals (which have no
borders) can be modified to show fewer or more.
Names are not typed into these fields. Rather, they
appear for each active employee, sorted by last name.
Spaces for 9 employee names are supplied. These are
arranged in 3 almost identical portals, each containing
3 rows. As you can see, there is room on the tab for a
whole lot more. Each column fills down first and then
the list continues in the next column.
Double-click on the first portal, in the gray area below
the field name to display the Portal Setup dialog box.
To add one additional row just change the Number of
rows to 4. You can add as many rows as you want,
although if you add more than 2 rows you are also
going to need to move all the fields and portals up in
the window. Remember, all objects must stay inside
the tab area. Whatever the number, make a note of it.
If your shop has just a few employees and you wish to
reduce the number of portals and portal rows here, you
certainly can, and doing so is completely optional.
That’s all you need to do in the first portal. Click OK to
return to the layout. Move fields and portals if
necessary.
The Portals in Layout Mode
Go into Layout mode and click on the Employees tab.
Note that there are 3 columns below each field. Both
the field names and the portal names are identical.
They are so close together that it may not be obvious
that there are actually 3 separate portals here. The clue
is there are 3 fields with the same name.
Double-click in the second portal. If you added a 4th
row to the first portal then the Initial row in the 2nd
portal needs to start with the 5th record, so enter a 5. If
Add more rows
If you have more active employees and want to show
them all, here are instructions for changing the
number of rows and the number of columns.
Begin by deciding how many active employee names
need to be displayed. If up to 12, you can add a row to
each portal and then adjust the portal definitions. For
20 employees you might create an additional column,
assign each portal to 5 rows and move the entire group
of portals up and to the left. The Category field and the
Add Address Book button can be moved to create even
more space for names. You could have 2 columns with
lots of rows. The options here are limited only by your
imagination and the size of the tab. Do not allow any
object to extend past any edge of the tab box.
you added 2 rows, then the new Initial row number
will be 6. You get the idea: the Initial row represents
the next number in the sequence. The number of rows
in the 2nd portal will be the same number you entered
for the first one. Make a note of both numbers. When
you are done, click OK.
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
Open Portal Setup for the 3rd portal. This time you
will change the Initial row number so that it also
follows in sequence. If you changed the first and
second portals to 4 rows, then the Initial row in the
third portal is 9. If you added 2 more rows then the
Number of rows is 5 and the Initial row is 11.
The tab space is wide enough to accommodate a 4th
portal at the same size. Just select all 3 portals and
move them over to the left. Then select just the last one
(with its field of course), duplicate it, position it, open
it and adjust the numbers, then click OK to close. By
moving the other field and button on the layout,
adding rows and a 4th column, you can greatly expand
the number of names shown.
If after you are done, some names of active employees
are mysteriously missing, go back into Layout mode
and check those Portal Setup windows again. The
problem is likely due to an incorrect Initial row
number.
SETTING UP JOB ASSIGNMENTS
Preparing Studio Manager to assign jobs to specific
employees requires setup in both Timesheets and
Contacts. We have included also instructions for using
Job Assignments below so that you understand the
logic behind the configuration steps.
When you enter a new job, you may assign the
people you need to perform that job. By doing
so, you save time for everyone working on the job as
now Studio Manager can shorten job value lists to only
those relevant to the current user, when entering time.
4. Open the Value
list menu by
clicking once
on the doublearrow menu
icon to the
right of the
name.
5.
Choose the
value list just above this one: JA Active Jobs
Assigned this Emp.
6. Now when you enter Timesheets, you will see a list
of just the active jobs assigned to the current
employee. When using the Job Assignment
feature, the value list assigned filters the job list
pop-down to only show jobs that are assigned to
the current user.
7.
Return to Browse mode and navigate to Contacts.
Enter Layout mode, click on the Employees tab
and repeat the steps above for Today’s Timesheet.
How to Assign People to a Job
We didn’t implement Job Assignments until we could
think of a way to make it dead simple. First, we’ll
describe what it is like to assign people to a job, then
we will cover the brief one-time set-up you’ll need to
do to get Job Assignments going and flowing.
Studio Manager 11, unlike SM10, makes the
assumption that you do not wish to assign people to
jobs. If you have a shop with many jobs, each of which
is worked on by a limited number of employees, then
you will want to change the default configuration.
Here’s how using FileMaker Pro 11:
1.
Open Timesheets and enter Layout mode.
2. Click once on the Job ID field to select it. This field
is in the portal.
3. Click on the
Data tab in
the Inspector
and notice
which value
list is already
selected for this field: JA Active Jobs by Job ID
(the SM11 default)
Page 30
Once the job is created, look to the blank People tab in
the upper right quadrant of your Jobs screen. Click the
plus sign to go to the assignment screen for a minute.
We created a dedicated screen to make the process as
easy as possible.
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
The Job Assignment Screen
Click the right-pointing arrow in the Assign column in
the portal on the left side (People Available) to assign
someone to this job. As you assign people, they move
from left to right. If you make a mistake and assign
someone you don’t want, use the left-pointing arrow
on the right side (People Assigned) to remove them
from this job.
While you are having fun, select the role you want each
person to play on this job. That’s pretty easy because
during setup you assigned each employee or freelancer
a default role which comes in automatically. All you
have to do is make exceptions as needed. In the
example above we have a very small shop and we’ve
already assigned three people by clicking the Assign
arrow for the people we wanted.
When done, just click the Back to Entry Screen button.
Making job assignments takes a few seconds in most
cases. The power of this step however is huge. This
enables Studio Manager to show a custom list of jobs
for each employee.
Setting up the Job Role Value List
1.
Edit the Job Roles value list. To do so you require
access to the Manage Database feature. From the
File menu in Jobs, select Manage and then Value
Lists... Scroll down the list to CT Job Roles.
2. Double-click (or highlight the CT Job Roles line and
click the Edit... button). Change the list of job roles
to match the roles in your shop. Make sure that
each role is on a separate line. Cut and paste to put
them in alphabetical (or other preferred) order. Use
abbreviations only if they are familiar to everyone.
Click OK to close the edit window and OK again to
close Manage Value Lists.
3. Click on the Home button (the bullseye next to List
Screen) or the Contacts button in PLACES to move
to the Contacts table.
4. On the
Employee tab
in Contacts, on
the Admin tab,
select the
Default Role
you want for
each employee
(including
freelancers).
Remember, you
can always change their role on a job by job basis,
so this is just their primary role, the one you wish to
use for them most often.
PREPARING THE JOBS TABLE
JOB NUMBERS AND JOB ID
Because each job you work on must be assigned a
unique identifying code, Studio Manager comes
configured to enter a different Job Number each time
you create a new job. The Job Number is used along
with the Client ID to calculate the Job ID. To make
data entry most efficient, job numbers are set to autoenter sequentially, so each time you create a new job it
gets assigned the next sequential number.
Most design firms are accustomed to a job number or
code that includes a short abbreviation for each client
as the beginning of the job number. For example, ABC
Inc. might have a client code of ABC, so all of its job
numbers start with ABC. Job numbers for ABC might
include: ABC1004, ABC1023 and ABC1039.
To accommodate this convention, the calculated field
called Job ID automatically joins the Client ID with the
Job Number. This full Job ID is displayed on the
invoice and in reports in addition to being one of the
first fields on the entry and list screens for which a Job
ID is relevant.
Most often you will enter Job ID via a pop-up menu or
list. These data-driven value lists also include the title
you gave the job. This makes it easy to select the
correct Job ID and avoids your needing to memorize
or type Job IDs. This works in Find mode as well as
Browse.
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
JOB ID IS A COMBINATION OF CLIENT ID AND JOB NUMBER
Whenever you create a new estimate, invoice or
purchase order from the Jobs table, the Job ID is
automatically entered for you. The Job ID is the
most important code in Studio Manager. It ties
all the transactions together.
Changing the Job Number
You may already have a job numbering system and
want to start where you’ve left off. The Jobs table is
provided with “1001” set as the first number.
To change the auto-enter serial number for
Job Number, select Manage Database from the
System screen in Billing Codes.
Choose the Jobs table, then scroll to and
double-click on the Job Number field.
When the Entry Options dialog appears, locate
the Auto-enter “serial number, next value”
field. Enter the number that should appear on
the next new job record you create. Or
uncheck the box to turn off auto-enter
(meaning you intend to enter the job number
manually or see below).
Click OK and then click Done.
Option to Number your Jobs by Client
A significant minority of Studio Manager users prefer
to number jobs sequentially by client. Doing so
requires both turning off auto-numbering and
changing the preference setting in Jobs.
For example, let’s say that in the past you did 2 jobs for
a company with the code ABC. Let’s say we started
numbering with 1001, so 101 and 102 have already
been used. When you create the third job for ABC, you
automatically get 103.
