Release Notes. Aconex Release Ver 1.1 September 10

Release 

Notes 

Aconex Release 

10.0 

Table of Contents

All Projects Management Summary Available from Project List  19  View All Link Opens Pre‐configured Search Page  19  Expand and Collapse Any Lists on the Tasks Page  20  Task Count Displayed for Each Task Type  20  Link to Support Central from the Tasks Page  21  No Projects Page  21  Other Changes  22  4.  Configurable Document Auto‐numbering  22  Configurable Document Auto‐numbering Now Available  22  Uploading a Single Document Using Configurable Document Auto‐numbering  23  Uploading Multiple Documents Using Configurable Document Auto‐numbering  23  Configurable Document Auto‐numbering Preference  24  Setting Your Project Code for Configurable Document Auto‐numbering  25  Setting Your Organization Code for Configurable Document Auto‐numbering  26  Changing Document Type Codes  26  Editing Single Select List Document Fields  27  Creating a Document Auto‐numbering Scheme  28  Editing a Document Auto‐numbering Scheme  30  5.  Tenders  31  Enhancements to New Tenders Module  31  Attaching Local Files When Creating a Tender Addendum  32  Attaching Local Files to a Tender RFI Response  33  Downloading a Zip File for Tender Response Attachments  34  Removing an Organization from a Tender  35  Preventing Recipients from Creating a Tender Response in Aconex  36  Tender Declined Notification Email  37  Providing Comments When Declining a Tender Invitation  38  Attaching Local Files to a Tender RFI  38  Downloading a Zip File for Tender Addendum Attachments  39  6.  Workflows  40  Shortcuts List Removed  40  Other Changes  40  7.  Administration  40  System Menu Removed  40 

Projects Module Functionality Now Accessed From Setup Module  41  New Setup Menu  41  Changes to the Projects Page  43  Code Now Required for Some Document Fields  43  Secured Asset Terminology Change  43  Mail Approvals Security Settings Moved to Mail Section  43  Other Changes  44  8.  Print Shops  44  New Print Shops Interface  44  9.  Archives  45  New Project Archive  45  New Local Copy  45  10.  New Help Center  46  New Support Central  46  Accessing Help  46  Search Support Central  46  Contextual Help  47  11.  Other  47  Aconex in Italian  47  New Interface Register Type  47  Other Changes  48  12.  Appendix  49  Terminology Changes  49 

1. New User Interface

Aconex 10.0 still has the same features that you know and rely on, but you’ll see that they’re faster to get to, easier to use, and a lot better looking.

Navigation is clearer and simpler and you’ll need fewer clicks to get around.

New Login Page

The new streamlined login page has fewer links making it simpler and faster to use.

Figure 1 – New Login page

New Welcome to Aconex Task Section

The information in the new Welcome to Aconex task section shows information and links about the latest release or other important information. You can choose to hide this information once you’ve read it, but you can always re-display it if required. New

information will be displayed for each new release automatically, even if you have chosen to hide the previous information.

Figure 2 – New Welcome to Aconex task section

New Module Menu

The new Module Menu has larger, easier to read buttons. If all of the module buttons can’t be fitted into a single line, due to screen resolution or if your browser window is not

maximized, an up/down button appears at the far right to allow you to display the second menu row.

New Module Sub Menus

New Module Sub Menus give you one click access to your most frequently used actions. The module sub menus also contain links to the Aconex default saved searches, as well as personal and organizational saved searches, for the following modules:

 Mail  Documents  Workflows

 Supplier Documents.

Figure 4 – New Documents module sub menu

New Non-scrolling Page Title Bar

The new page title bar appears under the Module Menu and is part of our new styling for this release. It shows the page name, and toolbar buttons relevant to the page, such as Save Search As, Print, and so on. This page title bar remains in view even when you scroll down the page. You won’t lose instant access to the actions you need.

Please note that this feature is not available in Internet Explorer 6.

Figure 5 – No-scrolling page title bar.

New Banner

PROJECT SELECTOR AVAILABLE IN BANNER

Your current project is shown in the Project Selector in the banner. You can now change projects from any page.

Figure 6 – Choose a different project from the Project Selector

USER NAME AND ORGANIZATION MOVED TO BANNER

Your name and organization are now displayed in the banner.

Figure 7 – Your organization and name

LOGOUT FUNCTIONALITY MOVED TO BANNER

Click the Logout link on the banner to log out of Aconex.

Figure 8 – Logout link

HELP ICON FUNCTIONALITY MOVED TO BANNER

Click the Help link on the banner to search for topics in Support Central, see a list of page-specific help topics, or display your local help desk telephone number.

Figure 9 – Help link

Loading Page

Our new Loading page gives you positive feedback that a new page is loading. No more guessing if you’ve clicked something, or if the page is loaded yet. The new page displays when it is fully loaded so you can get straight to work.

Button Styles Changed

Buttons in Aconex are now text only, with a cleaner more modern style. The primary button on each page is colored orange to make it easier to find. The Back button is an exception to this new style and is displayed only as an icon to make it easy to distinguish from the action buttons.

Figure 11 – New Back button style

Figure 12 – Orange color for primary buttons

Mandatory Fields Highlighted

Mandatory fields are now outlined in orange and have a yellow background as well as being indicated by a red asterisk. You can quickly see which fields you need to fill in and which ones are optional.

Figure 13 – Highlighting for mandatory fields

Access Your Favorite Personal and Organizational Saved Searches

from Module Sub Menus

Available in: Documents, Mail, Workflows, and Supplier Documents

Module sub menus now list your first four personal and organizational saved searches (in alphabetical order) for fast access. You can control which searches appear in the module sub menu through the name assigned to the search. For example, prefix each of your top four saved searches with the figures 1 to 4.

