You can search through these instructions using Ctrl+F (F3 = continue searching). Use Ctrl+P to print or save as PDF.

Information for IT administrators, e.g. regarding installation in the network and use of a shared data folder, can be found in a separate PDF: Installation­Tips.pdf.

After logging in, a series of tabs are displayed, e.g. for buildings, doors, keys and employees. The master data is entered and listed on these tabs.

The master data is entered on its respective tab. For example, if you want to enter a key, click on the Keys tab.
Search, filter, lists
The structure of these index cards is similar. A list of existing entries is displayed on the left-hand side, e.g. a list of all keys. There is a search field above the list to search for names in the list. There are also filter options for the list, e.g. by key system (locking system) or building.

Input mask: The properties of a selected entry can be found on the right-hand side of a tab, e.g. always an input field for the name, as well as further input fields for other details.

The input mask is controlled using the buttons above it: "New" to create a new entry, "Edit" to change a selected entry, "Delete", etc. These basic buttons are the same for all input screens.

To create a new entry, click on the New button. The input fields are then colored yellow, which indicates the edit mode.

You only need to enter a name to be able to save the entry, i.e. it is sufficient to enter a name in the top input field.
The other fields can remain empty, but there are recommendations: When entering a door you should select a building, when entering a key you should select a key system. See below: The index cards in detail.

To save the entry, click the Save button at the top, otherwise click Cancel. All input fields then turn white and cannot be edited again until you click the Edit button.

The best way to see how the program works is to play around with a few test entries and click around in the program a little. To prevent your test entries from ending up permanently in the real journal, you should first switch to Sandbox mode.

To do this, click on in the main menu: File > Sandbox.

To exit sandbox mode, click on in the main menu: File > Logout, or click again on: File > Sandbox.

From left to right: If you are filling in the program manually, it is best to proceed from left to right, i.e. first select the "Building" tab and enter your buildings there. Then enter the doors on the next tab, then the keys, then the persons and finally the key transfers to persons.

Lockingsystems: If you have several locking systems, you can enter the names of the locking systems in advance. You can find this in the main menu: Edit > Locking systems.

Login/user: If you want to assign a password to the program, click on the main menu: Edit > User: Edit > Users. The user tab then appears, where you can create users and (initial) passwords. Each user can change their own password later.

Buildings are mainly recorded by name only, i.e. it is sufficient to enter any name for each building.

The purpose of entering buildings is to be able to select the building in which the respective door is located later when entering doors.

You can interpret the building term as you wish. It could also be a company location or just a component of a large building. You can indicate the latter by selecting a higher-level entry in the "is part of" field.

You do not need to fill in the "Key System" field. If you select a locking system here, this is for your information only and has no further effect on the program.

Doors can be recorded so that keys can be assigned to doors (access authorizations). If you only want to manage keys, you could dispense with doors altogether.

You must enter a name to record a door. If you have door numbers or room numbers, we recommend using a designation such as "101 storage room" in the first field in the program. This means that all numbers are listed one below the other in a sorted order and the descriptive designation appears after them.

In the "Building" field, select an entry that you have previously entered on the "Building" tab.

You only need to enter the Floor (storey) if the information is of interest to you or if you want to store a floor plan for this floor.

Floor plan: You can enter a floor plan for each building and floor. To do this, you must have selected a building for the door and entered something in the Floor field.

Locking cylinders: If you want to enter locks (cylinders), you can do this directly here on the doors tab or separately on the Cylinders tab. You can call this up via the "View" main menu.
In this case, you must fill in the "Key System" field, as a cylinder always belongs to a specific key/locking system. Please ignore the "Cylinder pos." field. In the "Cylinder" field, you should enter the cylinder number (locking number if applicable) and its length, e.g. "120 30/35". The "Lock No." and "Length" fields are merely a separate repetition (if different from the designation) and can be left blank.

