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  • FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
  • ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL READ THIS!
    The free version of BeadEnCounter does not come with support. We recommend frequent backups to preserve your work in the case of losing the files, the files becoming corrupted, or your computer going bad. All these things happen, usually at the worst time. BACK UP!!!

    See also the note below on deleting sample data before entering your own data. Back to Top
  • General Questions
  • WARNING ON DELETION OF FINISHED WORK
    Dated June 6, 2012

    An issue has been identified where a finished work record which has images imported is deleted. This will cause all finished work records to be deleted, and this action is not reversible. Only having a recent backup will allow you to recover your entered work!

    We are working to get revised versions out, but in the meantime, FIXES:

    1. BEFORE deleting any record, perform a backup from the admin screen. Use the "Backup BeadEnCounter" button at the left.

    2, If you must delete a record, FIRST delete all images by using the small red minus sign icon beside each image. Then you should be able to delete that finished work record.

    3. If a deletion causes you to lose your work even after following the steps above, put your backup file back into use following the instructions     below.

    If a finished work record does not have imported images, you should be able to delete it successfully.     Back to Top
  • Is BeadEnCounter only for beads?
    No way! Through testing and use, we've found that almost any craft or art material can be entered into the inventory. Because the artist can customize her lists, categories, units of measure and organization within the program, adding clay, paper, fibers, wire, or found items is easy. We think that BeadEnCounter would be perfect for pricing and organization for artists in fine jewelry, scrapbooking, clay, wire work, fiber and needle arts, or mixed media.

    Inventory items can be added with or without a cost per unit, so even studio tools or objects can be entered to give a current value of your business! This was a creative use invented by one of our early testers.

    Entry of finished works is also very flexible, so you can use entered components or spontaneously enter each component on the fly. Unlimited photos are allowed, so you can enter pictures of all views of a finished work, no matter how large it is.

    If you have any questions, come join us in the     forum to ask, or download the free demo to try it out for your art!

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  • What if you don't sell your work? Can BeadEnCounter still be useful?
    Absolutely! Whether you sell your work or not, BeadEnCounter has features for you.

    If you only share your work with fellow crafters and artists or friends and family, the documentation features of BeadEnCounter are vital in recording and sharing what you've done. You can store unlimited images of each work, and use the inventory to track those special components used in each work. For example, if you've purchased a focal bead from another artist, or special hand-made fibers or papers from an obscure little shop, you'll always have those facts on hand. If you want another item to replace one you've used, the information will be there so you can return to the source, or give credit to artists who've contributed, whether by providing components or participating in group projects.

    In addition, the ability to post directly to Facebook or Blogger makes the process of preparing posts much faster.

    Organizing your stash leads to more time for creativity, not less. Because BeadEnCounter is designed to operate flexibly, you can enter inventory at the last minute, when you've finished the work in which the items are included. That means there's no huge up-front effort, you can enter your items as you go, a bit at a time.     Back to Top
  • Does BeadEnCounter work on Mac and Windows?
    Yes. BeadEnCounter is designed to be native to both platforms. No emulators are necessary for it to run on Mac. The appearance of the software depends on the OS standard controls, but other than slight appearance differences, the functionality is exactly the same on both platforms.

    Download the appropriate compressed file for your platform. The installation files are different.
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  • Can I install BeadEnCounter on more than one computer?
    Yes,if you own more than one computer of the same platform, Mac or Windows, you can install BeadEnCounter on each of them.

    However, these separate copies of BeadEnCounter are not synchronized, nor will they share data. If you have one copy on the desktop, and another on a laptop, they stand alone and the data is not shared.

    This multiple install allowance applies only to the computers you own. Your friends, neighbors and loved ones will have to buy their own copies of BeadEnCounter. Please do not share the download link or the downloaded files with anyone else. Unless we make money, no upgrades for BeadEnCounter will be possible.     Back to Top
  • How do I uninstall the BeadEnCounter demo or working software?
    We recommend uninstalling the demo version before installing the full purchased version.

    On the Mac, drag or send the entire BeadEnCounterDemo or BeadEnCounter folder into the trash, and empty the trash. Remove any shortcuts on your desktop or in the Dock by dragging them to the trash or out of the Dock.

    On Windows, drag or send the entire BeadEnCounterDemo or BeadEnCounter folder to the Recycle Bin, and empty the Recycle Bin. Remove any shortcuts on the desktop or in the Start Menu by dragging them into the Recycle Bin as well.

    No elements of BeadEnCounter are installed anywhere else on your computer.     Back to Top
  • What if I don’t use dollars as my currency?
    On the Personalize screen, you can select any of the listed currencies using the pulldown list on the Currency Symbol field. Or you can edit the pulldown list and type in your local currency symbol from the keyboard. Put any new entry on a separate line in the pulldown editing area. This new selection of symbol will show in all locations where currency appears.
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  • How will BeadEnCounter help organize my beads?
    BeadEnCounter has features to help you organize your beads. Each bead inventory item entered is assigned a unique number, called the Item ID, as you create the item record. The Item ID cannot be changed, and will always be associated with that bead or finding item.

    The ID is designed to allow you to label the container or package in which you store the item. For example, if you keep a strand of beads in a box or a plastic bag, label the box or bag with the ID number. If you break the strand to use a few beads, always keep the ID with the individual beads. If you transfer the beads to a smaller container as some are used, transfer the number as well.

    Once a bead storage container is labeled with a ID, there is no longer any reason to keep any other notes, data or labeling with the container, though of course that is your option. You’ll be able to refer to BeadEncounter to find out the material, source, and cost of any item that you need to know about.
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  • How do labels make costing simple?
    As you work, or after a finished work is completed, keep track of which beads you use in the work. For instance, if ID #21 (a coral 8mm bead) is used 12 times in a necklace, record that in a note. Record each labeled bead used in a finished work.

