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pop up description layer
Developer Center BlogProvide the Right Popup List for the Job
A few months ago we posted an article titled Maintaining Those Pesky Popup Lists. That article presented a solution that not only provided control of all your popup lists in a single centralized form, but it also enabled you to delegate maintenance of these lists to non-administrator personnel.  We received many positive comments about this solution and also received several requests to take this solution a little further. One reader asked if there was a way to limit the values in the popup lists based on the data entered in another field. They currently have popup fields on their Job ticket for proof type, print device, paper type, paper size and print quality. Their request is to limit the values in those popups to what is appropriate for the selected proof type. Apparently, the paper type and sizes, and print quality available for the color accurate plotter differs from the paper and quality available for the black and white laser printer.
For this request, we added another dimension to the popup solution to allow filtering the popup lists for the selected proof type (which we called Category). This expanded solution provides the means for specifying the Categories and then entry of the related Field Names and list items. Since this popup data is entered into this Reference form, non-administrator users can be given access to maintain the list data.  Now, on the Job ticket, selecting a proof type filters the related popup fields to provide the appropriate lists of values. The number of values available in the popups is dynamically reduced. This has simplified the user's data entry and improved the data accuracy by only offering options appropriate for the select proof type.
Download and install this snippet to see how we created this multi-dimensional popup solution. We have annotated the included MetaScript to help explain the process. This may also help you to understand and utilize these features in your own solutions. Do you have a use for a solution like this in your Virtual Ticket system? Or perhaps you have a completely different idea or request that you would like us to help you with? Let us know; we’re always looking for a good challenge. 
Increasing the Performance of your Virtual Ticket Forms
 Sometimes, when customers add more and more to their forms (we have customers with hundreds of fields on a single form) the forms become complex and may need to be “tuned” to eliminate unnecessary performance problems. The key to tackling such performance issues is two-fold: you must first identify bottlenecks and then correct them. One of the tools we have been using in Professional Services to identify bottlenecks is PSTrace.js, part of the Professional Services Library. This tool helps identify SQL queries, server plugin calls, or server script calls that may cause performance issues. By looking at the results, we are able to determine not only the number of items but also how long these items take to process. For example, if we have twenty popup controls on a form, and each one has its own list query, the large number of queries may end up slowing down your form load. A solution to this would be to use a server-side script to create our lists, or we could use PS.LoadScriptPopup to have the popup only load the query when the user clicks on the popup. To use PSTrace.js, make sure you have the latest Professional Services Library, and follow the instructions listed in the Virtual Ticket documentation. Using this tool, you can easily identify your bottlenecks, and determine the best way to tune your forms for performance. If you would like advice, feel free to contact our support department or me directly. 
An Unassuming Interface with Simplicity in Mind
 Managers Dashboard The redesign of the Management dashboard is one of the best UI improvements of Approval Manage 2012. We redesigned this dashboard by increasing the leading and vertical spacing, which creates an easy-to-scan proof list. Each proof contains one main action that is singled out with a bold typeface and each proof is presented in organized groupings that are made collapsible. On the expanded view, we’ve added a larger thumbnail of each file and displayed it under its corresponding stage name. Also included in the expanded view are more prominently colored “manage” buttons. These new, blue buttons have become the primary call-to-action color and tell the manager where to go to make any alterations to the proof itself.  Notifications We as creative professionals are visual people. As such, the new Approval Manager 2012 has incorporated a thumbnail for every proof mentioned in your email. Each file thumbnail is aligned in a vertical column for quick scanning, so users can make their decisions faster. In addition, each proof requiring action contains the new, blue primary button as the dominant action to take. Manager’s notes are shown below each proof in a yellow field with increased padding. All of this is on new, taller rows making the email more comfortable to read, allowing you to quickly find your file.  Proof View With the newly added group functionality, we’ve revamped how proofs get displayed for all roles. We’ve cleared out unnecessary stage clutter to only show current stage information, pertinent to that specific user. On each current stage, a new grouping of thumbnails is presented along with multi-colored circles representing the current review status of each file. The current stage is highlighted in a brighter yellow to show exactly what stage to focus on. Each current stage contains a single dominant action, our new, primary button to show what is expected of the user. 
