Resource Information and Control Corporation
This is the ConCentRICs .Net Workspace. This is the first screen that will appear when you start the system. Everything you want to do within ConCentRICs you do from here. It may be possible that most of the things you want to do can be done right from this screen and you do not even need to go into an application.
The title bar will show the person's name that is currently logged into this ConCentRICs Workspace. Following the person's name is the current organization that person is using along with the Accounting Fund and Year. You can change your Organization, Accounting Fund or Year in the Options pull down menu.
The controls in the top right allow you to Minimize, Maximize or Exit the Workspace.
The Main menu view, in the top left corner, allows you to use the ConCentRICs applications that you have access to. Find what you want to do in the menu and double-click on it to perform that function.
The root level of the menu are Menu Groups that puts the applications into functional areas. Click on the Menu Group or push the "+" button in front of the Menu Group to see the applications in that group. Click on the application you want to use in that group to see the options for that application. Double-click on the option to perform that function.
If you are having trouble finding and option, you can use the Find feature on the tool bar (looks like a pair of binoculars) and search for the option by name or partial name.
The Next View and Previous View tool bar buttons:
will expand or collapse the menu for you when the Menu view is in focus.
If you use the Next View button, it will collapse any sub menu currently open and will expand the Menu Group options exposing all of the System Applications at one time. If you use the Previous View button, it will collapse all open menus and will only show the Menu Groups. You can use the Print button on the tool bar to print a list of the menu just as it appears when you push the button.
Available Applications
ConCentRICs .Net has an application available for every aspect of Facility Management. Just click on any of the applications shown below to find out more information on how that application will help you manage your facility. In the system the options for each of these applications are additional drop down items in the Main Menu. Here they will be presented as icons to help you navigate through the demonstration on that application.
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Sales Reporting Event Management |
Operations
Office |
Accounting
Exhibitors |
Customize your Main Menu
You can customize your main menu. You can change the order and add your own custom options or Menu Groups to your menu. Just push the "+" button on the tool bar or use the Options pull down menu and select User Controls to bring your User Control screen. Push the Change Main Menu button to customize your various menu features.
The upper middle view is a full Internet Browser. You can use this as an Internet Browser, but the main purpose of this view is to be used to show more information when you click on various things in the system, such as these helpful hints. If you click on a current event, you will see the Snap Shot for that event. If you click on a Bulletin Board item, it's details will show in this view. Some of the Important Dates can show additional information as well. Some of the applications can use this view to show web sites, pictures or other information. When this view is in idle mode and it is not being used by other options it will continue to rotate it's display and show you pictures and websites of interest.
The Next View and Previous View tool bar buttons:
will scroll through your rotation items. The Next View button will show you the next picture or website in the rotation. The Previous View button will take you to the previous rotation item. If you reach the end of the rotation list with either button, then it will restart at the opposite end of the list, so both buttons will work continuously. If the buttons are not active, then you have less than 2 items in the rotation list.
Control the Internet Browser
You can right click in the Internet Browser window to get a pop up window of several browser controls such as Back, Forward, Print and Refresh. The standard Print button on the tool bar will also print the Browser screen when the Explorer view is active.
You can get to the browser controls by pushing the Globe button on the tool bar:
or by using the "+" button on the tool bar:
and pushing the Browser Control button. The following control screen will appear:
The list in the middle shows all the items currently being rotated in the middle display. The current one being displayed is the highlighted on. You can display any one in particular by clicking on it. Each time you push the OK button it will jump to the next one in the rotation. The Full screen button at the bottom will show the current display in a full screen Internet Browser window.
The fields at the top control the rotation rate for your personal display. You can stop the rotation by checking the box or set the number of minutes before the next image appears. To the right of these fields is the currently status of the rotation mode.
You could go to any web site, by just entering the address for the web site in the address field and pushing the go button.
The buttons on the right control the common aspects of the web browser. Back to go to the last display, Forward to go to the next display (only if Back was used), Home to go to your designated home page, Refresh to repaint the current image, Search to start your designated search engine or Stop to stop the current display from trying to paint the current image any longer.
The buttons on the left let you see History, go to your set Favorites and Customize will allow you to add your own pictures or web sites to the rotation. History will show all sites visited in this Web Browser, Favorites will be your standard list of Favorites you have setup in any of you web browsers and Customize will allow you to add items to your personal rotation only. The Customized items will not appear in anyone's middle display except yours.
This view in the top right corner will list all the upcoming events by day. Events on the same day, will list by the time they start on that day. If you single click on any event in the list, this view will show you the Snap Shot for that event. You can double click on any of the events to get to that event's SPAM screen:
From the SPAM screen you can see a Snap Shoot, Event Profile, look at the event audit or do maintenance (if authorized).
