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More Known Problems in RTG Bills

Introduction


All of the problems here are fixed in RTG Bills and RTG Timer V2.27.
 

Version 2.19

  1. User names and passwords in RTG Bills
    The tutorial incorrectly states that you can ignore the security system if you do not want to use it. It is important to use the security system if more than one person uses RTG Bills.

    Certain settings, and the shorthand codes, should be stored separately for each user. They can only be kept separate if each user signs in with a different user name. The first eight characters of each user name should be unique. Passwords are optional.

  2. Fees with item discount show wrong hours
    When you write down the time on an hourly rate transaction by entering Hours To Bill less than Hours Reported, usually the bill shows the Hours To Bill.

    However, if you enter an activity code that specifies Show writedown as discount, then the bill should show the Hours Reported instead. The idea is to show the client the full amount of time you worked, even though you are charging for less time.

    Currently, the bill shows the Hours To Bill regardless of the activity code.
 

Version 2.18

  1. Shorthand codes in RTG Timer
    Due to a bug in RTG Timer, changes to the shorthand codes are not saved. To work around this problem, you can make changes to the shorthand codes in RTG Bills and save them in a file: File > Export > Shorthand Codes. The codes are saved in the file Abbrev.dat, which is the file that RTG Timer reads to get the shorthand codes.

  2. PrintList: No report 699
    This error occurs if you try to view or print the Order Form from the list of reports. You can ignore the error message.

    The Order Form should not be in the list of reports. To view or print the order form: Help > Order Form.

  3. Automatic allocation of manual retainer
    When you enter a Use Retainer transaction and the amount you enter exceeds the amount currently due, RTG Bills looks for unbilled fees and expenses. Then it does the allocation again, including them. This second calculation is wrong when the amount currently due is not zero.

    The problem does not occur when you are applying a retainer to amounts that you have previously billed. That would be the usual situation.

    Also note that this problem only applies to manual retainer transactions, which you enter yourself. It does not apply to automatic retainer transactions, which are created by RTG Bills when you print a bill. For a further description of the difference, see the help information:

    Help > Contents > Other Topics > Retainers and a Trust Account
 

Version 2.17

  1. Blank user name
    The first time you start RTG Bills, it will not prompt you with a user name, as it did before. (Try Supervisor if you are the only RTG Bills user.) Subsequently, it will fill in the user name as it did previously.

    This problem arises from a new feature: RTG Bills can now remember the "last user name" for each Windows user. Previously, it only remembered one name. This change causes it to start off with a blank name the very first time each user signs in.

  2. Matter Check report
    The description of this report was not included in the help information.

  3. No reports
    The reports are now stored in the data location, not the program location. When you install RTG Bills using the installation file, you are asked for the data location, and the reports will be placed there. If you enter the wrong location, then change it later from within the program (Setup > Database), the reports will be in the wrong place. The solution is to uninstall RTG Bills and then install it again with the correct data location.

  4. Shorthand codes
    In RTG Bills, all users currently share the same list of shorthand codes. The shorthand codes are read from the file Abbrev.dat when RTG Bills starts. If you change the codes, they are written to that file when you close the Edit Shorthand Codes window.

    If two users are in RTG Bills and both make changes to the codes, the last person to make a change will write the file and the other person's changes will be lost.

    In the next version of RTG Bills, each user will have a separate list of shorthand codes. It will be possible to export one user's codes and import them for a different user.

    This problem does not occur in RTG Timer because each user already has a separate list of shorthand codes.

  5. RTG Bills settings
    Some settings in RTG Bills apply to all users and all matters. Most of those settings are on the Setup: Other tabbed dialog box. Others are on the Prebill Options and Bill Options windows.

    The settings are read from a file when RTG Bills starts and written to a file when RTG Bills exits. This can cause the changes to be lost when there is more than one RTG Bills user. If one user makes a change and exits while a second user is still in RTG Bills, the changes are lost when the second user exits.

    In the next version, only the Supervisor can make permanent changes to firm-wide settings. Other users can make temporary changes, but they are not saved when RTG Bills exits.

  6. Item and matter discounts
    This version introduced a new feature that allows a writedown to appear as an item discount on the bill. (A writedown means hours to bill is less than hours reported.) As a bill format option, the total item discount can appear at the end of the fees section of the bill.

