The Basics

🧭 Acquaint Quick Start Guide

Welcome to Acquaint — your central hub for managing contacts, properties, and more. This guide walks you through the key features, interface components, and terminology to help you navigate confidently from day one.

🖥️ Navigating the Interface

Once you've launched Acquaint and logged in as a valid user, you'll see the Main Menu, which is divided into three key areas:

A command bar that provides access to all Acquaint screens and functions. It’s organized into:

Groups: Each ribbon tab contains labelled groups of related functions (e.g. Actions, Show, Options).
Icons: Buttons within each group that perform specific tasks. Example: Click the Save icon under Actions to save a contact record.

🔹 Application Button

Located in the top-left corner of the screen. Its icon changes depending on the module you're viewing. Clicking it reveals a menu of basic functions such as:

Login (to switch users)
Change Password

🔹 Main Display Area

The large central workspace beneath the ribbon where the selected screen or module appears. Example: Selecting Contacts displays a list of contact records.

🔹 Status Bar

A horizontal bar at the bottom of the screen showing your company name and logged-in user details.

📘 Key Terminology

Term	Description
Button	Clickable element that performs a function (e.g. Save, Cancel, Exit).
Field	Input area for user data.
Drop-Down Box	Field with an arrow that expands to show a list of selectable items.
Check Box	Toggles an option on or off.
Radio Button	Allows selection from a set of options.
ID	Unique numeric identifier for each record.
Lookup Table	Predefined list of items that can be added, edited, or deleted (based on user permissions).
Message Box	Displays alerts or prompts related to your current screen.
Tabs	Divide a screen into multiple sections for easier navigation.

✍️ Entering Data

Most fields automatically format your input to maintain consistency:

Capitalization
Date and currency formatting
Removal of extra spaces Example: Typing “john smith” becomes “John Smith” in the Last Name field.

Exceptions: Free-text fields like Notes allow unformatted input (e.g. property descriptions).

Invalid Input: Fields with incorrect data are flagged with a red exclamation mark. Example: Entering a number in the Last Name field triggers a warning.

Use keyboard shortcuts to move between fields:

Tab: Move forward
Shift + Tab: Move backward

❗ Mandatory Fields

Some fields must be completed before you can proceed. If left blank, they’ll be flagged as invalid and prevent saving.

📊 Using Grids

Right-clicking on any grid opens the Select Option menu, which includes:

Reset Column Sizes Restores columns to their default widths.

Export Grid to Excel Sends grid data to Excel (if installed).
Find Text