To use this option, select Serial by Client on the
System screen in the Jobs table and also be sure to
turn off auto-enter by serial number for the Job
Number field from the Manage Database screen. To
make doing so easy for you, there is a Manage
Database button on this tab.
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CAUTION: Remember that if you decide to
number jobs by client the auto-serial numbers
should be permanently turned off.
CAUTION: Keep in mind that numbering jobs by
client can make sense if that’s how you’ve worked
prior to Studio Manager or if you are starting
afresh with Studio Manager. It’s probably not a
good idea to switch numbering schemes once
you’ve got a one already in place, especially if you
plan to mix your old jobs with your old job
numbering scheme in with your new Studio
Manager-created jobs.
NUMBERING COMPONENT JOBS
Component jobs consist of a parent job and one or
more child jobs. Unless you as the user enters these
jobs in consecutive order, they will not be numbered in
order. It may be important to you to have the Job ID
for each component be consecutive, even though
Studio Manager is smart enough to group all parts of a
Component Job together on reports.
To ensure consecutive numbering, create all jobs in a
Component Job at the same time. Start with the parent
job. Make sure to check the Parent Job checkbox. Then
create each child job, being sure to enter the parent
Job ID in the appropriate field for each component.
NOTE: if you prefer a different format for your
Job IDs, other approaches can be implemented
easily. Call or email us if you need assistance in
making the necessary changes. See below for one
option.
DEFINING JOB SPECS
There is a Job Specs tab in the Jobs table so that you
have a special place to store the mechanical, physical
plane kind of details about a job. This makes it easier
to enter enter job specifications in an organized
manner. You have a whole screen on which to enter
and edit specifications for each job. The definition of
those specs is up to you.
Think of the most basic set of specifications for a job as
the standard or generic specs. These are items that can
be used for all jobs if all of your projects are similar or
if they are a basic set of specs that you use frequently.
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
CAUTION: To change the default list of specs,
you’ll need to be using Studio Manager as a single
user -- not as a client. If you normally run
FileMaker Server, shut it down; then startup
Studio Manager in FileMaker Pro.
The list of these standard specs is stored in the Billing
Codes table on the Default Job Specs tab. All you do is
edit the sample set. You can make it shorter or longer.
Delete or edit the sample data to make your own list.
We provide Studio Manager with a set of 12 predefined spec labels. We are talking “labels” here in the
sense of descriptive tags or titles. With the help of your
colleagues, we came up with 12 different items that are
frequently used by creative service professionals for
print jobs.
How to toggle auto-enter sequential job numbers:
From the main Jobs tab select the System
subtab and click on the Manage Database
button.
Scroll through the list of fields to find Job
Number, then double-click on Job Number
to bring up the Entry Options dialog box.
To turn automatic entry of sequential job
numbers off temporarily, uncheck the Autoenter Serial number option.
To turn automatic number entry back on,
follow steps 1-2 above and then check Autoenter Serial number and type in the number
you want as the next job number.
SETTING UP THE DESIGNERS VALUE LIST
On the Contacts Employees tab on the Admin tab,
make sure each of your designers’ employee records
has the designer checkbox checked. This will assure
that they show up in the Designer value list on the
Admin tab on the Jobs entry screen.
If you specialize in projects for printing, our categories
may work for you. If you produce film, multi-media,
web pages, radio spots, commercials, video or
advertising (just to name a few), you will want to
modify the specs list so that it is more useful to you. If
your firm handles many types of jobs then enter the
most common or generic specs here. From the Job
Specs tab in Jobs, you can create and save any number
of Spec Sets for any or all of the Job Types you handle.
SETTING UP THE ACCT EXEC VALUE LIST
In the Contacts Employees tab on the Admin tab, make
sure each of your account execs or account managers
employee records has the Acct Exec checkbox checked.
This will assure that they show up in the Acct Exec
value list in Jobs. You can assign an account exec to
each client and then that same person will be assigned
to any new jobs for that client account.
ENTERING CURRENT JOBS
Descriptions of each field on the Jobs table Entry
Screen can be found in the section on Jobs in the User
Manual.
When you first start using Studio Manager, you will,
more likely than not, want to enter in the jobs that you
are currently working on. If you want to test Studio
Manager before entrusting it with your active jobs,
then enter some completed jobs for testing purposes. If
the first group of jobs you enter do not have sequential
numbers, then turn auto-numbering off temporarily.
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
PREPARING THE ESTIMATES TABLE
Most of the set-up steps that affect estimates
are made in tables other than the Estimates
table itself. In Billing Codes you check the
estimate checkbox for the records that you want to use
in estimating. You also enter the default average cost
rate on the SM Prefs tab in Billing Codes. The rates
used by each estimate are stored in the Jobs table. You
can adjust the rates which live in the Jobs table on the
Invoices tab. You only need to do this if the rates for
this particular job (estimate through invoice) are
different than the standard rates for this client.
Setting an initial value for the Estimate Number
Studio Manager comes set to start numbering your
estimates at Estimate Number 10001. Each
subsequent estimate or change order will be numbered
sequentially. The original estimate and any change
orders for the same project are related to each other by
virtue of the Job ID they share. Estimate Numbers are
needed for reference and because Studio Manager
requires a unique code of some kind in each record.
If you want to change the auto-enter number for
estimates (before you create any estimates) open
Manage Database/Fields for the Estimates table and
select Entry Options for the Estimate Number field. Do
not turn off the auto-enter serial numbering. Simply
change the number in the data field.
DEFINING AVERAGE COST PER HOUR FOR ESTIMATES
If you will be using Studio Manager for estimating, we
strongly encourage you to enter an Avg Cost/Hr
(average cost per hour) on the SM Prefs tab in Billing
Codes. This is your average labor cost. By defining this
rate you allow Studio Manager to track not only the
hours, but the likely cost of your labor.
You definitely want to do this if you decide to enter a
Cost Rate for each billable staff member. For
estimates, it would be too cumbersome to enter a cost
rate for every service line item. So instead, you define
an amount that represents the average cost. All cost
rates, in order to really reflect what it costs you for
each hour of work, ought to include hourly salary +
benefits + taxes + other overhead.
If you have two staff cost rates, $90 for senior staff and
$50 for junior staff, and your job-related work tends to
split evenly between senior and junior employees, then
the average cost rate for estimating purposes would be
$70 per hour.
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This can later be changed for any particular estimate
where you are using staff that have a higher or lower
average cost.
PUTTING UNIT COSTS INTO YOUR ESTIMATES
There is a default setting in Billing Codes called Use
Units on Estimate. If checked, each estimate shows
unit prices and you estimate by entering the quantity.
This can be changed for any particular estimate.
The Unit Price is set in the Billing Codes table. You
cannot change the unit price once the estimate has
been created. This is to ensure that the same unit price
is used when entering job cost expenses and when
invoicing as you used on the estimate. Unlike the rate
codes, which you can change in Jobs, unit prices vary
depending on the billing code.
If you sometimes charge for an item by amount and
sometimes by a unit price calculation, create two
separate billing codes, one with a markup rate code
like E1 and one with the rate code U for units.
PREPARING THE ESTIMATE ITEMS TABLE
Customizing the Estimate Layout
The estimate layouts provided do not automatically
include any personalization as they are designed to
print it on your own letterhead. In order for this to
work however, you will likely need to change the font
or margins and move things around. It is also possible
to insert a logo and company information so that you
can print or send estimate PDFs via email.
Most of the included estimate layouts are in Estimate
Items. To change these layouts you will need to
navigate to that table and enter Layout mode.
FileMaker Pro includes rudimentary page layout tools
to allow you to make these adjustments.
Take a screen shot of the layout in Layout mode before
you start (so you have a visual for reference). Or, make
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
a duplicate as a backup, renaming and repositioning it
in the Layout menu so that you always know which
layout you are working with.
If you want to email or fax your estimates, you may be
able to recreate your letterhead on the layout by
inserting one or more graphics. The FileMaker Pro
User’s Guide and on-line help explain in detail how to
use all aspects of these simple layout tools. You have a
choice of many graphic file formats. Best results will be
obtained with graphics that are low resolution,
cropped tight and sized to fit before inserting.
Probably the only thing you won’t be familiar with if
you are new to FileMaker’s layout mode is working
with layout “parts.” Parts form horizontal bands across
a layout in order to create sub-divided lists and
summaries, headers and footers.
A header part will print at the top of every page. A
footer part prints at the bottom of the page. Other
parts are designed to work with varying kinds and
amounts of data. The body part will repeat once for
each record. If you have three line items, you’ll get
three lines, each the height of the body part. Subsummary parts will print or preview either above or
below the detailed data. Sub-summary parts hold
subheads and subtotals. A Grand Summary allows you
to see the total of all the sub-summaries.
