Custom Portlets. an unbiased review of the greatest Practice CS feature ever. Andrew V. Gamet

Transcription

1 Custm Prtlets an unbiased review f the greatest Practice CS feature ever Andrew V. Gamet

2 Descriptin In Practice CS, the firm can use any f the fur dashbards t quickly display relative infrmatin. The Firm, Staff and Client dashbard relay infrmatin related t that Firm, Staff r Client. The Hme dashbard allws fr general infrmatin t be displayed. In any f these dashbards, the infrmatin is displayed using Prtlets. Prtlets are windws within the Dashbard that display a specified set f data. Andrew thinks If yu like analgies, here s a dzy. The Dashbard in Practice CS is like the refrigeratr dr at yur huse. Prtlets then, fr example, culd be this week s shpping list, an unpaid bill that needs attentin, a list f cntacts and phne numbers in the case f an emergency, and s n. I hnestly dn t even see a difference anymre. I m cnstantly calling my fridge the Dashbard. Where s the cupn? It s n the dashbard! It s really cnfusing t my wife. Can yu tell a difference? I can t.. Fr the mst part, Prtlets that are available in Practice CS ffer limited (if any) custmizatin. Therefre, Practice CS als allws fr Custm Prtlets; Prtlets that allw the firm t custmize the type and data displayed within them. Types There are fur types f Custm Prtlets, as detailed belw: Web Pages: The standard Web Brwser prtlet includes an address bar that allws the user t navigate the internet as needed. In cmparisn, this Web Page Custm Prtlet type allws the administratr t specify a specific web address that the user will see, with n navigatin available. RSS News Feeds: RSS stands fr (depending n wh yu ask) Rich Site Summary r Really Simple Syndicatin. Put simply, nline RSS sites (r feeds) bil dwn the full, rich website int a simple listing f updated cntent. This is mst ften used with headlines r news updates. Therefre, this Custm Prtlet displays thse RSS feeds. Firm News Feeds: This Custm Prtlet displays News Items that the firm creates. Technically speaking, this ptin helps the user create their wn RSS feed (see abve) that is stred and maintained with Practice CS. S this ptin allws the Firm t create their wn headlines and display them in the same way as an RSS Feed wuld. Internal Dcument Only 2

3 Reprt Viewer: This is (in my pinin) the mre cmmnly requested prtlet. The Standard Prtlets in Practice CS all shw varying Practice CS Data. Hwever, since they are nt custmizable, the Prtlets may fall shrt in the level f Detail they prvide. The Reprt Viewer Custm Prtlet allws the firm t display a specific Practice CS Reprt that the staff may find mre effective r useful. It is imprtant t nte that if the Firm is using Practice CS thrugh Virtual Office, they will nt have the ptin f Web Page r RSS News Feeds. Virtual Office users dn t have access t an Internet Brwser thrugh Virtual Office, s these types have been disabled. Andrew thinks As yu may have stumbled nt, there are tw ways arund this virtual ffice limitatin. A techsavvy firm may add a web address t the Firm RSS Feed OR they may add a URL Shrtcut t the Slutins Prtlet. Either ne will result in Internet Explrer pening and lading that page. Even thugh the Address Bar is remved, navigatin is still pssible. We shuld never recmmend these tw pssibilities as wrkarunds t nt having these tw Custm Prtlet types. If a firm stumbles upn these and are actively using these wrkarunds, that firm is using ur bandwidth t lk at and that is really just a hrrible waste f resurces. I mean, lk:.. Security Requirements If a firm des nt have Security enabled, all users shuld be able t add, edit and view Custm Prtlets. But if Security is enabled, certain privileges need t be granted depending n what that Security Grup needs t d. T setup and maintain Custm Prtlets, the Security Grup needs t have access t the Practice CS > Setup Menu > Custm Prtlets privilege. At the very minimum, t see this screen, the View privilege needs t be granted. T give further cntrl, allwing the grup t Add, Edit and Delete Custm Prtlets, thse additinal privileges need t be granted as well. Selecting all fur privileges wuld allw them full access t the Setup > Custm Frmats screen. T view Custm Prtlets, the security grup needs t give access t the related type under Practice CS > View Menu > Hme Dashbard. This will allw the staff t see these types f Custm Prtlets n the Hme Dashbard and any ther Dashbard that they have access t. Andrew thinks Yu may say t yurself this seems strange; having t give access t the Hme Dashbard s a user can see the Prtlet n any f the ther Dashbards. But that s just hw it is and it s best nt t ask questins. Additinally, t view Reprt Viewer Custm Prtlets, the security grup als needs t have access t Practice CS > File Menu > Print Reprts > x, t whichever reprt the Custm Prtlet is displaying. Meaning, if a Custm Prtlet exists that is displaying the WIP Summary, the Security Grup needs access t the Practice CS > File Menu > Print Reprts > Prductin > WIP Summary privilege as well. Otherwise, the Prtlet will nt be available t select. Internal Dcument Only 3