The Next View and Previous View tool bar buttons:
will advance or backup the Current Events listed. Let's say for example that you are set to show 14 days of events in your Current Event display. Each time you push the Next View button you will advance your display up 14 days and you will be looking at the next two weeks of events. If you push the Previous View button then you will go back 14 days. You can advance any time into the future, but you can not go back further then the current date. The standard Print button on the tool bar will allow you print your current event list. If your security level is Normal or higher in Scheduling Administration then the blue plus button on the tool bar:
will allow you to directly add a new event when this view is active. You can always activate this view by just clicking on the Current Events title line.
Customize your Current Events
You change your Current Event settings by using the "+" button on the tool bar and then push the Current Events control button. Two pieces of information can be shown for each event as well as a color. You can change which fields are displayed and what color will be used for your Current Events view. The Current Event list will always start with the current date, but you can change the number of days in the future that will be shown. If you only work on events in the current week, you can set yours to 7 days. If you work on events in the current month you can set it to 30 days or more. This view will take longer to produce for the more days you ask to show, so do not show more than you need.
This view, in the lower left corner, will show helpful hints about the system. The hints are geared just for you and you will only see hints about options or features that you have access to. This view can be replaced with a Broadcast Message if one is issued. The ConCentRICs applications update automatically if it is needed. If any of your programs are automatically updated, then this view will show you a list of the updated applications or files.
The Next View and Previous View tool bar buttons:
will show the next or previous list of hints. This will allow you to scroll through all of the hints.
How to get On Line Help
The main menu can be turned into an on-line help mode. You push the + in front of the first entry - Main Menu. Select Change Main Menu to Help mode and then whatever you click next in the menu, you will see the help for that option.
Some of the options have Walk Through's available. The tool bar button that looks like walking fingers (third from right) will be highlighted when a Walk Through is available. Just push this button to see the Walk Through. A Walk Through will give you an overview of that particular feature.
Anywhere in the system you get help with the current screen you are on by pushing the F1 Windows Help button. You can get help on any one item on your screen by using the Context Sensitive Help feature. Just push the button on the tool bar with the arrow and the question mark. You cursor will then look that button. Just click on something on your screen that you would like additional information about and the help for that item will appear.
The Bulletin Board view, the lower middle view, is the facilities public posting for the employess. You can post anything you would like here, such as things for sale, notices, upcoming activities, etc. Some of our facilities post their Employee Manual and training films on the Bulletin Board. Your name will be shown with the posting, so do not post anything you do not want to take responsibility for.
Add items to the Bulletin Board
You can post your own objects or messages on the Bulletin Board. Use the "+" button on the tool bar and then push either the Post a new Message on the Board or Post an Object on the Board buttons. A message is just a text message, but it could include a picture. The Objects can be any computerized object such as a website, Word or Excel Documents, etc. The items could also be restricted by Department, so only people in those departments will have access to the item.
The Important Dates view at the bottom right will list important upcoming dates, such as holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. This can also show dates of specific interest to your facility. Some of the important date items can show additional information. Just click on an item and if there is additional information, it will show in this view.
Add items to the Important Dates
You can add your own important dates to the list. Just use the "+" button on the tool bar and push the Important Date Control button. Items you add will only show on your Important Date list, so you can add personal entries such as birthdays, anniversaries or appointments you have.
Cut, Copy Paste buttons on Tool Bar
The Cut, Copy, Paste buttons on the tool bar:
will perform those standard functions for what ever you have highlighted. You will use the Copy button the most. This will allow you highlight text in a report and then push the Copy button to put that on your Windows Clip Board. You can then go into any other application and use the Paste feature there. You can use that for Word Documents, E-Mails, etc.
The Cut and Paste feature are not available in too many places since we do not allow to many things to be entered into the system blindly without editing the data first. Usually you will use one of the Import wizards to add data to the system from a third party application.
Find/Search button on Tool Bar
The Find/Search button on the Tool Bar
The Add New button on the Tool Bar
The Add New button on the tool bar:
is used through out the system. On the Main Screen it will take you to the User Controls where you add the new items that can appear on the Main Screen. In the Current Events view, it will allow you to add a new event if your security is Normal or higher in Scheduling Administration. On Maintenance screens this will start a new maintenance entry. For example if you are in Table Parameters and you have a table entry, this button will allow you to add a new entry to the table. The rule of thumb for this button is if you are anywhere in the system and you think you want a new one of what ever you are looking at, then push this button on the tool bar.
The Trace Item button on the Tool Bar
You can access your trace and follow-up items any time by using the Trace Item button on the tool bar.
This will bring up the Interactive tool that will allow you to see and manipulate your personal outstanding Trace Items from all parts of the system. The Check List/Followup items from Scheduling will be there, combined with those from Sales and Marketing, Event Administration and Food Administration.
