We have been aware for some time now that we needed to do something to make account selection in Liberty Accounts easier for the typical user. The advent of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown provided the perfect opportunity to step back from day-to-day operations and set aside significant resources for a project that reached across the entire application. We hope the results will deliver great benefit to users of Liberty Accounts accounting and payroll software.
Much has changed in the world of browser application development. Browser capabilities were severely restrictive when we first brought Liberty Accounts to market in late 2003 but the technologies and standards that underpin modern browsers have move on considerably. This has enabled us to deliver an account selection interface which allows for unparalleled flexibility and control by combining autocomplete functionality with optional ledger codes and account pick lists if needed.
Autocomplete
If you know the account name you want to select just start typing and you will be presented with a list of accounts matching your input that narrows down as you type.
Ledger Codes
Bookkeeping ninjas among our users have asked for the ability to use ledger codes. They find this to be the fastest way to work when they are familiar with the accounts they use and don't want to type account names. We have added this as an optional feature that is enabled via the Organisation Profile screen. Once enabled we provide default ledger codes for our standard accounts and the codes can be customised as required on both standard and user created accounts.
Our standard ledger codes are designed to operate in conjunction with autocomplete in a way that makes it easy to find accounts even if you don't know the specific account you need. The codes consist of a letter prefix such as “I” for income or “E” for expense followed by a dot and then a numeric suffix e.g. “I.123”. Because the letter prefix is assigned by account type, entering “I.” will present all income accounts with the list being further refined as you add the numeric part of the ledger code. Once you get the hang of the ledger code prefixes you can easily browse all the accounts using the autocomplete behaviour.
Account Picker
For users who prefer a more traditional account browser, a selection dialogue can be used to view accounts relevant to the transaction in a popup dialogue. The dialogue allows for review of accounts by account type and the accounts are laid out in a way that makes their hierarchical relationship apparent. This makes it easy to work - even with a large and complex chart of accounts.
Accuracy and Control
As well as restricting the account types available for selection according to the screen being used, Liberty Accounts learns the accounts associated with third party transactions. Once accounts have been used, for a supplier for example, they are automatically made available for selection when subsequent transactions are recorded for the same supplier. The first account that is learnt becomes the default account proposed for the third party. It is possible to manage the learned accounts and the default account for each third party, making this feature a powerful tool for promoting consistent account analysis because the learned accounts apply to all users.
We also allow accounts to be defined as “Non-Posting” which is useful where you have a container account for subaccounts and you do not want users to post entries into the container account.
Initial feedback in user trials has been very positive. We hope that this unexpected benefit of the COVID-19 lockdown helps to improve your experience of using Liberty Accounts to manage your accounts and payroll.
Keep safe and optimistic - best wishes from all the Liberty Accounts team.