4 Where t Setup Custm Prtlets Once given the required privileges, adding r editing Custm Frmats can be dne in the Custm Prtlets screen. There are three ways t access this screen: 1. When lgged int Practice, chse Setup > Custm Prtlets. 2. When in the Select Prtlets screen, right-click and chse Add Custm Prtlet. If right-clicking directly n an existing Custm Prtlet, yu will als see ptins t Edit and Delete that Prtlet. Nte that these ptins are in regards t the Custm Prtlet yu right-clicked n, NOT the Custm Prtlet that has a checkmark 3. If the Web Brwser Standard Prtlet is already added t a View, yu can click the buttn in the upper-left hand crner f that Brwser. Within this screen, yu can begin adding r editing yur Custm Prtlets. The next fur sectins will detail hw t add each type, sme f the cnsideratins fr each and things t lk fr while using them. Web Page Custm Prtlets The Web Page type f Custm Prtlet will allw the user t set a specific website that the staff will see. T successfully create ne, supply the fllwing infrmatin: Descriptin: This is actually the name f the Prtlet, as seen in the Select Prtlets Screen. Be as specific as pssible in 30 characters r less. Type: Set at Web Page. Allw thers t view this Prtlet <checkbx>: If this is checked, all Staff (if privileged) will be able t access this. If this is unchecked, nly the Staff wh is creating this Prtlet will be able t see it. Website: Type in the web address (URL) fr this Prtlet t display. Use the t the right f this field t preview the page selected. Internal Dcument Only 4

5 Cnsideratins fr Web Page Custm Prtlets: Even thugh the staff wn t have access t an address bar (by default), the Prtlet will be an active brwser. This means that any redirecting r links within the page yu specify will still be accessible. Fr instance, if yah.cm is used as a Web Page Custm Prtlet, the search field, the search buttn and the search results with links will all be active and available fr the staff t use. This can lead t the staff navigating away frm the page specified. If the Navigatin Bar is shwn (as mentined belw), the brwser will start at the page specified, but the user will be able t navigate the same way they wuld in a nrmal brwser. Again, if the user is using Practice CS thrugh Virtual Office, this type will nt be available. After selecting this Prtlet n a dashbard, the resulting Prtlet will appear as such: While using the Web Page Custm Prtlet: A Navigatin Bar is available, if the user right-clicks n the page. The icn at the end f the Navigatin Bar will send the user t the Hme lcatin, as specified in their external brwser (nt specified in Practice CS). Any page viewed in this Prtlet can be pened in the user s external brwser, using the in the Navigatin Bar. If the user right-clicks n the Prtlet, in additin t Navigatin, they will als have Print/Print Preview ptins. Andrew thinks Just t make sure this Web Brwser is as efficient as pssible, I was able t lad and watch vides n YuTube. I saw a cat falling dwn sme stairs. It was pretty funny, because I hnestly have never seen a cat fall dwn stairs befre. Dn t wrry; he was fine. Internal Dcument Only 5

