Reference Manual. FootPrints version 5.5. UniPress Software Inc.

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Reference Manual

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FootPrints

®

Reference Manual

FootPrints version 5.5

from

UniPress Software

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FootPrints Reference Manual

Footprints Reference Manual Table Of Contents

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ______________________________________________________________________1 WHAT IS FOOTPRINTS? ___________________________________________________________________________1 PROJECTS______________________________________________________________________________________1 ISSUES________________________________________________________________________________________1 FOOTPRINTS' USER TYPES_________________________________________________________________________2 ABOUT THIS MANUAL____________________________________________________________________________3 OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION__________________________________________________________________3

PART 1 FOOTPRINTS BASICS _________________________________________________________________5

CHAPTER 2 GETTING STARTED ___________________________________________________________________7 INSTALLATION__________________________________________________________________________________7 LOGIN ________________________________________________________________________________________7 GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH THE HOME PAGE ________________________________________________________10 THE FOOTPRINTS TOOLBAR_______________________________________________________________________11 THE MAIN FRAME______________________________________________________________________________13 THE TOP FRAME________________________________________________________________________________15 ISSUES_______________________________________________________________________________________16 CHAPTER 3 ISSUES_____________________________________________________________________________19 TYPES OF ISSUES _______________________________________________________________________________19 CREATING ISSUES ______________________________________________________________________________20 CREATE A TEST ISSUE ___________________________________________________________________________21 EDITING ISSUES________________________________________________________________________________27 EDIT TEST ISSUE _______________________________________________________________________________27 DELETING AN ISSUE_____________________________________________________________________________29 COPYING ISSUES _______________________________________________________________________________30 REQUESTS ____________________________________________________________________________________33 EMAIL SUBMISSION OF ISSUES AND REQUESTS ________________________________________________________35

CHAPTER 4 USER TYPES________________________________________________________________________37 PERMISSION LEVELS ____________________________________________________________________________37 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL AND CUSTOMER USER TYPES ________________________________________38

CHAPTER 5 CUSTOMIZING YOUR PREFERENCES_____________________________________________________39 GENERAL PREFERENCES _________________________________________________________________________39 LIST PREFERENCES _____________________________________________________________________________41 SECURITY PREFERENCES_________________________________________________________________________42 INSTANT TALK PREFERENCES_____________________________________________________________________42

PART 2 CONFIGURATION AND ADMINISTRATION ____________________________________________43

CHAPTER 6 PROJECT ADMINISTRATION ___________________________________________________________45 OPTIONS______________________________________________________________________________________47 USERS _______________________________________________________________________________________57 FIELDS_______________________________________________________________________________________68 AUTOMATED TASK MANAGEMENT_________________________________________________________________79

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CHAPTER 8 SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION___________________________________________________________115 PROJECT MANAGEMENT ________________________________________________________________________117 APPEARANCE_________________________________________________________________________________130 FEATURES ___________________________________________________________________________________136 USERS ______________________________________________________________________________________137 LICENSE MANAGEMENT_________________________________________________________________________151 LOGS _______________________________________________________________________________________153 FOOTPRINTS SCHEDULING AND DATABASE SERVICES__________________________________________________154

PART 3 USING FOOTPRINTS - MORE FEATURES _____________________________________________155

CHAPTER 9 SEARCHING AND REPORTING_________________________________________________________157 SEARCHING__________________________________________________________________________________157 REPORTING __________________________________________________________________________________164

CHAPTER 10 ADDRESS BOOK___________________________________________________________________183 CREATE A NEW ADDRESS BOOK CONTACT__________________________________________________________184 WORKING WITH ADDRESS BOOK CONTACTS_________________________________________________________184 CREATE A NEW ISSUE FROM THE ADDRESS BOOK_____________________________________________________186 SEARCH_____________________________________________________________________________________187 REPORTS ____________________________________________________________________________________187 ADDRESS BOOK ADMINISTRATION ________________________________________________________________187

CHAPTER 11 KNOWLEDGE BASE ________________________________________________________________189 SOLUTIONS___________________________________________________________________________________189 WORKING WITH THE KNOWLEDGE BASE____________________________________________________________191 KNOWLEDGE BASE SEARCH OPTIONS______________________________________________________________191 USING THE KNOWLEDGE BASE TO RESOLVE AN ISSUE _________________________________________________195 POPULARITY _________________________________________________________________________________196 FAQ ADMINISTRATION_________________________________________________________________________197

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PART 4 ADVANCED FEATURES _____________________________________________________________231

CHAPTER 14 EMAIL MANAGEMENT______________________________________________________________233 OUTGOING EMAIL MANAGEMENT_________________________________________________________________234 INCOMING EMAIL MANAGEMENT _________________________________________________________________243 USING INCOMING EMAIL________________________________________________________________________252

CHAPTER 15 ASSET MANAGEMENT______________________________________________________________259 INTEGRATION FEATURES________________________________________________________________________259 SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION SETUP_________________________________________________________________261 PROJECT ADMINISTRATION SETUP_________________________________________________________________261

CHAPTER 16 SOFTWARE CHANGE MANAGEMENT__________________________________________________263 INSTALLATION AND SETUP_______________________________________________________________________263 USING FOOTPRINTS SOFTWARE CHANGE MANAGEMENT _______________________________________________264

CHAPTER 17 ADVANCED LIVE ESUPPORT_________________________________________________________265 CONFIGURING ADVANCED LIVE ESUPPORT__________________________________________________________265 USING CONTROL-F1 WITH FOOTPRINTS ____________________________________________________________266

CHAPTER 18 DATABASE AND INTERNALS__________________________________________________________267 FOOTPRINTS INTERNAL FILES ____________________________________________________________________267 FOOTPRINTS DATABASE INTERNAL COMMANDS______________________________________________________267

PART 5 APPENDICES _______________________________________________________________________279

APPENDIX A INTRODUCTION TO WEB BROWSERS__________________________________________________281 FINDING YOUR WAY AROUND____________________________________________________________________281 USING FOOTPRINTS PAGES ______________________________________________________________________281

APPENDIX B WEB SERVERS____________________________________________________________________283 WINDOWS NT/2000 ____________________________________________________________________________283 UNIX WEB SERVER SETUP______________________________________________________________________284

APPENDIX C ODBC FOR WINDOWS NT/2000 _____________________________________________________287 SETUP ______________________________________________________________________________________287 DATABASE DESIGN ____________________________________________________________________________289

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This chapter gives an overview of FootPrints and its intended uses. It also gives a general explanation of some of the terms and concepts of FootPrints. These terms and concepts are explained in more detail throughout this manual. This introduction also gives an overview of the manual and who should read which chapters.

