More information about limitations regarding ASCII characters

Question:

How can an apostrophe be considered an invalid character?  It is so commonly used.  Why can't the ASCII chart be changed to include apostrophes as valid characters?

Answer:

The apostrophe that is used in MS Word is a curly (or "smart") quote rather than a straight quote.  Unfortunately, Collaborati only recognizes the straight quote, so it will convert the curly quote to the matching ASCII decimal values.  This is by design, so that TeamConnect (the system used to retrieve the invoice) will not encounter invalid characters - thus displaying an Error.  The Error could cause delays with Payments for an Approved Invoice.  Here are some options for this issue:

• If the text is typed into the Description box in Collaborati, the straight quote will be used.
• If the text is copied from a Word document into the Description box in Collaborati, the curly quote is used.  If you do not want Word to make curly ( or "smart") quotes at all, go to Word options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options > AutoFormat tab and clear the box before "Straight Quotes" with "smart quotes". 
• Another option is to leave the ASCII decimal values in the Description box.