6 RSS News Feeds Custm Prtlets The RSS News Feed type f Custm Prtlet will allw the user t select a specific RSS Feed that the staff will see. T successfully create ne, supply the fllwing infrmatin: Descriptin: This is actually the name f the Prtlet, as seen in the Select Prtlets Screen. Be as specific as pssible in 30 characters r less. Type: Set at RSS News Feed. Allw thers t view this Prtlet <checkbx>: If this is checked, all Staff (if privileged) will be able t access this. If this is unchecked, nly the Staff wh is creating this Prtlet will be able t see it. Website: Type in the web address (URL) fr the RSS Feed this Prtlet will display. Use the t preview the feed selected. Cnsideratins fr RSS News Feed Custm Prtlets: Even thugh the staff wn t have access t an address bar, the RSS items themselves may redirect t anther website. By simply clicking n the item, this may result in a new brwser windw appearing, navigating the user autmatically t that Item s link. The infrmatin displayed in this Prtlet type is nt editable thrugh Practice CS. Many ppular sites will have an RSS Feed, even if the user desn t knw the specific URL. If this is the case, specify the main URL fr that site. If an RSS Feed exists, the buttn will becme available after clicking. Clicking the dwn arrw t the right f this icn will display the varius RSS feeds that this site has. Select ne, which will then fill in the apprpriate URL fr that RSS Feed. Fr example: Again, if the user is using Practice CS thrugh Virtual Office, this type will nt be available. Internal Dcument Only 6

7 After selecting this Prtlet n a dashbard, the resulting Prtlet will appear as such: While using the RSS News Feed Custm Prtlet: The News Items will default t cndensed, meaning there will be a plus buttn available t the left that the user will need t click n t read that News Item. This is different than simply clicking n the New Item itself, which may send the user elsewhere. By right-clicking n the Prtlet, the user will have additinal ptins including marking all the items as having been read, and deleting New Item Histry. Firm News Feeds Custm Prtlets The Firm News Feed type f Custm Prtlet will allw the user t create and maintain an RSS-style page, with News Items that are created fr that Firm. T successfully create ne, supply the fllwing infrmatin: Descriptin: This is actually the name f the Prtlet, as seen in the Select Prtlets Screen. Be as specific as pssible in 30 characters r less. Type: Set at Firm News Feed. Allw thers t view this Prtlet <checkbx>: If this is checked, all Staff (if privileged) will be able t access this. If this is unchecked, nly the Staff wh is creating this Prtlet will be able t see it. News Items: Think f these as the headlines that will appear, listed n the Firm s News Feed. As such, there will be (mre than likely) multiple News Items in the Firm News Feed Prtlet. Each News Item will require the fllwing infrmatin: News Item Infrmatin: This is where the basic infrmatin f the News Item is kept. Descriptin: This is the headline f this News Item. Address: This field, which is ptinal, will add click functinality t the Descriptin f this News Item, turning it int a link t ne f the fllwing ptins (accessible by clicking the buttn t the right f this field): Lcatin: This is the lcatin f a specific file that the staff will be able t access. An example f this wuld be a Wrd Dcument r Excel Spreadsheet that the staff may be interested in navigating t after reading this News Item. Internal Dcument Only 7

8 This turns the Descriptin int an address link, which will start a new t the recipient specified. An example f this maybe a News Item reading Welcme ur New Emplyee that, when clicked n, starts an t that emplyee. URL: This is a web address field, allwing the Descriptin t navigate the user t a specific Web Address. An example f this wuld be a News Item reading Sale n Scks! that, when clicked n, takes them t the webpage where the nline sale can be fund. Date: This is the date this News Item is psted as f. Practice will supply the date, but this field is editable. Cntent: This is where the text f the News Item is typed. This sectin als includes a Frmatting tlbar that will allw the user t custmize the lk f this text. The tlbar als includes the ability t add links t the text, which als can pint t a file, r website (as abve). Attachment: This sectin, which is ptinal, allws the News Item itself t carry an attachment. Title: This is the name f the Attachment. A benefit f this field may be t simplify the cmplex name f a file, such as attaching May14 th StaffStatusReprt.xls as simply Status Reprt. Address: Much like the Address f the News Item itself, this field makes the Attachment a link t the file, r website specified. While this field is nt technically required t save the News Item, leaving it blank wuld create an Attachment Link that desn t d anything. Type: This displays an icn indicating the type f Attachment the user is abut t click n. It is imprtant t chse as clsely as pssible t the type f Attachment, t prevent cnfusin. Cnsideratins fr Firm News Feed Custm Prtlets: Befre saving this type f Custm Prtlet, use the News Feed Preview Tab t review the Items created. This will ensure that the Items are displaying crrectly and behaving as the user intended. Internal Dcument Only 8

