This chapter explains the Quasar client interface — menus, toolbars, screen conventions, and keyboard shortcuts — so you can move through the application efficiently.

The Main Window

After logging in, the main window is your home base. It consists of:

• Menu Bar — access to every function, organized by module
• Toolbar — quick-access buttons for frequently used screens (customizable)
• Status Bar — displays the current company, store, station, and logged-in user

The Menu Bar

Quasar has three menus across the top of the main window:

Menu	What It Contains
File	Change Company, Configuration, Server Admin, Business Features, Change Password, Exit
Setup	All setup and configuration screens, organized into submenus: System — Stores, Price Zones, Stations, Users, Security Types, Employees, Taxes, Groups, Recurring Txs, Sequence Numbers, Open Balances, Import, Media Types, ClientD Config Ledger — Account Types, Accounts, Journal List, Depreciations, Asset Types, Depreciate Assets, Year End Card File — Terms, CRM Contacts, Task Types, Patronage Groups/Worksheets Inventory — Locations, Departments, Subdepartments, Brands, Matrixes, Colors, Promotions, Adjustment Reasons, Calculated Prices, Item Build, Link Types, Serial Numbers, Gift Card History Sales — Customer Types, Customers, Customer Units, Discounts, Tenders, Expenses, Shifts, Nosales, Tender Adjustment/Transfer, Packing Slips, Invoice Cancel Reasons Purchases — Vendors, Charges, Order Templates, Packing Slips, Special Purchases, Received Supplier Docs
Help	Help (F1), About Quasar, About Qt

The Toolbar

Below the menu bar is a row of quick-access toolbar buttons for the most frequently used transaction screens. These provide one-click access to create new transactions without navigating through menus:

Button	Opens
Journal Entry	New general journal entry
Write Cheque	New quick cheque
Customer Quote	New customer quotation
Customer Order	New sales order
Customer Invoice	New customer invoice
Customer Payment	New customer payment (receipt)
Purchase Order	New purchase order
Vendor Invoice	New vendor invoice (receiving)
Vendor Payment	New vendor payment (cheque)

The Calculator button is also available on the toolbar for quick calculations without leaving the application. See Calculator.

Panels (Module Workspaces)

The main area of the Quasar window displays panels — card-style workspaces organized by business function. Each panel contains action buttons and report links arranged in a visual grid. Click the panel tabs to switch between modules:

Panel	Contains
Card File	Mailing Labels, Send E-Mail, Card Adjustments, Task Management, Job Control, Transaction Journal, Card Transfer, Employees report
Ledger	Chart of Accounts, Asset Management, Journal Entry, Transaction Journal, Ledger Transfer; reports: Balance Sheet, Profit & Loss, Trial Balance
Cheques	Write Cheque, Reconcile, Print Cheques, Customer Cheque, Transaction Journal; report: Cheque List
Inventory	Promotion Batch, Item List, Price Batch, Label Batch, Stock Status, Item Adjustments, Item Transfer, Count Master, Auto Order; reports: Item History, Sales History, Price Changes, On Order
Sales	Customer List, Invoice List, Customer Return, Customer Payment, Find Transactions, Inquiry, Tender Reconcile, Pay Bills; reports: Customer Sales, Aged Receivables, Detailed Statement, Print Statements, Service Charges, Transaction Summary
Purchases	Purchase Orders, Vendor Invoices, Vendor Claims, Vendor Payment, Pay Bills, Transaction Journal; reports: Vendor List, Aged Payables, Vendor Purchases, On Order, Auto Order
Consignments	Consignments (In) List, Consignment (In) Returns, Consignments (Out) List, Consignment (Out) Returns; report: Consignment Status

Each panel also includes report links along the left side, providing direct access to relevant reports for that module.

Shortcut Buttons

At the bottom of the main window, four shortcut buttons provide quick access to cross-module tools:

Shortcut	Opens
Reports	Full Report List
Find	Find Transactions
Inquiry	Account Inquiry
Summary	Transaction Summary

Screen Conventions

Quasar uses a consistent set of screen types throughout the application. Once you learn these patterns, every module works the same way.

