Invoices can seem complicated and intimidating, but with a platform like Writer, you can create and manage invoices in a click.
Let’s say you’re assisting your mother at her pastry shop, and your task for the day is to create invoices for the orders she’s collected that day via her web form. (And, in return for a job done right, your reward will be your favorite Red Velvet cake!)
Now, what would be the fastest and most efficient way to get this done right if all you have is Writer? Let’s take a look:
1. Open your invoice template in Writer. Go to the Automate tab > Merge Template > Prepare and select Zoho Forms under Data Source and pick the form the bakery uses to collect orders.
2. Now in addition to the basic details, you’ll want a table that lists the products the customer has ordered, the price for each item, and the grand total.
Since each might contain a different set and number of items, the best way to do this would be by creating a dynamic table with the Subform fields.
To do this, go to the Subforms tab, click the Subform you want to insert, and select the fields you want to dynamically repeat. If you want all the fields to repeat, choose Select All.
3. Now Writer will ask you to choose how you want to repeat the details by clicking the Insert As option. Let’s go with Repeat as Table Rows. Your dynamic fields are now inserted into the document.
4. But hold up, this is an invoice bill after all, which means you need to calculate the total cost and price of the sale made. This is what the formula option is for. You can now use the formula option in merge fields to arrive at the final output.
Simply click the cell where you want the final output to appear and select the formula option from the left side of the table.
Since we need to multiply the amounts in columns B2 and C2 , we’ll choose the Product function and give the function as PRODUCT(B2:C2), and then choose the currency format under Number format.
We also need to calculate the total cost, which is basically the sum of the cells above, so let’s choose the Sum function.
5. But we’re not quite done yet, because what’s an invoice without any serial numbers for each product sold?
All you have to do is go to Create Fields.
6. Give the label name you want (let’s give the label name of Serial Number) and in the Type drop down, choose Auto-number.
You can also choose the type of field format you need.
7. The Serial Number field will appear under Manage Fields. Simply add it next to the Product name and it will automatically repeat for every repeatable field that exists in your merged document.
8. Now, select Preview Merge to see how the final output will look.
There you have it, a complete invoice created in minutes. Now that you realize how easy it is, you can do this for your mother every morning and, she’ll be more than happy to bake you your favorite cake.
Stay tuned for more on the different ways you can use Writer to get your everyday work done in minutes!
Happy baking!
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