    Then, as you enter the information in a Finished Work record, use the ID to locate and select the material for each component you record. Entering the ID and then the quantity used in the component record will calculate the exact price of the materials used in that finished work.
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  • I have dozens, or hundreds, or thousands of beads in stock! It’s way too much like work to try to enter them all to start using BeadEnCounter!
    BeadEnCounter is designed to work with minimal data entry to begin with. Unless you are overcome by a fit of organizational desire, there is no need to fully enter your entire stash to start.

    If the data entry seems overwhelming, just start with new purchases, or with the materials used as components in each finished work, as you finish it.

    For example, you may use 5 different beads and one clasp in a finished necklace. Before you enter the necklace in the finished work screen, enter the 5 bead inventory items in the bead inventory screen. If you don’t remember prices, estimate them. Then create the finished work entry, and select the components from the drop-down list to give you pricing as accurate as it can be. You can enter the clasp as another inventory item, or as an estimated item.

    Remember to label each entered item with the assigned ID before storing it away again.

    As you finish each new piece of work, you’ll gradually have more and more of your bead inventory entered. Or you can enter a few items at a time when you want to.
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  • Should BeadEnCounter Item ID’s determine how I physically organize my stash?
    Physical organization of your bead containers is your personal option. I prefer to sort my beads by color first, then relative size (for example, red large beads are in one drawer, red small beads in another). You may prefer to sort by material, or by size, or even by project. All of these and more are possible, because the ID goes with the bead, not with a drawer or location.

    BeadEnCounter ID’s are permanent, and will allow you to sort and shuffle your bead organization at will, without being concerned with numerical order. You will always be able to find the data on beads in any container in BeadEnCounter, so even no physical organization at all is fine. The software will keep track for you.
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  • How many items can I enter in BeadEnCounter?
    Each area, Finished Work and Inventory, will accept the entry of unlimited numbers of items. Listed components for each Finished Work are also unlimited.

    The takewith list will show about 250-275 items on each page, depending on the number of different categories you have. Once you exceed that number, the list will print onto a second page, or as many pages as it takes. Other printing screens will also print as many pages as needed.
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  • How do I get rid of the sample data that comes with BeadEnCounter?
    On the Getting Started screen is a button that says “Remove Sample Data.” Click that button and confirm that you want to remove the sample data records.

    If you have entered any of your own new records, those records will remain. If you have changed data on the sample records, that will disappear with the records when they are removed. This operation cannot be undone.
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  • When should I enter purchased items?
    We recommend entering new items immediately after purchasing them, or as soon as possible. Regrettably, not all bead stores or online purveyors mark their receipts or their items with full information about your purchases. Sometimes individual items are labeled in the store with material and cost, sometimes they’re not. Memory is fleeting and delaying entry can mean you lose track of which item is what. I have even resorted to taking notes in the store as I purchase items, just to ensure I know what is what when it comes time to put the info in the software.

    As you enter the data, mark each item with the ID as it is assigned by BeadEnCounter. Later you can transfer this number to the storage container and officially label the container with the ID. If you are lucky enough to have your computer next to your bead storage area, you can do it in one step. I always use a Dymo label machine, to make neat labels that stick well, but tape can work as well for labels.
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  • I’m using my mouse too much. How do I move around with my keyboard?
    Move from field to field during entry using the Tab key. If no field is selected, the first Tab will take you to the first field. Dropdown lists should allow type-ahead to move you down the list as you type. Or use your arrow keys to navigate u and down a drop-down list. Once the selection you want is highlighted in a drop-down list, hit Return to select it and Tab to move to the next field. Shift-Tab moves to the previous field in the tab order.

    There are keyboard shortcuts for moving to the main screens as well. Under the Go To… menu, you can always see these shortcuts to remind yourself.

    Command-Shift-I = Bead Inventory screen
    Command-Shift-F = Finished Work screen

    To enter a value from the last record you visited, such as when you need to enter a lot of items purchased from the same store, use Command-‘ (command & a single quote) to enter the value.
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  • How do I post to Blogger or Blogspot directly from BeadEnCounter?
    This feature will work for anyone who uses computer-based emailing applications such as Mac Mail, Thunderbird, Outlook, or other emailing apps. It will not work with web-based emails such as gMail.

    On the Getting Started screen, click the Personalize button to see the owner information screen. On this screen is a field to enter your Blogger “secret” email posting address. Find this special email address online in your Blogger blog account settings, found on the Dashboard. You can choose your own secret string there. Emails sent to this address will be posted onto your Blogger or Blogspot blog. Enter the email address before posting.

    On the Finished Work screen, when you click the Blogger icon, you’ll be asked to fill in the subject line and the body text of your email. Enter the text you want to appear in the post here. Although each field is one line long, you can enter more text. Don’t hit Return or Enter, though, this field does not accept returns. A subject line is mandatory. Hit OK after entering the subject line text.

    Next, you will be asked to enter body text for the post. This text appears in the email body. Unlike Facebook, Blogger accepts body text and your post will have both a title and post text. This body text is optional, a post can be made with just a title/subject if you wish.

    After you enter body text (or leave it blank if you don’t want to post body text), hit OK, and an email will appear with the subject line you’ve typed, any body text you’ve included, and the main photo from the Finished Work attached. Only the main photo can be posted. What is in the subject line will appear as the post text. You can edit the subject line of the email or any text in the body before you hit Send. Hit Send in your email application to send the email. You must hit Send, otherwise the post won’t be made.