If you have more than four personal saved searches or organizational saved searches the

more link appears. This link takes you to the default search for the module, where you can

access all your saved searches.

Figure 14 – Personal, organizational and standard saved searches in the Mail module sub menu

Row Striping Changed

Available in: Documents, Mail, Workflows, Tenders and Supplier Documents

We’ve replaced the current row striping of a light grey background for each alternate row in search pages with lines between each row for cleaner style.

Figure 15 – Search results

2. Documents and Mail

Saving Mail as Draft

Available in: Mail

You’ll now be notified of the time at which your mail is saved by the automatic save to draft function when creating or editing mail – but without interrupting your work. Mails are automatically saved every five minutes.

We’ve also changed how you manually save a mail to draft when creating a new mail or editing a draft mail. When you click the Save to Draft button, your mail is saved in the background, without taking you to the mail preview page, so you can keep working. A notification lets you know the time your mail was saved. You can be confident that your work is safe.

Mail Preview Button

You can preview your mail and check its appearance before you send it.

PREVIEWING A MAIL BEFORE SENDING IT

When creating a new mail or editing a draft mail, click the Preview button to view the:  Mail as the recipient will see it.

 Assigned mail number if set prior to send.

Figure 17 – Mail Preview button

Figure 18 – Mail Preview

Improved Display of Attachments in Mail

We’ve made two improvements to the way attachments are displayed in a mail. The list of attachments now appears before the body of the mail to make sure that attachments are not missed. The number of attachments is shown in the attachments title bar.

Figure 19 – Mail attachments list at start of mail and shows number of attachments

Mail Approval Available in Mail Module

The mail approval function is now part of the Mail module, and is available to all users. Previously you needed to have the Workflows module to have access to this functionality. You can review and action mail sent to you for approval, and check the status of mail you have requested approval for. You also access Mail Approvals Configuration functions from the Mail module.

One-Click Creation of Your Frequently Created Mail Types or a New

Blank Mail

Available in: Mail

On the Mail menu under Create New, you’ll now see an alphabetical list of the top (up to seven) types of mail you’ve created over the previous thirty days. Click on a mail type link to create a new mail of that type. The Type field in the mail is pre-populated, and any auto-text for the mail type will appear in the Body field. There are fewer clicks and page loads, which saves you time and bandwidth.

If the mail type you want is not listed, click Blank Mail and select the mail type you want on the New Mail page.

Figure 20 – Links to commonly used mail types

Changed Appearance of Mail Recipient Fields

To make it clearer that you need to have a least one recipient in either the To, Cc or Bcc field, we have grouped these fields together under Mail recipients and marked the group as mandatory.

Figure 21 – Mail recipient fields

Mail Threads Displayed in a Collapsible Section

The mail thread is now expanded by default when you open a mail. A scroll bar appears if there are more than four mails in the thread.

Click anywhere in the thread title bar to expand or collapse the thread. This state is remembered the next time you log in, or if you change projects.

The View Thread button and Hide Thread button have been removed.

Response Required List Text Changes

The text in the Response Required list has been changed. The new text is shorter and it’s easier to distinguish between the items.

Previous text New text

Your response is required by Respond by Your approval is required by Approve by

Please submit your comments by Submit comments by Please revise and re-submit by Revise and re-submit by Please submit your quotation by Submit quotation by Please fabricate in accordance with

drawings and deliver by

Fabricate in accordance with drawings and deliver by

Tender due by Tender due by

Please click Reply to acknowledge that you have read this Mail by

Acknowledge by

Your action is required by Action by

Documents Search Page Tabs Renamed

The Registered tab has been renamed to Document Register, (for document register projects) and the Unregistered tab is now called Temporary Files. This to make the purpose and function of the two tabs clearer.

The name of the register tab will reflect the register type. For example, if you’re using an

Assets type register, this tab will be labeled Asset Register.

Figure 23 – Document tabs renamed

New Document Options Menu

You can now display the Document Options Menu by clicking anywhere (except on a link) within a row in a document search results list. Links and icons still have the same

functionality. The Doc Options Menu column has been removed from the columns on the document search page.

SELECTING A DOCUMENT OPTIONS ACTION

To choose a document options menu action:

1. At the document search results page, click anywhere in a row to display the document options menu.

Figure 24 – Document Options menu

Documents with Markups Downloaded in PDF Format

When you choose to download one or more documents as a zip download with markups, the documents are now converted to PDF format instead of TIFF format. PDF files can be viewed on most computers and contain vector information, which provides a higher resolution for better quality printouts than the equivalent TIFF file.

Document Terminology Change

We’ve changed the terminology from registering documents to uploading documents. You’ll now see Upload used instead of Register in the interface on buttons, in page titles, and so on.

The Bulk Registration button has been renamed to Move to Register, and the Register button has been renamed to Upload.

Next Steps Guidance After Uploading a Single Document

After uploading a document to your register, you’ll now see a confirmation message showing:

 The document number of the uploaded document.

 Information about the next steps available to you. Click the link to open the appropriate page, which is pre-populated with relevant details.

Click the Close button if you don’t want to perform any of these actions. Use the Module

Figure 25 – Next step information and links after successfully uploading a document

Next Steps Guidance After Superseding a Single Document

After superseding a document in your register, you’ll now see a confirmation message showing:

 The document number of the superseded document.

 Information about the next steps available to you. Click the link to open the appropriate page, which is pre-populated with relevant details.

Click the Close button if you don’t want to perform any of these actions.

Figure 26 – Next step information and links after successfully superseding a document

Online Viewer Upgrade

The online viewer has been upgraded, allowing for a greater number of file types to be used. Please call Helpdesk at any time for information on supported file types.

Issues resolved in the upgrade include:

 Issues with viewing or printing some PDF files.  Issue printing some .DXF files.

