General
The Edit Invoices tool allows you to update large batches of invoices at once before they are sent forward. A typical use case is annual membership billing, where there are thousands of invoices and the entire batch needs to be approved with a single action.
The Edit Invoices tool:
- Changes the invoice status
- Can optionally update the due date and invoice date
- Does not run formulas
- Triggers normal workflows if the new status logic includes actions such as sending messages or initiating data transfers
Start
The Edit Invoices process always follows three steps:
- Filter the invoices you want to update using a suitable filter
– e.g., annual membership fees with a due date in the current year - Open the Edit Invoices tool from the list view
- Define settings and confirm:
- Current status
- New status
- New due date (optional)
- New invoice date (optional)
The tool processes all invoices matching the filter and updates those in the Current Status to the status defined in the New Status field.
Quick Start Guide
- Go to the Invoices module list view
- Select a filter that narrows down the invoices to be approved in bulk
- At the top of the list, click the Edit Invoices button
- Configure the settings in the dialog that opens
Tip: Use filters to target only the batch you want to approve (e.g., one billing campaign or annual invoices).
Settings
The Edit Invoices dialog has three main settings:
1. Current Status
Select which statuses invoices can be updated from.
Examples:
- Created
- Automatically Created
Only invoices in these statuses will be updated.
2. New Status
Select the status invoices will be set to after editing.
Typical value:
- Ready to Send
This status often acts as:
- An integration trigger (e.g., sending invoices to an external billing system)
- A workflow trigger (e.g., sending an email to the customer or starting an internal process)
3. Changing Due Date and Invoice Date
You can set a new date for the due date and invoice date fields. If no new date is set, the invoice status will update, but the dates remain unchanged.
Typical use cases:
- Approving a batch and setting the due date to a specific day (e.g., membership fee due on March 31)
- Ensuring the invoice date is correct (e.g., billing date or campaign start date)
Notes
- The more invoices you edit at once, the longer the process takes
- Do not close or refresh the browser during processing
- Formulas are not executed in the background, but workflows and integrations will trigger based on the new status
- Always test with a small batch first to confirm filters and settings
- Use filters carefully: do not approve “all invoices,” only well-defined batches
- Ensure that:
- The Current Status list includes only statuses you want to update
- The New Status matches your organization’s process (e.g., “Ready to Send”)
Example: Annual Billing
The organization bills annual memberships once a year, approx. 8,000 invoices.
Steps:
- Test a sample manually (e.g., 20 invoices) – check amounts, references, addresses
- When ready:
- Filter invoices where status = Created/Automatically Created and invoice type = Membership
- Open Edit Invoices
- Current Status: Created, Automatically Created
- New Status: Ready to Send
- Set new Due Date: March 31
- Set new Invoice Date: March 1
- Confirm
The tool processes all invoices matching the filter and:
- Updates invoices in the Current Status to the New Status
- Skips invoices in other statuses, even if they match the filter
- Triggers workflows and integrations based on the new status
Example: Mass Update of Due Dates
Invoices in Created status have an incorrect due date (April 30 instead of March 31) and need correction, but should remain in Created status.
Steps:
- Filter invoices with the incorrect due date
- Open Edit Invoices
- Current Status: Created
- New Status: Created
- Set new Due Date: March 31
- Confirm
The tool processes all invoices matching the filter and does not change their status but updates the due date to the correct value.