    Once the email is sent, you should see the Blogger post on your blog almost immediately.
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  • How do I post to Facebook directly from BeadEnCounter?
    This feature will work for anyone who uses computer-based emailing applications such as Mac Mail, Thunderbird, Outlook, or other emailing apps. It will not work with web-based emails such as gMail.

    On the Getting Started screen, click the Personalize button to see the owner information screen. On this screen is a field to enter your Facebook “secret” email posting address. Find this special email address online in your Facebook account settings. Emails sent to this address will be posted onto your Facebook Wall.

    On the Finished Work screen, when you click the Facebook icon, you’ll be asked to fill in the subject line of your email. Enter the text you want to appear in the post here. Although the field is one line long, you can enter more text. Don’t hit Return or Enter, though, this field does not accept returns.

    After you enter text, hit OK, and an email will appear in your default email application, with the subject line you’ve typed, and the main photo from the Finished Work attached. Only the main photo can be posted. Don’t add any text in the body of the email, Facebook does not accept any body text. What is in the subject line will appear as the post text. You can edit the subject line of the email before you hit send. Hit Send in your email application to send the email. You must hit Send, otherwise the post won’t be made.

    Once the email is sent, you should see the Facebook post on your wall almost immediately.
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  • How do I get my name and address information into BeadEnCounter?
    On the getting started screen, click Personalize to see the owner information screen. Enter your name, address and other personal information here. It will appear on printed materials such as the invoice.

    If you’d like limited info to appear on the invoice, such as not including your street address or phone number, leave those fields blank so they don’t appear in the Footer info field.
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  • What if I want to post through email to some website or social media outlet other than Facebook or Blogger?
    You can use the private emails designated for Facebook or Blogger for any other post-by-email service. The icons on the Finished Work screen won’t be correct, but will work with whatever email address you have entered. Just remember the difference between the two services: Facebook posts the subject line of the email as the body of the post; and Blogger uses the subject line as the title and body text as the post text. Test the other service you want to email-post to with each address to see which posting style fits the best.
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  • Using the Inventory
  • How do I use the inventory?
    Record all beads, seed beads, findings, strands, in the inventory. This can also be used for fibers, fabric, or scrapbooking supplies. BeadEnCounter can be adapted to any process where components are assembled into finished pieces. Some users also enter their tools, storage items, and display goods into the inventory to get values for taxes, even if they are not used in assembling any finished work.

    Use the NEW button to make a new record to hold inventory information. Each new inventory item is assigned a unique number, the ID. When storing your items after entering the data, record that assigned ID somewhere on the package. Use a labeling machine or write on tape or directly on the plastic bag or box used to hold the items.

    It is important to count or estimate the number of beads in a strand or clasps in a package, or items in a group as it is purchased, and enter this data in the Cost/lot field. When this number is recorded, along with the cost for the lot, a per-item cost is calculated. This cost will later be used in calculating the artist cost of finished works that item was used in.

    A very fast way of counting stranded beads is to measure half the strand, count by fives down one half, and then double the number for the full strand. For very small beads, such as heishi, or liquid silver, you can count the beads in one inch, and then measure the length of the strand, to multiply the count per inch by the total inches.

    Seed beads are generally counted by the gram. For each entered item, you can select the Units you are counting by. If you are counting single beads, enter “ea”, for grams, “g”, etc. Units can be anything you customarily use, cm, yd (yards), in (inches). Keep the entry short, one or two letters, as these units show up when you enter components in a finished work.

    When working with beads or inventory items, keep track of how many of each ID is used in the work. For example, record 6 of #14, 12 of #99, etc. For seed beads, estimate approximate grams used.

    When an item is out of stock, mark the checkbox for that item. The ID number, and the material name text will turn red. This is just a visual reminder that the item is out of stock. If the same item is re-purchased, it is okay to re-use that item record. Do not delete out of stock items, they are needed to link to the finished works they were used in.

    If there are several items that are the same in size and material, but are purchased at different prices, record them separately. For example, if a record exists for a 100-bead strand of 4mm round onyx beads at $12 per strand, and then a purchase is made for the same 4mm round onyx beads, but at $9 per strand, two records should be created, each with the appropriate strand price. This way the correct per-bead price will be calculated for each, and correct costing done for the finished work.
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  • What if I can’t remember some information about my beads when I start entering data with BeadEnCounter?
    BeadEnCounter is designed to work with your entire bead inventory, whether it’s labeled and counted or not. If you want to simply start entering data with newly purchased items and leave all previously collected items unlabeled, that’s fine. If you want to count and enter data about some or all of your existing stash, great!

    Most beaders have a substantial stash of collected beads and unless you’ve kept good notes or written info with each bead, memories of cost, material and source will have faded. This is why I created BeadEnCounter in the first place! I couldn’t remember information about beads I’d bought as little as a few weeks previously.

    Some beads I simply accepted I would never recall the information about them, so I decided not to label these items. When I use them in a finished work, I roughly estimate what their cost was and enter it in the “Additional Material Cost” field. I’m guessing, but I’m so glad I don’t have to guess for all the materials.

    Other beads I labeled and estimated cost based on their similarity to items I already knew about or had previously entered. As time goes on and you are diligent about entering information immediately after purchase, most of your stash will be labeled and your material costs will become much more accurate.     Back to Top
  • If I already have similar beads entered, why can’t I just add a quantity to an existing ID?
    Like all crafters and artists, you likely buy some kinds of items frequently, such as 4mm onyx round beads. If you already have a record for those beads, with an ID, it has a date and cost from your previous purchase on it. To replace it with a new purchase date and cost will make any material cost calculations inaccurate for the remaining pieces from the previous lot.