 Issues where document markups are rotated when the document is printed.  Issue printing from the online viewer in Firefox 3.5.

 When comparing drawings, the new align and scale feature enables users to correct alignment issues between the drawings for a better comparison.  Additional fonts now supported.

Other Changes

Available in Description

Documents Solved an issue where Terminated status was not available as a Review Status on the Documents search page.

Documents The Print Requests command on the Documents sub menu has been renamed to View Outstanding Print Requests to make the function of the command clearer.

Documents When a single select document field doesn’t have any values, users can no longer upload or supersede documents if the field is set as mandatory.

Documents The existing default document type codes have been updated for use with document auto-numbering. The codes are now consistent across instances and the code length fits within the allowed length for the scheme (maximum of five characters). Mail The In Ref To field has been renamed to Reference No to

make its purpose clearer.

Mail Solved an issue where mail did not render correctly if the text was wider than the A4 frame. The frame now expands to fit the text.

Mail When you’re on a mail search page, you can change to a different project and stay on the mail search page in the selected project. If you are on any other page in the Mail module, and you change project, the Tasks page is displayed.

Mail The Print button has been moved from the far right of the

View Mail page to just right of the Back button.

The name of the two print mode options has been changed:  Print Screen Mode is now Screen Style.

 Print Letter Mode is now Letter Style.

3. Tasks

New Look Tasks Page

The new Tasks page makes it easy for you to see how many tasks of each type are assigned to you. There are also shortcuts to frequently performed tasks, and Support Central.

Welcome to Aconex Task Section

You’ll see a welcome message on the Tasks page which contains new release

information. You can hide this panel so that it doesn’t appear the next time you view the Tasks page It will not appear again until either the next release or you change your preferences.

Figure 27 – Welcome to Aconex task section

Project Details Section

You’ll see the project logo (if one has been uploaded for the project), or project short name and address details in the Project Details task section at the top right of the Tasks page. Click anywhere in this section to display a page showing the project details. From the project details page, you can go to the Site Cams page if it is set up for your project.

Figure 28 – Project Details section on Tasks page

New Look Projects List

The Projects list at the left of the Tasks page now displays as a tree structure instead of a fixed list, and you can hide the Projects list if required.

TO VIEW OR HIDE THE PROJECTS LIST

To view or hide your list of projects:

1. Click Tasks from the Module Menu, and then under View, click My Tasks. 2. Click the Collapse icon on the left to hide the Projects list, if required.

Figure 29 – Collapsing the Projects list

Figure 30 – Expanding the Projects list

All Projects Management Summary Available from Project List

You now access the management summary for all projects from the All Projects link in the

Projects list at the left of the Tasks page.

VIEW ALL PROJECTS MANAGEMENT SUMMARY

To view the management summary for all of your projects:

1. Click Tasks from the Module Menu, and then under View, click My Tasks. 2. Click the All Projects link in the Projects list. Tasks for all your projects are

shown.

Figure 31 – All Projects - Management Summary

View All Link Opens Pre-configured Search Page

When you expand the list for a task type on the Tasks page, the top ten tasks are listed. Click the View All link go to a search page that is pre-configured to display all tasks of this type. On the search page you can select multiple items to apply actions such as mark as unread or close-out as required.

Figure 32 – Tasks page

Expand and Collapse Any Lists on the Tasks Page

You can now expand and collapse all module task lists (Tasks, Documents, Mail, and so on) on the Tasks page, as well as all type task lists (Unread To, Overdue, Overdue Transmittals, Awaiting your review, and so on). Click anywhere in the list title to expand or collapse the list. Aconex remembers your last setting for each list and applies it to all of your projects.

Figure 33 – Expand and collapse task lists

Task Count Displayed for Each Task Type

You’ll now see the total number of tasks for this group to the right of each module heading (Tasks, Documents, Mail, and so on).

If you have no tasks of a particular type, the task name appears a grey text with a zero task count.

Figure 34 – Task count for each list on Tasks page

Link to Support Central from the Tasks Page

Click anywhere in the Need help? section to access Support Central.

Figure 35 – Click in the Need help? section to go to Support Central

No Projects Page

If you are not currently a member of any projects, the Tasks page shows information and links to help you get started using Aconex. You also have access to the Setup module, so if you are an organization administrator, you can edit your organization details, create users and so on.

Other Changes

Available in Description

Tasks If a user is added in both the Cc and Bcc lists of a mail, only a single task is now created.

Tasks Solved an issue around the status of unread mails when a project mail was closed out. Mails in the Unread To list and

Unread Cc list will remain even when the mail is closed out.

Tasks The Shortcuts links on the Tasks page have changed as follows:

 The Draft Mail link has been added.

 The Register Incoming Mail link has been removed.

 New shorter names for the remaining links to reduce clutter and make them easier to find.

Tasks The number of documents in a workflow in the Awaiting your

Review list is displayed in brackets to the right of the

workflow number, instead of to the right of the workflow name.

Tasks Tasks for the old Tenders modules are no longer shown on the Tasks page.

Tasks The reminders functionality is no longer available on the

Tasks page.

Tasks The Unregistered Files list is no longer available on the

Tasks page.

Tasks The search functionality previously provided on the Tasks page is available in other applicable modules, and has been removed.

Tasks A New Guest task is no longer created when a guest account is created for the organization.

Tasks The link in guest emails for requesting organization

membership has been removed, so Incoming Membership

Request tasks are no longer created. Organization

administrators can still convert guests to users.

4. Configurable Document Auto-numbering

Configurable Document Auto-numbering Now Available

We’ve introduced configurable document auto-numbering for projects to provide a structured and comprehensive document numbering scheme for documents on a project. This feature will be enabled by default on all new projects, but disabled by default for existing projects. The project owner on an existing project can choose to enable document auto-numbering.

