labAccounting Manual

Initial Release Article posted December 13, 2003 [on pnMods ]
Staying Within Budget posted December 14, 2003 [on Ivory-Tower ]
Re-release Article posted March 08, 2004 [on pnMods | TheBix ]

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I. Introduction

labAccounting allows you to keep track of financial accounts. It can be used as your online check register, as a project budgetting tool, or even as a client account invoicing system.

labAccounting was written for companies that need to keep track of their business. It can be used by any office with a budget. It can be used by project managers to track and control fiscal resources. It can even be used by digital entrepreneurs to balance their checkbook.

In order to use labAccounting, it must be installed on a web server that is running a PostNuke site powered by PHP4 and mySQL. Admin access to the website is required in order to complete the installation, activation, and configuration of labAccounting.

Integration with the labCategories module is optional, but recommended for sites with a large number of accounts or the need to track spending patterns.

II. Installation and Activation

Step 1: Unzip the labAccounting module directory to your site's modules folder (./modules/labAccounting/*.*).

Step 2: Copy the labAccounting.gif file from the labAccounting/images sub-folder into your site root images/menu sub-folder. (this is for the User Settings link to the My Accounts page in labAccounting)

Step 3: Go to your site's module adminarea(./index.php?module=Modules&type=admin) and click 'Regenerate'.

Step 4: Scroll down to the listing for labAccounting and click 'Initialize'.

Step 5: Scroll down to the listing for labAccounting and click 'Activate'.

III. Configuration

The configuration page for labAccounting may be accessed through the labAccounting link in the admin area, or via the Options link in the labAccounting menu. This is where global settings for the module are set.

Before creating any accounts, it is also a good idea to set your site permissions to prevent unauthorized access to labAccounting. To do this, go to your permissions admin area and create a new entry for All Groups to have None access to the module (All Groups, labAccounting::, ::, None). To create an accountant type permission, create an appropriate group and give it Moderate permission (Accountants, labAccounting::, ::, Moderate). To set up permissions for a project group that can submit budget requests, give the appropriate group Comment permission for the specific account (Project Team, labAccounting::, Big Project::1007, Comment).

To utilize a standardized Chart of Accounts, there is a component of the same name available to the administrator. After installation, click on the Chart of Accounts link in the menu. The first time that this is called, a complete Chart of Accounts will be created. All entries begin turned off. Click to view all entries and then click on that current status of each chart entry that you wish to utilize. They will all begin as "OFF". Each entry that is turned "ON" will be available in the new account and account modify forms.

The first few types are of "Non-Standard Account Type". These are set up to group User Accounts, for labIPNtrigger to use when creating a new account for customers, as well as Currency Accounts, so that you can track online ecurrencies like PayPal, StormPay, etc. Other non-standard account types are intended for future use and will keep track of User Points. This will allow users to collect and spend standard User Points (pncUserPoints, et al) on site merchandise.

The remaining Chart of Accounts entries are standard, grouped into classifications of Assets, Liabilities, Equity, Revenue, Cost of Goods Sold, and Expenses.

labAccounting utilizes the labCategories module to handle transaction type categories. To make use of this feature, make sure that the labCategories module is installed properly and create a new root level category for labAccounting with Transaction Type sub-categories. Then proceed to the labAccounting configuration page and select the appropriate category for Transaction Types. Afterwards, the categories will be available for selection in the modification form. The categories are for use in tracking budget trends and account organization.

If you wish to add more transaction types to the available list, you can type them into the new category field of the labAccounting config area.

Some recommended transaction types to use: Food, Entertainment, Auto, Travel, Utilities, ATM, Supplies, Hardware.

Both the account list and the transaction list are set up to alternate row color for easier viewing. The alternate row color used is determined by the labCategories module. Follow the link in the labAccounting config area to the labCategories config area to change this color.

Once you have created your first account, you should select the site default currency. No initial currency is created during install, however, so you must create the one to set as the default. Click the Site Currency link in the menu to access this feature. Each currency has a field for denomination and symbol. The typical default entry would be "US Dollars" with a symbol of "$", although any number of other currencies can be used.