You can use the setup button on that screen to trigger this to appear as soon as you start ConCentRICs .Net if it does not already. You can also change how far into the future you want to see your items. Any completed item is automatically removed from the list but any past outstanding item will remain there until you complete them. One handy feature in this tool that may not be obvious is you can start a new item by highlighting a current check list and double-click a date on the calendar at the bottom and a new item will be started for that date for the same event/sales file of the original.
Update an address from your Clipboard
The Sync Address feature allows you to add or update a name and address from your clipboard. You can take an address from any source. You can get it from an e-mail message, a web site, a Word document or any place that will allow you to use the Windows clipboard. Just highlight the text with the name and address in it including any e-mail or web address. After the text is highlighted hold down the Ctrl key and push the C key to copy that to your clipboard.
Once you have a name and address in your clipboard you can start the Sync Address feature. You can do that by pushing the Sync Address button on the tool bar (the one that looks like an envelope), or you can use the Edit pull down menu and select Sync Address or you could just hold down the Alt key and push the A key.
The text containing the Name and Address information from the clipboard will appear in the text box in the upper left corner. The system will do the best it can to examine the text and break the name and address into all of it's component parts. The system will also try to match it with a name in the database. The List Control at the bottom will show the results. Each of the Name and Address fields supported by this function will appear at the bottom. It will show the imported value for each of the fields and the current value for that field in the database. If all the current value fields are blank then the imported name will be added to the database as a new name. Any field that does not match the current database value will be shown in red in the list control. Blank imported fields are ignored and information will not be erase in the database if there is no matching imported value. When you push the Update Name button, only the fields in red will actually update the database.
The system does it's best to break the text into the appropriate name and address fields. You may need to manually adjust the results. You could physically change the text in the upper left and then push the Sync Name button to have the system reexamine the text. You can also click on the field in the List Control and type in the new value. If you do not want to use one of the imported values you can just blank it out in the list control. The system assumes that the imported text will contain a person's name, a job title and a company name in that order. The check boxes next to the text box allow you to change those assumptions to better break the text into the proper name fields. The check boxes and buttons appear as follows:
Name Maintenance - The Name Maintenance button will be active if a name match was found in the database. When you push this button it will bring up the standard Name and Address dialog box for the matching name.
Pick an Alternate - There may be several names that come close to the name being imported. The system gives a ranking value to each of the possible names and selects the one with the greatest score as the matching name in the database. The system may not always pick the correct name. If a name did not score high enough it may have not have been picked at all and the system will show the imported value as a new name. All of the possible names will be available to you so you can select the correct one yourself. When you push the Pick an Alternate button each of the possible names will be listed in ranking order, with the best possible ones on top. You can pick any of the entries on the list as the matching database name.
Find the name - If the system does not pick the correct matching name from the database then can search and find the name. When you push the Find the name button, a standard name and address search screen will appear. Select the appropriate name and the system will use what ever name you pick as the database entry to update.
Add as New Name - The system may find a name in the database that it thinks is a match to the imported text. You may not want to update the existing name, but add the imported data as a new name. Push this button and the system will break the current match and set the text to be added as a new name to the database.
See a Map - The map button at the bottom of the dialog box will be available if there is enough address information to map. You will need at least a street address, city and state. You do not have to add the name to the database to get a map. This could be a very quick way to get a map of any address, just copy the address to your clipboard, run the Sync Name feature and push the See a Map button.
The rest of the controls on this dialog box change how the system will analysis the text and break it into the various name fields. The system assumes there will be a person's name, a job title, a company name followed by the full address including city, state and zip. It will also look for phone numbers, e-mail addresses and a web site address. If the name components are not formatted that way the system may still figure it out, but if not you may need to help out by changing the following settings. As soon as you change a setting the system will automatically reexamine the name and show the results in the list control.
Sync Name - This button will force the system to look at the current text in the upper left and will reanalysis it and show the results in the list control. If you manually make changes to the text, the system will not reanalysis it until you push this button.
Change Case - The name may come in with a different upper/lower case then the names in the database. If the imported text is in all upper case letters then this check box will make it upper and lower text. If the imported text is in upper and lower case then this check box will make it all upper case.
No Person name - The system assumes there is a person's name. If there is no person's name and you only have company information, the system may try to turn the company name into a person's name. In that case, check this box and the system will not try to find a person's name and should put the company name in the proper field.
No Company name - The system assumes that there is a company name. If you only have a person's name without a company name the system may use the first address line as the company name. In that case check this box and the system will not try to find a company name.
Company first - The system assumes that the person's name will appear before the company name, but if the company name appears first you will need the check this box or the system may reverse them.
No Title for Person - The system assumes there is a job title for the person. It does a pretty good job of figuring out if there is a title or not. If it does not get it right and tries to use something else as the title, then check this box and the system will not try to fill the title field.
City, Country - Some foreign addresses do not have a city, state and zip line, but they have the city name followed by a comma and the country name. If that is the situation you have, then check this box and the system will process the line correctly putting the city name and country names in their proper fields.