If the project owner chooses to use document auto-numbering, it applies to all organizations on the project.

There are six document fields that can be used to build a document number. You can choose one or more of these fields when creating an auto-numbering scheme. You can create several auto-numbering schemes and choose which document types the scheme applies to. You don’t have to apply an auto-numbering scheme to every document type.

When you upload documents, if the document type is associated with an auto-numbering scheme, the Document No field is read-only and a document number is assigned automatically on successful upload of the document.

When required, you can use the bulk supersede process to change a document number assigned automatically under an auto-numbering scheme. This change is recorded in the event log.

If you choose to use configurable document auto-numbering on an existing project, any automatically generated document number that has already been assigned to an existing document is skipped.

You can’t delete an auto-numbering scheme at this time, but you can remove all document types from the scheme so that it is no longer used.

Uploading a Single Document Using Configurable Document

Auto-numbering

Available in: Documents

When you upload a single document into the register, and the document type is assigned to a document auto-numbering scheme, the Document No field is read only. When the document is successfully uploaded, it is assigned the next available document number, according to the applicable document auto-numbering scheme. You’ll see the number assigned to your document in the upload confirmation message.

Figure 37 – Read-only Document No field

Uploading Multiple Documents Using Configurable Document

Auto-numbering

Available in: Documents

When you upload multiple documents into the register, the Document No field is read only and is blank for any documents with a type that is assigned to a document auto-numbering scheme. When the document is successfully uploaded, it is assigned the next available document number, according to the applicable document auto-numbering scheme. You’ll see the number assigned to your document in the upload confirmation message.

You’ll still need to provide a document number for any documents with a type that is not assigned to a document auto-numbering scheme.

UPLOADING MULTIPLE FILES USING AN UPLOAD PROFILE

You can use an upload profile with the Attempt to identify the document number from

the filename checkbox selected when uploading multiple files to Temporary Files. This

attempts to set the document number based on the filename.

For any documents with a type that is assigned to an auto-numbering scheme, this filename-based document number will be ignored, and the next available document number according to the applicable auto-numbering scheme is assigned to the document instead.

The revision identified from the filename for these documents is still applied.

Configurable Document Auto-numbering Preference

Available in: Setup

Project owners can control whether configurable document auto-numbering is available for a project. By default, all existing projects have this preference set to disabled, and all new projects have this preference set to enabled.

ENABLE DOCUMENT AUTO-NUMBERING FOR AN EXISTING PROJECT

Tip: When you enable document auto-numbering for your project, the Lock mail and

document types preference on the Project tab is also enabled. You can’t change this

preference while document auto-numbering is enabled.

Tip: For an existing project, you’ll need to review and save the document type codes for your project before using document auto-numbering. See Changing Document Type Codes To enable document auto-numbering:

1. Choose your project from the Project Selector at the top of the page. 2. Click Setup from the Module Menu, and then under Configuration, click

Preferences.

3. Click the Project tab.

4. Scroll to the Project-wide Settings section.

5. In the Documents section, in the Use document auto-numbering row: a. Clear the Use Default Setting checkbox.

b. Select the Setting checkbox. 6. Click the Save button.

DISABLE DOCUMENT AUTO-NUMBERING FOR A PROJECT

To disable document auto-numbering:

1. Choose your project from the Project Selector at the top of the page. 2. Click Setup from the Module Menu, and then under Configuration, click

Preferences.

3. Click the Project tab.

4. Scroll to the Project-wide Settings section.

5. In the Documents section, in the Use Document Auto-Numbering row: a. Clear the Use Default Setting checkbox.

b. Clear the Setting checkbox. 6. Click the Save button.

Figure 40 – Disable document auto-numbering

Setting Your Project Code for Configurable Document

Auto-numbering

Available in: Setup

You need to specify a project code to be used in the document auto-numbering scheme for documents.

SET DOCUMENT AUTO-NUMBERING PROJECT CODE

To set the project code:

1. Choose your project from the Project Selector at the top of the page. 2. Click Setup from the Module Menu, and then under Project, click Project

Settings.

3. Click the Project tab.

4. In the Project Names section, enter a code for your project in the Project Code field. This code must:

 Contain only letters or figures.  Be eight characters or less. 5. Click the Save button.

Figure 41 – Project Code field

Setting Your Organization Code for Configurable Document

Auto-numbering

Available in: Setup

You need to specify an organization code to be used in the document auto-numbering scheme for documents.

SET DOCUMENT AUTO-NUMBERING ORGANIZATION CODE

To set the organization code:

1. Choose your project from the Project Selector at the top of the page. 2. Click Setup from the Module Menu, and then under Project, click Project

Settings.

3. Click the Other tab.

4. In the Auto-number scheme section, enter a code for your organization in the

Document Auto-number Organization Code field. This code must:

 Be unique within the project.  Contain only letters or figures.  Be eight characters or less. 5. Click the Save button.

Figure 42 – Document Auto Number Organization Code field

Changing Document Type Codes

All document types are now assigned a default code for use with document

auto-numbering schemes. You can choose to change this default for any document types used on your project.

CHANGE DOCUMENT TYPE CODES

To change document type codes:

3. Click the Document Fields tab.

4. Scroll to Type, and click the edit link under the List Values column.

Figure 43 – Edit document type codes

5. Click the Save Changes button in the confirmation message.

6. In the Code column, enter a new document type code for each document type, as required. This code must:

 Be unique within the project.  Contain only letters or figures.  Be five characters or less. 7. Click the Save button.

Figure 44 – Document Type Codes

Editing Single Select List Document Fields

All document fields of the single select list type can be used in document auto-numbering schemes. When you create new values for these field types, you must also set a code for the value. You must specify a code for every value to be able to save your changes.