If you do not want to record cylinders, the keys must be assigned directly to a door as locking, whereas with cylinders the keys are assigned to the cylinders as locking (as it happens mechanically in reality).
The program automatically determines whether a key matches a door based on the information about which cylinders have been fitted in which doors. The locking functions are recorded on the Keys tab, see Linking keys to doors or locks.

The number of a key is usually entered in the "Key" field, rarely a descriptive name. We do not recommend entering the names of people (key recipients) or doors here, as this can change over time, whereas the key number always remains the same.

The "Area" field is only intended as additional information for you, e.g. if you want to make a note of the area (department/building section) in which a group key (master key) is used.

The "Key System" field is important, as most company keys belong to a key system (locking system). For other keys, e.g. furniture keys, you can create a pseudo-locking system, e.g. "Other" or "Lockers" or similar, to have a categorization and filter option. See in the main menu: Edit > Master Key Systems.

The "Lock No." field usually corresponds to the key designation and can be left blank.
You can select the hierarchy of the key in the "Type" field. This only affects the sorting of the key list: "CK" (individual keys) are at the end of the list, all other key types are group/master keys and are sorted as important keys at the beginning of the list.

In the Quantity line, you can enter the total quantity of the relevant key that you have received in total through deliveries and repeat orders. The program subtracts defective and issued keys from this total quantity and calculates the available quantity that can still be issued to other people. The available quantity is updated as soon as you click on Save.

"Cabinet" refers to a key cabinet (deposit box, safe) where keys are stored. If you have several key cabinets, you can select one and enter the hook number to which the key is attached. To create cabinets, go to the Cabinets tab via the main menu "View".

If you have not entered any locking cylinders, the keys are linked directly to doors. Otherwise, links should be made to cylinders. The program then automatically determines the indirect link between keys and doors. Linking a key to cylinders AND doors in parallel has no advantages, but rather disadvantages.

You will see small tabs at the bottom left of the key index card: Doors, Lock groups, Cylinders. To link the selected key to one or more locking cylinders, click the "Edit" button at the top and select the small Cylinders tab at the bottom. There, click the "Link with cylinders" button. All cylinders that belong to the same key system as the current key are then displayed. Tick the cylinders that can be locked by the key. Finally, click on the Save button at the top. If you switch to the small Doors tab at the bottom after saving, you can see in which doors the linked cylinders are currently installed.

The same principle applies to links with doors: Click on the "Edit" button at the top and click on the "Link with doors" button at the bottom. After ticking the appropriate doors, click on Save at the top.

Linking via locking groups takes place when importing a locking plan and is not usually done manually, and is therefore not described here.

All persons who receive a key are managed on this index card. In companies, these are usually the company's own employees. In property management companies, on the other hand, it is usually tenants who receive keys. You can therefore adjust the title of the tab in the settings.

In the "Name" field, we recommend entering "surname, first name" so that the list of persons is sorted alphabetically by surname. The name may only appear once in the program so that the name is unique. In the event of a duplicate occurrence, a distinguishing suffix must be added to the name.

You can enter a new department in the "Department" field or select a previously used entry. There is a department filter on the left above the list of persons so that you can view the employees in a specific department.

A personnel number is usually entered in the "No." field. However, it can also be a different number or name.

The "Company" field is intended for external employees from external companies. There is a company filter above the list of persons.

You can use the "Building" and "Room" fields to localize the workplace (purely for information purposes). The fields have no influence on the program, i.e. this information has no effect on access authorizations or keys that have been transferred.
The "Address", "Phone" and "E-mail" fields are also purely informative and are not evaluated by the program.

The "Quitting" (leaving) and "Control" fields are date fields. The "Quitting" field is evaluated by the Key Organizer, namely on the Deadlines tab: keys of persons who have left the company are also listed there.

You can also link the person entry to a file and insert an employee portrait (click on the profile picture icon).