Using the Google Chart API to Show Charts in Virtual Ticket
 Data can be queried from a Virtual Ticket system and sent to the Google Chart API through a URL. The chart API then uses the data in the URL to generate and send back a chart image that can be used in Virtual Ticket forms. This provides a quick, visual way to communicate important information to users and clients.
Some common examples for using the chart API could include showing the past six months sales in a line graph, displaying total sales for individual departments in a pie chart, showing percentage of sales by region in a map graph or charting open jobs over the last month in a bar graph. Any information that can be expressed in one of Google’s charts can be displayed on a Virtual Ticket form. To display the chart in Virtual Ticket, you will first need to create a graph or chart using the chart wizard Google provides. This will generate a URL that points to an image of the chart that you created using the chart API. You can then use the Professional Services Library function PS.SetWebImage to load the URL into a Virtual Ticket form. There are no limits to how many calls can be made to the Google Chart API. The chart you created uses static values that are displayed directly in the URL. However, you could replace the values in the URL with a database query to load dynamic values into the chart. This way, the chart will automatically change based on the query. Every time someone opens the Virtual Ticket form, the chart (or charts) will be up-to-date. Toolbox Snippet TS19236: Google Chart API Example Snippet gives more information about how the chart API URL works. In addition to line graphs, you can also generate bar graphs, radar graphs, point graphs, pie charts, as well as mapping charts. Can you think of some uses for the chart API? Let us know how you used it! 
Feature Preview: Approval Manager 2012
 Group Proofing and Uploading Multiple Files Approval Manager 2012 now allows you to upload multiple files and proof those files as a group. The Spark! interface can display all of the files included in the group. Here you can approve or reject individual files plus approve or reject the entire group of files. This will be extremely helpful on projects where your client needs to select from a stack of images for a website or even if you need to route and review a group of files making up a marketing campaign. Now, you can upload all of the images into a group proof and your customer can approve the files they want and reject the files they don’t want. They can then choose to approve or reject the group as a whole. Comment Replies and Attachments Another cool feature, one that we’ve had many requests for, is the ability to reply to a comment. This feature allows reviewers to reply to another reviewer’s comment, starting a conversational comment thread. We have even included the ability to attach files to any comment or reply. Attachments can help a reviewer clarify their comments by including an image or a file that provides supporting information. Also, each comment, reply and attachment is updated in real-time, so users will automatically see any new additions to the developing conversation immediately. File Management Window The overall management of files in Approval Manager has been improved and streamlined. From uploading multiple files all at once and viewing statuses to discarding files and uploading new versions, the new File Management window acts as a central location for managing all your files. Other Features Additional tools have been added to Spark! such as the Pen Tool and Color Chooser, which allows reviewers to apply any color to their markups. Support of Adobe Illustrator files is now included in Spark! as well as the ability to post comments, replies and attachments on unsupported file types directly in the Spark! review. The dashboard views in Approval Manager have also been redesigned to offer more workflow information and increased control for managers, producers and reviewers. As you can see, there’s a lot to be excited about. If you’d like to try out any of these features now, you can check out our 14-day online trial for free at: http://www.metacommunications.com/products/approval_manager/editions. What other features would you like to see in Approval Manager or our other products? Let us know! 
Practical Uses for AWS Tags
The results are workflows that can become very large and difficult to manage. One way to help simplify these complex schedules is by using AWS tags. These color-coded tags allow you to visually divide activities into specific categories. For example, if you want to bring extra attention to activities that last one day or less, you could create a new tag called Rush to indicate this. In image 1, we have defined a Rush tag and selected pink to highlight the tag. In image 2, we have applied this tag to each activity with a duration of one day or less. These activities are now visually separate from the other activities, indicating their Rush status. In addition, AWS tags allow you to customize your sort and filter options. For instance, you can create a different colored AWS tag for key departments or divisions involved in the workflow. In images 3 & 4 below, we have applied an AWS tag that groups together the activities assigned to the copywriter and the editorial director departments. Filtering items based on this tag allows us to view just the activities pertaining to this department (image 4). Have you discovered a unique way to use AWS tags in your company’s workflow schedule? Let us know in the comments below. 