EDIT SINGLE SELECT LIST DOCUMENT FIELDS

To edit a single select list document field:

1. Choose your project from the Project Selector at the top of the page. 2. Click Setup from the Module Menu, and then under Project, click Project

Settings.

3. Click the Document Fields tab.

4. Scroll to the name of the field you want to add list items to in the Label column, and click the Edit link under the List Values column.

Figure 45 – Edit document field values

5. Click the Save Changes button in the confirmation message. 6. To add values to the list:

a. Enter the value name in the text box. To add multiple attribute value, press the

Enter key and enter the value name on the next line.

b. Click the Add button to add and save your new values.

7. To remove a value, click the checkbox for the value in the Remove list. 8. In the Code column, enter a code for each list value. This code must:

 Be unique within the project.  Contain only letters or figures.  Be four characters or less. 9. Click the Save button.

Figure 46 – Editing single select list document field values

Creating a Document Auto-numbering Scheme

Create a document numbering scheme by combining elements such as the project code, organization code, discipline, and document type. The number of elements available to you for creating a document auto-numbering scheme depends upon which document fields are enabled and mandatory for your project. The first four fields listed below are always available for any project.

Fields that are able to be used to create a document auto-numbering scheme are:  Organization

 Document Type  Discipline  Category  VDR Number

The Use document auto-numbering preference must be enabled for the project, before you can create a numbering scheme.

CREATE DOCUMENT AUTO-NUMBERING SCHEME

Tip: A document auto-numbering scheme must have at least two fields, one of which must be the Sequence Number.

Tip: Only single select list document fields that have been enabled and set as mandatory for your project will appear in the Format lists.

Tip: You can only assign a document type to one document auto-numbering scheme. To create a document auto-numbering scheme:

1. Choose your project from the Project Selector at the top of the page. 2. Click Setup from the Module Menu, and then under Project, click Project

Settings.

3. Click the Document Numbering tab.

4. Click the Create Numbering Scheme button.

Figure 47 – Creating a document numbering scheme

5. Enter a name for the scheme in the Name field.

6. Click the Add icon to add more format elements to the scheme if needed. 7. Click the Remove icon to remove a format element from the scheme if needed. 8. For each format element in the scheme, choose the appropriate item from the list.

One element must be set to Sequence Number. This is usually the last element in the scheme.

Figure 48 – Elements of a document numbering scheme

9. If required, you can select a different character in any Separator list. The default separator character is a hyphen.

11. Choose the sequence starting number in the Start at field. 12. Choose the document types that this scheme applies to:

 To apply this scheme to a document type, double-click on a document type in the Available document types list.

 To remove this scheme from a document type, double-click on a document type in the Selected document types list.

13. Click the Save button.

Editing a Document Auto-numbering Scheme

You can change an existing document auto-numbering scheme, as required. When you change a document auto-numbering scheme, it does not affect any document numbers already assigned to documents under the scheme.

Tip: A document auto-numbering scheme must have at least two fields, one of which must be the Sequence Number.

Tip: Only single select list document fields that have been enabled and set as mandatory for your project will appear in the Format lists.

Tip: You can only assign a document type to one document auto-numbering scheme. Tip: If you don’t want to use a document auto-numbering scheme, removed all of the document types from the Selected document types list.

EDIT DOCUMENT AUTO-NUMBERING SCHEME

To edit a document auto-numbering scheme:

1. Choose your project from the Project Selector at the top of the page. 2. Click Setup from the Module Menu, and then under Project, click Project

Settings.

3. Click the Document Numbering tab.

4. Click the name of the document auto-numbering scheme that you want to edit.

Figure 49 – Opening a document numbering scheme

5. Change the name of the scheme in the Name field, as required.

6. Click the Add icon to add more format elements to the scheme if needed. 7. Click the Remove icon to remove a format element from the scheme if needed. 8. For each format element in the scheme, choose the appropriate item from the list.

One element must be set to Sequence Number. This is usually the last element in the scheme.

Figure 50 – Elements of a document numbering scheme

9. Change the sequence number length in the Length field, if required. 10. Change the sequence starting number in the Start at field, if required. 11. Change the document types that this scheme applies to, if required:

 To apply this scheme to a document type, double-click on the document type in the Available document types list.

 To remove this scheme from a document type, double-click on the document type in the Selected document types list.

12. Click the Save button.

REFERENCES

 Support Central - http://help.aconex.com/support/document-auto-numbering

5. Tenders

Please note: For Aconex users in the USA, the Tenders module has been renamed to the

Bids module to suit local usage. All functionality is the same; the only difference is the use of Bid instead of Tender.

Enhancements to New Tenders Module

Launched in May, the new Tenders module gives you a faster, more streamlined way to control your tenders and bids. Intuitive and easy to use, the module offers a consistent and structured framework that gives you more efficiency and better control over your tender and bid management.

In V10, you can now add local files to tender addenda and tender RFIs and RFI responses, and also download attachments to addenda and tender responses as a zip file. When declining a tender, a recipient can provide comments if required. These comments are included in the new notification email sent to the initiator contact.

We’ve also given tender creators and initiators the ability to  Remove an organization from a tender, if required.

 Prevent recipients from creating response to a specific tender using the Create Response function within Aconex, if required.

Attaching Local Files When Creating a Tender Addendum

When you create an addendum for a tender, you can now attach files from your computer or local network as well as documents from your document register.

ATTACH LOCAL FILES TO A TENDER ADDENDUM

Tip: Because local files are uncontrolled, Aconex can’t check for duplicate or revised files. If you attached the same local file to the tender or a previous addendum, you’ll see multiple copies of the file in the File Attachments list.

To attach files from your computer or local network to a tender addendum: 1. Choose your project from the Project Selector at the top of the page.

