What's in a name?

 Managed to get another Shakespeare quote in the blog title! 

Wessex Professional has a very useful facility to rename a moulding supplier. Why might you need to do this?

1. If the supplier has changed their trading name - Arqadia to Larson Juhl for instance.
2. If one supplier has taken over another's mouldings - Wessex now sell what were Frinton mouldings.
3. You have called the same supplier different names - The records for Rose & Hollis could also be listed under R&H for example.

If you leave things alone the program will still issue prices quite happily, the problem comes when you try to update that supplier's mouldings from a (.xls) file. 

Using the "Wessex /Frinton scenario, what will happen is that all the mouldings in the program listed under Wessex will be updated, but when it comes to those records that were Frinton's, they will not be added in with Wessex because their reference number is still listed under Frinton and the database won't allow duplicate reference numbers. So, the final report will say that xxx number of mouldings have failed to be added.

This is where the ability to easily change the supplier's name comes in. While it would be possible to do it the hard way and manually edit each moulding record the change the supplier's name, much better to let the program do the hard work, so -

• Click "Setup", then "Options"
• Select the "Database" tab.
• Top left is "Database Utilities". Click "OK".
• You'll be urged to make a copy of your database just-in-case.
• On the 3rd panel down select "Change Supplier name" and click "Go".
• Select the supplier you want to change from the drop-down menu. Click "OK"
• Enter the new name for that supplier. Click "OK".
• Done!

Pricing App - Importing a moulding file

 Just recently I've had to update the Pricing App to take account of the new Android versions - the old code for importing a mouldings file no longer worked on the newer versions (11 and beyond). So, you will notice that the import mouldings screen looks a bit different (App version 2.2.5 and beyond).

A bit of background to start with. The App can price frames using two different ways of getting the data it needs for the moulding part of the cost. 

The simplest is a price code - this begins with "#" and contains numbers and a letter, eg. #56G (the cost per metre/foot, and the width) This is fine for working out the cost, but it doesn't identify the individual moulding (mouldings with the same width and cost have the same code).

The second method is to use a csv file to list individual mouldings and their data. "csv" stands for comma separated values. It is a very simple file which you could open with Excel (or other spreadsheet program) and edit yourself. The file can list a particular supplier's mouldings or (if you use the Wessex Pricing Program for pc all the mouldings in your database). The good thing about this way of pricing is that it identifies an individual moulding and use a code that you will be familiar with.

But either of these methods needs to be kept upto date. With the csv file it means importing a new file periodically. First of all you need the download the file onto your device, either go the the supplier's website a download the file from there (if they have one) or email yourself with the file attached and download the attachment.

Now, on the App tap "Settings", then "Misc. Values". Tap "Import Mouldings File" and you will see a screen like this -

Select the "Download" folder (where the arrow is pointing) and you will then be shown all the text type files in that folder. (Nb. It may take a few seconds for the file to appear.)

All the downloaded csv files will be listed there. Tap the one you want to use and it will be imported into the App. If you make a mistake simply go back and import the correct one.

Easy!

Note - 

• The csv file can be called anything (it used to have to be called "mouldings", no longer). 
• If you download a file with the same name several times it will be titled name, name(1), name(2) etc. in the Download folder.
• The list of files has the date by them to help identify the one you want.

For further reading see -

Picture Frame Pricing Programs: Top Tips for Using the Mouldings.csv file in the App (stevetheframe.blogspot.com)

and

Picture Frame Pricing Programs: Tips for Updating App mouldings file (stevetheframe.blogspot.com)

Download woes

 Computer security has improved vastly in the last few years. Systems really don't want us to do anything that might cause trouble. For instance if your browser sees you are trying to download a file it doesn't recognize and which has the potential for unwanted consequences it will try and stop you.

I noticed this when I was checking that the correct file for the latest Wessex Pricing Program had been put on the Wessex website.

I'm using Microsoft Edge (so other browsers may be different) when I downloaded the Free Trial (SetupWPP4_4_12.msi) I noticed that there was a yellow triangle against that file in the downloads list.