What is FootPrints?

FootPrints is a web-based helpdesk and problem-tracking software system. It allows multiple users to enter, manage, and access

information. Because it runs on a web server, it can be accessed from any browser (such as Netscape or Internet Explorer) on any computer, located anywhere1_{. Help desk personnel, customer service reps, engineers, or field techs can open and track problems,}

bugs or cases for external customers or for an internal user base. FootPrints can hold customers’ contact and configuration information. Employee and external Customers can log into FootPrints to submit and track their problems, as well as view solutions to common problems. Optionally, FootPrints can also accept input via email.

The primary function of the FootPrints system is to keep track of information for many users. Users enter information into

FootPrints, and FootPrints presents that information to fellow users in an organized way. For example, a large company with

several people in different locations working on one project can use FootPrints to keep track of progress on their project. Each user can enter problems, questions, progress information, etc. into FootPrints. Other users then use FootPrints to easily follow each other's progress, search for specific problems, and communicate with each other. FootPrints offers users many options for sorting and viewing the information and makes it easy to enter and edit information as well as find the information when it is needed.

Projects

FootPrints stores and tracks information in projects. A project is a single database, which can have its own custom fields, options

and users. There is no limit to the number of projects that you can create in FootPrints. You may choose to keep all of your data in a single project, or you can create multiple projects. For example, one project can be used for helpdesk, while a second one is used for internal bug tracking.

Issues

A FootPrints project is comprised of a set of related Issues. Issue is the default name given to a FootPrints record. Each Issue is a numbered record in the FootPrints project database around which all helpdesk and problem tracking activity centers.

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FootPrints' User Types

FootPrints supports different levels of user privileges for users with different needs. An Individual user account is intended for

named internal users, such as helpdesk personnel, customer service representatives or engineers. Customer accounts are shared by more than one person. This type of account is intended for customers and groups of people who require only partial access to your data. Customer accounts are very cost-effective, and allow customers and other groups to submit their own requests and to view the knowledge base.

Here is a breakdown of the different user account types: Individual License Types:

♦ Agent - A standard, full-strength user. Common uses for this user type include: Help Desk Agent, Call Center Agent, Developer, Engineer, Manager and Project Member. Agent users have the ability to use all of the basic functions of

FootPrints, including creating, viewing, editing Issues, and running queries.

♦ Project Administrator - In addition to Agent User privileges, the Project Admin can administer a project, including adding custom fields, setting options, and adding users.

♦ System Administrator - In addition to Agent User and Project Admin privileges, the System Admin has control over the whole FootPrints system, including administration of any project, adding new projects, and administering licenses.

Customer License Types:

♦ Read KB - View and search the Knowledge Base.

♦ Read KB/Requests - View and search Knowledge Base, and check the status on their requests (entered by an internal user, or via email).

♦ Read/Submit - In addition to the functionality described above, can submit Requests via the web interface. ♦ Read/Submit/Edit - In addition to the functionality described above, these users have limited edit privileges of their

own Requests.

NOTE: Each time you add a new user of type Individual Agent, Project or System Admin, you “use up” a FootPrints

license. A Customer license, if purchased, is unlimited. That is, a single Customer ID and password can be shared by an unlimited number of people (each person is uniquely identified by their email address or other unique key). Alternatively, each Customer can have his or her own ID and password. In either case, an unlimited number of customers are covered by one license (please contact UniPress for pricing information).

An example of the different types of users in action:

Let's expand upon the above example of a product development team using FootPrints. Suppose the product being worked on is already on the market. The development team uses FootPrints to work on an updated version, to fix problems with the current version, and to provide customer support for the current version.

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All licensed users should read section 1 of this manual. It gives an introduction to the layout and basic functions of FootPrints. Section 2 will help project and system administrators set up and configure FootPrints. Section 3 covers many of the features of FootPrints, including Address Book, Knowledge Base, and Reporting. Section 4 covers the advanced features not covered in Section 2, including Email and Asset Management. Section 5 includes the appendices. Appendix A contains a web browser tutorial. If you don't know how to use your web browser, Appendix A should be read before chapter 2. Appendices B through D are for System Administrators; they deal with installation and configuration of FootPrints. Appendix E contains a Glossary of terms used in FootPrints.

NOTE: System Administrators- please read the appendices, as well as the README included with your installation of FootPrints,

before installation! This manual is not directed toward Customers, but Chapter 12 does cover the features of the Customer Interface.

Other Sources of Information

Besides this manual, there are a few other sources of information about FootPrints: online help, User and Administrator Guides, and UniPress support.

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Figure 1- FootPrints Help

Also included with FootPrints are two “Getting Started” guides, one for Agent users and one for Project Administrators. These guides quickly introduce you to the basic uses of FootPrints and acquaint you with the look and feel of the system, without going into as much detail as this manual does.

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Part 1 FootPrints Basics

What you will find in this section

Chapter 2 Getting Started - Installation, Logging in, the homepage, basic concepts.

Chapter 3 Issues – Types of Issues, creating, editing, deleting and copying Issues.

Chapter 4 User Types – Permission levels, differences between user types.

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Chapter 2 Getting Started

This chapter introduces you to some basic features of FootPrints and acquaints you with the look and feel of the system. This section of the manual presumes a basic understanding of how to use a web browser and a familiarity with the terms defined in Chapter 1. If you're not sure of how to use a web browser, please refer to Appendix A before reading further.

The examples provided in this section may differ from the display on your computer for several reasons. FootPrints is

customizable and your project may include fields with different names. Also, FootPrints supports all web browsers, but because each browser is slightly different, your system may not look exactly like the examples included here.

