Unlike MoneyWorks Gold which includes purchase order entry and the tracking of backorders from suppliers, Express only allows you to create Creditor/Supplier invoices after you have received the goods and the supplier invoice for future payment (payables).
However as it is with many things in MoneyWorks there is a way to create, print and keep track of outstanding purchase orders and display key information for identification and followup on the searchable live lists.
It starts with a Creditor/Supplier Invoice.
Create a new Creditor Invoice and click the Views icon and select Show all User Fields as shown below and the following fields are now available for your use: User 1, 2, 3, Analysis, Salesperson, and Flag. Click OK, but do not Post the the transaction.
With the transaction closed, go to Document Preferences under the Edit Menu. Select Fields.
This section is used to relabel the user defined fields. In this case we are going to label User 1 as a field to tell us whether our Supplier Purchase Orders are Open or Closed, meaning received or still waiting.
Type PO Status as shown.
The Creditor invoice now looks like so, with the PO Status field available and labeled for easier entry.
You can now print a Purchase Order to the supplier. Express provides Purchase Order template forms that can be customized using Forms Designer to reflect even the most creative environments.
Remember to keep the transaction unposted, so it does not get recorded as an invoice.
However, you might like to be able to quickly see outstanding Purchase Orders and followup on them. So you need to add the PO Status field that you labeled to the list view in your Creditor Transaction Window.
Opening the Transaction Window (Show menu > Transactions) and highlighting any Creditor Inv. transaction go to the Edit Menu and select Customize List View. The window show will open.
Highlight User 1 on the left and click Move which moves the field to the list on the right. Then rename the Field PO Status as shown above. You can also set alignment.
Your transaction window now lists all your Open and unposted Purchase Orders that you have created.
Once the order is received you open the transaction, change Open to Closed and post the Creditor Invoice, thus recording the invoice into your Accounts Payable.
By using unposted transactions, user defined fields and the unique live lists you can add more personalized information to MoneyWorks Express as well as additional functionality.