List Screens

List screens display records in a sortable, filterable table. You’ll find a list screen for every data type (accounts, items, customers, vendors, invoices, etc.).

• Search / Filter — type in the filter fields at the top to narrow the list
• Column sorting — click any column header to sort ascending; click again to reverse
• Open a record — double-click a row to open it in the Master screen
• New record — click New (or press Ctrl+N) to create a new record

Master Screens (Detail Screens)

Master screens are where you create and edit individual records. Most master screens use tabs to organize related fields into logical groups (e.g., the Item Master has General, Stocking, Costs, Prices, Extra Info, Images, Web Info, Kit, Modify, and Links tabs).

For complete field-by-field documentation of any master screen, click the Help button or press F1 to open the context-sensitive help reference.

Standard Buttons

Button	Action
OK	Save the record and close the screen
Next	Save the record and open a blank form for a new entry
Copy	Clone the current record into a new, unsaved copy with all fields preserved but the ID and number cleared
Cancel	Discard changes and close
Delete	Delete the current record (if permitted by security)
Print	Print the current record or report
Help	Open context-sensitive help for this screen (F1)

Cloning Records

The Copy button is a powerful productivity tool that works on virtually every screen in Quasar. When you click Copy, the current record is cloned into a new, unsaved copy. The clone keeps all of the data from the original — customer, items, accounts, amounts — but clears the transaction number, reference, and ID so it becomes a brand new record.

Cloning is available on:

• Transaction screens — invoices, cheques, receipts, purchase orders, vendor invoices, journal entries, item adjustments, item transfers, payouts, and more
• Master screens — items, customers, vendors, stores, stations, tenders, discounts, and other setup records
• Batch screens — price batches, promotion batches, label batches

Example: You need to create several similar invoices for the same customer with different items. Enter the first invoice, save it, then click Copy — the customer, terms, and other header fields carry forward into a new unsaved invoice. Change only the items and save. Open the new invoice and click Copy again to continue.

Inline Calculator

In any monetary field (price, amount, cost, etc.), pressing the + or * key opens the built-in calculator pre-loaded with the current value of that field. When you close the calculator, the result is saved back into the field automatically.

Example: A supplier offers you 10% off an item that costs $50.00. With your cursor in the cost field:

1. Press * — the calculator opens showing 50.00
2. Type .9
3. Press = — the calculator shows 45.00
4. Close the calculator — the field now contains 45.00

Lookup Fields

Many fields throughout Quasar use lookup edits — intelligent fields that connect directly to the database. Lookups are used for customers, items, accounts, vendors, employees, and most other data types. They all share the same interaction pattern:

Action	What Happens
Start typing	A dropdown appears with matching records as you type
Tab	Accept the top match and move to the next field
Right-click	Opens a context menu with a Lookup List option that opens the full list screen for that data type
F12	Opens the corresponding list screen directly. If you have typed any text in the field, the list opens pre-filtered to show only matching records

Advanced Lookups: Customers, Items, and Accounts

Three lookups have an enhanced fuzzy search that searches across multiple fields simultaneously. You can find a record by typing any fragment of any identifying field:

Lookup	Fields Searched
Customer	Customer name, company name, street address, city, phone number, customer number, email
Item	Item description, item number, UPC/EAN code, vendor item number, PLU number
Account	Account name, account number

Example: On an invoice, you need to look up a customer but can only remember the last four digits of their phone number. Type those four digits into the Customer field and press F12. The Customer List opens showing only customers whose records contain those digits — in any field.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Quasar supports standard keyboard shortcuts for efficient navigation:

General Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
F1	Open help for the current screen
F12	Open the lookup list for the current field (pre-filtered if text entered)
+ or *	In any monetary field, open the calculator with the field’s current value
Ctrl+N	New record
Ctrl+S	Save (same as OK)
Ctrl+P	Print
Tab / Shift+Tab	Move between fields
Enter	Activate button / confirm selection
Escape	Cancel / close dialog
Alt+Down	Open a dropdown list