As mentioned in Chapter 1, FootPrints supports different types of users who are provided with different levels of access to information stored in the system. The examples provided here are for Agent Users. For an explanation of the different types of users, see chapter 4. If you are not an Agent User, different options may be available to you than those displayed in the pictures in this manual.

Installation

Full installation instructions are included in the README that comes with each version of FootPrints. For more information, please refer to the README for the platform and database version you are installing for more information.

Login

NOTE: Please refer to the README included with your FootPrints installation package for full installation instructions. The

instructions below assume that FootPrints has already been installed and licensed.

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Figure 2 - Login page To log in:

Login to FootPrints with the user ID and password assigned to you (or the user ID and password creating during installation if you just installed FootPrints), and click LOGIN

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If FootPrints has already been licensed, please skip to the next section “Getting Acquainted with the Homepage”. If you just installed FootPrints, please follow the instructions below:

1. To start using FootPrints, you must obtain a license. The first time you login, a 9-character license code will be

displayed on the screen (see below). Click the link for “licensing page”. This will open up a new browser window that brings you to the UniPress Software automatic licensing page.

Figure 3 - Get License

2. Fill in the short form on licensing page, and click “GO”. You will immediately receive a 36-character license string

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3. Enter the 36-character license string in the “License String” field on the FootPrints screen and click “GO”. Pasting

the license string directly from the email (rather than typing it) ensures accuracy. This provides you with a 30-day evaluation license for 5 internal users and Unlimited Customer access.

NOTE: If you have purchased FootPrints, you should obtain a permanent license and input it on this screen, instead

of following the evaluation license process above. Email the 9-character code to [email protected] for your permanent license.

4. You are now on the FootPrints Home Page. You are currently logged into the project created during installation. So,

if you named the first project “Help Desk”, this will be listed as the current project in the top frame of the screen.

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Getting acquainted with the Home Page

After successful login, the FootPrints "homepage" displays. The FootPrints homepage is the starting point of your FootPrints project. You can return to the homepage at any time by clicking "Project Home" on the FootPrints Toolbar.

Figure 4 - FootPrints Homepage

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The FootPrints Toolbar

The FootPrints Toolbar in the left frame of your homepage has links to all of your tasks in FootPrints. It remains on the left of every screen in FootPrints. Many of the topics in the toolbar can be expanded; simply click on an option to see all of the choices. To collapse the toolbar, click the option for “Project Home”.

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The options in the Toolbar are:

Project Home – Go to your FootPrints homepage.

Create Issue – Create a new Issue in FootPrints.

Address Book – Display this project’s Address Book (opens in separate window).

Search

♦ Advanced – Perform detailed search of Project database. ♦ Saved – Access your saved searches.

Reports

♦ New – Create detailed report of Project database. ♦ Saved - Save, edit and reuse report criteria.

♦ Cross Project – Report on data from multiple FootPrints projects. ♦ Time Tracking – Create Time tracking report.

♦ Historical – Report on historical data. ♦ Statistical – Report on statistical data.

Knowledge Base

♦ Search – includes options to Search the FootPrints Knowledge Base, popular public knowledge bases, and FAQ’s. ♦ Create Solution - Create a new Solution to a common problem for the Knowledge Base.

♦ FAQ Admin – Create and edit Frequently Asked Question lists (Admins only).

Communication

♦ Instant Talk™ – Chat online one-on-one with another user.

♦ Remote Control – Send instructions on downloading the remote control host software to a user. ♦ Live eSupport Queue (optional) – if this option is enabled, access the Advanced Live eSupport queue.

Asset Management (optional) – if this option is enabled, access the Asset Management database.

Change Project – Change to another project (you must be a member of that project or a System Admin).

My Preferences – Change your user preferences.

Administration (Administrators only) – A complete list of options can be found in the chapters on Administration. ♦ Project Admin – Perform project administration on the current project.

♦ Address Book – Perform administration on the current Address Book. ♦ System Admin – Perform system administration (System Administrators only).

Help

♦ Online Help – complete online help for FootPrints.

♦ Getting Started – Help on getting started using FootPrints.

Logout – Logout of FootPrints.

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The Main Frame

The main frame displays a list of the Issues contained in your project. The listing includes some descriptive information about each Issue, such as the title, the date on which it was submitted, and the assignees. The assignees are displayed in a drop-down menu. In addition to displaying information about each Issue, you can view, edit, or perform tasks on each of the Issues listed. To edit an Issue, click the Edit button next to that Issue's number (you must be assigned to that Issue, or an Administrator, to edit an Issue). To view an Issue, click on its title. You can create a report listing the details of multiple Issues by checking the checkboxes to the right of each Issue, choosing “Report” from the drop-down and clicking “GO”. You can also close multiple Issues by checking the checkboxes to the right of each Issue, choosing “Close” from the drop-down and clicking “GO”.

For each Issue, you will see reading from left to right:

1. Issue # - This is the number that FootPrints has assigned this Issue. 2. Priority – This is the priority this Issue was given.

3. Assigned to – The assignees for this Issue are listed in a drop-down box. 4. Last Edited – The date when this Issue was last worked on.

5. Status – The status of this Issue.

6. Title – The title of the Issue, usually used as a Subject or Summary. Click the hypertext link to view the details of the

Issue, or click the green “Edit” button to edit the Issue (only appears if you have permission to edit this Issue).

7. Report/Close/Delete checkbox – Perform a task on multiple Issues at one time. “Delete” is only available to

Administrators.

NOTE: The fields displayed on the homepage can be customized on the “My Preferences” screen. For example, if you create

custom fields like “Company” or “Problem type”, these fields can be displayed as columns on the homepage. Please refer to the topic on “My Preferences” for more information.

Resorting the Homepage

The list displayed on the homepage can be resorted by column. Note that most column headings on the homepage, or any search results page, are hypertext links. The current column being sorted on is designated by a down arrow. To re-sort the list, simply click the column heading. This will sort the list descending by that column (highest to lowest). Click the column heading again, and the list resorts ascending by that column (lowest to highest). Note that the down arrow is replaced by an “up” arrow.

NOTE: The homepage cannot be sorted by the assignee field or any time fields (Last Edit Time, Time Submitted). All other fields,

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Display Drop-Down

Above the homepage list is the display drop-down box. This list contains built-in and custom queues and searches. By selecting an option and clicking “GO”, the homepage list changes to the queue or custom search selected.

