Did
you ever spend a long time creating a customized drop- down list and then
realize that it could also be used in another field? Well, what did you
do, retype the list? If you did, you won’t ever have to do it again.
This
article is going to show you how to use an ACT! feature that will save you
lots of time. ACT!’s Drop-Down List Export feature enables you to export
and import drop-down lists for use within any ACT! database. Here’s how
it works.
Exporting
Lists
Lets say
you want to send mailings to people at their home address, so you need to
add entries to the Home City field. You probably don’t want to retype
all the cities you have in ACT!’s City field, so here’s what you do:
ACT!Tip:
You must have Administrator rights because you need to have access to
the Define Fields option.
1.
Select Edit, Define Fields.
The Define Fields box opens.
2.
Select the City field.
3.
Click on the Drop-Down tab.
4.
Click the Export button.
The Export box appears.
5. Give
the file a name,
i.e. cities, and ACT! saves the file as CITIES.TXT in the ACT!
directory.
ACT!Tip:
The Export Item Descriptions option applies to drop-down lists that have
a description such as the State list.
6.
Click OK and
ACT! saves the file.
Importing Your List
Now that
you’ve exported your drop-down list you need to import it into the new
field you’ve created called City of Birth. This is how you do it from
within the Define Fields dialog box:
1.
Select the Home City field from the list of ACT! fields.
2.
Click on the Drop-Down tab.
3.
Click the Import button.
The Import box appears.
4.
Click the Browse button
and find the CITIES.TXT file.
5.
Click OK and
Voila!, you now have the same list of cities you had in your original
list.
ACT!Tip:
If you want to
add the new drop-down list to an existing list, select the Append
Imported Items option in the Import box and ACT! adds the new list to
the existing list.
Printing Your Drop-Down
List
Once you
have exported your drop-down lists to a *.txt file, printing them is a
snap. This is the easy way to do it from the Windows Task Bar.
1.
Click the Start button
and select Find, Files or Folders. The Find All Files box opens.
2. Type
CITIES.TXT and
Windows finds the file.
3.
Double-click on the file
and it opens in the Notepad.
4.
Select File, Print
and you have it.
ACT!Tip:
If you wish to
view your drop-downs and other field attributes, I recommend Practical
Sales Tools’ ACT! Field Definition Utility, www.pstools.com.
Check under Free Stuff.
ACT!Tip:
If you really want to see the structure of your database, use
ACT-DIAG. ACTDIAG is an ACT! utility that’s included with ACT! 4, and
is in the ACT! directory. Select Reports, Database Structure and
you’ll get a complete listing of everything in your database. I must
warn you, you’ll probably get more information than you ever wanted.
These
ideas should save you some time in creating and designing your ACT!
databases. ACT!’s goal is to save you time and help you to build better
relationships. When you find yourself doing some tedious, time consuming,
ACT! task remember there is probably an easier way to do it. Use the many
ACT! resources that are available on-line, in print and on the phone and
you’ll uncover hidden treasures.