Increase the Quick Response in Your Life
 QR codes can be used to encode many types of information including email addresses, websites URLs, physical addresses and phone numbers. Once created, the code can be scanned with a smart phone camera to quickly retrieve the encoded information. Many advertisers, magazines and newspapers have begun using QR codes to create quick links to articles or websites that have more information for interested users. Recently, on our Developer Center Forums, one user requested the ability to show or embed these QR codes on their Virtual Ticket forms. Using a free Google QR Code Chart API and many of the ideas we’ve previously written about (including Posting to Twitter and Bringing Forms to Life with Dynamic Images), we created a function in the Professional Services Library that allows users to place a QR code on a form containing information that can then be scanned and shared. For example, scanning the following QR code will display a link to our website, metacommunications.com: 
Many smartphone apps exist to scan QR Codes. To get one of these apps, search your app store or marketplace for a "barcode scanner". To create these codes in your own installation, simply use the Professional Services Library function (PS.SetQR) and soon you will have quick responses to your jobs! Do you use the QR code function? How did it help you? 
Maintaining Those Pesky Popup Lists
 With this tool, the data users enter can be limited to the selections that the VT administrator has included in the popup selection list. Users can only select an item from the list so only acceptable data is entered into the system. What becomes tedious for the administrator is maintaining the same popup list on several forms. Each time an item needs to be added or removed from the list; the administrator must go to each form where the popup appears and update the selection list. Back in February, in an article titled “A Day in the Life… The Delegate”, we outlined a solution that utilizes editable grids to maintain popup lists. In this solution, multiple editable grids were created in a reference area of Virtual Ticket, one grid for each popup list. This solution not only provided control of all your popup lists in a single centralized form, but it also enabled you to delegate maintenance of these lists to non-administrator personnel. Recently, we have taken this solution one step further. By using a combination of two editable grids, you can now easily add, subtract and edit an unlimited number of popup lists without having to create an editable grid for each and without requiring the administrator login. With this solution, the first grid contains a list of all of the different types of data for popup lists. Choosing one of the type selections from this grid will populate the second grid with the list of popup choices for that type (see image above). Since both of these grids are editable grids, the number of popup lists and the number of choices within those lists is unlimited. Once the list data is entered, all that is left to do is to call the appropriate type selection list for each form popup. A PS Library function works perfectly for this. Just add the PS.FetchList function to the List MetaScripts property on each form popup. This complete toolbox snippet can be downloaded here. The scripting behind this new reference form and the form’s popup element utilize a powerful combination of PS library functions and editable grid scripting. This solution also highlights one of many techniques that utilize server-side scripting functionality and a concept for building multi-dimensional editable grids. Give it a try. You should be able to have a complete popup list solution running on your system in less than 15 minutes. Let us know what you think and let us know if you have any other form building and MetaScriping solutions you would like to see examples of. 
Block Off Some Time
 Once the block of hours is banked, clients can start projects quickly in our professional services area. Each client has a dedicated project manager that helps keep the process on track.
Below are a few example projects: - New electronic forms
- Automated email reminders
- Web browser interfaces
- Automation of processes
- Online training
- Reports
As you can see, a block of hours can be used to finish off lingering projects and add priority customizations to your system, but it can also be used for training to help Workgroups System Administrators shore up their skills in SQL, MetaScript, and overall systems design. If you’re interested in exploring this option, you can contact me or your sales representative. We’re here to serve you. 