Unless you attempt to create a report from scratch, you
really don’t need to know the ins and outs of these
layout parts. Follow this simple rule to avoid
trouble: move text, fields and images, but keep these
various layout objects within their original parts. An
object that overlaps a part by even one pixel may
appear in the wrong place when printed, so be careful.
If after moving things around, you find the report or
other document isn’t printing as expected, it may be
that you inadvertently violated this rule. Just move the
object so that it is wholly enclosed by the part to fix.
CREATING EMAIL & PRINT VERSIONS OF AN ESTIMATE
You can create a version of your estimate that includes
your logo and other items for faxing or for creating a
PDF of your estimate that you attach to an email.
To create a PDF/fax of a layout, modify the existing
layout by adding graphics and/or text. Duplicate it first
so you have a backup. Fiddle with it until you are
satisfied. Test it by printing to PDF and paper. Most
find that they can re-create the look of their letterhead.
If you also send estimates printed onto your
letterhead, all you have to do is to duplicate your PDF
estimate layout and remove the logo and other objects
you added, in order to create a print version. Rename
the duplicate without graphics to EI_Print_Estimate.
Finish by deleting your backup copy.
CAUTION:. When you duplicate a layout in
FileMaker Pro 10, the dupe may be placed at the
bottom of the Layout menu and you are moved to
this duplicate. Move back to the original layout
before you start making changes. Move the dupe
up the list so that it is just below the original.
Modifying the Print Estimate Script
To modify the script, select Modify Script from the
Scripts menu. Studio Manager’s print estimate script,
in Estimate Items (EI Print Estimates/Budget based
on SP) is written to make it easy for you to specify
different layouts for email and printing. Initially, the
script uses the same layout for both. Where the script
has an End If step that = “Print”, change the Go to
Layout step so it uses the layout you just created, the
one without graphics.
Studio Manager allows you to produce several estimate
options and even a budget. Many are controlled by the
same script. Repeat the duplication, customization and
renaming steps for each different estimate option for
which you want to be able to print onto letterhead or to
PDF. Most users just pick one estimate layout and
stick to that for simplicity. Since the budget is an
internal report, it is not usually customized this way.
For instructions regarding how to work with Estimates
in Studio Manager, please refer to the chapter entitled
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
“Managing Estimates” in the User Manual.
REMEMBER: You’ll need to go into FileMaker’s
Manage Database area via the Billing Codes
table’s System tab to adjust the serial number.
SET DEFAULT PRINT METHOD FOR INVOICES
There are two different ways to print an invoice, as a
form containing a portal from Invoices, and from
Invoice Items as a report. Studio Manager comes set to
print the invoice from Invoice Items as a default.
Change the preference on the Preferences on the More
Info tab in Invoices.
(Tip: Whenever you set preferences, you must enter
them in single user mode – not while accessing Studio
Manager as a client on the server – otherwise you will
lose the changes.)
Print as a Form from Invoices
When you choose this method, the Print Invoice
button in Invoices gives you a choice: to print or to edit
the invoice first. If you choose Edit, then it takes you to
the Invoice Screen in Invoices in Browse mode. Here
you modify existing line items on the invoice on the
actual layout from which it will be printed. You have
only one short line for each line item description, 14
lines in all. This is the method favored by most Studio
Manager users and thus comes set as the default.
Refer to the section on “Customizing Forms” for more
information about adding graphics to FileMaker Pro
layouts.
PREPARING THE INVOICES TABLE
As with estimates, some of the settings that
you need to make are not actually in the
Invoices table itself.
Setting an initial value for the Invoice Number
Studio Manager automatically enters invoice numbers
sequentially starting at 1001. You probably already use
invoice numbers. We suggest that you temporarily
turn off the auto-numbering feature while you enter
your currently unpaid invoices. When you are ready to
create new invoices using Studio Manager, turn Autoenter Serial number back on and set the next number
to whatever is appropriate for your next invoice
number.
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Print as a Report from Invoice Items
The advantage of this method is that you have many
lines for your line item description and you can have
an unlimited number of line items on the invoice
(although single-page invoices will always print more
reliably). The disadvantage is that you cannot edit the
invoice on a screen that looks like the invoice.
In order to use this method as a default, you must
change the preference. From within the Invoices
module, select the More Info tab and then the
Preferences subtab. Click the radio button next to the
“Print as report from Invoice Items..” option. In order
to make the preference stick for all users, heed the
warning shown on the Preferences subtab.
Print from Invoice Screen
If your preference is set to print as a form from
Invoices and you select Edit from the dialog box, you
are presented with the Invoice Screen. From there you
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
have the choice to Print on Paper or Print PDF (from
Invoices) or to Print as Report (which uses layouts in
Invoice Items). If you want to use both methods on a
regular basis, then choose “Print as report from
Invoices..” as your default.
CUSTOMIZING THE INVOICE
A new and simpler way to customize invoices was
introduced with Studio Manager 10. It only requires
inserting a logo graphic, and a second graphic that
contains your company contact information. All this is
done in Browse mode and requires no specific
FileMaker Pro skills or entering Layout mode. It is
more of a personalization feature than true
customizing: a quick and easy method.
Of course you still have the option to customize your
invoice layout so that the size, position and formatting
of your logo and contact information approximate the
appearance of your letterhead. This true customization
method requires an understanding of how to adjust
layouts. If you also want the choice to print to PDF as
well as to print onto your letterhead, using either print
method described above, you need to be able to
manage multiple layouts.
Using the Quick and Easy Method
Open the Invoices module and click on the More Info
tab. Then click on the Invoice Graphics subtab. Here
you see 2 different container fields. You cannot type
into either field. The larger one (zg_Invoice_Logo)
appears in the upper left area of the invoice and is
intended for your logo.
Since this is for a PDF, use a low resolution version of
your logo, perhaps one that has been optimized for the
web. Prepare by sizing this graphic to the physical
dimensions you desire and by cropping it so that the
graphic does not contain margins. You will have the
best results if the background is white or transparent.
To insert a graphic, choose Picture... from the Insert
menu and navigate to the graphic you created
especially for this purpose.
Quick and Easy Method
Please note that using this method is optional and not
very flexible. The invoice is not likely to match the look
of your letterhead, but it also does not require true
customization skills.
Your logo graphic fits in the upper left corner of the
page in a Container field which can be resized and
moved to fit your design standards.. A graphic of your
company contact information appears on the lower
right portion of the page in a container field which also
can be positioned at resized to fit the content you want
to display in it. Because this is a graphic, it can be
formatted in whatever style and color you desire.
Studio Manager 11 is provided with our own graphics
as placeholders. When you insert yours, they replace
ours.
Using the Invoice Graphic fields is a simple alternative
that allows you to personalize your invoices regardless
of your FileMaker Pro skills simply by moving and
resizing the two provided container fields.
The container field below the first one is labeled
zg_Invoice_Footer_Graphic and is intended for a
graphic of your company name, address, email, phone,
etc. Again, you will have best results if you create this
block of type, colorize and size it as you wish and crop
it tight before placing it using the Insert:Picture..
menu command.
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
Customization of the Invoice
If this container fields method of customizing the
invoice layouts does work for you, then you must
customize the layouts themselves. With any luck you
will simply be able to reposition and/or resize the
container fields along with moving and adjusting the
position and formatting of the other fields and text.
This is a best case scenario because it takes advantage
of the scripts that let you choose to print to paper (no
graphics) or to PDF (graphics included).
FileMaker Pro includes page layout tools to allow you
to make these adjustments. The FileMaker Pro User’s
Guide (a PDF provided with FileMaker Pro) explain
how to use them. If your letterhead is radically
different from the ones provided, you may require
more extensive customization of both layouts and
scripts to make them match. You can hire us or an
experienced FileMaker consultant to assist you or to
do it for you. You might also decide that now is a good
time to simplify your invoice.
Customization Precautions
As a precaution, make duplicate copies of the layouts
so that you can start over if you make a mistake.
There are invoice layouts in both Invoices and Invoice
Items. We recommend that you make your changes to
both, even if you have already decided to use one or
the other for printing all your invoices. Never say
never. When you are on deadline or need to get that
invoice out quick, it’s nice to have the other format as a
backup for special circumstances not anticipated.
PREPARING THE MAIL LOG TABLE
Changing the auto-enter value for your name
A field for your name appears at the bottom of
letters and in the upper portion of a fax. To turn on the
auto-enter option, use the Manage Database button on
the System subtab in Billing Codes. Choose the Fields
tab. Scroll to and double-click the From field, click in
the checkbox to enable the Auto-Enter Data feature,
then enter the name you want to appear on letters and
faxes. If you do not want a name to automatically
appear, then clear the field if necessary and turn AutoEnter Data off by unchecking.
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Changing the pop-up menu for your name
The From field is also formatted as an editable value
list. This is useful if a number of names might possibly
be used. Easily delete or add names to the drop-down
list. Click on the arrow at the right end of the From
field, then select Edit... at the bottom of the list. Delete
or add names in any order you wish - one name per
line.
