The first time you run ConTrak, the program will lead you through a simple setup procedure. If you don’t have all the required information to hand, you can quit the program and the setup will continue where you left off the next time you run ConTrak. If you make a mistake during the setup procedure you can fix it later by accessing the Setup menu.
The first setup screen asks you for your company details. This information will appear on invoices and receipts. The only required field is the company name.
The next screen asks you to select your preferred date format (dd/mm/yy or mm/dd/yy).
Enter your standard hourly delivery charge on the next screen. If you do not have a delivery charge, leave the rate as 0.00.
Next you will be asked to specify the taxes which apply to rentals. Select the number of taxes and indicate whether taxes are included in equipment rental rates or added to the rates. For each tax enter the name of the tax and the percentage rate. If the tax does not apply to delivery, clear the checkbox.
You will be asked to choose a password which will be used to access the Setup menu commands. The password is a maximum of 8 characters. Enter your password then re-enter it for confirmation. The password should ideally be known by the system administrator.
Finally you will be asked to specify whether ConTrak will be run on more than one computer
on a network. You may change this setting at a later date by selecting Networking from the Setup menu.
The setup is now complete.
Each time you start the program, you will be asked to enter the password. If you click on Continue without entering the password you will still be able to run the program, but will not be allowed to setup or edit transactions nor access the setup commands.
2. Adding rental equipment to the database
To add rental equipment to the database, select Add equipment from the Equipment menu, press the F6 key, or click on the hand drill icon on the toolbar.
The only required fields are the description of the equipment, the equipment number, and at least one rental rate (except if the equipment is not billable, in which case you should check the appropriate box). The program will prompt with a sequential equipment number but you may overwrite this if you wish. You should indicate whether the equipment is a unique item, or whether you have multiple items (for example if the equipment were an item of scaffolding you would not want to enter each piece separately). If there are multiple items you the hour meter reading and the location will be disabled as they will not be relevant.
If the equipment has a ceiling on the rental charge, enter the maximum rental charge.
To add a manufacturer to the drop list, enter the manufacturer under “Add manufacturer” and click on Add. The same applies to categories/type, suppliers and locations.
If the equipment is a unique item you may set up the service policy for the equipment by clicking on the Servicing button. The interval between services may be based on the hour meter reading or on the elapsed time in months.
You can add a photograph of the equipment by clicking on the Image button. Click on Load image and identify the image file, then after it has loaded click on Attach image to attach the file. Please note that ConTrak does not relocate the image file, it simply stores the location, so you should not move the image file after it has been attached to the equipment.
To edit the details of an item of equipment after it has been added to the database, select Search for equipment from the Equipment menu, press the F7 key, or click on the second binoculars icon on the toolbar. Enter the equipment number or the first few characters of the description or select the manufacturer or the category/type and select the equipment from the list.
3. Adding employees
Only the administrator (using the setup password) and authorized employees are allowed to set up or edit transactions. To add an authorized employee, select Add employee from the Employees submenu of the Setup menu. Enter the name of the employee, then enter the employee’s password and re-enter it to confirm.
To remove an employee, select Remove employee from the Employees submenu of the Setup menu. Select the employee from the drop list and click on Remove.
To change an employee’s password, select Change password from the Employees submenu of the Setup menu. Select the employee from the drop list then enter and re-enter the new password.
4. Managing projects
Setting up a new project
The only required field is the name of the project and the project number. The project name will be used to define the location of equipment which is rented to that project. The program will prompt with a sequential project number but you may overwrite that if you wish.
Adding rental transactions
To add a rental transaction, click on the Add transaction button. If the program being run without the Setup password, select the employee from the list and enter the employee password.
Click on Add rental and select the item of equipment to be rented. If you know the length of the rental period, clear the “Unspecified” check box and enter the return date. The program will calculate the best rental cost in terms of the daily, weekly and monthly rental rates. If the equipment has multiple items, enter the quantity to be rented. You can also set the equipment hour meter reading (if it is a single item) and enter rental notes.