Break on Commas - The system assumes that each name component is on it's own line. Some times an address will come in with most of the address on one or two lines with each component separated by commas. This format seems to be used a lot on web sites. If you check this box, then the system will check for a new name component at each comma. If this does not work then you may need to break the name and address into separate lines in the text box.
City/State Line - One of the keys to processing a name correctly is knowing where the city, state zip line is located. The system tries real hard to find the city, state zip line. If the system does not find this line it could mess up the whole process. In that case just enter the line number where the city state and zip can be found. Count down the number of lines in the text box with the first line in the text box being line number 1. You could also adjust the text box to better find that line. The system looks for the city state and zip on the same line with the zip or postal code being the right most item. It then would like a comma after the city name and before the state.
The Print button and Print Preview buttons on the tool bar:
are used through out the system to print the view or report you currently have active.
The Print button triggers the print routines. Normally it will ask you for a printer and you push OK to print that particular report. You also have a Print to File button on this screen. You can check that and give it a file name to turn the report into a file. Make sure you check the Look In box at the top left when you enter a filename to see what folder it is being put in. If you use an extension of .txt it will create a standard text file, .htm or .html will create and HTML output of that report. An extension of .xls will create an Excel spreadsheet or use .doc to use it for a Word Mail Merge. There is also a special extension of .ric that will create a real small file that will look like the exact view you are looking at. This file can be opened with a RIC Corp Viewer which all ConCentRICs users have, or you can get one free from our web site.
If a report contains a Name or Address on it, then a Name and Address Print screen will appear first. Use the Print as displayed option to print the report "as is". You can use the other options to output the name and address of the people on the report, even if the full address does not appear on the report. This will allow to easily generate envelopes, mailing labels or merge files.
The Print Preview feature is a call to a Microsoft routine to give a visual image of what the report would look like. For some reports it works well for others it does not. It works better if you zoom in on the Print Preview. You can use Print Preview to test forms, since they will not be recorded, but the resulting image may not include on the right hand form fields.
The List View tool bar button:
will allow you to manipulate the columns on the report when active. When you push this on a report, all the columns in that report will appear in a list view. You can resort the report by clicking on any column heading. You can rearrange the columns by dragging them to a new position. You can eliminate lines by highlighting the line and pushing the Delete button. You can also turn it into an Excel spread sheet by pushing that button. If the report had names in it, you can change the List View to the name fields and manipulate them the same way. If you want to try this, click on the Current Event title line and push this button.
The button on the tool bar that looks like a telephone and is labeled Auto Dial:
will be active whenever there are names on a report. When you push this button you will see the phone numbers of all the people on the report, or just the phone number for the highlighted line on the report. This will also allow you to see the full name and address as well as the e-mail for those people. There is also a button to go to maintenance on that name or to get a Map to the selected address. If your computer is connected to a phone line then you can push the Dial button to have your computer automatically dial the selected phone number.
The View buttons on the Tool Bar
The Next View and Previous View tool bar buttons:
will perform different functions for different views. There is only one set of buttons, so it will work for which ever view is currently in focus or active. On the Main Menu, you will know which view is active by looking at the last box on the status bar, in the very bottom right of the main screen. MENU is the Main Menu view in the top left. EXPL is the Internet Explorer view in the top middle. EVNT is the Current Events view in the top right, HINT is the Hints and Broadcast messages in the bottom left, BB is the Bulletin Board view in the bottom middle and DATE is the Important Date view in the bottom right. You can make any view active by just left clicking once anywhere in that view
In the Main Menu view (MENU), the Next View button will expand all Group Menus and collapse all sub menus, so you can see all of your applications at one time. The Previous View button will collapse all menus and will just leave the Menu Groups listed. This button will help if you have a lot of sub menus open and you just want to quickly close them all and start clean.
In the Internet Explorer view (EXPL), the Next View button will show you the next picture or website in your item rotation. The Previous View button will take you back to the last one. The rotation items are a continuous loop, so you can use either button to go through all the items in your rotation. You need to have at least two items in your rotation for these buttons to be active in this view.
In the Current Events view (EVCU), the Next View button will take you ahead to the next period of time and the Previous View button will take you back. Let's say for example you are set to show 14 days of events. Each time you push the Next View button you will see the next 14 days of events. Each time you push the Previous View button then you will move back 14 days. You can move ahead anytime into the future, but you can not go back further then current date.
In the Hints view (HINT), these buttons will show you the next set of hints or the previous set. The hints are an endless loop, so you could use either button to review all of the hint topics.
If these buttons are active when you are looking at a report, then the report is too large to fit in a single viewing window. You would use these buttons to navigate ahead or back through all of the windows required to show the entire report.
