Basic Usage
You now have SalesC installed, congratulations! Obviously you want to get right into using it so let's run the program for the first time. Running the application will give you the beautiful main menu
Whilst simple in it's design, the menu suits the philosophy of SalesC as being a program which gets the basics done in a fast, free and efficient way. With this first time start up we have also generated our SalesC database file (fittingly named "salesc.db"). Unlike other POS solutions which may require a master database server, SalesC uses the localised, file-based SQLite database format. This means that all your sales, products and payments are kept in a single file which can be easily backed up and transferred at your will.
If we want to make a sale we're going to need some products, so let's open the product menu and have a look around.
Minimal? yes. Powerful? I think. In the end the products menu is the easiest way to add products in SalesC without learning the complicated SQL queries which I had to make to get this thing working.
By default, SalesC doesn't auto-iterate product entries and requires you manually put in a unique barcode/PLU number for each item. This can be changed in the configuration of your project (not available as of current release) or by changing the constant auto-increment in the main window file from 0 to 1.
The retrieve product button will allow for items to be updated, requiring you have filled out the PLU of the item you wish to update.
As of the current version, discounts are added in when a new product is retrieved and updated (NOT ON INITIAL CREATION). Yes, SalesC will not update existing sales when a discount is applied as the price of the sold product is linked to a sale, not the product entity.
If it is a new item, filling in all the fields and pressing submit will add a new product to the database and as of submitting it will be ready to use in a new sale window.
The Sales window allows for the creation of sales (obviously) and is quite easy to use. The bar which is automatically focused is known as the "product input" and accepts PLU numbers/barcodes numbers as a means of input. Barcode scanners are supported by SalesC (I think) but if you do not have one you can also use the Product List in the bottom right to include a product by clicking it. Pressing enter on the input field will submit it to the current product list, updating with every input. Happy with your sale? Click on one of the payment option fields in the bottom right and press enter to pull up the value required to complete the sale. The sale will not complete if words or a number less than the total is entered, but will process the sale if you press enter again with a valid monetary value included. Change will be displayed if payment is over the total and if you are unhappy with the sale no need to press enter, just unfocus from the payment field or close the Sales window to wipe the data. Want to see the receipt of a Sale? Visit the recent sales window by clicking "View Sales" on the main menu.
The view sales window lists all previous sales, clicking on any of these will generate a receipt for the sale in question. Whilst simple, the receipt is there and you know what I think it looks nice. Details such as total, change, subtotal and payment type are included and in future further additions like GST and bundling like items will be included as well.