Tab Navigation Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+K	Focus the Navigation Sidebar search field
Ctrl+W	Close the current tab
Ctrl+Tab	Switch to the next tab
Ctrl+Shift+Tab	Switch to the previous tab
Ctrl+1 … Ctrl+9	Jump directly to tab ① through ⑨ (tabs show circled number indicators)
Ctrl+0	Open the tab list dropdown menu (shows all open tabs)
Ctrl+/	Split & detach the current tab into a separate window
Ctrl+Click	Open in Pane 2 (works from sidebar, list screens, and any screen)
Ctrl+Enter	Same as Ctrl+Click — open in Pane 2 (works from sidebar and list screens)
Ctrl+Shift+Click	Open in a detached floating window (works from sidebar, list screens, and any screen)
Ctrl+Shift+Enter	Same as Ctrl+Shift+Click — open in a detached floating window
Middle-click	Close a tab (same as clicking the × button)

Tabbed Single-Window Mode

Quasar uses a modern tabbed interface where every screen — lists, master records, transactions, reports — opens as a tab within a single application window. This replaces the older floating-window model used in previous versions.

The tabbed layout keeps your desktop organized and makes switching between screens fast. Instead of hunting through overlapping windows, you simply click a tab — or use a keyboard shortcut — to bring any open screen to the front. Tabs remember their scroll position and unsaved edits, so your work is preserved as you move between them. For field-by-field reference, see Main Window.

The Navigation Sidebar

On the left edge of the main window, the Navigation Sidebar provides a persistent, organized gateway to every screen in the application. The sidebar is always visible, regardless of which tab is active.

Search

At the top of the sidebar is a search field. Type any part of a screen name to instantly filter the navigation list. Results update as you type, so you can jump to any screen in a few keystrokes. Press Ctrl+K from anywhere in the application to focus the sidebar search field without reaching for the mouse.

Favourites

Below the search field is a Favourites section. To add a screen to your favourites, right-click any navigation link and choose Add to Favourites. To remove a favourite, right-click it and choose Remove from Favourites. Favourites are saved per user and persist across sessions, so your most-used screens are always one click away.

Recently Viewed

The Recently Viewed section displays the last 10 screens you opened. Each entry shows the screen name along with the record name when applicable (e.g., “Customer Master — Acme Corp”). This list persists across sessions, making it easy to return to records you were working with yesterday.

Categories

The lower portion of the sidebar organizes all screens into categories that mirror the application’s module structure:

• Sales — customer lists, invoices, payments, quotes, orders, returns
• Inventory — item lists, stock status, adjustments, transfers, counts, promotions
• Purchases — vendor lists, purchase orders, vendor invoices, vendor payments
• Ledger — chart of accounts, journal entries, reconciliation, asset management
• Card File — contacts, employees, mailing labels, CRM tasks
• Reports — all available reports grouped by module
• Setup — system configuration, security, taxes, and other administration screens

Click a category heading to expand or collapse it. Use Ctrl+Enter (or Ctrl+Click) on any link to open the screen in the second pane of a split view (see Split View below).

Working with Tabs

Every screen you open appears as a tab along the top of the content area. Tabs provide visual context and convenient management controls.

Tab Titles

Each tab displays a descriptive title that includes the screen name and, when a specific record is open, identifying information. For example:

• Customer Master — Acme Corp (C-1234)
• Invoice #10042 — Baker Electronics
• Stock Status (list screens show only the screen name)

This makes it easy to tell at a glance which record each tab contains, even when you have many tabs open.

Closing Tabs

You can close a tab in several ways:

• Click the × button on the tab
• Middle-click (mouse wheel click) anywhere on the tab
• Use the View menu › Close All Tabs to close every tab in the window
• Use the View menu › Close Pane Tabs to close only the tabs in the currently active pane (useful in split view)

Tab Context Menu

Right-click any tab to access its context menu:

Command	Action
Close	Close this tab
Close Others	Close all tabs except this one
Close All	Close every tab in the current pane
Split Right	Keep this tab in Pane 1; move tabs after it to Pane 2 (only shown when tabs exist to the right)
Split Left	Keep this tab in Pane 1; move tabs before it to Pane 2 (only shown when tabs exist to the left, excluding Home)
Split & Detach Pane	Create a split and immediately detach Pane 2 into a separate window (see Detached Window below)
Detach to Window	Remove this individual screen from the tab bar and open it as a standalone floating window with its own menu bar

Unsaved Changes

If you attempt to close a tab that contains unsaved changes, Quasar will always prompt you before discarding your work. You will see a dialog offering three choices: Save, Discard, or Cancel. This protection applies whether you close a single tab, close all tabs, or quit the application.