    For example, if you bought a single strand of those onyx beads, quantity 100 @ $10, this makes the per-bead price 10 cents. You use 75 of those beads in one finished work. Then, you purchase two more strands six months later, but this time the strands are on sale for $5. The per-bead price of these pieces is 5 cents. As you can see, if you use the remaining 25 pieces of the first lot, plus 30 of the second, you’ll get an accurate material cost only if those lots remain separate, each with their own precise per-bead cost.

    So it’s highly recommended that even if you already have the same item entered, you enter a new ID and label and store the new lots separately. Unless you’re certain the new purchase is exactly the same cost as the existing record, in which case you’ll just over-write the purchase date.
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  • Why are some items appearing in red in the inventory list?
    When an item is marked “out of stock” the item ID and other data will appear in red text. It’s just a marker to show you out of stock items. Don’t delete the record once an item is out of stock. It will still link to the finished pieces it was used in.
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  • Once the items for an ID are gone, can I reuse that ID number?
    We don’t recommend reusing the ID once the beads with that ID are out of stock, because reusing a ID will confuse the History (on the Used In tab in the Finished Work screen). Just leave an out of stock item record in place, as it will always link to those finished pieces it was used in.

    Make sure the label is secure on the container. If an item is unlabeled, you’ll have to estimate, and memory is unreliable.
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  • Why doesn’t BeadEnCounter let me enter reorders the way I want to?
    The first version of BeadEnCounter is not designed as a full inventory solution. Subsequent versions are planned to have more inventory control features. Please check www.beadencounter.com frequently to see if upgraded versions have the new features you want. Feel free to suggest new features using the feedback link on the website.
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  • What’s the difference between a bead inventory item and a component?
    Inventory items have ID’s and are raw materials. Components are part of a finished work. So ID 223 might be an onyx 4mm bead, which cost $4 for a strand of 100 beads. That’s an inventory item with a per-bead cost of 4 cents.

    When used in a finished work, the component record shows that a quantity of 20 of ID 223 was used, at a cost of 80 cents.
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  • Why do I have to count each piece or gram in a lot?
    “Lot” is the term used for strands or bunches of loose beads or findings, or the packaged quantity purchased for seed beads (such as a tube or bag). Counting each item gives accurate cost per item calculations, and means you’ll know to the penny what the material cost is for a finished work. So it’s important when entering the item information to actually count each piece or to accurately estimate the total count.

    An easy way to count strands with many beads is to fold the strand in half, count the beads in one half of the strand (counting by 5s is easy), and then double the number you counted.

    For lots with too many pieces to count individually, such as a strand of heishi, measure one inch of beads, count the number in one inch, and then multiply by the number of inches in the strand. For loose lots with many pieces, consider getting a gram scale, and counting the pieces in one gram.
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  • How do I see just the items I'm entering? The list is too long and it keeps snapping back to the first items!`
    The snapping is an effect of the software that's not really under programmatic control at this time.

    But there is a workaround. When you start to enter a new order, say a bunch of items purchased on the same day or at the same store, just insert that date or the store name in the filter/search field.

    Then, as you enter items, they will appear in a very short list as each record is entered and the date or store name is entered. It will let you easily see what you have entered and what is still to be entered.

    Having the filter field filled will not affect the ID numbering of your new items.

    And at any time if you want to work with a smaller group of items, use the filter field to shorten the list showing and the snapping won't be an issue.     Back to Top
  • What about wholesale and retail purchases?
    In the Personalize screen, there’s a checkbox for marking purchases wholesale by default. When this box is checked, each new inventory item will be marked as purchased wholesale. When the box is left blank, purchases will be presumed to be retail. Mark the box to reflect the majority of your purchases. Each purchase can be individually changed from retail to wholesale by checking the box on that item record.
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  • How do I find Wholesale or Out of Stock beads in the list?
    The filter field allows special finds for wholesale or retail, out of stock or in stock or printed/not printed. Enter any word or part of a word that appears in a bead field, such as color, shape, material or ID number.

    Special finds:
    whole = beads purchased wholesale
    retail = beads purchased retail
    out = out of stock
    instock = in stock

    print = items not marked as printed on a sample card notprint = items not marked as printed
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  • How do I find an item in the list?
    The filter field above the bead inventory list will let you type any combination of Category, SubCategory, material name, ID, size, shape, color or source. As you type, the list will be filtered more and more narrowly until you see only a few items, or only one item listed. Click on the line to see the details of that bead, and be able to edit the information.

    For example, if you start to type “round”, as you enter “r” the list will filter to show round beads, rondelle beads, and red beads. When “ro” is entered, red beads will drop out, and only round and rondelle beads remain. If you type “ron bl” you’ll see round blue and black beads in the list. “ro blu” eliminates the black beads and shortens the list to round blue beads only. Usually only a few characters of the beginning of the words you’re searching on will suffice to filter the list to the point where you can locate the desired bead.
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  • Seed Bead Management
  • How do I enter seed beads in inventory?
    Seed bead items are entered in the same screen as other inventory items, and will each be assigned an ID. This can be used to label each seed bead storage container. When the category “Seed” is selected, the bead code field appears. Each type of Category has their own size dropdown list, so when “Seed” is selected as the Category, you’ll see only seed bead sizes in the item Size drop-down.
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  • Why should I enter all my seed beads? I have hundreds!
    Entering seed beads serves several purposes. One purpose is to help eliminate purchasing duplicates. I always found myself drawn to the same colors over and over, and so ended up purchasing the same ones many times. Using the Seed Bead Takewith list helped me know I already had size 11/0 Code 594 in my stock. Every time I purchased new beads, I would enter the data and reprint the Takewith list.

    Another purpose is to help you fill empty spaces in your collection. If you have a particular code or color in all but one size, you can look for that missing item as you shop.