 Looking directly in the Downloads folder in File Explorer it was labelled as "Unconfirmed download".

So, back to Edge. At the right side of the toolbar is the download list. Select "SetupWPP4_4.msi" and you will notice 3 small dots to the right. Click on those and select "Keep". 

Then yet another warning message appears. This time above the Delete button select "Show more" and then click on "Keep anyway".

You are now treated as an adult and can run the file!

Size Matters

 I'm sure that you have noticed that the size of the Wessex Pricing Program is fixed. There is a reason for that (skip the following paragraph if the brain is feeling a bit tired).

Computer screens are not only measured by size (usually diagonally across the screen) but also by "resolution" stated in "pixels". The more pixels the better detail that the screen can show. The computer I'm writing this on has a resolution of 1920 x 1080. Not too many years ago a resolution of (say) 1200 x 800 more would have been considered good. When you set a size for a form in a program it is set in pixels, not inches or Cm. So it will look smaller on a higher resolution screen, and larger on a lower resolution screen. 

Wessex Professional has stayed the same size ever since it was released. This way it would be good for older monitors. However, the difference between old and new monitor resolution is becoming quite pronounced and although there are things you can do to show the program at a larger size, what is really needed is the ability to resize the program to suit your screen. This is easier said than done. There are at least 27 "controls" (buttons, textboxes and so on) in the main screen and each one needs to be resized in proportion to its neighbour.

The problem is finally solved in the latest version (4.4.12). You can now resize and reposition the main form to suit your screen and the program will remember that for the next time.

The above screenshot shows the standard size, with the program always starting centre-screen.

This screenshot shows the program enlarged and repositioned. It will remember the size and position for next time it starts.

By the way, the computer these screenshots were taken from is running Windows 11. Wessex Professional is perfectly happy running on that.

Also in the new version is an improved "Moulding Needed" section ("Tools" > "Mange Database" > "Mouldings", click "Views" and choose "Moulding Needed" to show the moulding you'll need for your current jobs, and which you're likely to have to order).

The "Save invoice as PDF" in the Print section has had some potential errors corrected and should be more consistent. 

All that remains is to wish everyone a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Coping with the "new normal".

Over the last few months we have seen increasing shortages and, more recently, galloping price increases.

Wessex Professional and The Framers Pricing App can help you to keep abreast of these changes and keep your business afloat and profitable.

Let's deal with price increases first.

It is important to remember that all suppliers in their terms and conditions reserve the right to change prices without notice. Obviously they try not to, but with prices so volatile it makes sense for us to go by the invoices we receive rather than waiting for a new price list to be issued. 

For mouldings this is easily dealt with in Wessex Professional by going through the invoice and Editing the moulding record to give the correct wholesale cost per metre. (If you are not registered for VAT make sure you include VAT in the figure to reflect the price you have paid.) In the App if you use # codes then redo the code for each of the mouldings in the invoice (Settings > Get Moulding Code). If you use a file imported into the App then you will need to open the file on your computer and edit it, save and import again.

For mountboard and glass there are a couple of ways to deal with price changes.

1) The easy way

If (for example) a mountboard increases from £6.00 to £6.60 a sheet (10%), then simply increase the mount cost by 10%.

For instance - I charge a plain (whitecore) mount at 0.32 pence/sq. cm. So I would increase that cost to 0.352 pence/sq. cm.

I would keep the "Start From" charge the same because that really represents the labour cutting the mount (presumably that will need to increase at some point, but it's not directly related to the material cost).

2) Getting back to basics

There are 9,930.8 sq. cm. in a Larson Juhl board. (122 x 81.4) divide that by the cost of the board in pence to get how much the board is costing per cm. (£6.00 per board = 600 pence = 0.06 pence/sq. cm. Actually 0.0604180932049785 pence!)

Multiply that by a markup (between 4 & 7 usually) to get the main cost figure. Nb. markup is quite high because of the amount of wastage in glass and particularly mountboard.

To make the changes - in Wessex Professional go to Settings > Values and choose the Mount or Glass tab. Select the type of glass or mount you want to change from the dropdown list. Put in the new value and "Save", then go on to the next one.

