Adding A New File Format

To add a new file format, click the Add button on this screen. This will bring up the File Layout Settings dialog, shown below.

This dialog consists of three pages – File Layout, Data Fields and Header Fields.

The File Layout page requires you to choose a name for the file format and to specify what type of records are in the file. You need to know whether the records are delimited or fixed length.

The Data Fields page allows you to specify the exact location of fields in the file.

The Header Fields page allows you to specify the location and format of header record data.

The end of each delimited record is indicated by a character, or some other device, that can be recognised by the software, such as a tab or a carriage return/line feed. This is not required by a fixed length record, since the software knows the length of each record. Because of the different requirements of the two record types, the fields required for each are different.

More:

• File Layout
• Data Fields
• Header Fields

The fields on this page, shown below, are as follows:

Type in this field a name for the file format you are about to define.

Using the dropdown arrow, select the appropriate encoding for this file format. Most users should find that selecting the Automatically Detect option will work fine. However, if you experience any problems importing files, try using a more specific encoding type.

Select the Delimited Records radio button to enable the Delimited Records fields.

The fields in this section are as follows: Record delimiter – select the appropriate delimiter from the list, or type in the appropriate character if it is not listed.
Field delimiter – select the appropriate delimiter from the list, or type in the appropriate character if it is not listed. For example, for comma-separated value files, type a comma in this field.
Quote prefix – for fields whose start and end are distinguished by a character either side of them, such as quotes or parentheses, this field allows you to specify the character that appears at the start of the field.
Quote suffix – for fields whose start and end are distinguished by a character either side of them, such as quotes or parentheses, this field allows you to specify the character that appears at the end of the field.

Select the Fixed Length Records radio button to enable the Fixed Length Records fields.

The fields in this section are as follows: Record length – type in here the length of the fixed length records in this file format (a numeric value).

The contents of this page differ slightly, according to whether you have selected delimited or fixed length records on the File Layout page.

For most delimited records, the page will look like that shown above.

For fixed length records, or fixed length fields in delimited records, the page will look like that shown below.

As you can see from the two examples above, delimited records require an index, to enable you to specify the position in which the listed fields occur, whereas fixed length records or fixed length fields require you to specify a start and end position for each field in the record.

You must specify the position details for the first three fields. You must also specify the position details for any of the remaining fields that are found in the file. For any of the remaining fields that are not found in the file, you must specify default details in the Back Office section.

For each listed field, specify its position in the record by inserting the appropriate index number for its position. The first field in a delimited record is index 1.

Your records may contain more fields than those listed on this page. If this is the case, simply omit the index number(s) that would refer to the extra field(s).

Likewise, your records may contain fewer fields than those listed on this page. If this is the case, just leave the index for those fields blank.

For example, for a record containing the following five fields in the following order:

• Destination Account Number
• Destination Sort Code
• Internal Reference Number
• Reference
• Amount

you would then fill in the Index field as follows:

• Destination Account Number = 1
• Destination Sort Code = 2
• Amount = 5
• Reference = 4

Note that index number 3 is missing, because the third field in the example record is the Internal Reference Number, which is not specified in the list.

For each listed field, specify its position in the record by inserting the appropriate start and end position. The first field in a fixed length record starts in position 1.

For example, imagine that
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWZYZ1234567890
represents a record where:

• Destination Account Number is ABCDEFGH
• Destination Sort Code is IJKLMN
• An unused field is OPQRSTUV
• Reference is W
• An unused field is XYZ
• Amount is 12345

You would then fill in the Start and End fields as follows:

• Destination Account Number – Start = 1, End = 8
• Destination Sort Code – Start = 9, End = 14
• Amount – Start = 27, End = 31
• Reference – Start = 23, End = 23

This tickbox is applicable to both delimited and fixed length records.

If you leave this tickbox empty, you are indicating that the value of the Amount in the payment file is in pounds. Since Bacs require all values in pence, the software will multiply that value by 100 before sending the file to Bacs, in order to present the value in pence.

If you check this tickbox, you are indicating that the value of the Amount in the payment file is already in pence, not pounds. This value will not be changed.

This tickbox is applicable to both delimited and fixed length records, and to amounts in both pence and pounds. You must use this field to specify what type of decimal separator the SmarterPay software should expect to find in your records. Available options are None, Point and Comma. “None” means that you will not be using a decimal separator in your records.

This field is applicable to both delimited and fixed length records. If you are providing the Processing Date in your records, this field allows you to select the format of the date using the dropdown list.

Several common date formats have been provided in the dropdown list, but you may type in your own format if necessary, subject to the following limitations:

• Year must be defined as yyyy or yy (upper or lower case)
• Month must be defined as mm (upper or lower case)
• Day must be defined as dd (upper or lower case)
• No singular d, y or m is allowed
• Month and day names are not allowed

This is a random value inserted into field 7 of a Standard 18 Bacs payment instruction. It may also be used for custom formats. The value is formatted as a solidus “/” followed by three alpha-numeric characters (full stops and hyphens are also allowed). Here are some examples of a valid RTI cross-reference:

• /123
• /ABC
• /..A
• /9C-
• /.B/

The RTI cross-reference should be supplied by your custom file, and the field where it is located in your file indicated here. SmarterPay will produce the resulting submission containing this value in the relevant payment instructions.

If you would like to make use of RTI please see the following definitive guide regarding the generation and usage of this value:
HMRC RTI cross-reference

The captions on this page differ slightly, according to whether you have selected delimited or fixed length records on the File Layout page.

Each style of page is described below.

More:

• Delimited records
• Delimited records with fixed length fields
• Fixed length records