    There is currently a problem combining item discounts and a percentage matter discount. Although the billed amounts are correct, some of the other numbers on the bill are incorrect. For a transaction with a writedown, the full amount (originally $X.XX) does not show the amount before the matter discount. Also, the Total discount is wrong.

    In the next version, the Total discount includes all item discounts plus the matter discount.

  7. Roundoff errors
    Calculations of late charges and taxes may be rounded off incorrectly.
 

Version 2.16

  1. Fee allocation reports
    The fee allocation reports in RTG Reports show payments in the period when they were applied to a bill, not when they were received.

  2. Prebills and fee credits
    The prebills may show a minimum or maximum fee credit in the Billing Summary section when there should be none. However, all calculations are correct, and the error does not appear on the bills.

  3. Skip bills with zero balance
    When you use the option to suppress bills with zero balance and no new fees or expenses, no bill is created if there are only fee or expense transactions with a zero amount. The correct behavior is to print a bill if there are any fee or expense transactions, even if the amount is zero.

  4. Overflow error
    When you start RTG Bills or RTG Timer, you may get an "overflow" error and the program will not start.
 

Version 2.15

  1. Incorrect automatic retainer
    The automatic retainer is calculated incorrectly if the current bill also contains payment or adjustment transactions. The calculated amount of the retainer does not take them into account. For example, if there is a payment on the bill, the calculated retainer will be too large and may result in a credit balance for the matter.

  2. Skip bills with zero balance
    The option to suppress bills with zero balance and no new fees or expenses was introduced in Version 2.14. Unfortunately, it still doesn't work right in this version.

    From the RTG Bills menu, choose
    Bills > Bills > For Matters > Options
    Uncheck the box in the Skip Bills frame.

    The problem with this feature can cause errors on the Verify Matter Balance report. If you see "bad matters" there, look at this article for further instructions.

  3. Client subtotals on aging reports
    The "overpayments" client subtotals on aging reports are sometimes incorrect. However, the matter totals and grand totals for overpayments are correct. All totals other than the overpayments total are correct.

    This problem affects the Matter Aging report, the Matter Aging (Alphabetical by Client) report, and several custom reports that are based on Matter Aging: Matter Balances, Matter Status, Matter Aging (wide), and Matter Aging With Phone Numbers.

  4. Prebills missing fee and tax credits
    If you set a maximum fee for a matter, the bills will show fee credits and tax credits if the fees billed exceed the maximum. Similarly, if you set a minimum fee for a matter, the bills will show fee credits and tax credits while the fees billed are below the minimum.

    These credits appear properly on the bills, but they do not appear in the Billing Summary on the prebills. The calculations in the Billing Summary are done correctly, taking into account the credits, but the lines showing the credits are missing.
 

Version 2.14

  1. Retainer Account Wizard not found
    If you upgraded from V2.13 to V2.14 shortly after it was announced, you may see this error message when you try to create a new retainer account. The cause is an error in the upgrade that caused a file to have the wrong name.

  2. Run-time error '339'
    You may see this error message, which says the file tabctl32.ocx is not correctly registered, under these circumstances:

    • RTG Bills is used from more than one PC on a network.
    • You are not using RTG Timer, or you have not yet upgraded it to Version 2.14 on each PC.
    • You used the free RTG Bills upgrade to Version 2.14, or you used the full installation file but only on one PC.

    The PC that was used to upgrade RTG Bills will not display this error, but the others will.

  3. Error in Matter Aging (wide) report
    Version 2.14 has a new custom report, Matter Aging (wide). Compared to the standard aging report, it shows an additional aging category, 91-120 days. The report is printed in landscape mode to make room for the additional column.

    This report is included in upgrade 171, Custom reports for RTG Bills. However, the pagination in the report is incorrect, causing information to be lost at the bottom of each page.

  4. Error generating bills
    If you choose the option to suppress the printing of bills with a zero balance and no new fees or expenses, you may see this error:
    Error generating bills
    Could not start transaction; too many transactions already nested.
    When you click OK, you will see another error message:
    Run-time error '3246':
    Operation not supported in transactions.
    This problem is caused by a programming error in RTG Bills.

 

Version 2.13

  1. Cannot print bills with credit balance
    In RTG Bills, Setup > Other > Firm offers a checkbox, Send bills that show a credit balance. However, even if this option is checked, the bill may not print.