    Entering the beads and then printing     Sample Cards will allow you to see how beads appear out of their packaging, in a mass. This can be very useful in designing jewelry, as seed beads often appear very different in a plastic bag or box versus worked onto a thread. Sample cards are optional.

    If you don’t use significant amounts of seed beads or feel a need to track them and have the printed lists available, just don’t enter them. Estimate the minor amount they cost in each work in the Add’l Cost field.
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  • Do I really need to enter seed bead costs and amounts purchased?
    Costs and quantity purchased are optional information for seed beads, as are manufacturer, date, and source. Only enter seed bead costs and amounts if you intend to use them as costed components of your finished works.

    Future versions of BeadEnCounter may have features to use gram weights of seed beads to enter component costs for seed beads. This information will become important at that time.
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  • What if a seed bead doesn’t have a code, or the code is specific to a store?
    Enter the bead without the code, and just record the size, shape and color. It will still appear in the list, the Takewith, and the Sample cards.

    Some stores or vendors have their own system of numbering seed beads, rather than using the manufacturer number. Just use the one that comes with the bead. If you have the same bead under two different codes, it’s okay.
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  • What if I can’t remember information about the seed beads I currently have?
    Just start entering seed bead data with new purchases if you prefer not to enter your current collection. Many beaders have dozens or hundreds of different seed beads collected and it would be too difficult to remember all of them. If there are some for which you remember the information, you can make those entries any time.
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  • What are seed bead Sample Cards?
    Sample cards are used to carry an actual sample of each bead you have with you for shopping purposes or to have a record of what the beads look like.

    To print a sample card for seed beads, first use the filter field to select a group of seed beads to print. You can isolate the beads by Category (important to get only seed beads on the sample cards, if this is what you intend), size, color, shape, whatever you want.

    Then click the “Print Card” button below the list. You will be asked to choose whether to print all the items showing or only the items marked as previously unprinted. Select one choice.

    The sample card(s) will print on a whole sheet of paper, but samples are only printed on the top half of the paper. The bottom half is left blank purposely.

    Using cardstock as sample cards is a good idea. It will be stiffer, but regular paper is also workable. Using needle and thread, sew a small number of each bead printed on the card on the line next to each description. You can tape the thread on the back of the card.

    Once all samples have been sewn onto the card, you can fold the other half of the paper up and cover the back to protect the taped side. Tape the edges of the card to keep it folded.

    Then you can file the sample cards in an envelope or folder to carry with you as you shop, or simply have them to refer to.
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  • How can I find a specific seed bead in the list?
    The filter field above the seed bead list will let you type any combination of Category, SubCategory, ID, size, shape, color or source. As you type, the list will be filtered more and more narrowly until you see only a few items, or only one item listed. Click on the line to see the details of that item at the right, and be able to edit the information.

    For example, if you start to type “blue”, as you enter “bl” the list will filter to show round blue and black seed beads. When “blu” is entered, black beads will drop out, and only blue beads remain. If you type “11 bl” you’ll see 11/0 blue and black beads in the list. Usually only a few characters of the beginning of the words you’re searching on will suffice to filter the list to the point where you can locate the desired bead.
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  • How do I find Wholesale or Out of Stock seed beads in the list?
    The filter field allows special finds for wholesale or retail, out of stock or in stock or printed or not printed. Enter any word or part of a word that appears in a seed bead field, such as color, shape, size or ID number.
    Special finds:
    whole = items purchased wholesale
    retail = items purchased retail
    out = out of stock
    instock = in stock
    print = items not marked as printed on a sample card
    notprint = items not marked as printed
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  • Can I delete Out of Stock seed bead entries?
    Just like other inventory items, we do not recommend you delete seed bead entries. You’ll need to see what finished works they appeared in even after the beads are out of stock. Keeping them in the list may help you remember where you bought them previously and remind you that you need to repurchase them.

    New entries will not re-use a deleted ID, so there will be gaps in the sequence of your ID’s if you delete entries. That is okay.
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  • How do I Delete items?
    First select the entry you want to delete in the list, so it is highlighted and the details appear to the right of the list. If a bead inventory item has been used in any finished item, it’s not recommended to delete that item record. If a bead inventory item that has been used in a finished work is deleted, the link will be broken and the component record will lose its reference. The cost will remain, but not the name of the component.

    If a record is deleted, unless it is the last record created, the number will not be reused. This is expected. If the last record is #299, and is deleted, the next new record will have #299 again. If the last record is #299, and the record deleted is #250, that number will not be reused.

    If a finished work is deleted, any component record linked to that finished work will also be deleted. Deleting components on a finished work record will not remove any item from inventory, it only breaks the link between a finished work and an inventory item.
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  • Finished Works and Component Entry
  • How do I get the cost of a finished work?
    Once all the inventory items for a finished work are entered, navigate to the Finished Work screen. Click the New button at the bottom, and a new entry record will be created. You will be asked to enter a title for the work, the words “Enter New Title” will appear in the Title field. Just start typing to enter the title of the work.

    Titles do not have to be unique, but it might help you locate a particular work in the future, if you tend to work in series or create several similar works.
    Enter details about the work, the type, the size/length, the materials and the techniques used.

    Use the small plus icon below the large image display area to upload as many images as you wish for each work. When you add more than 4 images, the additional images are visible by scrolling the small image area down with the slider. To view a larger version of the uploaded photo(s), click on the image itself.

    To remove an image, use the small red minus icon by the image to be removed. To export the image to your desktop, for example, if you wish to use it in a document or post it online, use the small arrow below the image. It will be exported in the same format you used when the image was imported.