There are a series of Help buttons on the tool bar:
They can be used to get you help with the system. The Find Help button will bring up an index of Help topics that you can choose from. The Context-Sensitive Help will turn the cursor into an arrow with a question mark. The next thing you click on will bring you the written documentation for that item. Try it on one of the tool bar buttons for example. The Walk Through button will take you through a presentation on that feature or option, giving you a practical example of that feature. The Current Help button will show you the written documentation for the current menu option selected in the Main Menu.
You can also turn the entire main menu into help mode by using opening the Main Menu entry at the top and selecting the Help mode. When the main menu is in this mode the written documentation for the options will appear rather that executing that option.
Yearly Calendar Tool Bar button
The Yearly Calendar tool bar button:
will show you a calendar for an entire year. It will default to the current year, but you can move back a year by clicking in the top left corner, go forward a year by clicking in the top right corner, or click on the calendar year title to select a year. There are 4 months in a row and 3 rows of months. The days in the month are color coded. The current date will appear in red. Holidays will be in blue, important dates in green and dates with events in the facility will be white on black. The color codes are noted at the bottom of the calendar.
You can see the details for any date or interact with that date by just doing a single left click on the date itself. A dialog box will appear with the date you selected in the title bar. Anything special about the date will appear first, such as holiday or important date information. Any events booked on that day will be shown in the list box. It will show the Booking Status Code, Event Name and locations of the booked event. You can single click on any event in the list to get to the SPAM screen for that event.
The options you can do with that date will appear at the bottom of the dialog box as radio buttons. You can start your Current Event list with the selected date. You can create a personal or system wide Important Date entry for that date. If you have the proper security you can open The Book to that date, show The Calendar for that month/year or book a new event for that date.
Internet Explorer button on Tool Bar
The Internet Explorer button on the tool bar:
will allow you to control the middle window as a full Internet Browser. When you push this button it will bring up the following control screen:
The list in the middle shows all the items currently being rotated in the middle display. The current one being displayed is the highlighted on. You can display any one in particular by clicking on it. Each time you push the OK button it will jump to the next one in the rotation. The Full screen button at the bottom will show the current display in a full screen Internet Browser window.
The fields at the top control the rotation rate for your personal display. You can stop the rotation by checking the box or set the number of minutes before the next image appears. To the right of these fields is the currently status of the rotation mode.
You could go to any web site, by just entering the address for the web site in the address field and pushing the go button.
The buttons on the right control the common aspects of the web browser. Back to go to the last display, Forward to go to the next display (only if Back was used), Home to go to your designated home page, Refresh to repaint the current image, Search to start your designated search engine or Stop to stop the current display from trying to paint the current image any longer.
The buttons on the left let you see History, go to your set Favorites and Customize will allow you to add your own pictures or web sites to the rotation. History will show all sites visited in this Web Browser, Favorites will be your standard list of Favorites you have setup in any of you web browsers and Customize will allow you to add items to your personal rotation only. The Customized items will not appear in anyone's middle display except yours.
My Favorite Option will take you directly to the option on your menu that you have pre-selected as your favorite option. You can start this feature with the My Favorite Option button on the tool bar, the My Favorite Option entry on the File pull down menu or you can hold down the Ctrl key and press the M key.
The first time you use this feature it will ask you to select your Favorite Option. After you have set your Favorite Option then that is the option that will be run each time you use this feature.
If you want to change the setting for My Favorite Option, then get to your User Control menu and go to General View Controls. Push the My Favorite Option button and the system will show you the current option you have selected and will ask you if you want to change it. If you do, then you just pick another option off the menu and that will be your new My Favorite Option.
The World Time feature can be accessed from the Files pull down menu or using the World Time 
tool bar button. World Time is a utility that will let you see the time anywhere in the world. look up a telephone number or do Weight and Measurement conversions. When you first start the feature the World Time control screen will appear:
The Name Search allows you to quickly look up any name in the Name and Address database. You can start this feature with the Name Search button on the tool bar, the Name Search option on the Edit pull down menu or you can hold down the Ctrl key and press the N key. When you select this feature the standard name and address search screen appears:
When this dialog box appears it is ready to search for a name. Just type a few characters in the search field and the system will populate the list box with all the names that begin with the letters you are typing. The search is case sensitive so make sure you enter your search characters in the proper case for your database. Do not type the entire name in the search field. You only need to type a few letters to find the name. When you see the name you want on the list just highlight it and push the OK button or just double-click on the name. The system will then show you the details on that name. The amount of the name and address that displays is based on your Option - Name Option settings.
The rest of the fields on the search screen change the parameters of the search. Each of the controls are described below:
Search Field - This determines the name field that will be used for the search. Typically it is either Last name or Company name. Each name in the system can have Name or Vendor detail information attached to it. You can search on any of those fields by using the Other option. If you select Other then a drop down list will appear where you can select the detail field you want to search on.