You can also enter any name you wish into the field
without using the Value List by simply clicking on the
field to select the contents. When you see that the
entire field is selected you may delete and type or just
begin typing to replace the contents.
Putting your phone and fax numbers on the fax layout
If you haven’t done so already, open Billing Codes and
select the Personalization tab. Enter your phone and
fax numbers in addition to your company name.
Because these values are used throughout Studio
Manager, be sure to type them in carefully, exactly as
you would like them to appear.
PREPARING THE WEEKS TABLE
Unless you want the Week Start Date to be on a
different day of the week than Monday, you can use
the Weeks table without any adjustments. Currently
the Weeks table contains data necessary to
accommodate the years 1988 through 2023. Although
it does not appear in More Places, you can open the
Weeks table from the Layout menu (in Layout mode)
in the Status Bar of any entry screen or by clicking on
Weeks in the menu bar of the Calendar module.
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
PREPARING THE TAX RATES TABLE
If you are in California, open this table and review the
list to make sure that the rates are current. If you are
not in California and do not need these rates, you may
want to delete the existing records and enter data
appropriate for your needs.
If your state, province or country does not charge sales
tax, then be sure that none of your Billing Codes are
marked as Taxable.
Regardless of whether you charge sales tax or not,
never delete this (or any other table) from Studio
Manager.
PREPARING OTHER TABLES
Little prep is required in other tables unless you wish
to change the font or add graphics to reports that will
be printed.
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
MANAGING SECURITY
PRINCIPLES OF SECURITY AND ACCESS DESIGN
Before we get into the nitty gritty of how to manage
and modify security settings, we believe that it is both
important and helpful to understand the Studio
Manager philosophy of granting and restricting access.
Security restrictions can be very annoying to system
users at all levels below the master level (where there
aren’t any restrictions) unless they are designed
carefully with the user in mind. Your challenge is to
allow enough access that you do not hamstring users
while also protecting proprietary data.
Studio Manager arrives with fairly liberal security
settings. In general, we recommend that you begin
implementation with loose security and then as more
data is entered, users become more sophisticated and
managers more skilled, access can be tightened
intelligently and with finesse.
Enlist the help of your most trusted staff, and those
who are most eager to have Studio Manager succeed,
to give you feedback. These folks will be the most
patient with testing and implementation.
Whenever tightening security it is crucial that the
changes be tested prior to rolling them out. Make this
easy on yourself by modifying access a little at a time.
After making changes, then login at the level at which
you intended to restrict access. Test to insure that
access is indeed restricted. Re-login at the level at
which you desire access. Test to determine that this
level can see the data they require and produce the
reports they need.
SECURITY AND SECURITY MANAGEMENT FEATURES
Built into FileMaker Pro is a set of sophisticated tools
for managing access and privileges. Taking advantage
of those, Studio Manager 11 contains a basic security
control system already organized into custom Privilege
Sets. In addition to the ability to create Accounts and
Privilege Sets provided by FileMaker Pro, we added
another layer in Studio Manager that we call Access
Levels. This feature allows you to control access down
to the script and layout level using the the Layouts and
Scripts tables provided.
You set up an Account for each employee. Each
Account requires a password and is assigned to a
Privilege Set. You’ll learn how to do this soon.
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WHAT YOU GET AND WHY
Studio Manager includes eleven different pre-defined
Privilege Sets that you may choose to refine.
GLOSSARY.

Accounts allow you to log in to Studio
Manager. An account has a single
Privilege Set assigned to it.

Privilege Sets control which layouts and
fields are accessible and which actions can
be taken.

Access Levels are unique to Studio
Manager. Each privilege set is given an
access level from 1-90. Each script and
layout is also given an access level number
between 1 and 90. A user has access to all
scripts and layouts whose access level
number is less than or equal to the access
level number of the privilege set of their
account.
Here’s some access level and privilege set suggestions:
1. Owner – Finance (60), Finance Plus (80)
or Master (90). If you are the owner and the
FileMaker expert in your shop, you should
probably use Master all the time. If you are all
thumbs with the computer, you’ll want to use
Finance which gives you full access to your data
but doesn’t let you change the underlying
system components and layouts. If you
generally don’t want to mess with the system
but want the ability to fine-tune layouts, choose
Finance Plus where you get all data access plus
layout modification privileges.
2. In-House Database Administrator – User
Pro (35), System (50) or System Plus
(70). All 3 of these privilege sets give you close
to 100% power with the system elements. User
Pro is lower level in the data access department
with System in the middle and System Plus
being close to full data access along with the
almost full system access.
3. Finance – Finance (60) or Finance Plus
(80). This gives you full data access. Finance
Plus adds layout modification privileges.
4. Admin – Admin (40). Starts with the same
full data access as Finance but keeps you out of
the system and can be given specific access or
not to various kinds of information.
5. Trusted Employee or Account Manager –
User Plus (30). Larger firms will have not
only an Admin person but also will probably
allocate some responsibility for creating jobs,
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
estimates and possibly even invoices to trusted
employees in more responsible positions. That’s
what User Plus is for.
6. Sales employee – Sales (25). This is for
sales or marketing staff. They have the same
privileges as Users except they also have full
access to tracking sales activity.
7. Average employees – User (20).
Depending on how you run things, this is what
the average employee who just needs to enter
timesheets, keep track of their job task due
dates and occasionally lookup a contact address,
email or phone number.
8. Newbies, Temps or infrequent
Freelancers – Newbie (10). This privilege
set is restricted to just entering timesheets.
Because of the sheer number of layouts and scripts as
well as the typically hectic schedule in a creative
services environment, it might feel a little daunting at
first to make changes in the FileMaker Security
Overlay. If you want help with a few changes or a more
elaborate security scheme, please email
janet@tokerud.com or give us a call (415) 789-5219
and we’ll help you out at our regular consulting rates.
Don’t underestimate what a 10 or 15 minute phone call
might provide in getting you over the hump with this
set-up piece.
THE PRIVILEGE SETS
There are 16 privilege sets in all: 11 standard Studio
Manager privilege sets, two rarely used sets (Web
Master and Web User, intended for use in a system
customized for web use) and two sets defined by
FileMaker Pro: Read Only and Data Entry Only.
User Pro - User Plus level data access plus System
level system access. This privilege set is for a very
computer savvy user who still needs to be somewhat
limited in his or her access to data. Level 35.
Admin - This level lets you access most data except
internal system-use-only data. Level 40.
System – This is Admin data and full system access
except field modification. Level 50.
Finance - This is the access level that lets you access
all data except internal system-use-only data. Level 60.
System Plus - This is all system access and Finance
level data access. Level 70.
Finance Plus - This is all data access, but just layout
access, not scripts or fields. This could work well as the
regular account for the owner if he or she is not very
Filemaker savvy. The owner might just get the Finance
level if completely non-FM savvy. Certain Finance or
owner types of data access could be reserved for this
level. Level 80.
Master - This is as much access as you can get
without actually having full access.: all data, all system.
The owner might have this password. Make sure it's
also held somewhere else (perhaps in a safe deposit
box) where it can be located in case of emergency.
Level 90.
[Full Access] - Tokerud Consulting Group retains the
password to this level of access in your system unless
you’ve purchased the unlimited user license.
The 11 standard privilege sets are each given an access
level number which determines how much access a
user has. You don't need to know these by heart but
eventually you may know them well depending on your
number of users and how often you modify access. For
now, just take a quick look.
Newbie - This is a limited account that lets users work
with Timesheets but that's about all. Level 10.
User - This is the basic user account that allows access
to Contacts, Jobs and Timesheets. Level 20.
Sales - User level access but can get into Activities and
marketing stuff. Level 25.
User Plus - More responsible than plain User level.
Level 30.
We've given you or your favorite local FileMaker
expert the ability to do 99% of what you want to do
without 100% access. That way you aren’t dependent
on us. You don’t need to coordinate your schedule or
wait for us to schedule time for you if you know how to
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
do it yourself. For more information about using
Tokerud Consulting Group or someone else to assist
you, reread Customization.
LAYOUT ACCESS
Studio Manager 11 has over 350 layouts as of this
writing (some are just dividers). So we needed a
Layouts table in Studio Manager to keep track of them
all. The Layouts table can be updated any time you
add, delete or change layouts by using the “Refresh
Layouts list” button.
With a security level of 35 (User Pro) or above, you can
use Command-9 to get to the the heart of the back end
of Studio Manager. In the Scripts menu this is called
the “System Maintenance Screen•” which is actually
the first of a number of tables and layouts that begin
with the Tables table.
From there, click the Layouts button in the button bar
to open the Layouts screen. Optionally, click the
Refresh Layouts list button (it’s green) to have Studio
Manager refresh the table/list (1-3 minutes).