All keys currently held by the person are listed in the lower section of the window under "Has the following keys". If you right-click on this list, a pop-up menu appears, e.g. to configure the view or to call up receipts.
Previous keys that the person previously held can be called up using the "Log" button.

All key handovers and quantity changes are continuously logged, e.g. for revisions. The history can be called up on the Journal tab.

The easiest way to call up the journal is to select an entry on the Keys or Employees tab and click on the "Journal" button above the input mask. The program then jumps to the Journal tab and shows the history for the selected entry.

At the bottom of the window you will find buttons for exporting as an Excel spreadsheet or for saving as a PDF file.

Issued keys that are due for return are listed on the Deadlines index card. The basis for this is that a date was entered in the "Expiry" field when the key was issued.
Alternatively, a completed "Quitting" field can also lead to a due date for a person, even if no return deadline was entered when the key was issued.

Users are those persons who are authorized to use the program. As long as no user accounts have been created in the program, you can access the program without a password.

The Users tab can be accessed via the main menu: Edit > Users. You may only make entries or changes here if you are authorized to do so. However, every logged-in user may change their own password. It is therefore possible for an admin to first enter an initial password.

A newly created user initially has all authorizations. After creating a new user, you should configure the rights of the user account using the "Authorizations" button.

The requirements for secure passwords, e.g. minimum length and special characters, can be defined in the settings.
If a user has forgotten their password, another user who has the right to change user rights can set a new password.
If no password is known, contact the software manufacturer Aidex by e-mail to have a special login code generated.

If you are a user and also a key recipient, you must create yourself twice in the program: as a user and as an employee.

This section deals with the handover of a single key. If you want to issue several different keys to a person, see the next section: Issuing several keys via basket.

Select the key to be issued on the Keys tab. Select the recipient of the key on the Employees index card. The order does not matter, you can also select the recipient first and then the key.

On the Keys and Employees index card, you will find an "Issue key" button at the top right which takes you to the "Handing over" tab, where the "Key" and "New holder" fields are now pre-filled.

You can enter a sequential number in the "Identification" field, e.g. if you have several copies of the key, which are numbered consecutively. This could also be the serial number of a transponder or chip card, for example.

The "Date" field refers to the handover date and must be filled in. This date cannot be changed at a later date!
The "Expiry" field can be filled in if necessary if the key must be returned by a certain date. You can then list which keys are due or will be due on the Deadlines tab. The deadline can be subsequently changed in the list of issued keys by right-clicking: "Edit details".

In the "Notes" field, you can note the reason for the handover, for example.
In the "Quantity" field, you can enter a different quantity if you are issuing several copies without an identifier.

You can choose whether you want to print a "Receipt", which means a receipt for a single key, or whether you want to print an "Overview", which lists all keys that the recipient currently has. The overview has the advantage that it can replace all previous receipts with one signature.

Once you have clicked the Apply button, the key appears on the Employees card and the recipient appears in the holder list on the Keys index card.

The keys currently issued are displayed both on the Employees index card and on the Keys card: for employees under "Has the following keys" and for keys in the holder list.
If you select an issued key, the "Return" button at the bottom becomes active, which takes you to the "Handing over" tab, where you can enter a return date and notes.

If you select the "Receipt" option, a return receipt is only generated for this individual key. If you select the "Overview" option, a list of the remaining keys is output instead, but this is not ideal for this case as it does not explicitly show the return.

"M" for Memorize: Using the key combination Ctrl+M, you can add the currently selected key to a watch list. Since version 2023, the watch list is also referred to as a basket because the remembered keys can be issued to a person and can also be taken back by them.
The previous method of individual handover via the "Handing over" tab still exists in parallel.

Issue several keys: First add the keys to be issued individually to the basket (select each one and press Ctrl+M).

You can edit individual table cells in the basket by double-clicking, e.g. to change the respective quantity or to add an identification (per line).

Then click on "Issue to a person" in the basket window. You can then select the key recipient and enter a transfer date.