    To enter the components and get the cost, click in the Name field on the first line of the components list. A drop-down list of all entered components will appear. You can move down the list and select the component you want by typing the number of the item ID.

    Once a component is selected from the list, enter the quantity of that bead used in the finished work. Selecting an inventory item will transfer the counting units you used to enter the item. For seed beads this will be grams, for others, perhaps “each.” If you have entered a per-bead cost for this item, the cost of the beads used in the work will appear to the right on that line, and also in the total in the detail data area of the screen.
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  • How do I manage photos for my finished work?
    Enter new photos for your finished work by clicking the small green Plus sign icon below the large photo area. Unlimited photos can be added by using the same button. The additional photos will appear in the smaller photo display area. Once you add more than four photos, a scroll bar will appear to the right and you can scroll down to see the additional photos.

    To delete photos, use the red Minus sign below the specific photo you want to delete. Deleting the photo will not delete it from your hard drive. An actual copy of the photo is stored inside BeadEnCounter. If you delete the copy on your hard drive, the photo stored in BeadEnCounter will remain until you delete it. So you can use BeadEnCounter as the method of storing and organizing your photos.
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  • Can I get photos out of BeadEnCounter to upload to the internet? What image formats are supported?
    Yes! Each photo can be exported using the small green arrow icon below the picture.

    By default, the photo will be exported with the same name and extension used when importing it. You'll see a dialog asking you to select a location on your hard drive to export the file to. You can rename it at this time, but keep the same extension.

    If the photo was a .jpg file, it will export that way. It if was a .png, likewise.

    BeadEnCounter will support many different photo and file formats. JPGs, PICTs, TIFFs, and PNGs will display as photos in BeadEnCounter. You can even store PDF documents.     Back to Top
  • The photos are so small, can I see them bigger? How do I close that larger image?
    Click on any photo to see an enlarged image. To close the larger image, click on the photo area again. Back to Top
  • What about entering items for materials like thread, wire, or consumables like needles?
    Wire, particularly precious metal wire, can be recorded and labeled with an ID, with a per-inch cost rather than a per-bead or per-piece cost. When entering a quantity used in a component line, use the number of inches used in a work.

    For beading wire or thread, seed beads, broken or bent needles, and items that do not have an ID, the “Est. Add’l Cost” field in the Finished Work screen is designed to allow entry of your best estimate of costs. If you use a third of a spool of thread, you can estimate the cost. Add a bit for items you might not think of adding to the cost of a finished work, but which you must stock to do beading. This includes needles, thread conditioner, beading mats, tools, etc. Some of these wear out more quickly than others, but they all should be included in the “overhead” of your costs.
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  • What if I want to enter something in the component list that isn’t entered in the inventory?
    To enter an item for a finished work in the component list that is not entered in BeadEncounter, after the drop-down list appears when you click in the component Name field, hit the Backspace key, then simply type what you want. For example, you could type “Sterling Silver Clasp” in that field. Enter a quantity if you want, and then mouse into the Cost column and enter the cost of that component manually. Remember that if you enter more than a quantity of 1, you will have to enter the total cost of that line, not the per-item cost.

    These non-labeled items will appear on the invoice when printed out, and any cost you enter will be included in the total Artist Cost field.
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  • I’ve used a lot of tiny items in a work and I don’t want to count them individually. How do I get an accurate count when entering components of that work to get the cost?
    If the container was full when you started, you can estimate if you’ve used half, or a quarter, of the total number of beads available in the lot. If it was a previously used container, or you can’t remember if it was full, estimate by beads-per-inch. Very small beads generally have a low per-bead cost, so errors in estimation won’t cause very large errors in final cost. In other words, don’t sweat it. Getting close is good enough.
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  • In a finished work, what about costs for thread, seed beads and needles?
    For beading wire or thread, seed beads, broken or bent needles, and items that do not have an item ID, the “Est. Add’l Cost” field in the Finished Work screen is designed to allow entry of your best estimate of costs. If you use a third of a spool of thread, you can estimate the cost. Add a bit for items you might not think of adding to the cost of a finished work, but which you must stock to do beading. This includes needles, thread conditioner, beading mats, tools, etc. Some of these wear out more quickly than others, but they all should be included in the “overhead” of your costs.

    You can either record these estimated costs as one lump in the Est. Add’l Cost field, or individually on component lines as described above. Do not do both, as this will double-total the costs in the Artist Cost field.
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  • What about entering labor hours and costs?
    There are fields for labor hours and a per-hour labor rate on the finished work screen. You can enter your labor hours and leave the per-hour rate field empty. This will not affect the Artist Cost total.

    In the Personalize screen, default labor rate and tax rate can be entered, and if entered, these will be entered in each new work. Also on this screen, you can click boxes to indicate whether taxes are charged on Components, Labor, Shipping, or any of the above.

    To edit tax figures, and what the taxes are charged on for any individual work, click in the field. To keep track of labor hours but NOT include the labor cost of the work, clear the labor rate field on the work screen.

    When you enter both labor hours and the labor rate, then the cost of those hours is calculated and added to the Artist Cost field. You can choose to track your hours on pieces this way without having to charge for those hours. Or you can build the cost of labor into each piece, at your option.
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  • What if I make more than one of a finished item?
    Currently there is no quantity feature for a finished item.

    It is possible, after creating a finished item record, to also enter that finished item as an inventory item, with a category of "Finished Work" and a subcategory of, for example, "Earrings" if that is the item. Then you could enter a quantity for that item.

    A new inventory system is in the planning stages for the next version of BeadEnCounter. It will feature more robust tracking for each item, including tracking how many of a finished item can be produced from current inventory. Back to Top
  • How can I find a specific Finished Work in the list?
    The filter field above the Finished Work list will let you type any combination of Work ID, type, material, technique or other specifying field data. As you type, the list will be filtered more and more narrowly until you see only a few works, or only one work listed. Click on the line to see the details of that finished work at the right, and be able to edit the information.

