TSM modules have developed over time to satisfy customer expectations as to the sort of data they are required to carry. It is more likely than not that an average business using TSM will not need all of these fields. The fact that a field is named something does not necessarily mean that it has to be used for this purpose. Some fields can be renamed and used differently, however the user has to exercise discretion when doing this, as the field may have a function in TSM more complex than would first appear.

There are 2 common reasons a field label may need to be changed:

• It has been decided that a particular field will be used to record data other than its name suggests. For instance the Other field on Job Card Job Logging tab has been assigned to carry the advertising source for the job. It's label can be changed to reflect this.<
• It has been decided that a field will not be used for anything. To aid the users, its label is set to (for instance) “* * *”. This is commonly done to some of the unused dropdown menu fields on the right hand-side of the Job Card Job Logging such as Department.<

Whilst it is easy to undo a field label change, customised labels may confuse the user. So a short overview of the types of fields one will encounter in TSM is in order.

There are two types of fields one would commonly encounter whose labels can be changed; a simple text field and a drop-down menu.

A dropdown-menu field will either refer to a record on a TSM module (such as the Employee) dropdown or a code in the Code Maintenance. You may wish to check if the code has any functionality behind it by right-clicking in the field. This will take you to the Code Maintenance section for that field. If the code has more functionality that a Code ID and a Description, it may not be a good idea to use it for any purpose other than what it is intended for.

The Other and Other 2 fields on Job Card Job Logging tab are provided specifically for the purpose of being renamed and used for something TSM does not cater for by default. These fields can be used to search for Job Cards as well as in Job Card Reports.

It is usually not a good idea to attempt to use numerical, counter and date fields for anything other than they are intended for. If an extra field is required of this type, it is best to create a user-defined field for it. You will also not be able to edit button labels.

Note that for customised labels to be displayed the General Setup option “Do load customised field label text” needs to be off.

1. Open the module and tab where the field is located.<
2. Press and hold down the Ctrl key and right-click the field label. A window will appear.<
3. Type the new label into the “Field Label” field at the top of the screen.

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1. Press Exit. The new label will be displayed on the module.<
2. If the customised label is too long, you can reset it by repeating steps 1-4. Use the Reset button on the Update Field Label dialogue to clear our the previous entry.<

Tip: Job Card Job Logging fields Other, and Other 2 can be toggled between text field and dropdown menu modes using the tickbox option on Job Card Setup Page 1.

How this function of TSM is employed will invariably be different from business to business. Most commonly it is used to clarify the functionality of certain TSM features. The Job Card Job Logging tab is where this is predominantly necessary. For instance, the Book Reference field may be renamed to identify the source of this reference – such as another software package or spreadsheet file containing additional information pertaining to the job.

The Other and Other 2 fields can be used if more dropdown or text fields are necessary to denote some kind of additional information about the job. The two fields are available in the search screens as well as reporting filters. If their labels are edited, these changes withh be reflected in job card search and report filter dropdowns.

Note: Changing a field label on one module may not change the same label on another module. This is because they are stored separately in the Data Dictionary table. You may need to repeat the process for related fields on different modules.

The User Defined Fields feature if more than a couple extra fields are necessary.