Search Mode - This determines how the names will be searched.
The fastest search is Begins with. This is a key search so the system can go right to the names that start with the characters you enter. In this mode the search is case sensitive, so you need to enter the search characters in the same case as the names in your database. In this mode you see the results as soon as you start typing search characters, so stop typing characters as soon as you see the name you want.
The slower search is the Contains search, since it has to search every name in the database to see if there is a match. This is not case sensitive search and the characters you enter can be in any part of the name. The search will not begin until you enter all your search characters and then tab off that field.
There is a special search mode in case you have a specific name and address key you want to find. Just select the Contains mode and enter the name key in the search box, then tab off the field. You can find a range of name keys by enter the first number in the range followed by a dash and the last number in the range with no spaces then tab off the field. You can find the last name key used by the system in this mode by just typing 999999 in the search field and then tab off the field.
Name Details - If you have a name selected in the list, then this button will be enabled. It will show you the full Name and Address Maintenance for the selected name. This will help you determine if you are selecting the correct name.
Restore Last Name Search - This will restore the search criteria to the ones used for the last successful name search. You would use this if you had several names to choose from and you selected the wrong one. You push this button and it will bring up the same names that appeared the last time, so you can pick another name from the same list.
Minimum number of characters to enter before the search begins - This only applies to the Begins With search mode. Normally the system will start showing you names as soon as you start to type characters. If you have a lot of names in your database then there may be a delay on the first couple of characters. In that case you can set a minimum number of characters before the search begins. If you set this field to a 2, then the search will not start until you enter the 3rd character.
The Sales File Search is a short cut to the Sales and Marketing Sales File Inquiry option. You can start this feature with the Sales File Search button on the tool bar, the Sales File Search option on the Edit pull down menu or you can hold down the Ctrl key and press the S key. When you start this feature it will take you back to the last Sales file you had open. There is a Search button there in case you want to open a different Sales File. using this feature is the quickest way to open one of your Sales files. This option will only be available to those people who have access to Sales and Marketing.
The Event Search feature will allow you to find any Event that is booked into the ConCentRICs system. You can start this feature with the Event Search button on the tool bar, the Event Search option on the Edit pull down menu or you can hold down the Ctrl key and press the E key. When you start this feature it will bring up the standard event search screen:
If you have a specific Event Id you want to get to then just enter the Event Id in the First Event Id field and push the OK button. All other search fields will be ignored and you will be taken directly to that event.
All other searches need a Start Date and an End Date. Actually a Start Date and an End Date is all that is required to begin a search.
The search will find all the events that match the criteria provided and will show the resulting events in a list. Select the event you want from the list and push the OK button or just double-click on the Event. If only one event meets your search criteria then the list will not appear and you will be taken directly to that event.
Since the Start Date and the End Date are the only required fields, then the rest of the controls on this dialog box are optional. Each of the controls are described below. Don't forget you can use + and - numbers for your dates, so if you enter -7 you will get last weeks date, enter +0 you get today's date, enter +30 and you get a month from now, etc.
Use Event Dates Only - When this box is checked then the search will look at the events dates only and will exclude the In and Out dates.
Sort - The sort determines the order the events will be shown in the results list. You can choose between the Event Id (numerically), the Event Dates (chronologically) or the Event Name (alphabetically).
Event Name - This optional search field will narrow down the search to just the events that have these characters in the name. It is not case sensitive and the characters you enter can be in any part of the name. Do not enter the entire event name in this field. It is suggested that you enter the least number of characters possible. For example if you enter the characters "Chick" in this field then all of the following event names would match: Chicken Pluckers of America, The Mid-West Chicken Farmers Conference and The Coolchicks Fashion Show.
First and Last Event Id - This allows you to search for a range of Event Ids. Enter the first Event Id in the range in the First Event Id and the last number in the range in the Last Event Id field. If you are looking for just a single event, then just enter it in the First Event Id field and push the OK button.
Last 20 Events - The system keeps track of up to 20 events that you last accessed. If you are looking for the same event that you have opened recently then there is a good chance that the event is in your last 20 list. You can select the event from that list and prevent the need for having to search.
Client Search - You may want to see all the events for a particular client. Just push this button and the Name and Address Search screen will appear. Just find the client name you want and push the OK button. Only events for the selected client will be used for the search.
Search on Statistics - You can include any of the statistical fields in your search criteria. For example you may want to select on Booking Status codes and select all the status codes other then the Cancel codes so you only see active events in the results.
Reset/Clear - When you start the search it will "remember" all the selection criteria you used from the previous successful search. This way you can quickly resume a similar search. You may want to just clear everything out and start with a clean search. Just push this button and all the option search fields will be initialized. If you do a search and can not find any events, but you know there are events there, then you probably have an optional selection criteria set. Just push this button and try your search again.