    To find all Sold works, and get a basic sales report, enter “Sold” in the filter field.
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  • What if I place a piece for consignment?
    The consignment feature of BeadEnCounter is currently very basic. On the Consignment tab on the finished work screen, you can record the basic consignment information.
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  • How do I get the price into the Invoice?
    After components, estimated components, and labor hours and rate (if any) are entered on the Components tab, move to the Invoice tab. You will see the totals you’ve already entered on the right. Check the tax rate and the elements on which the tax rate is being calculated.

    In the Invoice Price field, you can overwrite the calculated total, which is equal to the Artist Cost, by manually typing a new number. If your cost is $50, but you want to charge more, type the new figure in this field. It won’t change the calculations of the actual cost, but will show on the invoice and the finished price lists.

    Similarly, you will manually enter shipping cost, if any, and you can edit the amount of tax charged if you wish.
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  • What if I sell a piece? How do I prepare the invoice?
    On the invoice tab of the finished work screen, you can fill in the final sale price in the invoice price field, the tax you decide to charge, and all the buyer information in the fields available. Click the small printer icon to print the invoice.

    The first picture of the work will appear on the invoice. So will all your personal information you’ve entered in the Personalize screen. The buyer will also see the list of materials you enter (not components) and the techniques you use.

    You can also enter payment type, amount of payment if any, and the total due will appear at the bottom of the invoice. Invoice number and date are optional fields, but adding them will increase the professional appearance of the invoice. If you are selling wholesale, some purchasers require invoice numbers.
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  • Where are tax rates entered?
    Default tax rates entered in the Personalize screen will be pulled in for each new work.

    On each Finished Work, there is a tax rate field for entry of the local tax rates. Enter the tax rate as a decimal. For example, if the tax rate is 8.25%, enter. 0825. Once a rate is entered, and the boxes for which elements to charge on are checked, the tax to charge will be calculated.

    On the invoice tab, for maximum flexibility, you can enter the invoice amount charged and the tax charged manually.

    If you enter a price more than the calculated artist cost, the additional amount over the artist cost amount is presumed to be labor, and will be taxed if you have marked labor as taxable. Even if there is no calculated labor cost because labor rate is not filled in, the additional cost will be taxed if the labor tax box is checked.
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  • Reports
  • How can I manage the seed beads that appear on the Sample Cards or Takewith List?
    The Takewith list, which is printed by selecting the “Print List” button below the list on screen, prints all items that are showing in the list. If you want to print a list of only your red round beads, filter the list using the filter field to show those items.

    The Sample cards will print either all items showing in the list, or all items that are showing that are not marked as being printed. You will choose which group to print after you click “Print Card.”

    If after filtering there are one or two items you can’t get rid of but don’t want to print, eliminate them by marking them printed, mark everything else as unprinted, and select “Unprinted” when asked.

    You can mark all items showing as Unprinted at once by clicking on the “    Prnt” header above the column.
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  • Can I get the inventory or finished work list into Excel?
    All list screens, including the seedbead takewith reports, the sample cards, and the inventory lists (short and long) and the finished work lists (short and catalog) can be exported directly to Excel.

    Once you are on a list screen, and it is sorted the way you want it to be, select the File Menu, then select "Save List to Excel."

    The fields on the screen will be exported to an Excel file format that you name and direct your computer to save to a location you can find again. Once in Excel, you can manipulate the data and format it as you please without affecting your BeadEncounter data at all.     Back to Top
  • Can I print a list of Finished Work?
    There are two choices of lists to print. Each will print the items showing in the list, so use the filtering instructions above to isolate only those items you want to print. For example, if you want to print necklaces with coral in them, type “coral neck” in the filter field. To see all the items in the printouts, clear the filter field.

    When you click     Print List on the Finished Work screen, you will be asked to choose a more detailed printout with pictures of the works, or a less detailed list with no pictures, but with the Invoice, price, taxes, total and cost. To fill in the location where the piece was sold, use the Site Listed/Where Sold field on the Consignment tab.. The list with the pictures includes the “Invoice Price” which is what you want to offer the piece for. The Invoice price is entered on the Invoice tab of the Finished Work screen.

    The list with pictures can serve as a catalog of your works available. The briefer list will let you evaluate your cost versus selling price of your finished works.
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  • Known Issues
  • Should I remove Sample Data before entering my own?
    YES! An issue has been identified where all the finished work records are deleted, when the first, sample record is deleted by using the DELETE button on the finished work screen. Users have several options to avoid this happening.

    1. Return to the Help screen and use the button there that says "Remove Sample Data". This leaves user-entered records properly and does not delete them.

    2. Remove all Sample Data records before entering user records. Deletion then operates properly.

    Basically, if the large red "SAMPLE DATA" marker appears on the finished work screen, do not use the Delete button to remove that record. It will delete all user-entered finished work records. Unless you have backed up your work, you will lose it.

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  • The sub-category names appear wrong on the long-form inventory printed list
    This is a slight bug in that the sub-category labels are placed wrong only on the long-form inventory item list. The numbers for each sub-category are totaled correctly, but the sub-category labels themselves are wrong.

    On the short-form inventory list, the sub-category labels are correct. If you need a printed list of totals of categories and sub-categories, use the shorter list for correct numbers and labels.     Back to Top
  • Why is the image not showing in the finished work list? And why is the larger image blank when I click on it?
    This is the programmer's fault. A remnant of bad programming results in the image not showing if the first image is deleted after subsequent images are imported.