A New Appreciation for Text Content
 As you may (or may not) know, Virtual Ticket can extract the text content of selected digital assets when they are cataloged as a digital resource in the system. This functionality exists when cataloging Adobe Acrobat PDF files, Adobe InDesign and Illustrator files (from the Macintosh platform), QuarkXPress files (also from the Macintosh platform) and Microsoft PowerPoint files. This information is saved in the Text Content field of the Digital Resources folder type. So why is that so special? Over the past few weeks, I’ve been doing a lot of work with marketing departments of larger corporations. Each of these have their own brands and product lines, with marketing projects and collaterals including advertisements, brochures, sell sheets, website materials, and more. And in each case, Virtual Ticket is not only managing the projects, schedules and assignments, but is also cataloging the digital resources that go into these. By cataloging the text content of these digital resources, the marketing departments can now use Virtual Ticket to perform the following (yes, these are real-world use-cases): - Find all the files that contain a specific product model number so that when that model gets changed, they know what files will need to be updated.
- Find all the files containing a specific phrase: “the best ...”, “the only ...”, “#1 recommended”, etc. In this scenario if the phrase comes under question or needs to get changed, they can quickly and easily find all the files containing that phrase.
- Let product managers, who in this case are outside the marketing department, search for any “approved” files for a specific brand or product line.
In each case, the text content can be used in the search process, allowing the Virtual Ticket user to quickly and easily find what they need and continue with their work from there. Additionally, this frees up the marketing department from having to spend time digging through the old projects, pulling files manually and compiling the list by hand. Is capturing the text content of digital resources new to Virtual Ticket? No. But sometimes the long-standing features can provide just as much value to a customer as the latest and greatest innovation. 
Bring Collaboration Out of Your Email Client and into Your Workflow
 If you have set up the File Collector in Folder mode, you have the ability to save emails and attachments related to each job. This gives you an archive or audit trail of the correspondences connected to your workflow. When a client sends you an email you can drag and drop entire emails along with any attachments into the file collector from your email application (Outlook, Entourage, Apple Mail, etc.). When you do this, it creates a copy of the communication out of your inbox, and saves it in Virtual Ticket, available for everyone to search and review in a much easier and faster way than many email applications. This adds another level of organization by allowing you to keep your workflow connected to your emails and in turn keeping it connected to the flow of related conversations and interactions. Because each email will be tied to each corresponding job, you won’t have to search through piles of emails to reconstruct the collaboration process that took place during each job. Virtual Ticket gives you the ability to keep collaboration and your workflow linked. The communication process is reconstructed and maintained for you to easily revisit past conversations and interactions. Also, the communication process no longer stays trapped inside your or your colleagues email inbox. It can now be accessed from anywhere throughout Virtual Ticket. If you’re out of the office, your coworkers won’t be trying to get into your email, calling you on the golf course or, even worse, ignoring a new message from the customer. This allows true, interconnected collaboration for you, your customers, your jobs and your projects, something Virtual Ticket strives for in all aspects of your projects and workflow. Have you saved your email chain into Virtual Ticket? We’d love to hear in the comments how you use this collaboration feature. 
File Collectors: Folder Mode Vs. Collection Mode
 “Everyone is doing their own thing, naming folders with odd abbreviations and placing multiple folders within other folders. It is a mess,” He commented. I asked him, “Have you ever considered using file collectors to manage the file structure for you?” He responded, “We use file collectors all the time and they are great at making associations and helping us know where everything is. But, the server itself is still a hodge-podge of strange folders.” As you can imagine, this customer was thrilled to learn about the two modes available for file collectors. The 2010 release of Virtual Ticket added a powerful option for file collectors. In addition to cataloging digital resources and associating them with specific records, these file collectors can physically move or copy digital resources directly to a file server. This can serve as a very helpful tool for standardizing how your digital assets are stored. Below is a description of the two file collector modes: Folder Mode - When a file collector is set to Folder Mode, it will physically manage your digital resources. The default path option becomes available where you can specify exactly where files are to be stored. A digital resource that is dragged into a file collector that is set to Folder Mode will physically move the file as well as catalog it. If you don’t want the file to move but instead want it copied to the server location, hold down the option or control button as the file is brought into the collector. An important attribute of a file collector set to Folder Mode is that it will display exactly what is in the specified folder. Collection Mode - When a file collector is set to Collection Mode, it simply catalogs the digital resource and does not physically move it. Collection Mode collectors are great when a single file needs to be associated with multiple projects. They are also great when you only want to provide a user visual access or limited server control. These file collector options can provide you a great deal of control, so be sure to consider this when setting up form permissions. Also, keep your eye out for an upcoming blog where we will discuss the various options available with these two collector modes. For more information on file collectors please visit our Documentation Center. 
