Create Description Columns

Blank columns are great for adding in your own notes and formulas but there is a special purpose "blank" column that you can use to automatically add descriptions to existing columns. Let’s use "Posting Key" as an example. A "Posting Key" is just another number in the spreadsheet. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a description next to it for clarity and for double-checking your selection?

An added "<<descr>>" field is also known as a Description Column. Description Columns work best when the data set to be described is already entered. For our example we will use a GLSU template that has 8 line items already entered. Note that description fields are available for Header fields as well. To create a Description Column, do the following:

From the GLSU menu,

1. Select menu item Choose fields.
2. Select item <<descr>> under either Header or Items and move it over to the right. You may drag it over if you prefer.

   

3. When you push or drag a <<descr>> field over you will be shown a Format Description Field pick list. This list is meant for selecting (by double-clicking) the existing GLSU template field that you would like described.

   

4. You can add as many description fields as you need and drag them wherever you need them while still in the Choose Fields screen.
5. Selecting ACCEPT will close the Choose Fields screen and insert the <<descr>> fields that you have created.
6. Note that the Description Column is populated with the requested information. For those descriptions that come up as refresh required, this means that the master data is missing these values. To resolve this, find and click menu item Refresh Descriptions.

   

7. Note how all of the rows that have data (Posting key in our example) are given a description.
8. Select on a description cell to see the underlying =glsu_description() function. While this function could have been added manually, the <<descr>> description field adds some automation to this process.
9. From here on out, if you add more line items, you will need to copy the =glsu_description() function down to each line entered in order to see the description.

Note: Even though the Choose Fields selection list shows the column type as <<descr>>, what is really going on is that GLSU is adding a <<blank>> column and automatically filling it with the =glsu_description() formula. Don’t get confused if subsequent visits to the Choose Fields screen show <<blank>> for the description field. This is correct.