1. Click Tenders from the Module Menu, and then under Search, click Invitations. 2. Click the tender number under the Tender No column.

3. Click the Create Addendum button.

4. Complete the Addendum Note details as follows: Property Action

Subject Type in a brief description of the addendum.

Body Type in information about the addendum as required. 5. Make the required changes to the original details. You can change the following

details for the addenda: Property Action

Closing Date Choose a closing date and time. Initiator Contact To:

 Add an initiator – type part or all of the user’s name and then click the Search icon.

 Remove an initiator – click the Trash icon to the right of the user name.

Cover Letter Edit the cover letter text as required. The cover letter can only be in plain text.

Attachments Attach files from your computer or local network: a. Click the Attach button and choose Local

Files.

b. Click the Browse button, browse to the file you want to attach, and click the Open button. c. To add more files, click the Add another file

link, and repeat step b. d. Click the Attach button.

Figure 51 – Attaching local files to a tender addendum

6. Click the Send button.

Attaching Local Files to a Tender RFI Response

You can now attach files from your computer or local network when responding a tender RFI.

ATTACH A FILE TO A TENDER RFI RESPONSE

To attach a file to a tender RFI response:

1. Choose your project from the Project Selector at the top of the page.

2. Click Tenders from the Module Menu, and then under Search, click Invitations. 3. Click the tender number under the Tender No column.

4. Click the RFI tab.

5. Click the Subject link of the RFI you want to open. 6. Click the Reply or Reply to All button.

7. If required, change subject of the RFI response in the Subject field. 8. Enter your reply in the Body field.

9. Click the Attach button.

10. Click the Browse button, browse to the file you want to attach, and click the Open button.

11. To add more files, click the Add another file link, and repeat step 10. 12. Click the Attach button.

Figure 52 – Creating a tender RFI response with local file attachments

14. Click the Send button.

Downloading a Zip File for Tender Response Attachments

You can now download attachments to a tender response as a zip file. By default all attachments are included in the zip file.

DOWNLOAD A ZIP FILE FOR ATTACHMENTS TO A TENDER RESPONSE

To download tender response attachments as a zip file:

1. Choose your project from the Project Selector at the top of the page.

2. Click Tenders from the Module Menu, and then under Search, click Invitations. 3. Click the tender number under the Tender No column.

4. Click the Responses tab.

5. Click the organization name link in the Organization column. 6. Scroll to the Attachments section.

7. To choose the files to download, select the checkbox of each attachment you want to include in the zip file. If you don’t select any checkboxes, all attachments are included.

Figure 53 – Downloading attachments to a tender response in a zip file

Removing an Organization from a Tender

A tender creator or initiator contact can remove an organization from a tender if required. Once an organization has been removed from a tender, it can’t be re-invited. You can remove an organization from the tender at any point in the tendering process.

Recipients in an organization that was removed from a tender, won’t receive any further updates, and aren’t able to perform any further tender actions. These actions include:

 Submitting a response.  Editing a response.  Declining the tender.  Creating an RFI.

When recipients in a removed organization view the tender, the status is Removed, and the name of the person and the date of the removal is shown.

REMOVE AN ORGANIZATION FROM A TENDER

To remove an organization from a tender:

1. Choose your project from the Project Selector at the top of the page.

2. Click Tenders from the Module Menu, and then under Search, click Invitations. 3. Click the tender number under the Tender No column.

4. Scroll to the organization you want to remove in the Recipients list. 5. Click the Trash icon to the right of the organization name.

Figure 54 – Removing an organization from a tender

6. Click the OK button in the confirmation message.

Figure 55 – Organization with Removed status

Preventing Recipients from Creating a Tender Response in Aconex

When you create a tender, you can now choose whether recipients can submit their tender response within Aconex using the Create Response button. If you choose not to allow this functionality, you’ll need to specify how you want recipients to submit their responses. You can’t change this setting after you’ve sent the tender to any recipients.

When a tender that has the Aconex Response disabled is opened, the Response tab doesn’t appear.

Tender recipients won’t see the Create Response button when viewing the tender invitation, and will see a message at the top of the page stating that responding in Aconex has been disabled by the initiator.

Figure 57 – Recipient tender invitation with Aconex response disabled

PREVENT RECIPIENTS FROM CREATING A TENDER RESPONSE IN ACONEX

Tip: If you choose to disable an Aconex response, the Responses tab will not appear when you or the recipients display the tender invitation.

Tip: You can’t change your Aconex Response setting once you have sent the tender to recipients.

To prevent recipients creating a tender response in Aconex:

1. Choose your project from the Project Selector at the top of the page.

2. Click Tenders from the Module Menu, and then under Create New, click Tender. 3. Complete all tender details as required.

4. Choose how tender recipients can submit a tender response:

 Clear the Aconex Response checkbox to prevent recipients from creating a tender response in Aconex.

 Select the Aconex Response checkbox to allow recipients to create a tender response in Aconex.

5. Click the Send button.

Figure 58 – Preventing recipients from creating a tender response in Aconex.

Tender Declined Notification Email

The tender initiator contact will now receive a notification email when a tender recipient declines a tender invitation. Any comments provided by the recipient when declining the tender invitation are included in the notification email.

Figure 59 – Tender declined notification sent to initiator contact.

Providing Comments When Declining a Tender Invitation

You can now provide a short comment to the tender initiator contact when you decline a tender invitation. Your comment can’t be more than 255 characters.

PROVIDING A COMMENT WHEN YOU DECLINE A TENDER INVITATION

To decline a tender invitation and provide a comment to the initiator contact: 1. Choose your project from the Project Selector at the top of the page.

2. Click Tenders from the Module Menu, and then under Search, click Invitations. 3. Click the tender number under the Tender No column.

