Add a Custom Field to a Transaction Print Template

How to add a custom field in the web report designer to an Estimate/Invoice's print template.

Updated over a week ago

If you are tracking custom information on a transaction using a custom field, you may want to display it on the print template as well.

This article will show you how to add the custom field in the print template using the Web Report Designer.

NOTE: This article will assume you have already added the custom field. For more information, please see the article "Add Custom Field to a Transaction App".


Find the Transaction Template To Edit

In the following example, we are going to add one custom field, a tracking number, to the invoice print template.

This custom field was set up in advanced of this example and the steps to recreate this field is not shown in this article.

The first step is to find out which print template you are using. You can find this in the preferences screen of the transaction app itself.

  1. Click the vertical ellipses [] on the Invoices App and then click Preferences.

  2. In the below example, you can see the template we are using is called Printable Invoice. Armed with that knowledge, we can open it in the web report designer.

  3. Click the preferences icon in the upper-right corner and select Account Settings.lick the preferences icon in the upper-right corner and select Account Settings.

  4. Scroll down and select Reports and Print Templates.

  5. In our example, we will search for "Printable Invoice".

  6. Since you are making changes to the template, it would be better if you created a duplicate of the template. Click the vertical ellipses [] beside your selected print template and click Duplicate.

  7. Change the name and description so you know not to confuse it with the other print template.hange the name and description so you know not to confuse it with the other print template. When you are ready, click Launch Builder to start editing!


Customize the Transaction Template

Before you start customizing, you probably should decide where the custom field will go. In our example, we will add the Tracking # field right below the Invoice # in the page header.

  1. First, we need to find the custom field. You will need to

    • Select the database icon in the right menu.

    • Expand the line with your Method account name [].

    • Expand the Invoice [] line.

  2. Scroll down until you find your custom field. In this example, it's the TrackingNumber field.

  3. Click and drag the custom field onto the report. In our example, we will put it beneath the invoice number.

  4. To ensure the font and style matches, you can compare it with the font of the RefNumber field.

    • Make sure your field is selected.

    • Click the large Gear in the right menu.

    • Scroll down and expand Appearance.

    • Scroll down and expand Font.

  5. Change the font to match the fonts of the other fields. In this case, it's "Arial".

  6. You should also have a label for the readers of the template to know what the field is. On the left menu, click and drag the big A which is a label control.

  7. Drag the label next to your TrackingNumber field.

  8. Next up, I changed the text of the label, and then I styled the font appearance.

    • Font Name: Arial

    • Text Style: Bold (Click the B)

    • Text Alignment: Top Right

  9. Finally, at the top, Save and then Close the report.


Set the Transaction Template as Default Print Template

Now that you have created your new transaction template, you will need to go into your preferences again and set it as the print template.

  1. Navigate to your Method Dashboard.

  2. Click the vertical ellipses [] on the Invoices App and then click Preferences.

  3. For the Print Template, select your custom template you created.

  4. Click Save & Back and you're done!

One final thing, aligning of text is a bit tricky when it comes to the web report designer. You may wish to view some example templates to ensure the text is in the place you want, and aligned properly.

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