The display choices are:

My Assignments – The most recent active Issues assigned to the current user. Shown by default.

My Assignments and Requests – Active Issues assigned to the current user AND unassigned requests from Customers.

All Issues – All Issues in the project database. Deleted – Deleted Issues (Administrators only). Solutions – Solutions to common problems (see below). Requests – Requests submitted by Customers (see below).

Saved Searches (optional) – FootPrints will place any saved (personal or shared) searches in this list.

Figure 7 - Display Drop-down list

For example, if you choose “Solutions” and click “GO”, FootPrints displays a list of all Solutions. To return to the original view, click "Project Home" on the FootPrints Toolbar, or choose "My Assignments" as your view. Both of these have the same effect: They return you to your original Homepage.

If the current list has many Issues, Next and Previous buttons appear in the top right hand corner of the frame. Use these to page through the complete list.

This frame also contains information about the types of Issues in your project. The “Project Totals” display how many Issues your project contains in different categories. The numbers of Active, Closed, Solution, and Request Issues are listed, along with links to these Issues. An Active Issue is simply an Issue that has any status other than Closed, including Open Issues, and any custom statuses, such as Pending. Requests are Issues submitted by Customers that are not yet assigned to someone to work on.

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The Top Frame

The top frame contains the name of the current project, and the name of the user currently logged in. It also contains a quick search facility. To use Quick Search:

1. Search on Keyword or Number by choosing the corresponding radio button. 2. For Keyword, enter the word or phrase that you want to search for in the box.

3. If Number is chosen, enter the Issue number in the box. To search for multiple Issue numbers, enter each number

separated by a comma i.e. 5,22,165

4. Click the “GO” button.

FootPrints displays a list of all Issues that match your search criteria in the main frame. More complex searches are covered in

Chapter 8.

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Issues

FootPrints stores and tracks information in what are called Issues (the FootPrints Administrator may have chosen a different

name, such as Tickets, Entries, etc.). Each Issue consists of a number of fields. A field contains a single piece of information, such as a number, a word, or a date. A field represents a single column in the database. In a given FootPrints project, all the Issues have the same format - the same number and type of fields. Some essential fields come agent with FootPrints, such as

Title, Description, and Issue Number. Additional fields can be added by the Project Administrator. Custom fields added by an

Administrator are called Project fields, since they are added only to a given project. There is also a second set of fields called

Address Book fields. The Address Book is normally used to keep the contact information for your Customers, and can also be

customized by the Administrator.

The main frame of the FootPrints homepage lists the Issues in the project. It displays some fields of each Issue in the list, such as the title and the date the Issue was created. The complete Issue contains more information. For example, the Title might be a short description of the problem reported, while the complete Issue could contain a detailed description, the name and phone number of the person who reported the problem, and a product version number.

Viewing Issues

To view the details of an Issue, click the Title of the Issue in the main frame. The full details of the Issue then appear on the "Details" page. Here is an example of a Details page:

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The Details page gives you all of the information on an Issue, including Submit Date, Priority, Status, Description, etc. If custom Project and Address Book fields have been created, such as “Product” or “Email address”, they are displayed here as well. If you don't see all the fields, use the scroll bar to display the full Issue.

NOTE: Issues can have more than one generation in the Description field. If an Issue has multiple Descriptions, these are

displayed with time and date stamps for each generation.

There are also buttons that allow you to work with this Issue. They are: Details – Display details of Issue (default).

Edit – Edit or append to the Issue (only available if you have permissions to this Issue). Copy – Copy this Issue and make it into a new Issue, which can then be edited.

Delete – Delete the Issue from this project (only available to Administrators, or if you are assigned to the Issue). History – Display the entire history of this Issue, with time/date/user stamps.

Report – Display a report of this Issue (opens in separate window for printing).

Add to KB – Create a public Solution for the Knowledge Base with the details from this Issue (won’t affect original Issue).

Time Track – Display time tracking and billing information (optional).

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Chapter 3 Issues

Types of Issues

There are three types of Issues in FootPrints:

1. Issue – This is what you normally use to log an incident. The name for this may be different (Ticket, Entry, etc.)

depending on how your system is configured. An Issue can be opened, assigned, worked on, and closed by Agent Internal users and Administrators FootPrints can automatically send notification email whenever it is worked on.

2. Request – This is a preliminary Issue that is submitted by a Customer. Agent FootPrints users can then “take” the

Request and turn it into a regular Issue to work on it, or they can be automatically assigned to one or more Internal users (Administrators - please read the section on “Auto Assign” for more information). Your Administrator can tell you how Requests are to be handled in your organization.

3. Solution – This is a solution to a common problem. One can be created from scratch, or from an existing closed

Issue. Solutions are public, and can be viewed/searched by Customers (as well as internal users). Solutions are what make up the FootPrints Knowledge Base.

In this chapter you will find detailed information on working with Issues and Requests. Solutions are covered in the chapter on “Knowledge Base”.

NOTE: Issues and Requests can also be submitted and updated via email. Please refer to the section on “Submission via Email”

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Creating Issues

To create a new Issue in FootPrints, click “Create Issue” on the FootPrints Toolbar (or Create Entry, Create Ticket, etc.).

The fields in the "Create a new Issue" page include:

Title – The Title or Subject of the Issue.

Priority – The priority or importance of the Issue (a project’s priorities can be customized by the Admin). Status – The Status of the Issue (a project’s statuses can be customized by the Admin).

Contact Information - Contact information for the Customer. The fields are different depending on how your Admin has set up FootPrints.

Project Fields – Additional information about the issue. The fields are different depending on how your Admin has set up

FootPrints.

Description – Description of the Issue. Can include a virtually unlimited amount of text. File Attachment – Attach one or more files to the Issue.

Search Knowledge Base – Search the Knowledge Base for a Solution to the Issue, and then import that Solution into the Description.

Assignees – Assign helpdesk users to work on this Issue. Email – Choose if email notification should be sent on this Issue.

Time Spent – Optional time tracking feature. Can be used for billing – one or more hourly billing rates can be set for each Agent and Administrator.

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Create a Test Issue

NOTE: These fields may be in a different order depending on how the project is configured.

