Different businesses calculate prices differently.

A trader may bill customers based on the number of units sold. An interior designer may charge based on the area of a room. A fabric supplier may calculate the amount using length and width.

With Refrens, you can customize the columns and formulas in your accounting documents so that these calculations happen automatically while you create the document.

You can:

• Rename existing columns
• Add custom columns
• Show or hide columns
• Rearrange columns
• Create formulas using values from other columns
• Use functions such as rounding, square root, maximum value, and percentage

Let's see how it works.

Simple Column & Formula Customization

You can customize column names, visibility, order, and formulas from the Edit Columns & Formulas option while creating or editing a document.

For example, you can rename a column such as Quantity to Units, add a custom field such as Length, or hide columns that are not relevant to your business:

If a column is being used in a formula, Refrens keeps the formula connected to that column even when you rename or rearrange it.

Create a Formula Using Multiple Billing Parameters

Suppose you run an interior design or flooring business and charge customers based on the area covered.

For every item, you need to enter:

• Length
• Width
• Rate per square foot

The area can then be calculated automatically as:
Area = Length × Width

Instead of calculating the area manually for every line item, you can create custom columns and let Refrens calculate it for you.

Step 1: Add Columns for Length and Width

Open your document and go to Edit Columns & Formulas.

Add the following columns:

• Length — set the column type to Number
• Width — set the column type to Number

You can also rename these fields based on how your business works, such as:

• Length (ft)
• Width (ft)

Setting the column type to Number allows these values to be used in calculations.

Step 2: Add an Area Column

Next, add another column called Area.

Change its column type to Formula.

When creating the formula, you can select the columns you want to use. Refrens displays them using their column names, making the formula easy to understand.
For this example, the formula would be:
={Length}*{Width}
This means:
Area = Length × Width

For example, if you enter:
Length: 12
Width: 10

Refrens will automatically calculate:
Area: 120
You do not need to calculate or enter the area manually.

Step 3: Use the Calculated Area for Billing

You can now use the calculated Area as the quantity for pricing.

For example:

Here:
Area = 12 × 10 = 120 sq. ft.
and:
Amount = 120 × ₹150 = ₹18,000

This makes it useful for businesses such as:

• Interior designers
• Flooring contractors
• Fabric and textile businesses
• Glass and aluminium suppliers
• Printing businesses
• Construction contractors
• Furniture manufacturers

Rename Columns Without Breaking Your Formula

You can rename a column whenever required.

For example, suppose your formula is:
={Length}*{Width}

and you rename Length to Length (ft).
Refrens will automatically update the formula shown in the editor to:
={Length (ft)}*{Width}

The calculation will continue working as before.

Similarly, rearranging or hiding a column does not change what the formula calculates.

This allows you to customize the appearance of your document without having to recreate your formulas.

Hide Calculation Columns for a Cleaner Document

Some columns may be useful for calculations but unnecessary for the customer to see.

For example, you may want Refrens to calculate the Area internally while keeping the final invoice simple.

Go to Column Settings and hide any column you do not want to display on the document.

The column can still be used in calculations even when it is hidden.

This helps you keep your invoices clean while retaining the calculations required for billing.

Advanced Formula Functions

For most invoices, simple calculations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are enough.

Refrens also supports additional formula functions for cases where you need more control over the calculated value.

A. Round a Value

Suppose your area formula is:
={Length}*{Width}
and the result is:
127.4568

If you want the Area to display only two decimal places, use:
=ROUND({Length}*{Width},2)
The result will be:
127.46

You can change the number of decimal places as required:

2 decimal places
=ROUND({Length}*{Width},2)
1 decimal place
=ROUND({Length}*{Width},1)
No decimal places
=ROUND({Length}*{Width},0)

B. Calculate a Square Root

To calculate the square root of a value, use:
=SQRT({Area})
You can also use calculations inside the function where required.

C. Find the Maximum Value

To use the larger of two values, use:
=MAX({Column 1},{Column 2})
For example:
=MAX({Actual Weight},{Volumetric Weight})
This can be useful when your billing depends on whichever value is higher.

D. Calculate a Percentage

To calculate what percentage one value is of another, use:
=({Column 1}/{Column 2})*100
For example:
=({Completed Quantity}/{Total Quantity})*100
If Completed Quantity is 75 and Total Quantity is 100, the result will be:
75%

Using Formulas Across Different Documents

You can create formulas according to the billing structure required for a particular document.

Changing the name, order, or visibility of columns does not change which fields your formula refers to.

This means you can customize your document layout without worrying about formulas changing simply because a column was moved.

Things to Keep in Mind

• Set columns used for calculations to the appropriate numerical type.
• Use the column names shown in the formula editor when creating formulas.
• You can rename or rearrange columns later without changing the meaning of existing formulas.
• Hidden columns can continue to participate in calculations.
• If a column is being used by another formula, remove its formula dependency before deleting the column.
• Use advanced functions only when your billing calculation requires them.

With custom columns and formulas, you can adapt Refrens documents to the way your business actually calculates quantities, measurements, rates, and amounts - without doing the calculations manually for every line item.

Updated on: 07/09/2026