FAQs

Why don't my reports / job cards look the same on the screen as they do on paper?

Most printable items in Charitylog are formatted to print correctly on A4 paper. The software is designed to make optimum use of your computer's monitor, which is almost certainly proportioned differently to an A4 sheet.

Which browsers does Charitylog support?

We support the two latest major versions of Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer and Chrome. Older versions will still usually work but some specific features may not (the map view, for example). Always upgrade to the latest version if you can.

Why can't I log in to my 'live' and 'test' systems at the same time?

For security reasons you can only be logged into one Charitylog database in your browser at a time. However, you can log in to two systems from two different browsers at the same time.

Why are there two "Save" buttons and what do they do?

"Save Details" will save and return to the page you're looking at. Use this if you wish to continue working with that page. "Save and Close" will (typically) take you back to the previous page you looked at - useful for returning to a search page, for example.

Can I change the order of the main menu?

Yes, but note that this will affect all users in all groups. Call the support line for more information.

What kind of documents can I upload to client and other records?

All common image files, all Office files, plus some others. If you have a file that you want to upload and the format isn't supported, please call the support line (01989 763 691) and they will advise you further. You can always zip files and upload the .zip file.

There is a 30MB per file size limit.

What is the minimum screen resolution?

1024 x 768, but occasionally things get a bit crowded at this resolution. 1280 horizontal pixels is advised for the bext experience (so 1280x1024 on desktop screens, 1280x800 on some laptops).

What do I need to do when a user leaves my organisation?

Firstly, consider if they are being replaced. If so, find the old user in the Users section and use the copy button to copy all the settings from the old user to create the new one. Secondly, set the old user to be non-active. Thirdly, if the old user also has a staff/volunteer record (which they should, unless they are a funder or referrer with a login), set their staff/volunteer record non-active and create a new record for the new user. Remember to link this new staff/volunteer record to the new user record.

What do I need to do on the system when a client dies?

From their Personal tab, set the 'Deceased' option to 'Yes', then save the record. This will take you another page where you can optionally enter the date of death and enter extra notes.

I've made a club/clinic non-active, and now it's disappeared! How do I get it back?

By default, when you go into the Clubs and Clinics option, you only see Active clubs. If you want to see Non-Active clubs, you can click on the link next to the 'Enter New Clinic' button to see all the clubs. You can then select a non-active club/clinic and make it active again if you need to.

I've heard that I can't paste content from Microsoft Word into letter templates - is this true?

It used to be. This was due to the very large volume of formatting information contained within Word documents. The letter section now automatically deals with the formatting so you can safely paste from Word.

I want to add another user, but have heard that I can only have x number of users. Is this true?

No. The charge for a Charitylog system is based on the turnover of the organisation using it. In the voluntary sector it's common to have a lot of part time staff, so we find that this charging structure suits our customers better than a per-user structure.

I have a client who is also a volunteer, do they need 2 records?

No. Any record belonging to any type of organisation or person (carers, clients, funders, organisations, professionals, referrers, staff, suppliers, support workers/home helpers/care workers, trustees/members, volunteers...) should only be entered once. To make an existing client into a volunteer, search for them as a volunteer, a result like this will be returned:

"Search Returned 25 results (of 37 total database matches)"

Click the Search All button. You will see them listed as a client with a button to make them into a volunteer. The same would apply for any other types of organisations and people.

I am getting an 'Access Denied' message. What should I do?

This is almost certainly a Group Access issue. Contact your administrator to see if you can be put in a different Group, or have the access rights of your current Group changed.

How to do I add to the various drop-down lists on the client and other records

Most of these are found by clicking on Administration, Drop-Down Lists.

How to I merge duplicate clients?

See Merge Record.

How long do I have before I get timed out? Can it be increased?

1 hour of inactivity. 'Activity' in this sense usually means loading a new page such as saving a record, searching, clicking a menu item etc.

The 1 hour timeout period can be reduced, but not increased.

Note that each tab or window has its own 'timer', and once one times out you will be logged out of any other tabs/windows you have open. This usually happens if you have a report that you have opened and forgotten about.

How do I type dates and times in?

Dates can be typed in with 6 digits with no punctuation, e.g. 251212 for Christmas Day 2012.

Times can be typed in with 4 digits with no punctuation, e.g. 1530 for half past three.

Charitylog will punctuate them for you.

How do I back up my data? What can I do with the backup once I have generated it?

Click Administration > Security > Backup System, then "Backup Database SQL Data". This will produce a single archive file of your entire database including its structure. As a compressed file, it cannot be 'run' locally like a spreadsheet on your computer, but is intended to be used by a database professional for reloading onto a MySQL server. As an local administrator, all you need to do with it is keep it safe - remember that it holds your entire client list, referrals list etc.

How can I reduce the number of duplicate records that my users are entering?

The two most common problems are failing to search to see if a client already exists before adding them, and mis-spellings. You are more likely to find a mis-spelled record if you search for 3 or 4 letters rather than the whole name, e.g. 'don' would find 'McDonald', 'MacDonald', 'Haydon' etc

Does Charitylog have an address lookup from the postcode?

Yes. You will need to purchase a licence from Postcode Anywhere to use it. See the Add-ons section of the Administrator Manual for more details.

Does Charitylog have a spell checker?

No, but most browsers have one built in or have one available to be installed.

Do we have to use the term 'Support Worker'? We call ours 'Home Helpers'...

You can change the terminology you wish to use for support workers. This will affect the menus, schedules etc.

Click on Support Options, Set Up, Parameters and choose between 'Carer', 'Home Helper', 'Support (worker)' and 'Volunteer'

Can I delete/anonymise client records?

The records themselves cannot be deleted (to maintain the audit record), but they can be anonymised.

Click the Anonymise Clients option in the Security submenu. Note that the clients must first have been terminated (use the Projects tab on the client record).

The details removed are:- name, salutation,address, postcode,telephone and emergency numbers, fax number, general notes, NI number, NHS number, Social Services number and email address. Next of kins, Publications provided and, where relevant, dependents are also anonymised.