Many companies utilize a shared terminal for employee access. For these customers, the additional licenses to have multiple copies running and/or the time lost by switching log-ins is making Control a non-starter. The shared_user_account Feature was added to address these issues for smaller shops.

To enable the Shared User Account capability, navigate to Setup | System Setup | Shared User Account. A user will then have the options that can be configured. For more information on setup, follow this link: Shared User Account.

Once the Shared User Account is enabled, the Shared User account will be listed as an available login in the drop-down box. *Note: The Shared User login allows for multiple logins simultaneously on different machines up to the # of user licenses that you have for Control.

When a task that creates an activity is performed in Control, i.e. any task that results in the change of information in the database the end-user that is logged in as the Shared User will receive a pop-up window prompting them to select their employee name from a drop-down list.

The password box may be visible or hidden based on the user options selected. *Note: The password box will always show when making payment transactions.

The user also has the option for Control to remember the selected employee for a specified amount of minutes. This option allows Control to remember the last selected employee before resetting back to prompt for the employee name.

If a user has selected the option to 'Remember employee for X minutes', there are two ways to reset the login to force the prompt for identification to appear again.

  • Navigate to File | Reset Remembered Login.
  • Press Ctrl + R.



Any task that causes an activity to be saved (except logging in and out) will prompt for identification. If the “Require Password” option is selected, the password box will be visible and required. If the “Cancel” button is selected, the entire save process will be cancelled.

The popup is required to appear anytime a user performs any task in Control that creates an activity. The list below serves as an example of the minimum set of tasks that must prompt for the employee name.

  • Adjustment to customer credit.
  • Posting a payment.
  • Voiding a payment.
  • Refunding a payment.
  • Posting a write-off to an order.
  • Editing and saving an order, estimate, service ticket, or customer record.
  • Creating and saving an order, estimate, service ticket, or customer record.
  • Changing the status on an order, estimate, or service ticket.
  • Converting an estimate to an order or service ticket.
  • Voiding an order or estimate.



The following tasks ALWAYS require a password to complete (regardless of setting) for purposes of PCI compliance:

  • Posting a payment.
  • Voiding a payment.
  • Refunding a payment.
  • Clicking the button to view a full credit card number.



Regardless of security rights, the following options are never allowed under the Shared User account:

  • Any Payroll function
  • Any setup except User Options and Machine Options

Note: This feature is only available in version 04.50.1107.1501 and later.

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