    No bill is printed if the matter balance would be zero, except that an overpayment was entered that made the balance negative (a credit). RTG Bills does not consider the overpayment (even though it should), so the bill is not printed.

  2. Zero amount appears as "$No charge" on bills
    When you create a bill format, you may choose to show the currency symbol (e.g., a dollar sign) before each transaction amount. You may also choose to show "No charge" instead of a zero amount (normally, "0.00"). However, if you choose both of these options, a zero amount appears as "$No charge" on the bills. The currency symbol should not appear.

  3. Printing prebills to a text file
    The Print To File button lets you save a prebill either in RTG Review format or as a standard text file. You should choose RTG Review format. Then you can use RTG Review (a free upgrade) to view the prebill, print it, or convert it to a PDF file.

    If you ignore this recommendation and save the prebill as a standard text file, some items on the prebill will overlap others. The reason is that the prebill uses a proportionally-spaced font to get more information in the available space, but a standard text file cannot represent font information.

    In addition, there are two minor problems that occur if you save a prebill as a standard text file. First, RTG Bills will say that the file already exists, even if it doesn't. You must choose Yes to overwrite the file. Second, the text file will contain two copies of every prebill.

  4. Cutoff date is in the future
    You may see this warning when you reprint a bill, even though the date you have entered is not in the future. The problem only occurs after you view or print a bill with cutoff dates that are in the future.
 

Version 2.12

  1. Cannot print envelopes or create PDF files
    If you use RTG Bills from more than one computer, you may find that you get an error message when you print envelopes on any computer except the one on which RTG Bills is installed. You may also get an error message if you use Reprint As PDF to create PDF files from bills.

    Errors occur because these features require new system files that must be installed on each computer. The recommended solution is to install RTG Timer on each PC that will use RTG Bills. (It is not necessary to do this on the PC on which RTG Bills itself is installed.) This solves the problem because installing RTG Timer will install all of the system files that RTG Bills requires.

  2. Error reading INI file
    You will get this error message if you start unreleas.exe, the utility program that unreleases RTG Timer transactions. Aside from this message, the program will work normally.

    This program is rarely needed. If you release RTG Timer transactions to a file (standalone operation), then lose or accidentally erase the file, you can "unrelease" the transactions so they can be edited and released again in RTG Timer.

 

Version 2.11

  1. Cannot print envelopes
    If you use RTG Bills from more than one computer, you will find that you get an error message when you print envelopes on any computer except the one on which RTG Bills is installed. This occurs because printing envelopes requires a new system file that must be installed on each computer.

  2. Bill formatting error after page 1
    This version introduces the ability to format hourly fee transactions so that the hourly rate appears beneath the number of hours. If you choose this option, however, you may find formatting errors after the first page of the bill.

  3. Incorrect monthly totals in RTG Timer
    The monthly totals shown on the monthly calendar (in the lower-right corner) are incorrect. The totals for each day of the month, however, are correct.

  4. Timekeeper doesn't change after edit
    At the Select A Fee Or Expense Item window, check the box that says Show Timekeeper. Now edit an item and change the timekeeper. When you save the change and return to this window, the timekeeper is not changed in the list of items.

    This is a display problem only. The item has been changed properly in the RTG Bills database. If you remove the check mark for Show Timekeeper and then check it again, you will see that the list shows the correct timekeeper.

  5. Cannot print one envelope
    After you print bills, you can choose Bills > Envelopes to print envelopes for those bills. However, if you choose One Matter, you will get a message Already printed a bill for that matter and you will be unable to print an envelope.

    You can work around this problem in two ways. At the Envelopes window, choose Matter Range instead of One Matter and enter the matter number in both the From and To boxes. Or you can edit the matter, click the Address tab, and use the Print Envelope button there.

  6. Odd behavior of Up button
    When you are choosing a client at the Select A Client window, the Up button should move back 10 clients. Sometimes it moves back fewer than 10, and at times it may appear not to move back at all.

    This problem occurs when hidden clients are not shown in the client list. The hidden clients are being counted as if they were shown in the list.
 

Version 2.10

  1. Code box disappears from RTG Timer transactions
    If you were using activity codes (or task codes) in RTG Timer, the activity code box (or task code box) may no longer appear after the upgrade to V2.10. The reason is that RTG Timer now uses the standard code tables set in RTG Bills.

