Overview: Ledger allows you to create multiple page layouts so that you can change the look of reports without having to create multiple files or change the accounts screen for an entity. This is particularly useful if you want to display both a full and concise Profit and Loss in the one report.
Please refer to the Glossary for definitions of key terms used in this article.
Accessing page layouts
From the Ledger Admin Centre, click on Page Layouts.
The below screen will appear.
Adding a new page layout
To add a page layout, click + New Page Layout.
Once added, the below screen will appear.
The following table details the page layout fields requiring completion.
FIELD | DESCRIPTION | VALIDATION |
Code | Identifies the layout. | Required |
Name | Used as the name when selecting a page layout when generating a report. | Required |
Jurisdiction (dropdown menu) | This will only appear if the firm is in multiple jurisdictions. Select as appropriate. | Required |
Default (checkbox) | If checked, this will be the layout used when generating a report, unless overridden in the page layout when generating a report. | Optional |
Content Fields | Allows entity-specific details to be added to a firm-wide page. | Optional |
Account Labels and Totals | Used to determine the layout of the report. For more information see the sections below. | Required |
Use System Default Totals (checkbox) | This will override any custom totals created and revert back to the master totals. This is ticked by default. | Optional |
Show all Profit and Loss accounts as 'Credit' balances | If checked Profit and Loss accounts will be displayed as negative figures. | Optional |
Profit Term | If you wish to change the default word for 'Profit', input here. | Optional |
Loss Term | If you wish to change the default word for 'Loss', input here. | Optional |
Account labels
Creating labels
An account label enables you to show accounts differently from their normal place in the chart. Where linked to a label, account balances will be shown totalled and at the specified location with the name of the label.
To create a label, find the relevant header where you want to add the label from the chart and click on the ellipse to the right of the header. This will bring up the option to select Add Label.
A dialogue screen will open for you to enter the below details.
FIELD | DESCRIPTION | VALIDATION |
Code | Identifies the layout. | Required |
Name | Used as the name when selecting a page layout when generating a report. | Required |
Layout Option (dropdown menu) | Defines how the label will be displayed in the report. There are six options here:
These are discussed further in the section below. | Required |
Force Layout (checkbox) | If checked, there is no ability to customise the layout option for this label in a Report Template. | Optional |
Default (checkbox) | There can only be one default per header and if selected, all accounts that have not been linked to a label will be totalled to the default label. This is useful for an 'All Other Expenses' label, for example. | Optional |
Rules | Active Ledger will link accounts based on the following rules to this label.
Note: Accounts which directly specify a report label will override these rules. | Optional |
Layout options
You are able to adjust the layout options as below:
Show - normal display, showing the header, sub-accounts and subtotal balance of the group in the total row.
Show in Note - all accounts under the header will show in the notes.
Hide - only the report label and total will show.
See-Through - will 'turn off' the header and it's associated total, so that only the child accounts and their balances are displayed. This is useful for tidying up headers that only contain one account.
Subtotal Only - will 'turn off' the header and the name of the total, but will still display the subtotal balance of the group in the total row.
Header Only - this shows the header and sub-accounts but does not show a subtotal.
Finalising labels
Add the appropriate label as below by clicking Add Account Label.
Add all relevant labels. In this example, four labels have been added, including an 'Other Expenses' default label for any expenses that haven't been assigned to a report label.
Click Save and Close once finalised.
Account totals
The layout can also be modified to add, edit or delete totals. A calculated total is shown in addition to account totals and can be made conditional.
Adding a total
To add a customised total, click on the ellipse to the right of the relevant header to bring up the Add Total option.
The below screen will appear.
The following fields will require completion.
FIELD | DESCRIPTION | VALIDATION |
Title | Name of total displayed in the report. | Required |
Title When results are a mix of positive and negative | Alternative name of total displayed in the report if the outcome is a mix of positive and negative balances over multiple years. | Optional |
Title When all results are negative | Alternative name of total displayed in the report if the outcome is a negative balance. | Optional |
Ledger Side (dropdown menu) | Determines whether the total is shown as a debit or credit balance.
| Required |
Style (dropdown menu) | Determines the look of the total line. Can be set to 'Normal' or 'Alternative'. The default option is 'Normal'. | Required |
Format result as percentage % | If you wish for the result of the formula to be represented as a percentage, select this checkbox. | Optional |
Formula | You are either to manually type a formula in the box provided, or select one of the options from the 'Insert Formula' section.
After one of the above options are selected, further information will be available to fill out.
See 'The formula editor' section of the article below for more information. | Required |
Show only if the following Headers are Present (dropdown menu) | This will default to 'Show Always'. If you wish to display only for certain headers, make your selection accordingly from the dropdown list of headers. | Required |
Hide if Zeroes Only (checkbox) | If you do not wish to show results if they are NIL, select this checkbox. | Optional |
The formula editor
This is the section where you populate the formula of the total you would like displayed. There are three options to choose from when adding a type of element to insert, in addition to manually inputting the formula. Each of these options provide further dropdown menus after selected.
For this example, we will select Standard Formula. This will bring up a second dropdown menu with the below options.
Choose the relevant formula and click Insert.
Once your formula is complete, click Save.
Editing and deleting totals
System and custom totals are shown in the layout chart in grey. To edit or delete a total click on the ellipse to the right of the relevant total. From here you can edit all the same details as described above when adding a new total. All totals can also be deleted, including system totals.
Note: It is possible to override any changes to the totals and revert back to the system totals by selecting the 'Use System Default Totals' checkbox under the Account Labels and Totals area.
WARNING: Once the 'Use System Default Totals' checkbox is selected and you save the layout, all custom totals created will be lost.
Linking a label to an account
Once all labels have been created for the chart, you can link them to the relevant accounts at either the firm or the client level. To link labels at the firm level, from the Ledger Admin Centre, click Standard Chart of Accounts.
Note: In order to link report labels to standard accounts, the standard chart must have firm standard accounts within it. To add these, refer to the following support article: How to manage the standard chart of accounts.
From here you can edit a standard account to include the label. Click on the ellipses and select Edit.
The 'Report Label' dropdown will show all labels for all layouts. You can only select one label per layout, but can choose a label for several layouts at once if desired.
Once complete, click Save Standard Account.
Note: Labels are linked to accounts at the client level in exactly the same manner by editing the account in the standard chart.
Using the page layout in a report
A customised layout can be used with the following pages:
Profit and Loss
Statement of Comprehensive Income
Balance Sheet
Appropriation Statement
Statement of Changes in Equity
This is useful if you want to include both a full and concise Profit and Loss in one report. To do this, you will have to add another Profit and Loss page to the report and select a different page layout.
For information on how to do this, see the support article: How to customise report pages.