SoftMaker.com

Yes, a pivot table function is on our wish list for the future but there is no time frame for the implementation. Currently we work on the UK accounting number format.

_________________
Sven Leßmann
SoftMaker Software GmbH

Thanks to JohnD for his support, and to Sven for the information.

I trust that the developers have all the sample files they require; please let me know if I can help further.

Incidentally, there are variations in the format. Some people prefer the left hand bracket to be hard aligned to the left of the field; I am among the majority who prefer it to be immediately to the left of the first digit. If the currency symbol is present, the normal preference is that it is should be enclosed within the brackets/parentheses. In any event, as previously stated, space needs to be left to the right of positive numbers so that the positive and negative numbers are fully aligned. The screenshots provided earlier illustrate all these points.

David

I too have used brackets for negative numbers ever since I started using Excel in 1997 and it's one reason I use Pocket Excel more often than I use Planmaker that I purchased a few years ago. I just got a new PC and would prefer to buy Softmaker 2010 instead of Microsoft Office but the lack of brackets will be a determining factor.

The use of brackets is not unique to the UK, the company I work for in the USA uses them almost exclusively in its financial reporting.

Thank you for confirming this; I too have seen US accounting documents that use brackets, but was not sure how widespread the practice was in the US.

I know that this is on the list for resolution, but there have been two Service Packs since I raised the matter. I think that the programmers understand that the lack of this feature creates a compatibility problem. What they seem to understand less well is that, certainly in UK accounting circles, using anything other than brackets for negative numbers in accounting documents is a no-no, and, as you say, this makes an otherwise excellent program unusable for many people's purposes. If I were in their shoes, I'd be putting a great deal more urgency behind this issue than has so far been evident.

David

I am really disappointed that yet another Service Pack (590) has been issued, and that this really significant functionality and compatibility issue has still not been addressed. It is almost as if there is a policy of, "If it's not done in Germany, we're not interested".

All that has been done is to recognise negative numbers in brackets by colouring them red. This is of no use if the output is to be produced on a monochrome printer, and it is in any case non-standard in countries where brackets are used.

When, if ever, can we expect to see this necessary change? I am on the point of giving in and buying Office 2010.

David

I didn't buy Office 2010, I downloaded the free Open Office from Oracle. It has brackets and you can use the Office extensions like xls, doc, etc. so they are able to be opened by Office users.

http://www.openoffice.org/

I too was at one time a regular user of OpenOffice. But the install is huge, there are (or were when I used it) a fair number of bugs, and it is slow and nowhere near as compatible with the MS file formats as Softmaker Office. Sometimes free is not free at all ...

I agree that OpenOffice has the edge on this one, to me significant, issue. But I don't plan to go back to it any time soon.

David

This is not only a problem in the U.K. but also in Canada. Both accounting firms and the government use brackets and PlanMaker cannot be used for that purpose.

... so it is reasonable to assume that this convention is the norm, and the limitations would apply, throughout the English speaking world. That is one heck of a market to regard as irrelevant or too difficult.

So far, all that the nice folks at Softmaker have told us is that the job is on the 'to do' list. So why hasn't it been done yet? My guess is that the problem, at least in part, is that PlanMaker cuts a corner by not providing for separate user defined formatting for positive and negative numbers, as Excel and OpenOffice both do. Perhaps the Softmaker team did not originally see the point of this feature. Well, with respect, they ought to see it now.

David

Support for accounting format, along with full support for custom Excel formats, has already been completed in the source code for the next version of SoftMaker Office. There is however no good way for us to backport this to SoftMaker Office 2010 (much has changed internally in PlanMaker). We are still looking at somehow making it available before the next Office but haven't come up with a good solution yet.

_________________
Martin Kotulla
SoftMaker Software GmbH

Thank you, Martin. I know enough about software development to accept that what you say makes sense, and gladly withdraw my earlier suspicious thoughts.

I hope that the next version of Softmaker Office is not still on the former 2 year release cycle. While it is nice to know that the change is coming, it would be very frustrating to have to wait for it until 2012 ...

David

Accounting number format will work in the final version of PlanMaker 2012. If you select a currency format with braces in regional setting, these braces are used in PlanMaker, too.

_________________
Sven Leßmann
SoftMaker Software GmbH