1. Enter a Title. Used as the summary or subject line. Note: Although the Title is intended to be brief, it is important to enter

meaningful words since FootPrints looks at this field when it searches the Issues for topics. For example, a good Title would be "MS Word crashes when underlining", but "READ THIS--IMPORTANT!!" would not be as effective. This field can optionally be a drop-down box with a defined set of subjects.

Enter a New title – “Email server down”

2. Select a Priority. The priority of the Issue is a number or word that indicates the importance of the Issue. To set the priority,

click the down arrow and select from the list provided.

NOTE: Please check with your FootPrints Administrator to find out how you are using the priorities (i.e. 1=high and 3=low or

1=low and 3=high)

Select priority 2.

3. Select a Status. The Status is the indication of the current state of the Issue. There are two statuses by default: “Open” and

“Closed”. Your FootPrints Administrator may have added more Statuses, such as "Pending" or "Testing”. Choose the desired Status from the drop-down box. Since you are creating a new Issue, set the Status to "Open."

Select "Open" status.

Figure 11- Enter title, status and priority

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d. To search by any field, or a combination of fields, fill in the desired search criteria and click “GO”. You can

choose to anchor the search to the beginning of each text field, or not. If anchored, the string “smi” entered in the “Last Name” field will find “Smith” and “Smithe”, but not “Goldsmith”. If the search isn’t anchored, the string “smi” will find “Smith”, “Smithe”, AND “Goldsmith”.

Figure 12 - Search Address Book

e. Matching contacts are displayed. To choose a contact, click the link for that contact. The user’s information will

appear in the Contact Information section of the Create Issue page.

f. To view the details of a Contact before selecting it, click the icon to the left of the contact’s name. The full

Details of that contact will appear in a separate window. To see a history of Issues associated with the contact, click the “List” button. Another window will appear with a list of past Issues for that user (Read-Only). Simply close the additional windows when you are finished.

g. To search the Address Book again, click the “Search” button.

h. After selecting a contact, the user’s Issue history can also be viewed by clicking the “History” button. i. If the user isn’t found, you can add the user to the Address Book. Click the X in the top right corner of the

Search window to close it. Fill in the user’s information in the Create Issue page, and click the “Create New

Contact” checkbox to add the contact to the Address Book.

NOTE: If the LDAP/Exchange/Directory Services option is enabled for this Address Book, contacts cannot be added to

the Address Book. The “Create New Contact” checkbox will not appear.

NOTE: The Address Book fields that appear may be different than those shown here, as they can be customized.

Check checkbox and fill in Address Book Fields.

5. Fill in Project fields. These vary according to project and are defined by the FootPrints Project Administrator. For example,

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also have a field called “Version number” with a text field next to it. You would type in the version number in this field. Please consult your FootPrints Project Administrator for more information on the Project fields in the current project.

NOTE: The Project fields that appear may be different than those shown here, as they can be customized.

Fill in the Project Fields.

Figure 13 - Fill in Project Fields

NOTE ON FIELDS: All fields displayed in red are mandatory and must be filled out.

6. Description. This is where the full description of the issue is entered. You can type a virtually unlimited amount of text in this

box. It is designed to contain a complete description of the Issue. This field is always mandatory.

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a. Click the link for “Search Knowledge Base”. b. Enter a word or phrase on which to search.

c. To search the FootPrints Knowledge Base, choose “FootPrints” from the drop-down box and click “Search”. d. A list of matching Solutions will appear. As you roll your mouse pointer over a Titles, a preview of the full

Solution will display.

e. To choose a Solution, simply click the Title. The Solution will automatically appear in the “Description” box. f. To choose a different solution, or to search again, simply repeat steps a-e.

g. To search an online knowledge base, enter the keyword or phrase, then choose one of the available sites from

the drop-down and click “GO”. The search results will appear in a separate browser window.

h. To do an advanced search of the Knowledge base, choose the link for “Advanced Search”. Full instructions on

using the advanced search can be found in the chapter on “Knowledge Base”.

i. To pick from an FAQ category, click the link for “Frequently Asked Questions”. A list of categories will appear. 8. Attach File (optional): You can attach one or more files to this Issue from your local or network drive(s).

To attach a file:

a. Click the “Attach File” button. This brings up a small window entitled “Upload a File Attachment” b. Click the “Browse” button to browse your local machine and/or network drives for the file.

c. When you find the file, highlight it and click “Open”. The file name and path now appears in the File Attachment

window.

NOTE: The System Administrator may have set a limit for the size of file attachments – this information appears

in the file Attachment window. If the file is too large, you will receive an error message. Please attach a smaller file.

d. Click “GO” to upload the file. When the upload is finished, the file name will appear in the “Create Issue” form. e. To attach additional files, repeat steps a-d for each file to be attached.

NOTE: You can continue to work on the Issue while the file is uploading, but you must wait until the upload is

complete to submit the Issue.

9. Assignees. The list on the left contains a list of all FootPrints users in this project. To assign someone to this Issue, highlight

the user’s name on the left and click the >> button. The name will now appear in the box on the right. Multiple users can be assigned.

NOTE: If the Auto Assign feature is enabled, assignees may appear in the assignee box automatically based on a choice in

one of the drop-down fields. Please ask your Project Administrator if this feature is enabled.

Highlight your name in the assignee list

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10. Email Notification. FootPrints Email Notification feature can send email notification to users when an Issue is created,

updated, and closed. There are 3 parts to the Email section:

Assignees – If this is checked, the Assignees of the Issue will receive email notification for this submission.

Contact – If this is checked, the Contact for this Issue will receive email notification for this submission. This is based on the Customer email address listed in the Contact information for this Issue. If there are multiple email addresses defined for the contact, a link will appear entitled “choose contact address”. This allows you to select which email address the notification goes to. By default, it will go the primary email address (as defined by the Project Administrator), unless the Issue was submitted by the Customer from a secondary email address (in which case the default will send the notification to the secondary email address).

CC – To copy someone on this Issue, click the link for “CC”. A pop-up window will appear. Enter the email address(es) to copy in the box provided (separated by spaces), select from the list of Agents, or click the “Select Contact” button to select an email address from the Address Book (does not affect the “Contact” for this Issue). When you are finished, click “GO”. There are 2 options for CC's entered here:

♦ All Changes - These users will receive an email notification for each change to the Issue (unless they are removed during a later update).

