There are many ways to enter information into Peachtree. Now that you are familiar with the Peachtree main window and parts common to many Peachtree windows, let's learn how to you use the mouse and keyboard to perform the following activities:

• Move the cursor forward and backward
• Entering information into fields with a lookup icon
• Add extra lines to record information in a Peachtree window

Move the cursor forward and backward

In addition to using the mouse to move the cursor from one field to another, you can use the keyboard to move the cursor forward and backward in Peachtree. Many accountants prefer to use the keyboard because it causes the cursor to move consecutively through all of the fields in a window. Users are therefore less likely to make mistakes or omit details when entering information into Peachtree.

If you have already had Peachtree opened in your computer, let's open a Peachtree window and practice using your keyboard move the cursor through different fields:

• To move the cursor to the immediate field in a Peachtree window, press <Tab> or <Enter>.
• To return to the fields that have been skipped or entered, hold down the <Shift> key and press either <Tab> or <Enter>.

Enter information into fields with a lookup icon Image of Magnifiying glass icon

When you open a Peachtree window, some fields may have a magnifying glass icon next to them such as the Vendor ID field, the A/P Account field and the Item field in the screenshot below. To enter information into those fields, you must select a record from a drop down list of records that have previously been created in Peachtree. If you enter information that is not in that list, Peachtree will not allow you to save the information in that window. If you do try to save the information in that window, Peachtree will prompt you to set up that item so that you can select it from the drop down list for that field. So all records must be created before they can be selected in a Peachtree field with a lookup icon. You will learn how to create records in later sections of this Learning Center. For now, just be aware that in the fields that have a magnifying glass icon, you can only select a record from the drop down list of existing records.

Below is a list of various ways you can use to locate and select a record in the fields with a magnifying glass icon:

• Click on the magnifying glass icon to open a drop down list of existing records that have been set up in Peachtree. Scroll down the list and click on a record to select it.
• With the cursor in the field that has a magnifying glass icon, click the right button of your mouse. This will open the same drop down list from which you can choose a record.
• With the cursor in the field that has a magnifying glass icon, type ?. Again, this will open the same drop down list from which you can select a record.
• Type the short identification code of the record you are looking for in the field that has a magnifying glass icon. As you start typing, a drop down list of existing records appears. Once the name of the record is highlighted, you can either press <Tab> or <Enter> on your keyboard or select the appropriate record with your mouse.

Add extra lines to record information in a Peachtree window

When you open a Peachtree window, it may display a limited number of lines in which you can record the required information. Sometimes you may need additional lines because you have more items to enter than there are lines displayed.

To add extra lines to a Peachtree window:

• Click the Row toolbar icon and then from the options presented, click Add.
• Place the cursor in the field of the last row in which you have entered information and press <Tab> or <Enter> on your keyboard. A new line will appear in which you can enter additional information.
• Resizing the window to make it bigger will also display additional lines.

Notice that if you have entered more items than can be dispayed in a window, a scroll bar appears on the right side of the window to allow you to scroll through the list of items recorded.