If you know that no layouts have been added or
removed, then skip this step.
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Click the List Screen button in the button bar to open a
list view that you can also use to to modify layout
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
access. The arrow at the left end of each row or the
Layouts button will return you to the entry screen.
the Invoice list screen, but 40 (Admin) to view the
Invoice entry screen showing detail.
Notice the 3rd column from the left labeled Access.
That’s the minimum level required for a user to access
that particular layout. Click the Sort button (in the
footer) to group layouts by Table. You can use the Find
command or scroll through the records to locate any
particular layout.
SCRIPT ACCESS
Some tables contain more confidential data whose
confidentiality is up to you. Please note that we have
limited access to level 90 (Master) in order to access
the Employee Confidential screen in Contacts. If you
wish for lower level staff to be able to view and edit
data on this screen, then you can lower the access
number, although we don’t really recommend it.
You can make Invoices, for example, not accessible to
users with a level below 40 or 50. Or you can vary
access by layout. It's up to you. We've started you off
with a relatively lenient scheme which you can tighten
up as you see fit. If you change access levels in the
Invoices table, also consider adjusting the access levels
for comparable layouts in Invoice_Items and
Invoice_Payments.
Making Batch Edits to Layout Access
You may change access levels one record (one line) at a
time, or use the Replace command (with care) to
change access level in batches.
To make batch edits, begin by performing a find that
includes only the tables you wish to edit. You can limit
your found set even more by finding by table and
access level. For example, you might find all the Access
40's in a given table and change them to 30's. In the
case of Invoices, you can find all 3 related tables by
performing a find with multiple requests.
There are almost 700 scripts in Studio Manager 11.
The Scripts table is similar in function to the Layouts
table. The Scripts table can also be refreshed as you
add and change scripts. Open the Scripts table by
clicking on the Scripts button from Tables or Layouts
on the entry or list screen.
Open at the Scripts table and Refresh [the] Scripts List
(yellow button). Then open the Scripts List Screen.
Click on the Sort button to group the scripts by table.
You will notice that Scripts have been assigned
different access levels within the same table. Some
scripts have access level blank because they aren't
regular scripts, they are just labels or dividers and are
designated as such in the Script Type column.
Scripts run directly by the user have higher numbers if
they pertain to financial data or critical updating
operations that would be expected to be run by
experienced users, not casual users who may only
know how to enter their own time on a timesheet.
Subscripts that are run by other scripts tend to have
very low access level requirements because, the Script
that runs them controls access. Once that access is
approved, there is no reason to have another barrier
for the subscript.
CREATING USER ACCOUNTS
Read about “Replacing the contents of a field” in
FileMaker Pro Help to understand how it works. Data
changes made in this way cannot be Undone so use it
carefully. Replace (Records menu) is very handy in
data manipulation. It’s easy but so powerful, we want
to make sure you know exactly how it works.
Layout access is controlled by security checking scripts
that run as soon as you click a navigation button that
takes you to another screen. These security scripts
check to see if the current user has enough access level
points in their account privilege set to access a
particular layout. This point system lets you determine
that it takes, for example, 30 (User Plus) to get to view
You create and modify user accounts on the User
Accounts Screen, accessible via the Employees Admin
tab in Contacts. To activate new accounts or to modify
existing ones, you must login at the Level 60 (Finance)
or higher. Most employees will lack the access required
to open and use this layout.
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
Although 60 is the minimum access level for this, it is
not possible to create or modify a user account that has
more access. So your Finance user can create Sales,
User Plus, User and so on, they cannot add/edit
Finance Plus or higher.
From the Admin subtab on the Employee Dashboard,
click on the User Accounts Screen button. If you are
going to change access for multiple employees, click
next on the Find All Active Employees button. Use the
book tool in the status bar to move through the
employee records.
You need to have a login account for each employee
who uses Studio Manager. The first time that you open
this screen for someone on the staff you will create and
activate an account, then assign them to the desired
level. Accounts are not records. Adding or removing
them changes an existing record – it does not add or
delete a record.
The fields at the top of the screen are for the account
currently logged in. Below this appear the fields for the
employee record you are looking at. You see their first
and last name. You can search in these fields. If they
are new to Studio Manager, the CD Privilege Set and
CD Account Status fields will be blank. “CD” is
employee ID of the record your are looking at.
In the Account Set-up Area below. Choose a Privilege
Set to Assign from the pop-down list (click on the
arrow). The privilege sets are listed by name, not
number. Refer to the descriptions of the Privilege Sets
above if you need a reminder of the Access Level.
Then click the blue Create Account for This Employee
button. Click OK at the confirmation prompt. At that
point you will see that the Privilege Set has now been
set and the Account is “Active”.
TIP. You can create a set of accounts for a
particular PrivilegeSet very easily if you have lots
of employees in your company or work group.
Just create a Found Set of the employees you
want for a particular PrivilegeSet and select that
PrivilegeSet. Then press the Create Accounts for
Found Set button and it will create the accounts
with a little log of what was done entered into a
temporary log right on your screen. If you like,
you can copy and paste that log to a text a or word
processing file (whatever) to retain a permanent
record of what was done.
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Disable Account
Disable Account is used to lock out an active user. It
has two uses. When you are first setting up, you
probably want to go ahead and enter an Employee
record for all users but you may not want every one of
them to have immediate access to Studio Manager. For
those that you want to block, just Disable the account.
They won’t be able to log in. When you are ready for
them to use Studio Manager, just return to this screen
and click the Activate Account button. You can also use
the Disable Account button to quickly block someone
who just quit or for some other reason.
TIP. Remember that accounts are an internal
FileMaker construction. As an employee’s account
is validated against an employee’s record (the
account is matched to the employee’s full name),
but is not a record. Deleting an account does not
delete the employee record.
Changing an Assigned Privilege Set
You must delete a user’s account before you can assign
that user to a different account. If you want to promote
someone from User to User Plus, go to their record in,
delete their account using the orange Delete Account
button. If you get an error message, click the eraser
icon to fix the problem. then recreate the account,
starting with choosing their new Privilege Set. Note
that doing this shows the same button, prompt and
confirmation dialogs as when you first created an
account for them.
Passwords. The creating accounts button assigns a
password equal to the user's contact number. Each
user is given his or her own account with a particular
privilege set.
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
Studio Manager
uses the user’s
full name as their
account name
and, by default,
assigns their
contact number
as their
password. Users
should change
their passwords
once they've
started using
their accounts.
This can be done
very easily with
the File>Change
Password... command.
OTHER NOTES ABOUT SECURITY
When first setting up Studio Manager it may be
necessary to grant Master access to your IT person or
an outside consultant who is assisting with the
installation. We recommend creating an employee
record and an account for them that can be quickly
and easily disabled when their services are no longer
necessary.
It is important that there always be a top person who
has Master level access and a unique password that is
kept in a safe place. This is most often the owner or the
department head.
Please note than anyone who has access to the ReadMe
PDF that is delivered with Studio Manager, has the
default name and password for the Master level.
Changing this immediately will ensure that only the
data you want can be viewed or edited by others.
If you are a single user, you still might want to take
advantage of Studio Manager’s security. If you are
confident that you know what you are doing, then give
yourself Master access. If you want to be able to get to
all your data and reports but don’t want to accidentally
screw up layouts, log in at the Finance level. Then just
login at the master level when you are needing to
change layouts and do things that require a higher
level of access than you need in your normal work.
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
BASIC STUDIO MANAGER
The User Manual contains all operating instructions
for Studio Manager. This section on Running Studio
Manager is included here to provide you with the
basics without your having to refer to a different
document. It is duplicated in the User Manual.
BEFORE OPENING STUDIO MANAGER
The file is named “Studio_Manager_11.fp7” or
“Studi_Manager 11.xx.fp7”.
OPENING STUDIO MANAGER
To begin working with Studio Manager 11, double-click
its file icon if you are the only user, or, if you are
accessing Studio_Manager on a FileMaker server,
open FileMaker Pro 11 and then click the Remote...
button in the Open dialog. Then double-click
Studio_Manager to select it.
If you are accessing from another location entirely,
select the host from the Open Remote File dialog left
panel, Favorite Hosts and then double-click
Studio_Manager after it appears in the right panel.
GETTING STARTED TIP. If you don’t already
have an account using your full name), you will be
prompted to select an employee name from the popup menu. You will see the names of all the people
that were entered into the Contacts table under the
category Employee.
Unless you are a manager checking someone else’s
time, select your own name. By selecting a name
from the list, you tell Studio Manager who you are.
During the current session, the program will
remember the name you chose. The first thing that it
does with this information is to show you your
current outstanding tasks (Employee Tasks Screen/
Contacts). Later, when you are entering Timesheets,
Studio Manager will also recall who you are and only
display your timesheet records.