    This problem will be fixed in the next version. The short-term fix is to delete all images, then re-import them one at a time. We apologize for any additional work this imposes on the user.

    If you cannot find the original images to re-import, before deleting, export each image using the small green right-facing arrow below each picture. Then delete and re-import the images you just exported.     Back to Top
  • Support, Installation and Upgrade
  • Installation
    ON WINDOWS, download the installer .exe program. Save it to your hard drive when asked. Double-click on the .exe and follow the instructions.

    If you are using Norton or another anti-virus program and get messages saying the file is dangerous, you may have to disable your anti-virus to install and then turn it back on afterward. Norton may give false messages about the trustworthiness of the file.

    If Norton removes the file, look in the Norton     Quarantine folder to find it. If you take the file out of the Quarantine folder, Norton will not remove it again.

    The installer will place the BeadEnCounter application in the Program Files folder, and create a Start Menu item, and a desktop icon during the installation process.

    ON MAC, download the dmg (disk image) and save it to your hard drive. Mount the dmg if it doesn't open itself automatically. You’ll see the BeadEnCounter folder inside, along with a shortcut to your Applications folder. Drag the BeadEnCounter folder on top of the Applications folder shortcut.

    Then go directly to your Applications folder, and Inside find the BeadEnCounter application. It has a small folder-looking purple icon. Drag this to your dock to create a launcher for the application.
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  • What if I need to reinstall BeadEnCounter software?
    After you download the installer for your platform, we recommend you store the installer file itself for future needs. The download link you receive after purchase, and in the followup email will work only for 7 days after purchase.

    On Mac, the installer is the .dmg file you download. On Windows, it is the .exe file. Store this file somewhere secure or move it to another media like a thumb drive or CD. Then if your computer breaks down or if you get a new computer, you can reinstall the software, and move your backed up data files to continue using BeadEnCounter. For information on restoring backed up data, see "    How do I move my BeadEnCounter installation to another computer?"

    One report has come in of an unstable installation on Windows. This problem was apparently cured by the deletion of the bad installation and the re-installation of the software.     Back to Top
  • How do I launch BeadEnCounter?
    Inside the BeadEnCounter folder is an application (.exe on Windows) file called BeadEnCounter, and a data file named beadencounter.bnc. Double click either one to launch the program. You can put an alias of the application file on your desktop, dock or Start Menu, depending on your OS.
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  • How do I move my BeadEnCounter installation to another computer?
    If the other computer is the same platform, you can simply take the entire BeadEnCounter folder and move it to the new machine.

    On the Mac, the folder should be installed inside the Applications folder.

    On Windows computers, look inside your Program Files directory for the folder.

    You will have to create desktop shortcuts for yourself after you have placed the folder on your machine. The recommended placement on the new computer is in the same folder/directory where it was installed on the old computer.

    If the new computer is a different platform, you can still move your data files and have it work, so you don't need to re-enter your data.

    On the new computer, download and install the files for the new platform. Right now, this requires a purchase of a new version. This may change in the future.

    Then, on the old computer, look inside the BeadEnCounter folder, and find 2 files, named "beadencounter.bnc" and "beadencounterpic.bnc". Copy them and move them into the new folder on the new computer replacing the files with the same name in that new folder.

    When you open BeadEnCounter on the new machine, you should see your data.

    Remember that the old and new copies of BeadEnCounter are separate. They do not share data. So if you enter new data in one copy, it will not be available in the new computer. Also, there should be only one copy of BeadEnCounter on any computer where it is installed. Otherwise you could confuse old and new files and enter data in the wrong one.     Back to Top
  • Backup
    When you select “Backup” in the Getting Started/Help screen, or the File menu, a copy of the beadencounter.bnc file will be created, and named as you specify. You can rename this file anything you like except “beadencounter.bnc.” Doing so will confuse which file should be used for active data entry.

    Move the backup copy if you wish, and store it or compress it using your OS compression (archiving) tools. It is a good idea to store backups on another drive, thumbdrive or CD, in case your hard drive breaks down. It is also a good idea to back up weekly, so that if you need to return to backed up data, it’s not too old and you don’t have to re-create much data.
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  • Restoring backup files
    To return a backup file to active use, rename it “beadencounter.bnc” and remove any other files named the same thing. At any time, there should be only ONE file named “beadencounter.bnc” on your hard drive, and that should be the file in active use. It is your responsibility to manage the file naming of active and backed up files. BeadEncounter cannot be held responsible for confusion arising out of file-naming violations.
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  • What if I find something that doesn't work in the program?
    No support is offered for free downloads of BeadEnCounter. Former purchasers of BeadEnCounter may continue to email to beadencounter@gmail.com for support questions. Back to Top
  • Where do I go for support for BeadEnCounter?
    BeadEnCounter is designed to be easy to use. We’re hoping there won’t be too many questions. No support is offered for free downloads of BeadEnCounter. Former purchasers of BeadEnCounter may continue to email to beadencounter@gmail.com for support questions. Back to Top
  • How do I upgrade BeadEnCounter?
    No new versions of BeadEnCounter are planned at this time. Back to Top
  • Why is the BeadEnCounter file so large?
    Data records will take up very little computer memory space in BeadEnCounter. However, if you import very high resolution, large size images into the Finished Work or Bead Inventory records, the file size may expand rapidly. This will cause performance slowdowns when backing up the file or upgrading. It may also cause problems with storage space on your computer. The size limit on BeadEnCounter file is 4 terabytes, but long before that, you’ll max out your computer memory.

    We recommend you import only low-resolution versions of your images, such as would be used on the internet. Many image-manipulation applications will optimize your images for the web. These smaller images will be necessary anyway if you wish to post directly online to Blogger or Facebook.
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