The File pull down menu contains the system level options which include:
Print - Which initiate the Print function for the current view. This will allow you to print the view or report you are currently looking at. This is the same as pushing the Print button on the tool bar.
Print Preview - Allows you to the view the current report before you print it. This starts the Microsoft Print Preview utility which tries to show you an image of what the printed image would look like. Some times this works and some times it does not. It works better in when you zoom in. This is the same as hitting the Print Preview tool bar button.
Print Setup - This allows you to call up the printer properties box before actually printing your report. This will allow you to set the defaults for the printer, so that when you do go to print, it will be preset the way you want it.
Auto Dialer - This will option will be active when ever there is a name on a report. This will allow you to see the name, address and phone numbers of the names on the report. If you have a line selected on the report, then only the name associated with the highlighted line will appear. This is the same as pushing the Auto Dial button on the tool bar.
Send Mail - If you computer is connected to your mail system through ConCentRICs, then you can automatically send the current report as an e-mail message.
My Favorite Option - This is a short cut to an option your preselect from the menu. Each time you use this option it will run the same option until you change it in User Settings - General View Controls.
Logout - This will log you out of the ConCentRICs system and allow someone else to login. This is only used if multiple people are using the same computer.
Exit - This will stop the program and will close the window.
The Edit pull down menu contains the maintenance related options which include:
Undo - The Undo feature will forget the last maintenance activity that was done and will return the file to it's original state before the change. The complex maintenance tasks can not support the Undo feature. If the Undo feature is disabled after a maintenance activity then that maintenance does not support the Undo feature.
Add Entry - This allows a new item to be added to the system. Any time you want to add a new item to the ConCentRICs system you select Add Entry. This is the same as using the "+" button on the tool bar.
Find Entry - This starts a Search on the current screen. This will allow you to find any text that appears on the screen. The Find dialog box will remain on the screen so you continue to use it and interact with the screen at the same time. This is the same as using the binocular button on the tool bar.
Sync Address - This allows a name and address to be updated from the clipboard. You can copy a name and address to your clipboard. Then use this feature to update or add the name to the ConCentRICs database. This is the same as using the envelope button on the tool bar.
Cut - This will take the currently highlighted text and place it in the windows clipboard and remove it from the windows it was highlighted in.
Copy - This will take the currently highlighted text and place it in the windows clipboard, but it will not change the original text in any way.
Paste - This will take the contains of the clipboard will copy that text at the cursor position of the current window .
Name Search - This is a short cut to the Name Inquiry option that will allow you to find any name in the Name and Address database.
Sales File Search - This is a short cut to the Sales File Inquiry in Sales and Marketing. This will get you back to the last Sales File you had open. There is a Search button here in case you want to open a different sales file.
Event Search - This is a short cut to the Event Search function where you can find any event booked into the ConCentRICs system.
The View pull down menu contains the tools to manipulate the ConCentRICs Workspace which include:
Tool bar - You would toggle this entry to turn on or off the tool bar from showing on the workspace.
Status bar - You would toggle this entry to turn on or off the status bar from appearing at the bottom of the workspace.
Next View - The action of this button depends on the window being displayed, but it will usually take you to the next set of display information for that item, especially if it does not all fit in one window. This is the same as using the green down arrow button on the tool bar.
Previous View - The action of this button is the opposite of the Next View button. After the Next View button is used then this will take you back to the view that was showing before you pushed the Next View button. This is the same as using the green up arrow button on the tool bar
Refresh View - This will redisplay the current window. You may need to use this if the display gets messed up by another window laying on top of this one and the system can not restore the entire report correct.
The Options pull down menu contains the settings of how you are currently using the ConCentRICs .Net system. It will appear like this:
Each of the features available to you here are described below.
Password - This allows you to change your password in ConCentRICs. This does not effect your network password in any way. Your password for ConCentRICs is separate from your network password. It is used to access the system if you are not using Windows login and is also used when you Switch Users.
RIC Corp Systems - Allows you to switch to other ConCentRICs systems that you have access to. This is used when you have more than one ConCentRICs system on the same network.
Organizations - Allows you to switch to another organization on the system. One ConCentRICs system can run several facilities at the same time. Each facility would be an Organization on the system. If you have access to more then one Organization then this option will be enabled. It will show you a list of the organizations you have access to and will allow you to select a different organization. The title bar on the top of the ConCentRICs workspace will show you the organization currently selected. The applications, options and settings for your workspace could be different for each organization.
Accounting Fund/Year - The ConCentRICs system allows for a number of different accounting books or funds. For example, one fund could be used for General Operating and another could be used for special projects such as construction or bonds. Each Accounting fund could have several fiscal accounting years. This option will allow you to select the various funds and accounting years you have access to. The top box will show each fund you have access to. Select a fund and the bottom box will show the fiscal years in that fund. Select the year you want to be in and push OK.