To remove a rental from the list, select the rental and click on Remove rental.
If the rental equipment is to be delivered, check the radio button. Enter the delivery hours. If the new location is not the same as the project location, select the location from the list. If the location is new, click on the Add button and enter the new location.
Editing a rental transaction
Returning rentals
To cancel a return, highlight the rental and click on Cancel return.
Before clicking on OK, enter the return date (which defaults to the current date) and select the new location of the equipment.
Inactive projects
5. Invoicing
To generate an invoice for a project, select Invoicing from the Projects menu, press the F4 key, or click on the invoice icon on the toolbar. Identify the project, then enter the month (mm/yy) for the invoice, which defaults to the current month. Click on the “Print” button to print the invoice.
The program will calculate the best rental charges for the month based on the equipment daily, weekly and monthly rental rates.
You can set up and edit text which will be printed at the bottom of invoices by
selecting Invoice text from the Print options submenu of the Setup menu.
By default the invoice prints portrait and the equipment rates are shown on a separate line from the description and cost. If you select landscape for the printing, the rates will be shown on the same line as the description and cost.
6. Receiving payments
To receive payment for a project, select Receive payment from the Payments submenu of the Projects menu, press the F5 key, or click on the credit card icon on the toolbar. Identify the project, then enter the month (mm/yy) for the payment, which defaults to the current month.
A screen will appear showing the amount due for the month. Check the Print receipt box if you wish to print a receipt. Click on OK to accept the payment.
If the account has already been paid for that particular project and month, you will be alerted to the fact. You will still be able to proceed to the payment screen in case you wish to reprint the receipt, but the payment will not be accepted.
You can set up and edit text which will be printed at the bottom of receipts by selecting Receipt text from the Print options submenu of the Setup menu.
7. Lost/damaged equipment
If equipment is lost or damaged while on rental you can charge the project and flag the equipment as lost/damaged. Search for the project then click on the “Loss/damage charges” button.
To add a lost/damaged item, click on Add. Select the equipment from the drop list and enter the charge (which defaults to the replacement cost). In the case of multiple items, enter the quantity lost or damaged and check the box if you want the equipment quantity to be reduced accordingly.
8. Print options
For the print options, select Print options from the Setup menu. Here you can set up the number of copies of invoices and receipts which are printed, opt to print the company logo on invoices and receipts, to use headed paper, and to bypass the print dialog box when printing.
If you choose to print the logo, the logo file should be a 24 bit BMP file named logo.bmp and should reside in the
ConTrak folder (C:\ConTrak). The image should be no more than about 200 x 200 pixels or it may interfere
with the rest of the printing.
9. Removing old data
You might find that after time your ConTrak data files become large enough to slow down the program. You may remove old data by selecting Purge old data from the Setup menu. Enter the year prior to which you would like the data to be discarded. You will not be allowed to remove the current year’s data.
10. Backing up data
Although ConTrak saves data after each transaction, it is recommended that you back
up your data to an external medium periodically (eg after the close of business each day)
in case your computer crashes. To do so, select Back up data files from the Setup menu,
or click on the floppy disk icon on the toolbar. Select the folder to which you intend
to backup the files. We recommend that you back up to a flash drive.
DO NOT back up the files if you think there may be a problem with them, you might overwrite good files.
If your computer crashes and you lose the ConTrak data, you will have to re-install ConTrak then restore your data files by copying them from the back up medium to the folder C:\ConTrak.
Alternatively you can run the program Restore.exe which you will find in your ConTrak folder and select the folder containing the backup files.
11. Reports
You may export ConTrak reports in comma separated variable (csv) format so that they can be read by Excel. To do so, select Export reports from the Setup menu and check the box. Subsequently, each time you display a report it will exported to your My Documents folder with the file name report.csv.
You can also export an individual report in csv by clicking on the export reports icon on the toolbar while the report is displayed. Name the report and select the folder where you wish to save it.
11.1 Reports menu, Equipment submenu
The Equipment submenu has the following commands.