♦ Issue Creation Only/One-Time - These users will only receive an email update for this update or submission.

NOTE: The Project Administrator can define rules for when mail should be sent, what the emails contain, and which user types

will receive updates (i.e. Agent and Customer). The checkboxes for “Assignees” and “Contact” will be checked or unchecked based on these rules. They may change status based on the Status or Priority chosen on the Create Issue screen. To override the default, simply click the checkbox to check/uncheck.

11. Time Spent. This section allows you to enter the amount of time you have spent on this Issue. This can include the entire

time spent on this Issue, not necessarily just the time spent filling out the Issue in FootPrints. Fill in the hours and minutes. Additional fields may appear in this section depending on the Project configuration, including “Start Time/Date” and “Billing Rate”. Please check with the Project Administrator for more information.

Type “15” in “min” field.

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Once you have successfully submitted the Issue, FootPrints assigns it an Issue number and bring you back to your homepage. From there, you can click the Title of the new Issue to view the Details, click the Edit button to edit the Issue, or perform any other

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Editing Issues

To edit an Issue, click the green “Edit” button next to the Issue number on the homepage. You can also click on the “Edit” button on the Details page for that Issue. Normally, an agent only has Edit buttons for Issues to which that agent is assigned. Administrators can edit any Issue.

NOTE: If you have a button on the Details page of an Issue entitled “Take” (rather than “Edit”), the Project Administrator has

enabled a feature called “Taking”. This allows an unassigned agent user to take any Issue in the database and edit it. Check with your Administrator for more information on this feature.

After clicking the Edit button, the Edit page now appears containing the current data for the Issue. From here, you can make changes in the same way that you enter information when you first create an Issue.

Edit Test Issue

You can edit one or more fields on the Edit page. Just skip over the fields that don’t require editing.

1. Title. If you need to edit the title, simply replace the old text with new text. 2. Priority. To change the priority, choose the new priority from the drop-down box. 3. Status. To change the status, choose the new status from the drop-down box.

4. Contact Information. To choose a new contact for this Issue, click “Select Contact”. To update the information for

the current contact, change the desired data and click the “Update Contact Information” checkbox. This will update the information in the current Issue AND in the Address Book (this feature is not available if the LDAP feature is enabled).

NOTE: The user’s Issue history can be viewed by clicking the “History” button.

5. Project Fields. Simply replace the old text with new text (or select a new choice from the drop-down box) for each

field that you want to edit.

6. Description. Add new notes for the Issue. The original Description is kept intact – you will be adding a new

Description with a Time/Date/User stamp. To view the current Description in Read-Only format, click the link for

“View Current Description”.

NOTE: If the Project Administrator has enabled the “Edit most recent description” option, an additional text box will be

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10. Email Notification. Select the users to receive email notification for this update. The checkboxes for Agent/Contact

will default to the settings chosen by the Project Administrator for the status and priority chosen.

11. Time Spent. Enter the additional time you have spent on this Issue. If auto time tracking is enabled, FootPrints will

automatically track the time. There is also a link here to edit existing time-tracking data.

12. Submit Changes. When you are ready to submit your changes, click “GO”. The Issue is updated, and you will be

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Deleting an Issue

To delete an Issue, click the “Delete” button Issue on the Details page of the Issue. Agents can only delete Issues that they create. Project and System Administrators can delete any Issue.

Project and System Administrators can also undelete an Issue. To undelete an Issue:

1. On the FootPrints homepage, choose “Deleted" from the Display drop-down box and click the “GO” button. All

Deleted Issues are displayed.

2. Click the “Edit” button for the Issue to be undeleted.

3. Under “Status”, change the Status to something other than "Deleted". 4. Edit the Issue (if necessary) and click “GO”.

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Copying Issues

Copying allows you to copy the information from an existing Issue into a new Issue, which can be linked to the original Issue. This feature is useful in a number of situations, for example:

A Closed Issue needs to be reopened, but for administrative purposes a new Issue must be created. A new Issue needs to be created that is very similar to an existing Issue.

An Issue must be moved or copied to another project. One Issue needs to be linked to an existing Issue. You want to create “templates” for frequently used data.

To copy or move an Issue, click the title of that Issue to access the Details page, and click the “Copy” button.

To copy an Issue within the same project:

1. On the Details page of the Issue, click the “Copy” button. 2. Choose “Copy Issue in this project”, and click “GO”.

3. A “Create Issue” page displays with the information from the matching Issue pre-filled. 4. Click the checkbox to link the new Issue to the matching Issue if desired.

5. Edit the new Issue as needed (does not affect the original Issue). 6. Click the “GO” button to register the new Issue.

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Cross-project move/copy

Issues can also be copied or moved between projects. In a multi-project environment, this enables you to escalate Issues between projects. For example, you could have two projects: Help Desk and Development. If an Issue in the Help Desk project needs to be passed to the Development team, the help desk agent can simply copy the Issue to the Development project, assigning it to one or more developers.

To copy or move an Issue between projects:

1. On the FootPrints homepage, click the title of the Issue to access the Details page of that Issue. 2. On the Details page, click the Copy button.

3. To copy or move the Issue to another project, choose “Copy/Move Issue to a different project”, and click “GO”. 4. Choose a destination project from the list. The list contains all active projects in FootPrints.

5. To place a copy of the Issue in the destination project, while keeping the Issue in the current project, choose

“Copy” and click “GO”.

6. To move the Issue to the destination project and delete the Issue from the current project, choose “Move” and

click “GO”.

7. A list of projects members for the destination project is displayed. Choose one or more assignees by

highlighting the names and pressing the Ctrl key, then click “GO”. The users selected will get assigned to the Issue in the new project. The assignees of the Issue in the originating project are not affected.

8. The results of the copy/move are now displayed. Any project field data that does not match the fields in the destination

project will be displayed. To append the data to the description, choose “Append”. To ignore the data, choose “Discard”. Field data in the original Issue is not affected.