    To fix this, start RTG Bills and choose Setup > Other > Standards. Choose the desired activity code table (and task code table, if you use it) and click Save.

    If RTG Timer is set to communicate with RTG Bills, it will see the new setting the next time you start RTG Timer. If RTG Timer does not communicate with RTG Bills ("standalone mode"), you must export the data from RTG Bills: File > Export > To RTG Timer, then import the data into RTG Timer: File > Import.

  2. Fees received during a time period
    The Payments and Adjustments by Date (or by Matter) report shows "unapplied payments" even after the payments have appeared on a bill. In fact, all payments entered with Auto Allocation selected are added to the "unapplied payments" total, which appears at the end of the report.

    This is not a bug. It is the correct behavior for this report, which shows payments and adjustments as they were entered. However, the result is that you cannot get the total fees or expenses received during a specified time period from this report.

    The problem is discussed in detail here. The solution is to use a new report provided by RTG Reports, Payment Summary by Matter.

  3. Reprinting split bills
    To print the bills for a single matter that is billed to more than one client (split billing), you select the primary matter. A separate bill is printed for each secondary matter, but no bill is printed for the primary matter. This is the correct behavior.

    Problem 1:
    To reprint a split bill, you must select the secondary matters individually instead of selecting the primary matter.

    Problem 2:
    This problem is a consequence of the first problem. If RTG Bills is set to print more than one copy of each bill (Bills > Bills > Options) and you select a single primary matter, only one copy of each secondary matter's bill will be printed. You can print additional copies using Bills > Reprint Bills, but you must select the secondary matter, not the primary matter.

    You won't notice this problem if you print all the bills at once. When you select All Matters, you are including both primary and secondary matters, so the correct number of copies will be printed.

    Both problems were fixed in the next version of RTG Bills. Selecting a primary matter will reprint the bills of each secondary matter.

  4. Positioning cursor in Description field
    If you click on text in the Description field of a transaction, the cursor jumps to the end of the text instead of going where you clicked.
 

Version 2.09

  1. List of upgrades applied is lost
    The new version of RTG Upgrade creates a new list of the upgrades that have been applied. As a consequence, it "forgets" any previously-applied upgrades. The upgrade to V2.09 makes most of the previous upgrades obsolete anyway, so this should not be a serious problem.

  2. Manual retainer warning
    After you enter a manual retainer (a Use Retainer transaction), a message appears that says the matter is set for automatic retainers, even when it is not. Ignore the warning and click Yes to save the transaction.

  3. Bill doesn't show split transactions
    Existing bill formats must be updated to be compatible with split billing. Choose Setup > Bill Formats. For each format, select the format, click Edit, then click Save to save the bill format. When the bill format is saved, the new sections needed for split billing are added automatically.

  4. Billing Summary doesn't show split fees or expenses
    If you choose a one-column Billing Summary with separate rows for fees and expenses, the fees and expenses in the summary do not include split fees and expenses. However, all of the totals are correct.

    This is a problem with the bill format created when you choose Setup > Bill Formats.

  5. Cannot reprint bills
    If you choose the new option to use the fee and expense cutoff as the Bill Date, the historical bills are saved with the wrong date (namely, the date they were printed). This problem is discussed in detail here.

  6. Run-time error in RTG Timer
    If you click Interrupt in RTG Timer, a new hourly rate transaction is created and the stopwatch is started. Then if you choose an activity code, the stopwatch disappears. When you Save or Cancel the transaction, a message says the stopwatch is still running, followed by a run-time error. RTG Timer exits without saving the new transaction.

  7. New client in RTG Bills
    If you choose File > New > Client in RTG Bills, the program creates the new client but does not go to the Edit A Client window as it should. To avoid this problem, choose File > Open > Clients from the menu, then click the New button. Even better: click the Clients button and then the New button.

  8. Run-time error 3021 in RTG Bills
    This happens if there are no clients in the database and the last client number you entered is not valid. When you click the Clients button, a run-time error occurs and RTG Bills exits. Start RTG Bills again and choose File > New > Client. Once you create a client, the problem goes away.
 

 

Return to the first Known Problems page.

Problems in Versions 2.01 through 2.08 are reported on the page for that version. You will find links to each version on the Support page.

 
 
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