By project: Lists equipment which is currently rented to a project. You can choose to show all projects or you may specify a single project.
General details: Shows the equipment number, description, quantity, category/type, manufacturer and location of equipment. You can choose to show equipment of a particular manufacturer, vendor/supplier, category type, or location.
Exchanges: Reports on equipment which has been exchanged whilst on loan over a specified period. Enter the start and end dates for the report.
History: Shows the rental history of an item of equipment. Identify the equipment then enter the start date for the report.
Lost/damaged: This submenu provides the following reports:
List damaged equipment: shows all equipment that is flagged as lost.
List lost equipment: shows all equipment which is flagged as damaged.
Damage charges: displays all damage incidents since a specified date.
Loss charges: displays all loss charges since a specified date.
Maximum charge reached: Lists equipment items on rental which are not earning revenue because the maximum charge has been reached.
Non billable: Lists non-billable equipment.
Purchase details: Shows the purchase details (supplier, order number, cost, etc) of equipment. You can choose to show equipment of a particular manufacturer, vendor/supplier, category type, or location.
Rates: Shows the rental rates, cost price and meter hours for equipment. You can choose to show equipment of a particular manufacturer, vendor/supplier, category type, or location.
Requiring service: Lists equipment requiring service. The report is based on the service policy set up from the equipment details screen.
You can choose to show all equipment currently requiring service, equipment requiring service within a specified number of weeks, or equipment requiring service within a specified number of meter hours.
Return on investment: Displays a list of equipment oir an individual item showing the return on investment. The ROI is based on the revenue for the equipment, plus any payments for loss/damage, less service costs, divided by the cost price.
Service history: Displays the service history for an item of equipment since a specified date. Identify the equipment then enter the start date for the report.
11.2 Reports menu, Projects submenu
The Projects submenu has the following commands.
Invoice: Displays an invoice for a specified project and month. Identify the project and enter the month (mm/yy) for the invoice.
List projects: Shows the general details of all projects.
Miscellaneous charges: Displays a report on miscellaneous charges for a specified month. Enter the month and the year for the report (mm/yy).
Payments received: Displays the payments received for all projects for a specified period. Enter the start month of the report (mm/yy) and the end month, which defaults to the current month.
Rental report: Provides a summary of rental transactions for a specified project. Identify the project.
Requiring payment: Lists payments due on all active projects for a specified period. Enter the start month of the report (mm/yy) and the end month, which defaults to the current month.
Revenue (all projects): Lists revenue from all projects for a specified period. Enter the start month of the report (mm/yy) and the end month, which defaults to the current month.
Revenue (specific project): Lists revenue from a particular for a specified period. Identify the project. Enter the start month of the report ( which can be the project start month) and the end month, which defaults to the current month.
Track modifications: Reports on modifications made to a project over a period of time. Identify the project and enter the start and end dates for the report.
Transactions summary: Displays a summary of transactions started during a specified period. Enter the start and end dates for the report.
12. Servicing equipment
ConTrak allows you to track servicing of equipment.
To add a service for an item of equipment, select Add service from the Service equipment submenu of the Equipment menu. Identify the equipment and enter the details of the service.
To use this command you must first set up the service policy for the equipment by clicking on the Servicing button from the Equipment details screen.
To cancel a service which may have been entered in error, select Cancel service from the Service equipment submenu of the Equipment menu. Identify the equipment. The date of the last service will be found and you will be asked to confirm that you wish to cancel the service.
13. Importing equipment data
ConTrak has a file import utility which you can use to import equipment data from an existing comma separated (csv) file. You will find the program, ConTrak Utility, in the folder C:\ConTrak.
The csv file must, at the very minimum, contain equipment number, description, and at least one rental rate.
Run the utility to convert the equipment data. Identify the csv file. For each field in the csv file, select the appropriate ConTrak field from the drop list. If the field in the csv file is not required, check the Skip this field box.
The converted file, equipment.dat, will be saved in the same folder as the csv
file. From there you can copy it into the folder C:\ConTrak.