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Requests

A request is a preliminary Issue that is submitted by a customer, either through the FootPrints interface (by logging in with a Customer license), or via email. There are three options for the handling of new Requests:

1. The Requests go into the Request “bin”. From there, an Agent or Administrator user may assign new Requests to one or

more Agent users to work on them. They would then appear in the user’s “Assignments” list on their homepage.

2. Agent users can “take” requests from the Request bin and assign themselves to work on them.

3. New Requests can automatically be converted into Open Issues and assigned to internal users based on a custom choice

field. This feature must be configured by the Project Administrator (refer to the section on “Auto Assignment” in the Chapter on Project Administration for more information).

Please check with your FootPrints Administrator for more information on how your organization handles Requests in FootPrints. Customers can follow progress on requests that they have submitted as work progresses on them. In addition, FootPrints automatically sends the user email when changes to that request are made.

Viewing Requests

There are a few ways to find out if there are new Requests in the project:

1. In the top of the main frame of the homepage, there is a count of Requests. Click the link for “Requests” to display

the list.

Figure 19 - Project Count Totals

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Figure 20 - Request bin

3.

In addition, the Administrator may have configured FootPrintsemail notification to send email to one or more people each time a customer submits a new Request.

Taking Requests

If you have been assigned to a request, it appears on your Assignment list. However, if you want to take a new request, here is the procedure:

1. On the Requests page, click the Title of the Request to view the details. 2. To take the Request, click the “Edit” button.

3. The status defaults to “Open”, which turns the request into a full-fledged Issue. To choose a different status, select

from the list of statuses.

4. Edit the Priority, project fields, append a new Description, etc. as necessary.

5. Your name is automatically added as the Assignee for this Issue. To change this, move your name back to the

“Project Members” box, and choose a different Assignee.

6. To send an email update to the customer, ensure that the “Contact” checkbox is checked in the “Email” section (it

may be checked by default based on the rules set by the Project Administrator).

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Figure 21 - Taking a Request

The Request now becomes an Issue (or Ticket, Entry, etc., depending on the name chosen for your system), and appears on your list of Assignments.

Email Submission of Issues and Requests

FootPrints’ incoming email feature allows users to submit and receive information to and from the database without logging into FootPrints. Check with the System Administrator to find out the email account designated for incoming submissions to FootPrints.

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Chapter 4 User Types

FootPrints supports a number of different user types. Each user type is intended for users with different needs. As described in the

introduction to this manual, FootPrints users are broken down into two broad categories:

♦ Individual users – This type of account is intended for internal users, such as helpdesk agents, customer service representatives, engineers, and administrators. Depending on the permission level, these users can create, update and close Issues, run reports and queries on the database, configure projects, etc.

♦ Customer users - This type of account is intended for employee customers and external customers. These users can submit Requests to the system, track the status of their Requests, search the Knowledge Base, and may have limited Update privileges to their own Requests, depending on the type of license purchased. The Customer user license is very cost-effective.

Permission Levels

Within the categories of Individual and Customer, there are further sub-categories of users. These sub-categories help to define and limit the permission level of users.

The sub categories are:

Individual License Types:

♦ Agent - A standard, full-strength user. Common uses for this user type include: Help Desk Agent, Call Center Agent, Developer, Engineer, Manager and Project Member. Agent users have the ability to use all of the basic functions of

FootPrints, including creating, viewing, editing Issues, and running queries.

♦ Project Administrator - In addition to Agent User privileges, the Project Admin can administer a project, including adding custom fields, setting options, and adding users.

♦ System Administrator - In addition to Agent User and Project Admin privileges, the System Admin has control over the whole FootPrints system, including administration of any project, adding new projects, and administering licenses.

Customer License Types:

♦ Read KB - View and search the Knowledge Base.

♦ Read KB/Requests – View and search Knowledge Base, and check the status on their Requests (entered by an internal user, or via email).

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Differences between Individual and Customer User Types

Below is a table outlining some of the differences between Individual users and Customer users. This should help to determine what kinds of licenses are needed for your organization.

Figure 22 - Differences between Individual and Customer Users

2_{If the "Customer Read Permissions for Organizational Unit" options is enabled, Customers can additionally view, search and report on Issues for their}

organizational unit as defined in the Address Book (Company, Department, etc.). This option only gives Read access to those Issues; no write access is available as a Customer for other users' Issues. Agent licenses should be purchased for any users who need read AND write access to a range of Issues.

USER TYPE LOGIN READ

ISSUES CREATE ISSUES ASSIGNED ASSIGN/ TO ISSUES

EDIT

ISSUES ISSUES CLOSE QUERIES AND REPORTS

KNOWLEDGE

BASE PROJECT MEMBER-SHIP WEB-BASED PROJECT ADMIN WEB-BASED SYSTEM ADMIN INDIVIDUAL

System Admin Unique ID/

pass projects) Yes (all Yes (All) Yes Yes (All) Yes (All) Yes (All) Read, Add, Administer FAQs

All projects Yes Yes Project Admin Unique ID/

pass Yes (per project) Yes (per project) Yes Yes (per project) Yes (per project) Yes (per project) Read, Add, Administer FAQs

1 or more specified projects

Yes No

Agent Unique ID/

pass Yes (per project) Yes (per project) Yes (must be Yes assigned)

Yes (must be assigned)

Yes (per

project) Read, Add 1 or more specified projects

No No

CUSTOMER

Read KB Shared ID/pass No No No No No No Read 1 or more specified projects

No No

Read KB/

Requests Unique & Shared ID/pass options Own issues ONLY2 Submit

Requests No No No Only on own Issues2

Read 1 or more specified projects

No No

Read/Submit Unique & Shared ID/pass options Own issues ONLY2 Submit

Requests No No No Only on own Issues2 Read 1 or more specified projects No No Read/Submit/

Edit Unique & Shared ID/pass options Own issues ONLY2 Submit

Requests No (limited) Yes (limited) Yes Only on own Issues2

Read 1 or more specified projects

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Chapter 5 Customizing Your Preferences

The “My Preferences” option allows Agents and Administrators to customize their homepages, and set other personal preferences. Users can change their email address, password, security options, and list preferences for the FootPrints homepage.

To change your preferences, click the link for “My Preferences” on the FootPrints Toolbar.

The options available are:

General Preferences – System-wide preferences, for email, name and more. List Preferences – Homepage list preferences.