Take back several keys: Select a person on the Employees tab. If you want to revoke all keys, right-click in their key list and select: "Add all keys to the basket (Return)".

If you want to select one or more entries instead, click on an issued key and press Ctrl+M.

If necessary, you can change the quantities in the basket (double-click in the table cell). Then click on the "Return" button in the basket and enter the return date.

For multiple returns there is (since 2023) a print template "Return overview", see in the main menu: Edit > Edit print templates.

You can sign out a lost key as long as this key is still issued to a person in the program. The idea behind this is that a key is usually lost outside the key cabinet, i.e. after it has been issued to a person.

Select an issued key on the Keys or Employees index card. Then click on the "Lost" button below, which takes you to the "Handing over" tab, where you can enter a loss date and notes.

This will remove the key from the person's record, but it will remain on the Keys tab as "lost" in the holder list so that you can see how the original total quantity has been reduced.

If a lost key has been found again, you can right-click on the "lost" line in the "Found" pop-up menu.

You can sign out a defective key while it is not issued to a person. The idea behind this is that a defective key is likely to be returned and then first returned regularly in the program - before the defective booking takes place as an additional step.

Select a key on the Keys tab. Then go to the "Handing over" tab. Click on the "Defect" button there. You can enter an identification, a date and notes.

The defective key remains on the Keys tab as "defective" in the holder list so that you can see why the original total quantity was reduced.

If a key has been sorted out by mistake, you can right-click on the "defect" line, then "Undo defect" in the pop-up menu.

Due to the previous withdrawal of the key, a replacement key will probably have to be issued. Please do this as a new key issue.

With the search field above the lists, you can only search for text that is contained in the list. If you want to search for other field contents, you can do this with the advanced search, which you can call up with Ctrl+F, or via the main menu: Edit > Extended search.

It is possible to compile key bundles in the program, which can then be issued to a person at a time. One disadvan­tage at present is that only the bundle is named on a handover protocol, but the indi­vidual keys it contains are not listed.

To create a bunch, go to the Keys index card and click on Edit > "New bunch of keys" in the main menu. You must then enter a name for the bunch and save it.

The next step is to add keys to the bunch. To do this, add individual keys to the basket using Ctrl+M as described in the previous section. Then click on "Put keys on a bunch" in the basket.

You will find the key ring on the Keys index card in the normal key list, where all individual keys are also listed. You can select the bunch and issue it to a person in the same way as an individual key.

Some customers who do not use a signature pad have asked to be able to store scanned receipts in the program and link them to people or key handovers. This function has been available since 2022.

The files can either remain in their place on the hard drive or be transferred (moved) from the Key Organizer to its data folder. You should prefer the latter if the file does not need to remain in place for other uses.
If a file remains in its original location, you must ensure that the file remains there permanently and is not renamed. The path must also be valid for other users. Otherwise the Key Organizer will not be able to find the file again.

Linking with key transfers
To link a file to an issued key, go to the Employees tab and select a person. The issued keys are listed at the bottom left. You can right-click on a key entry and select "Link to file" from the pop-up menu. A file selection dialog box will then appear.

Link to master data
You can also link a file to any master data record, e.g. to a door, a building, a key without a personal reference or a person without a key reference. To do this, first select an entry on any tab and then click on Edit at the top of the main menu and then on "Link to file".

Show linked files
In the menu where you have found the link function, there is also a menu item "Show linked files". In the window that lists the files, you can double-click on a file name to call up the file. With the right mouse button you will find further functions, e.g. to delete the entry.

Transferring a file to the data folder
To copy or move a linked file from its original storage location to the program's data folder, right-click in the file list (see above) and select the "Copy file to data folder" function in the pop-up menu.

If you are planning a key inventory, you can first export a key list from the Key Organizer as an Excel file by clicking on in the main menu: File > Export > "Export inventory template".

The table contains an empty column in which you can enter the current stock that was counted for each key type during the inventory. This number column does not need to be filled in completely, i.e. a partial inventory is also possible.

