The Shortcut Bar provides fast access to Dynamics
GP's windows and SmartLists along with web pages and external
applications. Often, external shortcuts are used for quick access to
currency websites, budget spreadsheets, shipping sites, or any other
applications. Almost anything used to improve a user's productivity can
be linked via the Shortcut Bar. In this recipe, we'll spend some time
looking at how to get the most out of it.
Getting ready
The vertical area to the left of the Dynamics GP home page is known as the Navigation Pane. Click on Home on the Navigation Pane to make the Shortcut Bar visible in the top left.
Clicking on other Navigation Pane sections makes other navigation options available. Only the Home selection makes the Shortcut Bar available.
There are six types of items that can be added to the Shortcut Bar:
Dynamics GP windows
SmartLists
Macros
Web pages
External files
Folders
How to do it...
The most common use of the Shortcut Bar is to add a Dynamics GP window for fast access. The simplest way to do this is to:
1. Select Financial from the Navigation Pane on the left. In the Financial Area Page, select General. This opens the Transaction Entry window.
2. In the Transaction Entry window, click on File, then click on Add to Shortcuts:
3. Click on the Home button to see the Transaction Entry window added to the Shortcut Bar:
How it works...
The Shortcut Bar in Microsoft
Dynamics GP works a lot like shortcuts on the Microsoft Windows desktop.
Dynamics GP places a pointer to the window or file inside the shortcut
and launches the appropriate selection when the shortcut is clicked on.
There's more...
Typically, users simply
accumulate shortcuts on the Shortcut Bar. However, getting the most out
of the Shortcut Bar requires a few extra techniques.
Using external shortcuts for greater flexibility
In order to add web pages and external shortcuts, right-click on the Shortcut Bar. Then, select Add followed by Add Web Page or Add External Shortcut.
Selecting Add Web Page provides the option to enter the location (URL) along with a button to test that the link works correctly.
Selecting Add External Shortcut
provides an option to browse for the external file on your system. This
can be an application file such as an Excel spreadsheet (as shown in
the following screenshot) or a Microsoft Word document. It can also be a
link to an application such as Microsoft CRM budgeting software or even
Solitaire for a much needed break.
Setting a keyboard shortcut allows the use of a set of keystrokes to launch a shortcut. For example, Ctrl + Shift + J could be pressed to launch the Transaction Entry window for a journal entry.
Organizing with folders
Right-clicking on the Shortcut Bar and selecting Add | Folder
provides the option to add a folder to the Shortcut Bar that can be
used to organize entries. For example, a Month End folder can be used to
hold links to windows, routines, and reports that are used as part of
the month-end closing process. This is a great place to start organizing
shortcuts.
Complex shortcuts
Microsoft's 'Developing for
Dynamics GP' blog provides additional information on dealing with
complex shortcuts for scenarios such as launching an application and
opening a specific file. More information on this is available at http://blogs.msdn.com/developingfordynamicsgp/archive/2009/08/24/creating-external -shortcuts-with-parameters.aspx.
See also