IV. Menu Options

The labAccounting menu has several options available in it depending on what level of access you have.

New Account - A user with Add access can create new sub-accounts, but full Admin access is required to create new root level accounts.

My Accounts - This page shows a list of all accounts that the user is listed as the owner of. At least Read access is still required.

The menu has options for filtering the accounts listed based on whether or not they are closed. These settings will apply in the My Accounts view, the Moderate/Audit account list, and all Sub-Account lists.

All Accounts - To access an account that the current user is not the owner of, the Moderate/Audit view must be used.

In this view, there are options for filtering accounts listed based on account type used from the Chart of Accounts.

While viewing an account, the menu will provide additional options:

Account Details - This view will show the account summary along with a summarized list of all sub-accounts and a list of all transactions for the current account. The displayed total for the account combines the current account transactions with the current totals for all sub-accounts.

Expense / Billing Item - Use this form to record purchases, ATM withdrawals, bills, or anything else that deducts from the account balance.

Deposit / Payment Received - Use this form to record receipt of payment from clients, account deposits, or any other increase to the account balance.

V. Creating Your First Account

The first step towards managing your business with labAccounting is to create your first account. Select the New Account menu option. The New Account form allows you to name the account, and MirageLab recommends using the business or group name that the account is for (and NOT the name of your point of contact, as this may change, but the invoice will still need to go to the same place).

Assuming one or more Site Currencies has been created, the list of available currencies will be available to specify what type the current account will be recorded in.

Every account must be named. An empty account name will cause the creation request to fail. It is recommended that a naming schema be used if the installation does not rely on labCategories, and that more descriptive names be used if it does. This is to avoid confusion when there are more than a few accounts to deal with.

All vendors use an account numbering system of their own. The account number field exists to handle these. A standard account ID will still be issued at account creation, but this is the local account number, and not the vendor proprietary account number that must be entered.

If items from the Chart of Accounts have been turned "ON", a form field will also be available to select an account type.

An account owner can be selected from the list of registered users. This is useful in establishing a customer account that the customer can access when logged in.

If there is any other pertinent information that should be recorded with the account, it can be entered in the notes textarea. This may include company contact information and automated account access details.

VI. My Accounts

This view displays all accounts that the current user is the owner of. The list will be sorted by account name, and will indicate the vendor account number, the account type, the account balance, and any options the user has permission to use.

VII. Auditing

The All Accounts view requires MODERATE access and displays all accounts, regardless of who their owner is.

VIII. Account Changes

The account modification form includes all of the same fields as the account creation form, as well as a  dropdown to change the account owner, text fields for changing the closed and billing dates, and a billing cycle dropdown. If 'monthly' is selected for the billing cycle, it will be based from the billing date (if available), or the date the account was opened (if not). If a different billing cycle is selected, it will indicate invoicing based on the specified number of days instead of the time of month.

Attempting to delete an account will route the user through a confirmation screen to prevent accidental deletion of accounts. This will also delete all associated account transactions.

IX. Account Transactions

Account transactions either increase or decrease the account balance (unless a transaction amount of zero is used, indicating a simple note on the account). The Expense/Debit form is used to record amounts deducted from the account balance. This form is often used to enter receipts. The Deposit/Credit form is used to record amounts added to the account balance. This would be used for entering deposit receipts. If a negative amount is entered in a deposit form, it will cause the transaction to be recorded as a Debit, and the amount will be deducted from the total account balance instead of added to it.

Each transaction is required to have a non-empty name/title. Forms submitted with empty transaction names will fail.

If a receipt or invoice number is provided by the vendor, that can be entered in the transaction record as well. This can be extremely useful when tracking purchases.

X. Accounting Blocks

No proprietary blocks are included with the labAccounting module. In the event that a block is required, MirageLab recommends using the Block-o-matic block, as this allows inclusion of pnAPI compliant GUI functions, such as:

Record a New Expense for the [project] Account - labAccounting | transactions | new | accountid=[specify account ID]&debit=1

Budget Item Request Form - (not yet available. used for submitting future-dated expenses)

XI. Using Sub-Accounts

* Set up a credit card register

* Register your own home business

* Create an account for each of your business clients

*