Once you have added the count to the Excel spreadsheet, it can be imported back into the Key Organizer by clicking in the main menu: File > Import > "Import inventory stock numbers".

When importing, only the table rows in which a quantity has been entered are taken into account. A quantity change is then recorded for each key in its log (Journal).

The signing of PDF files (handover documents) has been supported since program version 2021.

General information can be found on our signature pad website. Technical details can be found in the Installation­Tips.pdf docu­ment.

Usage: If you have activated the "Signature pad" option in the Key Organizer when creating a receipt or overview, the Key Organizer starts the pad manufacturer's PDF software. This may take a short moment.

Then sign the PDF. Then close the pad software so that the signed PDF has really been saved. Finally, click on "Keep PDF" in the Key Organizer so that the signed PDF is transferred to the program's database.

You can retrieve the transferred PDF again later if required: right-click on the list of key holders and select "Show receipt" from the pop-up menu.

Print templates can be created for printing transfer documents. It is possible to use Word documents as print templates. In contrast to the standard HTML templates, it is easier to adapt Word documents to your own requirements.

The prerequisite for this is that the original Microsoft Word (Microsoft Office package) is installed for the users of the Key Organizer. It does not yet work with OpenOffice and others.

If no MS Word is installed, templates in HTML remain as an alternative (included in the program as standard). See also: Placeholders.

The HTML templates are activated by default because they work even if no Word is installed. If you have MS Word installed, we recommend switching to Word templates.

To do this, click on Edit > "Edit print templates" in the main menu. Behind each button you will find a selection "Use Word document as template". You can save the respective standard template of the program in order to be able to edit it individually. You can then select the edited file again in the same window.

We would like to save you the effort of entering your data manually (or at least reduce it) and have therefore equipped our program with various import functions, especially for Excel lists, see main menu: File > Import.

On the Key Organizer download page you will find two sample tables: a transfer list and a locking plan.

A locking plan contains information on doors, locks and keys (cross table with a locking matrix). You can obtain the locking plan for a recent locking system from the system manufacturer. Please ask for an Excel file. Please adjust the columns of your table beforehand as in the sample locking plan from our download page. Then use the "Import locking plan from Excel" function in the Key Organizer.

To import a key handover list, see the next paragraph.

Many customers have already maintained their own key handover list as an Excel spreadsheet before they purchased the Key Organizer. A suitable spreadsheet can be imported into the program using an import function via the main menu: File > Import > Import Key Issuances.

Key	Copy no.	Locking system	Qty.	Recipient	Department	No.	issued on	Returned	Remark
101	5	System1	1	Smith, Maria	Administration	1044	11/02/2019
102	8	System1	1	Smith, Maria	Administration	1045	04/02/2020
GS1	3	System1	1	Johnson, Paul	Administration	1046	07/05/2021	01/02/2022

The table may only contain one key and one person per line. If a person has received several keys or a key has been issued to several people, a separate line must be created for each.

The columns "Key", "Recipient" (person) and "Issued" (issue date) are mandatory! If you do not know the issue date, you must enter a fictitious date, e.g. 01.01.2020 (this has a recognition value as a fictitious date).

⇒ The table must be sorted in ascending order according to the issue date!

The "Copy number" column can be omitted if you do not use consecutive numbers for your keys.
The "Locking system" column can be omitted if all keys belong to the same locking system. You must then select the locking system in the import window instead.
The "Number" column can be omitted if exactly 1 key has always been transferred per line.
The columns "Department" and "No." (personnel number or similar) are optional and can be used if new persons are created in the program through this import and the additional information should simply be imported in this step.

If a named key or person has not yet been entered in the program, a new entry is created by the import. However, if there is already an entry with the same name in the program, the transfer is applied to this existing entry. It is important to note that the spelling of the name in the program and in the table must be identical, as a missing hyphen or similar is enough for the import to create a new entry instead, which may result in unwanted duplicate entries.