Fonts - This option will allow you to set the font for the current report on your screen. The system will "remember" the font you set for any one ConCentRICs report and will use that same font each time you run that report. It will not effect the font for any other report. If you want to use the same font for all reports then change your System Font in User Controls.
User Options - This controls features that you can set for you own personal use. Any setting you change here is just for you and will not effect anyone else. The system will continue to use these features until you change them. You can set it so that the system will start all new windows with a maximized view. You can also turn off all the color features in the system. If the line you click on in a report is not the line that gets selected, then you can change your Monitor line adjustment to fix that. You can also set your ID Stamp with any text you want that will be pasted into your notes when you push the Stamp button in the Text Editor.
Print Options - This allows you to change the print settings for the reports in the system. You can tell the system what to do if the report does not fit on the piece of paper you are trying to use. You can turn on or off your title page and the heading options available to you. You can also set features to use when the system prints to file or prints to an HTML format.
Name Options - This sets how to display name and address information when it comes up. There are a number of fields available for a name and address. Depending on why you are generating the name list, you may want to include some fields and exclude others.
Work Station - This allows you to change the settings the system has for your work station such as the operating system it is using and some of the capabilities of the local computer.
Switch Users - This allows you to log into the system as a different person. This does not change the network login of the work station, but does change your settings in ConCentRICs to the other person. You may need to change users for security reasons if the person currently logged in does not have the access to do what needs to be done, you can temporary login as another person that has the proper access. After you are done being the other person you can switch users again or just close ConCentRICs and reopen it and it will go back to the original person. or will ask you to login again depending on the setting of that work station.
Trace Items - This will get you to your current Trace and Follow-up items. This is an interactive tool that will allow you to not only see your trace items but to interact with them. You can review them, change them, complete them or create new ones.
System Controls - This option will only be available to people with System Administrator access. These are the controls for ConCentRICs .Net that effect all users on the system. These options allow you to customize the system for your facility.
User Controls - This option allows you to access your individual settings for ConCentRICs .Net and your workspace. Anything you change here is only for you and will not effect any other user on the system. Each of the views in your ConCentRICs workspace is customizable to some degree. You would use this to change any of your settings. The system will continue to use your new settings until you change them. You may also get to the User Controls by pushing the "+" button on the tool bar in the ConCentRICs workspace.
The Windows pull down menu contains tools to manipulate the open windows which include:
Cascade - Will rearrange the open windows slightly overlaying them so you can see the edge of each open window..
Tile - Will rearrange all the open windows so they are side by side on the screen.
List of open Windows - The rest will show each of the open windows in the current application. The one with the check mark next to it is the one currently being displayed. You can click on one of the other ones to display that one. You could use this to see a window that is hidden by other windows. This is only works within one application and ConCentRICs uses several applications, so this may not show all of your ConCentRICs windows.
The Help pull down menu contains the various help related options which include:
Walk Through - Some of the ConCentRICs applications have a walk through available. This will give you a presentation of how you use an option or an application. If there is a walk through available for the currently selected option, then this option will be enabled. This is the same as using the Walk Through button on the tool bar.
Current Help - This will bring up the on-line help for the currently selected option. When selected you will be shown the on-line documentation for what ever option is currently highlighted.
Index - This will bring up the primary documentation for the current application. It should then give you links to most of the documentation for that application.
What's This - This will activate the Context-Sensitive help feature. The cursor will turn into an arrow with a question mark. The next thing you click on will bring you the on-line help for that item. You can click on anything on the screen including tool bar buttons. This is the same as pushing the arrow/question mark button on the tool bar.
ConCentRICs - This will show the basic ConCentRICs help features. This is the general documentation that applies to all the applications. It gives you the documentation on the features that are common to every application in the system.
Scheduling Basics - This will show you the help for the basic Scheduling functions. These functions are used in every Scheduling related application.
Accounting Basics - This will show you the help for the basic Accounting functions. These functions are used in every Accounting related application.
Using Help - This will show you the Microsoft Documentation on how to use the Windows Help features.
About - The About option will show you information about the current session. It will show you the version and publish date of the application you are using. It will also show general information about who is logged in, security level and other current system values.
The Status Bar will show the Current status of the ConCentRICs system. The first box on the right will show the Current time and date. The next Box will show the word Mail if you have private internal e-mail else it will be blank. The next two boxes shows the status of your Caps Lock and Num Lock keys. If those features are on then these boxes will say CAP or NUM respectively. The last box shows which view is currently active. The list below indicates the words that will appear when each of the views is active:
MENU = View 1 - Main Menu
EXPL = View 2 - Internet Browser
EVNT = View 3 - Current Events
HINT = View 4 - Helpful Hints
BBRD = View 5 - Bulletin Board
DATE - View 6 - Important Dates
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Last Modified: Saturday, January 02, 2010 at 12:00 AM.