If you already have your own login account, you’ll be
taken to your employee record where you can see your
assigned job tasks and gain access your timesheets.
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Heads Up. If you haven’t entered employees into
the Contacts table yet, no names will be available
to select in the menu – you can use the layouts
menu above the book icon in the status area at the
left to move directly to Contacts where you can
enter all employees in the employees tab. Then
use the Re-Login command in the Scripts menu to
log-in correctly.
THE STUDIO MANAGER INTERFACE
There are two main types of screens used in Studio
Manager: (1) entry screens that display a single
record’s details and (2) list screens that list multiple
records – each record limited to showing a few fields.
ENTRY SCREENS
When you create new records, it is usually easier to do
that on an “entry screen” that devotes all of the screen
real estate to a single record. With all that room, you
can enter all the data about a person, a job, an invoice,
etc.. Even with a full-screen, though, you’ll run out of
room if you are keeping track a lot of information in
each record.
TABS
To provide a mechanism for keeping large amounts of
data in a record, Studio Manager uses tabs. Studio
Manager is particularly concerned with tracking
contacts and jobs, so there tabs are used extensively.
In contacts, there are full screen tabs for different
types of contacts (prospects, clients, vendors and
employees) and within those full screen tabs, there are
smaller subtabs.
The important thing to know about tabs is that a tab
takes you to different views of data without moving
you to a different table or data set. For example, if you
are in the Contacts table and you click a tab, you won’t
suddenly go to the Jobs table.
A subtab in Contacts might be labeled Jobs or
Invoices, but it doesn’t take you to jobs or invoices. It
just lets you look at a list of the jobs or invoices for that
particular contact in a portal (a small rectangle on the
screen that lets you see related records from another
table without going to that other table).
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
THE BUTTON BAR ON ENTRY SCREENS
The rightmost 1 inch of each entry screen is reserved
for a vertical button bar. The Studio Manager button
bar is split into two or three sections.
Commands
If there are any commands
that are common to all tabs for
a particular table, you’ll see
them in the commands section
at the top of the button bar.
The Middle Section
Any commands unique to a
particular tab appear in the
middle section of the button
bar.
Tables that don’t have
multiple screen-sized tabs,
don’t have a middle section.
Any commands are simply
listed under COMMANDS
at the top of the button bar.
Places
The bottom section, called
PLACES, has buttons for the
main places you can go in Studio Manager. There’s a
More Places button at the bottom that provides more
options. See “Navigation” below.
Studio Manager Logo
Wherever you see it in Studio
Manager, we’ve used the Studio
Manager logo as a button that
takes you to the map of Studio
Manager. On the map, you’ll
see the key places in Studio
Manager and how they
interrelate. We encourage you to
use the Map screen often as you are learning Studio
Manager. Click on the icons there to navigate.
LIST SCREENS
While Entry Screens are great when you want to see a
lot of information about a single record or when you
want to create a new record, list screens are optimized
to let you see and work with multiple records at once.
want to look at all the records that meet a criterion.
You might use a list screen to see all the jobs you’ve
done that were for web sites or all the contacts you
have in your home state. When you want to doublecheck that your data is correct, it can can help to
quickly scan down a list of records looking to see that
all the data in a column has been entered correctly.
In Studio Manager there is a list screen for every table.
On the list screen you’ll find an arrow at the left edge
of each row (record) which will take you to the entry
screen for that particular record.
NAVIGATION
TABLES
As mentioned earlier, a table is a data set about a
particular type of thing. Studio Manager has tables or
data sets that keep information about contacts, jobs,
estimates, invoices, timesheets and several other kinds
of things relevant to creative services businesses.
When you want to create, work with or view data about
a particular type of thing, you need to navigate to the
table for that thing. If you want to look up a phone
number for a particular client, you would go to the
Contacts table. If you want to know who the primary
contact is for a job, you would go to the Jobs table.
PLACES
But how do you “go” to a the Contacts table or the Jobs
table? In Studio Manager, we think of tables as places.
You go to Contacts you
travel to that place. When
you are there, you can create
records, enter data, look up
data and create reports
about the data there.
All entry screens contain a
PLACES menu that is
always located at the bottom
of the button bar along the
right edge of the window,
just below the Studio
Manager icon which doubles
as a button to the map.
A good time to use a list screen would be when you
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
The PLACES menu includes the same places in most
tables. If the table that is currently open appears in
this short list of places, then it will have a white
background. Click on a gray button to jump to the
table you desire. If the table you want is not listed,
click on More Places.
More Places
The last button is
called More Places.
Click it to see a
floating window
containing the other
tables that a user
might wish to access.
Billing Codes is on
this menu. If you
open it by mistake,
click on the Cancel
button at the bottom
to close it.
SCRIPTS MENU
Although you can
move between
layouts, print reports
and do most of what
you need to do in
Studio Manager just by pressing buttons, sometimes
the button you need may not be on the current layout
or the function you want to perform is not very
common. If you’ve
tried the More Places
button or it’s not
available on the
screen you are on,
pop-down the
Scripts menu.
The Scripts menu
holds the most
common systemwide
things you might
want to do like go to
Contacts,
Timesheets or Jobs.
Open the Scripts menu to learn the keyboard
equivalents for these common functions.
Page 48
PRINTING FROM STUDIO MANAGER
This is an important section – read it carefully.
In order to ensure that forms and reports print
correctly, scripts and buttons have been added to
control the printing process. Look for Print... buttons
in the button bars. Behind the scenes, the script
“remembers” the correct Page Setup and Print
configurations in addition to performing Finds and
Sorts that are required.
After clicking a Print... button you may be offered
some options. Your choices depend on the nature of
the report. You may be asked to choose between a
current job or all active jobs. You might be given the
option to print to paper or to PDF. Always you are
given the choice to Cancel and if you got there by
mistake, then this is the best choice.
If you choose to proceed, what happens next depends
upon a preference set on the SM Prefs tab in Billing
Codes. Studio Manager 11 comes to you with the
option to see a Preview before Printing turned off.
Previous versions were different
Prior to Studio Manager 11, the printing process
defaulted to showing you a preview from within
FileMaker Pro of what was to be printed. While there
are some advantages to that, it is time-consuming for
those who don’t want to see a preview every time. A
feature of Mac OS X is the ability to preview before you
print. So it was sort of a “no brainer” to turn off the
feature in Studio Manager since you can choose it
when you want and skip it if you don’t.
A change was made in Studio Manager 10 that allows
you to set the default to see a preview every time or
not. By default, Studio Manager 11 is shipped with the
preference Preview before Printing turned off. If you
wish to always see a preview or you want to turn the
option on and off, you can change this setting:
1.
Open Billing Codes from More Places.
2. Click on the SM Prefs tab
3. Click once in the box labeled Preview before
Printing to place an “X” in the box and thus
turn on this feature. It takes effect immediately,
but only on your computer and only for awhile.
In a multi-user, networked system, the change will
persist only through your current session. See Setting
Defaults for instructions on changing it permanently
and the implications of that choice.
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
If you choose to Preview before Printing then you need
to remember to always click Continue at the preview.
Otherwise you will be dumped out of the script and left
staring at the layout that is used for printing. This may
bear little resemblance to what you just previewed and
not even be in the table where you started. Most of
these layouts include an Entry Screen button to get you
back to a screen with a full set of navigation buttons on
it. Click that, then use the navigation buttons to find
your way back to the table you were working with
when you chose to print.
TIP. If Preview before Printing is turned on, you
must click the Continue button in the status bar to
either print or cancel. This is an important step.
Never cancel at the preview whether you wish to
print or not. Do this to avoid being dumped into a
layout or table that makes little sense to you. Doing
so you will be returned to the originating screen or a
more appropriate one.
If you set Studio Manager to Preview before Printing
then we encourage you to actually look at the preview.
Make sure that what is about to be printed is exactly
what you were expecting. Use the Book tool in the
status area to look at additional pages of multi-page
reports.
If you are previewing in Preview, use the Thumbnail
view to see all the pages. If you are using a Windows
PC, print preview is a function of your printer driver.
TIP. You will rarely if ever print anything from
Studio Manager by going to the file menu to choose
Print. If you do try to print something this way you
may be unpleasantly surprised. This is because of the
way FileMaker Pro remembers the last Page Setup
settings that were used. If you just printed an
envelope using the script and then you try to print a
list without the script and without changing the Page
Setup, you are going to waste paper and your own
time. Always use the Print buttons and Print scripts!
STANDARD AUDIT FIELDS
These fields can be found on general System or Audit
Info tabs in almost all tables. If there is a System tab,
click that tab to see all available audit fields for a
particular table.
These eight fields can provide an audit trail when you
are trying to track down the source of a problem. The
System screen may also contain audit or other fields
required for a specific table.
Creation Date and Time. Studio Manager is designed
to automatically enter date and time stamps for each
entry that you make, putting the current date and time
(of the computer clock) into these fields.