4. Click the Decline Invitation button.

5. As required, enter a comment in the Provide a comment for the tender initiator field (maximum of 255 characters).

6. Click the OK button.

A confirmation message will display when the invitation has been declined.

Figure 60 – Declining a tender invitation with comments.

Attaching Local Files to a Tender RFI

ATTACH A FILE TO A TENDER RFI

To attach a file to a tender RFI:

1. Choose your project from the Project Selector at the top of the page.

2. Click Tenders from the Module Menu, and then under Search, click Invitations. 3. Click the tender number under the Tender No column.

4. Click the Create RFI button.

5. Enter the subject of the RFI in the Subject field.

6. Enter the details of the information required in the Body field. 7. Click the Attach button.

8. Click the Browse button, browse to the file you want to attach, and click the Open button.

9. To add more files, click the Add another file link, and repeat step 8. 10. Click the Attach button.

11. To remove attachments, click the Trash icon to the right of the file name.

Figure 61 – Creating a tender RFI with local file attachments

12. Click the Send button.

Downloading a Zip File for Tender Addendum Attachments

You can now download attachments to a tender addendum as a zip file. By default all attachments are included in the zip file.

DOWNLOAD A ZIP FILE FOR ATTACHMENTS TO A TENDER ADDENDUM

To download tender addendum attachments as a zip file:

1. Choose your project from the Project Selector at the top of the page.

2. Click Tenders from the Module Menu, and then under Search, click Invitations. 3. Click the tender number under the Tender No column.

4. Click the Addenda tab.

5. Click the addendum subject link in the Subject column. 6. Scroll to the Attachments section.

7. To choose the files to download, select the checkbox of each attachment you want to include in the zip file. If you don’t select any checkboxes, all attachments are included.

Figure 62 – Downloading attachments to a tender addendum in a zip file

REFERENCES

 Support Central - http://help.aconex.com/support/tenders

6. Workflows

Shortcuts List Removed

The Workflows shortcuts list at the left of the Workflows search page has been moved to the module menu. You can access all of your searches from the Saved Searches menu at the top right of the page.

Other Changes

Available in Description

Workflows Solved an issue around trying to attach replacement

documents on the second or subsequent pages of the list of documents for review in a workflow.

Workflows Solved an issue that occurred when trying to delete an active workflow template.

Workflows The Collapse All checkbox has been removed from the

Search Workflows page. You can still collapse workflows

individually.

7. Administration

System Menu Removed

System Menu icon Functionality now available from

Key icon Setup module sub menu.

Aconex icon There is no longer a link to the Aconex public website in Aconex.

Download Software icon Setup module sub menu.

Help icon Help link on new Aconex banner. Logout icon Logout link on new Aconex banner.

Projects Menu Removed from Edit Preferences Page

The Projects menu no longer appears on Edit Preferences page. The new Project

Selector in the Aconex banner now gives you the ability to change projects from all pages.

Projects Module Functionality Now Accessed From Setup Module

The Projects module no longer appears in the module menu. Create projects and display your projects list and project details from the Setup module.

Figure 63 – Project commands on the Setup sub menu

CREATE PROJECT COMMAND MOVED TO SETUP MENU

The Create Project command is now available from the Setup menu. To create a new project:

1. Click Setup from the Module Menu.

2. Under the Projects group, click Create Project.

LIST MY PROJECTS COMMAND MOVED TO SETUP MENU

The List My Projects command is now available from the Setup menu. This command was previously called List All Projects.

To view your projects list:

1. Click Setup from the Module Menu.

2. Under the Projects group, click List My Projects.

New Setup Menu

Available in: Setup

The new Setup menu gives you faster access to your user, project and organization settings.

Figure 64 – Setup sub menu

PROJECT SETTINGS COMMAND AVAILABLE FROM SETUP MODULE

The Project Settings command on the Setup module sub menu gives you access to view or edit the details of your current project.

To view or edit your project details:

1. Choose your project from the Project Selector at the top of the page.

2. Click Setup from the Module Menu, and then under the Projects group, click

Project Settings.

DOWNLOAD SOFTWARE COMMAND AVAILABLE FROM SETUP MODULE

The Useful 3rd Party Software command on the Setup module sub menu displays a page

containing links to useful third party software such as Adobe Acrobat Reader. To view the list of software download links:

1. Click Setup from the Module Menu, and then under the About Aconex group, click Useful 3rd Party Software.

VIEW INFORMATION ABOUT OTHER MODULES AVAILABLE IN ACONEX

The Other Modules command on the Setup module sub menu displays a page containing information about other Aconex modules that are available.

To view information about other Aconex modules:

1. Click Setup from the Module Menu, and then under the About Aconex group, click Other Modules.

CREATE A GUEST ACCOUNT FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION

We’ve made it faster to start creating a guest account for your organization. You can still create a guest account from the Directory module that is not associated with an

organization.

To create a new guest account:

1. Click Setup from the Module Menu, and then under My Organization, click

Create Guest.

2. Enter the guest details. 3. Click the Save button.

CREATE A NEW USER ACCOUNT FROM SETUP MODULE

We’ve made it faster to start creating a new user account from the Setup module sub menu.

3. Click the Save button.

Changes to the Projects Page

We’ve made a few changes to the Projects page to take advantage of the new Project Selector functionality.

ADDED

Project owners can edit the details of any project from the Projects page. This will set the project you are editing as the current project.

REMOVED

We’ve removed the following redundant functionality from the Projects page. These functions are now provided by the Project Selector in the Aconex banner at the top of each page.

 Project names in the project list are no longer links.  The link to the action summary page has been removed.

 The orange arrow indicating the current project has been removed. The current project is shown in the Project Selector and highlighted in the project list.