Split View

Split view divides the content area into two panes, each with its own set of tabs. This lets you view two screens side by side — for example, a list on the left and a detail record on the right.

Creating a Split

To set up a split view:

1. Open at least two screens as tabs (e.g., a Customer List and a Vendor List).
2. Right-click the tab you want to keep in Pane 1 and choose Split Right (to move tabs after it to Pane 2) or Split Left (to move tabs before it to Pane 2). The content area divides into two side-by-side panes.
3. Click any link in the Navigation Sidebar to open a screen in Pane 1, or use Ctrl+Enter (or Ctrl+Click) to open it in Pane 2.

Routing Logic

When a split view is active, Quasar uses intelligent routing to decide which pane receives new tabs:

Action	Opens In
Click a Navigation Sidebar link	Pane 1 (primary)
Ctrl+Enter or Ctrl+Click a Navigation Sidebar link	Pane 2 (secondary)
Double-click a row in a list screen	Pane 2 (secondary), so the list stays visible in Pane 1
Click New from a list screen	Pane 2 (secondary)

This routing keeps your list or reference screen visible in one pane while detail records open in the other, creating an efficient browse-and-edit workflow.

Moving Tabs Between Panes

You can drag and drop any tab from one pane to the other. Simply click and hold the tab, then drag it to the tab bar of the opposite pane and release. This lets you reorganize your workspace at any time.

Closing a Split Pane

To close the second pane, close all of its tabs, or use the View menu › Close Pane Tabs. When the last tab in a pane is closed, Quasar displays a dialog with three options:

• Move to Main — transfer all remaining tabs from the closing pane into the main pane before removing the split
• Close All — close all tabs in the pane and remove the split
• Cancel — keep the split open

Detached Window (Dual Monitor)

For users with two or more monitors, Quasar can detach a tab or an entire split pane into a separate window. This lets you spread your workspace across screens — for example, keeping a report on one monitor while entering transactions on the other.

Detaching an Individual Screen

Right-click any tab and choose Detach to Window. The screen is removed from the tab bar and opens as a standalone floating window with its own menu bar. A Return to Tab Bar action appears in the menu bar, which you can click at any time to re-embed the screen back into the tab bar.

Detaching a Tab as a Split Pane

Right-click any tab and choose Split & Detach Pane. This creates a split view and immediately detaches Pane 2 into a separate window. You can move this window to a second monitor, resize it, and continue working with it exactly as you would in the main window. All subsequent list double-clicks and Ctrl+Enter navigations route to this detached window automatically.

Detaching and Reattaching a Split Pane

If you already have a split view, you can detach an entire pane into a separate window. Right-click the pane’s tab bar and choose Detach Pane. All tabs in that pane transfer to the new window. To reattach, close the detached window — Quasar will display the same Move to Main / Close All / Cancel dialog described above.

Automatic Routing

Routing logic continues to work automatically when a detached window is open. Double-clicking a row in a list screen in the main window will still open the detail record in the secondary pane — even if that pane is now in a detached window on another monitor.

Closing a Detached Window

When you close a detached window, Quasar presents three options:

• Move to Main — transfer all tabs back to the main window
• Close All — close all tabs in the detached window
• Cancel — keep the detached window open

As always, any tab with unsaved changes will prompt you before it is closed.

Personalizing Your Display

Use File → Configuration to adjust your personal display preferences. These settings affect only your workstation.

See the full reference at Quasar Configuration. For a complete reference of the tabbed interface, see Main Window.

Setting	What It Controls
Locale	Date format, number format, currency symbol
Default Store	Which store you see data for by default
Default Station	Your POS station assignment
Default Employee	Automatically fills employee fields

Context-Sensitive Help

Every screen in Quasar has a corresponding help page. Press F1 at any time to open help for the screen you are currently viewing. The help page describes each field, tab, and button on that screen.

The full help reference is organized by module and can be browsed from the Help Table of Contents.