Security Preferences – enable password protection for working with Issues. Instant Talk Preferences – allow/disallow customers to chat to you via Instant Talk.

NOTE: “General Preferences” apply to FootPrints system-wide, while “List Preferences” and other user preferences are chosen

on a per-project basis. So, if a user is a member of multiple projects, it is possible to display different list preferences for each project.

General Preferences

These options apply to all projects to which you belong.

Name – change your name (does not affect user ID). Simply replace the current name in the text box.

Primary Email address – change your email address for FootPrints email notification. To change your email address, replace the current address in the text box. Option must be checked to receive email.

Pager Email Address (optional): optionally enter separate email address for pager. Can be used for escalation notification. Check this option to receive regular notification email at this address.

Wireless Email Address (optional): optionally enter separate email address for wireless device. Can be used for escalation notification. Check this option to receive regular notification email at this address.

Change Password – change your FootPrints password. Password must be entered in twice.

Default Project – if you are a member of more than one project, change the default project that is displayed when logging in to FootPrints. To change the default project, choose from the drop-down box.

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List Preferences

This section defines the list of Issues displayed on the FootPrints homepage. By default, “My Assignments” is chosen. This lists your most recent open assignments, and is the recommended choice for most users. It is the fastest to display, and allows you to be continuously updated on your assignments. However, the user can choose instead to display any built-in or custom list.

NOTE: The options chosen below are in effect on a per-project basis. To change your preferences in another project, change to

that project and re-configure the List Preferences.

The options are:

Homepage Auto-Refresh Interval - Normally, the default homepage list refreshes each time you click "Project Home", or perform any action that brings you back to the homepage. Optionally, you can set your preferences to automatically refresh the homepage list automatically at intervals of 15, 30 or 60 minutes. So, if you configure FootPrints to refresh every 30 minutes, and go to lunch, when you come back the list will be refreshed, with no user intervention required.

Maximum number – the maximum number of Issues that display at one time on the homepage.

Sort List by – sort list by a designated field (including project and Address Book fields). Choose descending (from lowest to highest) or ascending (highest to lowest).

Default Display Criteria – the default list seen on the FootPrints homepage is chosen here. The options are: ♦ Assignments – Your active assignments.

♦ Assignments and Requests – Your open assignments AND new unassigned customer Requests. ♦ All Issues – All Issues in the project

♦ Deleted Issues – All Deleted Issues in the project (Administrators only). ♦ Solutions – All Solutions in the Knowledge Base for this project. ♦ Requests – New unassigned customer Requests.

♦ Saved Search – any saved search can be chosen as the default list. Saved searches are defined on the Advanced Search page.

NOTE: Whatever list you choose as the default, you can always easily view a different list by choosing another option from the

Display drop-down box on the homepage.

Fields Displayed and Ordering – choose which columns to display, and in what order. ♦ For example, to display “Status”:

• For “Type of Field”, choose “FootPrints fields”. • Highlight “Status” under “Available Fields”.

• Click the “Add Fields” button. “Title” now appears in the “Displayed Fields” box.

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Security Preferences

The security option allows you to restrict others from updating your assigned Issues (for example, if you are away from your desk) by requiring a password.

To turn this option on:

1. Under “Security Preferences”, click the radio button for “Require password to edit a Issue”. 2. Enter you password and click “GO” to apply the change.

Editing your Issues in this project now requires a password. This does not affect other projects to which you belong. To change your Security preference for another project, change to that project and change your preferences there.

NOTE: If "Cookies" are enabled for the system for automated login, and you have a cookie set, another option appears in the

Security section to delete the cookie. To delete your FootPrints cookie (disabling automated login), check this box, enter your password and click "GO". The cookie can be re-enabled at any time from the login screen.

Instant Talk Preferences

Use this option to specify whether or not you wish to allow Customers to initiate an Instant Talk session with you. If you choose to not allow them to initiate Talk sessions with you, you'll still be able to initiate Talk sessions with them.

When you are finished making your changes on the User Preferences page, enter your password and click “GO” to apply the changes.

NOTE: If you just changed your password, you still need to enter your old password to apply the changes. After successfully

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Part 2 Configuration and Administration

What you will find in this section

Chapter 6 Project Administration – Project Options, users, project fields, escalation, auto

assignment.

Chapter 7 Address Book Administration – Address Book fields, options, importing and exporting

contact data, LDAP.

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Chapter 6 Project Administration

In order to use FootPrints to track your specific data and to take full advantage its power, FootPrints projects can be customized. To customize the current project, click the "Project Admin" button under the “Options” heading on the FootPrints Toolbar (you must be a Project or System Administrator). This brings you to the Project Options page, where you can customize users, project fields, and other global options and preferences for the project.

Project Administrators can set options on a per project basis. The options are:

Options

♦ Project Options – set project-wide options. ♦ Mail Preferences – Setup email notification rules. ♦ Delete Attachments – Clean out file attachment directory. ♦ Asset Management – Enable Asset Management.

♦ Report Templates – Create Report templates for single-Issue reports.

♦ Work Calendar – Configure the working hours and holiday calendar for the project.

Users

♦ Add Agents – Add a new Agent or Administrator to this project.

♦ Edit Agents – Remove an Agent or Administrator from the project, or change user’s permission level. ♦ Add Customers - Add a new Customer to this project.

♦ Edit Customers - Remove an Customer user from the project, or change user’s permission level. ♦ Customer Options – Configure Customer options.

Fields

♦ Add Fields – Create custom fields for your project.

♦ Edit/Delete Fields – Change or delete custom project fields.

♦ Add Status – Create statuses in addition to the default statuses “Open” and “Closed”. ♦ Edit Status – Change or delete a custom status.

♦ Priorities – Define priorities.

♦ Dependencies – Configure project field dependencies based on a custom drop-down field.

Automated Task Management

♦ Escalation – Configure FootPrints to automatically escalate Issues and send notification email based on custom criteria.

♦ Auto Assign - Configure Auto-assignment of new Issues based on your custom field(s). ♦ Auto Run Reports - Set up automated report scheduling.

♦ Customer Survey – Create an email survey for Customers.

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Figure 24 - Project Admin screen