14. Managing lost and damaged equipment
If an item of equipment is lost or damaged, and the loss or damage did not occur
when the equipment was out on rental, you can flag it as lost or damaged by searching for the equipment and checking the appropriate box, provided the equipment is a unique item. If there are multiple items of the equipment, you cam reduce the quantity until the equipment is found or repaired.
If the equipment is lost or damaged while on rental, and a project is billable, you should search for the project to bring up the project details, then click on the Damage charges or Loss charges button as appropriate. Click on Add to add a damage or loss charge, then select the equipment from the list. If the equipment is a single item, you can flag the equipment as lost or damaged. If it is a multiple item, enter the number of items that are lost or damaged, and check the box if you want the equipment stock quantity to be reduced accordingly.
Enter the amount to be charged for the loss or damage. If you do not know the charge right away, enter the charge as 0.00. When you know the charge you can go back to the loss or damage screen, select the item, click on the Edit button and enter the correct charge. The project will then be billed for the charge.
After you have entered a loss or damage incident, the equipment will be returned
from rental and the project will not be billed for the rental after the date that the charge was entered.
15. Miscellaneous charges
To add a miscellaneous charge for a project, select Add miscellaneous charge from the Miscellaneous charges submenu of the Projects menu.
Identify the project. Enter the date the charge was made (which defaults to the current date), the amount, and the description of the charge (optional).
To cancel a miscellaneous charge, select Cancel miscellaneous charge from the Miscellaneous charges submenu of the Projects menu.
Identify the project. Select the charge and click on Cancel charge or double click on the charge. Confirm that you wish to cancel the charge.
16. Non-billable days
ConTrak allows you to make Saturdays and/or Sundays non billable. Select non-billable days from the Setup menu, and check the appropriate box to exclude the day from the calculation of the rental period.
17. Password protection
The Setup or Admin password protects the Setup commands. You also have the option to:
18. Exchanging equipment on loan
There may be times when you wish to replace an item of equipment which is on loan with an identical item of equipment (for example if the equipment is damaged).
Select Exchange equipment from the Equipment menu, click on the red and green arrows icon on the toolbar, or press the F10 key.
Identify the equipment which is to be replaced and confirm that you wish to exchange the item. Then identify the equipment which will replace it.
19. Calculation of the rental period
You may choose whether the rental start date and end date are inclusive (eg a rental from Wednesday one week to the Wednesday the following week would be 8 days) or exclusive (a rental from Wednesday to Wednesday would be 7 days).
Select Rental period from the Setup menu and click on the appropriate radio button.
By default the rental dates are inclusive.
20. Editing project field names
You can change the field names of the project dialog box by selecting Edit project field names from the Setup menu.
Enter the new field names. If you want the address fields to be used to create the transaction address, check the appropriate boxes.
21. Default location for returns
To set up a default location for the return of equipment, select Default location for returns from the Setup menu and select the appropriate location.
22. Networking ConTrak
ConTrak is network ready. If you wish to run ConTrak on a network, follow the following steps:
1. Setup
To set up a new project (or job) select New project from the Projects menu, press the F2 key, or click on the workman icon on the toolbar.
After you have set up the project, you can edit the project details and add rental transactions by selecting Search for project from the Projects menu, pressing the F3 key, or clicking on the first binoculars icon on the toolbar. Enter the project number or the first few characters of the project name and select the project from the list.
There are two ways to edit a rental transaction:
Now you can add or remove rental items and view or edit a rental.
There are two ways to return rentals:
To return an item, double click on the rental or highlight the rental and click on Return. The rental will be shown with an asterisk. If the equipment is a single item you will be prompted to enter the meter hours on return.
When all the equipment on a project has been returned and the project is complete you can flag the project as inactive by searching for the project and checking the “Inactive” radio button on the project details screen.
Please note that if you change the ConTrak setup on any of your computers you must restart ConTrak on the other computers for the changes to take effect.
Email: contrak@grensoft.com