In the Pricing App go to Settings and choose Mount Values or Glass Values. Tap the top panel for a list of Labels and their values. Select one, change the figures and Save Item. 

Both the Pricing App and Wessex Professional work out prices in the same way. 

Now let's look at how to deal with shortages.

 Because the Pricing App doesn't keep a record of stock or jobs you are going to have to rely on good old "memory mark 1"! 

But Wessex Professional can help. If you know a moulding is unavailable you can check whether you have taken jobs for it by going to Tools > Manage Database > Worktickets. Then choose Views, List By Item. Select "Moulding" and enter the moulding code in the pop-up box. You will then see a list of all the jobs to be completed which use that moulding.

Similarly, you can check glass in the same way. The program won't make the shortages go away, but at least you'll have the information on which to base a decision.

(At the moment the Mount option only shows the type of mount, not the colour. So, unfortunately, that won't help when a particular colour is not available, though it's usually possible to get a acceptable alternative from a different manufacturer).  

All that is probably a lot to take in, but for some bedtime reading have a look at Picture Frame Pricing Programs: Frame Pricing Talk (stevetheframe.blogspot.com) for a overall view of pricing.

 

 

  

Yet another new version - what's that all about?

 It was only a month ago that 4.4.10 was made available to download, and now there is 4.4.11. So what's going on?

I'll put my hand up and say that some "issues" had been found in the previous version. This new download sorts them out.

• An issue when the program was networked - it was possible for different computers to issue invoices with the same number.
• Extra Cost - if the Extra Cost "includes vat" box was ticked the full extra cost was shown on the main form, rather than the net amount. However the final price was accurate.
• If the box to record the amount of deposit was left blank, then the program would throw up an error. Now it assumes you meant that customer did not pay a deposit (ie. 0).
• Searching through the Customers - the surnames were displayed in alphabetical order, but not necessarily the initials.

Hopefully, now we're back on track to issue updates every 9 -12 months again.

What the # ?!

 I mentioned in a previous post that I would explain about price codes.

If you think about it all the program needs to work out a frame price is the cost of the moulding and its width. Once it knows the rebate dimensions it can work how much moulding will be needed (2 * X + 2 * Y, + 8 * moulding width)

This was the principle that the first Wessex Pricing Program (WPP1) used.

The idea was resurrected in the Framers Pricing App. Here the App can work out a cost either by using an Id number from a csv file (for instance "PW112"), or a pricing code which contains the information needed.

How does the App distinguish between the two?

The price code always is always preceded by "#" (eg. #34G). The numbers represent the moulding cost, while the letter represents the width.

In practical terms, there is a utility in the App (and now in the desktop program) whereby you can enter the cost and the width of a moulding and it will issue a code that you can write on the moulding sample.

(App - go to "Settings" and tap "Get Moulding Code". WPP4 - go to "Tools" > "Get Moulding Code") It is now easy to give a price - put in the dimensions, look on the sample for the price code and enter that, together with glass, mount and sundries.

It is good practice to check the code each time you get an invoice for that moulding.

The sharp-witted amongst you will have spotted that the code does not identify an individual moulding, A moulding with the same cost and width will have the same code. So, if you are recording a job, you will need to be able to identify the particular moulding.

In WPP4 you can do this in the "Notes" section when saving the Job. With the App the world is your oyster! You could record the details in a duplicate-book or you could take a screen-shot of the price and a photo of the work and sample(s), being careful to marry up the two images (rename them in file manager), or a mixture of the two.

Also, the width part of the code (the letter) covers a number of Mm. and so is not quite precise. In practice the effect on the final cost is minimal.

So why go with this form of pricing when other more exact ways are available?

Simply because it is so straightforward and easy to understand. There are no databases to maintain, no csv files to wrestle with. The costing is slightly less exact (by pence not pounds), but if your margins are that tight then use a different system. 

Another reason to include these codes in WPP4 is to better integrate the program with the Pricing App. Already you can export a file of mouldings from the desktop program to the App, now you can go the other way and use the App's pricing codes in the main program.