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The Ribbon

The collection of tabs and buttons at the top of the window is called the "ribbon." Though its contents change depending on which tab you select, the ribbon always displays at the top of the window as you navigate through the program.

the ribbon in PDS Formation Office, showing the File menu, tabs, Quick Access toolbar, buttons, and icons

Quick Navigator

Starting from anywhere in the program, you can quickly navigate to the exact window you want! Click Quick Nav. in the ribbon, and the Quick Navigator displays. From there, click the window or process to open. This list is structured alphabetically by section and within each section. Note that some items show in more than one place in the Quick Navigator.

To even more quickly find what you're looking for in the list, use the Find bar at the top to highlight matching results.

Favorites

You can save your favorite sections of the program with the Favorites button. That way, you can quickly access a section from anywhere in the program. Click the Favorites icon blue outline of star in the Quick Access toolbar to display shortcuts to your favorite sections.

To add or edit a favorite section, go to the window you want to add, click the Favorites icon blue outline of star, then click Add Favorite. Once the item is added, you can right-click it to delete, move, or rename it.
Tip: Make sure to name the Favorites item something meaningful to you. For example, if there's a report you run for Father Frank every week and you want to save that report window as a favorite, name it "Weekly report for Fr. Frank".

Quick Access Toolbar

The Quick Access toolbar contains buttons for some common tasks and features. To view a button description, place your cursor over the button. By default, all available buttons display, but you can hide any or all of them. To display or hide quick access buttons, click the down arrow button black arrow pointing down and make your selections.

Tabs

The primary areas of the program are divided into tabs:
  • Information — See statistics on the custom dashboard and manage program data.
  • Personnel — Manage records for catechists, staff, clergy and religious, and volunteers.
  • Sacramental Registers — View your sacramental registers and related member records.
  • Reports — Print reports related to students, families, tuition and fees, parents and guardians, classes, and personnel.
  • Processes — Access all family, student, and tuition & fees quick postings and processes.
  • Administration — Set up funds and fund periods, manage users and passwords, and view the user log of activity.

Buttons

The selection of buttons differs on each tab. Some buttons open a specific window. For example, the All Reports button on the Reports tab opens the window where you can view all the program reports. Other buttons, such as those on the File menu, open a dialog box.