August 2002 Edition
New Feature Spotlight: Customized grids, Extended Previews
Smart Tip of the Month: Test your upgrade
Q&A with MetaSupport: Automatic upgrades, Database Links
Support Bookshelf: MetaScript resources
New Feature Spotlight
Customize a grid in a Virtual Ticket 4.0 find results window
There are several ways to display and review the results of a find performed in Virtual Ticket 4.0. One method is List Mode. List Mode displays find results in a spreadsheet-like format, which can then be printed or exported as a tab-delimited text file. Prior to this feature, many find results displayed unnecessary fields or columns in an undesired order. Virtual Ticket 4.0 now has the capability to sort, re-order or remove columns from the List Mode display. To customize your grid, perform the following steps:
- Create or select a find from the Tools menu, specify the search criteria, and click Search. This will instruct Virtual Ticket 4.0 to retrieve the results from the database and display them in the find window.
- Click the Documents tab expansion arrow and select List. The expansion arrow toggles the find window between displaying the results by form and displaying the results by list. When the list option is selected, the search results will appear in the find window in a spreadsheet-like format.
- Click the Grid Customization Tool icon located next to the Printer and Disk icons in the lower left-hand corner of the results window. Remove the check from the checkbox in front of the field name to remove the field from the find results. Use the up and down arrows to change the appearance order of the fields in the list.
- Double-click in the Sorting column to set the column sorting order.
Print Extended Previews in Virtual Ticket 4.0
Starting with package 104, you may now print extended previews of Digital Resources in the PC version of Virtual Ticket 4.0. To print an extended preview, simply do the following:
- Launch a PC version of the Virtual Ticket 4.0 client application.
- Display a file collector with an image containing an extended preview.
- Highlight the file in a file collector and choose Extended Preview with the File Cabinet Tool (second button from the left).
- Choose Print from the upper-left-hand corner of your Extended Preview Window.
To review a list of the other new and exciting features just released, click here…
Smart Tip of the Month
Test your upgrade
Most people are excited to upgrade their production environment as soon as we release a new version of Job Manager 3.0 or Virtual Ticket 4.0. However, it’s always best to test your upgrade on a test server separate from your production environment. This test server should be loaded with a recent copy of your production database, which can be created by restoring a database backup made from your production server. Attempting the upgrade of the database and server software on a test server first will let you eliminate any problems you might encounter during the real upgrade of your production system (plus it provides practice into many critical technical skills).
Q&A with MetaSupport
Q: How can I upgrade my Virtual Ticket 4.0/Job Manager 3.0 client software without having to upgrade each workstation individually?
A: Now it’s possible to have all of your Virtual Ticket 4.0/Job Manager 3.0 client workstations upgraded automatically, saving you the time and resources it used to take. This automatic upgrade feature lets you stay current with the most recent MetaCommunications software without the installation overhead, plus it reduces your downtime and gets you up-and-running fast!
To learn how the automatic upgrade feature works, click here…
Q:I just upgraded my application server to the most recent version. Now I can’t connect to the server from the client application, and the database links in the Application Server Shell stay red. What did I do wrong?
A:During the upgrade process, the Install Expert will scan for existing databases, and this scan will produce a list of all databases in need of an upgrade. If these databases are not selected for upgrading before the Application Server upgrade process continues, the databases will retain the older database version and will not be usable by the new application server. Run the Install Expert again, and select the desired databases when they are listed. This should solve the problem.
Support Bookshelf
Helpful books for MetaScript
Many customers who are new to the system or learning new features need some guidance along the way. In addition to the Virtual Ticket 4.0 MetaScript guide, MetaCommunications’ Support Lead, Justin Bierman, recommends the following titles for users wanting to learn MetaScript, which is a variation of Netscape JavaScript:
Teach yourself JavaScript in 24 Hours by Michael Moncur.
This is a good book for a beginner who does not know much about programming or scripting. This book teaches and relates JavaScript to its originally intended use (web pages), but it can be quite helpful in learning different
terms, techniques and processes necessary to begin using MetaScript in your Virtual Ticket 4.0 forms. It also contains many step-by-step examples.
JavaScript: The Definitive Guide by David Flanagan and Paula Ferguson.
This book is more for advanced users looking to expand their current knowledge of JavaScript. You can find both books at www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com.
Are you using the latest version of Virtual Ticket 4.0 or Job Manager 3.0?
MetaCommunications regularly releases upgrades to its award-winning software. Staying current allows you to take advantage of the many new features that are released in each version. (Plus, falling behind may limit you in the type of product support you may receive.)
The latest release of MetaCommunications’ Virtual Ticket 4.0/Job Manager 3.0 suite is package 104, released June 19, 2002. To download the latest version, click here…
Do you have a question you’d like us to answer? Would you like to suggest a topic for a future newsletter?
Contact the MetaCommunications Technical Support staff at 319-337-8599, option 5, or by email at support@meta-comm.com.