Streamlining Customer Service with Virtual Ticket
 Megan, a Virtual Ticket administrator who I speak with frequently, needed help producing a solution for her company’s customer service department that tracks previous complaints, returns and other issues from their customers. Overtime, Megan has constructed an impressive custom Virtual Ticket system that has been developed to fit her company’s needs. But, with this particular problem, Megan was stuck. Partnering with Cliff from our professional services group, we produced a solution for Virtual Ticket that informs customer service representatives of previous issues logged by customers. Our solution works by comparing the customer’s main and alternate phone numbers to phone numbers entered by customer service representatives on previous issues. When a customer service representative enters a customer’s information, the solution checks the phone number to see if it is connected to any previous issues. If so, a button will appear on the form indicating the previous issues from this customer. Clicking the button takes the customer service representative to a search result window containing a list of previous issues. While implementing the solution with Megan, we discovered that the existing phone number fields didn’t follow a consistent format. Some had parenthesis around the area code while some didn’t. Some contained dashes and some didn’t. This would make the results inconsistent and the solution worthless. We resolved this problem with a function from the PS Library to ensure each phone number was always in a consistent format. We have included an example of this function with the overall solution in Toolbox Snippet 19191. Do you have issues like Megan’s that you need to solve? Let us know. 
Customizing Built-In AWS Reports
 With the new version of Virtual Ticket’s Advanced Workflow and Scheduling solution, AWS 5.0, a Production Reports menu item was introduced under the Workflow Application Menu. This new menu item allows users to preview and run various “canned” reports tied to the AWS solution. On a side note, if you haven’t used this Production Reports menu, I really encourage you to check it out. It’s a much more efficient way of previewing a report and fine-tuning your search criteria prior to actually generating the resulting PDF report file. While these reports are very useful, you may wish to modify each report. Now users can freely edit these reports so they always have a set of custom reports on hand. Along with this, a user can copy the existing reports, rename them and save them as completely new reports. This allows users to begin building a unique list of reports that can be accessed from the menu and integrated into their workflow. Allowing this level of customization creates reports that better fit your organization’s workflow. If a report has unneeded information that may cause confusion, get rid of it. If your report is missing details that you feel would be useful, add them. All these little tweaks increase your workflow’s efficiency and lead to less confusion and less stress. Do you have any modifications you want to make to the existing AWS reports? If so, let me know. I’d love to hear about it and find out whether this new functionality can help you achieve your goal. 
Virtual Ticket Enhanced Window Shade
 Electronic forms can quickly become very complex and this increasing complexity can often make a form difficult to use. The window shade we previously discussed allows a user to add a clickable arrow button on specific section headers to collapse and expand a section. A once complex form now becomes compacted, more customizable and more user-friendly. Ever since posting this article, I’ve received a lot of positive feedback along with a number of great suggestions for increasing the functionality of the window shade effect. After incorporating several of these suggestions, I present you with a newly enhanced version of the Window Shade Widget. Updates in this version include: - The ability to set the default state of the window shade. MetaScript can be used to specify whether the window shade’s default state is “open” or “closed”. This is helpful if you have sections that only certain groups need to pay attention to, but need the information available to everyone for searching and reporting purposes. For example, if you have a Job Ticket, you may want all sections except the finishing to be collapsed when viewed by someone in production, but want all sections initially expanded when viewed by a CSR.
- The ability to change the style of the arrow. Now you can set the color of the arrow, along with the background or border color of the button. This is necessary when header colors are similar to the default black arrow, such as a navy blue. It allows the user to control the color contrast of the arrow, background and border to ensure each element is easily seen.
I have outlined how to include these enhancements in Toolbox Snippet TS19186:Enhanced Window Shade Widget. As always, keep the feedback coming, and we will do our best to continue enhancing the solutions! 
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