Creator Name and Creator Account. Studio Manager
records the name of the computer user (if one has been
specified) and the Account that was active when the
record was created. If you have multiple people
making entries to the system over a network, this
information can be useful.
Modification Date and Time. Studio Manager date and
time stamps whenever a change is made to a record.
Modifier Name and Modifier Account. Studio
Manager records the user name of the computer and
the logged in Account when a change was made.
D ATA E N T R Y
RELATIONSHIPS
The order in which data is entered into the various
tables in Studio Manager is based on how the tables
are related to one another.
The magic that connects the tables in Studio Manager
is a FileMaker Pro feature called Relationships.
Relationships are created by defining matching fields
(called keys) between two tables.
Most tables contain a text field that is unique to that
table and is usually entered automatically as a
sequential number. Examples are Contact Number,
Job Number, Estimate Number, Invoice Number and
PO Number. These are frequently used as key fields,
both alone and within calculations.
Some key fields in Studio Manager are calculations
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
designed to filter data in a specific way. These fields
contain the word “zk_” at the beginning of the field
name so they are grouped together at the bottom of the
list (that’s what the z is for).
create a new job. Once the job has been created
however, you can change the rates in Jobs as needed
for that particular project without altering the rates
that you normally want to use for this customer.
It is very important that you not delete or change
relationships or key fields without understanding what
you are doing. If you feel that you need to change a key
field calculation, duplicate (back up) the file first,
make the changes and then test before proceeding.
The Relookup Field Contents command in the Records
menu can be useful in certain circumstances.
Studio Manager uses lookups, related fields or
calculations depending on the function of that data.
Once a relationship has been defined, data can be
exchanged between tables in a variety of ways. Many of
the efficiencies derived from Studio Manager exist
because of lookups and related fields.
Since data often flows from table to table in a specified
sequence, it is important to enter data in the correct
order. When this is done, all the data needed by each
table is available and correct.
LOOKUPS
A lookup is used when editing data should not affect
(or be affected by) the data in the another table. For
example, address data is looked up into Invoices from
Contacts. This is because you want invoices to show
the address to which they were delivered. Even if you
change the address in Contacts, the old address data
remains in existing invoice records. Any new invoices
that you create will of course use the new address.
A lookup is a FileMaker Pro function that copies
information from a related table when you enter
matching data into the trigger field. For example,
when you enter a Job ID into the Job Costs table,
Studio Manager uses the data in this trigger field to
match the correct record in the Jobs table. It then
copies data from other fields in Jobs into counterpart
fields in Job Costs that have been defined to be looked
up from Jobs whenever the Job ID field in Jobs Costs
is entered for the first time or subsequently modified.
In Studio Manager, the hourly and markup rates in
Jobs are looked up from the matching record in
Contacts and the hourly and markup rates in Job Costs
lookup from the matching record in Jobs.
In order for lookups to work correctly, the correct data
must already exist in the originating table. For
example, rate data is looked up from the client contact
record and copied into Jobs, so those rate fields
should be filled in or adjusted (in Contacts) before you
Page 50
Be Careful when you do Relookups. You can force
data to be relooked up for a particular record by
modifying the trigger field. A relookup on a single
record is manageable. But doing a Re-lookup on a
Found Set can have dire consequences. Some of your old
looked up data may have been altered here and there for
good reason and these exceptions will be overwritten by
a relookup operation. This is why you should use
extreme caution when forcing a re-lookup. The
Relookup command in FileMaker Pro affects all records
in the current found set. Be especially careful when
using this function.
RELATED FIELDS
Related fields display data similar to lookups, except
that instead of copying data from on table to another
table, they simply display the data from the other
table. The data exists in only one place.
For example, the rate fields you see in Estimates are
related fields in Jobs. If you change them in the
Estimates table, they will also change in Jobs. This
guarantees that the same rates will be used for both
estimating and when entering time and expenses.
CALCULATED FIELDS
In addition to being used for obvious purposes, like
calculating actual amounts from the cost in Job Costs
or adding up totals for estimates or invoices,
calculations are used to display data in a certain
manner. Sometimes a calculated field is used to allow
you to search in that field, but to prevent you from
accidentally editing or deleting the data. Calculations
often combine data from several fields.
MANAGE DATABASE
Studio Manager’s guts are located in its Tables, Fields
and Relationships. These elements are so essential to
the function of Studio Manager that access to changing
them requires that you login using your Master
password. Then click the Manage Database button on
the System subtab, either in in Billing Codes or Jobs.
Any customization of Studio Manager’s functionality
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
will require access to Manage Database. Additional
tables and fields may be added without altering the
basic operation of Studio Manager. Any changes or
additions to Relationships should be done by someone
with knowledge of what they are doing.
In older versions of Studio Manager, a Define Fields
dialog box could be opened from the File menu. This
has changed. Manage Database appears in the File
menu, but it is grayed out, meaning you cannot use it.
Here are the step by step directions that you need to
modify field definitions in Studio Manager:
1.
Use your Master account to open Studio Manager.
2. Go to the Billing Codes table and click on the
System subtab.
3. Click once on the Manage Database button.
4. From the Table pop-up (upper left in the window)
choose the table that contains the field that you
want to modify.
5.
Click on the Fields tab (the one in the middle).
6. Fields are listed in alphabetical order. To locate a
particular field, e.g. Job Number, scroll down the
list. When you find it, click once on the field name
to access its characteristics.
7.
Click on the Options button to open the Entry
Options dialog box for this particular field (or
double-click on the field name). In most cases you
will be modifying Auto-Enter options. Note that
this window also allows you to modify Validation
and Storage options.
8. Click on the Auto-Enter button (most likely it
will be the one open already) to enter, modify or
remove any of the automatically entered values
that have been defined for this field. For example,
change the Job Number that Studio Manager
starts with by modifying the Serial Number in this
window.
9. When you are done, click OK, and then OK again
to exit the Manage Database dialog box.
DATA THAT IS AUTOMATICALLY ENTERED
As you are entering data, notice whether or not the
lookups, related fields and calculations are displaying
correctly. Most data entry of important key fields is
done via value lists or is controlled by scripts, so it
should be hard for you to make a data entry error. If
you notice that normally looked up data is missing,
check to see that the data you expected to see looked
up is actually in the originating table and that the key
field is precisely correct.
D ATA E N T R Y O R D E R
When you first begin to use Studio Manager, you will
need to enter data into many of the tables. You have
already read about the necessity to enter data in an
order that makes sense to Studio Manager. Here is the
order in which we recommend you enter the data you
want to get started.
Enter all billing codes and set all defaults in
the Billing Codes table, if you have not already
done so.
Enter all current employees into Contacts
and give each one a unique Employee ID. Print
the Employee list.
Enter your currently active clients into the
Contacts table. Be sure to assign Client IDs.
Modify the default hourly and markup rates as
needed. Print the Client list. FileMaker can
import data in many different file formats so
you may be able to save time by importing data
from other sources (see below).
Enter all your active jobs into the Jobs
table. Print the Job List. While you are at it, go
to the Job Types table and edit the table by
adding, deleting and changing job type records
to reflect the kinds of work you handle. When
you are ready, enter standard tasks and job
specifications categories for each major type of
job you deal with. This small amount of extra
set-up work upfront will pay you back time and
time again once in place.
Enter vendors and prospects into
Contacts. Print the Vendor and Prospects lists.
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
Do some testing to make sure you
understand how to enter job cost data.
Select a job or make a fake job, create an
estimate for it (and transfer that to Job Costs),
then enter some time records, both via the
Timesheets table and directly into the Job Costs
table. Also enter some expenses into Job Costs.
Then run some reports from the Job Costs
table. Compare these to your own calculations.
The arithmetic calculations performed by
Studio Manager are very reliable. If your results
are different, then check to be sure you are
entering the correct codes.
I M P O R T I N G C O N TA C T S
There are at least three reasons you might want to
import existing data into Contacts:
You have an earlier version of Studio
Manager and want to retain the data
already in that copy of the Contacts table.
You started entering your contact data into
the Studio Manager Demo and don’t want
to have to re-enter it.
You have contact data in another file or
application and you would like to transfer as
much of that data as possible into Contacts.
You can import data from another FileMaker Pro
“.fp7” file (and some Excel files) directly. Importing
data from most other applications requires that the
data first be exported to a tab-delimited text file that is
formatted in a manner that FileMaker can work with.
Then the data can be imported into Contacts.
If you aren’t already familiar with importing into
FileMaker Pro, spend time studying FileMaker’s online
help on the subject. Choose FileMaker Pro Help and
type in the words “importing data”, to see a list of all
the help regarding importing data. Print out the ones
that are relevant to your situation.
PREPARING CONTACTS FOR IMPORTING
The first thing to do before importing contacts is to
make at least one backup of Studio Manager. Please. It
will just take a couple minutes.