Code Now Required for Some Document Fields

Available in: Setup

You now need to provide a short code in addition to a name for all fields on the Document

Fields tab with the type Select List (Single). These are the fields that can be used when

you create document auto-numbering schemes, and the codes appear as part of

automatically generated document numbers. The maximum number of characters available for each code varies.

These fields include:  Type.  Discipline.  VDR Code.  Category.

Secured Asset Terminology Change

We’ve changed the terminology for secured assets to security settings.

Previous New View Roles/Secured Assets Configure User Role Settings

View Roles/Users Assign User Roles

New Role Create Role

Mail Approvals Security Settings Moved to Mail Section

MAIL APPROVALS SECURITY SETTINGS AVAILABLE UNDER MAILS

The security settings for mail approvals have been moved from the Workflows section to the Mail section. There are slight changes to each security setting name.

1. Choose your project from the Project Selector at the top of the page. 2. Click Setup from the Module Menu, and then under Configuration, click

Configure User Role Settings.

3. Scroll down to Mails, Mail Approvals.

4. For each mail approvals security setting, under the role name column, choose:  Grant – to grant the access to the role.

 N/A – to leave the security setting open, allowing access to be granted or denied through another role. Access is denied if it's not granted through another role.

 Deny – to deny access to the role (this setting isn't recommended). 5. Click the Save button.

Figure 65 – Mail Approvals security settings

REFERENCES

 Support Central - http://help.aconex.com/support/projects

 Support Central - http://help.aconex.com/support/setup

Other Changes

Available in Description

Administration The link to the Aconex public website on the System menu is no longer available.

Setup The new Other Modules link on the Setup sub menu

displays a page with information about the other modules that are available in Aconex.

8. Print

Shops

New Print Shops Interface

The user interface for print shop users is now simpler and faster to use and designed specifically for print shop use. The Module Menu only contains Module buttons that are relevant to print shops, and the Search Print Request page is now the default page.

Figure 67 – New look for Search Print Request page

9. Archives

New Project Archive

Launched in mid-July, Project Archive gives you access to all of your documents and project mails at the end of the project. This local read-only copy of your project data is similar in appearance and function to working with your project in Aconex.

You can:

 Search for documents and mail with the standard Aconex search capability.  Export search results to Microsoft Excel for reporting.

 View all of your documents, including mark-ups and document history.  View the event log for every document.

 View sent or received mail, including transmittals and associated attachments.  Open and save attachments.

 Follow mail threads easily.  Print mails.

REFERENCES

 Project Archive Quick Start Guide  Project Archive Installation Guide  Project Archive User Guide

New Local Copy

Launched in mid-July, Aconex Local Copy provides you with a local read-only copy of up-to-date project data during the life of the project. It is similar in appearance and function to working with your project in Aconex.

You can:

 Search for documents and mail with the standard Aconex search capability.  Export search results to Microsoft Excel for reporting.

 View all of your documents, including mark-ups and document history.  View the event log for every document

 View sent or received mail, including transmittals and associated attachments.  Open and save attachments.

 Follow mail threads easily.  Print mails.

REFERENCES

 Aconex Local Copy Installation Guide  Aconex Local Copy Administrator Guide  Aconex Local Copy User Guide

10. New Help Center

New Support Central

The online support site has been re-developed to make it easier to get to what you need, and make it easier for you to talk to us. With a new name, Support Central has a more powerful search, simple and clear page design, more options to get in touch with us and the opportunity to share ideas for new features or improvements and vote on other people’s ideas.

Accessing Help

You can access help from any page in Aconex. Click the Help icon or link at the top right of the page to display the Help Options dialog box. The phone number for your Aconex helpdesk is shown at the bottom of the dialog box.

Figure 68 – Help link

Figure 69 – Help Options dialog box

Search Support Central

From the Help Options dialog box you can enter search terms into the Search field and press enter to go to a list of relevant topic in Support Central.

Contextual Help

In the middle of a task in Aconex and need help completing it? You can quickly go to the relevant topic from the Help Options dialog box. If the page you are on has contextual help available, you can click the Get help for this screen link to see a list of relevant topics in Support Central.

Figure 71 – Access contextual help topics

Figure 72 – Topics in Support Central

11. Other

Aconex in Italian

Aconex now reaches a broader audience with the ability to select Italian as the preferred language. You can choose Italian as the preferred language when logging in, and from preferences.

New Interface Register Type

We’ve added a new register type to choose from when creating a project. You can choose one of the following register types when creating a project:

 Assets  Defects  Documents  Interfaces  Issues  Items

Other Changes

Available in Description

All modules The helpdesk telephone number for India has been updated. All modules A local helpdesk number is now available for Oman.

All modules Web acceleration for the US1 instance was enabled on 17th May 2010.

All modules The Help link now displays a pop-up window which displays a Support Central Search, Support Central link, and your helpdesk phone number.

All modules The project name, organization name, user name and Logout link display at the top left of every page.

Administration Emails sent to guests no longer show the Request a Aconex

User account online link. Guests will need to contact their

local helpdesk or their organization administrator to request a user account.

12. Appendix

Terminology Changes

UPLOADED BY ME TODAY SEARCH RENAMED TO TEMPORARY FILES UPLOADED BY ME TODAY

The standard Aconex search Uploaded by me today has been renamed to Temporary

files uploaded by me today to match the name change of the Temporary Files tab.

The linked search page has been renamed to match: Search - Temporary Files :

Temporary files uploaded by me today

Figure 73 – Standard Search list

Figure 74 – Search – Temporary Files : Temporary files uploaded by me today

CHANGES TO THE MULTIPLE FILE UPLOAD PAGE

The following changes have been made to the Multiple File Upload page:

 The Multiple File Upload page has been renamed to Move to Register.

 The Upload button has been renamed to Submit.