Keyboard Shortcuts in AdSystem

Keystroke Shortcuts and Other Time-Saving Techniques in AdSystem for Windows

Overview

There are alternate methods of navigation and use of AdSystem that you may not know about. In many instances, you can save time by using your keyboard rather than your mouse for various commands and for moving between fields. Or, you may prefer using the keyboard to the mouse when possible. In any case, here is a list all the keystroke shortcuts currently in place in each area of the program.

In addition, there are many areas of the program in which you can use your right-mouse button to activate pop-up lists for editing on the fly.

We have also made a training video that explains these same principles, click here to see it.

Right-click Shortcuts

There are several different areas in which you can click with your right mouse button within the area you are editing and bring up a pop-up list of actions. Use your left mouse button to select an item from the pop-up list. The following table lists right-click options available in Accounts and Reminders.

Section	Tab/Area	Functions Available
Accounts	Activity	Close reminder, Add activity, Edit activity, Delete activity, cut, copy, paste
Accounts	Ad Orders (Schedules)	Add ad order, Edit order, Delete order, Repeat order, Invoice order, Print confirmation, Print work order, Tentative, Scheduled, Likely, Firm, Prepay Required, Cancelled
Accounts	Ad Orders (Contracts)	Add contract, Add group buy, Edit contract, Delete contract, Print contract
Accounts	Proposals	Add proposal, Edit proposal, Delete proposal, Copy proposal, Make proposal an Order, Print proposal, Email proposal
Accounts	Classified Ads	Add classified ad, Edit classified ad, Delete classified ad, Multiply classified ad, Print classified Confirmation
Accounts	Transactions	Add payment, print, create miscellaneous invoice, delete transaction, add collection note, add memo, apply open credit
Accounts	Billing, Mailing, Notes	Edit, cut, copy and paste, undo, select all, delete
Accounts	Contact Persons	Add person, edit person, delete person, Send email, Compose letter in Microsoft Word, Print mailing label, Add to tagged group
Accounts	Advertiser	Edit, cut, copy and paste, undo, select all, delete
Accounts	Archives/Orders	Add, delete, edit, change status
Reminders	Reminders	Close reminder

Opening and Accessing Screens

Let’s say that AdSystem is open, but the database is not. Press <Alt> + <D>, then <O> on your keyboard to open the list of databases. Use your arrow keys to move through the list or the <Page Down> and <Page Up> keys to jump to the first or last item on the list. Highlight the database you want to open.  Press <Alt> with <O> to open the database. If you need to close the database, press <Alt> + <D>, then <L>. As you may have noticed, pressing the underlined character in an icon button’s description has the same effect as a mouse click. <Alt> must be added to the keystroke for buttons; such as the Database and Open buttons. It’s important to note that where you are in the program has a direct bearing on the action of a particular keystroke command. For example, we pressed <O> to open the list of databases, then once again we used <O>, combined with <Alt>, to open a database.

You can use keystroke shortcuts to open any of the items on the AdSystem main toolbar by pressing <Alt> combined with the underlined letter in the Toolbar Icon description. For example, to access Issues, you would press <Alt> + <I>; to access Reports, press <Alt> + <R>.

Some toolbar items, such as Operations, have submenu items that can also be accessed by pressing the underlined character in the menu item you wish to select, or by using the arrows to navigate. Pressing <Esc> closes, or “escapes” from a window.

You can access Companies by pressing <Alt> + <C>; however, once the Companies window is open, the focus of your keystroke commands will now be in the Companies window, rather than on the toolbar. From the Companies screen you can return to the AdSystem main page by pressing <Alt> while still maintaining the Companies window open.  However, if mouse is used, the system will automatically jump back to the Companies window.

Tabbing Between Fields

Use your tab key to move from field to field, or icon to icon, instead of clicking in the field or on the object you want to go to with your mouse.  You can also reverse through fields by combining the shift key with the tab key. For example, this can be used to switch between entry fields when entering a new account, as seen in the example below:

Dropdown Combo Boxes

Using the tab key has the additional bonus of allowing you to begin typing the name of the item that you are looking for in a dropdown list, such as typing in an ad size, and having the program fill in the rest of the name for you. When using a dropdown combo box, you can press <Alt> plus the down arrow to view items in the list.  Use the up and down arrows to choose an item and the <Enter> key selects an item.

Global Keystrokes

F9: Saves Changes. Ctrl + Z: Undo Esc: Exit a window or program. Tab: moves between fields in a window. Enter: selects an item. Use your arrow keys to move to the next item in lists, such as in the Reports window or to an item in a dropdown combo box list. Pressing the <Alt> key before the character turns “on” the underline characters used for keystroke shortcuts in the AdSystem menu bar (located above the AdSystem toolbar and below the application’s title bar).

Page Up and Down

You can use the <Page Up> and <Page Down> keys (which can be faster than using a scroll bar) when you don’t need to go all the way to the beginning or end of a list, but need to move quickly through chunks of data to get where you’re going.

Accounts Screen Shortcuts

The Accounts window contains the keystroke shortcuts listed below. Press and hold down the <Ctrl> or <Alt> key while pressing the appropriate letter key to execute the command.

Ctrl + A: Add Account Ctrl + F: Find Account Ctrl + E: Edit Account Ctrl + P: Add Advertiser Contact Person Ctrl + I: Add Insertion (Orders Tab), Invoice (Transactions Tab), Classified Ad (Classifieds Ads Tab), Print Ad (Ad Orders Tab) or Activity (Activity Tab) Ctrl + C: Add Contract (Ad Orders Tab) Ctrl + M: Repeat Ad (Ad Orders Tab) or Add Memo (Transactions Tab) Ctrl + N: Add Collection Note (Transactions Tab) Ctrl + R: Apply Payment (Transactions Tab) Ctrl + V: Invoice Ad(s) (Ad Orders Tab) Ctrl + H: Add Group Buy (Ad Orders Tab) Alt + <Right Arrow> = Next Account Alt + <Left Arrow> = Previous Account

Calendar-Style Date Fields

Calendar-style date fields appear as drop down menus with an arrow that is located to the right of the date field. You can click on the drop down menu to open a mini calendar from which you can then click on a date in the current month, or you can use your navigation arrows on your keyboard to go to select the day.

There are also a few more shortcuts you can input directly into the date field (without opening the calendar) to make date entry easier and faster. Press the tab key after inputting your text into the date field and the date will appear.

Omit the year. For example, type 10/01 and AdSystem will automatically add the current year for you. Type “BOM” for the beginning day of the current month; “EOM” for the last day of the current month. You can type the day of the week to bring up today’s date. For example, you could type in “Monday,” and the date for Monday of the current week would fill in automatically. And there’s no need to type the whole word in either-you can abbreviate the day down to the first one to three characters. Type in “first” for the first day of the current week, “second” for the second day of the current week, “third” for the third day, “fourth” for the fourth day, and “seventh” for the last day of the week. Type “yesterday,” “today,” or “tomorrow” to bring up these dates.