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IMPORTING ONE CATEGORY AT A TIME
If you are importing data from FileMaker Pro 7 or
higher, open that table first and find all of the records
that you wish to import. It is better to import contact
data in small chunks rather than all at once. It will be
easier to import each different category of contacts
separately. Once you import the data, you can assign
the appropriate category for all the records in the
found set with a single Replace command. If you
import all the contact data you have at one time and
the import doesn’t include the category, you will have
to set that field for each record, one at a time.
If you are importing from another Studio Manager
Contacts table, this isn’t an issue because you’ll already
have correct categories set and they will import.
If your FileMaker Pro file is version 6 or older, it must
be converted before you can run an import. This is true
even if it’s Studio Manager. In Help enter “Converting
files from FileMaker Pro 6 and earlier” to read all
about it.
IMPORTING DATA FROM TEXT TABLES
If you cannot import directly from FileMaker into
Contacts, then you will have to export a text file from
whatever application contains the data. Study the
export instructions for that program before
proceeding.
Compare how the data is stored in that file or program
with how it is stored in Contacts. You may have to be
creative in some cases. Contacts stores the first and
last name in separate fields for instance. What if your
program stores them in one field?
The address fields in Contacts are also separate.
Decide in advance which fields you want to import
data into when the fields do not match.
TIP: A trick we often use is to open the new tabdelimited text file as a new FileMaker file. Open
Manage>Database in this new file and assign
field names there to exactly match Studio
Manager’s field names. If you do this, you’ll be
able to take advantage of the Matching Names
option when you get to the match fields screen
during import.
Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
IMPORTING FROM ANOTHER COPY OR VERSION OF
STUDIO MANAGER
If you already have a copy of Studio Manager or the
Studio Manager Demo and you are importing all of
your contact records, you have to decide whether to
keep the existing Contact Numbers or assign new ones.
If you are also planning on importing job records into
Jobs or any Job Costs data into that table, keep your
original Contact Numbers because they link to your
other data. In this case you want to include Contact
Number with the import and you do not want to
replace these with new numbers.
If you are only importing contact data but will enter
data in all other tables from scratch, then do not
import the Contact Number.
MATCHING FIELDS
Following the instructions you printed out earlier,
import the desired data. You will be given the
opportunity to match all the fields.
GETTING A GOOD IMPORT
Once the data has been imported, check it carefully for
accuracy by scrolling through the records. Really look
at the data in each field to determine if it is correct or
not. Do NOT change the found set by doing a Find,
Show All or Omit. It is not unusual to find something
missing or in the wrong field, especially if you are
importing from a text file and you’ve never done this
before. If so, select Delete Found Records... from the
Records menu and try again until you get the data
imported to your satisfaction. This delete function only
removes records in the current found set.
Once you are satisfied with the import you are ready to
update the data by adding a Contact Number and
assigning a Category (if this data was not imported).
You want to update the data you just imported before
importing the next batch.
UPDATING IMPORTED DATA
As we said above, this can be tedious if the field names
are very different or don’t match well. Take your time
and double check your selections. Then run the
import. The imported records will appear in a found
set in Contacts.
IMPORT OPTIONS
After you have matched names chosen Import on the
Import Field Mapping dialog, you’ll be confronted
with a second dialog called Import Options. If the
contact data you are entering doesn’t already have
unique contact numbers that link with job and
transaction data elsewhere, check the Perform Autoenter Options while Importing checkbox so that
Studio Manager assigns your new contacts the next
available unique contact numbers.
Note: If you imported from a different copy of the
Studio Manager Contacts table, skip this step
because the imported records already have good
contact numbers and categories assigned.
You should have just imported a single category of
contact such as vendors or clients. Click into the
Category field on the first record on the List Screen.
Select the correct category. Choose the Records/
Replace Contents... command and replace the contents
of this field in all the records of the found set with the
category that you chose.
IMPORTING IN BATCHES
If you are importing data in batches according to
Category, then you will repeat the above steps three
more times (assuming that you have records to import
in all three categories).
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
STUDIO MANAGER MOBILE
Studio Manager 11 includes a number of new layouts
that allow you to access it remotely via FileMaker Go
for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Rather than repeat
the instructions here, review the ePub as a PDF on
your computer, or upload it to your mobile device and
read it there with eBooks or another compatible
eReader app. We have found it quite easy to copy from
a computer to a mobile device by connecting them via
a USB cable and using iTunes to drag and drop the
ePub.
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
FILEMAKER PRO
RESOURCES
TOKERUD CONSULTING GROUP
Janet Tokerud, chief developer for Studio Manager, is
somewhat of a tech nerd who loves keeping current
with the latest, greatest, cutest, fastest, coolest and
most awesome gadgets, software and hardware for
your Mac, iPod, iPhone, iTV, Kindle and more. She
writes frequent blogs and is quite active on Twitter
where you can sign up to read her tweets at http://
twitter.com/tokerud.
FILEMAKER, INC.
FileMaker, Inc. is the publisher of FileMaker Pro and
one of the best resources you have for all things
FileMaker. We here at Tokerud Consulting Group have
specialized in building FileMaker database solutions
since the very first non-relational version of the
application. We are charter members of the FileMaker
Solutions Alliance and attend the FileMaker Pro
Developers Conference every summer.
http://www.filemaker.com
We have a number of websites that we hope you will
check out.
http://www.tokerud.com/
TRAINING
Tokerud Domain: Serving the technology needs of
cultural creatives and their businesses
From the developers of FileMaker Pro: http://
www.filemaker.com/support/training/
http://www.studio-manager.com/
FileMaker authorizes trainers and you might wish to
work with one of these businesses: http://
www.filemaker.com/support/training/
authorized_trainers.html
Studio Manager Story: Say "yes" to great design
and "no" to missed deadlines, job overruns and
negative cash flow. This is our primary product site.
http://tokerud.typepad.com/filemaker/
FileMaker Fever: All things FileMaker
http://tokerud.typepad.com/
Tech Ronin: life in the 21st century, personal
technology, free agent nation, social web... This is
Janet’s blog site.
Look for Janet at these sites:
Delicious
Bookmarks from Janet
Facebook
Janet hardly ever uses fb
Flickr
Janet is also an amateur photographer and uploads a
Linkedin
photo here and there.
Add Janet to your network
Twitter
Join Janet’s ever-growing list of followers
Locate additional sources by entering “Filemaker Pro
training” into Google or your favorite internet search.
Check out local Junior Colleges and similar
institutions of higher learning in your area for
seminars and classes.
FileMaker Pro classes are sometimes taught through
adult education programs at your local high school or
community center. These are often very inexpensive
although they range wildly in quality.
In general we recommend hands-on training. It is
mostly a waste of time for you to attend a workshop
where you just sit and watch a demonstration.
RESOURCES
For those who want to stay current with the world
according to FileMaker, take a look at the website for
FileMaker Today, home of a wealth of FileMaker
resources including FileMaker Cafe, an online
community. http://filemakertoday.com/
Just so you know, most of the resource websites and
companies that focus on FileMaker provide services
for FileMaker developers rather than users.
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Studio Manager 11 Installation & Setup Guide
READ A BOOK
CONSULTANTS
For the highly self-motivated and those who don’t live
where training is offered, we recommend picking up a
book to supplement the Studio Manager User Manual
so that you have a general resource for FileMaker that
you can turn to when you have a question about how to
do something.
In addition to being the developers of Studio Manager,
we are also consultants. Regardless of where you are
located in the world, please consider hiring us,
Tokerud Consulting Group, to customize, upgrade
and/or train you to use Studio Manager. After all, we
know Studio Manager better than anyone.
The Missing Manual series of
books are excellent. It’s also
available in as a Kindle/eBook
and for FileMaker Pro 11.
The FileMaker Pro 10 Bible is
the latest in this series that covers
everything from the basics to
advanced techniques. Available in
print and as an eBook.
Over the years we have seen a number of good
FileMaker books go out of print or never be upgraded
to the latest version. The Missing Manual is just about
the only exception.
Page 56
Over the years we have worked directly with a number
of FileMaker Consultants around the world. While
none of them know Studio Manager as well as we do,
they are highly capable professionals who have the
skills necessary to customize Studio Manager to your
specifications.
We currently have authorized consultants in San
Francisco, New York, Boston, Florida, Colorado,
Kansas, Chicago, Vancouver BC, Japan and New
Zealand. We are actively recruiting additional
consultants in major metropolitan areas of the United
States, Canada, the UK and Australia. Contact us if you
are looking for help – we may have a referral for you.
Click here for our consultants page.
Search the FileMaker site for consultants.
Also refer to the FileMaker website describing the
FileMaker Technical Network, formerly known as the
FileMaker Solutions Alliance, at http://
www.filemaker.com/technet/. From here you can find
an expert for consulting or training.