9 After selecting this Prtlet n a dashbard, the resulting Prtlet will appear as such: While using the Firm News Feed Custm Prtlet: The News Items will default t cndensed, meaning there will be a plus buttn available t the left that the user will need t click n t read that News Item. This is different than simply clicking n the New Item itself, which may launch the user elsewhere. By right-clicking n the Prtlet, the user may have the ptin (if allwed via Security privileges) t Add News Item. This will pen the Custm Prtlets windw, with the current Prtlet in edit mde and a new News Item waiting t be created. Andrew thinks Yu may have seen ther RSS Feeds that are flashy and awesme, including pictures and animatin. Yes, this technlgy des exist. N, yu can t d that in Practice CS quite yet. While I was able t find the table that cntains the stred XML fr these News Feeds, I wasn t able t edit it withut making Practice explde. I m sure smene can d it; I m nt sure that smene is yu. Reprt Viewer Custm Prtlets The Reprt Viewer type f Custm Prtlet will allw the user t display a Practice CS reprt. T successfully create ne, supply the fllwing infrmatin: Descriptin: This is actually the name f the Prtlet, as seen in the Select Prtlets Screen. Be as specific as pssible in 30 characters r less. Type: Set at Reprt Viewer. Allw thers t view this Prtlet <checkbx>: If this is checked, all Staff (if privileged) will be able t access this. Likewise, if this is unchecked, nly the Staff wh is creating this Prtlet will be able t see it. Filter the Prtlet t nly the displayed Client r lgged in Staff <checkbx>: If this is checked, the Reprt selected will autmatically filter itself dwn t nly that Client selected n the Client Dashbard r the Staff selected n the Staff Dashbard (when the Prtlet is viewed n that specific Dashbard). Selected Reprt: This field will autmatically fill in after the reprt is selected belw. Internal Dcument Only 9

10 Cnsideratins fr setting up Reprt Viewer Custm Prtlets: Again, if the user des nt have access t Print the reprt that this Custm Prtlet was created t display, the Custm Prtlet will nt be an ptin. After selecting this Prtlet n a dashbard, the resulting Prtlet will appear as such: While using the Reprt Viewer Custm Prtlet: The first time the Prtlet is laded, Practice will display the Reprt s Optins. This allws the user viewing the Prtlet t change the ptins, much like they d change them during Printing that reprt. Practice will then save these ptins and autmatically use them the next time the Prtlet is laded, withut displaying the Reprt s Optins dialg. If the user wuld like t change these ptins, they can right-click n the reprt and chse Optins. The reprt Viewer Prtlet has a Tlbar hidden by default, which the user may find helpful. By rightclicking the Prtlet and chse Shw Tlbar, additinal ptins will be available at the tp f the Prtlet. These ptins include: Internal Dcument Only 10

11 Table f Cntents: Theretically displays a table f cntents, althugh this is mst likely nt applicable t Practice CS reprts. Print: This will print the reprt t their default printer. If they want the same Print ptins as when Printing the reprt thrugh the File menu, they shuld right-click and chse Print. Cpy: This will cpy the cntents f the reprt t the clipbard. Find: This will display a Find dialg that the user can use t search fr specific text. Single/Multiple Page View: These tw buttns will allw the user t shw either ne page at a time, r multiple pages at a time. Cntinuus Scrll: This ptin shws the pages, ne n tp f the ther, allwing the user t scrll rather than having t next thrugh the varius pages. Zm Out/Zm In/Percentage Field: These ptins change the size f the displayed reprt, allwing the user t make it larger r smaller as needed. Navigatin Arrws: These allw the user t mve frm page t page in the reprt. Page Number Field: this displays the page that the user is currently viewing. This field is nt editable and will nt navigate the user t a specific page. In Cnclusin Custm Prtlets are quick t setup, easy t maintain and allw the firm t further custmize what the staff can see n the Dashbards. Depending n what the staff needs t see, we shuld have a Prtlet t accmmdate. In shrt; Custm Prtlets are awesme and I can t imagine anyne disagreeing. Internal Dcument Only 11