Test in advance: Only import the transfer table once, otherwise the transfers will be executed repeatedly (several times). The import cannot be undone. As a precaution, you should therefore try out the import first by switching to sandbox mode.

Load your table into the import window. You must manually select the columns you want to use. Also select the date format displayed and the target locking system.

You can see the actual storage location in the program under: Info > Info & Contact, see "Path to data folder".
In older program versions under: Edit > Settings > Files.

The input data is saved on a file basis on your hard drive or a folder in your network. By default, the Key Organizer (from version 2021) tries to save its data files in the user's APPDATA folder (Windows default). In older program versions: in the "Data" subfolder in the Key Organizer program folder.

Alternatively, you can read the storage location in the KeyOrganizer.ini configuration file, in the variable "DataPath". If there is no such entry, the subfolder "Data" or a folder in the APPDATA directory is meant by default.

If you want to save, copy or move the data, always use the entire Data folder because all the files and subfolders in it are required.

Avoid duplicate data folders (except for the data backup), as multiple data sets cannot be synchronized subsequently. If several users use the system, you must ensure that all users access the same central data folder.

If you have no information about the storage location, you can search your drives for the file "Data.ada". Ignore any files found that are only 1 kb in size, as these files are probably empty. As a rule, the largest file found is the correct one. Then take the entire folder.

If you want to use the program on several computers, you must define a central, shared folder in which the data files are stored and to which all users of the program have access.

If you want to move with existing data, first check where the data has been stored so far, see "Where is the input data stored?" above.

Create a new, empty folder on the server, e.g. "KeyOrganizer Data".

Create a text file called "KeyOrganizer.ini" where the KeyOrganizer.exe program file is located. Enter the path to the new data folder in the file in the form:

DataPath=C:\Folder\Data\
or
DataPath=\\Server\Folder\Data\
or
DataPath=Data\  (as a relative path for direct subfolders, relative to the .ini file)

To move existing data files to the new folder, copy all files from the folder, including subfolders.

Write permissions: The users of the program require write permissions for the new data folder. The permissions are generally not copied, so they must be reset on the new computer. In addition to simple write access, rights for deletion (for temporary files) are also required, including in subfolders. We therefore recommend setting full access, including inheritance of rights to subfolders.

Make sure that the old data folder is no longer used (it is best to move the files) so that it is not inadvertently reused, resulting in different data sets that cannot be synchronized.

Check whether a regular data backup has been set up for the data folder.

As described in the previous paragraph: The input data is stored on a file basis on your hard disk or a folder in your network.

Please note that in the event of a failure, your data cannot be restored from an external "cloud" or similar. Your IT department must take care of the data backup itself.

Please make sure that the data folder of the Key Organizer (see above) has been included in a regular data backup, e.g. by your server.

If you are changing PCs and the Key Organizer is installed locally, you can simply copy the existing Key Organizer program folder completely to the new computer. Create a shortcut icon for the users on the Start.exe or alternatively on the KeyOrganizer.exe.

First check where the data is stored on the old PC, see "Where is the input data stored?" above.

If the data files are located in the "Data" subfolder of the program folder (for older program versions up to 2019), the data folder is already copied when you copy the program folder. Then see below under: Write permissions.

If the data files are on the old PC, the entire data folder must be copied to the new computer - or preferably to a server. Then enter the new data path in the KeyOrganizer.ini configuration file on the new computer: DataPath=...

Write permissions: The users of the program require write permissions for the new data folder. The permissions are generally not copied, so they must be reset on the new computer. In addition to simple write access, rights for deletion (for temporary files) are also required, including in subfolders. We therefore recommend setting full access, including inheritance of rights to subfolders.

Make sure that the old data folder on the old PC is no longer used (preferably move or rename it) so that it is not accidentally reused, resulting in different data sets that cannot be synchronized.

Check whether a regular data backup has been set up for the data folder.